Triangulating

Final pedal purchased for 2018- the EHX Triangle Big Muff (TBF). I'm not a fuzz fan, was never one. The fact that I actually forked money out for this one shows that I'm not averse to appealing tones regardless of the implement. There's a little history to this one, the 'triangle' monicker being the key i/d to the pedal's origin; it's actually referring to the knobs' arrangement forming a triangular formation. Also, the TBF is Mike Matthew's initial foray into the fuzz zone & it's timely re-introduced in this smaller format to commemorate the manufacturer's 50th anniversary. 

The pedal per se is aggressive & a little louder than its other counterparts (or is that my ears going a little bonkers?). Also, your scooped metal tone won't benefit from having the TBF generating the bulk of the signal's distortion; it just needs crucial midrange to, dare I say, hold everything together in terms of notes definition. Yes, it's the harder clipping type of fuzz that could be easily tamed to produce that smooth, violin-esque top end, something Eric Johnson would be proud of. I maxed the fuzz out & maybe (just maybe) there's a little gating going on in the circuit but don't quote me on this. Anyway, it's heard at higher fuzz settings only so all you fuzz geeks sporting vintage single coils won't be bothered by what's going on there. 

Coming from a non-fuzz favouring player like yours truly, this pedal is a likeable unit. It won't mush out your tone at higher volume setting & on that note, it's indeed something that thrives on being loud.

PS: Thank you, Lisa the cat, for posing willingly. 

conFUSION

Final re-string entry of the year & possibly the final entry for 2018- Ibanez RGDIX6MRW. This is one of the extended scale length guitars I own (26.5"). It's tuned down to C# because who would spend good money on such a guitar for standard tuning, yes?

I kept this one aside especially for this guitar. Flatwound means I get less noise on the lower end strings should I choose to slide up/down for quick movements. Generally, I spend more time on the thicker strings in this tuning so it's a worthy investment.

This is how serious the DR people are when it comes to freshness. My thumbs up to them 👍👍

The guitar comes equipped with a pair of DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers. I've been enduring these pickups & holding back from some performance appraisals but here goes:

• You might have probably read glowing reviews about them elsewhere but as far as I am concerned, after hearing them perform through my set up, these pickups are not my kind of pickups.
• They are DiMarzios so they must be good somehow, no? Brand name means nothing with regards to performance. The fact that they are in this guitar means somebody at Ibanez believes this is how this guitar should sound like given the specs. We can choose to disagree especially if they don't meet our needs. We buy this instrument because we believe it would suit our needs not because someone else thinks it sounds good according to their interpretations. 
• The bridge pickup does not hold low tuning well. Notes are muffled & sound fuzzy at higher distortion/ gain settings. No amount of external treble injection could cure this deficiency. From my perspective, it's a let down.
• The neck humbucker isn't any better when it comes to clarity. Unlike other dedicated neck DiMarzios, I can't even manifest a smooth top end here. Very frustrating.
• Because I had Beez instal a coil split switch here, there's an opportunity to hear the pickup in a tampered manifestation & I must say, there's a little more clarity in single coil mode. The neck humbucker sounds decent with tapped notes but we don't always tap our notes, in fact, majority of us pick more than tap so these aren't quite the winner from this standpoint. 

Maybe, being a Seymour Duncan fan through & through, there's no way I could bring myself to hear good things from the Fusion Edge but that's not true. I hold some DiMarzios in high regard but this one is simply below the liking point to begin with. There is no reason to keep them for long. 

Reverse head rush

Last few re-string entries before work kicks into full swing. This is none other than my Ibanez RGR321. After I bought my GRGR010LTD, this one appeared in the store- damn! The idea of buying the GRGR was to own a reverse headstock Ibanez which I detested. I simply disliked how an Ibanez reversed headstock looks like; I find it unacceptable. However, I told myself if there's one I could get for cheap, I'd do it in a snap. So the GRGR happened & I could get along with it despite the unsightly headstock. It's a mind-over-matter therapy; ignoring the ridiculous implement & concentrating on one's abilities. So when the RGR appeared in store one fine day, it was an attraction.

I had Beez instal these Seymour Duncans just two days ago: JB (b)/ P-Rails (n). I'm in the P-90 swing of things so the P-Rails in split coil mode did the job. The JB in any of my guitars, is simply a joy to work with. A definite favourite but preferred in some guitars over others. 

WEF 2019, I'll be investing in 6-in-1/ 3-in-1 packs for certain gauge types because it makes more economical sense. Mathematically, it works out to be less than $6 per pack. If you are a seasoned string buyer, you'd know that quality starts at the $6+/- price point & we don't see many of such offerings in the stores. To think that we could get a good pack of D'Addarios for less than $5 some time back is so unreal. Those were the days. 😔

So I had the ferocious meow here to look after the instrument while I showered & I must say she did a good job. 

It's the final Sunday of the year & everyone's bracing for the 2019 chapter to begin. 😀🍺

Ibanez 2019: Initial releases

Seen here: RG3050 (t)/ RG3070 (b). Nothing new, it seems. Same ol' RG with Edge locking whammy bridge & DiMarzios thrown in for good measure.

I find it a little disturbing that the DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers have crept into the Prestige models. The RG3321 & RG3327 are sporting the FE pickups. Also disturbing is the limited colour variations; the finishes you see here are the only ones offered for the particular model. Darn.

Phat Jazz

And yet another re-string adventure before the year ends. This is my Fender Modern Player HH  Jazzmaster. There are not many fans of this series namely due to its Chinese pedigree. The MP series were all made in China & they are not fakes. I'm reiterating this because there are people of a certain age group with firm Fender inclinations thinking these are copied instruments. The fact that they are from China, it somehow concurred the belief. Well, the MP series were handled by the Chinese Squier team. These are nothing but tastefully twisted upper end Squiers rebranded as Fenders. The MP instruments were the first most affordable Fenders & they were very good value for money instruments. 

The MP HH Jazzmasters came in two finishes, this is the other one featuring a rosewood fretboard. I chose the maple fretboard version simply because the Jazzmasters are traditionally made with rosewood fretboards, the maple version was rare. Today, you can get the other maple fretboard Jazzmaster from the American Professional series. 

I have swapped out the Tesla Plasma X-1 pickups for these Seymour Duncan Phat Cats. The difference was stark. This decision came about because I'm about done with trying to convince myself in getting the American Professional Jazzmaster with a price tag exceeding $2K. It was on my 2018 list but in view of the price & after trying it in person at the store, it was a definite NO. As consolation, I decided to make this MP version more Jazzmaster-ish by having single coils in there instead of humbuckers. I must say that the Phat Cats are all but under-appreciated when it comes to high octane overdrive & all-out shred stuff. Having these in this guitar- no regrets!

The other subtle change  here are these Strat-esque control knobs.

Of course, a fresh set of D'Addario 9s to get things going. 

Stripes

Some Japanese Fender FSR Stratocasters are now available @ Swee Lee. Seen here, the 50s Traditional with competition stripes (available in two other colours). Great value for money & it comes with a bag. 

Burly

Re-stringing continues. Might as well since I have the time, before work beckons. This one- Ibanez S771 with that poplar burl top which is a mere laminate cap. If you wish to invest in an instrument with a very thin laminate top, do consider a gloss finish unlike this one, which is satin-finished. The reason- it will start to flake off over time.

A little upgrade done- String Saver saddles. If you are interested in a set, do check the string spacing before purchase. It's available in standard & Fender spacing. I really thought an Ibanez required the standard spacing version, then again I should have measured before heading to the store & not make convenient assumptions. In fact. many of the fixed bridges in Ibanez instruments are actually sporting a Fender/ Trembucker string spacing. 

Final pack of Darco 9s for this guitar.

I've been using Darcos for some time now (but not on a frequent basis) & it's only this time that I felt a difference. Maybe it's the relative freshness of the strings that influenced my touch but the Darco set features a slightly thicker B-string. The .0115 is not standard in a set of 9s, it's from the 9.5 set & I'm beginning to prefer the feel of it. 

The pickups in this one: Perpetual Burn (b)/ Quarter Pound Staggered (m)/ Jazz (n). The PB is a scorcher, very distortion inclined but not as boomy for the metal mongers. It'd probably favour the black metal camp because here, the brand of metal is not bottom end reliant. I should be paying more attention to the QP in future considerations because it's a mean single coil for angry people's music- my type of pickup. 

The pick

Finally, something that I can identify with. Have been playing DAW picks for some time now. This engraving deal was part of the Black Friday offer, something that I wouldn't do on a regular basis because it would entail extra costs. 😁

Mega destruction

Yet another addition to the BOSS nostalgia (not the last 😁). This time, it's the Mega Distortion (MD-2). What's the big deal here? Reality check- which BOSS distortion pedal has the most gain? Many of us would naturally choose a metal type serving, perhaps the Metal Zone (MT-2) might be the popular pick. However, such a pedal is a hard clipping unit, not something with extra gain. The MD-2 is a dual gain unit, the boost feature there is a deserving stand-alone distortion channel so when you have both going, it's massive. Also, I find this one to be more bottom end friendly, so all ye wielders who detune, this might be it for you.

Had some time for coffee at Swee Lee's Social Club cafe so the cuppa there. 😎

Season's greetings 2018

It's that time of the year again- good food, merry-making, fun & laughter. More importantly- family time. Wishing the rest a good holiday & some deserving rest time. Take care, stay safe. 

Smooth attacks

It's the holiday eve. Time to unwind & spin a movie. But before that, time to reflect on these two which had been my preoccupation the week before. 

Despite the different pickups in there, I could easily employ either instrument for both distortion & smooth drive applications. Let not the physical outlines & different pickup brands make us re-think our intentions when it comes to tone. The guitar with whatever pickups installed is merely part of our entire signal chain. The outcome, more often than not, is more important than the implements. Nobody told Albert King not to strut his Gibson Flying V for the blues. Euronymous got by his brand of black metal toting a Les Paul for good measure. I think we tend to overthink sometimes. Instead of devoting time & effort to ability & tone, we get caught up with fashionable implements. On this note, it should be my working philosophy for 2019 but we have about a week to refine our expectations, resolutions & what not. 

Wishing everyone a good holiday ahead. Stop working already, wind down & let loose. Cheers! 🍻

Available traditions

Heads up! The Japanese Fender Traditional 60s FSR models are in at Swee Lee. Not so good news- one of them is already sold out. Hmm... 😕

Ibanez 2019

As mentioned previously, it seems that the faded/ gradation finish is flavour of the moment.

So it's no surprise that the Ibanez camp is into it as well but credit to them, this wasn't exclusive for 2019. 

Shimmering blues

The BOSS re-visiting continues. My first chorus pedal was the BOSS Chorus Ensemble (CE-5). I bought it in the mid-90s thinking it would be a formidable combo once I paired it up with my MT-2 but it proved futile. It diluted the hard distortion signal making it sound like there's a proto-tremolo going on in the background. It was awesome for cleans but back then, I don't really dwell in the clean zone (I still don't). It got sold off. Down the road, I bought the Beta Aivin chorus which was basically a BOSS wanna be but that got cleared out as well. There was an Ibanez CS9 along the way which just didn't click with my applications. Just last year, I re-invested in the CE-5 & again, it was ditched. I simply don't have any use for a chorus unit until recently.

That's when I paid tribute to the single coil pickups for what they are good for- cleans. That's right, I'm OK with single coil cleans but the clean tone is something that I don't play much. However, on days when I'm stuck in a rut, some cleans would bail me out & that's when I decided to invest in a chorus pedal that would be a keeper. The CH-1 was an easy choice, more importantly, it has the features I need: 1) An overall output control because on some days I don't need as much chorus & this keeps me in check 2) Rate/ Depth which are essential 3) EQ which is much overlooked by many players. Be mindful that EQ in this part of your signal chain helps beef things up/ cut through the shimmer. There we go, a simple need met by a reliable, tried & trusted brand name. 

Korean elite

Would you splurge good money on an Ibanez Prestige which is not made in Japan?

My Ibanez SA2020 is Korean, made in the famed World Music plant which was pretty much overlooked by many manufacturers but later became the go-to facility for quality craftsmanship without adding much to costs. These days, anything coming out from WM isn't entry-level by any means. In fact, manufacturers are designating their budget models to China/ Indonesia for more costs cutting. The WM people basically handles upper midrange level instruments but Ibanez was out of the picture at the turn of this decade. We still have PRS SE, Schecter & Chapman instruments, among others, being manufactured there. 

We can agree, judging by visuals alone, that WM takes pride in their craftsmanship & will deliver quality as specified by the brand name owners. I'm especially happy with this SA2020 as it's certainly up there in terms of the Prestige standards but players are not keen of such a compromise. The Ibanez purists still believe that anything Prestige should reflect a Japanese flagship, the reason the Korean Prestige range was short-lived. Thankfully, all Prestige instruments are back into the Japanese camp. It wasn't a case of the Prestige range excluding the non-RG models. We know how it is when it comes to sales; the RGs are still raking in the money. Along the way, Ibanez managed to address this affordable elite issue by venturing into Indonesian territory. They managed to secure the quality-to-price ratio in the guise of the Premium range. The label here is important because it would mean a branching off from the Prestige range & not patronizing it with double standards. From the business perspective, it's a crucial move. Branding affects financial performance.

I'm showing this rear view of the SA2020 where the neck meets the body in a seamless set neck construction. Attention to detail here is seen where the gloss body portion is differentiated from the satin finished neck rear.

I'm still not a huge fan of DiMarzios but I have the X2N (b) & Breed (n) in this guitar for variety's sake. I like how they perform in this one. They will stay put in the mean time.

Couldn't quite remember the previous strings in this guitar but after about two days of playing with tremendous amount of sweat, a fresh set of Darco 9s made for a nicer feel. 

Glaive- deactivated

One of the reasons why I seldom play this one is because it sports a pair of in-house Ibanez CAP active humbuckers. My ears are a little fatigued listening to such responses not that those CAP pickups were under-performing (certainly not!) but because I don't fancy such manifestations.

Made a quick trip to Beez's yesterday to have these replace the CAPs: PATB Distortion (b)/ Jazz (n). A rather peculiar pairing of a menacing bridge model with a reserved neck counterpart. Not really. Seymour Duncan's Jazz (SH-2) humbucker should not be overlooked to deliver outstanding lead tones just because it's labelled to project a reserved demeanour. It's one of those versatile pickups equally adept in clean as well as driven tones. And then some in semi-hollow guitars.

The X-series weapons model are extinct now. They can be identified easily at the headstock less the early Xiphos models which were cataloged without that specific label. 

A quick cuppa before heading home.

FYI, the rest of the family members seen here. These were definitely interesting additions to the Ibanez fold but there were very few takers & it's all about the outlines. Ibanez fans are still hardcore when it comes to the RG. It remains to be the manufacturer's formidable model in terms of sales & no frills offering when it comes to design pleasantries. 

Shoutout to brother Joshua- good to have met you at Beez's! 

More Charvels

So there are more Charvels trickling into Swee Lee & the signature Satchel model is one of them.

The FR equipped So Cal Style 1 HH in silver satin is also in store.

We have signature & locking whammy bridge models here but yet to see the 2-Point trem model which is currently a better selling/ more popular option.

Return to the destruction zone

My BOSS re-visit continues. I told myself I would never go back to the MT-2 unless a re-interpretation takes place. Now that it really had taken place, I don't mind getting one. More details soon. I might have gotten the last piece because there's no more. 

Give away: 11s

Midweek greetings, my friends. I'm moving away from the 11 - 48 gauge & these 2 sealed, unused sets  are up for grabs. Let me know if you are interested, will mail them out to you hopefully by tomorrow because the nice post lady here said anything beyond 20th December mailing would only reach the recipient a week later. We understand the festive rush so here goes:

• Send me a blank e-mail with Gimme 11s! as the subject title
• Remember, no details until you receive a reply from me asking for them
• First come, first served
• Winners' names will be published here (no other details, to avoid misunderstandings)

Screaming gold

This happened. I thought I wouldn't spend any more on pedals for 2018. After putting this to use, I don't think I can bear stepping on it any more. It's just too precious. This item is now available at Swee Lee despite the online store not listing it. We know how that goes but we are glad it's here. 

Thank you, Ibanez, for the complementary battery. 👍

EII 2019

Alright, it's the second instalment of what's new from the ESP camp (2019). The V-type Arrow model is gaining momentum in terms of popularity & they've included a through-body string model this time. I'm of the opinion that the inlays there could be more appealing. 

The buzz for 2019- ESP is propagating the fade finish. I've picked this one as a pleasant example. Also, the Eclipse is sporting a burl top for selected models as seen here as well.

The manufacturer claims there's an increasing demand for Bare Knuckle pickups for their instruments (wonder where that came from) so for 2019, even (selected) 7-string models would be BK-ed to appease the fans out there.

I have a soft spot for ESPs. I think they are one of those manufacturers who included a tasty twist of flair into their designs without looking desperate. Since they re-packaged their Standard models into E-II, I've stopped buying simply because it signals a compromise in label pride. I firmly believe that nobody looks forward to buy an E-II. They want an ESP. If ESP has an E-II in its range, then it should be reduced to a secondary label. They way I see it, it's not difficult to swap the E-II at the headstock for that ESP at the 12th fret inlay. But what do I know about marketing strategy, yes? Especially if you have a USA range to push through.