Ibanez AZ2204 ICM Prestige Electric Guitar w/Case - Ice Blue Metallic

It’s a pretty guitar with an amazing neck and lightweight body. It’s very versatile and can even go towards the heavy stuff

I've always been a sucker for a good RG and have several that I love. This kept coming back around for consideration. I have had this guitar now for almost a year and it rose to the top. There's just something about it. The neck is not flat, doesn't feel "fast" at first grip, but somehow it's just magical and feels great. There's nothing I can't play on it now that I can play on others. I love the trem / tuning stability without having to deal with the locking nuts, drop D is a breeze in a flash. The trem doesn't have the full range of the Edge trems but still has plenty of give.I came back to review this tonight because I just realized the ultra lite trem UTA20 from the JS models fits it and was kind of excited about it.The Hyperion pickups are something else. ... MoreI've always been a sucker for a good RG and have several that I love. This kept coming back around for consideration. I have had this guitar now for almost a year and it rose to the top. There's just something about it. The neck is not flat, doesn't feel "fast" at first grip, but somehow it's just magical and feels great. There's nothing I can't play on it now that I can play on others. I love the trem / tuning stability without having to deal with the locking nuts, drop D is a breeze in a flash. The trem doesn't have the full range of the Edge trems but still has plenty of give.I came back to review this tonight because I just realized the ultra lite trem UTA20 from the JS models fits it and was kind of excited about it.The Hyperion pickups are something else. Man this thing just sounds SO good. Bright grumbly tubey rock chords, takes gain just fine for harder stuff. Offers 9 different tone positions all of which can't lose. This is the swiss army knife of guitars and does it all. Don't compare this to Fender, it is clearly taking on Suhr and the like. You're not going to find a better guitar at this price point.

Disappointed

Overall:The guitar feels great! Only issue is that every hole on the guitar has paint issues, neck bolt holes, jack input, the cavity around the bridge etc.. . The bolts holding the neck look like they are starting to corrode as well. And those holes had marker around them? Side dots were sloppy. Very bad quality control. The neck is nice but it’s not worth the money in the condition it is in. I felt as tho it was an open box or blemished item as well. Everything looked tampered with and it was tuned to drop d. So this would be the second time I’m returning an item because it’s quality. I Still love Ibanez I feel zZounds is to blame more so than Ibanez? If I’m spending over 2000 on a guitar I expect it to be perfect.

Great guitar

Ibanez pulled it off with this model. Great Guitar and pickups are perfect sustain is insane not one thing I would change.

Great guitar, poor setup

You would think a guitar that costs this much would arrive properly set up. Not so with this one.Nut string height was uneven as well as bridge settings. I had to use nut files to correct the nut and set the bridge saddle height to match the neck radius. That said, this is a great instrument now. If I did not have the skills to set it up properly, I would have had to take it to a tech or send it back. It was that bad.

I Wanted to Like This...

I really expected this would be a good backup for my Suhr Modern but was pretty disappointed. The factory setup was poor. The neck is too thick. The pickups and sound are disappointing. It's not near as fun to play. On the positive side it has good sustain, stays in tune pretty well, has nice pickup wiring and looks great.

Versatile Instrument but Not for Everyone.

If you're looking for an Ibanez guitar that doesn't sound or feel like an Ibanez guitar, look no further. If you're expecting the AZ to feel and sound like an upgraded RG you will be disappointed. The neck is a medium-fat C shape. Similar feel to a Fender Custom Shop full C neck. I love it. Some will hate it. The neck thins out a bit closer to the pickups to more of a fat D shape. Great for players like me who play with their thumb wrapped around the neck, but want a more classical thumb behind grip at the upper frets. All the appointments included you'd expect from an expensive guitar. Slick feeling baked maple neck, fat jumbo stainless frets, rounded neck heel for upper fret access, name brand pickups, solid floating bridge that stays in tune. I love this guitar ... MoreIf you're looking for an Ibanez guitar that doesn't sound or feel like an Ibanez guitar, look no further. If you're expecting the AZ to feel and sound like an upgraded RG you will be disappointed. The neck is a medium-fat C shape. Similar feel to a Fender Custom Shop full C neck. I love it. Some will hate it. The neck thins out a bit closer to the pickups to more of a fat D shape. Great for players like me who play with their thumb wrapped around the neck, but want a more classical thumb behind grip at the upper frets. All the appointments included you'd expect from an expensive guitar. Slick feeling baked maple neck, fat jumbo stainless frets, rounded neck heel for upper fret access, name brand pickups, solid floating bridge that stays in tune. I love this guitar for the fat neck, and the versatile tone options. If you only had to bring one guitar to a gig this can be it. It'll do classic metal to SRV, country, or even jazz. The single coils sound fat and sparkly. To me the humbucker sounds like a PAF with some extra winds for more power. Not sure it will handle extreme down-tuned metal madness, but it will do everything else. The locking tuners are not the usual thumb wheel tuners. I had to watch a YouTube vid to learn how to use them. This is my only gripe: the standard thumb wheel tuners are simpler to use. Beware the pickup switching system is complicated. If you attempt to swap pups you need to know your stuff. I find all the tones usable and unique and see no need to change the pickups. Seems to me Ibanez is pitting this guitar against the Suhr Modern but for less money. I own both and like them equally. In fact I prefer the fatter neck on the AZ vs the thinner oval neck on the Suhr Modern. Overall impression is this is a well-designed and executed instrument. It's not for everyone because of the size of the neck and the not so hot bridge pickup. If you like thinner shredder necks avoid the AZ. If you want a versatile vintage sounding / modern playing guitar, this is a top-notch option.