BER10

This was a late inclusion in the Ibanez September release - Bernth's BER10. As we can see here, it's based on the AZ model which Bernth had been playing for a while. If you've seen promo clips of this guitar, one of the highlights was getting the control knob & selector switch out of the picking hand's way.

If that's the main selling point of the instrument then it's a little stale. Refer to the Rob Balducci custom Ibanez guitar depicted above, you can see that putting stuff out of the way so the picking hand won't be impeded when it's in action was an idea done before but not implemented widely. The reverse shark tooth inlay is also currently on the SFS727 so nothing too refreshing there as well. 

The BER10 is a deserving signature model for Bernth but it's nothing too innovative. Ibanez should accord him a Prestige version, I seriously think he deserves it for all the things that he'd done & preferring the Ibanez brand name above all else. 

Pics: Ibanez / Rob Balducci FB

Saying goodbye to September with a word of thanks to all who contributed to keep me lucid in so many ways. The QR code on the left shoulder had been removed as I've been given a short term employment contract (5 weeks) before another round of uncertainty kicks in; grateful nonetheless. Wishing everyone a good October ahead as we enter the final quarter of the year.

Bello-ed

One of metal's more eminent bassist, Frank Bello, is now in the Spector camp (Above: NC-4). Looks like it's retaining more of his previous ESP affair than moving away from it. In any case, the bass looks good but that headstock will be a hit / miss affair. This is due to Frank's preference for a 4-a side tuner lineup as opposed to Spector's traditional 2x2 version. All in all, Frank Bello deserves attention from any bass company for that matter.

Pic: Spector

8565

This is one of the new lineups this September - RG8565R. It's the RG565 given the J-Custom specs. Till I become a vine inlay & gold hardware fan, I can make do with the Genesis RG565.

Pic: Ibanez 

Shift

A new one by BOSS but not entirely new. We've come across various pitch-shifting pedals by BOSS & they were great, to say the least. I used to have the Pitch Shifter (PS-5) before moving on to the Harmonist (PS-6). All these because I decided to try a friend's PS-2 which he used for delay applications more than pitch shifting. The buy-in here is the absence of latency issues which should be the primary considerations before buying any pitch shifting pedals because these are not cheap. Also, forget about using batteries for these units, the power will last about 15min at best. 

The XS-1 appeals on grounds of simplicity. Just two knobs controlling how much shifted notes are in the mix (BALANCE) & what type of shifting takes place - upwards / downwards displacement (SHIFT). Also, for those of us who are quickly dazed by terminologies, the XS-1 keeps references in the average Joe territory; how much shifting do you want - a semitone / two semitones / three semitones? Unlike key references of the previous iterations. 

Pic: BOSS

Assassins

A simple affair by SOLAR; single humbucking (active), non-whammy bridge & a single control knob. These specifications mean the Assassin models are appealing to a niche market but there's a strong following for such instruments. As for me, I wish there's a non-Evertune iteration. Loving the black-red theme. 

Pics: SOLAR

Earth GO

Cort now has a smart acoustic - Eath GO. If you've come across brands like Enya & LAVA, this one is akin to those. Unlike other brand names that utilize non-wood materials for the body, Cort uses a solid spruce top & mahogany sides & back. Please be informed that it's a 3/4 dreadnought with a 22.8" scale length. It's aimed at the travelling / busking individuals who are after a little more sonic edge without pedal references so they are a little lighter on the go. Some chorus & reverb go a long way for small-bodied instruments lacking in depth when it comes to tone.

Pic: Cort

Surf's up

Jackson Surfcasters are in at Swee Lee. The JS Series, the most affordable iteration, list for $399. This is basically a no-frills model with no fancy inlays. The X Series lists for $879 (shark fin inlays). The 7-string version is $50 more.

Pics: Jackson

MOMM (60)

Since I have some spare time till the next employment opportunity happens, I did a Bon Jovi throwback. My favourite album is New Jersey, it's one of the best guitar-laden albums out there, hands down. I checked out BJ's latest, Forever. It was a face-palm moment from start to end; drastic difference between these two. BJ is now belting out sorrowful tunes, reminiscing the times gone by. The guitars accompanying his music is hardly distorted & there are no obligations to manifest high octane rock tunes, it seems. A friend told me not to bother with albums with no Sambora on board. He's right.

Pics: Discogs

Partial?

Not too long ago, Kiesel released the Kyber model. Now they have this headless version. Headless here is subjective. If we look at the picture above, there's a bit of headstock going on. This was done so that the guitar can still be mounted on wall hangars. This consideration was done by Parker guitars once upon a time for the same reason; allowing some materials there so that it could be wall-mounted by the headstock area. This aside, I feel the Kyber is more appealing with a headstock.

Pic: Kiesel

ASRR

Jackson's American Series guitars are gaining good ground. This recent RR model is a good standard reference for an American. Since the Jackson brand name is an American flag-bearer so to speak, it makes sense to have an American model to set the standard. On that note, prices could have been more reasonable. Despite being American, the features / specifications for all American Standard models thusfar, had been ordinary; nothing exotic or exclusive. 

But we know how it is when it comes to a tiered arrangement; if you have import models in a certain price bracket, then the American version, regardless of its incarnation / specifications, need to be pegged higher than the rest. By the way, the non-whammy version of this American Series RR is available but prices are north of USD2.3K. There are definitely more value for money selections out there but some of us weak-willed gear heads here has a certain thing for American guitars. Hmm...

Pics: Jackson 

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.