Ibanez Premium AZ224F-Big £1,069 (inc soft shell case)
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