Somehow this combination that Ibanez made just ticked all my boxes.
Japanese precision build, great materials and great quality of each individual part. There are no shortcuts or tradeoffs on this guitar like with many other well know brands. You get best of the best with this. Pickups are fantastic, modern sounding. Beautiful mini humbucker in neck. Great tele bridge with bite. 5 really useful pickup combinations easily accessible with the switch like it should be. Some may wander why it isn't on the push pull pot but if you ever used push pull you will know why this is the better and well thought solution. Vibrato with giant steel block. They even put rubber rings on the springs to prevent rattle. Roasted neck (more like modern soft D rather than C with plenty of beef in it). Best locking machines that you only need to unscrew with your pick (they lock automaticaly). great rosewood fretboard, beautifully done stainless steel frets. That blue color is much more vibrant in real life. One of those colors that just can't be captured with camera. I can go on and on. If you are not burdened by having that traditional telecaster and want something in that form factor that will satisfy all your needs regarding reliability, ergonomics, tone and modern playability this is no brainer. Hands down best value for the money you can get.
