Price watch (99)

Didn't realize this blue version (SML721) is already available here. This version is $20 more than its previous red-ish version. 

The new S520AH is also in; $50 more than the previous weathered finish version. 

It's plain to see that prices are moving up without substantial changes to the instruments' specifications; exchange rate, shippings costs going up, etc. - we understand. This day & age, we should make efforts to acquire instruments from dealers who have the buyers' interest in mind (slim chance) as opposed to marking prices up to make their ends meet, excessively for some. I'm not implying the dealer for these instruments featured above are as such. It's something to take note of.

Pics: Ibanez

Throbbing solid guitar

ESP has this new model out - the Throbber Solid. New here refers to its iteration of an existing Throbber design which is now solid body as opposed to the previous incarnation which was a chambered body guitar. As we can see here, the design borrowed heavily from the T-style. Whatever it is, glad to see another no-frills, fixed bridge guitar out there.

Pic: ESP

MT-130

This is a good one from LTD; the MT-130. Basically a no-frills HSH guitar made to rock out. The neck profile here is similar to that of a Jackson, definitely not a thin, Ibanez Wizard type. Available at Davis GMC ($450), these are the other colours offered: White /  Neon Green / Gray / Red / Orange.

Pic: ESP

Killjoy midweek

Spent time with this guitar today. It's not a celebrated model but I like playing it when I'm feeling down. FYI it's an Ibanez GS121, partially refinished with the humbuckers swapped out & 3-way selector in place of the default 5-way. Nothing special. OK, so it's tuned to fourths. 

Donor appreciation (cont'd)

• Thank you, Joel Tee, for the timely contributions. This helps cover my transportation for the entire month of September (to & from treatment venues). Yes, I'm this pathetic, bothered by budget restrictions & bills. I am grateful for any amounts coming in my way - thank you all in advance 👍

Earlier today, I was informed by my doctor of a possible heart condition. It's pending full diagnosis & I was scheduled for a scan this coming Friday. As mentioned before, as an out-patient, I am unable to utilize any government-aided funds for tests / scans / consultations. I'm wondering how those other unemployed & sick people out there coping with this predicament. Midweek killjoy in a nutshell. Take care everyone, stay healthy.

Mira 594

When I bought a Mira like a decade ago (yes, it's been that long), I saw it as a more elegant version of the SG. It was an instant hit. This year, PRS brings back due attention to the Mira with this 594 iteration & I'm still attracted to it, especially this non-pickguard look, despite those rather annoying mini split coil switch. If you are interested as well, despite being an S2, prices would probably be north of $2K. Back in the day, mine was not even $1.5K.

Pic: PRS

Undone

This is a new battery. Just installed it into one of my pedals & was wondering why there's no sound coming out of the amp. I noticed the pedal's LED wasn't lit up as well. So a quick check & saw this. There's a reason why B-Stock products are sold for a bargain. Yes, I still use battery for my pedals.

For scouring

From the looks of things, you wouldn't have guessed what these are. Ladies & gentlemen, presenting to you, the Fender kitchen sponges. That's right - sponges. Let me quote you the sales pitch for this:

Fender Amplifier kitchen sponges are designed with serious home cooks and musicians in mind.

Indeed, manufacturers now are slowly tugging at our heartstrings. In the near future, they would be shoving stuff like toilet bowls, hair dryers, talcum powder, etc. down our throats to fire up brand loyalty among other things. 

Donor appreciation (cont'd): Thanks to brother Faizal Nordin for his second contribution this time round which covers my transportation costs to & from the hospital for the next couple of weeks. Really, appreciate it, brother. God bless. Here's wishing everyone a good week ahead - stay healthy 👍🏾

PO 1985

I believe these were released a couple of days ago. Jackson dug deep into their past glory & came out with these re-interpretations of their San Dimas models; the Pro Origins 1985. The FR bridge here is the 1000 model & the pickups are in-house J-90 / J-50 units which, according to them, re-visit the 1980s tone-wise. FYI, the off-white, maple 'board single humbucker version is already indicated as SOLD OUT on the manufacturer's home page. 

Reading between the lines, someone at Fender / Jackson finally realized re-releasing their back catalog is the right thing to do now because a close competitor had been doing so for a few years with positive outcomes. We know which other manufacturer this is, yes?

Pics: Jackson

Shimming adventure continues

Friday, indoors... re-string therapy was inevitable. I enjoy playing this Ibanez S621 but this morning, it felt a wee bit off maybe because I seldom travel up the neck to the upper frets which I did excessively today. 

Yes, the pocket there required shimming & it was done twice. As evident in the pic above, I had to add another layer of shimming material to get the action right. That non-aligned layer placement was intentional so that I know how many layers / how thick the shim is. 

A set of Olympia 9s for today's episode. Things are so much better after this re-set up of sorts. As mentioned previously, sometimes, this is necessary due to different factors. This S621 is an example of my preferred S-Series specs. These days, I don't whammy much so I prefer fixed bridge models. Also, a dual humbucking pickup configuration is my thing but I find a single coil in the neck position more likeable for solos. This S621 had the 5-way selector replaced with a 3-way version.

Wishing everyone a good weekend ahead. 👋

GT Deluxe

Kramer now has this Deluxe GT. A no-frills guitar aimed at similar conceptions by Charvel & Ibanez, among others. One more time, I do not wish to say much about any Kramer developments here because we know how indifferent & detached the Kramer dealer here is. They are doing well with music education which has a wider commercial reach as opposed to an acute focus on guitars. For the record, it's Cristofori Music. 

Pic: Kramer

Red re-string

In view of the recent limelight of new Japanese Ibanez models, I was aggravated to soak in the hype by taking this out to play - RG550DX. This was part of the Genesis line up which was not warmly received due to its rosewood fretboard variation. The proverbial RG550, regardless of its resurgence timeline, requires a maple fretboard to preserve the legacy & more importantly, the commercial traction.

Something felt wrong; the guitar playability wasn't as addictive as it used to be. A quick diagnosis revealed a slightly bowed neck & an action that required a wee bit of shimming. I used a discarded name card here to provide a non-intrusive elevation.

As such, an action adjust was required. A reminder to those embarking on a similar set-up adventure; there is a locking mechanism inside the stud post which requires attention first before raising / lowering it. That's why you see the smaller allen wrench being used here. When you are done, do lock it back in place. 

 

A set of fresh Dunlop strings. Sometime, a guitar's set up requires a re-visit as some aspects would be affected by temperature, for instance, over time. Some of us find this a put-off, we just wanna play because by the time we finished tinkering, the urge to play would be gone.

FRH20

The FRH20 is an existing model in the catalog. These two are mere finish iterations by the manufacturer. That top there is a flamed maple unit as documented by the specs sheet so there's no telling if it's a solid top. The FRH is the type of instrument with a triggered following; it's only hype as long as the factors driving this fanfare are still kept prevalent by Ibanez. To think that this model nearly didn't happen. 

PS: As at 12 Sept '25, the FRH20 is available at Swee Lee for $749

Pic: Ibanez

Nick's 10th

Didn't realize Nick Johnston's relationship with Schecter is now a decade old. This purple beauty here is a 10th Anniversary Nick Johnston's commemorative model that already available at Davis GMC ($1,899). Nick's initial infatuation with guitars saw him embrace a Fender (a Highway 1 if memory serves me right) & the Strat-esque features are firmly preserved here. Some say they prefer this bridge as opposed to the Fender's. 

Pic: Schecter

420

Didn't realize this was a recent addition to the Ibanez line up; RGR420FM. Despite being in the affordable tier of guitars, this one looks good. There are players out there who would definitely appreciate the gold hardware but it's definitely not my thing. Nothing outstanding here in terms of appointments, even the bridge is an in-house unit that looks very TRS-like. The thing about this type of guitar is (to me) the bridge. It's a make / break consideration, definitely. No point buying something that costs this much only to dislike the bridge (in terms of functionality / reliability) & forking out more money for an upgrade.

Pic: Ibanez 

SOLAR H

Solar guitars did this. It's a big deal because according to Ola, a headless Solar will not happen. In any case, these seem affordable (USD599 / USD699), bolt-on models with in-house pickups. The scale length here conforms to the fanned fret design; 24.75" - 25.5". I'm not a fanned fret fan so this & the slanted pickups are deal-breakers. Slanted pickups here are form-slanted as opposed to placement-slanted. Form-slanted pickups are not readily replaceable; very few (hardly any, in fact) replacement units out there are as such. 

New follower shout-out: Armand Wright. Thanks for following 👍

Pics: Solar

Price matters

This is most probably my final pack of D'Addario strings, unless I have a forgotten pack in some guitar bag pockets somewhere out there. I've been an ardent fan of this brand name since buying them from the Yamaha Store (Plaza Singapura) & back in the day (early 1990s), the manufacturing tech was severely lacking when it comes to durability / string life. D'Addario strings would deteriorate the moment you handle them. By then end of a playing session, let's give it an hour's worth of consideration, you'd see dark spot on various parts of the string length. But back in the day, a pack of D'Addario strings was $5 & it came in those plastic packaging where each string resides in a paper envelope. Fast forward to 2025, a pack of D'Addario strings is $9. There were significant product improvements along the way but in the mean time, I'm not paying $9 for a pack of strings. 

I'm leaving this here for your reference. Strings are non-coated & a set of 9 - 42, available at the local shops here. There are other brands out there, of course, I'm just short-listing those that I've tried.

Ibanez: Sept '25

By now, you've seen the new Ibanez releases for September 2025. After being absent in August, Ibanez returned with the good stuff this time.

One of the releases is this IV2RG. This marks the beginning of a new series of guitars - Visions, made in Japan. These instruments (only 2 in the mean time) sit above the J-Custom range so expect some hefty price tags when they debut here. I immediately like the headstock label; it's free from any pompous tags like J-Custom / Prestige which are more suggestive than anything else. Let the instrument quality speak for itself, not some patronizing labels. The guitar is a through-body design, with an ebony 'board, steel frets, DiMarzio pickups & Lo-Pro Edge bridge. I have no idea if Ibanez is obliged to equip a higher tier instrument with vine inlays but this seems to be the case lately. I'm not into excessive fretboard marking so this is a put off. Ditto the gold hardware - paying for a coating that would wear off over time is not my thing. 

I'm trying to understand why there is a need for a new tier especially so when there are no distinct differences between a J-Custom & the Visions. The neck-body construction might be it but this is not a sure formula to become a better instrument. It might be the case for price justifications; oh, the new VISIONS are neck-through so we're asking more for it. 

Donor appreciation (cont'd)

• Shawn Siow. Thanks for the contribution - every bit helps me in so many ways.

Noir & Blanc

Fender (Japan) has the Noir & Blanc models, depicted here are the Telecaster versions. We have come across the Noir version back in 2022, the Blanc is rather fresh. Fender made efforts to equip the Blanc with a white selector switch tip & in my opinion, should have endowed it with a maple fretboard to make it more in sync with the theme. FYI, the Noir listed for $1,699 when it was still in stock.

Pics: Fender Japan

Down (yet, again) but not out

Greetings, folks. Between the previous entry & this one, I've been in & out of the hospital twice more. The liver swelling is pretty much confirmed & it's causing adverse reactions to medication. There were allergic reactions causing my face to swell up & rashes appearing all over the body. I've been in the ward for observations & the blood pressure was pretty much low most of the time. The various doctors here kept asking if I consume generous amounts of alcohol; I neither smoke nor drink so the liver swelling up is unexpected & mysterious to say the least. 

Folks, if you are unwell & in serious condition, it's better to be warded than being treated as an outpatient. The former means you medical expenses are taken care by whatever government schemes in place. The latter - you fork out cash. I've pretty much used up my last paycheck & whatever donations that came my way (thank you to the kind donors as listed in the previous entry) to make ends meet. So this is a tough one for me especially so when I'm on a contractual appointment; I don't have any medical benefits & I don't get paid for the days I'm not at work despite the legit medical certification. I'm sharing this here so that you can plan your days better (better than me, at least) in case you fall ill & need to be out of action for a while. I pray you would not be in such a situation.

On that note, since I'm pretty much at home for the most part (no work + no money = stay home), I would resume blog entries with immediate effect. It helps keep me occupied (distracted more like it) especially on days when I feel too weak / lethargic to play guitar; it's the meds side effects & it's here to stay. Thank you for all your contributions, if you still have spare change, please send them my way; every bit counts. I would be putting the QR code link at the side bar for easy reference. Thank you once again to everyone who had contributed in so many ways - God bless.

Down (again)

Dear blog readers, friends & gear geeks alike, looks like I'll be out for a while. This is my second bout with hospitalization + unemployment & too many things are on my mind in the mean time. By the time you read this, I would have already been discharged with numerous follow-up appointments to fulfil (while being away from work with no compensations). 

I experienced a chronic case of chest discomfort last weekend which did not go away for hours; it usually did after a moment of rest. When I walked into the hospital's A&E department, I experienced cloudy vision affecting only one eye. After a couple of day's worth of diagnostics & medication, the preliminary results showed liver issues & a possible tumour to deal with (still requires further diagnostics). 

Thanks for coming back here & reading stuff to dissipate your gear anxieties; I really appreciate it. In the days to come, if you see pieces of gear being put up for sale, do consider supporting.

I have no idea when updates here would be up & running once more. Giving up without a fight is not in my books so I look forward to return. Due to my extended leave at work, I am facing a real situation of termination; it happens when you are under contract appointment. In the mean time, if you have spare change, do consider sending them my way (QR code above - thanks in advance). More importantly, please look after yourselves & stay healthy. 

Donor appreciation:

• KJ. Thanks for the constant check-ins, appreciate it. Let's do dinner once I recover.
• Arvind Dev. Single-handedly paid for two of my treatments. You made my day, thank you!
• Ryan. Thanks for dropping by & contributing - every little bit counts.
• Mhd Usmani. Thanks for your generosity, this covers my meds for the rest of August. Much appreciated
• Ahmad Hosaini. For buying one of my guitars & helping me through time & again.
• Faizal Nordin. For the kind gesture & keeping in touch after all these years.

Fender mod

Got bored (again) & decided to custom design my own Strat using the MOD SHOP online app. I will never move away from being content with a single pickup guitar. Fender is advocating the MOD SHOP platform as giving the buyer infinite possibilities but that's not true, of course. Buyer chooses from listed options. I couldn't get: 1) 21 frets option 2) 3-bolt joint ... so much for infinite possibilities. Anyway, something like this would set me back $2.4K.

Pic: Fender

Solar: Relik

Kinda expected this to happen; a relic Solar. This is an AB1.6FRB Relik (USD1,699) to be precise. I personally don't fancy this kind of finish on a guitar but this look sells so many manufacturers are offering their respective interpretations of relic instruments. Come to think of it, I did own one, an LTD but simply could not come to terms with what it was.

Pic: Solar

New Sky colours

I seldom check out PRS updates. That PRS name invokes indulgence more than anything else. Price tags are simply north of affordability. But we forget there are SE models to be had. These are simpler guitars with next to no flash & are priced reasonably. If you are interested in the SE model, PRS has new colours for you as depicted above.

PS: These are now available at Swee Lee ($1,149)

Pic: PRS

Rotos - new look

We will see these Rotosound strings in their new packaging very soon. Now you know why Swee Lee is doing the buy 3 pay for 2 promo 😆

Pic: Rotosound 

Roto Rose

Had fun with this TL-Rose(wood) today. Played some heavy music with it & those Seymour Duncans took in high levels of distortion really well. They were not conceived to be demure to begin with.

Before actually playing took place, I took this down to Beez's for parts replacements. This was a terribly corroded tone pot that was beyond saving.

The capacitor was also affected. I simply do not understand why this guitar, stored in the same place & under the same conditions, is more susceptible to corrosion than the others. The logical deduction here is that something from inside the control cavity is causing all this to happen. It might just be the case of the body wood harbouring excess, albeit in trace amounts, of moisture & that it's continuing to dry at the expense of the susceptible metal parts.

Finally, a fresh set of Rotosound strings to make things happen. For the record, the Duncans in there are: Hot Stack (B) / Vintage Stack (N). I had to lower the bridge pickup in excess of the recommended settings as its simply too hot for the neck counterpart; the volume difference was very obvious.

Japanese convention

Had been spending time with these two lately: Ibanez AZ2203N / Fender Traditional 70s (Japan). While both sport similar attributes, these are two different beasts.

Ibanez AZ2203N: Heavier than its Fender counterpart, more bass tones regardless of clean / distorted settings. The Seymour Duncan pickups love drive / distortion. The neck here is thicker than the Fender, to be more precise it's a thick D. Not saying the Fender has a thin neck but this one's thicker. 

Fender Traditional 70s Stratocaster: Lighter than the Ibanez, more treble-ish. Default pickups dislike excessive gain / drive. The neck profile is the typical Fender C, the edges are not really rounded & this will affect those thumb-over-the-edge players. Thinner frets, will not appeal to shredders or those peddling bass notes most of the time. 

Will one of these guitars replace the other in terms of needs? No. While both are single-coil equipped, the voicings on offer here are rather different. If you thrive on modern single coil tones, the Ibanez is a wise pick. The Fender is, well, a typical Fender. The default Japanese pickups are clunkier & rather harsh, very suitable for those in-your-face blues tones. Not influencing any choices if you are in for a triple single coil guitar, just putting things in perspective. 

60th

Happy 60th birthday to the nation. I have stopped watching parades commemorating this day. I renew my allegiance in reserved retreat. While we are united on this day to acknowledge our roots & pride, people still remain subservient to the narrative that continues to bleed them. They are afraid to approach, understand & embrace change. They rely on people with curated narratives in ensuring their future are attended to objectively. Have a good weekend, everyone.

Strat-ty Friday

I will always have this urge to hear certain guitars in action. So it's a Friday evening, it's the holiday eve, time for some Strat action. This is my Traditional 70s Japanese Strat which could be purchased for $1.3K back in the day (pre-COVID). 

This is also my opportunity to share some opinion on the Alice guitar strings (.009 set) since the guitar requires a re-string before proceedings.

Unlike the Alice of before, there are no individual paper envelopes for each string this time round, only a single plastic one & I applaud them for this move. It's the perfect time to be showing some care for the environment.

The respective gauges were neatly latched into the holes as seen above so that strings don't get entangled when uncoiled for use. 

Despite all these efforts in upgrading their product packaging / presentation, the immediate impact here is the feel. The Alice of today still feels like a sub-par budget set, these could not match Olympia considering both are in the same price bracket. I have no idea if these should be installed immediately upon purchase but more than two weeks have passed before I got things going. I might give it a benefit of the doubt & maybe try another set just to eliminate this mitigating factor. For the record, the most repulsive strings that I've come across in terms of feel is the Orphee brand. This Alice set, I must say, sits above the Orphee but still not quite appealing. It's like some chemical reactions took place in the packaging before the strings were installed & the fingers could actually feel this difference.

Shimmed

This is my AZ2203N in prussian blue finish. This has been discontinued, the remaining finish in the catalog is the seafoam green. I left the default strings in tact since Day 1, those were a set of 10s. I brought this guitar out to have 9s in there instead. If you are interested, this is my personal take on the AZ2203N: CLICK 

After the re-string, the action felt wrong. Wrong here is that discordant feel when things don't go my way. As this is my guitar, it has to conform to my way(s), no compromise. After spending a day with 9s which felt very repulsive & assessing the situation, I decided to shim the pocket. This was the simple remedy that did wonders. The point I'm trying to drive at is this; we sometimes assume that a simple change in string gauge would not cause an adverse reaction to set up but that's quite a grave assumption. I'm not saying there should be a microscopic assessment of things after a change in string gauge but it's definitely a consideration if things don't click as well as before. 

E-II: SN 3

I'm not a fan of ESP's Snapper headstock but the reverse version here looks acceptable (to me). This is a pretty neat SN 3 (Available at Davis GMC: $2,900) with simple details that will spur you to play. I like everything about this guitar (HSS / fixed bridge / 22 frets) but I have stopped acquiring sunburst finishes (black is the other NO for me). Also, it's been a very long while since I acquire new guitars off the shelf. It's simply not feasible considering the intermittent employment status I am in. It would take me about half a year's time to recover & would interfere with my post-chemo expenses. Some difficulties in life would cascade into the various aspects of our well-being & prolonged till God knows when.

Pic: ESP

E 7

The ESP Japanese camp has released this gorgeous (to me) Edwards 7-string; E-M-II-7. It's a simple, no-frills guitar that beckons to be played. I believe those of us who are into good Japanese craftsmanship & value-for-money instruments, would want to see more Edwards available here. 

PS: For those of us who are still unaware, be informed that Edwards instruments now feature in-house ESP pickups. The humbuckers in the guitar depicted above are the ESP Custom Lab. This helps keep prices in check.

Pic: ESP Japan

GSME

For those of us who revere Taylor's GS Mini, look at what Sigma is offering. If you are bent on the GS Mini's build & dimensions, you can get this Sigma GSME for $480 (Davis GMC). Acoustics do not bring out the best of my guitar playing but I would not hesitate to recommend something very playable / comfortable for individuals who cannot quite come to terms with standard-sized acoustics.

Pic: Sigma

ND Deals @ Swee Lee

In conjunction with the nation's birthday, Swee Lee has rolled out some deals as documented above.

If there's anything that I'd recommend from this deal, it would be the PRS SE CE Standard 24 ($595). This is a wonderful no-frills guitar with above-expectations outcomes when it comes to playability & tone. Sure, those default pickups might not be ear candy to some of us but this is a very good consideration for a sub-$600 guitar.

The other would be the SE Silver Sky ($977). More affordable & more appealing than a Mexican Strat in this price bracket.

Pics: Steve's Music