Battle of the HSS Super Strats! Ibanez AZ vs Fender Ultra
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- I love my Ibanez AZ, but I recently got a Fender American Ultra and it's a pretty damn good guitar that is similar in a few aspects.... so let's take a look at both and see what the difference is!
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I prefer the Ibanez's neck profile and I like the sounds more in every position (except for the middle pickup), and there are more tone options. So, bye fender.
@@kangsk8er Why would someone even want that?
Seriously... What's with the middle pickup? Could it be a joke?
I prefer the AZ in every way...played strats since the 70s...the AZ takes it to a whole new level for me...🎸👍
Great review. As usual, you are dead on. I've been thinking about updating my 2007 Strat and was looking at the AZ. I love Ibanez RGs and would probably love the AZ. But if what you have the guitar for is to get "that Strat sound", there is no doubt about it - it's the Fender. You don't need golden ears to hear it.
Your Playing has gotten so much more fluid and musical since you've been usin those nifty jam tracks! Your viewers appreciate it!
I own the Exact same AZ 2204BQ... And was recently playing A Fender Ultra considering purchasing... I can't imagine how anyone would take the Fender over the Ibanez... Ibanez created a true musicians instrument with the Prestige AZ's... He's not lying at all about the tune stability of the AZ neck... over a year of playing the AZ perfect shining unblemished Stainless fret,,,,, Love the video
Can I ask - as you own a AZ2204 - is position 2 with the alter switch off (i.e. middle + one coil of the humbucker) hum-cancelling? Thanks.
I can if you just have your own opinion or preference in feel… we are not all robots who have to play the same or what is subjectively the “best” guitar. If that were the case then I would say why doesn’t everyone own a headless strandberg because it has all the most modern features and the tones and playability are better than any other guitars out there plus the tuning for headless guitars is even more stable than a guitar with a headstock.
Great video. One of the best on RUclips for the HSS AZ. Thank you!
I own the HSS AZ and here's how I would put it.
What the (HSS) AZ is NOT:
- A guitar that gives you "exactly the strat sound" with one of its pickup settings
- A guitar which can sound exactly like a guitar with a neck humbucker with one of its pickup settings
- An Ibanez shredder with which you can do the craziest Edge-Pro / Floyd Rose tricks.
- A metal axe - although it can give you a punchy lead / gain sound to some extent with its bridge humbucker.
What the (HSS) AZ is:
- A new guitar with its own personality and own - very wide - range of sounds.
- A guitar that can have very "stratty" qualities to its sound
- A guitar which needs it's top-end dialed in and toned down maybe more carefully than with most guitars. It can be too bright and harsh in many settings. Use the volume and tone knobs of the guitars here and then the amp settings. The top-end is amazing when set right.
- A guitar which can go from very mellow single-coil neck sound to quite punchy rock sound with its bridge humbucker. Could do hair metal but not so much death metal or djent.
- A great studio guitar with which you can add stuff to pop, rock, blues, folk, funk, jazz, reggae, rap, disco, a new genre you just made up.
Personally i like the AZ more, but i guess it depends on what sound you are looking for. If you are doing classic rock the strat would be more suited for that and if its for modern tones and production AZ is the way to go ... as I am writing this I hear you saying basically the same stuff
That was one of the best & fairest guitar comparisons I've seen. By coincidence I've been trying to decide between these 2. Now I know which one I want. Nice work sir!
I went to the guitarshop to buy the ibanez az prestige hss, when i was there they also had the ultra stratocaster hss model. I tried them both for 30 minutes and i left with the ultra.
Wise choice
Just curious, which color Ultra did buy?
Wise choice to just play them both yourself.
So far I still leaning towards the AZ, simply because of tone, the "better" features are secondary to me.
The Ultra should have had roasted maple necks with stainless steel frets. Then it would've been perfect. I was waiting for them to do this while following their teaser posts and was so disappointed because I LOVE THE SOUND.
Price is a factor, too. That gorgeous AZ was $2,500 usd when available vs $1,900 for the Ultra. I know cuz I almost bought that AZ, and it was $500 more than the regular AZ because of that amazing paint job. I still drool over that guitar! Thanx Mr H!!
Thanks for a nice and helpful shootout!!!
I hope I can see a comparison video between AZ2204 and AZ2204N too.
I heard the new lineup AZ2204N has different pickup sets from AZ2204.
Yes and non recessed bridge, bringing it a little closer to a vintage style guitar.combine that with roasted maple neck and stainless steel frets and the Ibanez checks a lot of boxes for me
Amazing comparison video, well done. Your a natural in front of the camera. Big future ahead for you sir :)
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Beautiful guitars both of them, but I prefer the Fender.
1. Love the strat tone
2. Hate that Ibanez headstock shape
If only Ibanez had a cool looking headstock. I will never buy an Ibanez only because of the headstock
@@horstspreu6946 j custom and pia rg got nice headstocks more nice than the strato showel lol
Fender's clean tone is just too good. no one come close. I love it. i just wish they made with stainless steel frets
It amazes me that they still won't use SS frets when guitars half the price do. And even on their American made models they use standard tuners.
I’ve been an Ibanez freak since I first started playing. There’s something about Strats though. It’s kind of like a subtitle cristal sound that cuts all the way through the mix and stands out bright and clear. Still, I’d pick the Ibanez every time.
I have the Ultra in SSS layout (arctic pearl, rosewood neck) and have to say that for playing it is the most beautifully balanced guitar I have picked up and played in a long time. Just feels right (subjective obviously!). The neck is a tremendous piece of work. Even my local guitar tech, when I gave it to him to check out, commented on the standard. Great guitar.
so he said it didnt sound like a classic strat is that true?
Great comparative.
I currently own an Ibanez AZ prestige and I have to say that the Ibanez achieve an important point which is "innovation".
Fender is always a fender, with its fantastic flared sound; that's why it is fender.
Trying to compare a fender with this Ibanez is something difficult to assess as they are two great guitars that claim the same pickup configurations but are really different.
Ibanez wins for me, not because of the sound that it has a spectacular sound (different from Fender); It wins for originality in its "toasted neck", quality construction (steel frets, Gotho system on headstock, and lever ...) and in short each Ibanez Prestige tries to immove what they already manufacture.
The Fender, in short, are that, typical Fender.
Always great sounds both.
I dig the groovy new "My Two Cents" visual. As far as these two guitars are concerned, I certainly wouldn't turn either one of 'em down.
Thanks again for the videos, and stay well :)
Love the Ibanez appearance very pretty
But Fender sound is classic !
Love the two but Fender had that legendary sound i love ...but I can also recognize the Ibanez sound in that AZ. Funny to hear that almost same materials can sound so different, other than just pickups.
I get what you're saying, the AZ has a more pronounced mid to upper frequencies which you can hear in the pickup sounds portion. Listening with eyes closed during the amp portion, I could tell when you were playing the Ultra because it _did_ have that Dire Strats sound. Not a bad thing, but the AZ sounded more flexible and punchy.
Great video as always, thank you Henning!
🤘😎🎸
Thanks for another entertaining video - I'm not even out for buying any of these two guitars but I like them both. Thanks also for adding the weight of the guitars (myself and probably others asked you to do this a while back).
"mother of turtle" hahahaha love it! Love the channel too!
That is a beautiful mother-of-turtle-shell pick guard on that fender.
I though it was illegal to use mother of turtle shell. Perhaps it is just plastic
@@robinfreeman3223 they melt the mothers down into plastic.
@@gutenbird Jesus Christ..
As an explanation of what the S-Tech treatment is, it's basically an "artificial aging" process the wood goes through while being roasted. They let it cook for a while longer and then pump nitrogen into the container, which then breaks up more of the water-absorbent compounds in the wood so it's even more stable.
The AZ's nut is also bone, just like the Fender's.
Liked the comparison, both sounds great - personally i favour a bit more ibanez, but i dont see fender a bad choice not at all 🤔 mostly i play with clean sound, effects involved and heavier sounds mostly "crunchy" so i would play gladly both of them. Good quality guitars both :)
I have the Ultra SSS in Arctic Pearl with a rosewood board. It's a great guitar... flawless fit and finish, really comfy, stays in tune, and I like the Gen 5 noiseless pickups. Never played an AZ but after watching this video I still would have gone with the Fender because that's the sound I was looking for :)
Hi mate,
Just wondering what you think of the white on that Ultra you have? I love Olympic white Fenders but haven't seen the Arctic Pearl. Is it overly white/metallic? I'm not a fan of the tortoise shell so would look to get a mint pickguard if I got one but not sure if it would go.
Cheers
A Good Informative Review Henning! Hello from San Francisco!
Great review and VS analisys! I´ve been very tempted to buy the AZ expecting a strat sound with the addition of its modernities, but, just with the the first 3 minutes (and I´ve seen the whole video) I ended with the same thoughts as you. Now I want the American Ultra.
If Fender used roasted maple necks and offered stainless steel frets it would be a no brainer. That or just swap the pickups out in the AZ to a set of fenders. The AZ’s Hyperion pickups are just too fizzy for my taste.
But a Strat then replace the neck with something to your exact specs.
I suggest you look for a Suhr standard or modern
Ill take an American made plain jane maple if it means better tone than a Japanese made. The ibanez is visually superior by far, but the Strat has better tone and in the end that is what matters as people listen to you play more than stare at your guitar. Especially if theyre listening to an album of course.
I just wish every Fender neck joint was like the one on the Ultra series.
It’s a damn shame the necks don’t get good until the performer/ professional line. Performers is nice, but honestly ultra makes both the pro and performer seem almost bad by comparison. Wish Fender would make them the standard on the american line
I have an MIM Deluxe with a cut down neck joint that really works well. The Ibanez though when you play it, you will be pleased you got it over another fender short of options
Their old American deluxe models had it. They’re just bringing back old designs
Speaking only of the sound differences, the Fender sounds like a Stratocaster (duh!), but the Ibanez sounds like something else altogether. Players choice.
The Ibanez sounds to me almost like a strat with higher output pickups... Like with the kind of higher output that you see associated with "Texas" a lot
Wow playing improved a lot.
I love the design, the playability, the hardwares, and the brand of the Ibanez AZ but there just is something about the sound of Fender strats especially 4th and the 2nd positions.
And the neck pick up.
I hate everything about the Fender guitars as well as the company itself from design, their hardwares, headstock shape, and the profiles but there just is something in the sound.
Tough call for me.
Excellent Review @EytschPi42 .... Felt like Hyperion picks are a bit hotter than the strat .... Hyperion... had more sonic information (high end) while the strat was way more cleaner ...... Ibanez hence had a edge of break up and a chimy tone even at the same settings.... Fender was cleaner, rounded and balanced... As you said it right... depends on the player and the situation what will be the best pick.... Both guitars are good. Ibanez has a slight advantage when being played with High Gain Amps... Like ENGL ... it sounded great, where the Fender struggled while being played with ENGL. I am not sure if Ibanez even with Vol control rolled off would become cleaner as the fender does ...it absolutely cleans up even in medium gain tones.
Great video, dude. Makes me want to get an HSS...asap...Take care and stay healthy, Henning!
normally i like ibanez over fender, still do, but for those of you that hear that tinnyness of the single coils in the ibanez, like most ibanez guitars ive owned/ played you can roll the tone off a little and they warm up extremely good, but the warmth of the fender actually was really nice here, wish people that did reviews showed the a rolled off tone more tho
I wish PRS would work with you because I'd love to see you chesk out some of the SE range, like the Starla (stoptail), Mira, 245 and Zach Mysers. I'd also be interested on your thoughts about a British company called Shergold and their models the Masquerader (particularly the one with a humbucker in the bridge and P90 in the neck) and Provocateur (either the double humbucker or humbucker/P90) that are designs by Patrick James Eggle - might be worth contacting them to see if something could be worked out. Also, if possible, some of the new Epiphone range that mirrors their Gibson counterparts, especially (for me at least) the Epiphone Les Paul Modern (the sparkly red looks wonderful), which seems like a lot of guitar for not much money. It's ok watching other reviews, but I trust you to tell the truth, you'll absolutely say a guitar is crap if you feel it is. Hope you and the family stay safe. Ronnie
I have an SSS Ultra Strat I absolutely adore it. Pickups are less hot than HSS so more of a vintage Strat sound which suits me. What is that really cool guitar stand? I need one of those in my life!!
Great demo video, but the winner was the Synergy Ecstasy module! Holy #$%^, first time i am aware of this and am heading off to check it out right now!
I play ibanez exclusively but if I were being honest, I think nothing compares to the chime and definition and character of a usa made strat, maybe suhr, but other than those, fender has the most recognizable, clear and sweet tone
Great comparison and was wondering if you would consider adding a Suhr HSS Classic S into the mix which is also a high end strat styled guitar? Would love to hear a comparison of all 3 guitars. C Ya!
Forgot to add. Great playing Ety42. Part of those great tones is you! I can make any guitar sound like crap! :) !
Great video! I think Trevor and JH nailed 99% of their posts. Any Strat at that price point should have stainless steel frets. For the Ultra, the S1 just taps the humbucker and nothing else. The pickups are great. Good/bad...subjective. With brands competing with Fender now, the LSR nut would have been great, but I get it would have made buying the Beck Strat pointless. The AZ. Vai and Larry (Dimarzio work darn hard to nail Gibson tone in the humbuckers and Strat tones in positions 2,3 and 4. Extra fussy they wanted LP 59 HB tones, vol full and 58 rolled back in the Jems. Rolling 2,3 and 4 back on the volume gets more telecaster. Larry noted it took about 40 set attempts and he only allows that pickiness with Satch and Vai. Why not just stick the Dimarzio from the Jem in the AZ to start with and forget about the toggle. That would be great. I like the versatility of the Ibanez and tone of the Strat, but both were so close to greatness, but still great guitars. To go back to the AZ pickups...sticking them in the AZ would not alter persons who love the Jem. This is all subjective, they are both great guitars, but to me, they came so close, but missed. Just my humble opinion. OH, the AZ neck thing. Baking maple draws out the moisture to prevent warping and the longer, the browner. Gibson faked rosewood after being confiscated of wood in 2010. Over foresting participation. More bake, more rosewood look, but maple sound. After baking a very quick exposure to nitrous oxide, sealed any wood pours, but obviously had to be instantaneous. That was the strategy of the Ibanez neck treatment. That was my interpretation, hearing it explained by an Ibanez rep. I think I understood, it makes sense, but I won’t stand behind it 100%, because I strongly think I am right, but am always open to being wrong. All subjective, but at this point, buyers deserve to be picky in my opinion and I love the points of Trevor and JH! Happy playing all! Great video! Be safe! :)
"Do I need Mark Knopfler sounds? Probably this (the strat)". Thanks, mister, MK is the quintessential strat sound for me; so that comparison is precisely what I came here for :)
@turamvar if you dig the Mark Knopfler sound from the eighties, check out Schecter, caus that’s what he played on lots of occasions 👌
My Fender Ultra did not come with a free set of strings. Should I call Fender to get my free set of strings?
I have an Ibanez AZ myself and my middle pickup doesn't sound as "thin" as yours, how could that be? Pup height?
Either that or gear setup. Amp/pedals etc.
Same here
Loved this review. I knew they were gonna be similar, and this review confirmed that, but I think I want the Ibanez.
I would have loved a comparison with the charvel DK24 with gotoh bridge. No one seems to compare them.
nobody compares them because everyone knows who wins :)
look at my profile pic to see
When will Fender use STAINLESS STEEL FRETS damn it.
Have them put in your guitar when your frets go bad.
You wishes comw true my friend, fender ultra luxe
@@Lamilla Yes Indeed! I borrowed one for a week...The only issues I had were the pickups and frets not being tall enough! Now they need one with Jumbo frets and different pickup choices!
Nice comparison vid...its interesting , to my ears the Ibanez , like most all their superstrat types (RG, S body , AZ) just have a thinner, more piercing tone.. Even with a SD bridge pickup. I like everything else about the AZ more...lighter, less bulky feel, more pickup sound options...but when you want the most inspiring lead tone on the bridge pickup, that fatter tone of the Fender just wins. It was amazingly evident in the intro jam for me.
Exactly! That deep rounded tone has a fat ass
The fender had a fatter rounder sound but the crispness of the AZ was more my taste.
1:41 using my jazz phrasing I see 👀
Stay safe stay home stay frosty
Grasping for Arctic white pun
Get a Suhr and a Kiesel Delos up there. I love my Delos! Great comparison vid!!!
Fender is better in every way… clear tone even in distorted sounds
In priciple, all ibanez guitar series(that made in japan); "in my opinion", are the prettiest,most delicate and the most modern guitars. I play both strat. & ibanez; both of them are good;but as i said; i preffer ibanez guitars.
i will go for ibanez az without any doubt. I wish the price of az abit more affordable .
Premium models sound exactly the same and are around $1200 - $1300
10:50 it isn't "too far". Strats can be set up to floating trem. It may not look as pretty as Ibanez's on this case since the AZ keep its bridge floating while sitting flush with the body, since the bridge cavity is recessed, but it doesnt make Fender's wrong or anything, its just matter of preference. If you want it floating you keep it high, if you dont want it floating you dock it on the body. Ibanez gives you no choice but keep it floating i'd assume, since again, the bridge is recessed.
Definitely true, just different designs but dudes like Jeff Beck have been floating Fender style bridges for a long time.
I have that az and i love it! ;)🎸
Thx Jorge! Good to know! Cheers!
Nice video as always Henning, both guitars i would happily have if I had the money. Love the Ibanez finish and colour. Oh and there are 454 grams in a Pound :).
ibanez for me always
Amazing comparison videos. I love them! Well done ;)
Will there be a review of the Silver Jub Marshall in the back? :P
Hey Henning, long time no see and no talk. I bought an AZ a year ago then sold it, but I bout two of them this week an AZ Prestige and a Premium, I was going to buy the Strat Ultra but the Prestige is slightly better. I use the Premium to gig, I don't want beer on my Prestige. Great vid. Cheers. Mike.
hey dude pls help me , how is the sound dif between premium and prestige , its too expensive prestige in my country i dont wanna wait one more year to get a guitar i really want to buy premium one..???
@@thelastcat8406 you can find videos on it. Most can't find any difference in the sound. The Premiums are excellent.
@@Vestu i bought one bro, its awesome
@@thelastcat8406 Yep! Just recorded some stuff with it. I found out how setting the Vol and Tone a bit lower I found new levels of clarity and took the harshness off when I need a clear, clean sound.
@@Vestu yeah i do the same , still it didnt satisfy me like this is the only bad thing about this guitar you can get slappy spanky strat or tele sounds but it suddenly gets too bright for the clean arpeggio , so i use some pedals and get smooth lead or acoustic metal tones when i wanna clear it, kind of ok for me after all the ability this guitar have i mean i can get numberless lead sound and guitar respond like a monster , i m not pro ,i dont have money, i dont have any other guitar but after 4 weeks with this
guitar i m glad i bought it, i record some fingerstyle songs , some great solos gonna start my youtube channel 😁..
Huge Fender fan here, and the HSS Ultra is literally the best guitar they have made south of the custom shop in years. They knocked it our of the park with this- especially adding those Hot Noisless in with the dual tap. That being said I want that prestige. I have been eyeballing it for so long. It’s so different than the fender, but is amazing in its own right. I have always enjoyed listening to their guitars. Particularly the shredding. Ibanez may not have resale name like Fender, but there is no doubt they have proved they can stand toe to toe in presentation, playability, and sound.
Why doesn’t Fender use SS frets? A travesty since this is supposed to be a modern high end fender. This is why I like Suhr..
Watch Aficionado Can’t speak for them, but to be fair- when I play my ultra- I’m not ignoring the beauty of the sound and it’s smooth playability and asking myself about SS frets 🤷♂️
@@The_GenXennial it’s not about ignoring how good or bad it sounds. Is knowing that after two or three years of heavy playing you’ll have to pay an extra $400 to have it re fretted not to count the fact that I don’t know what resale value you are talking about fenders have a horrible resale value compared to the prestige line of Ibanez
Both are fine, both are also not for me :) Ibanez do two things really well for me and that's bolt on heel joints and flat fingerboards, Fender is Fender, they're a legendary name but I'd rather have a more traditional strat with maybe lace sensors or a bit overwound singlecoils. Really though I want a Mayones Aquila. the one with the dark neck and the quilted maple top in blue.
The issue I have with the Ibanez AZ is that it just doesn't look the pricetag to me, the one you have is okay with a figured top and nice finish, but especially the black one with the burst just looks like it should be a 200 dollar guitar, not a 2000 dollar one with the weird new headstock and flat finish.
Great video and great comparison, thank you!!!
Another beautiful comparison video
Your right why take a step backwards? Get yourself an elite series hss.
Fender used to be staggered, but they went with all short posts since the Elite model to keep as much downward pressure as possible. I switched my staggered tuners on myDekixe (previous model to Elite) to all short posts.
the strat sound is inimitable ;)
The Fender Ultras humbucker is too messy for me. These guitars are pretty solid, played both of them at the local store. Perfectly finished instruments. You cant go wrong with them! Maybe the Fender holds better their price, if you often change instruments it can be an aspect.
Close but the fender has it....plus the fender will hold its price
Awesome comparison !!! ULTRA VS AMERICAN PRO II ...Please !!!
If you put the Fender pickups in the Ibanez, would it sound almost 100% like a Fender Strat? I have a HSS Fender Pro, but would like an Ibanez AZ. Though I want it to sound just like my Fender.
I don't think that works
Hello, how is everything?
Congratulations on the video...
I need help....
Last year, I purchased a fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS, with the following configurations:
- Body in Alder; modern maple neck "C" shape; rosewood fingerboard with 22 MJ frets;
- 1 Shawbucker Pickup (bridge) + 2 N3 Strato Pickups (middle and neck);
- Sandwich shield; MV/T/T controls; 5-position switch + "S-1" switch.
The problem is that these N3 Strat® pickups (middle and neck), don't reach the conventional sound of Stratos, without the brightness, softness and full-bodied bass...
The only good thing about it is the decrease in noise at 60hz.. kkk, and that's good...
My musical styles range from rock blues, soul and funk and chord harmonies. I like the full-bodied tones with soft bass and highs in the clean sound and that works well with strong overdrives.
I don't intend to change the bridge pickup unless it's necessary because of the settings.
I was thinking about the Ultra Noiseless Stratocaster Vintage or Hot...
Can you help us with this step?
For anyone who gets the cracking sound when moving the arm of the Gotoh bridge like we hear in this video, just spray a little bit of WD-40 on the tip of the arm. It fixed it for me.
You say both trem systems are similar however I'm wondering why you felt the urge to use the bar far more when you were playing the Ibanez.
The Fender is tilting forward right now and needs to be set up better.
@@EytschPi42 it's supposed to be tilited forward, hence why it came like that from the factory :)
and yeah as a heavy trem user that's also why i love Ibanez lol
Cheers from NY! Great comparison video Henning, much enjoyed. Love both guitars, especially the roasted neck on the AZ. Do you think white marker dots would look better on a roasted maple neck? Thanks for the vid my man! : ) P.S. You cracked me up with the mother of turtle shell something comment.
Ehm.. Schecter Traditional Nick Johnston HSS,
ehm.. roasted maple 14' radius thin C neck with ebony fretboard,
locking tuners, split coil, awesome colors (SFG anyone?),
heel acces truss rod adjustment, two point trem,
Graph Tech XL Black Tusq nut etc...
HALF of the price of theese ;) (no case but it's not a deal breaker imho)
I really really want to see that one being reviewed by Henning
Heeey i can hear that you play great. This time in quarantine wokrs for you! :) My vote goes to AZ. :D
AZ is an awesome guitar, but what it lacks is that Fender personality that I'm looking for. I played the AZ at a store, and it's wonderful, for sure, but again - NOT a Strat. IMO, among all high-end Fender clones only Suhr nails it. But it's also much more $$ than the Ultra, plus you may need to wait a pretty long time to get it after ordering. I got the Ultra, and it's perfect in every way.
Two different beast just as nice as each other
S-Tech: “Who knows…..something with leprechauns”😂😂😂😂
I would take the Fender every single time but would prefer it in hardtail guise as I don't have any use for trem systems.
Blocking the trem is also an option.
If you block the Fender trem you get the best of both worlds. A hardtail with more sustain. The steel oak adds some sustain that a hardball won't deliver. I use my trem sparingly Since I have it. I also upgraded to a Supervee Bladerunner and it rarely goes out of tune and sustains like crazy.
So the lesson once again, is if you want a Fender Strat sound, get a Fender Strat. That is what I'm looking for. On paper I think the Ibanez AZ is a better value / better guitar, but it's not what I'm looking for currently, unless getting Fender pick ups would make it sound identical.
You should so definitely check out the Sire Larry Carlton Line… if they come close to the Sire Marcus Miller Basses then it will be worth your time. I own two Basses (M7 and V9) and they are both their higher end products, yes, but they feel 3x the price.
I have to be honest here, as much as I want the AZ to win, because I love Ibanez. The Fender really overtook it in the tone department in my opinion.
My question is, what's more comfortable to play? I've never been able to compare them like this.
I'll take both honestly haha
Many thanks! Very useful information. 🙂
Great review, thx for this.
Both are amazing, each guitar has a unic song.
Deine RUclips Anzeige im Hintergrund ist ja garnicht mit deiner eigentlichen Subscriber Anzahl synchron :P
Tolles Video - mag es ja deine Videos nebenbei laufen zu haben - :=)
Hi, I'm looking at the HSS ultra. Goal is to get sounds like alchemy Sultans of Swing, Pink Floyd pulse, Eric Johnson cleans and solos from the FM9 MK II turbo You get the trend. All while having the option of a nice humbucker. I am confused with all the reviews saying that hot pickup and the split don't deliver that classic strat sound that well and I should get a non-hot pickup SSS. Please suggest guys
Always love you in depth look on gear!
Off rip, the Ibanez seems to have a darker more pushed sound, while the fender has a cleaner brighter more jangly tone.
I love the tone on the Ibanez guitar. It is complex and beautiful. I have no beefs at all with the sound. It has variable controls that can give you different tones. It's more versatile. I can make different sounds to help make it unique.
The Ibanez guitar is probably what I will buy.
The Fender is out of my price range.
Too bad, because I can really tell that the Fender is a real Fender.
The tone is just amazing.
I think it would be great to have a real Fender.
But I can't, so the Ibanez will have to do.
I'll just probably upgrade everything one little bit at a time.
"fishing for words" but I still like the honesty.
I really like both guitars and would happily play either or both. I personally would choose the Fender if I had to pick between the two. I have an Elite Strat (HSS) and it has some features that I prefer over the newer Ultra. I wish Fender would have kept the spoke wheel truss and the passing lane button. I also feel that they underused the potential of the S1 switch, having it only splitting the coil. The Elite has more options, bringing it more inline with the capabilities of the AZ. For a very brief time I had the lesser expensive 2 pick-up, 24 fret model of the AZ. It was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the neck. Unfortunately, it was damaged en route and I had to return it. One other thing I have to say...when I received my Elite, I was shocked at how little Fender included with the guitar. Previously, I purchased the same model Deluxe and it included lots of goodies, a leather strap, cable, stickers and more. Ibanez at least includes a multitool.
Although skeptical at first
The neck on ibanez is pretty much the one i play cleanest on. So it's a no brainer for me.
I still swap the pickup regardless
@@Tman53535 for me it more about the shape well the radius did have some part with it since i prefer 12 anyway
The ultra strat sounds better : brighter tone but it's not perfect
no boost
no tbx
susta in ?
good trem vs Beck's Trem ?
have you tried the guitar with a boost ? they are more flexible -versatile than both
so make this demo first
Has to be players choice, both sound fantastic in their own way (though I was surprised by the wimpy middle p/u on the AZ). I'm more of a Strat guy, so that would be my choice, but the extra tones on the AZ using the tap were really nice. If I had 2 grand..Strat...if I had 4 grand...both...and a divorce!
The Fender has More Strings/Notes Separation in their Sounds Clean and Overdriven!! 🎶🎵🎸👍 Also, Soundwise: the Fender Sustains Longer AND is a Warmer Fuller Sound!!!! The Ibanez Highs are a Bit Shrill and too High Sounding. Just My Opinion. 😺😎 I'm Purchasing the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster HSS Ultraburst next Week!!!! ❤️🎶🎵🎸🎶🎵🙏❤️😎