Description
The Ibanez Alpha A528 is built for players who live in the technical side of modern metal and progressive music. If you're chasing sweep arpeggios, complex chord voicings, or anything that demands serious fretboard navigation, this guitar's asymmetric neck design and ergonomic body contours make those techniques feel more natural than they do on traditional guitars. We've found these to be particularly solid for players stepping up from entry-level instruments who want something that won't fight them as their technique develops.
The Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers bring serious versatility. The voicing switch lets you flip between aggressive, high-output tones and cleaner, more articulate sounds without swapping guitars mid-set. The ebony fretboard and jumbo stainless steel frets feel fast and responsive, whether you're running clean arpeggios or pushing heavy gain. The basswood body keeps things balanced and neutral-sounding, letting the pickups do their work without adding unwanted coloration. The Mono-rail bridge design gives you excellent note separation, which is crucial when you're playing complex chord extensions or fast single-note runs.
The Parallel Wizard AS neck is where this guitar really shines. It's asymmetric, meaning it's more rounded on the bass side while staying consistent in thickness across all positions. This makes thumb-over techniques and string skipping much more comfortable than traditional neck profiles. The Gotoh locking tuners are rock-solid for stability, and small touches like the luminescent side dots actually make a difference when you're playing on dark stages. We've had good experience with the build quality on these; everything feels purposeful and well-executed rather than gimmicky.
Specifications:
- Body: American Basswood with ergonomic elbow contour
- Neck: 5-piece Maple/Walnut Parallel Wizard AS (asymmetric)
- Fretboard: Ebony
- Frets: Jumbo Stainless Steel
- Pickups: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker Alnico (neck), Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker Ceramic (bridge)
- Bridge: Mono-rail G2 (string-through or top-loading)
- Tuners: Gotoh MG-T locking machine heads
- Electronics: Fishman Fluence voicing switch
- Inlays: Luminescent side dots
- Included: Ibanez gig bag
Sku: A528CMG
The Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers bring serious versatility. The voicing switch lets you flip between aggressive, high-output tones and cleaner, more articulate sounds without swapping guitars mid-set. The ebony fretboard and jumbo stainless steel frets feel fast and responsive, whether you're running clean arpeggios or pushing heavy gain. The basswood body keeps things balanced and neutral-sounding, letting the pickups do their work without adding unwanted coloration. The Mono-rail bridge design gives you excellent note separation, which is crucial when you're playing complex chord extensions or fast single-note runs.
The Parallel Wizard AS neck is where this guitar really shines. It's asymmetric, meaning it's more rounded on the bass side while staying consistent in thickness across all positions. This makes thumb-over techniques and string skipping much more comfortable than traditional neck profiles. The Gotoh locking tuners are rock-solid for stability, and small touches like the luminescent side dots actually make a difference when you're playing on dark stages. We've had good experience with the build quality on these; everything feels purposeful and well-executed rather than gimmicky.
Specifications:
- Body: American Basswood with ergonomic elbow contour
- Neck: 5-piece Maple/Walnut Parallel Wizard AS (asymmetric)
- Fretboard: Ebony
- Frets: Jumbo Stainless Steel
- Pickups: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker Alnico (neck), Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker Ceramic (bridge)
- Bridge: Mono-rail G2 (string-through or top-loading)
- Tuners: Gotoh MG-T locking machine heads
- Electronics: Fishman Fluence voicing switch
- Inlays: Luminescent side dots
- Included: Ibanez gig bag
Sku: A528CMG
