I finally received my new AT 10 Premium guitar last night, after an unexpected mix up with the retailers shipping dept. The guitar was preordered right after NAMM, and the outer and Inner Ibanez boxes were labeled correctly but the case held the new Premium Universe 7 string. Mistakes always happen, and this is where having a good relationship with a reputable dealer makes a difference. I have my AT 10 today, and they went beyond the norm to make sure I was satisfied.

The guitar has stunning looks. Other than the tuners, and bridge, i couldn't distinguish this model from the Prestige that retails at $3700, ( the street price for this premium is $1299). It has the exact same signature Dimarzios, and a slightly different Wilkinson trem, but for a non locking trem and nut, the tuning stability is awesome.

The absolute best thing about this guitar is the neck. Wow,.. It just feels great, like an old friend. The "out of the box" setup is perfect for my style. No buzzing, no fretting out, intonation spot on. I would normally adjust the trem immediately to a floater, but as it is so sweet, I'll at least wait till my first string change. It comes with the bridge sitting on the body, only allowing pitch drops, but this does aid in tuning stability.

I pre-ordered the very first premiums released, a few years back, and now own 2 of that model rg 920. I was impressed then, although I can't say that was the feeling of many ibanez owners. I have many,MANY Prestige models, and I prefer them, but these Guitars coming out of the Premium factory are quality instruments. When they sell with the same Dimarzios as their Prestige brothers I don't find much to not like. The only issue I had with the RG 920's were the fretboard radius. This particular model has the same specs as its Prestige twin, so I have to say, I couldn't see paying double the price for the Prestige model.

Here's a quick pic with my Prestige RG 1550 with Fishman Triple Play midi, and my new AT 10 Premium ANdy Timmons model. Will take better pics soon!

Been gassing hard for one of these since I first saw them. When I read the spec list, it looks like the bridge and the premium logo are literally the only differences. Makes you wonder how they can still justify the extra 2 + grand on the top model.

HNGD!!! Glad it got worked out.

Jeff

I have say as far as price variation, yes I don't see many of the Prestige AT models being bought, when there is soo little difference in quality. Andy himself said he was glad he could finally afford his own signature model,...


Ya know, I'm a bit stupid about relationships with my guitars. I've only had two issues with guitars bought on-line, this one, and a Prestige that arrived with extremely pitted chrome. That one was exchanged, and I regretted it. Heck, I'm not perfect, glad I wasn't traded in,.. But really,.. Give me a few hours playing, and I've bonded with it.

I won't go into details, but my retailer definitely made me understand that I would not go away unhappy. If I wanted to hold out for the next shipments, probably a month, I was welcome to exchange. Either way, having a good relationship with my sales person made all if the difference.

congrats! i have one of these that will be delivered on monday. i bought my through rich, so i have absolutely no concerns

I never knew

I liked it, very close to the 100, but there are no string slots in the saddles so the strings can move around a little bit, and the saddle angle is pretty steep. Better than I thought they would be though [except the other had a warped guard so they're seeing if I can replace it with a 100 guard]

A pic, of the AT 10 with a few of my other Premium and Prestige Guitars, (the AR 2000, 2nd from right, was bought from Rich, and I would never regret buying anything from him !!).

Awesome. I totally want to play one of those.

I have his older signature model, an RT650. I love it. It has 24 frets. Do you know why they have 22 now?

What is the reason for no grooves for the strings in the saddles?

ohh! A Kemper!

actually andy never played the RT models. he was pictured with them in the 92 catalog, but ibanez always seemed to have endorsees that didn't have signature models pose with other models in the line, even if it wasn't one they played. perhaps the RT gave him the idea for what eventually became the at100. i know back then he used to play a LACS model RG as well.

i am liking the at10, but i think i'll need to install a string retainer bar behind the nut (like the js6 has) because the G string tends to pop out of the nut if i bend over a whole step. i am also not a huge fan of the trem...may look into swapping that out for a better wilkinson. but i love the way the bridge pickups sounds and especially the neck cruiser. still, i think i prefer my RT450s, but probably because i am more used to the slightly thinner necks.

That is very cool, great looking guitar, love the collection as well!!

Ill try to answer a few things as best as I can,..
String slot in bridge,... Older Fender, or Fender style trems didn't have a "groove" for the string to set in, however the VSVG trem on the AT 100 does. The Premium uses a slightly different trem, still made by Wilkinson, and, It is more traditional so no groove. It hasn't been a problem for me on this one, or any of my Strats.

String retainer behind nut,... The Premium string retainer is in a different position than the AT 100, and I have had no difficulty with the strings popping out, however, I totally understand as that used to happen on my Strat all the time.

Pickups,.. These babies Rock. What makes this guitar awesome FOR ME, is the neck, and the pickups. The neck feels sooo good ! This will be the First Ibby I've bought that I didn't switch pups in. Well balanced, and lots of range. From Hendrix to Belew these Dimarzios can do 'me all

Kemper,.. Best investment ever. I have a great profile of A Mesa Lonestar, as well as all of the greats, but, with gear that has soo many options , you have to narrow it down to using just a few that suit your style. I use a Lonestar Profile, a Dumble, and 59 bassman, and even a few pedals, xotic ep, and Malekko Chaos, and Helium, ( beyond Octavia !!). Add any expression pedal to the Kemper, and you have the best Cry Baby you ever heard.

I've been considering one of these ever since they were released. But I really would like locking tuners, especially because there is no locking nut on any of Andy's sig models.

How well does yours stay in tune? Do you feel locking tuners are necessary?

Oh yeah, congrats on the guitar!

You can buy locking tuners and install them afterwards, so don't let that stop you from buying one if you want it.

Oh no ****, I hadn't heard about this. Is the body alder, like Andy's regular signature? And is it the same pickups et and wiring config? Huge Timmons fan here.