Solar: Rich sus G

Some new stuff from the Solar camp. This black guitars is the 1.6RHC. It doesn't feature Duncan Solar pickups but in-house Solar Standard Alnico (n) / Killerbucker (b). For many of us who find the Duncan Solar pickups so agreeable with high gain settings, these pickups need to prove themselves as worthy. That fretboard is richlite which is a deal breaker for me. 

We would definitely see more models with the non-reverse headstock & this SBR1.6FRSP is one more to the fold. Another model to feature the Sustainiac Stealth Pro pickup in the neck position. The bridge here is a GOTOH GE1996T which is in line with what a Floyd Rose unit is doing but feature a brass block. 

Pics: Solar

HDX

An absolutely enticing piece (if you are a single pickup geek like yours truly) but it's a USA only release. I like everything about the guitar less the fretboard - richlite. Deal-breaker.

Pic: ESP

Ibanez: April '24

There were no new releases in March despite Ibanez saying otherwise in the SM feeds. Come April, four Japanese models were unleashed. The one you see here is the AZ2203N, not exactly new but a new finish - seafoam green. If it's not as seafoam green as the Fender version that's because Ibanez has no obligations to match that.

Another new but not really new - the AZ2204N in gray metallic.

 Another gray finish goes to the AZ2402.

Last but not least, the RGDR4527ET. Not my thing: 1) Evertune bridge 2) Richlite fretboard / body top.

Pics: Ibanez 

Ibanez 2023 (7)

Ooo la la... This is a gorgeous one; a fretless EHB currently offered as a 5-string only (EHB1005F). I fancy this blue as well, Ibanez calls it Arctic Ocean Matte. However, take note of the fretboard material - richlite. I firmly believe that this non-wood consideration had everything to do with the durability provision. If you have played a fretless before, there's this tendency for it to get scratched by your fingernails & the fact that the strings come into contact with the fretboard. Just wish that fretboard tongue was finished in blue as well; just my OCD. 

Pic: Ibanez

McRocklin

... and Thomas McRocklin gets his own Kiesel signature guitar. Nothing really new, it's based on the Zeus model so it retains its bolt-on nature. Pickups are his own signature Fluence & this is perhaps the first Kiesel signature to feature a richlite fingerboard.

Pic: Kiesel

Ibanez's richness

It seems that Richlite had crept into the Ibanez camp as well. Fortunately, it's limited to a veneer top seen here in this RGDR4327 (available at Swee Lee: $3,199). The body's core is mahogany & fretboard is ebony. 

If you don't already know, Richlite is a paper-resin composite. It has proven its worth as a durable, water-proof & fire-resistant alternative to wood. As such, Richlite is readily embraced in the interior decor industry as a premier component for kitchen counter tops. In the mean time, the guitar industry includes Richlite in its instrument construction rather sparingly for an obvious reason; it's not wood & has a different tone manifestation. As such, Martin & Gibson, among others, designated Richlite as an alternative fretboard material as opposed to a major instrument component (body/ soundboard) so as to avoid averse reactions in this aspect. Even if it's proven that Richlite appeals tonally, purists wouldn't want a non-wood element in guitars as it devalues the instruments.

Player Plus

These were released late summer in three different pickup manifestations as seen above. The rest are essential LP features less the satin finish & richlite fretboard. Price-wise, listing for a little short of $2.7K (at Swee Lee), the PP won't find a ready pool of fans owing to the aforementioned specs. If I were to be looking for an LP in this price range, I'd opt for the LP Classic (2016 - 2017 range) instead as it sports a rosewood fretboard for about the same asking price. Also, the Tribute range benefits from the satin finish more than any others due to the no frills features. The BFG did a take on this finish type which proved to be unpopular among players who are after a road-worthy attribute. I personally prefer the bare satin option but not on instruments in the higher price brackets. 

Neon return

This is the latest by the Gibson camp but it's from the Custom range which isn't too pocket-friendly for many of us. The company has decided to offer LPs in neon colours which was hype in the 1980s. If you clicked with what happened then, it might click now for nostalgia's sake. Names like Ibanez, Jackson & BC Rich, among others, were there & done with this colour scheme.

Here's the full range of colours.

A gentle reminder that there's no wood at crucial areas of the instrument- nothing wrong if you find this acceptable. 

Rhino sensibility

Another Les Paul from the Gibson Custom Shop offering & it sure looks like something we've seen before. But I'm not an absolute hater. I acknowledge reprieve & attribute the minds behind it. The LP you see here is the Axcess Rhino.

Never mind the all access neck heel & belly cut, this model features neck reinforcements. As indicated in the pic above, the manufacturer double voluted the neck (it's the Apex design, so it's called) for reinforcements. We know how the LP is notorious for its weak headstock design. Where other manufacturers have ventured further, it seems that Gibson had decided to stay put. Not this time, though & we really appreciate the consideration.

However, despite this forward thinking implementation, the Custom range is still scourged by a richlite fretboard material- what a deal breaker.

The rich

If you are into all things Gibson, dreaming of owning an LP Custom is a legit aim. At USD4,199 the Custom is one of Gibson's revered offerings in terms of quality per se but if you take a closer look at that fretboard, you'd wonder why Gibson did this to the guitar- it's not wood.

The LP Custom to date (correct as at time of publishing), features a richlite fretboard (richlite = paper + resin). This, ladies & gentlemen, is a composite material often used as kitchen tops for its industrial strength & somewhat pseudo organic nature (to put it simply, it emulates wood). The ultimate reason for incorporating this material into one of their finest instruments is really beyond our understanding. Not too long ago, the authorities took possession of Gibson's 'illegal' wood & that got the manufacturer scampering for substitutes. While majority of the the guitars that used to sport rosewood fretboards made do with other wood type substitutes, the richlite consideration is quite frankly, desperate & distasteful.

I don't wish to talk anymore about such compromises especially when it concerns Gibson but it's difficult to leave something alone if it's wayward. From many of my entries here, I could be seen as a Gibson basher but hey, why the heck do I keep buying Gibsons from time to time? But you need to know your wood before you fork out the cash. The draw to 'Gibson' these days is largely due to the manufacturer's heritage more than anything else.