Krys is here

Pic: Ibanez

The Ibanez KRYS10 is now available at Swee Lee. Polyphia fan boys would be pleased to know that this lists for $1,999 which I find respectable. I predicted a $2K+ price tag in view of the Fluence pickups on board. I chose this tilted view of the guitar to show you the binding at the body which many of us would be unaware of. 

Tod & Krys (2)

Oh well, they've been there all along. The new Ibanez signature models for the Polyphia guys were hiding in plain sight. The images you see above are screen grabs from the music video, ABC. As you can see, the new signature models were given those hideous / artistic add-ons as distractions. This was back in September. In a November 22 interview (GW), they admitted to having new signature models with Fluence pickups & that pretty much gave things away but the admissions / hints were done after the ABC video debuted so whatever you see in the video were not suspects. Clever bits to cover things up.

Poly nylon

Following the post-Steve Vai - Polyphia collaboration, Ibanez wisely released this as the only October newbie in their catalog; the TOD10N. It's the second signature model for Tim Henson. I kinda expected something of this ilk since the initial signature (solid body) instrument is something fairly affordable with limited flash to keep costs down. So we have this nylon string shredder-esque, FR body outline model featuring a walnut fretboard & bridge. Interestingly, the inlay there is called the Tree of Death, it's the opposite of the Tree of Life which is made popular by none other than Steve Vai himslef.

This picture angle shows you the relatively thin body so it's all about amplification. That side port there isn't gonna do much in terms of volume projection, wonder why they even bothered but plus points for giving this a solid top. 

I find this a strange release for the market; will shredders snap this up any time soon? Not really unless you are a Polyphia fan boy. Then again, the Polyphia dudes don't really shred. I don't recommend shredding with this one, especially if you are pick-inclined. Will the average nylon string player do the honours, then? With limited volume projection, they have other options out there that suit their needs better. 

Pics: Ibanez

Poly Vai

This dropped yesterday, I believe - Polyphia got Vai into their latest single, Ego Death. It's currently the talk of guitardom, that is, how two different generations of guitar wizardries got into a single act, putting out a statement of relevance. How I feel about it (you have no obligations to agree):

• Same brand ambassadors flocking together. These individuals getting together was most probably made possible by their brand endorsements more than anything else. 
• Relevance. I see this as a Polyphia thing because majority of the music is theirs to begin with. Vai is in this on an invitational basis. I see Vai being out of place here, pertaining to the type of music that is being dished out. He is Vai & he is doing his Vai thing in this song which he is entitled to but hearing everything in context, I can't help but notice a disconnect. Vai's beeps, blurts & blips are out of place & more relevant / suitable in his Bad Horsie song for instance. The painful reflection here is that Vai's type of guitar playing approach is too different to be assimilated into Polyphia's obsessive-compulsive technicalities; it's bordering on being distasteful. Given a  choice, Greg Howe might be a more relevant candidate coming from Vai's generation of shred-tastic players if seniority is the qualifying criteria. 
• Those guitars. Yes, there is a subliminal anticipation of Ibanez doing a dedicated nylon string guitar which would appeal to contemporary players as opposed to classical musicians exclusively. Word is going round that it's gonna be a 2023 thing.  If there's a commercial hesitation then Ibanez need to learn from Godin - the Multiac was / is a run away success. Also, that Xiphos is making a flirtatious full-fledge return to prominence. It's a clever marketing strategy, isn't it? Ibanez telling the world their brand name covers a wide serving of guitars; nylon string, super strats, 7-string, pointy guitars & heck, there's even a bass in there. 

Enough rant. Here's how it sounds like:

Pic: YT

Masterclass: Polyphia

Just spreading the word; these guys will be back here for another noodling session. If you missed the last one & would like to atone for your waywardness, keep the details here in mind.

Nothing too crAZy about it

You know, come January 2019, I was really hoping Ibanez would offer an expansion to its AZ range. The popularity of this model is picking up well given its sheer quality. I've tried both the Premium & Prestige models & they are the works. However, no such thing happened but the expansion came in the form of Premium signature models like the ones you see above for the Polyphia guitarists...

And these two for the Chon guitarists. OK so there's variety now but I am the type who looks away from signature models- far, far away. Signature guitars just turn me off. They were conceived for someone else, not me. This is the reason why I still don't own any JEM or JS models despite them being top notch for the money. I have no reasons to spend good money on something meant for someone else. Riding on commercial grounds, it's the perfect way to unleash something a little quirky to the market. If people put them down for some reasons or other, the manufacturer could always say that, oh, the endorser wanted it that way, not us. So 2019 will not see me buying any AZ models, I choose to wait things out & see what's in store next. Don't get me wrong- these guitars might be your preferred specs, in fact, they should be desirable guitars given how the AZ philosophy was kept in tact, just minor variations. 

Notorious appeal

I seldom get turned on by DiMarzios especially before I get to hear them in action personally. The DiMarzio Notorious minibucker was conceived for Polyphia's Tim Henson & it sounds the works for a midrange intense tone. Watch/ listen to the following demo & understand why this pickup speaks for this kind of almost bass-devoid tone. Don't get me wrong, it won't decimate your lower frequencies altogether but if you wish for a phantom response in that bandwidth with loads of crushing midrange inclined distortion, this is it.

Poly show

If you're interested/ a fan, please take note 😁