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?

AZ ash

These are currently Japan-only releases; the AZ2402 sporting ash bodies. The fact that the ash grains were made visible & manifested a sand blasted look, they look darn cool. In any case, sand blasted looks were done by Schecter & Charvel among others, way before Ibanez did. By the way, the AZ2402 is just a whisker off $3K these days. By the time these are made available here, these would probably be in excess of $3K.

Pics: Ibanez Japan

Duncanized

Was at Beez's today to get pickups wired up for this one - RG565.

Nothing wrong with the default Ibanez pickups actually. In fact I've kept it in tact since Day 1 & tried my very best to like it. Unfortunately, after countless bitter episodes (tone-related), having my preferred pickups in there would certainly end this misery: Seymour Duncan Cool Rails (N) / PATB-2 (B). There is a dichotomized embrace out there with regards to the default pickups. Some say they sound more than decent, while others lobby for an immediate replacement. I agree with both opinions. The deafult Ibanez pickups sound perfectly acceptable if you run your guitar into a Quad Cortex / Tone Master or any of the contemporary digital processors. However, if you are the plug-&-play type (like yours truly), the pickups sound very underwhelming. 

Do note that the PATB models have this TREMBUCKER etching on the underside of the pickup's baseplate & does not sport the three holes in the mounting flap unlike its other TB siblings.

G290 Modern

If you are not too particular with brand names (I know many people today are still insecure playing stuff with an unknown pedigree) & choose to embrace quality instead, do check out the G290 Modern (Swee Lee: $699). It's a well-spec'd guitar; locking tuners, SD humbucker, roasted maple neck, SS frets, stuff like that. The overall design is also very simple & presentable. These aside, have you noticed that Cort prices are moving up to unfriendly / unattractive figures?

Pic: Cort

SC Monday

Yet another episode of staying indoors. The guitar if choice today was this PRS S2 Singlecut Standard in gold finish. Nothing fancy / special, just a singlecut with a limited run finish.

While playing, the knobs were rather stiff. A quick check revealed no deterioration / anomalies. A quick contact spray treatment did the trick. Those huge orange drop caps were replacement units for the default ones. The two volume pots are Gotohs while the tone pots (with default push-pull coil split options) are default units.

The humbuckers here are also replacement units, the 57/08 models which, as the name suggests, micmic the Gibson 57 models. I hear more treble coming from these pickups so they are my kinda pickups. Costly pair but worth every cent.

A pack of fresh SIT .0095s for the playing experience today.

S-Sunday

Another day of staying indoors & playing guitar. This is the SML721 featuring tilted frets. Tilted, not fanned because the first few frets are not tilted so there's no fanning out.

I happened to come across a pair of DiMarzio Fusion Edge pickups which were purchased (for a good price) & installed here. The FE has a hit / miss reputation & these are definitely a miss in this guitar. The last time I hear good stuff coming from the FEs were from an extended scale RGD. These have to go soon.

My final pack of DR 9s went into this guitar. For the kind of music I embrace, DR strings are the best but they cost a little more than the other strings brands out there. I will only purchase them during seasonal discounts.

S-Saturday

Nothing much today, staying indoors, had been having bouts of vertigo. This usually happens when they review my meds & prescribed an alternative medicine to reduce the dosage or address some concerns (nerve related). Anyway, the guitar of choice on this tipsy Saturday - S621. This guitar is tuned to fourths so that less thinking is required as I move across the fretboard. The downside - need to re-think my chords but I seldom play chords, maybe a few times a year at most. Hope your Saturday was more exciting than mine.

Sadowsky: Metro Express (2)

Tried this at Swee Lee - impressed. Yes, it's the more affordable Chinese Metro Line P Bass but it's one heck of a player. Surprisingly, despite its standard scale length, this bass is somewhat a tad lighter than the average Mexican P-Bass from the big F brand. It's an okoume body, by the way. I see this as a no frills, value for money bass ($999). 

Pic: Sadowsky

Artec @ SV

Artec pedals are clearing out at SV Guitars for $29.90 each. Click HERE to see more on the list.

Pic: SVG 

C-1 50th

These are now available at Davis GMC. Ash body & ebony 'board for both, the FR bridge there is the 1500 version & pickups are in-house Sunset Strip Anniversary edition less the Sustainiac.

Pics: Schecter

MoMM (62)

Finally, received these 2 in the mail...

Mayhem: Liturgy of Death

Personally, it's an underwhelming album compounded by the fact that it's too close to Daemon. I will continue to support them for their musicianship.

Dokken: Under Lock & Key

Yes, I'm still looking out for those glorious '80s releases. For this particular album, George Lynch, in my opinion, up his game guitar-wise. My go-to Dokken album had been Tooth & Nail but this one is slowly growing into me. Also, the guitar ideas here had been re-manifested elsewhere. If you are a Lynch fan, you'd know which one.

Ultra-core

Fender has new strings. They call it the Ultra Core. When was the last time you bought a pack of Fender strings? More importantly, when was the last time you bought a pack of Fender strings & actually like them? As for me, the last time I bought a pack of Fender strings were the bullet end ones, which got stuck in the trem block holes.

Pic: Fender

Strobo

Really hope this one isn't a hyped up tuner pedal. It's always good to have strobe tech in tuners to enhance accuracy. It's already sold out in Japan...

Pic: Fender

Raya deals @ Swee Lee

Swee Lee is having a Raya promo (block discounts) for many items on their list till 29 March.

Recommended: Jackson JS22 - no frills, affordable. That curved top is a touch of class.

Pic: SMusic

 

Prism mini

Positive Grid, JBL, Blackstar... & now Laney. The model you see here is the Prism mini, joining the aforementioned brand names in offering app-based amp portability. A quick check with Davis GMS - stocks are coming in soon.

Pic: Laney

Friedman @ SG

This isn't a guitar clinic, it's a full show featuring Marty's band. Click HERE for ticket details.

Pic: Sistic

Coconut

Was talking to someone yesterday about fretboard maintenance. He was asking if organic oil was the way to go for hydrating purposes. I told him I prefer this as opposed to other synthetic fluids which feels oily but dries up real fast. Implication - oil content might be lesser than marketed. He then asked if I have tried using cooking oil & told him heck, no. Cooking oil is formulated for cooking & geared towards temperature tolerance & taste, certainly not for instrument maintenance. On that note, Dunlop now has coconut oil for us gear geek if we are really picky with the organic content. I just bought myself a small bottle to try. Of course, please do not spray this onto your hair & think it's just coconut oil anyway.

EHB600

Would like to thank Ibanez for making the EHB basses more affordable this year with the introduction of the the 600 Series. Catch - the fretboard is now jatoba instead of roasted maple. In stock at Swee Lee now.

Pics: Ibanez

8620

Nothing really refreshing at the Ibanez front for March. The RG8620 is now available in the new finishes depicted above - Anvil gray burst flat (top) & Ghost fleet blue burst (bottom). Both are now available at Swee Lee ($3,999)

Pics: Ibanez

TJAMC @ Esplanade

If your music revolved round the alternative genre back in the mid-'80s or so, The Jesus & Mary Chain would be a familiar name. Notable others in this era include Sonic Youth & Cocteau Twins, among others. TJAMC will be performing here in April for those interested.

Pic: Esplanade

Price vision

This IV1RG you see here is a member of the Visions Series comprising of two guitars & a bass. It was initially launched sometime in the Summer of 2025. This represents Ibanez's pinnacle in guitar craftsmanship. It's now available at Swee Lee for $10,999. 

I'm just not a fan of the tree-of-life inlay & gold hardware. For that kind of money, Ibanez should be making me something to my specs. Just my opinion.

Pic: Ibanez USA

Conceptually

If you love the A527 but cannot live with the excessive neck dive (because you play sitting down most of the time & find the strap annoying), the RGD71 might be a good alternative. 

As you can see above, the guitars are conceptually similar. The blueprint for features & playability was in the RGD71 all along. For innovation's sake, the Alpha's neck profile was given the asymmetrical treatment which, in my opinion, gave a very different & somewhat addictive appeal (yes, despite the quirks). The body moved entirely away from the RG outline to facilitate those of us who strap the guitar higher. The retarded Alpha headstock is compensating the overall neck weight in what might be an attempt to make it less heavy but there's already a significant addition due to the asymmetrical design.

Also, A527 ($2,399) vs RGD71 ($1,549) might be a significant consideration for many of us. 

 Pics: Ibanez

Hypersonic

Folks, this is the newest member in the EVH 5150 lineup and... it's not a tube amp. The manufacturer did a digital reproduction of its tube voicings & word is, players couldn't differentiate between this & the actual tube unit. Fair enough, they did well here but the 6L6 label there might confuse the uninitiated. These are yet to debut in the stores here but prices are unreasonable for a non-tube unit. Till it gets here, we will just keep this in mind.

Watch Ola give it a go.

Pic: EVH

GL-200

An interesting inclusion in in the LTD 2026 lineup - a George Lynch model. This is the GL-200, one of the earlier indulgences if you follow the Lynch developments closely. There's a very Kramer-ish vibe here for obvious reasons. I love the electronics; a single volume control which is also a push-pull switch to toggle between the two pickups on board. If only there's a non-Floyd option which is not black.

Pic: ESP

Glove

D'Addario announced its polish glove recently. Nothing really innovative as ESP was there way before this. In any case, trumpet & horn players had been using such polishing implement before the guitar industry adopted this idea.

Pics: daddario / Amazon

In brief: Ibanez A527

This 2026, Ibanez did a radical move away from its conventional guitar outlines when it unleashed the Alpha. While the talk of town suggested a subliminal reprisal with regards to a certain defunct project between the manufacturer & a well known 8-string guitar maestro, we should appraise this guitar, the Alpha A527, in its own right.

LIKES

• well-made
• responsive tuners
• functional, no frills electronics
• overall playability
• body ergonomics

DISLIKES

• neck dive
• poor upper fret access (B/E/A strings in particular)
• tone

The Alpha's outline is definitely aimed at the contemporary guitarist. It sure as heck won't be embraced by a blues aficionado any time soon. Despite that rather heretical body outline, the guitar is downright comfortable played strapped on (virtually sticks to the body with extra comfort when it comes to an elbow rest) but it's simply repulsive when played sitting down. No number of positioning permutations could solve that acute neck dive issue. This is compounded by the multi-scale, fanned frets which made upper fret access a struggle, especially for the lower strings. Consolation - the asymmetrical neck profile is actually very addictive & would supplement fast playing.

Tone-wise, you either embrace what the Fishman Fluence Modern pickups has to offer or make plans to replace them with your preferred alternative. On that note, be informed that these are actually 9-string pickups that were slanted to maximize the sonic capacity of the instrument. Good luck in finding ready replacements for these. If you observe a percussive playing style, these pickups would give you an immaculate high gain crunch tones with very good individual notes definition. Do not get upset, after extensive tinkering with effects, amps & EQs, if you fail to conjure your preferred, heavy distortion tone because the Fishmans were not conceived to serve such manifestations.

We won't see a 6-string version any time soon because, according tot he Ibanez officials at the recent NAMM event, this design doesn't quite work for 6-strings.

Overall rating: 76%

Ibanez A527 ($2,399)

• Available at Swee Lee
• Bag included

PS: Thanks Aryadni, (Swee Lee CQ) for letting me try the guitar! 

 

Ibanez 2026: Ash gold

I'm still scrutinizing the 2026 Ibanez releases. This year an ash body, gold hardware AZ2204 was introduced. Ibanez continues to offer variations of its existing models, nothing really 'new'. Really unaware there's a strong demand for gold hardware but having an ash body variation is a good move. 

Ibanez should offer more models without the Alter switch option for those of us who are not looking to vary our tone too much. Some of us are content with the conventional tones on offer plus we have other guitars for specific tone manifestation. Anyway, the AZ2204AG is available at Swee Lee for the above listed price.

Pics: Ibanez

CNY deals @ SL

Those of us with bloated, hong bao-filled pockets - Swee Lee has some deals you might be interested in till 1 March.

Pic: SL online store

Minion Friday

Had been playing this for nearly a week. It's one of those scaled down guitars Jackson offers in its Minion Series. I'm not too keen when it comes to guitars of this dimension as they don't hold tuning well & intonation, for most models, are off. However, this Minion proved otherwise so it's something I am happy to own regardless of the numerous skeptical opinions out there.

The guitar was re-set up before play & I re-shimmed the neck pocket to raise things up a bit to address the high action at the upper frets. When it comes to playability, a good set up is everything.

My cousin bought this set of strings for me while he was in Japan. He knows I'm not one to refuse the more affordable end of guitar strings.

Ramadan 2026

Blessed Ramadan greetings to all Muslims friends & blog readers. You were chosen to see this through, it's not mere coincidence. God bless.

Random Anniversary

Loudness / Takasaki fans - this is the ESP 45th Anniversary commemorative Random Star model for your consideration. It looks very raw, almost project-like, especially that asymmetrical headstock outline. I just find the non-locking bridge + locking nut combo to be very eccentric & would only appeal to hardcore fans.

Pic: ESP Japan

Horse

Greetings everyone, the year of the Horse is upon us. Blessings & good health all round - huat ah!!

Come to think of it, every year is the year of the hoarse (in this country). People are slowly but surely getting trampled on by inflation, unaffordable housing (the authorities here now refers to this as attainable housing), immigrant influx & snobbish politicians among others. The economy is ailing but the government wants us to believe otherwise by announcing a budget surplus. Excess here does not translate into a good thing without considering other pertinent factors. Also, do note the pathetic performance of our SGD against the MYR which is a glaring indicator of economic asphyxiation. No offence to our Malaysian friends - we are still friends - just announcing the anxiety in this country which should be addressed (& fixed) but the authorities chose distraction instead. 

Oh well, the year turns regardless of the circumstances. We take care of ourselves first & foremost but don't blame us if we go after those who make our lives miserable. 

Mode!

To me, the new Ibanez Mode basses are clear winners in the 2026 lineup. The headstock was clearly derived from the AZ design. The rest of the features borrowed heavily from Fender's J-Bass; there's no hiding this. The 1000 & 1600 sport an alder body with the former featuring a poplar top. The 1300 is ash. Despite hinting at classic derivatives, Mode basses feature 24 SS frets. Over the years, I've noted that Ibanez don't hold back when it comes to their basses. In fact, the more adventurous designs & tweaks were manifested by basses instead of guitars. Please be informed that 5 & 6-string versions are available (at Swee Lee) as well.

Pics: Ibanez

Cort's headless

Cort has joined the headless endeavour. Depiceted above are the G6TR (vibrato / HSS / regular frets) & the G6MS (fixed bridge / HH / partial fanned frets). Pickups are in-house models & frets are tall medium jumbo SS version for both. The thing to take note here is the neck profile; it's an Ergo V neck. Once it gets here, we will know if these are trying to rival the Strandberg version. The last time I tried a type of V-profile, it's just lethargy inducing.

EDIT (20 Feb): Both models are now available @ Swee Lee (G6TR: $849 / G6MS: $799)

Pics: Cort

Modern Morten

Was expecting an outright signature model but Mark Morten opted for a tweaked LP Modern with a quilt top. He's definitely not the first to utilize a Les Paul for heavy music but's it's good to know there are still players out there who embrace the Les Paul for its sheer thumping bottom end.

Pic: Gibson

JB_J 50th

As an ardent follower of all things Seymour Duncan, I am happy to see the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the JB & Jazz pickups. These might not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you are from the DiMarzio camp. The JB is an in-your-face pickup when paired with the right kind of amp drive / gain. From a personal perspective, it dislikes pedals or any excessive processing. The jazz here hold its own when it comes to clean tones but it's also a closet avenger when it comes to driven tones. Am I buying this commemorative set? There seems to be no news of a trembucker version for the JB, so...

Pic: SD

Ibanez 2026: Why bother?

There were a few 'new' acoustic models in the Ibanez 2026 releases. These two are mentioned here because they are available in the stores already. Every year, we see Ibanez churn out non-solid top acoustics, the ALT & TCY models are examples. We can understand how the mere outline of these instruments would heighten the performer's presence & a solid top construction isn't something we can tell visually.

When you consider buying an acoustic guitar, what matters to you - tone, features, playability? When it comes to acoustic, more often than not, the tonal quality plays a very important part in making the guitar desirable. It's meant to be played unplugged & tone is everything. A gaudy finish, an outlandish outline & fancy fretboard inlays, among others, simply cannot save a bad acoustic tone. Yes, Ibanez has other acoustic models in its lineup that offer some immaculate tones this side of Martin & Taylor. However, those are touching the upper midrange price points, ofter beyond the reach of the average Joe. I guess this approach to acoustic guitar offerings work for Ibanez, otherwise they won't continue making visually attractive guitars that sound bland & get away with it.

Pics: Ibanez