Ibanez AZ Essentials vs Sire Larry Carlton S7 || Battle of the Indonesian Strats
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2021
- For my Presets visit: johnnathancordy.gumroad.com/ I was asked about these two guitars by good chap and friend of the channel Tomas. Although the Sire Larry Carlton S7 is twice the price of the Ibanez AZES, they're both made in Indonesia, both HSS strat style guitars, so where is the extra money going if you were to buy the Sire? I explore this and issues like trem stability in the video.
Ibanez AZES Affiliate link:
redir.love/thoprod/524926?par...
Sire Larry Carlton Affiliate link:
redir.love/thocf/5zairdej93
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Thank you for sharing!
This intro was just amazing with both guitars, great tone as always and beautifull playing!
Oh cheers Daniel! It was a bit rushed to be honest as we were walking the sausages a bit later than I expected
Loved that solo, Jonathan.
Great stuff.
Thank you for uploading.
:-)
Very nice, informative demo. Great playing. Thanks!
Happy to see the S7 back!
YAY!! Thanks for doing this :) haven’t watched it yet and am already giving a thumbs up!! 👍
You're very welcome! How are you liking your S7 by the way
@@johnnathancordy I don’t have it with me at the moment. The new S7 Vintage SSS stayed in Lisbon for whenever I go there but I loved it and will play it again over the Christmas break! Anyway, can’t complain much cause I’m having a great time here in France with my new Xotic XSC-1 strat, but this one is at a different level (maybe K-Line level ?) 😉
I literally fist-pumped as soon as I saw this video appear in my feed! Excellent as always and many thanks!
I own the Sire S7 and S7fm. They are my gigging guitars and have taken the place of my Strats. Love them and my Guitar Tech says they are excellent guitars.
The S7 neck and 9.5" fretboard radius is making me neglect some of my other guitars. I swapped out the pickups for an Alnico 2 and 2 and 5 set and had a Freeway switch selector mod fitted. Lovely to play with 10 switch selector tones. Even more tonal options with an EQ pedal.
It would be interesting to get your opinion on the Sire Larry Carlton newer Telecaster type guitar with both Humbuckers and Single Coils versions. It might make a nice companion to the S7 Strat. Great playing as always! Cheers
I have an az and originally had tuning issues with it. I found that by modifying the trem springs to be angled and using big bends nut sauce on the nut and saddles, it made a huge difference. Now the tuning stability is solid even after trem abuse! It was originally a big concern when I first received it but now it’s great!
I have two AZ's Japanese and Indo. No issues at all. Stays in tune for days. Then again all my guitars do ;)
I changed the nut to a bone one. Stays in tune like a champ.
Smooth playing! Wow!
Great vid as always J ! The Sire's neck look so gorgeous though. But yeah definitely a price difference, and a justified one I guess for that matter (+ locking tuners, potentially "better" hardware, electronics ?)...tone wise you make them sound brilliant anyway but once again 99% is in your fingers (and crazy brain). As of tuning stability, I'm sure the Ibanez being brand new it'd need some time to settle in ? Really dig the colour, and for once the overall look of this AZES aha. The JET JS450 would be the one in the same kind of price range as the AZES if I'm not mistaken here. Harley Benton Fusion stuff looks fancy too ! Some Cort ones look interesting too (always had a good opinion about Cort for some reasons...they make great affordable guitars !). Pacificas definitely, although I've never tried one I think...lots of interesting stuff in this price range anyway
Che gusto che hai quando suoni! Bravo!
I set the Sire S7 up so that I could get 3 semitones on a open G-string when I pull up. If you adjust your trem like Carl Verheyen ( Lots of info on youtube ) , with a crooked claw and use some nut sauce you can do dive bombs and extreme pull-ups without going out of tune. It's all about setting these guitars up correctly. Spring tension must be equal as the string tension on the treble and on the bass side. The only thing I had to change are the claw screws because they are on the short side fot that matter. For the rest it's a beautiful guitar , and some adjustments on the pick-up heights can make all the difference. If someone don't like the treble bleed, cut off the resistor/capacitor, and the high end shizzle is gone. I like the treble bleed. The pick-ups on the Sire are on the bright side but you can adjust that with the tone knob or as mentioned remove the treble bleed. This guitar wants to mimic the LA sound of the late seventies/eighties. That "hifi" sound is in this guitar. It's a clever designed guitar.
great playing :)
Amazing Tone!!
Great comparison video! I don’t use the trem bar all that much, and mainly for vibrato on chords, but I will do the occasional swoop. Does the Ibanez have the treble bleed problem that the Sire had?
I like the extra bite of the AZ pickups over the S7.
Awesome jam at beginning
The toggle switch on the Az is the reason to check it out so many tones and options
I would definitly go for the Sire, its affordability and quality is a winner.
I m waiting for my dealer to get the Ibanez in stock. Planning on installing a good nut, locking tuners and a Wilkinson trem, which will bump up the price considerably, but I may end up with a nice backup…
very fair comparison.big bends nut sauce helps a lot,especially on cheap trems.one needs sauce on ones nuts!maybe a bit on bridge too.the sire had the sound for me though.great playing as always.
Awesome plying, whichever instrument you take. I have been told that tone and feel greatly improve once you've taken off the protective plastic of the pickups and scratchplate. ;-)
Regarding Tuning Instability associated with Tremolo Units, EVH used to wind the strings up on the Tuner Post instead of down to improve tuning stability, as he wanted to reduce the break angle behind the nut. On my Strat, the low E and G string tended to return sharp after deep dives. Winding just those 2 string up the Tuner Posts has reduced the problem substantially. Once the strings are properly stretched, my Tremolo now stays almost perfectly in tune even with repeated deep dives.
Explain!
@@tarheeltone I thought I did. If you can be more specific what you need to know, I can try to explain further.
I don’t see how it would make a difference how the strings are wrapped when there is a locking nut. The string essentially starts at the nut.
@@HuddleAdventures I don't have a locking nut, and when EVH made those comments, he mentioned having to be careful when playing so the strings didn't jump out of the nut. So he wasn't using a locking nut either.
Y not just buy LOCKING TUNERS??? Like sperzel
Really want to know where the Sire S3 stands with the Ibanez AZES. Please make a comparison.
Tuning stability on a floating bridge is more about setup and usage, lubrication has only a minimal effects once you understand the mechanical dynamics.
I thought first you're going to make some sort of rendition of Steely Dan's The Caves of Altamira (great song btw).
Will you try the the new cheaper S3 Larry Carlton?
i just bought your M4A on itunes "pillow mumble" you really done something other nerver awesome music !!!!
AZ sounded a bit better at times, but I’d still take the Sire for the neck, finish, and hardware. Pickups can always be swapped. And maybe the tonal difference had something to do with you sounding more at home with AX?lZ? 🤷
Wish I could try a sire over here across the pond.
Hi, this might seem like a silly idea, but could you do a side by side comparison of the Ibanez AZES40 and the PRS SE Silver Sky? I know they're completely different price-ranges, but I'm looking for something as an alternative to a PRS, because I'm lefthanded and they don't offer anything for us lefties.
As far as baked necks go, these guitars can be compared. Along with the evh wolfgang standard, which has a fantastic neck. I think the comparison ends there for the s7. It's a 9.5 inch radius guitar that is targeted at the single coil strat market. I would put it against an American strat easily. The Ibanez and the evh wolfgang could go toe to toe with the addition of a coil split on the wolfgang.
I assume you never got a hold of the Yamaha PAC 612 demo.... would be nice to hear your view...I am looking at a Godin Session LTD or the Yammy possibly....wasn't impressed by the Fenders for some reason....Jack Thammarat plays a lot of Yamaha guitars and makes them sound excellent (although he swaps out the pickups quite often)....nice playing on video this by the way!
You gonna check the s7vintage series of larry carlton?
Can someone compare the neck shape and thickness between the 2 guitars?
I went in to a GC last week to try both the Ibanez and the Sire (altho it was the S3). The S3 was pretty nice. The AZES I just couldn't get it to stay in tune. Gave up on it.
Azes40 designed with help of tomo fujita (guitar teacher of john mayer) is a cheaper copy of the john mayer prs se silver sky . Both have the same poplar wood body.
I really like the look of the Ibanez. How about Vintage (the brand). Particularly the V6. Have you ever tried that? Would love to see it compared to these guitars if you can!
i got a thomas blug, and it's by far the smartest strat style guitar i've ever played. the wiring is simply genius, and it sounds and plays quite a bit better than my 2004 MIM fender. the issues i have is that the "relic" finish looks ridiculous and that it only has 21 frets, both of wich aren't an issue on the v6
@@givemeajackson i have one, how bad is the scratch plate that comes as stock 😅. That had to go!
hi brother, are the puckups on sire s7 noiseless?
The big difference is clarity, the sire is much quieter (less noise, clearer). Another thing, by the video, you seem to move less when playing the sire. Am I right?
Size does matter! Other guitars may look and sound better than the Ibanez but eventually the shorter skale and slightly smaller body made me buy it. For me the Ibanez is much easier to play than a Squier or Yamah in the same price range.
Cort has a strong offering in the "cheap strat" category too, and they usually have some of the best stock trems. They also get duncan designed pickups that sound significantly better than the competition IMO. I personally own a CR300 which is the LP model, and it beats $1k+ guitars from other brands in construction and feel, for about 1/3 the price. It's a very strange experience considering that I actually own two other more expensive guitars from other brands that are made in Cort factories, and their QA is significantly worse.
the problem with cort's strat copy is that their newer G series shape is just terminally ugly. no matter how good the guitars are i can't bring myself to get one... which is a shame, cause in the 90s they had a much nicer shape that probably got them into legal trouble. my guitar teacher's m800 is an absolute gem tho in every way you look at it. they know how to build guitars for sure
The Sires are not really available in the states and the Sire seems pretty quiet regarding a 60hz hum when using gain/distortion? I will have to buy one when I am next in europe. Thanks John!
Sire is now stocked by Sweetwater in the US, although they are already out of stock with more on order for many models.
@@willv2747 I have not seen a single site that is not on "Back order"?
Having bought and quickly sold an S7.. you’d be better off with Squire my guy.
@@TheZenguitarguy thomann in Germany has most models in stock
The battle would be complete if you include Yamaha Pacifica 612VIIFMX and Cort.
Hey Pramuko! I actually recorded a demo for Yamaha of the new 612 models in 2020, but I still haven't managed to grab that one off them (it was a prototype I think but I wanted to have it on the channel too)...Which Cort would you recommend? Isn't the AZ built by Cort?
ill take the AZES all day specifically for the pickups. They're so chunky and percussive. Im something of a boutique pickup hoarder and habitual swapper, but I played these through my Jubilee and holy hell all positions sound awesome. The Sire definitely has the nicer neck but for twice the price....youre in a whole different ballpark. I picked my AZES up for $250 used in mint shape. For another 100-150 I could fit a new nut and locking tuners and still be way under the Sire's price point.
Also cant help but think the statement that the Sire holds tune better than the Ibanez but is still a bit sharper than where it was is strange...if it isn't staying in tune, its not staying in tune. Like, the audience isn't going to be like "oh well its only 3 cents sharp" ya know? Like its kind of black and white unless its maybe a one string, anomaly (hello Gibson G string), but thats generally not going to be the case on stock nuts on affordable guitars anyway.
Also, your first mod on any guitar with string trees, besides nut lube, should be string trees. If youre buying a guitar anywhere under $1k with two string trees and hoping it'll stay in tune....lol
The AZ sounds amazing and modern, great contrast to the klines!!
I'm planning to get myself the AZES. I have only one concern though, the tuning stability. Does any AZES owner here have issues with it?
I have one. Very stable tuning. I did buy locking tuners and graphtec string guides. Lube the nut. Really great guitar.
Fantastic playing as always. The ibanez is cool but the tuning is kind of a deal breaker for me. If you're gonna spend money making it stable you might as well just get something that stays in tune better. Seems like false economy to buy a cheaper guitar and fix its problems. Wouldnt be an issue of course, if i didnt use the wiggle stick. But it seems to be a brilliant guitar otherwise.
imo that's just a problem inherent to strat style guitars, and you gotta fix it somehow on most of them regardless of the price if they want to stay true to the flawed original. my MIM strat was a mess on the top two strings cause the string tree is just an idiotic makeshift fix for a penny-pinchers headstock design flaw. now that it has roller trees and a tusq nut it actually works... my vintage thomas blug on the other hand has staggered tuners, and while it still has a string tree there's very little pressure going on there, so it stays in tune way better, and it was a much cheaper guitar to begin with.
the fact that string trees are still a thing in this day and age is just testimony to how much guitarists love to punish themselves if they can claim it's "authentic"... they don't realize that the strat's main design goal was being cheap to manufacture. how people justify spending 7k on a supposedly exact replica of a 1950s guitar that was explicitly meant to be cheap blows my mind...
@@givemeajackson love this take on it!
The Azes has 9 different sounds , not 5 , different humbuckers sounds ....
string trees are going to add extra friction and affect tuning stability too
Negligible, no concrete evidence that it was ever the root cause of tuning stability
@@bluwng i could literally hear the strings slipping and snagging through the string tree on my fender. ever since it got a roller tree the tuning stability issues are basically gone.
@@givemeajackson I went through the same thing on a Squier I bought as a backup. I think the height has more to do with binding vs the type of string tree. I did an experiment and just did not us the string tree and no binding. A taller string tree will reduce the binding, has more to do with how steep the break over angle is across the nut to the tuning pegs. FYI there is creaking in the tremolo block, my guess is the steel strings and ball are binding in the block because the block is a potted zinc alloy. I think a steel block would not exhibit this problem.
If you can get anyone to donate or lend you a Yamaha Pacifica PAC612 it'd be an interesting comparison. It comes with non OEM Seymour Duncans 2x SSL-1, Duncan custom 5 (TB-14). Wilkinson tremolo, locking tuner, push/pull coil-split, tusq nut. It's priced right at the sire level, around $680 US. Which is much closer, in price, than an ibanez AZES which are about half that price ($350)
Yeah... the bone nut on the Sire would be going in the bin if I bought one, to be replaced by a Graphtech Tusq nut.
The Ibanez sounds way better overall. But the Sire is better looking.
Ez, MIM Fender. Done.
Since Azes is around 300 dlls more cheaper than sire s7, the winner is Ibanez Azes40 😮
Personally, I far preferred the Ibanez AZ, and its more modern sound. I thought it had much better tone, was more responsive, looked better , costs half as much, and most importantly your playing was much more inspired when you played it. Maybe you used up all the good stuff on it. 🤷♂The Sire sounded like a cheap guitar trying to be a Strat - weak, too nasal, and quacky for my taste.
Regarding tremolos, it's too bad that Ibanez isn't more stable. As far as I know, they have a lot of experience and a good reputation for making very stable units. Some other tremolo options I've seen recently are the "Tremmory," which is a special spring mechanism that significantly improved tuning stability in the videos I've seen. Another tremolo solution is the "Virtual Jeff PRO," which is a pitch shifting tremolo bar system that attaches to a guitar, but the tremolo bar does not pull on the strings in any way, thus removing any tuning instability caused by a traditional tremolo.
I agree that John's playing appears more inspired on the Ibanez, but maybe I'm a bit biased... ;-)
Guitars in this price range tend to have poorly cut plastic nuts and cheap tuners. A nicely cut bone or graphite nut with some quality tuners and a good set up would work wonders for the trem stability. You kind of have to expect to put in a little bench time on a guitar in this price range to get the most out of it.
You can put a V trem on the Azes and wala!
I know you work at Ibanez baby😘
Doesn't count without an Indonesian Schecter Nick Johnston......at least make it competitive :)
I hear great things about those!!
Mr Think
Given your talent, if you take an oilcan with a cable as a string maybe you'll end playing it and making it sound great as any of those two guitars...🤣🤣
The sire is just too ugly for me. I have to like how something looks to feel inclined to spend money on it and to want to pick it up any play it.
Not really fair...a cheap ibanez vs a way better sire
Comparisons don't have to be totally 1:1 - that's what comparisons are about. Differences/similarities? In any case, the Ibanez AZES held up perfectly well in the comparison except for the trem stability?
banez AZ Essential series is bad. I tested at Guitar Center. low quality finish. Tuners and neck feel really cheap. may be good for absolute beginners. I play Gibson Les Paul Studio and Sterling by Music Man JP signature at home