Indoor, re-string

Had been an uneventful Sunday. Was mostly indoors save for a quick trip to the provision store for a pack of milk. Had a strong urge to play my SZR today. Gave it a re-string before playing; D'Addario 9.5s. This SZR520 is one of the few Ibanez I own that is totally unmodified. There was a strong urge to replace those default NDR pickups but after dialling up the right amount of distortion / EQ & some adventures with pickup height, I have to say those became likeable.

If the PRS Silver Sky (R) had a more refined finish in terms of the headstock outline, it might end up looking like the SZR (L) after all. Uncanny resemblance as it is.

Pics: Worth Point / Slap Store

Re-string: Ibanez SZR520

So I had some playing time last weekend despite being busy. No point dwelling into something that doesn't have a definite end, engage in your indulgences instead, it helps to keep you sane. I simply love this one, more than the standard SZ models. The SZR, folks, were the final iteration of the SZ series before Ibanez killed everything off. A little sad considering the SZ model was the stronghold when it comes to sales. They decided to get a little quirky before ending things & you have the SZR here which looks like a botched design of the SZ. Actually, Ibanez already have a similar design in its archives; the Ghost Rider but this one is not one of those. 

The headstock design was the major departure from the SZ & it closely resembles the aforementioned Ghost Rider. If they expand the width of this outline, you'd get a PRS Silver Sky headstock 😆

These are my absolute favourite when it comes to in-house Ibanez pickups. Only for this year of manufacture, the SZR was equipped with the NDR-1 humbuckers. The magnets used are neodymium & showcase some OTT drive reaction. I have to say it's one of the meanest I've come across before we enter into active territory. Come to think of it, a speaker magnet was used instead of the ceramic & alnico selections preferred by countless manufacturers. Now you understand why I keep them in tact. 

I have a set of 9.5s in there as it sports a 25.1" scale length. Please do not believe whatever Ibanez encyclopaedia out there stating a 24.75" scale length as I've measured this one personally. 

Snap

This is a rare occurrence for me; when I took my Ibanez SZR520 out of its bag, the B-string was already flapping about- it snapped while the guitar was in storage. A quick look at the ball-end; there was much corrosion there. I decided to replace all strings only to discover more corroded D'Addario ball-ends.

Marshall 1960A: Tone test 1

The first guitar to be plugged into my new Marshall 1960A is my Ibanez SZR520. I've chosen this one in view of its original pickups on board. A good amp/ cab should manifest good guitar tones regardless of the instrument's pickups, then again, there are some amps which aren't transparent enough to let your tone through, the 1960A possesses this characteristic.

Before we dismiss the 1960A to be Marshall-biased, do note that the Celestion G12s on board are some of the most proverbial drivers for distortion, regardless of the brand name cab they reside in. They do sound attractive in clean mode but they aren't as defined as the V30 for instance. With this in mind we know why the Sound Drive SG-612R & Randall RT/RC amps (among others) sound superb with their on-board distortion activated; these amps feature the G12s to help propel distortion. As such, my JVM's 3 distortion channels sound very commanding but the real surprise comes with the clean settings. The G12 gives me a less pointed top end so the overall clean tones are warmer & less intrusive. Of course, no Fender-esque chimes to be heard here.

My Ibanez SZR520 features a pair of very high output humbuckers but the cleans heard through the 1960A are glassy enough to invite some jazz-type chord works. Since I am a distortion fan first & foremost, the 1960A is a winner with me in this aspect; no regrets whatsoever. I didn't get sick & tired of the (Celestion) Seventy 80 drivers in my CRATE the last time round but those drivers serve another purpose while I have distortion as priority. It's money well spent; certainly one of my most fulfilling purchase this 2010.

Thanks to the good people of Davis GMC who went ahead with the item delivery despite the downpour- thumbs up to you guys!

Back to... (3)

I'm still back to playing my Ibanez guitars, this time it's the (discontinued) Chinese SZR520. Despite being more educated, the players today still dismiss guitars by virtue of its country of manufacture- it's Chinese, it has to be bad. They compound this misery by associating one badly manufactured Chinese guitar with another despite the different brand names. I find the Chinese SZRs to be impressive. It's one of those guitars out there with the 'correct' pickups installed. 

I feel Ibanez made a mistake by discontinuing the SZ/SZR series as the manufacturer's set-neck representatives in the market. The current fort is currently flanked by the Darkstone series which have yet to make its debut here. *sigh*

Naturally SZR520

If only this Ibanez SZR520 in natural finish is available here... one of the most pleasant hues offered by the manufacturer.

SZR'ddario

D'Addario make good strings. They aren't exactly fantastic, they don't last that long but they work just fine. I'm still having the .0095 set in my Ibanez SZR. I started with this gauge set since I bought this guitar, it's been working fine for me, no reasons to replace them.

MGSZR

It's my MG10 & SZR520 all morning. Great grizzly tone coming from this combo, acquired taste to everyone else of course.

Ok, afternoon siesta calling me...

MG100HFX + Ibanez

The first 2 guitars to be plugged into my new MG100HFX were:

• Ibanez RG1550: Chose this guitar because it has a fresh set of strings in there (D'Addario Steels) & a trio of Seymour Duncan pickups. Wanted to test the amp's clarity & it's all there from clean to slight dirt & finally all-out distortion
• Ibanez SZR520: This is one of the few guitars I own with factory default pickups, a very high output pair to test the MG100HFX's capacity- whether it can handle high output units. Verdict: Of course, it can.
  

Nut!

What's the big deal with this headstock? The original plastic nut made way for a bone version. The benefit of this change: It gives the clean tones a brighter ring which is especially beneficial for neck pickup employments. Thanks Mike @ Standard Value for a great job!

Bass amp bliss

My trusty Ibanez SW20 has never failed to churn out ear candy with pedals in use. I employed this set up here for a quickie- waiting for the 9.30pm news to end before CSI kicks in...

The SW20 has this very appealing midrange once the treble is a little tamed & bass dialed up to slightly more than the mid-way position. While the TS9 acts as a drive enhancement, it also ensures the Cool Cat Distortion isn't overwhelming in its voicings.

The guitar in use is my Ibanez SZR520.

Good tone, nevermind the looks

My newly acquired SZR520 & my Sound Drive amp made last weekend enjoyable. I'm still having a hard time accepting the SZR's outline; it looks retarded but this is something personal, to be fair to the instrument. The overall tone churned out by the above combination is very pleasing especially when I'm one who is distortion inclined & particular with single note definition.

Ibanez: SZR520 (owner's take Part 2)

Here's Jensen's Neodymium driver; Neodymium is a high powered magnet (stronger than ceramic) which is light hence its preference for driver applications. What has this got to do with the SZR520?

In lieu of the Duncan Ibanez pickups, the SZR520 features a pair of Neodymium humbuckers which are very high output but the nature of these pickups are that they produce a sweet driven crunch, primarily. These pickups however, does very well with a high dose of distortion so you get the best of both worlds; blues rockers as well as the metal heads would feel at home with them.

Ibanez: SZR520 (owner's take)

The latest Ibanez in my line-up: SZR520. It was a hesitant acquisition because the display piece has a repulsive action but I managed to tweak mine on the spot before purchase & tested it at the store; it was good enough to bring home. The feel isn't a total departure from the discont'd SZ520 but...
...as you can see here (if you can't, do try harder), in addition to the ribcage bevel, the guitar also features a bevelled section immediately after the neck heel. This isn't useful when played sitting down but once strapped on, you'd appreciate its inclusion. However, I still think the SZR's overall outline (especially the body) isn't as attractive as its predecessor (SZ) but it plays well.

Why is the SZR520 cheaper than the SZ520? Two major accounts:

• made in China
• pickups are Ibanez's own, it's not the Duncan Ibanez model

Ibanez: SZR520

The other Chinese Ibanez making its debut here is the SZR520, the alleged replacement for the superb SZ series. I could only appreciate the guitar for its craftsmanship because the display piece has a ridiculous default action (too high) to conjure a fair appraisal.

Product availability: Swee Lee Co.
List price: $802