Destroy

Ibanez DTX120, manufactured in Y2K, Korea. More of a novelty model because players prefer the standard size Destroyer, not this petite version. Not a fan of such irregular body outline but since it's smaller than the usual Destroyer, why not.

The default AH pickups were below expectations, to put it nicely. These are used Schaller pickups I got for cheap. Nothing outstanding, they serve my needs & certainly not for those of us in search of immaculate clean tones.

Roots tone

Sent this to Beez for pickups installation yesterday. Had been playing it all morning. It's my Grassroots G-SG. Obviously a Gibson SG copy but it's darn affordable.

Someone sold me these Gibson 57 classic pickups for cheap. I had forgotten about these pickups as these were kept inside the pocket of one of my guitar bags which had deteriorated over time. Was about to throw away the bag last weekend when I found these. I dislike Gibson pickups, especially the neck model; they sound muddy as heck at high gain settings. I decided to swap out the default G-SG pickups as they sound below expectations especially when I have lots of distortion dialled in. These remind me of those cheap Ibanez GIO pickups; next to lifeless. Told myself I got nothing to lose by putting Gibson pickups in there. 

Surprisingly, these sound impressive. Even the neck humbucker did well, lots of definition in both clean & driven settings. These would sound interesting in split mode for sure but the 2-conductor wiring means there's no chance to hear that happen.

Olympia 10 - 46 for this guitar.

Neck

Finally back, my SEW761. Sent it to TYMC for bolt holes to be drilled. The neck you see there is a replacement neck so it came without neck screw holes. TYMC did an awesome job, alignment was spot-on.

The new neck also came with no trus rod cover. I choose to leave this as it is; a reminder of what took place & the amount of patience that I put into this guitar to bing it back to life.

Machete

The new Seymour Duncan Dino Cazares signature pickup depicted above, is called the Machete. Despite looking traditional, it's an active unit. The 7-string version is also available. I like the fact that a small SD logo was preferred instead of the full name version. Do note - this was conceived to manifest a pronounced treble response by default.

Pic: Seymour Duncan

Edwards' 50th

Lest we forget, this year, ESP celebrates its 50th Anniversary. The ESP / LTD commemorative releases were costly. Even the LTD was priced excessively for many of us. It's rather late (December) but ESP has released the Edwards version of its commemorative piece - the E-Horizon CTM. Very classy looking with its gold appointments but it will definitely be as costly as its other anniversary counterparts. Darn.

Pic: ESP Japan

More minions

I was of the opinion that Jackson's Minion Series would be a temporary occupation in Jackson's catalogue but it seems that the numbers are growing. To date, they added a maple fretboard version of the Dinky ($299) & the latest addition being a pinstriped body RR ($399). Two things:

1. Appealing novelty. The novelty of owning such scaled down instruments might have carved out a strong niche appeal. Players actually love these guitars & wouldn't mind forking out money for one (or more than one).
2. Real applications. There might be players out there who actually have real use for such guitars. For instance, these might be purchased to supplement guitar lessons for kids. Those who show competency would be allowed to move up to a standard-sized guitar. Also, there might be some bedroom maestros who want a simple offering for fun times.

Bottom line - these instruments would definitely not appeal to everyone. Do not believe the hype or blind recommendations. Best to try one out in the stores before parting with your precious cash. Both are available @ Swee Lee now.

Scaled down Becker

Kiesel has this scaled down guitar for your considerations before they cease operations for the holidays. If it looks familiar then it's the Jason Becker signature Numbers model but scaled down to 22.2" giving it a very similar dimension to the Jackson Minion model. This pedigree of instruments is more novelty than anything else. Depending on the urgency of the manufacturer, it might stay in tune because we all know too well that an instrument of this nature has a prominent weakness; it is unable to stay in tune. On this note, Jackson's Minion & Ibanez's Mikro models are amongst those that do stay in tune. More importantly, proceeds from this sale would contribute greatly to Jason Becker's medical maintenance which should appeal to us fans more than the instrument per se.

Wishing everyone a good weekend ahead.

Pic: Kiesel

Arm the homeless

Fender has finally unveiled the Arm The Homeless guitar, having worked closely with Tom Morello. It's made in Mexico. Pickups are EMGs & the bridge is the highly acclaimed GOTOH GE1966T.

However, Fender had issued a disclaimer about this flag image on the body which is disallowed for display in some parts of the world. Do take note if you are interested.

Pics: Fender

YY

I have no idea if there are (still) Korn fans who are looking forward to these Ibanez K7 guitars. The price tag there is quite excessive, especially for guitars which are not made in Japan. Then again, when PRS released the SE version of the Chleo, there are people who bought them.

Pics: Ibanez

Connect

Ibanez Connect is the manufacturer's international get-together event for enthusiasts as well as musicians in general. In local context, it's a product / brand roadshow. 

It will make its way here on 7 February 2026. More details from Swee Lee closer to the event date.

Pics: Ibanez

 

M-II

Good to see more ESPs sporting a fixed bridge. This new M-II CTM features a Hipshot bridge, keeping things simple. However, with the ESP label on headstock, do not expect a more accessible price even if the guitar features simpler appointments.

Pic: ESP

Gib-Sunday - MM edition

I'm very happy playing a lesser known guitar. It's a firm indicator of not yielding to trends. This Gibson Melody Maker is a good example. Nobody would be motivated to spend good money on an estranged guitar with a missing tail piece; the reason it was listed for sale.

The usual let's re-string before playing routine. Not a Roto fan, this was purchased when Swee Lee had discounts for them. They are currently OK, unlike previous episodes of rust spots & oxidation even when purchased new.

Nylon Saturday

Masochistic Saturday - indoors with nylon strings. I definitely need more time to adapt to nylon strings. These things simply roll under my fingers while playing, making me look & sound beyond amateurish. But I deem such torture necessary to become a better player. It's when you dwell beyond your comfort zone, you are compelled to adapt & excel.

Did a re-string before play. I tried the ball-end set, now back to the tie-end method. For nylon strings, I like my action a little higher than what I'm used to when playing the acoustic. It somehow reduced the rolling phenomenon during play.

Assassin 27

New one by SOLAR guitars - the Assassin VA1.61FR. The first to feature 27 frets. Actually, the 26th & 27th frets are partial frets. Hamer, ESP & Ibanez had such frets in their respective models. As for me, I'm happy with 22 frets 😅

Pic: SOLAR

Tribute Plus

Finally, Epiphone realized it shouldn't treat the SG as a second class citizen in its Tribute line up. I'm saying this because the previous Tribute lineup (affordable bolt-on models) featured an inaccurate manifestation of an SG - two knobs instead of four. Currently, the newer Tribute lineup, called the Tribute Plus, are not in (yet) at City Music.

Pic: Epiphone

CK @ KL

Was in KL (Malaysia), dropped by CK Music which was merely a couple of blocks away from my hotel. I wish they would update their website because the listings did not match the in-store inventory. Enough said.

Iron-iversary

Still in the Fender end of things - the Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary collection was just announced / released. The guitars you see above are the (L-R): Janick Gers Strat / Dave Murray Strat / Dave Murray Masterbuilt Strat. That's right, no Adrian Smith model because he's playing a Jackson which ironically is a Fender sister brand. 

Of course, Steve Hariss' P-bass is included in this line up.

For the record, the 50th Anniversary's time line started in 1975 when the band first formed up. The debut album only happened in 1980.

Pics: Fender

Cyber

Swee Lee's Cyber Monday deals are now on. Before Fender focused on the Players & Vinteras in an attempt to elevate the Mexican models as value-for-money guitars, the Standard model had always been there to fulfil this aspiration. Good to see this on the CM deal list: $719.20 Quite frankly, this is a sleeper in plain sight. If you wish for a good Strat without paying excessively for one, this is a good consideration. Coincidentally, this was the last good Mex Strat I tried, hence the recommendation.

The Fender (Japan) Malmsteen is also on a good CM deal: $2,479. Between the Japanese & American versions, the former vibed with me better when I last tried one in store. Ironically, this CM price is currently higher than the Japanese MSRP: $2,246. Regardless of this difference, it's one of those signature models that I truly like for what it is - a good playing, good sounding guitar.

Pics: Fender

Short

I play short scale basses. I struggle the least when doing so. A major headache will take place when it's time to re-string them as the string brand  choices out there are limited. I don't fancy the Ernie Ball brand but it's one of the available options in the shops. If you see any such strings during your shopping spree, do let me know - TIA.

Goodbye, November...

Low

Been playing lots of acoustic lately. Attempted to play the electric today but my brain wasn't in the right gear to even churn out interesting riffs. So out came the bass. Did it help? Not quite. When you spend way too much time on guitars, you still think like a guitar player when playing the bass. Didn't last for even 30min.

Pictured above - my Ibanex Mikro bass & the Blackstar Fly 3 Bass. The idea was to chill on the couch with the amp close by. Maybe when I'm more clear headed, it might happen.

X6

Sire has headless guitars now. This one here, is the X6. There's a 7-string version as well (X6 7-string) in the exact details, just an additional string. If you've played Sire guitars, you'd know they are definitely value-for-money instruments. I'm waiting for something appealing (to me) before going down to the distributor's showroom (yes, we have a Sire distributor here located at Bras Basah complex) to check one out personally. In the mean time, there are no X models in store. Yet.

I'm not a fan of multi-scale guitars unless it's designed like a Strandberg; partial fanned frets. Ibanez did this for the SML721 but looks like it's a passing interest for them; no further developments. This X6 looks like a Strandberg mimic, let's not hide the fact, but it's worth considering.

Pic: Sire

Green Orange

Didn't expect this to be available here but you can get it at Davis GMC ($1,190). This is the limited edition Rocker 15 in green. I didn't see the Rocker 32; it might have been sold off / not available to begin with. I didn't ask the store 😅 For those of us with a British type of drive voicing fixation, the Orange is rather iconic because it offers a hint of fuzz at high gain settings that had become a flagship tone embraced by doom-sters. Those of us who are not into this music genre, you can enjoy some of the creamiest drive tone which would rival a Vox.

Pics: Orange UK

Metro Express

Of course, I've not forgotten about our bassist friends. The Sadowsky MetroExpress basses are now available at Swee Lee. These are affordable models (Chinese) but still in excess of $1K. The 5-string versions are also in store. 

For those of us who are predominantly guitar oriented, it's good to own a bass. This opens up opportunities for us to understand music arrangement (how we fit basslines into the tune) & chord progressions. That's right, I always use the bass to identify chords in songs & then I play those on guitar. It's a little long winded but my mind works that way. 

S-Tuesday

Unemployed, indoors with some time in hand; I'm taking this opportunity to play & look after my gear. Just wanna hear an S-Series in action today so this was the guitar of choice - S1620.

I just love playing solos in the neck position, the Seymour Duncan Distortion is an awesome pickup for this intention. Good definition & won't mud-out under intense distortion. I dislike neck pickups that churn out muddy notes at high gain despite sounding good clean. Many Gibson pickups are as such. A quick re-string & a little set-up (bridge related) before playing.

BFDR

Got access to Swee Lee's Black Friday (BF) deals. Nothing too enticing, a little upset that only Sterling guitars (selected) are subjected to the discount. This event is curated unlike other BF deals elsewhere, discounts are store-wide. So if you've been saving for a Fender guitar & hoping there's a good deal waiting come BF - it's not happening. 

I just got myself some DR strings, prices are good after the BF discounts.  I used to be a big fan of this brand (till prices simply turn me off) because it somehow caters to those of us peddling aggressive music. The strings feel solid, the tone, above expectations. These are not for those who embrace boomer bends, though. Just being upfront.

Standard Sunday

Sunday with the Standard (S2 Standard 22 satin). This was an unplanned purchase. The S2 Series were given the American treatment rather recently  & it came with a revised price which contradicted the manufacturer's philosophy of making the S2 range affordable price-wise. The model you see here is the pre-revision Standard 22 in a satin finish. The reason you don't see the wing button tuners there. I like PRS for its 25" scale length. That in-between (Fender's 25.5" & Gibson's 24.75") feel & tone makes it different (to me). I'm also quite a sucker for non-gloss finishes especially the neck. This was clearing for a good price at Davis GMC once upon a time so I had to grab it. 

I don't quite fancy the default pickups so these are Seymour Duncans (JB / Jazz). I don't see too many covered JB trembuckers available here so it was grab & go from Davis GMC. The neck pickup is a pre-owned unit which the previous owner did not install into his guitar. It was virtually new. I don't whammy so the bridge sits flushed against the body.

Saturday morning, still reminiscing my good days at work. Needed a distraction. Took this out to play.

Couldn't get any nice solo ideas going. I blame the pickups for this 😅 DiMarzio's D'Activator / D'Activator X were not conceived to propel ballads & emotional solos. Spent a good hour or so just grinding out brutal riffs. At least I get to manifest my frustrations.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Stay safe.

Final Day @ work

An emotional final day at work. Managed to attend to two guitars before leaving. This one had a broken tuning peg & one crooked unit which was better replaced than repaired. Was told it fell from storage. Yikes. Replaced both rows of tuners, good clean up & a fresh set of strings.

This one had a broken nut. No accidents, knocks, nothing. Hammered the broken piece out & replaced with a new nut. Surprisingly, the new nut required no height adjustments. Same thing - thorough cleaning & a fresh set of strings.

Done. The thing I dislike about nylon strings - it took forever to be in tune. 

The people here are very accommodating & looked into my daily workload well. They were generous when it comes to lunch time & did not treat me like a temporary contract employee. To them I was family. It's very difficult saying goodbye to such a community of good people. This is especially true when office politics exist in every establishment but to some people, this is not worth their while. They rather keep one another going because it's quite a journey ahead. Respect.

Unemployed once again.

MS Beetle

Something new from the Vox camp; the Micro Superbeetle amp (20W). Not to be confused with the Mini Superbeetle (50W) which is the larger counterpart & tube equipped. This smaller-scaled version, which is about the size of a guitar body (as depicted) sits in between the table-top & beginner practice amps. Its internal power is re-chargeable making it very busker / outdoor-friendly. 

It may look vintage but the control panel reveals some contemporary applications like bluetooth & various drive voicings.

Potential buyers should be wary of the fact that this amp isn't a firm representative of the flagship Vox (tube) tone. In fact, it's very utilitarian & more present-day in its offerings. Also, bear in mind that an internal rechargeable battery will wear out (might even perish) over time. Please check with the dealer if this is replaceable for those of us who have a potential to fall in love with it & wish to keep it for a very long time.

Pics: VOX

FHH

I kinda knew this would happen; the PRS Fiore is now offered in a dual humbucker version & a rosewood fretboard for this model. The Fiore is a guitar I would purchase if the price tag is less exorbitant.

Pic: PRS

Asahi & Oscar

Paying it forward - I did my bit to ensure the people at work benefit from a fresh set of strings & clean, gunk-free guitars. Between the two, the Oscar Schmidt wins it in terms of tone & playability. No idea if it was ever set up before but it just played great & the tone wasn't excessively bright. Maybe the fresh strings contributed to this positive encounter. The Asahi just sounded bland despite being more visually attractive.

My employment contract ends this week, another impending episode of a miserable year end. At least I would end my stint here knowing I did my part in making others happy.

Used

Off to the recycling bin. About a third of the year's worth of used strings. Yes, I used this many strings throughout the year & this is the reason why I refuse to spend too much on strings because it's a significant expenditure for me.

2209

I am a Telecaster fan. This affiliation extends to guitars in this outline despite sporting a non-Fender brand name. The Ibanez AZS2209 is one such guitar so the obsession was inevitable. The model you see here is the initial AZS model which is slightly different from the current AZS models - no body binding, non-ply pickguard.

The Ibanez AZS is not a Telecaster per se despite the familiar outline. Many people out there are averse to this understanding & targetted the curved control plate as a hideous deviation. One more time - the AZS is not a Telecaster & the manufacturer has no obligations to include a Telecaster-type control plate. 

I am happy with this guitar for its Tele-esque vibe & tone but the humbucking neck is a good move away from the Tele single coil tone which many Tele fanatics out there wish could be refined. However, if that tone is revised, it wouldn't manifest the signature Tele honk when both pickups are in use. The AZS2209 does well to mimic that voicing but having a humbucker in there is actually a move away from that honk but things remain tasteful. If you wish for a more Tele-like tone, please buy a Fender.

Had a spare set of Ernie Ball 9s which went into this guitar before playing started. FYI, the Seymour Duncan pickups in there are: Magic Touch (n) / AII Pro (b).

The other baby

My other (remaining) baby guitar is this Ibanez PF-58. I got this used for a very good price because: 1) The previous owner's daughter gave up learning to play & the strings were very corroded. She has no idea how to re-string + she doesn't intend to keep it any longer 2) The default internal tuner is not working. 

The default tone here is bright. I'm usually averse to such voicings because (to me) bright tones don't go well with fingerpicking. One day, I accidentally bought a bright set of strings for it & somehow it sounded great for finger-picked chords. As such, I've been putting on bright strings in there, this GHS is just one of the many brands I've tried for this guitar.