Assassin 8

Oh man, SOLAR is offering the Assassin features in an 8-string format. The one you see here is the A1.81A (A for active pickup - it's a Fluence Open Core Red). The Assassin concept is fundamentally a black-out guitar featuring a single humbucker, a single control knob & red highlights for the pickup, inlay & truss rod cover - simplet yet very intimidating for those of us who dwell in the metal zone.

Pic: SOLAR

Ice @ SL

Two new colours for the Ibanez Iceman (IC420) this July - this Coral Green Metallic...

.... and this gold top. I noticed that these July releases were already available at Swee Lee ($899) even before the official announcement.

I see the Iceman as a refined Les Paul, both guitars have many things in common: 1) 3-per side tuners 2) Set neck joint 3) Dual humbuckers / 3-way selector / 4 control pots 4) Tune-o-matic (type) bridge. The Iceman appeals to those of us who had enough of the Les Paul's weight & a desire for an extended cutaway arm to promote placement stability when played sitting down. The Iceman is one heck of a cool guitar (no pun intended).

Pic: Ibanez

FF bass @ DGMC

Some very cool - and definitely affordable - fanned fret basses are now available at Davis GMC. If you're that adventurous type who benefits from dropped tunings, a fanned fret option would definitely help proceedings when it comes to string tension. This here is the Bacchus WJB-1MS which lists for $699 (bag included). A sunburst finish is also available. When it comes to value-for-money, the Bacchus name is hard to beat. 

Pic: Deviser

BK @ DGMC

Please be informed that Bare Knuckle pickups are now available at Davis GMC. For those of us who are new to the brand, know that prices are astronomical due to the brand's boutique nature (whatever boutique means to you). Paying for a matching pair of humbuckers could easily get you an entry-level guitar.

Pic: BKFB

Vega T

Those of us who are whammy excessive but still prefer our Strats to do the bidding, the Vega Trem is now available at Swee Lee (upwards of $220). I usually lock down my Strat bridge as I don't whammy, so...

Pic: SOS

Limited & missed

Aw, darn. This was a limited edition Japan only AZ2204NJA - good for 2025, strictly. I'm somehow averse to white single coil covers (remind me too much of the Strat) but these look very acceptable here. That awesome top there is ash, Ibanez refers to it as Japanese Ash.

Pic: Ibanez Japan