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New Ibanez AZES31 Electric Guitar - Arctic Ocean Metallic

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Poplar Body, Maple Neck, Jatoba Fingerboard, and 3 Single-coil Pickups - Arctic Ocean Metallic
1 Write review Item ID: AZES31AOC
$299.99

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AZES31 Electric Guitar Essentials Bundle - Arctic Ocean Metallic

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AZES31 Electric Guitar with Gig Bag - Arctic Ocean Metallic

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Ibanez AZES31 Electric Guitar - Arctic Ocean Metallic
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A New Benchmark for Entry-level Instruments

Designed in collaboration with Berklee College of Music professor and YouTube guitar instructor Tomo Fujita, the Ibanez AZES31 is prepared to set a new standard for entry-level instruments by offering stage-ready playability, electronic bells and whistles, and an attractive price. It all starts with a poplar body, which is paired with the trademark snap and sustain of a maple neck and silky-smooth playability of jatoba for the fingerboard. Beginners are guaranteed to benefit from enlisting these hard-hitting tonewoods, leading to less time sparring with the instrument to get it feeling just right and more time practicing beloved riffs. You'll be duly impressed by the quality of the AZES31's onboard electronics, with an SSS pickup combination for nailing the spank and twang of single coils alongside Ibanez's dyna-MIX8 switching system for unleashing more sonic possibilities. With its impressive woods and electronics, the Ibanez AZES31 is an unprecedented beginner-grade instrument.

Explore a vast sonic world with high-powered electronics

Many entry-level instruments come with just enough features to get you started on your musical journey. When constructing the AZES31, Ibanez decided to forgo this bare-minimum mindset by including three excellent-sounding single-coil pickups. The guitarists here at Sweetwater have found that the AZES31 delivers the trademark crispness and chime of vintage single coils, with a traditional 5-way blade for switching between each pickup as well as accessing those coveted second and fourth positions. Not only can you channel the sound of one of rock music's most beloved axes, but the AZES31 comes stock with Ibanez's dyna-MIX8 switching system onboard. With this high-powered switching system, up to eight different sound variations are at your disposal with the flick of a mini switch, a fantastic option for budding guitarists looking to find their sound as well as seasoned performers seeking to expand their tonal palette.

Ibanez AZES31 Electric Guitar Features:

  • Rock-solid beginner electric guitar designed in collaboration with Berklee professor and YouTube sensation Tomo Fujita
  • Poplar body offers a solid tonal foundation with good sustain
  • Bolt-on maple neck with a fast-playing jatoba fingerboard and all-access neck joint for reaching those higher frets
  • Trio of single coils deliver the spank and twang of vintage pickups
  • Classic 5-way blade easily switches between pickups
  • Ibanez's dyna-MIX8 switching system unlocks even more sonic options
  • Hardtail F106 bridge with comfortable round steel saddles

Additional Media

Electric Guitar Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape AZES31
  • Body Material Poplar
  • Body Finish Gloss Polyurethane
  • Color Arctic Ocean Metallic
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Maple
  • Neck Shape AZES
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 9.84"
  • Fingerboard Material Jatoba
  • Fingerboard Inlay Dots
  • Number of Frets 22
  • Scale Length 25"
  • Nut Width 1.653"
  • Nut Material Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece F106 with Comfort round Steel saddles
  • Tuners Ibanez
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Ibanez Essentials Single-coil
  • Middle Pickup Ibanez Essentials Single-coil
  • Bridge Pickup Ibanez Essentials Single-coil
  • Controls 1 x volume, 1 x tone
  • Switching 5-way blade pickup switch, 1 x mini-switch (Ibanez dyna-MIX8 switching)
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: AZES31AOC

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Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5

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Preliminary Rating - Really Good!

I just got the guitar today so I haven't had much time to put the instrument through its paces. But I've formed some initial impressions:

1. The guitar arrived quickly and in good condition. That's not a given these days, sadly, and it's worth mentioning.
2. Out of the box the guitar was well set-up, clean, and free of obvious defects. It's a very pretty instrument!
3. The neck is fantastic! Satin finish (my personal preference), fast and smooth, and the fretwork is top-notch. The fretwork is actually shocking for what this guitar costs -- I've bought guitars for three times the price that don't have fretwork this good. No sharp ends, and frets themselves are reasonably level and well polished. Notes sound cleanly all up and down the fretboard. Headstock has a glossy finish on the front, and split-shaft tuners that seem to be pretty good quality and hold tune well.
4. The "arctic ocean" blue color on the body is even nicer in person than in photos. The pickguard is a very pale key-lime green rather than white, which I'm not sure I like -- I think I would have preferred plain white. Still, it's not ugly and I'll probably just live with it. The switches and knobs feel good -- not super top-shelf, but not bargain-basement either.
5. Through my amp (a Fender Champion 40), the Ibanez Essentials ceramic pickups are shockingly good. I play on the clean channel a lot of the time, or at most with light reverb/delay, and the pickups sound great. I tried some overdrive and got a good classic Strat overdrive sound as well. For guitars in this price range the pickups are always one of the places where the builder saves money, but in this case Ibanez did a really good job. I'll most likely leave these pickups in.
6. There's a phase switch between the tone and volume knobs to extend the range of tones you can get from the pickups. I doubt I'll ever use it, but it does provide a ton of tonal variety in a super inexpensive platform. It's a nice little grace note that makes me appreciate what Ibanez is trying to do here.
7. No wiggle stick, thank God. This guitar has an Ibanez hardtail bridge rather than a more typical Strat vibrato. One reason I've always been a Tele guy is that I absolutely hate the vibrato system on Strats. The hardtail bridge on this guitar is good and is intonated very well (I didn't have to tweak it at all - thanks Sweetwater setup guy!) and seems to hold tune even with aggressive playing. A vibrato system is asking for tuning trouble, and for the target market for this guitar, a hardtail is a lot better choice.

I've heard that Tomo Fujita had some input on how Ibanez designed this instrument, and I can believe it -- this guitar is a great instrument for beginners. It's inexpensive, well made, offers a wide tonal palette, and is lightweight and easy to play. But these very same qualities also made it a good axe for gigging musicians as well. It's not just for new players.

Now as I said, this is just a preliminary review. Once I've had more playing time with it, more warts may begin to show. But right now I'm super happy with it. I really can't find anything bad to say about it. Even that weird green pickguard may grow on me.
by Monty Manley from Jacksonville, FL on
See also: Solid Body Guitars, Ibanez, Ibanez Solidbody Guitars
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