X2N?

By now, guitar nerds everywhere are welcoming the re-birth of BC Rich,  which we could all agree, took a little longer than expected. Nevertheless, things are in place as documented by the manufacturer's web page. I'm looking forward to having this Stealth model here from the Legacy Series.

The guitar was spec'd out to feature DiMarzio's X2N in the bridge.

Folks, does this look like an X2N to you?

According to DiMarzio, this is how the X2N looks like. Hmm... I would want to have a good impression of the BC Rich now that they had sorted things out & emerging from the ashes but stuff like this make me wonder if there's any genuine interest in starting afresh on a good stead.

With that, we say goodbye to November. 

PICS: BC Rich/ DiMarzio

Holy LP

This was released just days ago - the Epiphone Holy Diver Les Paul for Vivian Campbell. The actual guitar that made the Holy Diver recording was a Gibson but this was created to closely replicate that model, especially the inclusion of a pair of DiMarzio X2Ns. 

Does not come with a case though, just this bag; EpiLite bag they call it.

Korean elite

Would you splurge good money on an Ibanez Prestige which is not made in Japan?

My Ibanez SA2020 is Korean, made in the famed World Music plant which was pretty much overlooked by many manufacturers but later became the go-to facility for quality craftsmanship without adding much to costs. These days, anything coming out from WM isn't entry-level by any means. In fact, manufacturers are designating their budget models to China/ Indonesia for more costs cutting. The WM people basically handles upper midrange level instruments but Ibanez was out of the picture at the turn of this decade. We still have PRS SE, Schecter & Chapman instruments, among others, being manufactured there. 

We can agree, judging by visuals alone, that WM takes pride in their craftsmanship & will deliver quality as specified by the brand name owners. I'm especially happy with this SA2020 as it's certainly up there in terms of the Prestige standards but players are not keen of such a compromise. The Ibanez purists still believe that anything Prestige should reflect a Japanese flagship, the reason the Korean Prestige range was short-lived. Thankfully, all Prestige instruments are back into the Japanese camp. It wasn't a case of the Prestige range excluding the non-RG models. We know how it is when it comes to sales; the RGs are still raking in the money. Along the way, Ibanez managed to address this affordable elite issue by venturing into Indonesian territory. They managed to secure the quality-to-price ratio in the guise of the Premium range. The label here is important because it would mean a branching off from the Prestige range & not patronizing it with double standards. From the business perspective, it's a crucial move. Branding affects financial performance.

I'm showing this rear view of the SA2020 where the neck meets the body in a seamless set neck construction. Attention to detail here is seen where the gloss body portion is differentiated from the satin finished neck rear.

I'm still not a huge fan of DiMarzios but I have the X2N (b) & Breed (n) in this guitar for variety's sake. I like how they perform in this one. They will stay put in the mean time.

Couldn't quite remember the previous strings in this guitar but after about two days of playing with tremendous amount of sweat, a fresh set of Darco 9s made for a nicer feel. 

Ibanez: SA2020 (disct'd)

This is another Korean Ibanez Prestige (SA2020) model that I own. Every time I mention it to friends, it begs this question: Why spend too much money on a Korean guitar?

I recently had the following mods done for this guitar:

• Remove: default DiMarzio/ IBZ pickups, Instal: DiMarzio Breed (n) & X2N (b)
• Remove: 5-way pickup selector switch, Instal: 3-way selector + coil split push-pull switch
• Remove: default control knobs, Instal: locking chrome knobs
• Remove: default capacitor, Instal: Orange Drop capacitor
  

The guitar's neck is quite the attraction for me; note how the body's lacquer coating ends at the guitar's set neck area. The neck's rear is totally lacquer free, a super smooth satin feel to be precise.

The guitar also comes with a set of Gotoh tuners but the plastic buttons is acquired taste.

To a certain extent, spending too much on a Korean guitar is not a prudent practice. Despite the 'Prestige' tag, this guitar would not command a high re-sale value but I'm not one to purchase an instrument with a re-sale consideration as priority. I bought this SA2020 because it sounds good, displays praise-worthy craftsmanship & it supplements my playing very well.

I'm not a keen fan of DiMarzio pickups but I've decided to have them in this guitar anyway; it's a psychological challenge on a personal note- if one likes the tone then the brand name should not matter.

• The X2N bridge pickup is one the manufacturer's very high output pickup. This is perfect for all things angry, distortion inclined & black metal; that's my playing staple & the X2N fits the bill.
• The Breed neck humbucker is from another world with regards to its bridge counterpart but it gives me what I need; something PAF-like without sounding lacking when it comes to high gain/ drive situation. It's something that won't let me down when there is a need for clean tones. No, I didn't buy it because of Steve Vai...
• Both pickups sound splendid in split mode