Meeting nobody who is actually somebody

Yesterday, I met this gentleman at Swee Lee. He's a nobody. That's before you know who he is.

He's referred to as 'Richie-san' by the Swee Lee chaps. Mr. Richie is actually one of the directors at Ibanez back in Japan. I appreciate what he is doing; he goes round the world to see how the Ibanez distributors are doing, talk to them, get good feedback from them & accept opinions & suggestions. Even from someone like me.

I managed to talk to Richie-san thanks to an introduction by Mr. Brendon at Swee Lee Bras Basah. It was an enjoyable few minutes because he knew exactly what I was talking about in terms of instrument details. This is the type of person every manufacturer should have (I'm sure there already people like him employed by the big names in guitar) in their boards.

Some issues discussed:

1. Ibanez Premium series- Mr Richie was asking how's the reception of the Premium series here in Singapore. I have no exact figures to relate to (because I'm not a Swee Lee employee, obviously). I told him frankly that when it comes to Ibanez, players would like to see a 'package'- good workmanship & impressive electronics/hardware. The Premium series did well in terms of QC but the hardware & electronics are somehow a little 'restrained' to keep costs down. At this price point, players would definitely want a more appealing spec. The other put-off was definitely the 'Made in Indonesia' tag.
2. Lower tier Prestige series- From where he was standing, he picked up an RG1450 & asked how's the reception of this guitar. Is it more desirable than the Premium models since they are all in the same price bracket? This showed how versed he was when it comes to product knowledge, so for someone of his stature, he's definitely one not to mess with. I told him the RG1450 is a compromised model, it's supposed to be a Prestige offering but it's featuring a semi-defunct bridge (Edge Pro) & not everyone is a fan of a satin finish guitar. These he took note of.
3. What's your favourite Ibanez guitar?- Mr. Brandon told Richie-san how many Ibanez instruments I own & this entailed into the naming of my favourite, trustworthy, treasured pick- it's my S540, definitely. He was quick to say that it's an old model but I told him the older S-Series (as well as other series in the same era) were 'honest' offerings; preferred wood (mahogany), impressive electronics (the older Quantum humbuckers in them were American made by DiMarzio) & that superb Edge/Lo-Pro Edge bridges. These are tried & trusted specs, they worked & appealed to many Ibanez fans & we are still upset because these features (not all of them) had to be done away with- seriously, we know it's down to cost. We need to take the cue from Vai & Satriani, 2 of the most respected & long-standing Ibanez users- they still prefer their original Edge bridges so why should we differ?

Mr. Richie-san thanked me for my time but I really hoped he would make his subsequent visit offical; maybe Swee Lee could organize a mini dialogue between the directors & Ibanez fans here which would be fruitful for both camps, I'm sure.

Yesterday was a good day.