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

G vs H: Done

This was announced yesterday. It's an out-of-court settlement. The legal implication here is that, there's no clear judgement awarded to either parties pertaining to certain rights. About time. Gibson & Heritage guitars are  embraced by many players pros & hobbyists alike. At our end, we do not deem these instruments as a substitute of each other, in fact, we can be proud of owning both. But in the commercial realm, allusion & semblance could affect sales performance in many ways so manufacturers invest in a lot of time, effort & money to protect their intellectual property & ultimately the brand's goodwill. It's all understood but if it's bordering on the ridiculous, do not blame us if we are partial to a certain manufacturer's stance on the matter. In any case, the buyer suffers the most. These instruments being absent in the market is a blow. Having them flown in from external sources is a very expensive affair.

On that note, the days of people selling inflated, used Gibson / Epiphone instruments in the after-market here are numbered. These instruments will make a comeback in the stores so the argument of 'these instruments are not available here' will not stand (it's lecherous IMO). 

Pic: JL Fulks

RIP: Juliette

Paul Gilbert's cat, Juliette, had passed away (announced 27 Jan). She had always shown a particular interest for musical instruments & I can totally relate to this having a cat in my residence as well. More importantly, the pet & its owner will always share a special bond that will lead to a feeling of terrible loss once the pet passes on. I underwent extended grief when I lost my cat days before we moved out & me getting married. To all cat owners out there, thank you for caring & putting in a tremendous amount of love - we feel your loss.

Pic: PG IG

Thanos

While we fall into the 2023 slumber as price hikes continue to dominate proceedings, Kiesel has unleashed a new model upon us - the Thanos. Actually, the Thanos had already existed as a bass, this is just a guitar spinoff. 

Pic: Kiesel

Turbo

Not an EB fan but trying nevertheless.

To be continued...

MOMM (36)

Midweek ear fodder:

Stryper: 7 (Best of)

Some of the best hard rock tunes are in the Stryper catalog. Generally, people are not interested due to the band's religious inclinations & it's very evident in the lyrics. I'm just re-living my 80s moments & Stryper is a must-listen for me. Sweet & Oz are a formidable guitar duo & it's plain to hear in this collection. I'm still keeping track of Sweet's side projects, his riff ideas song structures are just too good to ignore.

Beck, Bogert, Appice

This was Jeff Beck already plying his crazy guitar pyrotechnics with a generous serving of slide in a band which he said plays much heavier music (Hjort & Hinman, 2002). He was absolutely right. This was like a leftist take on what's hype back then. Also in this album - Carmine Appice's epic drumming. 

Ibanez 2023 (7)

Ooo la la... This is a gorgeous one; a fretless EHB currently offered as a 5-string only (EHB1005F). I fancy this blue as well, Ibanez calls it Arctic Ocean Matte. However, take note of the fretboard material - richlite. I firmly believe that this non-wood consideration had everything to do with the durability provision. If you have played a fretless before, there's this tendency for it to get scratched by your fingernails & the fact that the strings come into contact with the fretboard. Just wish that fretboard tongue was finished in blue as well; just my OCD. 

Pic: Ibanez

Price watch (51)

Good Stuff (1): This is a good deal, IMO. Of course, these pics might not be that of the actual item but we can politely request for them. 

Good stuff (2): Rally's GL-300 is recommended for those of us with a tight budget but still mindful of quality. This one is less than $150. Wow.

Not quite (1): Price is too close to a brand new piece off the store shelf ($690). Plus, if you buy from the store, it comes with a warranty. 

Not quite (2): A brand new MT-2 is $128. This one is a modified item (which may / may not appease you) & in that condition, $150 is a very difficult asking price. 

Foiling around

These are new from Fender. The Tele, JM & Jazz bass given the gold foil pickup treatment. I wonder why they are doing this, especially now. We know that anything humbucking would be a miss more than a hit when it comes to Fender. The brand name is the epitome of single coil tones, other iterations are novelty. These are Mexicans FYI & those oval Jazz Master tuners... whatever.

Pic: Fender

Rabbit 2023

It's finally here - year of the Rabbit. With every new chapter, there is always renewed hope & outlook for better things to come considering the dreadful occurrences that just passed. So here's to good health & abundance to all of us as we bury the previous chapter & forge ahead with renewed vigour. Onwards!

Penta!

 Aha! The inevitable. To be continued...

Ibanez 2023 (6)

The J.Custom gets a new model this year; RG8870. The catalog already offered an RG8570, which, from the images depicted above, look darn close. These sport DiMarzio pickups albeit different models & the 8870 gets a covered bridge humbucker which looks a little misplaced against the black hardware. It really belongs in the 8570 (chrome hardware).

The major difference here which is not obvious - the 8870 gets the Axe Design Lab treatment. Meaning - something that isn't the usual deal had been implemented in the instrument's design / spec. In this case, the 8870 is chambered body instrument (alder), while the 8570 is a solid affair (mahogany).

Pics: Ibanez

BOSSes (2)

So the new BOSS pedals are DS-1s. Predictably, one is the WAZA incarnation but what's the other?

The other DS-1 is the Malaysian version which I bought to prove myself right. I had a casual conversation last year with a certain someone who said the Malaysian version had a slight tonal difference. I disagreed because when I tested it in the store, there were no differences to be heard; the reason I didn't buy one then. So this purchase was to enable me to test the pedal out with my gear at home to maybe discover that difference but again, I hear no differences between the Malaysian & the Taiwanese. So, there.

Ibanez 2023 (5): Penta!

Really, this was least expected. Ibanez has a new pedal for 2023, the Pentatone. The fact that it's labelled as a preamp got some people confused. The Pentatone can be applied as a stand alone distortion / drive unit as well. It has features that I like - EQ, noise gate & of course pre-boost (most prob my favourite feature here). As if these aren't enough, there's a post-boost & bright switch as well. Again, is this a unique offering in the market? Definitely not. The Tone Workstation (Keeley), Palladium (Seymour Duncan) & Theta (ISP) are some examples which function like the Pentatone but aren't really referred to as a preamp. Here's a quick take which I feel is a very good presentation of what this pedal is all about:

Pic: Ibanez

PRS 2023: McCarty SE

Perhaps the biggest PRS news this 2023 - McCarty 594 SEs. I like everything about the McCarty since day one. It's quite the standard to beat when it comes to class & tone. The S2 McCarty range are worth every cent but the SE range are mind-numbing when it comes to the incredible price-to-quality consideration. My initial impressions of these guitars (demo videos & stuff) is that quality is still top notch despite the SE tag. In fact, the SEs are proving to be a serious challenge to the S2s in terms of value for money. If you still think guitars manufactured in the far east are second rated, maybe you should just stick to playing ukulele. 

Pic: PRS

Ibanez: Price hike

Ibanez had issued a price increase notice. Revised figures will take effect on 1 February 2023. From the looks of it, there's a 10% +/- price revision across the board. By the time these reach here & subjected to the new GST figures, we would re-think our purchase considerations. Prices are really heating up this year. It's like our livelihood is back to normal & wages are keeping up with the times. Not.

The consolation here is that, the Ibanez you see at Swee Lee's online store are still the 2022 figures but upon purchase, the new GST amount applies. So for those of us who had been holding back, maybe it's time to act quickly (especially after the Chinese New Year when the wallet is a little more bloated than usual). Maybe we could all just wait for stuff to appear in the after-market. If there is a time not to indulge in gear acquisition, that time is coming; sooner than expected.

Pic: Ibanez

Been there

Reflecting on the recent Ibanez Axe Design Lab treatment (2023), the SML721 is nothing new. Strandberg was there before. As you can see from the images above, both the Ibanez & Strandberg sport a 25.5" scale length at the bass side & 25" at the treble side. Of course, Ibanez proved to the world they could do it for much le$$er.

Ditto the 27-fret RGA622XH; ESP was there. Not trying to dis the new ADL stuff but these excitable models had been done before. Maybe Ibanez thinks it's a good time to re-visit such concepts now.

Pics: Ibanez, ESP, Strandberg

MOMM (35)

Weekend fodder.

Jeff Beck: Wired

While many cited Blow By Blow as the quintessential Jeff Beck solo exploit, I personally prefer Wired. Although these releases were a year apart, Wired sounded like Beck moving on with an established identity. More importantly, there was no reliance on a tear jerker (Cause We've Ended as Lovers), the spontaneity, livery & chemistry was absolutely magical. Head for Backstage Pass - firm favourite.

Celtic Frost: Parched with Thirst am I & Dying

I have a love - hate affair with Celtic Frost's music. I got into them late & quite dislike the fuzzy guitar tones. Back then I was heavily into death metal & this kind of doom, down tempo deviation didn't sit well with me. I originally heard the materials in this compilation through the cassette tape format. Someone was circulating it in school & by the time it got to me, others were distracted by Countdown to Extinction (Megadeth). I clearly remember liking the two opening tracks here & the affinity still sticks today.

BOSSes

Totally unnecessary but inclinations know no boundaries. To be continued... 

Jeff Beck: 1944 - 2023

Guitardom today mourns the passing of Jeff Beck. When I first listened to him, I was turned off because back then it was shred fest for me, Malmsteen, Vai, Satch et al. I revisited Jeff Beck for his unique approach to guitar playing. He's doing his own thing with fingers & to me that was the ultimate image of rebellion.  When I listen to him these days, it's because I'm in need of inspiration; absolutely nothing to do with technique. This is indeed a great loss, having someone who is incomparable & being the icon of individuality, gone, is a pronounced departure for sure. Leaving you with the Jeff Beck tune with an everlasting pick-me-up power (still on my playlist):

Pic: Only Solitaire

S2 10th

PRS' S2 Series celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year (yes, it's a decade already), these two models are commemorative iterations. The one you see above is the Custom 24.

This here is the McCarty 594. I didn't see any significant difference from the non-anniversary version less the American made pickups. There will only be 1,000 units made for each model. Expect limited quantities to come by but since there are two PRS dealers here, there's a good chance you could get one if you are keen.

Pics: PRS

Snake Vader

This is a spin-off from yesterday's guitar-tivities. OK so it's another Snake-stortion episode. Had been playing the pedal with single coils so it's a humbucking adventure now. As you can see from the dial, it's hard clipping all the way. The guitar sounds good in other clipping modes but not 'metal' enough, whatever that means. I've never been thoroughly happy with a pedal, the EH Snake-stortion is quite a rare feat in this sense. Thusfar, tone had been kept in the treble register with all pickups. It's like the pedal is happy to let your hear added clarity without thinning out the overall tone.

Headless endeavour

 

Spent time with these two today; light stuff since yesterday's episode involved a very heavy guitar. I didn't realize that both are in the same colour family, fixed bridge & sporting a 5-way pickup selector. FYI, the Ibanez is the lighter between the two. Also, despite the fretboard hue difference, both are maple fretboards. 

The Kiesel - This Vader needer some getting used to. It's not the headless detail but that lacquered neck. I'm in no way a fan of glossed out necks but I endured many Les Pauls to appreciate their tone signatures so this one shouldn't be given a different treatment. No mods for this one less an Orange cap in the tone circuit.

The Ibanez - Let me be upfront with this one - it's  B-Stock. Perhaps one day I will get into the flawed details but not in this episode, definitely. I was OK with the default Ibanez single coils in this guitar but the humbucker was something else. Decided to overhaul the entire pickup line up. Very happy with the ergonomics, even the rounder neck profile is a hit with me. If it's within my means this year, would wanna try the 7-string version. Current pickups (Seymour Duncan): JB / Hot Stack x2

20min

Sunday. Brief respite from work. Guitar time - yes! But this Edwards is the heaviest guitar I own. I played it for only 20min before switching to something else. When it rests on the lap, it will restrict blood circulation almost immediately. I enjoy playing this guitar for its sustain & the JB in there (bridge) is one of the best distortion tone I could conjure. 

Edit: My medical condition, as it is blood-related, actually accentuated the numbness. For the record, I still suffer from poor blood circulation owing to the cancer & medication side effects.

Ibanez 2023 (4)

 

The Axe Design Lab instruments are new for 2023. This range of guitars replace the Axion Label models with immediate effect. These are basically models having unique features which are not offered elsewhere in the catalog; a minor customized range if you will. My beef here is that the ADL is not a series of instruments in their own right. In fact, the ADL is a treatment because we note the instruments offered are already existing in a certain series eg. RGA / S / RG. I find this confusing.

Pic: Ibanez

Dreaming

This was my final guitar-related purchase for 2022 but it only arrived yesterday. If you are new to all things guitar-related, please be informed that the Joyo brand name is Chinese & nothing costly. The US Dream is a distortion unit which is not in heavy metal territory when it comes to intensity. I was trawling the 'net for an under-the-radar product to match the established brand names out there & Joyo is a deserving contender. Will be giving this one a performance appraisal so watch this space.

EH: Snake-stortion (3)

This is my concluding entry pertaining to the EH Snake-stortion. I got this instruction late; I wanted the brand name screened onto the pedal but all labels had been printed. Consolation - sticker which I pasted onto the baseplate. I just want to be proud of the fact that a certain brand name listened & helped me conceive my ideas. So, there.

How the pedal's innards look like; very neat & tidy. Pro-level workmanship indeed. Personal signature of the EH mastermind, Mr. Khian, in gold. As you can see, the pedal was ready in early December of '22.

This was something I inserted myself; a cushion for the battery. I hear the battery rattling in the enclosure when it was moved around so that was an easy fix. Initially, there were no intentions to run it on battery but I decided to include this feature as a final instruction. In the event that no isolated power supply could be employed for the pedal, the battery alternative is the way to go. This actually happened to me not too long ago. During a sharing session, the venue had a limited power outlet so my amp, effects & computer had to share a power source which proved to be too much for the pickup; every time the distortion pedal was activated, feedback happened. The squealing was excessive & ear-piercing. Even when I played clean, there was a background buzz to that was the limit for me. I was caught off guard. 

OK folks, that was pretty much the highlight of my 2022 which was gloom & doom mostly. I would want to remember it for this pedal which was above my expectations. I kept things simple, more importantly, I included features that serve my needs, no fancy graphics, no fancy knobs, no fabled capacitor, stuff like that. Objectivity was key. Please visit Elektrik Head pedals to see what's on offer. More importantly, you might want to contact them to get things going. You can reach EH at Face Book (CLICK) & IG (CLICK)

Ibanez 2023 (3): Qs

A fair development with the Q-Series. First up, the Q52 gets a poplar top finish, everything else remains the same.

The 7-string version is now offered in an HSS configuration & non-tilted frets. No major changes observed for this series of guitars. Seen above: Q547

Pics: Ibanez

Review quickie: G&L ASAT Classic Fullerton Standard

Pic: glguitars

G&L is Leo Fender's final guitar goodwill before his passing. Things are as Fender as it gets but due to the non-Fender label on the headstock, he was at liberty to differentiate his designs & explore refinements. The ASAT is a Telecaster offshoot but this Fullerton Series (Standard in this case) has its own take on the Classic label label. The ASAT CFS sports an alder body & a rosewood fretboard on this particular model. The maple 'board variant is available for an identical price tag.

Likes

• good balance for both sitting down & strap-on applications
• overall construction / fitting / finish
• versatile electronics & tone
• playability
• price

Dislike(s)

• classic by name only

There's no hiding the Telecaster impression here but the ASAT Classic is a proven progression in terms of sonic applications, mostly. The overall feel is arguably Telecaster in whole but some of the purists among us would miss the 3-saddle bridge feel. The audition model was impressive in terms of build quality; virtually faultless. 

Tone-wise, the ASAT, despite its Classic moniker, is a contemporary singlecut instrument. If you expect a Tele-esque twang, it is present but not overwhelming. I would pin this down on the pickups; these were conceived to be modern-sounding more than anything else. If your life indeed depends on the cowboy twang, you should not exceed crunchy overdrive settings. Everything beyond this would bring you into other musical territory which you might not associate with a Tele-looking instrument - prog & metal among others. Also, I managed to dial up some of the best lead tones from this guitar which seems to fancy higher amounts of gain. All in all, the ASAT CFS is a versatile instrument that conjures a certain vintage conjecture but would most likely leave you with a fine discovery of contemporary antics.

Final rating: 90%

G&L: ASAT Classic Fullerton Standard

Availability: City Music

Price: $1,740 (bag included)

Ibanez 2023 (2): AZ does it

Moving on with the new Ibanez 2023 offering, the AZ is now offered in a triple single coil configuration. Like the Mantovanelli signature, the dynaMIX switch was not included & replaced with a blend knob. Fretboard is rosewood & frets are stainless steel.  Gentle reminder - this is the N version so there is no cavity under the bridge to make it rest in a permanent floating position. Seen above: AZ2203N

The AZ2204N has a new finish this year; dark tide blue. It's dark enough to pass off as black from a distance but once the body catches light, the blue will be more prominent; subtle flip-flop effect.

So DiMarzios have officially crept into the AZ line (EDIT: These were already available in the Premium models). The HSH configuration & flame top are exclusive to the DiMarzio equipped models. Body is however basswood, which IMO, is a good match for the pickups. This is not an N model so the cavity under the bridge means it is resting in a permanent floating position. No dynaMIX switch here as well but no blend knob either, it's a standard 5-way selector. This model is a very close competitor to the RG in terms of features (mostly) with the latter having the upper hand in pleasing the shred purists due to the thinner neck profile. Seen above: AZ2407F

Pics: Ibanez

Out & about

Did something different yesterday, being the new year & all, with the looming urge to tread spaces outside my comfort zone. Brought the guitar out to the Botanic Gardens with the following sound supplements (no pun intended):

• Speaker. Portable / pocket JBL GO2
• Effects. Korg Pandora mini, Animals Pedal Distortion
• Cables. George L (2m), Ibanez (patch), brandless 3.5mm i/p for the speaker

Guitar chosen for the occasion - NK Headless. Why? Because it's light & less wieldy. I had not been playing the Pandora mini for a long while but it's proven its worth in terms functionality; it still works. The Animals Pedal distortion was included because there's a fresh battery in there & it's the most proximate when I was packing stuff before leaving. Ditto cables. The JBL speaker was a 2021 Christmas gift that somebody wanted to discard. It was sold to me for less than half the price; was still sealed in its original box. 

Outcome

• Having portable items is the way to go. My JBL speaker & Pandora didn't take up much space in the guitar bag pocket. Even the unwieldy guitar contributed to the joy in travelling & playing. 
• Manage expectations when dealing with compromises. Tone on offer wasn't that great but the JBL is not a guitar-related item to begin with so the driver wasn't conceived to manifest fantastic guitar tones but it's not trashy either. The JBL however, did very well when it comes to modulation & reverb. It's just not build for distortion. Also, the speaker rattled excessively even when bass was set at the halfway point (5); had to re-set bass to 2 for a decent, working tone. The Animals Pedal's presence was confined to the role of a boost, tone tweaks contributed marginally to the overall tone. 
• Having a spare battery helps. But I had forgotten to include one. Not worried about the JBL or distortion dying out but the KORG died after about 40min of use. Battery was drained rapidly because I activated the drum beats / samples throughout. Lesson learnt. 

Ibanez 2023: Luca

Good 2023 morning, gear heads. Exciting times at the Ibanez camp, interesting new models for your considerations. First up, in the signature camp, the new Luca Mantovanelli signature. Notice it doesn't include the dynaMIX switch, instead, one of the tone knobs is a blend control, allowing you to have all-on / neck-bridge options in some settings. All this while, Ibanez had been avoiding an SSS combo to exclude themselves from the purist Strat camp but I think they did a good job by waiting to see if the world is ready for their version of the unadulterated single coil offering. 

2023

2022 had left us. Whatever happened, that chapter is now closed. Wishing everyone a good 2023 as we forge on through uncertain times. On that note, the new chapter begins with a blow as our purchasing power is diminished by the GST hike.