GS Monday

I am grateful for:

1. Having affordable guitars to tinker with. Thusfar, the cheaper stuff I purchased (mostly used) had been giving me greater returns. These are basically the entry-level Ibanez GIOs & Jackson JS models. Over time, I  am able to identify the models which are really worth getting to avoid buyers' remorse. Yes, the entry-level stuff are getting better but majority of the brands are still offering dodgy instruments which are better disguised. 
2. Getting away with DIY. I've not been to any techs here for guitar rectifications except for the electronic works. I leave this to Beez as he's more learned in this department. More importantly, I've done away with the tools for electronic rectifications. 

Today, it's just the Ibanez GS121 for the morning. This guitar (pre-owned) sounds more appealing after the pickups swap & it looks very personalized after a flip-flop re-finish. Along the way, I dabbled with minor repairs after understanding what needed to be done (knowledge is essential). I got away with makeshift tools as well because there are general purpose alternatives that could get things done. It doesn't have to be a Stew Mac option every time because we very well know that the brand name makes it more expensive than the lesser known counterpart which still gets the job done. 

B-pop

This guitar had not been played for a while. Decided to give it a fresh set of strings before playing. String buzzing detected  from 14th - 23rd fret. Darn. 

1. Straightened the neck
2. Checked for unlevelled frets, as seen in the pic above, buzzing only occurred on those marked out areas. That's right, the buzzing was not entirely across each fret but occurred at some parts only
3. Hammered. After some hammering, only three frets required levelling & re-dress. 

Reminder to all those who are addressing fret issues yourselves - hammer first, file subsequently  (if necessary). Also, reminder to self - do not remove the old strings before checking for fret issues first. It's quite a challenge to keep the new strings in place while attending to the problematic frets. 

To be continued... 

Co-exist

These days, I won't hesitate to go with the flow. Started with DiMarzios, played some Indonesian-esque tunes, sounded fantastic in all positions. Then I switched to some metal / heavy riffing which the DiMarzios couldn't really handle even after tweaking the amp's EQ for a bit. So out came the Duncans & everything was good, till I decided to return to those Indonesian-esque group of notes which requires some rounded top end - back to the DiMarzios. No blind loyalty (what's the point, I wasn't commissioned to begin with), go with what works.

Goodbye, October...

Ibanez - DB

Ibanez - Dragon Ball collaboration, might be the final feature for 2026 as it is unusual (from previous observations) for the manufacturer to release stuff in November / December. This is one of the many items released, a Japanese RG.

The fact that it features a block heel joint, it might be a tweaked Genesis RG550, however, it comes with a hard case. 

Pics: Ibanez

Prophecy Victory

The Victory model is now offered in the Epiphone lineup under the Prophecy Series. The body is not as curved as the Gibson version & it features an FR1000 bridge. Not my thing. Hopefully there's a simpler fixed bridge version along the way.

Pic: Epiphone

 

Break

Was at Malacca the last couple of days. Came here intentionally on a weekday to witness the quieter side of things. Had a great night walk by the river.

Main intention was to visit the Art Museum to get ideas for next year when I return to work (hopefully).

Managed to track this store down but they didn't have what I wanted. Had been a good time, walked a lot, clocked more than 20K steps each day. Tiring but enjoyable.

Rectify (3)

After rectifying the bridge saddle issue & looking into the bridge pickup height, I spent a few days playing this one. I like the Telecaster body outline, 22 frets & fixed bridge. These are simple features that help me focus on my playing. Pickups in there are the Super Distortion S models. The neck version has a wonderful grittiness that prevents notes from sounding too rounded & muddy.

A fresh set of strings before play. Someone was asking me why I keep playing cheap strings. Well, these are good strings which happen to be affordable - why not?

MoMM (68)

This is an under-whelming release. The closing number was annoying & uninspiring (> 11min). It's like they ran out of ideas for a song & it was stretched using minor changes to buy recording time. I actually look forward to this one but I guess the band's undergoing a downturn.

Rectify (2)

The pickup cavity is too deep for the pickup screws. Those wooden pieces were added to raise the surface. I had an unused wooded keychain lying around. Problem solved.

Ibanez RGR8270

Another October release by Ibanez but it's Japan-only in the mean time: RGR8270. I'm still not into the tree-of-life inlay; too excessive for me, will confuse my fretting hand movements. Also, I'm bothered by the covered bridge humbucker but the neck counterpart remains exposed. The neck humbucker there is a PAF 36th while the bridge & middle are True Velvet & Tone Zone respectively, the usual Ibanez favoured DiMarzios. 

Also not my thing - locking tuners when there's already a locking nut.

Pics: Ibanez Japan

Warwick / Sadowsky promo @ SL

Happening at Swee Lee right now, good till 29 Oct 2026. 

Rectify

Trying to understand what happened. When I took this out of its bag, the saddle was dangling, the guitar string kept it in place. I managed to recover the spring but the screw was missing. There was a hole in the guitar bag, it must have slipped through that & disappeared. First time this happened.

Tekton-ic

Folks, the current buzzword in the mean time: Tekton. These are PRS' new range of guitars aimed at the faster playing cohort. There are several models on offer; fixed bridge, whammy, FR whammy & 7-string extended scale. Looks like it's not a mere testing of the waters but a full blown consideration. I'm interested in the fixed bridge version but they don't offer solid colours for these. The most appealing version to me is this one pictured here.  

Solid colours are available for the FR version, this green one is a member of the family. These days, I'm no longer into the whammy stuff. I don't bend my strings so whammy-ing is out of the question. I've turned into someone who legato his way through with lots of chromatics 😅

Lest we missed it, the Tekton has an offset body design.

Thinking out loud:

• The fundamentals of the Tekton design were already manifested by the Vela & Chleo. Nobody would find this debut shocking
• The Tekton is a bolt-on make, which would appeal readily to the more aggressive / fast players. Jackson, ESP & Ibanez, the perennial shred favourites, had their models established in the bolt-on category so PRS doing a bolt-on to win over these players is the right move
• The FR version features an FR 1000 bridge, not an FRO. Implications: 1) Even PRS understood the 1000 version is good & reliable enough so no hesitations incorporating this into their guitars 2) Keeps costs down - also the reason no bird inlays are offered for the entire Tekton range
• Top carve isn't as deep as the core models, in fact, it's designed to incorporate some elbow relief so it's a smart consideration
• Thinner neck profile - manage expectations, please, it's not gonna be Ibanez thin. It's still within the PRS interpretations but that doesn't mean it won't be appealing

Pics: PRS

Okoume Eclipse

This was announced today - Edwards eclipse (E-EC-CTM) featuring okoume body & neck. The fretboard is ebony & the guitar features a pair of Duncans (JB / Jazz). There are currently three finishes available, this hematite (grey-ish), together with black & white. Very happy to see this happen because it reflects how ESP is reaching out to that group of players who are priced out by the ESP brand on the headstock or those excessively priced signature LTDs. That aside, even the regular LTD models are going for crazy prices these days.

Pic: ESP

Little issue

Playing the little one today. The tuning was a little cranky, I've slotted the problematic slots twice before & ensured sufficient lubrication to prevent further choking yet it happened again today. No re-slotting took place, I just flossed the slots & added more lubrication - problem solved.

I played this standing up throughout & it improved the upper fret adventures somewhat. When played sitting down, due to the shorter nature, playing the upper frets was a real challenge. When the guitar was strapped on, it somehow pushed the entire instrument towards the left shoulder so the fretting hand did not feel too awkward while playing. Of course, dealing with the narrower fret spaces was another issue.

MoMM (67): Refined Storm

Had been listening to this since Friday. This is my favourite / go-to Dimmu Borgir's album while the rest of the world worship Death Cult Armageddon (2003). Not to be confused with the original version of Stormblast which was released in 1996, this is the re-recorded version (2005) with essential contributions by Mustis (keys) & Hellhammer (drums). Mustis did well in DCA & his musical arrangements there helped polish this re-recording. Hellhammer, well his flagship drumming, which in my opinion exists almost independent of (any) band's expectations, helped put malevolence back into the music. These days, the bands that claim a stake in black metal always forgot what the genre is all about to begin with. Also, Stormblast represents the formative days of Dimmu Borgir unlike the band's incarnation today that sounds like a competitor in demure black metal.  Will be Stormblast-ing till further notice.

TOD - non-black

The non-black TODs are in at Swee Lee. Despite the colour changes (yes, everything else stay the same), price stays put at $999.

Pic: Ibanez

 

To the RB

Off to the recycling bin; 5 month's worth of guitar / bass / ukulele-related activities.

Good bundle

I consider this a good deal. The MT-130 itself retails for $450. For an additional $50, you get the necessary essentials which are especially meaningful for newbies. The guitar cable & bag here are winning inclusions because we know how it is these days: 1) If you buy a new guitar (the entry level ones especially), there's no bag included 2) Those default, complementary cables are very repulsive to say the least. That desktop LANEY amp is an acceptable performer. I prefer this one to any Marshall / Fender novelty amps. Strap, pick-holder & capo are nice inclusions.

Pic: DAVIS GMC

Snag

I re-strung / set up this bass not too long ago. The D-string wasn't that responsive upon tuning. Naturally, the nut slot was to blame but after sorting this out, issue persisted. Something told me to refer to the picture of the headstock featuring the old strings. Took me a while but I finally got it; this new set featured those red braiding seen in the pic above. The D-string's braiding did not fit properly into the string retainer slot. The said slot was filed a wee bit & problem solved. So it pays to actually have picture documentation of what you are working with.

Legend Series: KE-1

This one's obviously intended to tug your emotional heart strings. Intense tugging, mind you. Jackson had released some re-issue of sorts featuring well-known signature models. This Kelly KE-1 was famously propelled by Marty Friedman who went full circle when it comes to brand name endorsements. That lone SD JB & Kahler fixed bridge are stern reminders for shedding excessive features to focus on ability, yes?

Pic: Jackson

 

MoMM (66)

A-HA: Scoundrel Days (1986)

• Once upon a time, I used to have this on cassette tape
• Unpopular opinion - This one is more enjoyable than its predecessor, Hunting High & Low (1985)
• This one resonates with me more because it contains more melancholic, disguised depressive tunes. My favourite track - Soft Rains of April. Together with Silent Lucidity (Queensryche) & Sister of Night (Depeche Mode), this one's a go-to on my down days

Ulver: Nattens Madrigal (1997)

• This one was referred to by a friend
• I had a very high standard in musicianship when it comes to black metal because majority of them sounded like over-glorified trash. It took me a long while to understand that it was meant to be that way, nothing less.
• Burzum's Filosofem (1996) & this one were wasting my time back then. Today, I prefer listening to these compared to the cut-&-paste tunes on the radio. Just tune in to 98.7FM to know what I'm talking about

Neo Classics @ SL

The Charvel Americal Neo-Classic San Dimas guitar is now available at Swee Lee. For a guitar this simple, it lists for $4,199. The only complicated detail here is the locking FR bridge.

Anything simpler, it's gonna be the hard tail version here, listing for $3,999. Down the road, who would imagine that a guitar would list as much as / more than a professional salary. I know a grad who's currently paid lesser than this hard tail version.

Pics: Charvel

Price watch (109)

There are currently re-sellers in the after-market selling products which are way over-priced. These people are seemingly clueless when it comes to market prices or they are very confident in getting away with things. The re-chargeable D'Addario Nexxus tuner you see above is $35 at Swee Lee. Always check the prices of products which are on official distribution here before you agree to buy from these scammers.

Deviser

Currently sold in the after-market. Yes, there are Deviser models made in Japan but no these series. Please take note.

New Euro

New SOLAR models made in Euro (European Master Series). Very classy, very pricey as well - USD3.8K. That dark, rosewood-esque fretboard you see there, it's richlite. The maple fretboard version comes with piezo-type pickups in the bridge.

Pics: SOLAR

Player Fusion

This looks promising to those who are in the market for a contemporary Fender Tele; it's a Mexican Player Fusion Tele HH. The throw off - Floyd Rose Special bridge.

Pic: Fender

Ibanez mark-downs @ SL

It's a good October if you are in the market for an Ibanez. Swee Lee is currently having mark-downs for selected models (till 18th October). One of the most value-for money consideration is this RG565R ($1,549 $1,316).

The AZ2204 / AZ2203N are worth considering as well ($2,999 $2,399).

If you prefer the non-N version, it's also discounted with a price variation ($2,999 $2,549).

The 540PIII is barely a year old but it's discounted in the mean time. I see it as a non-mover due to its peculiar body outline. Having played one in person, it's a very easy instrument to deal with. ($1,749 $1,486). Do check out Swee Lee's homepage for more Ibanez deals. I'm just highlighting these (IMO) worthy Japanese models.

Pics: Ibanez

White-ober

This October, Ibanez released a trio of white guitars with similar configurations but each coming from a different series in the catalog. The common factors: 1) Gold hardware 2) Okoume body + ebony fretboard 3) Fluence Modern humbuckers. The guitars (top to bottom): RGR621 / RGDR61 / S721R. If you've noticed, Ibanez doesn't mind equipping their guitars with Fluence pickups for active electronics, but not quite the case with EMGs.

Pics: Ibanez

Pale

I got this one for a good price. The previous owner basically gave up because he screwed the bridge pickup too much into the body, the screws literally pierced through the rear end. Nothing special here, just an Ibanez Q52 model given an ebony treatment (fretboard + body top is pale moon ebony).

The pickups you see there are my spare DiMarzio X2N humbuckers. I've been saving them for an RGD but they look very intimidating in this guitar. 

I have 10s in this guitar in the mean time because it's tuned down to Eb. 

To come?

I'm intrigued by this image. It's the latest Ibanez Martin Miller signature model featuring: 1) A Lo-Pro Edge bridge 2) Active pickups. So this might signal the things to come (2027), the AZ model featuring locking bridges & active electronics. Also, the volume knob had been moved away from the bridge pickup.

Pic: MMFB

SL exclusive

That's right, if you look this up at the Ibanez home page, you won't find it there; this RG550 in Antique Turquoise is exclusive to Swee Lee.

Pic: SL webstore

Revstar MM

About time. Yamaha released the Matteo Mancuso signature Revstar (RS20MM). I respect the Revstar, it's a very respectable guitar but this finish & the gold hardware won't win me over. Folks, DiMarzio PAF 36th humbuckers in this one if you are interested.

Pic: Yamaha

PIII HH

Ending September with the knowledge that Ibanez is currently so in love with the Genesis 540PIII that this HH version featuring a throwback pickguard is one of the September 2026 highlights. Are you enticed?

Pic: Ibanez

Rotos for Kala

Needed some time away from guitars so it's a good time spent with the ukulele today.

Trying these Rotosound set. These are non-ball ends so some tying up is required. Nothing different from dealing with classical guitars. Immediate impression - strings give off a good volume projection. These are loud. 

But I'm not too agreeable with blue strings against a dark fretboard. That's about it. Nothing averse in terms of quality & performance, just that some of our vision (due to old age) are affected / easily fatigued by certain colour schemes. 

Fan-fretted ice

This was one of the surprises this month, least expected as well. So who are the players looking / lobbying for a 7-string, fan fretted Iceman? I hardly see the regular / standard Iceman being played around so this iteration is a baffling manifestation more than an intriguing September release. The ICMS721, they called it.

Least we forget, the fan fretted 7-strings coupled with a pair of oversized Fluences was already done recently, yes? So this part of the instrument wasn't exclusive to the ICMS721. I don't see the Alpha camp giving up theirs in favour of the ICMS721 in the mean time, The way I see it, the Alpha has the upper hand when playing standing up. Ibanez has the statistics to back their manufacturing up, yes?

Pics: Ibanez