The other baby

My other (remaining) baby guitar is this Ibanez PF-58. I got this used for a very good price because: 1) The previous owner's daughter gave up learning to play & the strings were very corroded. She has no idea how to re-string + she doesn't intend to keep it any longer 2) The default internal tuner is not working. 

The default tone here is bright. I'm usually averse to such voicings because (to me) bright tones don't go well with fingerpicking. One day, I accidentally bought a bright set of strings for it & somehow it sounded great for finger-picked chords. As such, I've been putting on bright strings in there, this GHS is just one of the many brands I've tried for this guitar.

Mahogany brothers

Friday morning with the mahogany twins- Ibanez PF58 (L) & Sigma TM15 (R).

They sport similar specs- an all mahogany affair with rosewood fretboards but there are detailed differences that made me separate them in term of preferences:

1. The Ibanez is a little heavier than the Sigma so when it comes to a more convincing bottom end, the Ibanez is it. This deeper voicing is the reason why I always pick up the Ibanez first then proceed with the Sigma should I get bored or in need of a change along the way.
2. The sigma has a solid top construction & this would invite the notion that it's a 'better' instrument than the Ibanez- that's subjective. The solid top feature here indeed adds more projection focus, but the Ibanez isn't worse-off because of this exclusion; they both appeal in their own individual ways.
3. The Ibanez has a soft V-profile at the lower frets of the neck end, while the Sigma, I'd say, has a grip-friendly D-profile. You'd expect a more rounded specs from the Sigma but that's not the case. So in addition to introverted chording frenzy, the Sigma would induce some shred at times. Awesome!

 I have Gallistrings 010s in both guitars; yes, I prefer a lighter gauge for my acoustics. If they sound inviting with 009s in there, I'd have stuck to that formula but acoustics were not meant for that kind of string gauge. Oh, the Sigma is $100 more than the Ibanez :-)

Ibanez PF-58: Swee Lee Co

Sigma TM-15: Davis GMC