Show Full Spec Comparison
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black | Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige | |
---|---|---|
General | ||
Brand: | Strandberg | Ibanez |
Year: | 2023 | 2020 |
Configuration: | HH | HH |
Strings: | 6 | 6 |
Made in: | Indonesia | Japan |
Series: | Sälen | AZ |
Colors: | Black, Red, Natural | Sunburst |
Left-Handed Version: | No | Yes |
Body | ||
Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
Body Material: | Chambered Mahogany | Alder |
Bridge: | Strandberg EGS Series 7 fixed & string locks | Gotoh T1802 Tremolo |
Neck | ||
Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | Bolt-On |
Tuners: | At bridge | Gotoh Magnum Lock machine heads w/H.A.P. |
Fretboard: | Rosewood | Roasted Maple |
Neck Material: | Mahogany | Roasted Maple |
Decoration: | Illuminlay dots | Black Dot |
Scale Size: | 25.5" to 25" | 25.5" |
Shape: | EndurNeck | AZ Oval C |
Thickness: | 1st Fret: 1.2'' (30.5mm) - 12th Fret: 1.1'' (27.9mm) | 1st Fret: 0.81'' (20.6mm) - 12th Fret: 0.89'' (22.6mm) |
Frets: | 24 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel | 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel |
Fretboard Radius: | 20" | 12" |
Nut: | Locking | Bone |
Nut Width: | 36mm (1.417'') | 42mm (1.654'') |
Electronics | ||
Bridge Pickups: | Strandberg Classic Bridge (Humbucker / Passive) | Seymour Duncan Hyperion (Humbucker / Passive) |
Middle Pickup: | ||
Neck Pickup: | Strandberg Classic Neck (Humbucker / Passive) | Seymour Duncan Hyperion (Humbucker / Passive) |
Switch: | 5 Way | 5 Way |
Knobs: | Dome | Speed |
Pickup Mods: | Series Split | Coil Tap |
Volume Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Tone Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Hardware | ||
Strap Lock: | No | No |
Hardware Color: | Black | Chrome |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black over Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige
Reasons to Get
Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige over Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black
Other Key Differences
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black vs Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige
Shared Features
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black vs Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- High-Quality Frets
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black favors large hands more than the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black:
Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige:
Beginner Friendliness
The Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black meets only 5. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Woods Used in the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige
Roasted Maple is just maple without a finish. It's technically cheaper than regular maple, but it doesn't have any extra disadvantages because of this. The color is darker, and it's lighter weight and very stable even when there's a lot of humidity.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Tie.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black offers Series Split.
The Series Split feature allows it to split and connect some of the pickups in series. When wired in series, the resulting tone is similar to a Humbucker's. The pickups will work together and produce a fuller tone with more output than single-coils, but less than Humbuckers.
On the other hand, the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige comes with the following: Coil Tap.
Coil Tap is similar to Coil Split but it works a bit differently. Instead of completely cancelling one of the coils of the humbucker, it only cuts part of the output once activated. Some people believe this gives the split pickups a more real single-coil sound.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black compares to the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black is built in Indonesia while the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige is made in Japan.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Winner: Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black has a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
On the other hand, the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Both in this comparison come with stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
The Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Nevertheless, the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Series Split Pickups
- Weight Relief
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in Indonesia
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Tap Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige has the wider nut with 42mm (1.654'') vs 36mm (1.417''). This is a 6mm (0.237'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black features a multi-scale of 25.5" to 25" while the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige has a regular scale of 25.5".
A multi-scale fingerboard incorporates two scale lengths at the same time. This is present in some instruments with long scale to give a different tension to the lower strings than the higher strings. The thickest strings need more tension to avoid fret buzz (especially when tuned low), so the scale is longer for these strings, while the thinnest strings will need less tension (because they have a lower gauge), so they have a shorter scale to reduce stiffness for bends.
It can feel awkward if you've never played a multi-scale because the frets will have more separation for the higher strings, but a lot of people love their versatility.
On the other hand, the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige's 25.5" regular scale means it has a fixed scale for all the strings.This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black and the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black.
Fret Size
The Ibanez AZ2402L Prestige has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Strandberg Sälen Jazz NX 6 Black's Medium Jumbo frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.