Addy @ Swee Lee

This happened on Saturday, 7 Feb @ Swee Lee (CQ). Prior to the Ibanez Connect event, Swee Lee officially announced the launch of the RG Visions Series which was demo'd by the formidable Addy Rasidi (left). While waiting for the official launch session to take place, Addy played his personal J-Custom guitar (right) & we talked about all things Ibanez. I must tell you that Addy is one of the most talented guitarist here & he's very humble & forthcoming, not the superstar snob with an Ibanez endorsement under his belt. 

Thank you Swee Lee & Yadni (CQ branch) for the invitation & apologies for not seeing through the entire Ibanez Connect event as my medication was due.

Ibanez 2026: SR280

This is new for 2026; it's the Ibanez SR280 bass. Nothing over-the-top, it's downright affordable too. In fact, it's the most affordable SR bass, anything more affordable than this, you have to embrace a GIO. Here's the catch - it's not offered in this country. If you wish for an affordable SR, you have to browse through the 3XX models which are of course, priced above the SR280. Gee, Ibanez...

Pics: Ibanez

What's the FUZZ about?

I'm not a fuzz fan. Don't see myself embracing 'em fuzz pedals & abandoning distortions & drives. Yes, I understand the fact that drives, distortion & fuzzes are the products of signal clipping. The music genre that I'm inclined to, renders some of these clippings unsuitable. So why the FZ-5?

Currently, I'm on a doom itch & nothing supplements doom better than the fuzz. In the mean time, I own fuzz pedals by EHX & Seymour Duncan but my current fav is the RAT pedal. Purists would argue that the RAT is a distortion that sounds fuzzy so it's not a bona fide fuzz unit. Whatever your perspective on the matter, I needed more tone references to finally decide what works best. I still believe BOSS is the standard to beat when it comes to drives, distortions & fuzzes hence the FZ-5 acquisition. Still testing it with some guitars in the mean time. 

E-II 2026: T-Series

This year, ESP offers the E-II T-Series in the above depicted finishes. The top version is satin while the other is glossed. You might think it's just another Tele-esque guitar & ESP already has the Throbber, which is as Tele-esque as this one. We note the headstock in use here. It's the Traditional version & the fact that ESP is re-using this design implies the possible return of some models in time to come. Not speculating too much.

Pic: ESP Japan

Heads

The more I look at these headstocks, the more I believe that designers out there are taking cues from one another. Maybe it's just me. (LEFT: Kiesel Aero / RIGHT: Ibanez Alpha).

Pics: Kiesel / Ibanez

Beam Mini

This is the new Blackstar Beam Mini. It shows that things are heating up in the portable, smart amp camp. We all know of the SPARK existence, JBL joined in very recently & we have this Blackstar jumping into the fray. Like it or not, this is the new portability movement, smart amps with supplementary phone attachments (edit / control). With such tech in mind, it is hoped that the number of creative musicians actively collaborating with one another would enrich the music scene here. I'm actually looking forward to acquire one of these in the near future.

Pic: Blackstar

Seymour Duncan: Mortality

Yes, I agree to a liberal extent that Seymour Duncan is doing a Fluence of sorts. No, I disagree that this Seymour Duncan would be a ready / direct displacement for the Fluence. In any case, I am more of a passive camper, I have very few guitars with active electronics, regardless of the brand name. After years of playing, I am of the opinion that active pickups are excellent for detuned stuff / thicker strings.

Pic: SD

Nut job

My SCA220 after being given some due attention. I just love this guitar, it sits between the S & SZ Series in terms of design. The SCA is not to be confused with the SC, the difference being the former's thicker body that allows the input jack to be located at the edge of the body.

This was the ongoing issue with this guitar; there's corrosion going on at the G, B & E nut string slots. The G slot manifested the worst corrosion & it persisted even after a good cleaning up / sanding down.

Decided the old nut must go, I don't see the point of dealing with this issue repeatedly. The nut is expendable & quality replacements are available at the shops. Before the nut was knocked out of place, both the fretboard & headstock surfaces were taped up. At the headstock side, a slit was made (using penknife) between the nut & headstock so that, when the nut is knocked out with a hammer, it won't dislodge the headstock finish.

The replacement nut is a TUSQ, for an Ibanez neck, the correct length measurement is 43mm. Do inform the shops you need an Ibanez version to prevent them from selling you the Gibson version which is slightly shorter. Also, a fresh unit requires some sanding down, do keep this in mind.

Finally, a set of Dunlop 9.5s because the SCA sports a shorter scale length compared to a regular S-Series.

Modern gain

The last time I tried an EVH-related pedal, I was disappointed. It failed to capture the proverbial EVH high octane, no holds barred type distortion but then again, I failed to put it in context; it wasn't an amp (which is the primary source of EVH's distortion tone). Essentially, it lacked that crucial element that made it a menace - a tube. With this Modern High Gain pedal, I really don't know what to expect. No significant revision took place, only that bass frequency shift option; does this make things sound better? I reserve judgement till it's here in the shops to defend itself.

Pic: Dunlop

Bandbox

Interesting release by a non-guitar manufacturer - JBL has amps for you. That's right. These are portable amps with onboard effects & editing (e.g. the Trio lets you subtract / mute an instrument during play, this way, you can flex your own version of a loaded song. Neat). Online clips had been very positive pertaining to the tone / voicings on offer. I'm of the opinion that prices could have been better. These are in stock at JBL SG if you are interested. I'm definitely interested but not for that kinda price. Software DAW features are available at more competitive prices. OK, the manufacturer had factored in the amp manifestation & such but JBL should learn a thing or two by looking at the Positive Grid prices.

Pic: JBL SG 

Ibanez 2026: Ice, ice, baby...

Interesting developments in the Iceman offerings this 2026. A maple fretboard version was added to the lineup. I like it a lot but that black headstock is a poor consideration in terms of aesthetics. Just me, I guess. Iceman basses are also back. The black version features Bartolini pickups while the flame maple counterpart has Nordstrands in there. All instruments are available at Swee Lee less the IC420MFM which is already out of stock. That was fast.

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez 2026: Xiphos

The Ibanez Xiphos is back this year as a standard offering (Xiphos Standard). It didn't go away actually, there were existing models in the Iron Label series. This current Standard is just a normal affair, nothing special. Unlike its Iron Label siblings (ebony), the fretboard here is rosewood. EDIT: This model is already available at Swee Lee ($1,479)

Pic: Ibanez

Silver blue

PRS did a simple thing to perpetuate the sales of its Silver Sky this year; giving it a matching body - headstock finish. Only this colour is offered (in the mean time) & it's called the Wild Blue.

Pic: PRS

ESP 2026: MT-1

So this is how the ESP version of Mick Thompson's signature model looks like... exactly like the LTD version but with a more aggressive chamfering at the bass side cutaway. Rather upset that for an ESP, the fingerboard here is phenowood; a compound of wood & resin. The LTD version is ebony, FYI. Reminds me of that time when Gibson used richlite for its LP Custom. Bummer. 

Pic: ESP

Ibanez 2026: Kiko

Kiko Loureiro's new KIKO300 puts him into the AZ camp. As seen above, the guitar offers an HSH pickup combo + 24 frets. Pickups here are DiMarzio KIKO models & that flick switch is a coil-tap feature, not the Alter Switch. If the features here look familiar to you, it's basically an AZ2407 with a flick switch. Of course, those block inlays help differentiate this guitar visuall7.

Pic: Ibanez

Black S (2)

Once upon a time (CLICK to know when exactly this was), I promised to do a follow up on this guitar but somehow failed to keep to the promise. The primary frustration was getting those upper frets to not buzz. After countless attempts, I gave up. Today, I decided to re-look at things from a fresh perspective. It seems that the neck didn't sit level against the pocket surface. Was wondering how the previous owner dealt / endured this. Have a feeling he didn't venture up the upper frets. A quick levelling of the neck pocket (sand paper) & shimming did the trick. Folks, whatever the issue, sometimes it's important to leave things unresolved & return with a renewed vigour to solve things, not just guitar-related issues.

A quick re-string, of course.

 

If you are atrracted to & intend to purchase these Chinese rail-type humbuckers - don't. 1) There are no specific neck / bridge models so the neck & bridge tones are the same (no kidding) 2) Excessive bass. In fact, I had to put my amp's bass level to ZERO for it to sound normal / acceptable but it could have been lesser. 3) Note separation is absolutely rubbish 4) The clean tones manifest fuzzy farts & this would give you a clue to the kind of output on offer. These pickups are dirt cheap (less than $10 each) but I regret not spending on strings instead. Oh, well.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead.

Yamaha 2026: SC

This got me really excited - Yamaha released the singlecut version of its Pro & Standard Plus models. I need to try these in person. Despite the rather substantial price difference there, the Standard Plus (Indonesian) might hold its own since specs are very close to the Pro (Japanese). Trying not to look at these guitars too much, it's anxiety inducing.

Pics: Yamaha

Ibanez 2026: TOD100

The sneaky trolls at Ibanez are adding new signature models to the 2026 list just when we thought there's no more for NAMM. The above TOD100 features subtle revisions & worth the purchase considerations for die hard fans. That cutaway chamfer & elbow rest are new.

Also new is the double hole bridge. The extra wrap over acts as a locking mechanism of sorts. This, I don't fancy (dealt with them in the AU Series). It means more string length used at the bridge & might compromise the headstock winding because some string manufacturers do not produce sufficiently long strings & I shall not name them. Loyalists would argue that those manufacturers don't make strings with such bridges in mind. Gentle reminder; the TOD100 is only available in June / July, which would subject them to further price increase as opposed to having them released now.

Pics: Ibanez

SE Ed

The guy who made travel-sized guitar fashionable is back with a new signature model. However, he went the opposite way by endorsing a baritone (27.7"). The Ed Sheeren SE also features a hollow body, strung with a set of 14 - 68 by default. The name has a strong following & would likely trigger an irrational demand. That funky finish there (with matching headstock) reflects Mr. Sheeren's art passtime.

Pic: PRS guitars

I am the Black Wizards

 

After years of dwelling in this genre of metal, I have always believed that black metal would sound awesome if orchestrated, played on violin or even piano. An example in mind would be Emperor's I am the Black Wizards, the live rendition is attached above.

I am therefore very glad to have come across this piano cover by Catherine Fearns & you could understand, after watching this clip, what I was talking about. The note choices, arrangement & progression are simply suitable for an orchestrated interpretation. So the next time you come across an opinion saying black metal is trash, it's not music, then you know this is a foolish comment.

Nut case

Is there a way to remove a dead, stubborn nut? WD-40 had no effect on it. The dirt & corrosion had virtually glued the nut into place. Unmovable. You have no fancy tool to cut it away; you're not a pro tech.

But you have a file. Nothing fancy, the one that you use to address fret sprouts & some other minor issues. You realized you could actually file the side of the nut & calmly detach it from its supposed resting place. Done.

Fixed

Just seen the new LTD releases. Yes, it's an ESP affair but I don't see any ESP on any headstocks so it's an LTD release (plus some E-IIs in the mix), let's not kid ourselves. When Squier released new models, they didn't say it's a Fender release.

Glad to see non-whammy models amongst the 2026 lineup. While these understandably address ease of use issues for newbies, they do serve the old farts as well. Those of us who get sick of the whammy some time, need something of this nature to sustain our inclinations. On that note, despite these guitars being in the supposedly affordable tier, prices are crazy these days. The Deluxe models (1XXX model numbers) were once in the $1.5K range. These are now pushing the $2K limit further up. The 2XX & 4XX were once affordable darlings but these are nearer to $1K instead of staying in the entry-level figures. What does entry level even mean these days when prices do not reflect what the label suggests.

Pics: ESP

S-Sunday

Spending more time with my S-Series this year as this is my preferred Ibanez model, not the RG. In any case, I will utilize whichever model that would manifest my ideas / needs. This particular model is an S1625 which I bought used for quite cheap because:

• the default D-Tuner was missing
• the default Q pickups were in bad shape, one of which had collapsed into the body & the former owner did not bother to rectify
• 5-way selector was not working in some positions
• one pot was missing a knob
• body was chipped in several places, dents & scratches aplenty
• whammy bar was missing

I did my best to revive this guitar, nothing pristine but more presentable than it was before:

• Wiped-down + polished. There is this car polishing cream you can purchase at the petrol kiosks here & it managed to remove minor scratches + restore some shine to the body. 
• Fretboard was cleaned + moisturized. I actually used a penknife blade to scrape away built-up dirt on some of the fretboard areas.
• 5-way selector made way for a 3-way version
• New GOTOH pots & knobs. FYI, GOTOH pots are now extinct, they stopped making electronic components but hardware (tuners, bridges, etc.) are still in production

The biggest decision was to have these Seymour Duncan '59s in there. These are not known for overdriven applications but let that be everyone else's grievance because till you try these yourselves, you just wouldn't know what they are capable of. I still believe the Jazz is preferred in the neck if you are into distortion, the '59 in this position was very much conceived for clean applications.

Dunlop strings for today.

Ibanez: RG653DX

Regardless of the other distractions, this new RG653DX is a winner in my books (in the RG category). It doesn't stray away too much from its other RG siblings in terms of design. On that note, players out there agree that the big block inlays & that 'shell pickguard might put loyalists off. Both colours feature an ash body & DiMarzio pickups (Norton / TZ). By the way, the 6XX models are not new to Ibanez, there was an RG655 (2014) which was basically a variation of the RG550.

Pics: Ibanez 

Faux gold

I'm actually upset with this finish but in a pleasant way 😅 This is actually an Ibanez S421, I re-finished the top. I bought a can of spray paint which said copper on the label. It looked copper-ish when applied. After some time, it turned into this gold-top type colour. Can you see those areas which sport darker hues from the rest? This was a result of uneven sanding. Of course, I'm not particular with how it turned out. It was meant to be a DIY project & the guitar remains functional. 

This corrosion resistant set will not outperform Elixirs but I'm OK with the lifespan on offer.

Preferred

These images were from Malaysia's music maestro's FB page, Az Samad. He attended the Ibanez 2026 new models launch at Bentley Music, KL on 14th January 2026. FYI, Malaysia's official Ibanez distributor is Bentley Music, not Swee Lee. 

I'm not reading too much into this event but there are some implications here which, for the most part, is my personal anxiety for all things Ibanez since I'm an Ibanez fan from the start. If you share this perspective, then you can relate to some conceptual concerns.

Ibanez chose Bentley for a product launch ahead of the NAMM 2026 show. Ibanez chose to work with Bentley that observes domestic (Malaysia) operations as opposed to Swee Lee that has storefronts in seven other countries in addition to Singapore. I'm giving this a benefit of the doubt - maybe Ibanez & Swee Lee have other grand plans in the near future but the exclusive treatment of giving your distributor partial ownership when it comes to product launches is hard to beat, even priceless to a certain degree. 

In view of commercial interest(s), there might be a shift in operational trends & Swee Lee would do well to know what these are. I'm not a Swee Lee employee, I'm not professionally related to them as well. I'm just an Ibanez fan who sometimes tried too hard to acquire nuggets of info which are readily available elsewhere. I'm in no way implying there should be a preferential / exclusive treatment for certain distributors in view of how they flex their commercial muscle. These days, we don't go where the wind blows but to where the money flows. 

Pics: Az Samad FB

P - doom

I'm sure there are many of us here who own a guitar (or guitars) that influences what you play due to its inherent tone. I bought the above LP '50s Tribute for cheap. It was in an un-loved condition. There were marked areas on the body that displayed surface wear & tarnish beyond what a bottle of guitar polish & revival fluid could do. The good thing is, the previous owner wasn't much of a lead player so there were virtually no fret wear to be seen, just oxidized frets. I stopped making efforts to revive the guitar to manifest visual appeal, just accepting it for what it is. 

This is my go-to guitar for super fuzzy doom tones. It seems that the default P-90s were conceived for this inclinations & it's definitely the pickups that respond well to my RAT pedal.

A quick re-string before play. Darco this time. 

Used: Nov 25 - Jan 26

Off to the recycling bin - strings replaced from November 2025 to early January 2026. A small container this time round but that's how many strings I've used in less than three months - the reason I don't invest in costly strings.

Ibanez 2026: S-Series

Every year, the S-Series releases were pale shadows of its RG counterparts. There's some respite this year as the new 2026 models are both Prestige offerings. If Ibanez deems the S-Series to be worthy considerations in their catalog, they should make a bold move in reviving some older guitars as Genesis models. The 540S would be a delicious consideration but it would mean going back to 22 frets which will affect the manufacturer's economies of scale, to say the least. 

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez 2026: Alpha

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez had released its list of new instruments for 2026 & I'm sure many of you have seen the Alpha models depicted above. This is the hot topic in the mean time & it will continue to be till NAMM happens. I'm an Ibanez fan through & through but the Alpha is a turn off. That's right, many Ibanez apologists out there would say that just because it's not my cup of tea, I need not write it off especially when I have not played it in person.

Many of us could agree that a particular product released to the masses is a representation of the prevailing culture. The iPad for instance, is a marquee product to signal the embrace of wireless connectivity. If Ibanez wishes to let the world know it embraces the lower tunings of today's guitar laden music through a multi-scale instrument, then it's arrival to the scene is belated at best. Strandberg - was there, done that.

Pic: Total Guitar

Ibanez is retaliating against the one that got away; the Abasi proto which later became the Abasi Concepts. Why is this move necessary especially now? Is there a resurgence of sorts that we are unaware of? From a commercial perspective, the Alpha's price(s) might hint at a missing price point that Ibanez is gladly filling in.

Pic: EBMM

Chronologically, Ibanez waited to understand the market for such a non-conventional design especially its commercial viability. EBMM's Kaizen debut signalled the market's readiness & Ibanez latched onto this sector in 2026. We'll wait for the full NAMM experience to see if other brand names are also offering a similarly niche-designed guitar to understand the bigger (commercial) picture.

Pics: Ibanez

I will end this episode by reminding everyone that this is not Ibanez's initial foray into the world of peculiar body outlines. Among others, the Fireman is an example. The Fireman wasn't deemed eccentric simply because its actually a flipped design of the Iceman, no major issues in terms of receptiveness. Come to think of it, the Alpha's overall design philosophy is not too far off the Fireman's, just look at the pics above.

Saturday sky

Got up early today to give this a quick re-string & play. It's one of those days when I want to hear some single coils in action but I do not wish to play a Fender.

I love these Pure Blues but I don't buy them often (price considerations), always grabbed some when there's a seasonal discount. To me, these go very well with the Silver Sky's single coil tones especially for those mild overdrive settings. I'm quite of oblivious to the strings' material type because when you play with excessive distortion, you can't hear the material contributions to your tone. One more time - DR strings are great for those of us with a hard attacking picking style, regardless of the genre.

Rubber

I have great respect for Musicnomad for making quality tools & maintenance accessories. This neck rest here is largely rubber, it promotes friction & helps keep things in place. However, the neck rest part is also rubber & not good for organic finishes; it sticks to the neck & might cause a burnmark / chemical blemish. I will only be using this for satin finished necks (Ibanez, Jackson, etc.). I sincerely hope this had been thought through at the factory.

Unravelled

Broken string. This seldom happen to me. Looks like the coil unravelled & weakened the overall structure of the string. It didn't help that this end of the string was located at the bridge, in contact with hardware that might further strain the situation. Oh, well.

KX600

Neil Zaza's back with Cort. This KX600 is his doing. It's a simple design with delivery in mind. Pickups are Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers & we hope there would be passive options along the way. If only that headstock finish matches the body. Also, those inlays are too big for some of us. Anyway, looks aside, this guitar was conceived to not get in your way of achieving great tones & maximum playability.

Pic: Cort

PO Origin prices

Jackson's Pro-Origin 1985 models are in stock at Swee Lee, prices are documented above. Some of us would refrain from buying non-American products in this price bracket. Strangely, guitar players are a strange breed, price justifications are strictly personal. This is why Squier got away with the Hello Kitty guitars. But it's your money anyway, you call the shots.

Pics: Jackson

Pickguard

Solar guitars are featuring pickguards on some models, the one you see here is the A1.6DBOP. Not a fan.

Pic: SOLAR