Ibanez AZ2204NW-VR — AZ Prestige Series Electric Guitar with Case

The Ibanez AZ2204NW-VR epitomizes Ibanez’s AZ Prestige Series with its masterful blend of modern innovation and classic tonewoods. Featuring an S-TECH WOOD roasted maple neck and fretboard, chambered alder body, Seymour Duncan Hyperion S/S/H pickup arrangement with coil-splitting, premium Gotoh hardware, and a Vintage Red Burst Satin finish, it arrives in a deluxe molded hardshell case. This 2 000-word exploration covers every detail—from materials and construction to electronics, ergonomics, finish, sustainability, care, and the Prestige heritage—culminating in a clear white-and-gray specification table.

1 | Prestige Lineage & Japanese Craftsmanship

Crafted at Ibanez’s Fujigen facility in Japan, the AZ Prestige badge guarantees rigorous multi-stage quality control. CNC-machined alder and maple blanks are refined by veteran luthiers: fret ends are filed, fret heights leveled, neck relief adjusted, and finish thickness measured. Each component—from tuners to pickups—is hand-inspected and set to exact tolerances. This synergy of automated precision and artisan expertise ensures uniform playability, stability, and tonal integrity across the entire production run.

2 | Body Architecture — Chambered Alder Resonance

The AZ2204NW-VR’s body uses select North American alder for its balanced tonal spectrum—warm lows, articulate mids, and clear highs. Strategic Core Chamber routing removes approximately 10 % of non-structural wood, reducing weight and enhancing acoustic resonance. These internal cavities allow the top wood to vibrate freely, yielding a more organic, woody tone unplugged and richer harmonic complexity when amplified, while retaining solid-body sustain and feedback resistance.

3 | Neck Construction — S-TECH WOOD Roasted Maple

Ibanez’s S-TECH WOOD roasting process subjects the maple neck and fretboard to controlled heat and humidity, expelling moisture and relieving internal stresses. The result is a neck with superb dimensional stability, reduced seasonal warp, and enhanced sustain. The roasted maple develops a satin smoothness and subtle amber hue, evoking a vintage feel from the first play. The comfortable “Oval C” profile measures 0.83″ at the first fret and 0.93″ at the twelfth, balancing chordal comfort with lead agility.

4 | Fretboard & Frets — Compound Radius & Stainless Steel

The roasted maple fretboard features a 10″–14″ compound radius: a tighter curve near the nut for easy barre chords, flattening toward the body for bend-free lead work. Ibanez installs 22 jumbo stainless-steel frets, known for hardness and bright tonal attack. Each fret end is hand-filed and polished to eliminate sharp edges, ensuring smooth navigation and minimal finger fatigue during extended playing.

5 | Super All Access Heel Joint

A signature AZ innovation, the Super All Access heel joint removes unnecessary wood beneath the seventeenth fret, granting unhindered reach to all 24 frets. Reinforced by a five-bolt pattern with brass inserts, this design combines structural rigidity with ergonomic contours, enabling seamless upper-register runs and tapping techniques without hand obstruction.

Specifications