Ibanez Unveils New AZS Series Guitars
Blending traditional and 21st century appointments, the AZS guitars boast unique finishes and – in one case – a distinctive curved control panel.
Ibanez has launched its new AZS series of guitars.
Headlined by the Josh Smith Signature FLATV1, the AZS guitars offer a Tele-style twist on Ibanez's ever-popular AZ series. Blending traditional and 21st century appointments, the AZS guitars boast unique finishes and – in the case of the AZS2209H – a distinctive curved control panel.
The most traditionally-minded of the bunch, the AZS2209H features an ash body, and an oval C S-TECH WOOD roasted maple neck and fretboard, in addition to the curved control panel (which can also be seen on the Josh Smith FLATV1.)
The guitar boasts Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-mini and Alnico Pro custom pickups, supported by volume and tone controls, a three-way pickup selector, and a dyna-MIX5 switching system with an Alter Switch.
Available in Prussian Blue Metallic or Tri Fade Burst finishes, the AZS2209H also features Ibanez/Gotoh "In-Tune" string saddles, a Gotoh F1803 hardtail bridge, and a stainless steel bridge plate.
The AZS2200, AZS2200F, and AZS2200Q models, meanwhile, feature alder bodies, and S-TECH WOOD roasted maple necks and fretboards. The models also each boast a Gotoh T1802 tremolo bridge, in lieu of the hardtail bridge on the other AZS guitars.
Though these AZS series models feature the same pickup layout as the AZS2209H, they feature a more standard control layout, in lieu of the curved control panel.
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The guitars come in either a quilted maple top in a Royal Blue Sapphire finish, or a flamed maple top in Sunset Burst or Black finishes.
Prices and a release date for the Ibanez AZS series guitars have yet to be announced as of press time.
For more info on the guitars, stop by ibanez.com.
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
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