Selling: Ibanez S420 (WITHDRAWN)

One more for the clearance list. I spent the whole day looking for the whammy bar but some things are not meant to be found:

• Ibanez S420, bag included
• 8/10 condition
• Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates + in both positions
• Queries/ conformation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Self-collect at CCK mrt station
• No trades/ reservations
• Price: $400 (final, non-nego)

Sale withdrawn as parts of the guitar had been sold off. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Unlocking

Got my Ibanez S-Series out early in the morning: S420 (t) & SIR70FD.

The S420 is equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates while the SIR70FD has a default set of DiMarzio Tone Zone/ True Velvet/ Air Norton. 

The S420 is so much heavier due to the ZR bridge in there but the overall tone is crunchy without excessive treble. I'm saying this because the PG is associated with raunchy Texan sizzle but if you could manage your set up well, it'll give you that modern heavy metal tone which is suitable for prog as well.

The SIR on the other hand is a light guitar with that smooth top end response, instant Dream Theater tone on call here thanks to the DiMarzios on board. I'm not a fan of this pickup brand but there are some models that I fancy. The Tone Zone is not one of them but previously mentioned, it's something that's appealing once you figure out your set up in its entirety and not just banking on pickup performance for your tone ideals. 

Anyway, I like both guitars for their blank fretboards; ironically, I make less mistakes when dealing with chromatics & legato.

As you can see here, this episode was conceived at CBTL in the late morning as I was waiting for my daughter to finish her morning supplementary class. Despite its early operations, the air-conditioning here will only function at 10.00am, so it's sauna mode offset by a serving of sparkling ice tea. 

Have a great weekend, everyone. ☮

At the gates

Ibanez S420- gave it a re-string.

One of my fav guitars in terms of clarity & I have the Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Plus to thank for that. These humbuckers are touted to be twangy (especially in split coil mode) & country-esque so putting them into the S420 was a real risk. Guitars with a heavy dual-action bridge like the ZR seen here, robs it of a good low end response, we do not wish for a bright sounding pickup to be there as it complements nothing. Surprisingly, the PG does well here because the S420 in its entirety is rather heavy. This wasn't the case with the S-Series of the '90s; those guitars were some of the lightest Ibanez had ever manufactured (I still own one). 

Re-string Saturday

I've been playing this guitar a lot lately (Ibanez S420). Despite the constant wipe down, the strings require replacement & it happened this morning- IQS .009 set.

Knowing & using

It's the Lunar New Year eve & I've got some guitar playing time in hand so it's grind-shredding till sundown with my Ibanez S420. It's not about the guitar, really. It's about hearing the suitable tone for the task. I was basically trying to fuse some black metal ideas with lots of solos (Abgott style if you will...) so I know there is a need to address this aggression cum  & I restricted myself to passive pickups. As I've virtually tried/ owned every passive Seymour Duncan pickups out there (the ones that made it here, that is) I know my Pearly Gates pair are up to it.

But hey, the manufacturer says these PGs are meant more for high octane Southern rock, features a polite Alnico II magnet & was EQ-ed to manifest a curbed bass response but excessive treble. How could this serve the average metal maniac who needs a thumping low end for the meanest distortion delivery? But it's not about what's specified on paper but what you hear in action. The PG has this cutting top end that sizzles with lots of distortion. It might be the Southern rockers' staple but it definitely works for metal. All I needed to do next was turn up the bass at the amp & I'm done. The weight of my S420 also did its part in pushing more bottom end at the amp side. Yes, many manufacturers out there conceived certain products for a specific purpose but if you are inclined to your gear, you know what works & what won't. It's all a matter of knowing what to use, how to use them.

(Re) Discovering the half

Had some time this morning for a quick re-string: Ibanez S420 + a set of .009 D'Addario Half Rounds.

The half rounds are, well, less rounder strings pertaining to the wound units. This is gives the player a smoother, 'faster' feel but the brightness are compromised a little bit. This is the reason why jazz players love them; they give off that warmth which is a perfect complement to their hollow tones. 

What the heck am I doing having them in my non-hollow, S420? I had the Dean Markley Helix set in this guitar previously (which served me real well in terms of tone & durability), those smoother wound strings were not 'new' to me (Here: CLICK), actually. I've tried the half rounds before & they give me what the Helix has to offer, just that it slipped my mind- I've tried too many strings.

DM Helix: The week after

It's been a week since I installed a set of .009s Dean Markley Helix in my Ibanez S420. After each play, I did a wipe down using dry cloth only, these strings received no chemical treatments whatsoever.

I played this guitar for at least 15min each day. There were 2 days when the session lasted for more than an hour. There were no wipe-downs in between, only at the end of it all.

No corrosion was detected on the Helix but the strings (especially the plain ones) were tarnished, this is of course, normal. The Helix also felt less fresh (duh!) after a week's worth of hands-on but they could go on for sure; they are not dead yet.

To be cont'd...

HELIXed

Dean Markley's Helix strings come in a sealed black polymer bag. The individual string envelopes are inside.

They are in my Ibanez S420, performance report in due time.

Played yesterday

Guitars played last night (L-R):

• Ibanez S420
• Schecter Omen 7

I started with the 7 first, it's got the extra string & the extended scale length, perfect for warm-up. Then on to the S420, as expected, it felt a little 'easier' to play. It's psychological, really.

My S420 is fitted with a pair of Duncan's Pearly Gates, the least expected performer for intense distortion but it's not about expectations, it's about knowing what it could offer- lots of top end poke. Adding adequate bass to that & it's a great voicing to work with for all aggressive ideas.

1 more for the south

Good news for lefties- this summer, Ibanez adds a few more models for the left-handed players, the S420 is one of them.

Ibanez: S420 (Part 1)

The current generation of RG & S-series now sport the deserving neck profile which made them very desirable back in the '80s. No, the current neck carve isn't that slim but it loses the chunk of the Wizard II. I'm very happy with this S420 & it was an unexpected purchase since all I wanted to get when I stepped into Swee Lee yesterday was a microphone for my daughter's use. I DID buy the microphone, of course.

PS: Thanks brother Faizal for the assistance.

An 'S' of a difference...

Was browsing through Ibanez's Japanese catalogue when I noted the S320, which is also offered here in S'pore.

The market also offers the S420 which is the S320 in every sense, so why would Ibanez offer 2 of the same guitar & gave them a different model number? It took me quite a while to note the absence of a string retainer behind the nut of the S420 which differentiates these 2 fine instruments. Would anyone out there be mindful of this mere difference & make a conscious choice accordingly? We continue to wonder...

Insomnia... insomnia... insomnia...