Ibanez AZES31-IV Ivory Essential

AZ Essentials: The AZ Spirit, Designed for Learning and Progress

With the AZ Essentials series, Ibanez revisits the fundamentals that made the AZ line successful (modern ergonomics, comfort, precision) by making them more accessible without betraying the range's DNA. The Ibanez AZES31 positions itself as a versatile and reliable electric guitar, ideal for building solid technical foundations while retaining real tonal options to explore different musical worlds.

Who Is It For, and What Styles?

This guitar is primarily aimed at beginners and intermediate players who want a simple solid-body to tame but sufficiently versatile to support their progress. Its 25" / 635 mm scale length slightly reduces string tension, helping with bends, barre chords, and a more relaxed playing style. It excels in pop, rock, funk, blues, and indie, thanks to electronics designed to quickly switch from crisp cleans to thicker tones.

Sound

The SSS configuration with Essentials pickups (passive, ceramic) offers clear highs, sharp attacks, and well-defined mids, perfect for precise chords and funky rhythms. The highlight is the dyna-MIX8: via the "Alter" mini-switch, certain positions switch to series wiring, which thickens the signal and delivers a more "muscular" feel for rock, leads, and overdrive, while maintaining the typical clarity of single coils. The poplar body provides overall balance, the maple neck adds presence and attack, while the Jatoba fingerboard emphasizes rich mids. Finally, the fixed F106 bridge promotes good sustain and appreciated tuning stability for everyday use.

Recommended Compatible Accessories

To get the most out of the AZES31, you can opt for a 10-46 gauge string set (like the original setup), a good quality 6.35 mm jack cable, an electric guitar strap, and a capo suitable for electric guitar necks.

Technical specifications

Category	ST	Nbr of strings	6
Left handed	No	Scalloped	Double
Strings	Steel	Color	White

Body	poplar	Hardware finish	chrome
Neck type	AZES in maple ("All Access" joint)	Output jack	Mono-unit (one-piece, reinforced)
Fingerboard	Jatoba with white "dot" inlays	Pickup configuration	SSS
Frets	Medium (22)	Pickups	Essentials neck (S, passive, ceramic) / Essentials middle (S, passive, ceramic) / Essentials bridge (S, passive, ceramic)
Scale length	25" / 635 mm	Switching	dyna-MIX8 with "Alter" mini-switch (8 combinations)
Nut width	42 mm / 1.65"	Selector	5 positions
Width at 22nd fret	56.4 mm / 2.22"	Controls	1 volume, 1 tone + "Alter" mini-switch
Thickness at 1st fret	20.5 mm / 0.81"	Factory tuning	Standard E (1E, 2B, 3G, 4D, 5A, 6E)
Thickness at 12th fret	22.5 mm / 0.89"	Original strings	D'Addario EXL110 gauge .010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046
Fingerboard radius	250 mm / 9.84"	Recommended case	Ibanez M300C
Tuners	Ibanez split-shaft (molded housings)	Recommended gig bag	Ibanez IGB540-BK
Bridge	Ibanez F106 with Comfort Steel round saddles (spacing 10.5 mm / 0.41")	Series note	some specs may mention "dyna-MIX9"; on the AZES31 (SSS) model, the switching is indeed dyna-MIX8.