Ibanez AZES40-BK Black Essential

AZES "AZ Essentials" Series: AZ DNA, designed to focus on the essentials

The Ibanez AZES40 is part of the AZ family, renowned for its ergonomic design and ability to cover a wide range of styles without making things complicated. The "AZ Essentials" series focuses on playing comfort, tuning stability and particularly clever electronics, all in an electric guitar that is easy to set up and pleasant to maintain as your skills develop.

An electric guitar for progressing quickly, rehearsing often and playing anywhere

Perfect for beginners and highly capable for intermediate players, the AZES40 is equally suited to learning (chords, rhythms and first improvisations) and band rehearsals. Its S-S-H configuration is naturally well suited to pop, rock, funk, blues and indie, with plenty of flexibility for moving from clean arpeggios to more powerful riffs.

The sound

The two Essentials single-coil pickups (neck and middle), passive and ceramic, deliver crisp, responsive and well-defined clean tones, ideal for funky rhythms, muted percussive playing and bright accompaniment. At the bridge, the Accord humbucker adds grit, output level and a denser attack for rock tones and leads. The heart of its versatility lies in the dyna-MIX9: thanks to the 5-way selector and the Alter Switch, additional combinations are available (splits and series/parallel configurations depending on the position), making it quick and easy to vary the texture, warmth and bite. The maple/Jatoba combination provides brightness and articulation, while the poplar body maintains a pleasing balance. The T106 Tremolo completes the package with smooth modulation and consistent sustain.

Recommended compatible accessories

As the guitar comes factory-fitted with D'Addario EXL110 strings (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046), sticking with this gauge is an excellent choice for preserving the factory feel and balance. For transport, the recommended options are the M300C case or the IGB540-BK gig bag, both suited to the AZES40's format.

Technical specifications

Electronics: microphone configuration	SSH	Scalloped	Double
Category	ST	Body	Poplar
Left handed	No	Bridge / tailpiece	Tremolo
Strings	Steel	Electronics	Passive
Nbr of strings	6	Color	Black
Fingerboard	Jatoba	Finishing	Glossy
Nbrs of frets	22	Hardware	Chromed

Bridge	T106 Tremolo with round steel saddles	Thickness at the 12th fret	22.5 mm / 0.89"
String spacing at the bridge	10.5 mm / 0.41"	Key radius	250 mm / 9.84"
Output jack	mono unit (one-piece construction for improved reliability)	Neck joint	All Access for improved access to the upper frets
Neck type	AZES, maple	Pickup configuration	S-S-H
Key	Jatoba, white "dot" inlays	Selector	5-way + dyna-MIX9 system with Alter Switch (9 combinations)
Frets	medium (22)	Controls	1 volume, 1 tone
Scale length	25" / 635 mm	Factory tuning	E standard (1E, 2B, 3G, 4D, 5A, 6E)
Nut width	42 mm / 1.65"	Strings installed	D'Addario EXL110 (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046)
Width at the 22nd fret	56.4 mm / 2.22"	Recommended case	M300C | Recommended gig bag: IGB540-BK
Thickness at the 1st fret	20.5 mm / 0.81"	Switching system	dyna-MIX9 with stage switch (Alter Switch)