Ibanez AZES31-AOC — AZES Standard Series Electro-Acoustic Guitar

The Ibanez AZES31-AOC blends the refined playability of the AZ electric models with professional acoustic performance. Featuring a chambered ash body topped with AAA flamed maple and a Venetian cutaway, paired with a premium AEQ-SP2 preamp and Sonicore pickup, a roasted maple S-TECH WOOD neck, rosewood fretboard, and a Transparent Antique Olive finish, this guitar delivers exceptional tone, comfort, and versatile amplified sound.

1 | Tonewood & Body Architecture

At the heart of the AZES31-AOC is its chambered ash body, selected for its balanced acoustic properties—warm, full-bodied lows, clear midrange projection, and sparkling highs. Chambering removes roughly 15% of interior wood, reducing overall weight and enhancing the top’s resonance. Complementing the ash body is a AAA-grade flamed maple veneer, chosen for its stunning visual depth and ability to impart a bright, articulate edge to the instrument’s tonal character. Each body blank undergoes precision CNC routing to carve the Venetian cutaway and ergonomic bevels, then is hand-sanded to achieve seamless contoured surfaces that sit comfortably against the player’s body.

2 | Onboard Electronics — AEQ-SP2 Preamp & Sonicore Pickup

Amplified performance is powered by Ibanez’s AEQ-SP2 preamp system, featuring a 3-band EQ (Bass, Middle, Treble), Volume control, and an integrated tuner, all housed in a slim control module. The Sonicore under-saddle piezo pickup accurately captures string vibration across the entire soundboard, delivering a natural acoustic voice with minimal feedback. The AEQ-SP2’s onboard tuner provides stage-ready convenience, while the EQ knobs allow precise tone shaping—boosting low-end warmth, dialing in midrange cut, or dialing down harsh trebles to suit any playing environment.

3 | Neck Construction — S-TECH WOOD Roasted Maple

The one-piece neck is crafted from roasted maple using Ibanez’s proprietary S-TECH WOOD process. Thermal treatment stabilizes the wood by expelling moisture and relieving internal stresses, resulting in a neck that resists seasonal warp and requires minimal truss-rod adjustments over time. Roasting also increases wood density, enhancing sustain and resonance. The neck exhibits a smooth satin feel and a subtle amber hue, giving an immediate “broken-in” sensation favored by professional players.

4 | Fretboard & Frets — Compound Radius & Stainless Steel

The fretboard is crafted from Indian rosewood, offering a warm tonal counterpoint to the bright ash and maple. Featuring a 10"–14" compound radius, it facilitates comfortable open chord shapes near the nut and broad bending freedom toward the body. Ibanez installs 22 jumbo stainless-steel frets, prized for their durability and bright tonal clarity. Each fret is hand-leveled, crowned, and polished to ensure consistent action and smooth playability, while chamfered fret ends eliminate sharp edges for comfortable lateral movements. Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side-dot markers guide navigation under dim stage conditions.

5 | Bridge & Nut — Acoustic Performance Essentials

A rosewood acoustic bridge anchors the strings via a compensated saddle crafted from Graph Tech TUSQ XL material. The TUSQ XL saddle provides even string spacing, balanced harmonic transfer, and improved sustain. At the headstock, a matching TUSQ XL nut ensures frictionless string movement, preserving accurate intonation and tuning stability, especially under aggressive bending and tremolo techniques.

Specifications