Genesis = Prestige?

I need to address / document this here, please bear with me. 

The current RG565 are currently being marketed here as a Prestige model as evident from the above screen grab. The RG565 is from the Genesis series of instruments which also feature the RG550 / RG570 / RG550DX / RG521 (all discontinued along the way). The RG550, again from the above screen grab, is not marketed as a Prestige offering despite coming from the same series of instruments (Genesis). Confusing? Absolutely.

 

If we refer to the Ibanez homepage, the Genesis models do not fall under the Prestige range. Categorizing them as such is rather misleading. You'd argue that they are made in Japan, in the same manufacturing plant as the Prestige counterparts, of high build quality etc. - yes, we could all agree to this. No contest. Then again, the manufacturer did not label them as Prestige models & we would do well not to offer our own interpretation on the matter & invite possible cases of misrepresentation. 

Are all Made-in-Japan instruments Prestige models? In addition to the Genesis series, the J-Line instruments (not offered here) are also made in Japan. Judging by the specs, these instruments are more Prestige than the Genesis counterparts but again, the manufacturer did not categorize them as such. Maybe there is an element of insecurity if any of the Japanese Ibanez instruments do not bear the Prestige label, from a commercial point of view, this would invite lesser purchase considerations. We would do well to remember that those awesome Japanese Ibanez instruments of the late 80s / early 90s do not bear the Prestige tag & they were outstanding instruments. 

Pics: Ibanez

Thumbs up: Cort G300 Pro

Spent a week with this Cort G300 Pro. Not my guitar, belongs to the guitarist of local band, Urban Sensation. This was sent to me for re-string & set up. This has to be one of the best value-for-money guitar in the mean time. That roasted maple neck & Seymour Duncan (JB / Jazz) combo are easily the highlight of this guitar. Not forgetting stainless steel frets & tusq nut, all for a sub-$800 price tag. The action of this guitar had to be re-set for a set of 10s. My only beef with this one is that the bridge curvature was not conforming to the fretboard radius. In fact, action for some strings were uneven. 

The G300 Pro is actually an offset design that invites a robust application for virtually any music genre. 

The neck profile, according to the manufacturer, is a palm-friendly V but after a week of handling, to me, it's very C-esque. Whatever the case, it's one of the most comfortable necks out there for sure.

Pics: Cort

Price watch (53)

Is there a DS-1 resurgence that we should be aware of? I mean this pre-owned one exceeds $100.

And another one. How much can you get one for if you visit the authorised dealer here? Slightly less than $70. If you bought one from Amazon, then it's a little over-priced but it's still lesser than these two depicted here. I just feel that some people are not initiated enough when they put stuff up for sale. They might have pegged it against their previous purchase price which might not be reflective of local prices. I also urge buyers to check out prices first before agreeing with the asking prices of after-market listings.

Review quickie: Ibanez SML721

This is an easy appraisal; the guitar brought in for review was not fit for review. In fact, it was semi-unplayable. There was excruciating fret buzz from the 11th fret onwards, across the board. However, the instrument's physicality was top notch but the playability / set up totally let it down. I passed the guitar to two other individuals to concur my diagnosis on the matter; they agreed. 

Upon closer inspection, there seems to be marker / ink stains on many of the frets. Looks like someone tried to cure this issue (maybe by filing the frets) but was unsuccessful. Also, the overall action was too low so that didn't help either. No ratings for this appraisal because no actual appraisal took place. One word: Bad. 

Pic: Ibanez

Tom Verlaine: 1949 - 2023

Tom Verlaine is easily the leftist's favourite guitarist. His fractious guitar works quite evidently paved way for the radical dissonance we hear in Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth & My Bloody Valentine, among others. He was ahead of the anti-guitar faction while still preserving massive guitar presence in his music. Of course, being off tangent means treading the path of semi-obscurity; not many of us have heard of the name Tom Verlaine & his Television outfit but things remain critical on this musical platform. More importantly, Verlaine introduced us to a world of non-compliance while inviting indulgence at the same time. Not an easy feat but it carved a niche. Guitardom will miss Tom Verlaine's altruistic contributions & sonic provocations for sure.

Television was previously mentioned here: CLICK

Pic: BBC News

Ibanez 2023 (8)

Things are starting to get interesting in the Ibanez ukulele lineup. The URGT100 trio you see above are definitely inviting some interests from the guitar camp. That RG outline will definitely set you apart & it just screams rock. The fact that it has a plug in option invites you to just employ your favourite distortion pedal on days when you want to obliterate others in your ukulele groupie. Also - 24 frets; that's darn interesting. In the meantime, I have refrained from buying a ukulele because it's not equipped with a truss rod.  

Pic: Ibanez