SSS vs HSS Stratocaster comparison featuring the Ibanez AZES31 and AZES40 | Which is best for YOU?

Today, we’re answering two of life’s biggest Strat-based questions: which is best – SSS or HSS pickups?! And: vibrato/trem bridge, or hardtail bridge?

And, in answering these questions, we’re also comparing the two Ibanez AZES guitars – the single coil, hardtail bridge AZES31 and the AZES40, which features a vibrato bridge and humbucking bridge pickup – to see which is the ultimate budget Strat type guitar!

Ibanez AZES31 (SSS version) at Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/524895?offid=...
At Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/KjW50A

Get the Ibanez AZES40 (HSS version) at Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/524926?offid=...
At Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/an4dOb

I know most of you will have your opinions on which kind of Strat is best, so please leave your thoughts in the comments. But I think the two AZES guitars are the perfect way to check out the main differences between the SSS and HSS Stratocaster types, especially because they share the vast majority of their specs apart from their pickup layouts and their bridges.

In the video, I play both guitars in as many different styles as I can – from country, folk and indie, to pop, rock, punk, metal and more – to see which is more versatile, which sounds more at home for which genres, and which holds its tune better!

Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:

00:00 Hello!
00:17 What we’re doing today
00:58 SSS vs HSS Strats
01:30 Hardtail bridge or trem?
02:35 Ibanez AZES specs and info
03:24 The Ibanez Alter Switch extra pickup options
06:21 Today’s rig and plan

07:00 Clean tone reference chords on all pickups/Alter Switch options
08:14 Clean tone samples
10:18 Classic rock tones
11:49 Indie rock tones
13:47 Hard rock tones
15:16 Punk rock tones
16:13 Modern alt rock tones
17:08 Metal tones

19:28 My thoughts
20:00 My view on the Ibanez AZES guitars
21:03 SSS or HSS discussion
22:51 The Alter Switch tones on the AZES guitars
23:42 Which pickup config is most versatile?
24:11 Hardtail or vibrato bridge?
25:11 My conclusions
26:12 Which of the two AZES guitars would I buy?
27:05 Thoughts and goodbye


My setup was as follows: I ran the AZES guitars into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, using my Revv G3 pedal for the heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box DI straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, which went into Logic Pro X. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.

Here’s some links to those bits of gear:

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H&K Black Spirit 200 head: https://bit.ly/HKBS200rwm
Revv G3: https://bit.ly/RevvG3RWM
Focusrite 4i4 (this is the newer equivalent of my 2i4, which they don’t make any more!): https://bit.ly/Scarlett414RWM
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Enjoy!


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Backing music from the YouTube Audio Library: Duck In The Alley – TrackTribe.

#Ibanez #IbanezGuitars #IbanezAZES #Stratocaster #GuitarShootout


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‪@IbanezOfficial‬