YY

I have no idea if there are (still) Korn fans who are looking forward to these Ibanez K7 guitars. The price tag there is quite excessive, especially for guitars which are not made in Japan. Then again, when PRS released the SE version of the Chleo, there are people who bought them.

Pics: Ibanez

Y & Y

This year's NAMM announcement saw the resurgence of the Korn-endorsed Ibanez guitars. Unlike its previous iteration, the models this time round are RGD-based despite featuring a 25.5" scale length. The Yin model comes in an all black finish, a pair of DiMarzio Blaze pickups (a very Universe vibe) & an ebony 'board. The body being nyatoh might be the obvious cost-cutting indicator since these instruments are not Japanese but we wonder how much more a mahogany body would add to cost for it to be excluded. The U-Bar whammy is an obvious nod to its roots.

The Yang model, living up to its contrasting symbiosis, comes in a white finish, featuring a rosewood 'board instead. This model features a fixed Evertune bridge, the pickups are also a pair of DiMarzio Blaze but is devoid of a tone control. 

I see the Korn act as being over & done with. It's making a return riding on a generous dose of nostalgia, the guitar brand being a large part of this resurgence. Do you see nu-metal making a come back, am I missing this? So the obvious implication here is that players won't lose their mind & rush to acquire these guitars come Summer. There is also the danger of these guitars being a pair of overpriced non-Japanese signatures & the fact that these are 7-string models mean they would only appeal to a certain cohort of players in guitardom. If there is a real interest in re-booting the Korn affair, then the guitars should be RG-based, not RGD. Further cost-cutting could be observed by re-instating the DiMarzio PAF 7s instead of the more costly Blaze; the PAFs were indeed the original pickups back in 2001 when the K7s were unleashed to the world.

Lest we forget, Brian Welch left Ibanez prior to this Yin Yang introduction & his LTD 7-string was awesome to say the least. We can see why the RGD was chosen for this come-back owing to the LTD Horizon's curved body top & chamfered cutaways. The forces that be at Ibanez might have seen something coming by facilitating the K7 return which we, the lay people at the buying end, do not. There's nothing to be too excited about these instruments as they are not in the upper tiers of the manufacturer's catalog. 

Goodbye, January...

Pics: Ibanez / L&M

Ibanez 2020 (3)

The more affordable JS is now offered in this metallic light blue finish but pickups are in-house models. The JS140M is a winner visually (liking the maple fretboard), even the coil split feature is a winner here but pickups could have been more enticing.

It's a 25th Korn-iversary this year so the Apex 30 is inevitable. Do the Korn people need a commemorative model to get by? Simple answer - no. Only one of them is still under Ibanez endorsement, the other is with ESP. One of the reasons he moved on, according to a recent interview, is that ESP has Evertune bridges in their instruments to keep live situations in check. Can you now understand why there's an Evertune in this one? Why is Ibanez not as accommodating you ask? You must understand that Ibanez takes pride in detailing their instruments with their own hardware, especially the bridges. Instead of bowing down to Floyd Rose, they did their Edge thing. Instead of bowing down to Wilkinson, their did their SAT thing. We note how the exceptions come into the picture when endorsements are involved. Looks like this model is mirrored against the RGA but it's not the first, remember the Komrad? All in all, in my opinion, this isn't necessary. Ibanez is obliging because Korn brought in so much money for them in the early 7-string days. I'm seeing this as a possible second take on that boom but we know it's not gonna be that easy. Consolation - the DiMarzio Blaze pickups are good. 

Follow the anniversary

Ibanez Apex200, one of the Korn signature moments, is now going for charitable cause. Maybe you'd like this for yourself. 

ESP 2017 (2)

That's right, Korn's Brian Welch will be in the ESP camp come 2017. More updates as it comes.

Is Korn still a big thing today? The definite answer to this is, they still have a good following. If you are trying to cash in on being seen, it's a relevant move. 

Ibanez 2014: Signatures

Tosin Abasi fans, this is the more affordable make of the 8-string model. It costs significantly lesser than the Prestige version (a good USD2,700 difference!). Summary of the differences:

• Neck is maple/walnut as opposed to the wenge/bubinga of the Prestige. To put it nicely- it's a regular neck, nothing special.
• Rosewood fretboard (Prestige version sports a wenge fretboard)
• Non-locking bridge & nut. Black finish as well, no gold flash here
• Basswood body, no maple cap
• Coil tap switch is under the pickguard unlike the Prestige version which is embedded in the body. Implication- it's a standard basswood body meant for the standard RG, no extra cavities in the body equals less production costs
• Fretboard markers- side dots

Periphery's Jack Bowen gets his signature model based on the RGA with a Lo-Pro Edge bridge (yeah!). Pickups are Bowen's signature Titan humbuckers. Together with the ebony fretboard, it should be a sleek player- available in Summer 2014.

Mick Thompson's MTM100 is still in tact with a preserved Glaive-type body shape but his budget alternative reverts to the RG-type outline as seen here. So the MTM20 is new despite reverting to its initial body design.

Korn's Munky is still with Ibanez this 2014 & he gets a new signature; wondering if his band's current status makes this a worthy inclusion but personal sentiments aside, the APEX200/ 20 are there for the taking. The APEX 20 has a blank fretboard & it should be neutral enough to attract non-Korn fans. 

And if that's not Korn-y enough (no pun intended), Brian Welch gets a new signature as well (it's called the Komrad) & hopefully that's not due to his return to Korn per se. I've talked to people about this, the guitar is Ibanez's appreciation of his brand commitment because during his non-Korn days, Mr. Welch stayed true to Ibanez. Despite its RGD looks, the guitar sports a standard 25.5" scale length but it's factory strung with a set of .011s. Debut: Summer 2014.

Saving the best for last- Ibanez's Paul Gilbert Fireman FRM250M, celebrating his 25 years with the brand name. What's new?

• Humbuckers for neck & bridge
• Flamed maple top
• Bound neck

Let Mr. Gilbert do the talking:

Poll results: Fuzz

Once again, thank you for participating in the fuzz edition of the poll installment. I'm trying to 'see' how's the fuzz climate like here. The fuzz, unlike its close relatives, the drive & distortion, doesn't command an immediate following. The way I see it, it's largely due to definition; the lack of clarity & the propagation of sonic sludge, especially in the lower frequencies, would put players off. I find the fuzz rather repulsive but over the years, I appreciate its application despite not favouring it for my kind of playing. If you own a fuzz unit & totally hate it- keep it. Over the years, as your ears become more attuned to drive & distortion, especially the ones which are tube-based coming from amplifiers, you'd understand what the fuzz has in store for you- warmth. You won't find this degree of warmth with your typical overdrive or distortion units due to different clipping responses as well as the lack of transistors (or the lack of specific ones in there).

This is my recommendation quickie, definitely not exhaustive, but an arguably sufficient intro to what a fuzz can do in terms of application, mind you, not immediate appeal:

1. Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff Despite being an EP & recorded in the early stages of the band's career (also notwithstanding the fact that the album was named after 2 of the industry's most celebrated fuzz pedal names), this is, in my opinion, the best intro to all things fuzz. If you are a fuzz fan & you know nothing about Mudhoney or Superfuzz Bigmuff- you are probably a nobody.
2. Paul Gilbert: Fuzz Universe OK, the name suggests the obvious but take note of how the fuzz could be applied tastefully to shred.
3. Korn: Self-titled debut And this is how the fuzz could be made relevant to tunes which are peddled by the 7th string.
4. Sepultura: Roots The Sepultura chaps bunked in the same recording studio as the Korn chaps & decided to use the same effects to different results. So this, essentially, is a bold statement of intent- it's how you use the fuzz.Very metal fuzz, this one.

Happy weekend, every one. Happy last-day-of-November as well :-)