Badder

Is Badder better? We shall see...

To be continued...

AEWC

It seems that Ibanez prides itself with acoustic guitars featuring captivating tops. This AEWC16QA (Swee Lee: $499). These look great if you wish for a commanding presence. We can agree that the true measure of a good sounding acoustic guitar is its inherent tone. This, in most part, is the role of the guitar's sound board. The basic understanding here is that a solid top acoustic guitar does wonders to tone, first & foremost. The guitar captivates the audience if it sounds incredible, nevermind if it looks plain & boring. This is the reason why you see the specialist names in acoustic craftsmanship - Martin, Taylor, Takamine et al - do not feature gaudy tops but focuses on making the instrument sound good.

I'm of the opinion that Ibanez makes too many acoustic models with very little intent in offering the buyer a good sounding instrument as opposed to a good looking instrument. That said, Ibanez has other series of guitars with dedicated tops to propel tone. Here's hoping the average Joe out there gets to own an affordable Ibanez acoustic with a solid top to say the least. We refer to names like Tanglewood, Sigma & Cort among others, that are able to do so.

75th UII

In the mean time, Fender has some 75th Anniversary stuff going & this Ultra II Tele is quite a stunner. That flip-flop finish is something that I like. As you can see, these are not meant to emulate the traditional Tele single coil tones as the bridge pickup is a humbucker (Fender's own Fastlane pickup). This one also sports a compound radius, together with the D-profile neck, the guitar moves away from traditional specs. Downright desirable but it's gonna be costly.

Pic: Fender

Grateful

I'm always grateful to colleagues who remember me for who I am; someone who is very gear-inclined. Guitar spoon: Was given by a colleague who was away in Japan for a holiday. She thought of me the instant she saw this. Clip-on tuner: My previous clip-on tuner which I kept at work had become dodgy over time. My colleague acknowledged the situation & secretly bought me this BOSS version. This was given to me during the end-of-year / Xmas gift exchange event before I said goodbye to the organization. It's good to have such colleagues.

Aidilfitri 2026

Only the passing of Ramadan would make me reflect on life's hits & misses. Nothing else. Time & again, I would give thanks to the fact that I got the change to see many Ramadans after my cancer bout. This year, I am grateful that I am needed for 10 more weeks at work & offered a new contract to see this through.

Wishing all Muslim readers & friends a blessed Eid. Do make time for your loved ones & remember those who have departed before us. We are next in line.

MoMM (63)

Holiday eve. Me time, music time.

• Panic: Epidemic. A friend introduced me to this band back in school (1991). I was already quite sick of the usual metal bands hogging the magazine's front pages - Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament et al. Nothing special, just a thrash band, a good one. Just couldn't quite come to terms with the '80s distortion sound; brash & semi-unlikable.
• Imperial Triumphant: Goldstar. Not everyone's idea of black metal especially when it includes some very jazzy & prog elements forcing you to shift into intellectual mode instead of getting lost in the drone. This album made it to the top 10 list of black metal releases in 2025. Was a little late to check them out. 

Holiday eve... what's everyone doing?