These adult-oriented hot-rodded S-styles offer remarkable versatility and come equipped with high-end features, including oversized stainless steel frets and roasted maple necks.
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Ibanez has started 2025 strong with the launch of the AZ Standard series, a pair of $549 S-styles stacked with premium specs that might well prove to be a serious contender for best-value electric guitar of the year.
The AZ Standard is available with a dual-humbucker or HSS electric guitar pickup configuration. Ibanez doesn’t forget its core demographic in its description of the AZ Standard, promising “all the staples the Ibanez brand is famous for, such as fast necks, floating trems, and high-octane distortion.” And it makes good on those claims.
The necks are crafted from a rich, caramel-hued roasted maple, securely fastened to the body, and meticulously shaped into a unique profile that boasts a depth of only 20.5mm at the 1st fret and 22.5mm at the 12th – you can be assured they will offer a silky-smooth playing experience.
The T106 tremolo bridge may not boast the same flashy features as a Floyd Rose – it's not designed for intense divebombs – but it offers complete adjustability and is a reliable piece of equipment. Additionally, it comes with locking tuners, ensuring that even with aggressive use of the whammy bar, your tuning remains stable.
The Ibanez Modern Custom humbuckers feature a powerful ceramic construction, specifically tailored for high-gain applications. The single-coil pickups utilize Alnico V magnets. However, there’s much more beneath the surface.
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These S-styles are anything but ordinary. The dual-humbucker version offers musicians 10 distinct core tones through its innovative dyna-MIX10 switching system and alter switch. Meanwhile, the HSS variant features the dyna-MIX9 system, providing nine versatile tones. No matter your genre—be it metal, hard rock, shred, fusion, funk, or pop—you’ll find everything you need from these upgraded S-style guitars.
Deciding between the options could be challenging. Keep in mind that the HSS model features a switching setup that allows for both single-coil pickups to be wired in series, creating a sound similar to that of a humbucker.
The dyna-MIX and alter switch setup operates much like any modern Strat-inspired guitar. You have a five-way pickup selector switch and then the alter switch for selecting the other wiring options. It is a clever and simple way of getting more tone options out of the pickups.
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In terms of basic features, both guitars boast solid alder bodies with a stunning flame maple top. They share a 25.5” scale length and are equipped with 12” radius jatoba fretboards that accommodate 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets. The neck heels are skillfully contoured to facilitate access to the upper frets.
Ibanez has equipped the HSS variant with a striking pearloid multi-ply pickguard, but it seems they skipped on a catchy name for it, officially designating it as the AZ22S1F. Meanwhile, the dual-humbucker version is referred to as the AZ24S1F. It appears the factory cat has once again strolled across the keyboard in the naming process. Oh, Ibanez, please stay true to yourself! We adore you just the way you are, even if your model names leave us scratching our heads.
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The AZ22S1F model (HSS configuration) is available in two stunning finishes: Transparent Black Sunburst and Transparent Turquoise Burst.
The AZ24S1F comes in three stunning finishes: Transparent Black Sunburst, Violin Sunburst, and Transparent Turquoise Burst. For those who lean towards a subtler look, it's important to mention that this model does not include a pickguard.
Ibanez expects these to retail at $549 street. See Ibanez for more details.
