If you're not familiar with the nomenclature of Ibanez guitars, it usually refers to the body shape first (In this case the AZ), followed by a sub-class for the body shape ("ES" for essential). The Essentials line was designed in tandem with Berklee College of Music Associate Professor, Tomo Fujita.

The goal was to make an affordable electric guitar that a student can learn on without compromising function, playability and tone. It is intended to be a line of instruments that "grows" with the student.

The scale length is a PRS-like 25" scale, which is a departure from the typical 25.5" scale lengths of the typical "S" type guitar. I deduce that this was meant to give younger players an easier time adapting to the guitar strings' tension.

The poplar body itself is slightly smaller and thinner than your average Strat. In essence, the guitar reminds me of how Fender Mustangs were positioned as a student line with their thinner body and shorter scale. The shorter scale also encourages easier chording for fast changes. It also allows for thicker strings to get a beefier tone without sacrificing playability.

The C profile neck was uncommon for Ibanez Strat and Superstrat style guitars until the AZ series was introduced. The 10" radius Jatoba fretboard is home to 22 medium frets which feel slightly more substantial than other medium frets I've tried.

The fretwork on my unit was finished well with no sharp edges. I was able to set it up to my standard 1.2mm action with no fret buzz. As is the nature with guitars at this price, it is best to have your guitar professionally set up for you if you don't have the time to learn how.

A closer look at the bridge shows that the grub screws don't jut out of the saddles unlike vintage style saddles. While Strat purists would argue against this, the AZES31 wasn't designed to appeal to them and this is a very welcome change to the 6 saddle style.

It had a very uncommon feature for Strat type guitars: It was a hardtail. The hardtail bridge has no protruding grub screws, which is not something a vintage purist would approve of.

However, it's a great design choice if you're just starting out on guitar and want a comfy bridge to rest your hand on, or if have shied away from vintage style S type guitars because of how the grub screws have the potential to injure you (which has happened to me several times across different guitars!).

The AZES31 is an incredible guitar for rhythmic guitar playing. The pickups have ceramic magnets but somehow sound and feel less modern and more vintage. This makes it perfect for muted chucking and tight clean interludes. With a little bit of gain, the pickups take on a lot of attitude thanks to their output.

The tone reminds me of a more muscular mid-60s Strat because of the midrange push as opposed to glassier late 50's and early 60's examples and scooped late 60's sounds. The pickups don't have the harmonic complexity or clarity of vintage and aftermarket examples but that's not what it aims to be.

Because of the output versus vintage pickups, the noise floor is a bit lower which helps people who are still figuring out what they want to play to be able to crank the gain up a bit from time to time. I've recorded some samples that you can listen to in my Extended Ibanez AZES31 Review.

The mini-toggle enables alternate pickup configurations including neck-middle series, bridge-middle series and bridge-neck telecaster style configurations.

Other features include a pickup selector switch that puts the bridge/middle or neck/middle pickups in series to simulate a humbucker as well as a proprietary one piece output jack design to avoid lost nuts and loose cables.

The AZES31 is an example of a quality japanese guitar designed around a purpose and target. It's not meant to be the greatest tone machine and it doesn't pretend to be. It's more of an instrument that gets out of the way of growth for new players and provides experienced players like me a fun little guitar to be inspired by.

Specifications

• Body: Poplar
• Finish: Vermillion, Ivory
• Bridge: 6-Saddle F106 fixed bridge w/ Comfort round Steel saddles
• Pickups: SSS (Triple Singlecoil)
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 25"
• Fingerboard: Jatoba
• Fingerboard Radius: 10"
• Number of Frets: 22
• Nut Width: 42mm
• Controls: Volume, Tone, Series/Parallel alter sw.
• Pickup Selector: 5-Position Blade

The Epiphone Les Paul Special is a modern take on a classic instrument from the '50s, combining latest guitar design and building technology with old school looks. At its core are two P-90 Pro Soap Bar single-coil pickups that give it a gritty midrange rich tone that works well for rock and similar styles of music. Speaking of being a rock instrument, its grit can be too much for musical styles that require clean tone.

The body is crafted from mahogany, shaped into the familiar single-cutaway LP shape but with a flat top. The neck is also crafted from mahogany, topped by a 12" radius 22-fret fingerboard. It has a thicker neck profile similar to older instruments, but it may not appeal to those who are used to thinner necks.

Modern implements include having a Graph Tech nut and CTS electronics which improve the lifespan and taper of the potentiometers.

It comes with a "TV Yellow" finish, which is inspired by the old yellow wooden cabinets that old TVs were placed inside of back in the day. Build quality is quite good, giving this guitar aesthetics, tuning stability and a playing feel above its price range. This is the reason why the Epiphone Les Paul Special TV Yellow was back-ordered for a while, but it's available again now as I write this.

There's a reason why more and more people are lining up to get the Epiphone Les Paul Special TV Yellow, check it out if you're looking for an affordable P-90 equipped LP.

Specifications

• Body: Mahogany
• Finish: TV Yellow
• Bridge: Lightning Bar Wrap Around
• Pickups: (PP) 2 x P-90 PRO Soap Bar Single-coil
• Neck: Mahogany
• Scale Length: 24.75”
• Fingerboard: Indian Laurel
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.693”
• Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-Way Switch

While Gretsch is well known for their distinct looking hollowbody guitars, but they do have a lineup of solidbody electric guitars that are doing very well in the market. The G5426 Jet Club Silver exemplifies what Gretsch is all about, applying their distinct retro style on a solid body guitar and making them unmistakably their own.

This one features a single cutaway chambered basswood body that makes the guitar lighter. The body is joined to an arched maple top which has a nice silver finish. This sparkly silver finish is really eye-catching in person, and makes the instrument look more premium than it actually is. Even non-musicians appreciate its overall aesthetics.

It comes with dual humbucking pickups that are tweaked to give it a trebly and gritty, rockabilly-friendly tone that's expected from Gretsch guitars. Its treble focused tone may not appeal to those who are into fat and warm sounds, but the highs can be tamed via the tone knob.

It has a rosewood fretboard on top of a maple neck, both of which follow traditional specs for comfortable and familiar playability. For better control over intonation, Gretsch equipped the G526 with an Adjusto-Matic bridge. Being part of the Gretsch Electromatic line, this fancy looking guitar has an accessibly price tag.

If you're looking for a visually striking solidbody electric guitar with that familiar Gretsch tone, then this is for you.

Specifications

• Body: Chambered Basswood with Maple Top
• Finish: Silver
• Bridge: Adjusto-Matic Bridge with Stop Tailpiece
• Pickups: Humbucker Pickups
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 24.6”
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.6875”
• Controls: Volume control knob, Tone control knob
• Pickup Selector: 3 Way Pickup Selector Switch

The PAC112V is part of Yamaha's Pacifica line of electric guitars, it is basically a modified Strat / Superstrat style guitar marketed for students of the instrument. While it is very similar to the more affordable PAC112J, it features upgraded electronics, including Alnico V pickups, which I find results in improved response and fuller tone.

Another important distinction is the humbucker pickup with coil-splitting, providing improved tone flexibility. With it, you have the option between humbucker and single coil bridge pickup tones. These features together with good overall build quality makes this quite a steal for the price.

On the flipside, these extra features will not appeal to fans of traditional strats.

At its core is its double cutaway alder body, with more room on the lower cutaway for reaching the highest notes. The neck is crafted from maple, and topped by a rosewood fingerboard, with a C-shape profile that's familiar and beginner friendly.

If you're looking for a versatile shred machine and rock guitar, then do check out the Yamaha PAC112V.

Specifications

• Body: Alder
• Finish: Natural, Violin Burst, Black, Red Raspberry, Silver, Sonic Blue
• Bridge: Vintage Style Tremolo with Block Saddles
• Pickups: Two Alnico V Singlecoils (Neck, Middle), One Alnico V Humbucker (Bridge)
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 13.75”
• Frets: 22 Medium
• Nut Width: 1.614”
• Controls: 1-master volume, 1-master tone (push/pull coil-split), 5-way blade pickup switch
• Pickup Selector: 5-way toggle switch

The RG series started out as a streamlined affordable version of the Steve Vai Jem, but it ended up joining the Jem as the two main models that put Ibanez on the map. Up to this day, the RG continues to be their most popular guitar line, thanks to highly rated guitars like the RG470MB which are accessibly priced.

It retains the HSH (Humbucker - Singlecoil - Humbucker) pickup configuration, which was popularized by the original Jem. The hot output of the two humbuckers give the neck and bridge positions better compatibility with distortion effects. It also comes with the latest version of Ibanez' popular Wizard neck, which is a low action shred-friendly profile.

Other noteworthy features include double locking tremolo (whammy bar), locking nut, and it comes with a unique looking Autumn Fade Metallic finish. Hardware quality is better than what you'd normally see in similarly priced guitars. Locking tremolo and nut allow for techniques like vibrato and dive bombs, but they are a bit more complex to setup. This is not for musicians who just want a straightforward blues guitar.

If you're into shred or if you're looking for a versatile HSH guitar, then this should be high on your list.

Specifications

• Body: Meranti
• Finish: Autumn Fade Metallic
• Bridge: Double Locking Tremolo
• Pickups: (HSH) 2 x Quantum Bucker, 1 x Quantum Singlecoil
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 15.7”
• Frets: 24 Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.692”
• Controls: 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 5-way Blade Switch

The G2215-90 is part of Gretsch's Streamliner line of affordable electric guitars. And as the name implies, cosmetic appointments are streamlined, which is a departure from the usual flamboyant styles of Gretsch guitars.

Thankfully, its hardware is not streamlined, rather it has a special pickup combination - a Broad'Tron (FilterTron style) humbucker at the bridge and a P-90 soapbar in the neck position. The bridge pickup is meant to provide the distinct high-end zing expected from Gretsch, while the neck pickup offers a fat and growling contrast. The pickups are mounted on a nato body that follows Gretsch' Jet Club singlecutaway shape.

The neck is also crafted from nato and bolted on to the body. It has a thin U profile and features a 22-fret fingerboard. While the shape is a bit different, it is comfortable and easy to play.

Wrapping up its features is a compensated wrap-around bridge with ridges that help intonation.

Note that the trebly tone of Gretsch is not for everyone, but it can be versatile with the help of tone and EQ adjustments.

The Gretsch G2215-P90 is a great sounding guitar for anyone who wants to try and experiment with non-conventional pickup configurations.

Specifications

• Body: Nato
• Finish: Mint Metallic, Single Barrel Stain, Sahara Metallic
• Bridge: Anchored Compensated Wrap-around
• Pickups: (FP) Broad'Tron Filtertron Bridge, P-90 Soap Bar Neck
• Neck: Nato
• Scale Length: 24.75”
• Fingerboard: Laurel
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.6875”
• Controls: 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-way Toggle Switch