Destroying Sunday

Sudden urge to hear this one in action. This doesn't get played too often due to how heavy it is. Anyway, the push-pull tone pot stopped working & the volume knob crackled despite repeatedly being blasted by contact spray. That means... 

... it's off to Beez's to get things looked into. 30min worth of servicing & it's all good to go. Beez advised me to get all three pots replaced instead of just the dysfunctional pair. Wise words indeed.

Of course, a quick re-string before action started. 

While travelling with this guitar (using a bag, not that hard case), I could feel the weight of it pushing down my knees. I took time to stop, re-generate of sorts, before moving on. Folks, it's been a few years of my chemo meds & it's affecting me / my body more than I realized. Would not exclude the possibility of needing a walking aid in time to come.

 Wishing you a good week ahead & free from cancer & its side effects.

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PS: Thank you, Lee Eng Kim Muhd Hakim, for your kind contributions.

Destruction

Back in its heyday, Ibanez was known as a clone manufacturer; whatever the big two had in their catalogs, Ibanez would offer an interpretation at a fraction of the cost. The Destroyer here is a mutant of a certain Gibson, the initial design was legally taken to task so this version perpetuated the manufacturer's knack for following others. However, we know how the Destroyer played its part in history (Van Halen/ Def Leppard, among others) so to date, there is still a Destroyer lurking somewhere in the Ibanez catalogs (they disappeared entirely along the way, but come backs happened every now & then). To date, the DT425GB is the perpetuating Ibanez to note.

For discussion's sake, here's how Phil Collen's Ibanez Destroyer looks like. These still go for a good price at evil bay. 

pic: jackson.com

In a recent resurgence, Phil Collen collaborated with Jackson for this X-stroyer model. Hmm...

I'm glad I got mine when it was on clearance :-) (DTT700)

Anew

The mouldy Ibanez Destroyer guitar case- remember that one? After a wipe down with damp cloth & letting it dry, I applied this Fender vinyl cleaner fluid. It's a little excessive to be treating it this way but has that restored look I like. Makes it look newer than it should be.

Domestic destruction (3)

Yes, the DTT700 suffered from a dry fret condition, I think you can tell which fret areas were re-moisturized & which ones were not.

A fresh set of strings, GHS .009s. Other rectifications/ adjustments done:

• Neck was straightened. Not that it was severely warped but I needed that bit of leeway to complement a lower action
• Action was lowered, not the lowest I could achieve but it facilitated my quirks, that's more important
• Pickup heights were lowered 

The Destroyer, finally up to scratch & removed from its previous neglect. I love this guitar for the tone & playability, not quite the outline. The excessive tail end has no elbow relief feature, I find this annoying but all in all, the DiMarzios in there interacted well with the overall weight of the instrument to give that fantastic low end rumble. As the D'Activators were conceived to be pseudo-active units, it means that your neck pickup tones won't go limp on you in times of need. More on this in subsequent episodes...

Oh, this is the current alliteration after the DTT700's acquisition: Destroyer's DiMarzio D'Activators.

Domestic destruction (2)

This was the showroom condition of the DTT700; very dusty. You can see my fingerprints on the truss rod cover. Back there, the guitar was hung up on the higher tier so it was subject to less handling, the weight per se would put many potential buyer off.

You'd wonder why the strings & the fretboard are of uniform colour; well, that's the colour of rust... I have a feeling this guitar was played many times when it was a fresh addition to the showroom & it was ignored thereafter. More dust at the lower cutaway- saw that?

Domestic destruction (1)

This was the scene when Swee Lee opened their doors this morning at 10.00A.M. sharp. Fortunately, there was no limited entrance, everyone was allowed to step into the store.

It was a grab-&-pay affair for me, I'd made my mind up yesterday so there was no waiting. This was the hard case for the instrument & it was incredibly mouldy as indicated by the arrows, not quite visible here. 

The guitar in question is Ibanez's Destroyer DTT700, a very hefty instrument. In fact, it nearly destroyed my arms while carrying it home. I was fighting both the weight & the case's slippery, mouldy handle. This guitar is in dire need of a make-over... Will update later, heading for a wedding lunch now. Adios, everyone.