Ibanez RGD2120: Duncanized

I got my Ibanez RGD2120 Duncanized late last year, but Beez did a fine job as usual- 59/Custom (bridge) + Pearly Gates Plus (neck).

The 59/Custom is a great pickup, it possesses the vintage warmth as well as a commanding distortion voicing. I had it in my S970 & accidentally did a de-tuned idea while I was playing & it sounded splendid. So I thought it would (big gamble) do well in a longer scale instrument like my RGD2120 & presto- it does mighty fine! The Pearly Gates is slowly becoming my preferred pickup in terms of solo applications. This is my second PG, the first one still resides in my S420.

2012: Hits & misses (2)

Hit- Duncan's 59/Custom hybrid pickup is a great addition to the fold; nothing really refreshing here, just a successful surgery of two already established pickups, housed in a single unit. It's not the manufacturer's original idea either, it's a product of one of the fans' tinkering. I'm happy with this pickup namely because it lives up to its fused reputation; in part a sweet clean player but a staunch distortion proponent given the drive settings. And then some great harmonics.

Miss- Shred meister Paul Gilbert showed everyone yet again what he could do with the guitar, a trio of single coils at the helm, mind you. However, with this one, he's putting a stop to the firm belief that he's abandoned his singing & song competency to splatter scary notes in your face full time. The shred is still there but it's riding on what Gilbert wanted them to do; to help manifest his ideas, mainly. It's a wonderful release this Vibrato album but it tested my patience in terms of guitar embrace. Nice, just not my type.

Seymour Duncan: TB-16 (59/ Custom hybrid)

This is the flavour of the moment for many Seymour Duncan fans; the 59/Custom hybrid (SH-16/ TB-16). It's only the second standard production model following a cult following of a fan-tinkered product which made it big online. Thanks to the receptive nature of the Seymour Duncan brigade & fan persistence, the 59/Custom hybrid is now a standard production model.

The 59/Custom hybrid, or the trembucker version you see here (TB-16) is a mix-and-match end product of Duncan's '59 & Custom models. However, I don't hear a distinct contribution coming from the '59 because the polite, warm, PAF-type responses were limited in attendance. On the contrary, the Custom's fat bottom end was present & commanding. The result isn't exactly a 50-50 fusion from both models but in my opinion, a perfect derivative for fans looking for some traditional warmth & sturdy bass response to cure their wimpy guitars featuring locking whammy bridges- the reason I have it in my Ibanez S970.

I had initially wanted to fix the TB-16 into a fixed bridge guitar but I went with my gut feelings & have it in this Ibanez instead. So my first take on this guitar, after listening to its performance having my S970 plugged straight through to my Laney Ironheart, is that of great satisfaction. But that may just be me.

To be continued...

Duncan's hybrid

Looking forward to this Duncan.