Ibanez AZ427P1PB-CKB — AZ Premium Series Electric Guitar with Gig Bag

The Ibanez AZ427P1PB-CKB delivers weave of premium features and refined aesthetics within the AZ Premium Series. This model pairs a captivating quilted maple top on a chambered North American alder body with an S-TECH WOOD–treated roasted maple neck and fretboard. Versatile Quantum HSS pickups with coil-splitting, high-performance Gotoh hardware, and ergonomic refinements are wrapped in a subtle Charcoal Black Burst satin finish. Complete with a padded gig bag, this 2,000-word guide explores every detail—from tonewood choices and construction methods to electronics, hardware, ergonomics, finish application, sustainability, care tips, and the AZ heritage—rounding out with a white-and-gray specification table.

1 | Tonewood Selection & Body Architecture

The AZ427P1PB-CKB’s core is a chambered North American alder body, selected for its warm low end, clear mids, and articulate high frequencies. Chamber routing removes approximately 10% of non-structural wood, reducing weight and enriching acoustic resonance. Overlaying the alder body is a three-ply quilted maple veneer, chosen for its depth of figure and enhanced brightness. CNC precision ensures consistent ergonomic bevels—forearm, chest, and belly contours—followed by hand-sanding to achieve seamless transitions that cradle the player’s body during extended sessions.

2 | Neck Craftsmanship — S-TECH WOOD Roasted Maple

The S-TECH WOOD roasting process stabilizes the maple neck and fretboard, expelling moisture and relieving internal stresses. This yields a neck with superior dimensional stability and enhanced sustain. The roasted maple exhibits a smooth satin feel and a warm amber hue. The "Oval C" neck profile measures 0.83" at the nut and 0.93" at the 12th fret, offering balanced comfort for chordal work and fast lead play. The fretboard’s 10"–14" compound radius supports effortless open chords near the nut and wide bends higher up.

3 | Frets & Fretboard Details

Ibanez installs 22 jumbo stainless-steel frets known for their hardness and bright attack. Each fret undergoes precise hand-leveling, crowning, and polishing to ensure uniform height and smooth ends, eliminating sharp tangs. The roasted maple edges are chamfered for player comfort during lateral motion. Glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side-dot markers provide clear visual references under stage lights, facilitating confident navigation across all 24 frets.

4 | Electronics — Quantum HSS Pickup Configuration

The Quantum HSS layout combines an alnico-voiced Quantum humbucker at the bridge with Quantum single-coils at the middle and neck positions. The push-pull tone control splits the bridge humbucker into single-coil mode, unlocking classic chime. A five-way blade switch offers full access to all pickup combinations. Shielded cavities lined with conductive paint minimize electromagnetic interference, ensuring a quiet performance environment in both studio and stage contexts.

5 | Hardware — Gotoh T1502 Tremolo & MG-T Tuners

The AZ427P1PB-CKB features a Gotoh T1502 two-point tremolo bridge, offering smooth vibrato action and precise return-to-pitch. Stainless-steel saddles and a hardened block maximize sustain and durability. Gotoh sealed MG-T locking tuners with a 16:1 gear ratio ensure accurate, stable tuning and facilitate rapid string changes. A Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut provides consistent string spacing and balanced harmonic transfer, reducing binding and slippage.

Specifications