Ibanez X-series (2011 offerings)- they are finally here & thanks to the good people of Swee Lee, I've managed to try all 3 models. This is the first installment featuring the Falchion. Simply put, it's the most well-balanced model despite looking like a mutant star, in fact, place it upright & it looks like a dancing person with a very long neck...
Anyway, the message here is, we should not dismiss any instruments just because they don't look appealing to us. The Falchion excels in its balancing act both sitting down & strapped on. Shredders would love the generous upper fret access but a blank fretboard would prove a little challenging for some of us. As for me, I love blank fretboards- it makes you look lethal when you play fast, adding a touch of mystery along the way. Tone wise, the CAP-LZ humbuckers in there might have limited fans by virtue of its singular offering- I hear awesome distortion but once you clean up your tone, it sounds lacking in warmth & character. Not really a dud pair but it's not as dynamic as we'd love them to be. Remind yourselves that there is no tone control to offer some consolation in times of need. But I have to say that the Falchion's non-heavy nature makes it sing more than croak, it's a rather light instrument even with the Edge III bridge in there, it doesn't stray too much from the weight of its other siblings, the Halberd & Glaive. Hope the manufacturer would include a non-whammy Falchion for us, I'd REALLY appreciate that.
