Ibanez Prestige

93
auGust 2018 Guitarist
reviewIBANEZ AZ PRESTIGE & PREMIUM SERIES
you examine the two ranges the Prestige
models clearly have an extra level of detail
– from the fret-end finishing, slightly
better fingerboard edge rounding, that nut
material. It’s all about these details and
then, of course, there’s the sound…
Feel and Sounds
Ibanez’s RG might rightly be one of the
relatively few modern classic designs but
its thin-depthed, wide and flat neck isn’t
for everyone, not least those of us that like
more traditional bolt-ons. While the spec,
for example, on the Super Wizard HP – “the
neck for shredders,” states Ibanez – offers
a 17mm depth at the first fret, 19mm by the
12th with a nut with of 43mm and a ’board
radius of 430mm (16.9"), the AZ’s neck
is much more conventional measuring
between 41.84mm to 42.38mm at the nut,
20.5 to 21mm at the 1st fret and between
23mm and 23.2mm at the 12th. The ’board
radius is rounder too and puts the AZ
much more in line with modern Fender or
Suhr. Neck relief, as supplied, is minimal
(the Premium AZ242F is dead flat), action
heights are super low (0.9-1.2mm on the
treble side at the 12th fret, 1.2-1.3mm on
the bass side). As we’ve said there’s a
slight difference in the gauge of stainless
steel frets on the Prestige and Premium
models and although the neck back is more
vintage-y, the ’board radius, low action and
the relatively big, high, frets of both give the
guitars a very modern feel.
The Prestige necks have an oil finish,
while the Premium have a light sealer coat.
They don’t feel quite as slinky as, for example,
Music Man, and the Prestige necks will
certainly need a little maintenance the
more you play. A quick rub with a fine
IBANEZ PREMIUM AZ224F-BIG £1,069 (inc soft shell case)
CONTACT Headstock Distribution PHONE [phone] WEB www.ibanez.com
5. The Gotoh-made T1502
vibrato gives a nice
degree of upbend
6. Despite being one of
the cheaper Premium
guitars, the AZ224F-BIG
has plenty of aesthetic
and aural style
5
6
Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT435.rev_ibanez.indd 93 14/06/2018 19:32