Aria @ Davis GMC

Can you still get good guitars at reasonable prices today? Of course you can. These Aria Pro II guitars are now available at Davis GMC.

The 714 is a good HSS guitar to own if you require a repertoire of tones for contemporary music; rock, blues & cleans, the AE200 can handle these with ease. When I tried this one out, I'm more impressed with the single coils; very strong note definition. A quick check revealed them to be sporting Alnico 5 magnets so that explains things. 

The MAC here is a D600, meaning - it sports a fixed bridge. I believe the D600 neck is quite the highlight of this instrument. Feels sturdy as heck & very comfortable to handle but don't expect a Wizard kind of profile as this is not an Ibanez. Nevertheless, it is as appealing as the Ibanez (& maybe some LTDs) in this price range.

Pics: Aria

In brief: Ibanez AZ41B1

This is yet another April newbie in the Ibanez camp; the AZ41B1. It is only the second AZ model (discounting the AZS lineup which feature a fixed bridge mostly to propel the Tele vibe) to be featuring a fixed bridge. The blacker than black manifestation is an obvious attribute of the Iron Label series of which it is a member of.

Likes

• weight
• playability
• tone
• tuners
• fixed bridge

Dislikes

• blacked out theme impairs navigation for beginners

Upon handling, the weight was rather significant most likely due to the lack of cavity for a whammy bridge system. This adds to sustain & more bottom end even when strummed unplugged. Everything was tip top for this guitar & the default tuners were rather impressive. We know these are the likely compromised components when it comes to cost-cutting but the ones in the test model worked well. I somehow felt the neck was thicker than a Prestige version but it's spec'd to be identical according to the manufacturer's webpage. In any case, playability was brilliant all round, very easy navigation even for non-metal applications.

The default pickups here are DiMarzio Fusion Edge which is a hit / miss affair. I have these in some of my guitars, they tend to sound more appealing for lower tunings. In this guitar, these somehow sound brilliant for both clean & heavy distortion. I'm wondering if the instrument's overall weight has something to do with this. 

I am of the opinion that a blacked out finish hinders the beginner in terms of navigation & familiarity. In this case the electronics & absence of fretboard markers go against the player who is trying his / her best to get acquainted with the instrument. On the contrary, the seasoned lot will find these fundamental orientation very familiar & it won't mess up their playing in any way. Is black the de facto metal endorsement? Well, there are players out there who play non-black guitars & are oblivious to whatever visual implications there are to the music. At this price point, a bag should be included, yes?

Final rating: 82%

Ibanez: AZ41B1

• available at Swee Lee
• $1,399
• Bag not included

PS: Thank you Mr. Faizal & Ram @ Swee Lee Star Vista for letting me try this guitar & enduring my scrutiny 😁

April savings @ Swee Lee

April savings are now live at Swee Lee. 

The Starmaster is a good guitar, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quality offset model. As for me personally, I can't get along with the headstock... It's now sub-$2K for your considerations.

I also tried & liked this bass (Japanese) but I don't wish to own another sunburst instrument. Current discounted price: $1,360... very tempting.

Pics: Fender / PG

Ibanez April 2026: Black Qs

Ibanez's obsession with black continues this April with these guitars offered in the Q-Series line up; the QX52B ($1,549) & QX527B ($1,579). These do not qualify for the Iron Label Series as they still feature in-house Ibanez pickups & the presence of dot inlays there are simply not Iron Label enough. These are now available at Swee Lee. EDIT: The 7-string version is out of stock.

 

Pics: Ibanez

Ibanez April 2026: AZ47P1

As it is, this new AZ47P1 is the only 7-string in the Premium lineup in the mean time. Not aware of any 7-string resurgence or the need for the AZ Series to manifest a 7-string; there are currently no ambassadors propelling a 7-string AZ Premium. In any case, it's the first AZ 7-string to feature a pickguard. Available now at Swee Lee: $2,099. The previous non-pickguard iteration was $1,899.

Pic: Ibanez

MoMM (64): Reality check

I pretty much bought this album because of a personal doom metal resurgence of sorts. I'm still not an Ozzy fan, I bought this for the music. Master of Reality is perhaps one of the pioneers of doom but music journalists deem it as stoner / sludge rock. Until a definitive music theory separates these genre comprehensively, I am happy to treat is as doom. The tempo & arrangement pretty much defines doom as we know it today. Mind you, doom itself was a term coined retrospectively; someone said it's doom then did a throwback trawl & realized Black Sabbath sounded like they pretty much started the movement.

In any case, I'm embracing how down-tempo plays a very big part in doom. In my metal domain, speed is essential so when speed plays a lesser part in this sub-genre, it doesn't sit well with me. Then again, doom has a heavy emphasis, not speed. Iommi's work here pivots on his magnificent riffing more than his solos; they sounded very bluesy but that's what you get if your ideas are rooted in the pentatonic scheme of things. Master of Reality is enjoyable. It could have been a blast if the fuzz was properly generated but hey, it's done in 1971.