The Ibanez Premium

The Ibanez premium series isn't new news. However what is new, at least to me is, I finally gotten down to my local music store and get my hands to try the Premium series. My first thoughts on the Premium is, if players are expecting a Prestige feel to the neck, well it isn't. It's a total different feel to it. The immediately different is that, the back of the neck has a rounder feel to it. It isn't as flat as a prestige. This makes the neck feels way thicker than it should be.

Another noticeable difference is that the 430mm radius is very noticeable, compared to the Prestige. This is because, the rounder back forces the player to grip the neck with the hand, giving more contact area to the palm, more so than a flatter back, which forces the player to anchor this thumb on the neck instead (This is kind of hard to explain).

Lastly, the neck feels somewhat narrower than a standard Ibanez neck. It doesn't feel like a 43mm nut but feels more like a 42mm nut. However, this probably can also be attributed to the rounder back of the neck.
Nonetheless, these difference doesn't mean that the Premium aren't good guitars. They are superb guitars for their price and probably plays very well, comparing to guitars of the same price range. However, do keep in mind that as consumers, we are definitely not getting a Prestige feel kind of guitar for a cheaper price. Ibanez quality is evident in the Premiums, just that the feeling is totally different.