Ibanez AZ2204-ICM Ice Blue Metallic 2018 Electric Guitar

This is an Ibanez AZ2204-ICM in Ice Blue Metallic finish. Made in the Fujigen plant in Japan in 2018, this guitar is part of Ibanez’s upscale ‘Prestige’ line of instruments, and features a bolt-on construction comprising an Alder body, S-Tech treated Roasted Maple neck and 22 fret Roasted Maple fingerboard. Chrome hardware is fitted including a Gotoh T1802 tremolo bridge and Gotoh SG381 H.A.P Magnum Lock tuning machines. A trio of Seymour Duncan pickups are installed in an HSS configuration, with Hyperion humbucker in the bridge and Hyperion single-coils in the neck and middle positions. These are wired to Ibanez’s dyna-MIX9 switching system, with a 5-way blade switch, master volume, master tone and a 2-way ‘Alter Switch’ toggle.

Ibanez’s S-Tech wood treatment involves heating the timber over a period of hours in a pressure controlled container which is filled with nitrogen. The result is wood which retains incredible dimensional stability; much more resistant to temperature and humidity changes than it otherwise would be. Certainly, the appearance of the timber is supremely uniform, and with its oiled finish feels very luxurious under the thumb. The Roasted Maple fingerboard is also pleasant to the touch, and features a compound radius which transitions smoothly from a fairly round 8.97” in the lower register up to a more lead-focussed 12” in the higher frets. This means that chord and rhythm playing is well-accommodated in the lower frets, whilst lead lines and string bending in the upper register feel superb. This is further enhanced by the heard-wearing Stainless Steel jumbo frets.

The trio of Seymour Duncan Hyperion pickups installed in this guitar deliver a wide range of tones thanks to their HSS configuration. They produce a moderate output for a natural clean voicing, accurately reflecting subtle playing nuances and responding well to small adjustments of the controls. The bridge humbucker delivers a punchy tone, with plenty of brightness to bring your playing front and centre in the mix. The neck and middle single-coils provide a smooth and rounded tone, whilst retaining a shimmer which really shines through with clean tones. The dyna-MIX9 switching system makes use of the ‘Alter Switch’ to offer series or parallel wiring modes for a total of 9 different configurations. A seriously well-equipped instrument from the top end of Ibanez’s range.