The AZES40 is Ibanez's budget-friendly AZ Essentials line, bringing the AZ shape down to an accessible price with a simple, non-locking T106 tremolo.
11 mods reviewed: 5 drop-in, 6 need verification.
Places we know sell the Ibanez AZES40.
Andertons
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The AZES40 is Ibanez's budget-friendly AZ Essentials line, bringing the AZ shape down to an accessible price with a simple, non-locking T106 tremolo. It's a different bridge family entirely from the double-locking Edge-series trems on the higher-tier AZ Prestige models, so don't assume those trem parts fit here.
Tailpiece
None (bridge-integrated)
Scale length
25.5" (648mm)
Nut width
42mm (1.654")
Not published by Ibanez: string spacing and bridge mounting spacing. Measure these before buying a bridge.
Tuner hole diameter is the one number to check before buying tuners for this guitar. Ibanez's own spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm, not the 10mm most modern locking tuners are built for. Ibanez do not publish the figure and no independent measurement has been found. The AZ Prestige and Premium models run 10mm, but those ship a completely different sealed Gotoh tuner, so their spec does not carry over. Measure yours, or choose a tuner that ships with multiple bushing sizes.
The T106 is Ibanez's own 6-screw tremolo, and Ibanez don't publish its screw spacing, string spacing or block size. Without those numbers we can't confirm any replacement fits, so none are listed yet. If you want to swap it, measure your screw and string spacing first and compare them against the replacement's spec.
A hum-cancelling alternative to the stock single-coils, still fits the same route. Needs soldering.
Stacked-coil noiseless single-coil design, matches the neck and middle route this guitar's stock Essentials single-coils use.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock bridge pickup already sits in. A higher-output alternative. Needs soldering.
Standard humbucker route, the same footprint the stock bridge Accord humbucker already sits in. A long-established high-output ceramic-magnet alternative for players who want more push into natural amp overdrive.
£89.99 at Andertons
View at AndertonsFits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock bridge pickup already sits in. You will need to solder it in.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock bridge Accord humbucker already sits in.
£309.99 at Andertons
View at Andertons
Fits the standard single-coil route this guitar's stock neck and middle pickups already sit in. You will need to solder it in.
Standard staggered-pole Strat-style single-coil, matches the neck and middle route this guitar's stock Essentials single-coils use.
£104.99 at Andertons
View at AndertonsThese come with a range of bushing sizes in the box, so they fit whether your tuner holes are vintage-sized or the larger modern size. That makes them the safest tuner choice on this guitar, because its exact hole size isn't confirmed.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here, not the pointed reverse-headstock version. Graph Tech's Ratio machine heads ship with a set of interchangeable bushings covering the common bore diameters, so the housing seats whether a headstock is drilled vintage-size or to the modern 10mm standard. That is what makes this a safe call on the AZES40 specifically. Ibanez's own spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm, and the guitar's actual hole diameter is not published or independently measured, so a fixed-bore tuner cannot be called a drop-in here. This one does not depend on that answer.
See current price at Amazon
View at Amazon
These need a 10mm tuner hole. The stock tuners on this guitar are a vintage split-shaft type, which usually means a smaller hole, and the exact size isn't confirmed. Measure yours before buying.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here, not the pointed reverse-headstock version. Hole size is the open question. Gotoh specify a 10mm bore for the SG381 housing. Ibanez's own AZES40 spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm rather than the 10mm modern standard, and the AZES40's actual hole diameter is not published anywhere and has not been independently measured. The higher-tier AZ2204 and AZ2402 Prestige ship Gotoh sealed tuners at 10mm, but that is a different tuner design on a different production tier and does not settle the AZES40.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonNeeds a 10mm tuner hole. This guitar's stock tuners are a vintage split-shaft design, which normally runs smaller, and the size hasn't been confirmed. Worth measuring before you order.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here, not the pointed reverse-headstock version. Hole size is the open question. The standard non-locking SG381 uses the same 10mm bore Gotoh specify for the locking version. Ibanez's own AZES40 spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm rather than the 10mm modern standard, and the AZES40's actual hole diameter is not published anywhere and has not been independently measured. The higher-tier AZ2204 and AZ2402 Prestige ship Gotoh sealed tuners at 10mm, but that is a different tuner design on a different production tier and does not settle the AZES40.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonThis is the 10mm post version. This guitar's holes haven't been confirmed at 10mm, and its stock split-shaft tuners suggest they may be smaller. Hipshot make this in more than one post size, so measure yours and order the matching one.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here, not the pointed reverse-headstock version. This is the 10mm post version of the Grip-Lock, as its name states. Ibanez's own AZES40 spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm rather than the 10mm modern standard, and the AZES40's actual hole diameter is not published anywhere and has not been independently measured. Hipshot build this housing in more than one post size, so the size question determines which version to order, not whether the product works at all.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonSchaller specify a 10mm tuner hole for these. That size hasn't been confirmed on this guitar, and its stock split-shaft tuners suggest it may be smaller. Measure before buying.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here, not the pointed reverse-headstock version. Schaller's and StewMac's own spec sheets both state the M6 requires a 10mm peghole. Ibanez's own AZES40 spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm rather than the 10mm modern standard, and the AZES40's actual hole diameter is not published anywhere and has not been independently measured. The higher-tier AZ2204 and AZ2402 Prestige ship Gotoh sealed tuners at 10mm, but that is a different tuner design on a different production tier and does not settle the AZES40.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Reverb
View at Reverb
This is a vintage-hole tuner, around 8.8mm. Depending on what this guitar's holes actually measure, it may be a closer match than the modern 10mm sets, but that size isn't confirmed either way. Measure first. If the holes turn out larger, Gotoh sell conversion bushings separately.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here. This particular Gotoh is vintage-hole spec, 8.73 to 8.8mm, not the 10mm modern standard. Ibanez's own AZES40 spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm, which would make this tuner a closer size match than the modern 10mm sets. That is not the same as confirming it. The AZES40's actual hole diameter is not published and has not been independently measured, so this could seat directly or could need Gotoh's conversion bushings, which are sold separately for exactly this situation.
Help confirm this fit
These need a 10mm tuner hole. This guitar's stock tuners are a vintage split-shaft design, which typically runs smaller, and the size isn't confirmed. Measure before ordering.
The AZES40 has a curved 6-in-line headstock, so a 6-in-line tuner set is the correct shape here, not the pointed reverse-headstock version. Sperzel's Trim-Lok is built for a 10mm bore. Ibanez's own AZES40 spec sheet lists the stock tuners as split-shaft machine heads, a vintage-style design that normally uses a bore under 9mm rather than the 10mm modern standard, and the AZES40's actual hole diameter is not published anywhere and has not been independently measured. The higher-tier AZ2204 and AZ2402 Prestige ship Gotoh sealed tuners at 10mm, but that is a different tuner design on a different production tier and does not settle the AZES40.
Help confirm this fit
If you have fitted any of these to this Ibanez AZES40, tell us what you found and we'll update the data.
