Indoor Sunday

Nothing much today, staying indoors & spending time with the Ibanez SIX6FDFM. I believe this is one of my better sounding S-Series with DiMarzios: Andy Timmons (b) / PAF 36 (n). If you wish for ultra smooth tones without the treble bits prickling your ears, the AT-1 is the one to consider. If you like fat bottom end, this is the one to get as well. I have been spending almost the entire week with this guitar actually, wondering why it sounds way more appealing than some of the more costly Ibanez I have. 

I'm also having a good time with my current fav picks, the Northern Ghost Planchette, seen here in 3 different incarnations. I firmly believe that the pick you play has a large influence to your playing efficiency. Psychologically, it means having something that contributes to positive moments so you play better.

Am I watching the World Cup opening match later? Well, I have not subscribed to any WC package in the mean time & looking forward not to. The most anticipated football event is currently a platform for disgruntled factions clamouring for attention. Quoting Pantera: No good, For no one.

Unlocked

These are the locking Gotoh tuners that came default in my Ibanez SIX6FDFM. They did the job well.

I have removed them & got these instead; same Gotoh brand, just the non-locking version.

I am a fan of locking tuners, regardless of the brand / manifestation but they have to serve a practical purpose. The ones in this guitar have no issues but they add significant weight to the neck / headstock & neck dive was inevitable. This affects playing & leads to mistakes. The Ibanez S-Series is a lightweight guitar & very resonant, adding unnecessary weight to the neck / headstock just kills the essence of this instrument. By the way, if you wish to replace tuners on a reverse headstock, just go with the set meant for a lefty.  

Re-string Saturday

Still in the mood for some Ibanez. Let me tell you why I like this guitar - it's darn light. It's less than 3.5kg. This is my SIX6FDFM, one of the Iron Label models before they discontinued this colour, gave it a grey make over & a pair of Fluence humbuckers. Not my thing. The other thing that I fancy here is the blank fretboard. This is the first S-Series I own that sports a revere headstock.

A fresh set of GHS 9s before playing started. 

Andy T

I always enjoy playing this guitar; it's lightweight & resonant despite being neck heavy (those locking tuners...).  I also enjoy the very open tone due to the absence of a tone control. (Above: Ibanez SIX6FDFM)

Speaking of tone, the new bridge pickup in this guitar is the DiMarzio AT-1, Andy Timmons signature model. It replaced the Super 3. 

According to the manufacturer, this is the tone profile of the AT-1; it's spiked in both the midrange & bass but observes a rather tamed top end. Having heard it in person, the AT-1 has some pronounced bass response indeed, I had to lower the pickup into the body, deeper than the default setting. The midrange, however, is on par with the treble, I don't hear a more significant performance here. The strength of this humbucker lies in your willingness to back down the guitar's volume control to give that sweet, crunchy overdrive response. The AT-1 has similar tonal characteristics of the PAF 36th in the neck, that's according to the manufacturer, of course. It does possess that classic PAF character but the Alnico 5 magnet means it's more receptive to high gain settings while being very pleasant in clean mode.

EQ pic: DiMarzio

Happy failure but the end

I terribly disliked the default pickups in my Ibanez SIX6FDFM (Iron Label Series, discontinued). Since I have the time & a little extra in the piggy to get this right (always grateful for His providence), I bought Duncans. It's partly my fault for not checking first but I have no issues with my other S-Series in my possession so this was a calculated assumption & one that I got wrong.

Could it be the exclusive case of the direct-mount type? Well, the Prestige S5470 way back in 2010 did not manifest this issue. I own one & that's the reason why I'm sure there won't be issues with the current generation of S-models & again I'm proven wrong.

To prevent further disappointment, I just made do with a pair of DiMarzios. I respect the brand & have no particular dissent towards any of the products, it's just that for a direct guitar-to-amp set up, I get better results with Seymour Duncan & it's my go-to brand. Seen here: PAF 36th Anniversary (n) + Super 3 (b). On that note, DiMarzios are going for good discounts at SV Guitars, do check them out.

I bought this guitar because it's the first reverse headstock S-Series in standard production. It's now discontinued & superseded by the S61AL featuring active Fishman Fluence pickups which I tested & disliked. I think I'm the passive aggressive type. 😁

Despite the eye-catching front finish, it's actually a regular S-Series as seen here; the rear finish is as standard as it gets.

Here's the full pic for everyone's reference. It's one of the lightest Ibanez guitars out there but made annoying by the locking tuners (default) which makes it neck heavy. But I still love this guitar.

On that note, I'm staying away from Ibanez in the mean time until they make something enticing in the AZ range (22 frets, no pickguard, not a signature) to my liking. If you've been following my entries, I've not bought any new Ibanez guitars for quite a while & are clearing some of them (RGs mostly) for good prices. They are just not my thing any more. 

Hello, July! 😎

Pic:Ibanezrules

Sloppiness

Spent the good part of this evening playing legato stuff. Tried some 5-notes per string patterns ala Brett Garsed & was sloppy like hell. All this after making sure that: 1) I chose the most comfortable guitar to play in view of neck profile & action (the one you see above, that is) 2) The preferred amp was used 3) Supplementary pedals were in place to increase picking sensitivity 4) Putting 3 picks on standby to keep picking feasibility in check.

But let's not be too harsh on ourselves while exploring stuff beyond our comfort zone. Frustrations & the urge to give up only signal the fact that we wish for improvements & know that we are capable of doing better than the current hiccups. 

Hope you people had a good Boxing Day. 

Ibanez: SIX6FDFM

Despite closing accounts, I still have to get this one because it had been on my 'to get' list since it was released. If something made it to my acquisition list, it is of great significance & I won't take it lightly. The Ibanez SIX6FDFM is the first standard production S-Series to feature a reverse headstock & it's strictly a personal attraction. Other features that made it my type of guitar- blank fretboard & a fixed bridge.

The default pickups are DiMarzio's Fusion Edge humbuckers which performed better here compared to the RGDIX6MPB. I'm not a DiMarzio fan but these are deserving pickups for the money. The guitar features a 3-way pickup toggle & a coil split switch. 

Despite the charming front, the rear body is simply good mahogany. FYI, this instrument sports a satin finish from the headstock right down to the body. 

Sure grip knobs for a sure response at all times- thumbs up to this.

Gotoh locking tuners for quality performance, however these might prove to be an oversight. They add weight significantly to the neck end & the instrument is neck heavy. If you get to handle this guitar in person, you'd know how light it is & the neck dive is downright annoying. 

We've seen the S-Series before & this is merely a variation sporting a novelty reverse headstock. In fact, that quirky feature along with the satin finish & blank fretboard might reduce it to a niche appeal. It's compounded by the neck heavy feature but offset by that outstanding tone & playability. Thumbs up to the QC as well, in fact, I'm starting to believe that extra care was given to the Iron Label series knowing that the instruments here costs a little more than the standard range without the Iron Label being a definite tier above Standard offerings before things get into the Premium selections. 

Thank you Mr. Faizal @ Swee Lee I12 for the assistance leading to the instrument's purchase.