AZ ash

These are currently Japan-only releases; the AZ2402 sporting ash bodies. The fact that the ash grains were made visible & manifested a sand blasted look, they look darn cool. In any case, sand blasted looks were done by Schecter & Charvel among others, way before Ibanez did. By the way, the AZ2402 is just a whisker off $3K these days. By the time these are made available here, these would probably be in excess of $3K.

Pics: Ibanez Japan

Ibanez 2026: Ash gold

I'm still scrutinizing the 2026 Ibanez releases. This year an ash body, gold hardware AZ2204 was introduced. Ibanez continues to offer variations of its existing models, nothing really 'new'. Really unaware there's a strong demand for gold hardware but having an ash body variation is a good move. 

Ibanez should offer more models without the Alter switch option for those of us who are not looking to vary our tone too much. Some of us are content with the conventional tones on offer plus we have other guitars for specific tone manifestation. Anyway, the AZ2204AG is available at Swee Lee for the above listed price.

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez: RG653DX

Regardless of the other distractions, this new RG653DX is a winner in my books (in the RG category). It doesn't stray away too much from its other RG siblings in terms of design. On that note, players out there agree that the big block inlays & that 'shell pickguard might put loyalists off. Both colours feature an ash body & DiMarzio pickups (Norton / TZ). By the way, the 6XX models are not new to Ibanez, there was an RG655 (2014) which was basically a variation of the RG550.

Pics: Ibanez 

XII

Fender Japan has these Telecaster XII in a limited run offering. Body is ash for both finishes & the pickups are in-house vintage voiced single coils. It's good to see the Japanese end of Fender expanding its offering in addition to filling up certain feature voids but one thing is for sure - price is going up across the board.

Pics: Fender Japan

P II

Fender has 'improved' its Player Series instruments to become the Player II models. Major changes:

• Three body wood types: Alder, chambered ash, chambered mahogany
• Rosewood fretboard option (previously pau ferro)

That rosewood fretboard, well, it started with rosewood then Fender replaced it with pau ferro & it's now gone full circle. Chambered mahogany & ash bodies are interesting for Strats. The P-bass has no such options, body is alder with maple 'board. The Player II guitars were listed for USD799 on release day. This is about SGD1,072. Will be interesting to see how much these will go for once they reach here knowing that the current domestic prices for the Player Series guitars do not reflect the corresponding  US prices (USD699 / SGD938).

Pic: Fender

A blast

Variation of a theme - Fender Japan has a sandblast finish Strat in its Hybrid II series. More accurately, sandblasting is a process, not a finish type per se. What you see here is a natural finished ash body, given the sandblast treatment. A Tele & Jazz bass are the other members in this sandblasted affair.

Pic: Fender Japan

Review quickie: Fender (Japan) Heritage 70s Stratocaster

Pic: Fender Japan

Folks, this is the Japanese team's attempt in the re-interpretation of a 70s Strat. I'm using the term 're-interpretation' here as opposed to 're-issue' because the latter would involve period correct parts which today would have been discontinued or extinct owing to the winding down of the parts company which used to manufacture components for Fender back in the day. The Heritage Series of Japanese Fender is an attempt to re-live the days when these instruments were manufactured & hence not a commissioned re-issue. The USA equivalent of these models would be the American Original Series but there's no 70s Strat in the line up.

Likes:

• overall build quality
• feel
• pickups

Dislikes

• weight
• pickups
• price

We can always trust the Japanese to do it well & they did it with this instrument. Fault-free build, fit & finish that feels exquisite upon handling. Be informed that the 70s C-profile neck is beefier than today's version. Everything about this guitar, in terms of functionality, is worth every cent. However, the ash body here is not the lighter swamp ash version so it is substantially heavier than the average Mex / American Strats out there. In fact, if you are living in your golden years in the mean time, this guitar is not recommended for live, strapped-on applications. It's as spine-taxing as a non-chambered Les Paul.

The pickups here are hit / miss because as a high gain dweeb, I feel they lack the output for heavier stuff; ACDC at most, but nothing beyond that. Also, the neck & middle single coils lack clarity, certainly not recommended for the legato-inclined owing to the lack of individual note separation at high gain settings. It's a totally different story in clean mode. These are warm-sounding pickups & would definitely appease the jazz camp. Yes, it's that kind of rounded top single coil tone, nothing too sharp-sounding. In fact I love them for the clean offerings; nothing excessively chimey, very usable tones for crunchy, overdriven stuff.

Lastly, those vintage style frets - if you are the heavy handed benders, these might get worn out very quickly. They are not the tall version as well so intense fretting would mean scratching your fretboard with the strings. It's listing for nearly $2K which many of us would find excessive since there are other more affordable Mexican Strats around offering similar feel & tone for less money. 

Rating: 80%

Fender: Heritage (Japan) 70s Stratocaster

Availability: Swee Lee

List: $1,949

B-Ash

Absolutely nice ash-bodied Bacchus models are now available @ Davis GMC.

It's actually roasted ash, so you get a double roasted deal with the neck being roasted maple as well. Do note - these models sport a 25" scale length so it's nearer to the PRS vibe as opposed to Fender.

Pics: Bacchus HG

Tod & Krys

A December product announcement is not an Ibanez thing but this seems to be an exception. What's the hurry, we wonder. 

New this month are the pair of guitars for the Polyphia guys. This here is the TOD10, a new one for Tim Henson. Gone are the DiMarzio (Fluence replacements) pickups & alter / dyna MIX9 switching system. Also, it's an HH config this time. Fretboard is ebony with a cheeky tree of death inlay. What you don't see - push-pull voicing switch (tone knob).

The Scott LePage iteration has Fluence pickups on board as well but these are pickguard mounted. Ebony fretboard here has block markers which I find more appealing. Nope, the dynaMIX9 switch is not retained, that's a voicing toggle switch. The Krys features an ash body, Tod is a basswood.

These guitars are not radical changes for Ibanez to deal with. So costs are presumably kept in check when it comes to construction. The Fluence pickups are the major changes. Prices might just be about the same as the previous iterations but factoring in inflation & GST hikes, by the time these get here in 2023, it would cross into the $2K bracket.

Hello December 👋

Pics: Ibanez

Snapping Friday

Good Friday morning, folks! As more Edwards guitars make their way to Davis GMC, I'd do my part by highlighting stuff along the way. For this instalment, if you are in the market for an S-type guitar but wouldn't mind a non-Fender alternative, do consider the E-Snapper. Seen above is the alder body / rosewood 'board version (E-Snapper AL/R)

Also available, the ash body / maple 'board alternative. (E-Snapper AS/M). Both models list for $1,500 ea.

My take on this - the Edwards brand is largely a sleeper in the market for lots of quality going for a very reasonable asking price. I'd say these would be in the mid-range price bracket. Overseen by the ESP camp, the Edwards brand name is not short of quality. When it comes to tone, it holds its own.

Pics: ESP Japan

50th

I'm just not that motivated when it comes to Strats but do own a few. Those that really speak to me, I will pay attention to them. It might just be down to the tone - the 5-way pickup options don't really get me going. I'm only a fan of the middle & neck pickup played in isolation. 

This Strat here is Fender's 50th Anniversary version marked by that neck plate. It has an ash body with a single ply pickguard which I really like. I bought this in 2005 at Swee Lee's BB branch. When the 50th Anniversary models were released, they came in three versions: American Vintage / American Deluxe/ American Series. I chose the American Series because at that point in time, I could only relate to contemporary Strats with 'normal' features. The Deluxe version had gold hardware which was a put off for me (till today, I don't fancy gold hardware on any guitars). The Vintage version cost more than the other two so it was out of my consideration. I find ash-bodied Fenders to be very prominent in its bottom end despite its more reduced midrange overall resonance. This is only obvious if one dabbles in excessive overdrive. In clean mode, the guitar sounds clear without being excessively trebly.

Ironically, the PRS Silver Sky re-kindled my interest in a 3-single coil guitar. Unlike the Strat, the Silver Sky offers a 5-way pickup combination that is attractive in all positions. I think it's down to the PRS-John Mayer philosophy of making the instrument likeable regardless of the pickup(s) in use. Oh, well.

Offset 21

From the Japanese camp - 'new' Offset Telecasters. Ash body + rosewood / maple fretboard models. I think we are the fortunate ones to be enjoying the Fender Japan stuff without an extravagant price tag. Hope these would make it here. 

Ibanez 2021 (6)

I thought Ibanez was done with the 2021 announcements but this popped up yesterday at their webpage (was busy to update + I had a late day). Seen above: AZS2200F (F = flame maple top)

There are two variations offered; the one you see up there with the whammy bridge (alder body) & this fixed bridge version sporting an ash body (AZS2209H, H = hard tail). The whammy bridge is a duplicate of the AZ's, Gotoh T1802. Ibanez chose to go the vintage way with the 3-saddle T-style bridge but it's still a Gotoh (F1803). I foresee the vintage purists swapping the saddles out for the brass version to manifest an all out twang - heck, yeah! If you look at the control layout of the AZS2209H, it screams Telecaster with a twist. If you are a Tele owner, you'd know how the straight layout sometimes hinder pickup switching so slanting / curving it this way addresses just that. Brilliant. 

So what Ibanez did, to see the bigger picture here, is to offer a T-style version of the AZ model so you entice both Strat & Tele fans to the fold. There won't be a total switch over if you had been a Fender bender all this while as these instruments offer a different playing experience & tone. I'm also glad that Ibanez kept the Seymour Duncan theme going for this series but choosing existing models (Magic Touch Mini / Alnico II Pro Custom) instead of collaborative models like the AZ's Hyperion & Fortuna.

Is this Ibanez's first T-style adventure? Certainly not. The guitar you see above was featured in Richie Kotzen's Electric Joy album. Maybe it's a good time to entice Mr. Kotzen back into the Ibanez camp with the AZS? Hmm...

Lest we forget, these are the other T-style models by Ibanez:

• A: Talman series. Has the T vibe going but the body is an offset design
• B: Ibanez's offshoot label, the Starfield. This one here is one of the Cabriolet models
• C: FR - the most recent design but discontinued WEF 2021. Hold on to yours if you own one

Pics: Ibanez/ Audiofanzine/ Musicstore/ pinterest

Ashless

A little taxing on the eyes, apologies. More importantly, Fender sent out a message to dealers recently notifying them of the discontinuation of ash as tone woods for their instruments. Reasons: 1) Insect infestation 2) Climate change (flooding). Will you be scampering to grab hold of an ash-bodied Fender instrument in anticipation of this situation? 

On a personal note, I have ash-bodied Fender instruments here as well as basswood, mahogany & alder. In terms of tonal advantage, very little separates them but in terms of weight & sustain considerations, there might be a case in point.

Ash

I managed to re-string this one during the CNY holidays. My TL71 has creamed off after four years & the ash grains are beginning to rival my floor laminate. Despite being ash-bodied, it remains light with the typical pronounced lower midrange coming from this wood type. The thing about Japanese Fenders, most of them feature a glossed neck & it might put off the purists. However, I deem mine to be as playable as my other non-glossed necked guitar; it's a matter of familiarity. I bought this one at Sound Alchemy when Beez was still their neighbour at Excelsior Shopping Center. 

That's right, I swapped out the string retainer for this rounded version for this guitar as well. 

Pickups: Hot Stack (b)/ Quarter Pound (n). These Seymour Duncan pickups are really something. So I have the Hot Stack in my TL-Rose as well & I love the stinging tone & it's more pronounced here due to the brass saddles there. The hot neck pickup was intentional just to underscore the fact that I don't do country music with this one - no disrespect to country music proponents out there.

Harmony strings are good albeit under-rated. If you wish for a neutral-sounding set (nether too bright nor too mellow), this is the brand to get. Together with Martin's Darco range, they are absolute value-for money. 

Ibanez 2020 (6)

We're back to the Ibanez front & I must say that the Pia entry just days ago didn't sit too well with some of us here. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Ibanez fan; almost half of what I own in the mean time are Ibanez stuff. I see the Pia making some false turns in terms of refinements & I will confidently say it won't live up to the JEM legacy. I'm sure it's a good instrument in every way & will please the fans. Moving on, lots of things happening in the AZ camp & it's definitely good news that a lefty model joins the ranks this year. Well, done, Ibanez.

This next one has what I want in terms of variation. It's an ash bodied take with covered pickups & 22 frets. Some of us might think that 22 frets is an inferior take but 22 is ideal for people who seldom venture up high & I must say I'm definitely one of them. What I don't want is an exclusive burst finish & in the mean time, that's the only finish available. 

This AZ2204B is the buzz. People are liking the finish & overall colour combo as it makes the instrument very Gilmour-ish. If you've noticed, Ibanez only introduced black for the AZ this year & guess what? Nobody talks about not having black previously so it proves that a black finish, despite having the ability to sell truckloads, isn't entirely a dominant selling factor. 

On that note, another black finish is available for the AZ2402. Discontinued this year are the sea foam green & pink so making them highly collectable. Be wary of those who are trying to clear them away in the after-market & citing them as rare. 

Selling: LTD ST-213 (final price) SOLD

Letting go of my LTD ST-213 (ash), summary of specification changes:

• string retainer- switched to the rounded version for a snag-free application
• pickups- TESLA Plasma 1 in all positions
• bridge string saddles- Graphtech Tusq
• tone cap- Orange Drop

The usual applies:

• Self-collect @ CCK mrt station (open to nego on days I'm free)
• No reservations/ trades
• Confirmation/ queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $380 (final)

Re-string holiday

Nothing like re-string therapy on a holiday. My Ibanez RG471 gets a fresh set of strings & moisturized fretboard. This is one of my guitars sporting a very low action profile with a set of 009s. 

The Screamin' Demon/ '59 pair is really something here. I like how the squawking midrange of the Demon gets offset by the ask body's trebly response. 

SA updates

Another Ibanez update- the revised SA360 is now offered in an ash body + binding.

There's also a mahogany version with a flamed maple top. Nice. 👍

New: Ibanez SA160

Along with the newly spec'd pine fretboard, Ibanez now features an ash body for the SA160.