E-II 2026: T-Series

This year, ESP offers the E-II T-Series in the above depicted finishes. The top version is satin while the other is glossed. You might think it's just another Tele-esque guitar & ESP already has the Throbber, which is as Tele-esque as this one. We note the headstock in use here. It's the Traditional version & the fact that ESP is re-using this design implies the possible return of some models in time to come. Not speculating too much.

Pic: ESP Japan

Heads

The more I look at these headstocks, the more I believe that designers out there are taking cues from one another. Maybe it's just me. (LEFT: Kiesel Aero / RIGHT: Ibanez Alpha).

Pics: Kiesel / Ibanez

Beam Mini

This is the new Blackstar Beam Mini. It shows that things are heating up in the portable, smart amp camp. We all know of the SPARK existence, JBL joined in very recently & we have this Blackstar jumping into the fray. Like it or not, this is the new portability movement, smart amps with supplementary phone attachments (edit / control). With such tech in mind, it is hoped that the number of creative musicians actively collaborating with one another would enrich the music scene here. I'm actually looking forward to acquire one of these in the near future.

Pic: Blackstar

Seymour Duncan: Mortality

Yes, I agree to a liberal extent that Seymour Duncan is doing a Fluence of sorts. No, I disagree that this Seymour Duncan would be a ready / direct displacement for the Fluence. In any case, I am more of a passive camper, I have very few guitars with active electronics, regardless of the brand name. After years of playing, I am of the opinion that active pickups are excellent for detuned stuff / thicker strings.

Pic: SD

Nut job

My SCA220 after being given some due attention. I just love this guitar, it sits between the S & SZ Series in terms of design. The SCA is not to be confused with the SC, the difference being the former's thicker body that allows the input jack to be located at the edge of the body.

This was the ongoing issue with this guitar; there's corrosion going on at the G, B & E nut string slots. The G slot manifested the worst corrosion & it persisted even after a good cleaning up / sanding down.

Decided the old nut must go, I don't see the point of dealing with this issue repeatedly. The nut is expendable & quality replacements are available at the shops. Before the nut was knocked out of place, both the fretboard & headstock surfaces were taped up. At the headstock side, a slit was made (using penknife) between the nut & headstock so that, when the nut is knocked out with a hammer, it won't dislodge the headstock finish.

The replacement nut is a TUSQ, for an Ibanez neck, the correct length measurement is 43mm. Do inform the shops you need an Ibanez version to prevent them from selling you the Gibson version which is slightly shorter. Also, a fresh unit requires some sanding down, do keep this in mind.

Finally, a set of Dunlop 9.5s because the SCA sports a shorter scale length compared to a regular S-Series.

Modern gain

The last time I tried an EVH-related pedal, I was disappointed. It failed to capture the proverbial EVH high octane, no holds barred type distortion but then again, I failed to put it in context; it wasn't an amp (which is the primary source of EVH's distortion tone). Essentially, it lacked that crucial element that made it a menace - a tube. With this Modern High Gain pedal, I really don't know what to expect. No significant revision took place, only that bass frequency shift option; does this make things sound better? I reserve judgement till it's here in the shops to defend itself.

Pic: Dunlop