Seconds

Not in the best of moods. Did what I had to do, came home & played guitar. Just thankful that these are my benevolent distractions, always there to see me through, making sure nothing untoward happens to me. Just want to hear some single coils in action today but not from a Fender so I had the above guitars out.

AZES31

I like everything about this guitar; the fixed bridge, the default single coils & even the rosewood 'board. I usually prefer maple for single coils. That slightly shorter scale length - wonderful. This is one of those single coil guitars that actually likes to be distorted. I have a 095 set in this one, no plans to change string gauge any time soon.

Silver Sky SE

I spent some time tinkering with the action of this one, before settling with a slightly higher version from the rest of my guitars. Not much higher actually, just a wee bit to make it right for speedy moments. There won't be any guitar that would not induce me to play fast but playing fast is not what I do all the time. The single coils in this one sound much more appealing in clean mode compared to the AZES. They don't sound as thick in distortion mode though, they are what I refer to as crunchers - lesser distortion, more volume for optimum performance. 

Both the AZES & SSSE exist with expectations to fulfil the performance of their bigger brothers, the AZ & Silver Sky respectively. This is a difficult feat considering the compromised features they were conceived with. Then again, we are not objective if we buy these guitars with such expectations. It's a myopic assessment of what these instruments are all about. They hold their own in their respective price brackets & should not be seen exclusively as they budget alternatives of their greater manifestations. 

In any case, both manufacturers made a wise commercial move with these instruments. Ibanez - in view of how popular the AZ Series are in the mean time with the endorsement of next gen guitar mavericks to back up reputation, do note that the AZES models are not given the GIO label, despite residing in a GIO price range. Ibanez retain the class appeal of the AZ by letting the budget interpretation reside in its own domain referred to as the AZES. The Silver Sky SE had to happen, considering the SE models are bringing in the money for PRS across the board, not just the Silver Sky version. PRS did the right thing by making each & every SE model good contenders of playability & tone by paying attention to quality all round. As such, they remain as hot sellers despite not really being that accessible in terms of price, for beginners especially.