Welcoming yet another expansion to the highly successful AZ series, Ibanez is proud to introduce the new AZES or AZ Essentials line. The philosophy behind this series is to bring the tone, versatility and, playability of this celebrated lineup to a wider array of beginner and intermediate players. However, AZ Essentials are also equipped with series-specific features such as a Mono-unit output jack, a 250mm fingerboard radius, and Comfort round bridge saddles, all designed to make the beginner learning process a streamlined, enjoyable and fun experience. Features Maple neck – The Maple neck provides stability and bright tonal character. Jatoba fretboard – Jatoba has a reddish brown colour and produces a rich mid range with a crisp high end. Medium frets – Medium sized frets enhance the accuracy of your notes. Poplar body – Poplar used as body wood delivers a well-balanced tone with incredible thickness. Essentials S-S-S pickups – Essentials pickups provide well-balanced tone and as well as versatility, so that guitar players can enjoy various styles of music with just one instrument. Ibanez machineheads with Split-shaft – They feature die-cast housings and split-shaft. The die-cast housing offers protection from dusts and ease of tuning and the split-shaft makes it easy to change the strings. F106 bridge with Comfort round Steel saddles – This F106 bridge is equipped with newly developed comfort round Steel saddles. Its construction provides wider range of height adjustment and ease of setting up.

The Artcore series from Ibanez has been a long-standing staple of their catalogue. Although the company are most renowned for their cutting-edge instruments aimed at hard rock and metal players, their Artcore line is for the old-school jazz cats and blues players. Construction The semi-hollow Maple body provides a super-bright and vibrant sound, with excellent resonance and acoustic-like projection. For chord-based playing, you’ll get plenty of mid-range clarity and a sparkly top-end that’ll easily cut through a busy mix. Paired with a 3-piece Mahogany/Maple neck, you can expect a sturdy-feeling neck which will stay solid in contrasting conditions and temperatures. The tonal qualities of the Mahogany will offer some low-end warmth, making this a full-bodied and balanced-sounding instrument. Electronics The AS93FM-VLS sports a pair of medium-output Super 58 humbuckers, pickups that really lend themselves to jazz, blues and even rock. With Alnico magnets, these pickups have a pure and clear quality, with a rounded tone that’s perfect for jazzy chords. Add some overdrive, and you’ll achieve an incredibly smooth lead tone with the neck humbucker, and a bright sound with the bridge humbucker. Specifications Neck: 3pc Mahogany/Maple Set-in Fingerboard: Bound Ebony w/ Acrylic Block Inlays Frets: 22 Medium Body: Flamed Maple Top/Back/Sides Max Body Thickness: 2 5/8″/Width at Lower Bout: 15 3/4″ Neck Pickup: Super 58 (H) Bridge Pickup: Super 58 (H) Bridge: ART-1 w/ Quik Change III Tailpiece Hardware Colour: Gold