Pick ups are perfect, fits me well. New favorite. I don't want to set it down.

I have been a solid Fender guy for a while. Even have a Fender t shirt. Well, after playing this - that shirt goes into retirement. I'm on Team Ibanez for the rest of my life. I'm a hobbyist - not someone who ever plans on playing in a band. Music is my creative outlet. This guitar makes me want to practice more, and I really feel like it makes me better merely by playing it. I wanted a "metal" guitar but I am not into metal - I like bluesy type rock. So I avoided active pickups. But I was attracted to "metal" guitars and the modern features they had. This is a modern guitar. It isn't coasting off of a 1950s outdated design that got used by a lot of early rock stars. The pickups are amazing. The sustain is great. I have more expensive guitars, but this one is definitely the best one overall - not just in value - but it is the best one overall. My only complaint would be it lacks a switching system. Thats it! I can live without that because the pickup selector has 5 positions.

First off, the guitar came well wrapped inside a gig bag which has an Ibanez logo on it with padding around 10.5mm, I'm guessing. (A Road Runner Gig bag, which feels thicker, is at 20mm padding.) It also came with a guitar multi-tool like a multi-tool for a bike. No more wrinkled baggy of loose tools. Second, I like to check the frets as an easy indicator of craftsmanship and can say tops and bottoms are both smooth, but also expected from a guitar this price. Also, no fret buzz found on the string/fret test. So far so good. Third, playing and feel. This guitar feels solid and sounds great! The guitars body resonates well and long, probably thanks to the Basswood and I really dig the DiMarzio pickups because they are very clear. I never had a set like this before and basically had to stop playing cause my fingers started hurting. You know how that goes. Also, no issues with the T1502 Tremolo. The quick disconnect is a nice function for the lever. Last of all, looks. The faded black around the edge of the body looks exactly how it's pictured, so I am very happy with that. I also like how the wood grain can still be seen through the finish on the rear of the body. Although the gold trim fits the guitar well, I am not a fan of it and will be swapping them out for black or Cosmo black parts. Overall, I would definitely recommend. I am very happy with the guitar. Compared to the S621QM, there is no fret buzz, overall quality is better (3x more expensive), and the AZ47P1QM came exactly as pictured. (The S621QM had a brown fade despite the picture showing a black fade, which was disappointing.) Hopefully this review helps you. Keep shredding my friends!