“Unprecedented performance and affordability”: Ibanez launches the $550 AZ Standard – a wake-up call for big brands in the mid-priced guitar market

NAMM 2025: Ibanez has expanded its AZ range of electric guitars by unveiling the AZ Standard – a new collection that looks to establish an accessible middle ground between the affordability and the premium specs of its two current AZ lineups.

Positioned between the bare-bones AZ Essentials and high-end AZ Premiums, the new AZ Standards are all about delivering “unprecedented performance and affordability” by drawing inspiration from both ends of the AZ spectrum.

To that end, the Standard variants offer a string of neat appointments – from locking tuners, stainless steel frets, expansive switching, Super All-Access neck joints and more – which have been assembled into a pair of $550 instruments.

Of the two AZ Standard models that have been debuted, the AZ22S1F (which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue) is more akin to a Fender Stratocaster, with an HSS configuration that comprises a trio Ibanez Classic Custom pickups.

One clear example of the AZ Standard’s cost-cutting exercises, the in-house single-coils and humbuckers are drafted in to replace the outgoing Seymour Duncan Hyperions of the more expensice AZ Premiums.

Available in either Transparent Black Sunburst or Transparent Turquoise Burst, the six-string also features all the mainstay accoutrements of the now-established AZ Standard line, including a T106 tremolo bridge, 22 stainless steel frets, locking machine heads and chrome hardware.

Other tasty appointments include an alder body with a flame maple top, as well as a roasted maple neck with a jatoba fretboard.

For electronics, a dyna-MIX9 switching system with Alter Switch – which grants access to an array of versatile tonal settings – has been drafted in, marking a significant step up from the regular Essentials models.

The AZ24S1F, meanwhile, opts for an HH setup with a pair of Ibanez Modern Custom humbuckers. It’s got many of the same specs as the above – an alder body, flame maple top, roasted maple neck and jatoba fingerboard among them – but also drafts in an expanded 24 stainless steel frets.

A Violin Sunburst colorway is thrown in among the previously mentioned options, as is the dyna-MIX10 with Alter Switch system, which offers (you guessed it) 10 pickup combinations in a variety of coil split and power tap wirings.

There’s a lot to like about these two models, especially when one considers the very accessible price point. For context, the AZES models start from $299, while the AZ Premiums break the $1k bracket, with prices reaching up to $1,399.

At $550, the AZ Standards represent a very tempting investment, with more similarities than differences to that upper-end model.

Not only that, this new collection looks like it could be a big player in the mid-priced guitar market, and could serve as something of a wake-up call for Ibanez's peers.

Stainless steel frets and roasted tonewoods are available on other similarly (and sometimes even lesser) priced models, but rarely are they used by other big brands for their mid-priced electric collections.

“Despite these high-end features, both AZ Standard models are priced around $549.99,” Ibanez writes.

“Ibanez achieved this cost-effective design by simplifying certain specifications while preserving many features from the Premium line, along with excellent sound and playability.”

The AZ Standard line is available now.

Visit Ibanez for more info.