I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN A GUITARSTORE FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS AND I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING AND WHEN IBANEZ AZES APPEARED I NEEDED TO GET ONE FOR MY COLLECTION, LATER ON, I EXCHANGED IT BUT RECENTLY I ORDERED ONE MORE AND JUST RECEIVED IT, THE AXE IS PERFECT FOR THE PRICE, IT'S BUDGET MODEL FOR THE AZ AND I EXCHANGED PICKUPS FOR SEYMOURS AND THE RESULT IS DAMN GOOD, THERE'S MORE FENDER THAN FENDER ITSELF BUT WITH SLIGHTLY MODERN TOUCH, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FAN OF RG BUT ALSO WANTED A BIT THICKER BODY AND NECK THAT GIVES MORE MEAT TO SOUND AND ALSO A GIB FAN TO FENDER FOR IT'S TWANG ETC. IN THIS ONE I'VE GOT EVERYTHING, THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS PROBABLY BY TIME I'LL TAKE AZ JAPANESSE ONE BUT WITH THOSE SEYMOURS IT SOUNDS THE SAME GOOD SO I KIND OF ENJOY THE CHEAPNESS OF THE GUITAR AND YOU NEVER TELL IN BLINDTEST THAT THIS IS CHEAP GUITAR, ACTUALLY A STOCK PICKUPS ARE REALY GREAT TOO BUT JUST PSYCOLOGICALLY I LOVE TO CHANGE 'EM TO SOMETHING BRANDY