Josh Smith signature Ibanez

[MarkRhodes]

Saw Josh when he was a teenager, not yet old enough to drive. He was skinny and long-haired back then. Big SRV influence. He's come a long way.

[ruger9]

Josh is an amazing player. Ibanez makes awesome guitars, whether some people think so or not LOL.

I totally understand how a non-Fender tele (or a non-copy of a tele, which leaves out stuff like G&L, Nacho, Danocaster, etc, which are all TRYING to be original Fenders) might not appeal to some people... but unlike Fender, who I have read from more than a couple of artists is very hard to work with when any changes to the "Fender formula" are requested on signature models, Ibanez bends over backwards to give the artists exactly what they request.

Whenever I see posts "I wonder why so-and-so doesn't have a signature Fender?" it's likely because they wanted to make some changes idiosyncratic to them, and Fender said no. I know for a fact this is why Keith Urban doesn't haver a sig model despite talking with Fender about it for years... he's HUGE (has been for awhile), and Fender could (or at least could HAVE when he was at his pinnacle) sell a TON of those, but they won't make him what he wants.

Brad Paisley, on the other hand, pretty much plays vintage Fender teles, so making a sig model for him didn't change anything from the standard Fender formula, really. The body woods are different, but that's about it.

I'd love to try one of the Andy Timmons ATZ strat models.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I could be wrong but I read it's $USD 3,500.

[Lobomov]

I could be wrong but I read it's $USD 3,500.

Josh said somewhere around $2500 .. I can't find an US dealer that advertises it yet, but UK dealers say £2400 .. But let's see in a couple of months.


I'm a bit weary of the currently "at the moment of release" prices


Thing is that I'm not sold on the Josh Smith model, but I find the normal non-signature versions pretty cool

Differences from the Josh Smith are apart from the mini-humbucker that these have a 12" radius instead of 9.5", stainless steel frets, body contours, neck hell cut and a switch that will give you some extra wiring making it faux double humbucker guitar

https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/d...09h_00_01.html

They sit at £1900 at the UK dealers, but main land dealers got them at €1999 which is £1800

They seem cool and I might get tempted at some point. They will probably drop in price occasionally. The strat style AZ model that have been on the market for a couple of years also sit at €1999 normally, but I've seen them drop to €1700 at times

[Lobomov]

This thread got me googling a bit more and I discovered this vid just put up by Andertons.

Josh says that there will be a modern and vintage style production model .. So modern = mini-humbucker and the option of a strat tremelo (the one I posted) .. But here will apparently also be a two single coils non-signature model

[Jim Soloway]

I've hung with Josh many times at NAMM and several amp shows. He a good guy and I hope he makes a bunch of money of this but I think it's the least interesting guitar in the series. I much prefer the contours and electronics on the others. Lari Basilio and Josh make an interesting pair of endorsers. They're both really fine players.

[Lobomov]

Lari Basilio

Last post from me .. I promise! .. I have no idea who Lari is ... but that is an absolute blast of a guitar .. Love it!

[Crm114]

Posted yesterday by Ibanez

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Last post from me .. I promise! .. I have no idea who Lari is ... but that is an absolute blast of a guitar .. Love it!

Matchy-matchy!

[Jim Soloway]

Matchy-matchy!

She's earned it. Not jazz but a really good player on both electric and acoustic. Her last album is first rate with an incredible band.

[Lobomov]

She's earned it. Not jazz but a really good player on both electric and acoustic. Her last album is first rate with an incredible band.

It doesn't get much better than Nathan on bass and Vinnie on drums (don't know who keys player Greg Philinganes is, but given the rest of the band .. )

[Jim Soloway]

It doesn't get much better than Nathan on bass and Vinnie on drums (don't know who keys player Greg Philinganes is, but given the rest of the band .. )

He's lower profile but the same level of credits. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Toto etc.

And the album has a nice guest appearance by Joe Satriani.

[Gitfiddler]

It doesn't get much better than Nathan on bass and Vinnie on drums (don't know who keys player Greg Philinganes is, but given the rest of the band .. )

Phillinganes is a monster keyboardist. I knew him during his Stevie Wonder years.

[P.J.]

Not crazy about the curved control plate.

[Lobomov]

Not crazy about the curved control plate.

It has a practical purpose .. The knobs are in the same place as they usually are on a tele, but you get a more comfortably placed slider that is slanted like a on a strat

[feet]

if we're talking ibanez's weird looking teles, i much prefer the recent talmans to this. but the roasted board is neat, and the black on white is always a treat. and it sounds fine. but that's a lot of money for... that. unless you are super into him or the performance mods (which are significant, i'm sure) you could get a heck of a tele from damn near anyone at that price. xotic, lsl, suhr, nash... maybe even a fender.

[Hep To The Jive]

Josh said somewhere around $2500 .. I can't find an US dealer that advertises it yet, but UK dealers say £2400 .. But let's see in a couple of months.


I'm a bit weary of the currently "at the moment of release" prices


Thing is that I'm not sold on the Josh Smith model, but I find the normal non-signature versions pretty cool

Differences from the Josh Smith are apart from the mini-humbucker that these have a 12" radius instead of 9.5", stainless steel frets, body contours, neck hell cut and a switch that will give you some extra wiring making it faux double humbucker guitar

AZS2209H | AZS | ELECTRIC GUITARS | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars

They sit at £1900 at the UK dealers, but main land dealers got them at €1999 which is £1800

They seem cool and I might get tempted at some point. They will probably drop in price occasionally. The strat style AZ model that have been on the market for a couple of years also sit at €1999 normally, but I've seen them drop to €1700 at times

Nut width- 42mm, beautiful! Almost a perfect neck for me.

[Lobomov]

I've just realized that the Lari Basillo AZ is everything I ever wanted in a guitar including but not limited to the Tele shape ... from the clips her pups are more to my liking than the usual SD AZ-series pups that are a bit too neutral/lifeless.

... Except for the purple .. I like a lot of loud colors and in principle I do love the looks of this one as said earlier .. but realized that I can't pull it off ... Very few guys that aren't Prince can

The wiring

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I've just realized that the Lari Basillo AZ is everything I ever wanted in a guitar including but not limited to the Tele shape ... from the clips her pups are more to my liking than the usual SD AZ-series pups that are a bit too neutral/lifeless.

... Except for the purple .. I like a lot of loud colors and in principle I do love the looks of this one as said earlier .. but realized that I can't pull it off ... Very few guys that aren't Prince can

The wiring

I'd not a Rocket Surgeon. I don't think I could figure out that pickup selection.

[Lobomov]

I'd not a Rocket Surgeon. I don't think I could figure out that pickup selection.

With the little switch between the knobs in off position you get a normal HSS strat config.

1. Bridge humbucker
2. Inner coil from the humbucker + middle for that typical position 2 strat sound.
3. middle
4. middle + neck
5. neck.

With the little switch in on position you get:
1. Bridge humbucker
2. Inner coil from the humbucker
3. Bridge humbucker + The two single coils in series (so a faux double humbucker set up)
4. Outer coil in humbucker + neck for a Tele middle position type sound
5. The two single coils in series for a neck humbucker type sound.


But in essense it's a strat + a (faux) double humbucker guitar (+ a little extra, but I can't see myself doing too much switching while playing).

I'd just think Strat and SG and ignore position 2 + 4 in the "on" position.

The normal AZ guitars have the same volume level no matter whether you're on the single coils or the humbucker. Probably the same here. I don't hear any volume loss when Lari switches from bridge to neck in her demos. Tom Quayle has a a demo, where he shows that neck + middle in series simulate a jazzy neck pup just fine on his signature guitar that also is an AZ-series HSS guitar

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

With the little switch between the knobs in off position you get a normal HSS strat config.

1. Bridge humbucker
2. Inner coil from the humbucker + middle for that typical position 2 strat sound.
3. middle
4. middle + neck
5. neck.

With the little switch in on position you get:
1. Bridge humbucker
2. Inner coil from the humbucker
3. Bridge humbucker + The two single coils in series (so a faux double humbucker set up)
4. Outer coil in humbucker + neck for a Tele middle position type sound
5. The two single coils in series for a neck humbucker type sound.


But in essense it's a strat + a (faux) double humbucker guitar (+ a little extra, but I can't see myself doing too much switching while playing).

I'd just think Strat and SG and ignore position 2 + 4 in the "on" position.

The normal AZ guitars have the same volume level no matter whether you're on the single coils or the humbucker. Probably the same here. I don't hear any volume loss when Lari switches from bridge to neck in her demos. Tom Quayle has a a demo, where he shows that neck + middle in series simulate a jazzy neck pup just fine on his signature guitar that also is an AZ-series HSS guitar

Thanks, that makes sense!