New home(page)

Ibanez just did a homepage clean up & it now features a search function- cool. We welcome this user-friendly feature. Ibanez might not be the first to do this but we hope to see more guitar sites with user-friendly options; it's a sign of awareness.

Small talk

This is probably a lost cause but I'm into it anyway. The Jackson minion series are shorter-scaled instruments predominantly aimed at the smaller, younger players. Over time, similar instruments of its ilk are embraced by adults as well who see the potential of less hassle while on the move. 

The Jackson range currently sports two guitars, the Dinky you see above & this very attractive RR. I believe the RR, in this manifestation, will attract more players as it becomes less wieldy. I would certainly advocate for these to be available here.

Ditto the bass; a more manageable spec, a sure invitation to try. However, they are still unavailable here since its official release in Winter NAMM 2016. 

The thing is, we have the Ibanez Mikro instruments available here.

We even see the Paul Gilbert version here.

Of course, rounding things off with the Mikro bass. Of the three Mikros you see, above, I find the bass version to be more desirable than the guitars. Even the Paul Gilbert association doesn't make it a notch above its non-signature sibling. The non-angled headstock there affects tuning greatly plus the fact that both instrument's nut slots were not quite up there in terms of presentation. So I might have come across the lesser models while trying.

We have, where we are, a limited scope for instruments of this ilk to stand out & really be tested in terms of performance & revenue generation. It's partly down to unfamiliar territory- if you were the distributor, which brand name would you choose to ensure stocks don't turn dead over time? Behind the scenes, we do need to consider the fact that such fringe offerings had to be included in numbers with the rest of the standard inventory- do you have adequate standard offerings to ensure the numbers add up well? I'm still advocating for Jackson's Minions to be here; it would be a good chance to kick the Mikro butts since I personally know, after repeated testing, that they could have been better. More importantly, between the Mikro & the Minion at the headstock, the Minion doesn't lower its status with a 'GIO' label. 

Just saying. 😁

The Performer

News from the Fender camp- we say goodbye to the American Special Series come 2019. The replacements- the American Performer Series, as affordable, with upgrades.

New for this range of instruments are the pickups, vintage/modern tuners & some dandy electronics with the ability to blend tones. Good to know that these will remain in the affordable Fender tier & that the manufacturer does not introduce a further Mexican upgrade to match the Americans (OK so they did just that this year). The American Performer series will include:

• Stratocaster (2 variations)
• Telecaster (2 variations)
• Jazzmaster
• Mustang
• P-bass
• J-bass
• Mustang bass

Wishing you a great weekend 😎

PICS: Fender Shop

Brothers from different mothers

Had been spending time with these two last week: Ibanez RG521 (T)/ SA1260 (B)

Every time I felt that I actually like a non-Ibanez guitar more than I thought I did, I would make it a point to spend time with an Ibanez. Any Ibanez, it doesn't matter. Prior to this, I had been spending time with my Fender Jaguars mostly. I really love the 24" scale length, neck profile & overall feel, the tone could have been something else but I'm alright with what was meant to be. 

So is Ibanez the undisputed champion in my tone arsenal? For me, Ibanez is a safe brand to own because it's what I grew up with, what I started with & what made me the player I am today (not much of a player actually). On some days, I am better off playing a non-Ibanez because the change helps me check my true ability. We often get away with something we embrace within our comfort zone. Our true potential is therefore that struggle to get on with limitations; this my friends, is what defines us.

Coming back to the siblings you see above, the RG's neck profile is my staple. I have small hands, I struggle to play mistake-free given a thicker, narrower & rounder neck profile. No doubt, a capable player can handle what's thrown at him because it's the ability that matters, tools do not measure the person's capacity. However, note that a competent individual always specify his tools because these help them shift boundaries, it's a no longer a matter of overcoming hurdles. We should never let others define the tools for us because we have different needs. The SA on the other hand, is quite the opposite of what the RG has to offer, narrower (slight), rounder & thicker neck profile, something that would spell doom for me but not quite. The narrower, rounder & thicker specs here are the Ibanez interpretation, not a duplicate of the competitors. This is important for me because my go to brand name is offering a variation according to their understanding of what things should be & that is what clicked with me so the SA was a win-win purchase, definitely. Siblings these instruments are but twins they are not. 

Single with orange

Had been with this set up since Monday:

• PRS S2 SC250: Pickups in there are Seymour Duncan's P-Rails (N)/ Pegasus (B)
• Boss: Distortion DS-1
• Korg: Pitch Black tuner
• DAW: Shredline pick 3mm

Was looking for a different neck feel so the SC250 was the reference. Have been in split mode every time the neck pickup is engaged so might be looking to make that permanent. Also, I had been playing everything through the DS-1 lately & sometimes took things for granted; this orange stomp box is definitely the standard to beat in terms of a no-frills offering. The Pitch Black- had been using this for all pedal tuning reference. One of the best in terms of accuracy & durability. Currently awaiting for new DAW picks to arrive but will not abandon this green meanie. 

Focused Battalion

For the bass dweebs among us- EHX just shrunk the Battalion drive/ pre-amp unit to join its NANO series for 2019. This pedal debuted in Sumer 2017 (or was that Fall?). Watch this demo video to understand how the EQ section has a lot to offer in terms of tone: