In brief: Ibanez A527

This 2026, Ibanez did a radical move away from its conventional guitar outlines when it unleashed the Alpha. While the talk of town suggested a subliminal reprisal with regards to a certain defunct project between the manufacturer & a well known 8-string guitar maestro, we should appraise this guitar, the Alpha A527, in its own right.

LIKES

• well-made
• responsive tuners
• functional, no frills electronics
• overall playability
• body ergonomics

DISLIKES

• neck dive
• poor upper fret access (B/E/A strings in particular)
• tone

The Alpha's outline is definitely aimed at the contemporary guitarist. It sure as heck won't be embraced by a blues aficionado any time soon. Despite that rather heretical body outline, the guitar is downright comfortable played strapped on (virtually sticks to the body with extra comfort when it comes to an elbow rest) but it's simply repulsive when played sitting down. No number of positioning permutations could solve that acute neck dive issue. This is compounded by the multi-scale, fanned frets which made upper fret access a struggle, especially for the lower strings. Consolation - the asymmetrical neck profile is actually very addictive & would supplement fast playing.

Tone-wise, you either embrace what the Fishman Fluence Modern pickups has to offer or make plans to replace them with your preferred alternative. On that note, be informed that these are actually 9-string pickups that were slanted to maximize the sonic capacity of the instrument. Good luck in finding ready replacements for these. If you observe a percussive playing style, these pickups would give you an immaculate high gain crunch tones with very good individual notes definition. Do not get upset, after extensive tinkering with effects, amps & EQs, if you fail to conjure your preferred, heavy distortion tone because the Fishmans were not conceived to serve such manifestations.

We won't see a 6-string version any time soon because, according tot he Ibanez officials at the recent NAMM event, this design doesn't quite work for 6-strings.

Overall rating: 76%

Ibanez A527 ($2,399)

• Available at Swee Lee
• Bag included

PS: Thanks Aryadni, (Swee Lee CQ) for letting me try the guitar! 

 

Ibanez 2026: Ash gold

I'm still scrutinizing the 2026 Ibanez releases. This year an ash body, gold hardware AZ2204 was introduced. Ibanez continues to offer variations of its existing models, nothing really 'new'. Really unaware there's a strong demand for gold hardware but having an ash body variation is a good move. 

Ibanez should offer more models without the Alter switch option for those of us who are not looking to vary our tone too much. Some of us are content with the conventional tones on offer plus we have other guitars for specific tone manifestation. Anyway, the AZ2204AG is available at Swee Lee for the above listed price.

Pics: Ibanez

Mode!

To me, the new Ibanez Mode basses are clear winners in the 2026 lineup. The headstock was clearly derived from the AZ design. The rest of the features borrowed heavily from Fender's J-Bass; there's no hiding this. The 1000 & 1600 sport an alder body with the former featuring a poplar top. The 1300 is ash. Despite hinting at classic derivatives, Mode basses feature 24 SS frets. Over the years, I've noted that Ibanez don't hold back when it comes to their basses. In fact, the more adventurous designs & tweaks were manifested by basses instead of guitars. Please be informed that 5 & 6-string versions are available (at Swee Lee) as well.

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez 2026: SR280

This is new for 2026; it's the Ibanez SR280 bass. Nothing over-the-top, it's downright affordable too. In fact, it's the most affordable SR bass, anything more affordable than this, you have to embrace a GIO. Here's the catch - it's not offered in this country. If you wish for an affordable SR, you have to browse through the 3XX models which are of course, priced above the SR280. Gee, Ibanez...

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez 2026: Xiphos

The Ibanez Xiphos is back this year as a standard offering (Xiphos Standard). It didn't go away actually, there were existing models in the Iron Label series. This current Standard is just a normal affair, nothing special. Unlike its Iron Label siblings (ebony), the fretboard here is rosewood. EDIT: This model is already available at Swee Lee ($1,479)

Pic: Ibanez

Yamaha 2026: SC

This got me really excited - Yamaha released the singlecut version of its Pro & Standard Plus models. I need to try these in person. Despite the rather substantial price difference there, the Standard Plus (Indonesian) might hold its own since specs are very close to the Pro (Japanese). Trying not to look at these guitars too much, it's anxiety inducing.

Pics: Yamaha

Fixed

Just seen the new LTD releases. Yes, it's an ESP affair but I don't see any ESP on any headstocks so it's an LTD release (plus some E-IIs in the mix), let's not kid ourselves. When Squier released new models, they didn't say it's a Fender release.

Glad to see non-whammy models amongst the 2026 lineup. While these understandably address ease of use issues for newbies, they do serve the old farts as well. Those of us who get sick of the whammy some time, need something of this nature to sustain our inclinations. On that note, despite these guitars being in the supposedly affordable tier, prices are crazy these days. The Deluxe models (1XXX model numbers) were once in the $1.5K range. These are now pushing the $2K limit further up. The 2XX & 4XX were once affordable darlings but these are nearer to $1K instead of staying in the entry-level figures. What does entry level even mean these days when prices do not reflect what the label suggests.

Pics: ESP

Ibanez: RG653DX

Regardless of the other distractions, this new RG653DX is a winner in my books (in the RG category). It doesn't stray away too much from its other RG siblings in terms of design. On that note, players out there agree that the big block inlays & that 'shell pickguard might put loyalists off. Both colours feature an ash body & DiMarzio pickups (Norton / TZ). By the way, the 6XX models are not new to Ibanez, there was an RG655 (2014) which was basically a variation of the RG550.

Pics: Ibanez 

Ibanez 2026: Alpha

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez had released its list of new instruments for 2026 & I'm sure many of you have seen the Alpha models depicted above. This is the hot topic in the mean time & it will continue to be till NAMM happens. I'm an Ibanez fan through & through but the Alpha is a turn off. That's right, many Ibanez apologists out there would say that just because it's not my cup of tea, I need not write it off especially when I have not played it in person.

Many of us could agree that a particular product released to the masses is a representation of the prevailing culture. The iPad for instance, is a marquee product to signal the embrace of wireless connectivity. If Ibanez wishes to let the world know it embraces the lower tunings of today's guitar laden music through a multi-scale instrument, then it's arrival to the scene is belated at best. Strandberg - was there, done that.

Pic: Total Guitar

Ibanez is retaliating against the one that got away; the Abasi proto which later became the Abasi Concepts. Why is this move necessary especially now? Is there a resurgence of sorts that we are unaware of? From a commercial perspective, the Alpha's price(s) might hint at a missing price point that Ibanez is gladly filling in.

Pic: EBMM

Chronologically, Ibanez waited to understand the market for such a non-conventional design especially its commercial viability. EBMM's Kaizen debut signalled the market's readiness & Ibanez latched onto this sector in 2026. We'll wait for the full NAMM experience to see if other brand names are also offering a similarly niche-designed guitar to understand the bigger (commercial) picture.

Pics: Ibanez

I will end this episode by reminding everyone that this is not Ibanez's initial foray into the world of peculiar body outlines. Among others, the Fireman is an example. The Fireman wasn't deemed eccentric simply because its actually a flipped design of the Iceman, no major issues in terms of receptiveness. Come to think of it, the Alpha's overall design philosophy is not too far off the Fireman's, just look at the pics above.