Vai @ SG

We end July in the knowledge that a prominent guitar idol is making his way here. Still wondering why that performance venue was chosen.

Pic: LAMC FB

Vai gear

Steve Vai is auctioning off selected gear with partial proceeds going towards charity. OK that's a good cause for sure but pros giving up gear is surely the sign of times. Let us face the fact that as we age, the relevance of our indulgences decreases. This is true if we do not keep up with the times. The new breed of guitar geeks have their own heroes to look up to, the older ones may / may not be appealing to them. So the important thing here is to keep the appeal factor going with reference to currency.  However appealing the Beatles, Hendrix & GnR are, their time now is unlike their time then. But folks, do not totally disregard the charitable aspect, we are human after all, we look out for one another.

Pic: Julienne's

Poly Vai

This dropped yesterday, I believe - Polyphia got Vai into their latest single, Ego Death. It's currently the talk of guitardom, that is, how two different generations of guitar wizardries got into a single act, putting out a statement of relevance. How I feel about it (you have no obligations to agree):

• Same brand ambassadors flocking together. These individuals getting together was most probably made possible by their brand endorsements more than anything else. 
• Relevance. I see this as a Polyphia thing because majority of the music is theirs to begin with. Vai is in this on an invitational basis. I see Vai being out of place here, pertaining to the type of music that is being dished out. He is Vai & he is doing his Vai thing in this song which he is entitled to but hearing everything in context, I can't help but notice a disconnect. Vai's beeps, blurts & blips are out of place & more relevant / suitable in his Bad Horsie song for instance. The painful reflection here is that Vai's type of guitar playing approach is too different to be assimilated into Polyphia's obsessive-compulsive technicalities; it's bordering on being distasteful. Given a  choice, Greg Howe might be a more relevant candidate coming from Vai's generation of shred-tastic players if seniority is the qualifying criteria. 
• Those guitars. Yes, there is a subliminal anticipation of Ibanez doing a dedicated nylon string guitar which would appeal to contemporary players as opposed to classical musicians exclusively. Word is going round that it's gonna be a 2023 thing.  If there's a commercial hesitation then Ibanez need to learn from Godin - the Multiac was / is a run away success. Also, that Xiphos is making a flirtatious full-fledge return to prominence. It's a clever marketing strategy, isn't it? Ibanez telling the world their brand name covers a wide serving of guitars; nylon string, super strats, 7-string, pointy guitars & heck, there's even a bass in there. 

Enough rant. Here's how it sounds like:

Pic: YT

Summer NAMM 2022: PIA

In my opinion, this is an undeserving inclusion in the Ibanez Summer NAMM release list; it's not new, just a new colour. Vai's PIA is now offered in a blue powder finish. How exciting, yes? Hmph.

I prefer Tom Quayle's TQMS1's celeste blue which was also on the same release list.

Also new this 2022, the AZ2204N in mint green which has a shade of blue in there. In fact, I see more blue than green in this one.

EDIT

Someone alerted me that the previous guitar on this list of blues, is not an AZES but an AZ. Then it occured to me that the AZES has its own blue guitar - the AZES40

And another someone mentioned that Tom Quayle's guitar is not the only other blue signature model on this list, Jake Bowen's latest is blue.

Have no idea if there's a blue revival going on at the Ibanez camp but even their latest, stunning GIO model is... blue (GRX120SP)

Whatever the case may be, leaving this here - some people with Ibanez guitars singing something with 'blue' in there. 

Pics: Ibanez

Candling

I don't listen to Vai much these days but still respect what he offers to Guitardom. This is one of his newest clips showing how he conquered playing/ gear aspects which are beyond his comfort zone; fingerstyle, cleans, single coils, etc. I find this very inspiring, really. Hearing someone getting over what could possibly lead to some real fumbling & embarrassment is something we should all look up to. But coming from someone like Vai, beyond comfort zone is really irrelevant; these people are too good to begin with.

Legacy drive

Folks, Commander Vai has this new Legacy Drive pedal for those into his tone & tube lovers alike. Yes, a 12AX7 tube is in there for em, tube-likeness 😜 My personal experience with tube-equipped pedals- they aren't quite like what they are in amps. Some of them are next to awful. Regardless, here's the Commander himself playing through the Legacy Drive & you just might agree with me that this is one of the worst playing by him: 

Dark Matter 2

In conjunction with the recent release of his Ibanez Premium JEM guitar (featuring a mahogany body), Steve Vai had the above DiMarzio pickups developed for that special occasion- the Dark Matter 2.

Here's Mr. Vai himself with some sound bytes.

Vai's

Steve Vai recently shared his collection with a guitar magazine & I thought these were the coolest in his collection.

This was the precursor to the JEM, a Performance Guitar custom assembly. Note how the treble side skinny cut away & monkey grip were brought over to the JEM.

I was under the impression that a baritone Ibanez was a relatively recent phenomenon but Steve Vai had it going with this 7-string version & yes, it went beyond 24 frets.

This one was cool. 1) Maple fretboard- we seldom see Vai play one buy he had this custom version with coloured dot inlays. Reminds me of Jason Becker. 2) All single coil affair- must be his Start itch; he started with one anyway. 3) Not JEM-esque- note the S-series type cutaway.

P&W anniversary

Guitar dweebs would know this one- Steve Vai's Pasion & Warfare album, one of the landmark releases on planet guitar instrumental.

The Ibanez Universe models you see above are commemorative manifestations marking the album's 25th anniversary. If you missed it, note how the album cover was edited to incorporate one of the guitar's new finish.

New Ibanez @ Swee Lee

List: SGD1,699

List: SGD2,499

The first batch of 2015 Ibanez guitars are in at Swee Lee. If you are looking forward to the Premium Steve Vai models depicted above, they are in stock.

Vai here

OK... this might come a little late but you are informed :-)

2012: Hit s & misses (1)

As we flip the final pages of 2012, some of us are tempted to back-track & refresh those highs for the year. We would also like to give the rancid encounters a last look to remind ourselves that everything isn't that sweet as we went along. Here's my edition of 2012's hits-&-misses, strictly personal, of course. Feel free to disagree.

Hit- The new Marshall DSL series. Re-vamped interpretation of the manufacturer's defunct JCM2000 DSL series only this time, with a more snarling drive section & then that spanking clean. This isn't an instant hit of course, it's made in Vietnam but that speaks very little of the actual performance on offer. A re-booted stellar performer for lesser asking price- why the heck not?

Miss- Commander Vai is someone I look up to regardless of his artistic directions. His phrasing & arrangements are simply sublime, so when a release like this comes my way, I takes a little more reach into my deeper understanding to accept what took place. There isn't any sublime messages on board, but a different manifestation of Commander Vai's music which is off tangent to my preference. A respectable release but not for me.

Steve Vai: The Story of Light

This is Steve Vai's latest release, The Story of Light. What do you expect from Commander Vai's album- loads of guitar? They're here alright but this is NOT Passion & Warfare, mid you. It's a celestial journey through music wonderland perhaps one inhibited by Alice & company.

Because this is my personal reflections on The Story of Light, I must say that it's the least likable Vai offering in my collection. I have this uploaded in my phone but have deleted all vocal tracks- I'm just just not into them. The remaining instrumental tracks aren't exactly what I had hoped for either, I understand Vai has this musical emphasis over his songs but they are somewhat unappealing to me this time round but hey, who am I to tell Mr. Steve Vai what to do. 

There is a strong parallel between TSOL & Vai's Ultra Zone, I find the latter more tasteful in terms of guitars, maybe it was intentionally dished out that way, lots of guitars with numbered eccentricity but this one's just off-focus. The guitars tones here are also very fuzzy, a departure form Passion & Warfare.

New CDs...

Recent purchase:

• Steve Vai- The Story of Light... I actually misplaced this, it's in one of my guitar bags. Glad I found it.
• The Faceless-Autotheism... Michael Keene is one of the most talented players in this music genre. I couldn't give this a miss.

Storming your guitar

Commander Steve Vai has his Evolutions & Breeds, he's adding the Gravity Storm to the list. Absolutely new this Summer, hope it makes it here... will update availability.

Commander Vai: Racing the World

I think many of us are anticipating Steve Vai's new album, The Story of Light.

In the mean time, here's a track from this upcoming release, Racing The World:

JEM EVO

This is Master Vai's Jem, an affectionate reference for it is 'EVO' with reference to the pickups on board but that's besides the point. As part of the 25th Anniversary celebration, the Ibanez people did a replica for this & all the chips, scratches, dings, tapes, etc. are all in tact. Here's Master Vai himself telling more about it:

Look who's using the CT20

Remember that Samson CT20 clip-on tuner available @ Beez's? Look wjho's the ambassador for it... he he...

G3 2012

2012's G3 line-up: Satriani/ Vai/ Lukather but dates are only confirmed for Australia & New Zealand. Whatever's the case, hope they have the DVD coverage.

Mike Stern: Big Neighbourhood

Mike Stern is certainly one of my favourite guitarists because he's an exciting player despite treading firmly in his jazz turf. Also, he's one I look up to for a magnificent vocal-guitar harmony as well as appealing clean tones- I'm not a big driveless tone fan but Mike Stern's tones speaks!

In this release, Mr. Stern avoided the dreary jazz approach very well with the inclusion of guitarists Steve Vai & Eric Johnson. I actually listened to this release without looking at the inner sleeves for details & I can clearly hear a commanding humbucking tone (Vai) & that estranged but beautiful fuzz output (Johnson) which are clearly not Stern's. All in all, guitar fans would be pleased with this rock tinged release which stamped Mike Stern's guitar authority in this 6-string neighbourhood which is definitely big enough to hold this fretboard master. To all you brand name snobs out there, Mr. Stern laid down his Fender for a Yamaha. Ha!