DGMC / SL

Folks, be informed that Seymour Duncan & DiMarzio pickups are now available at both Davis GMC & Swee Lee. I love both pickups but currently leaning towards Duncans due to the nature of my set up. 

Pics: SD / DiMarzio

TEJ

After some digging, I found out this is a Fernandes TEJ-75 model. I am the third owner of this guitar, the second owner had scant info that he gladly shared with me. The body's previous finish was stripped down & re-finished with what looked like a gold top. There were numerous scratches on the guitar body so I gladly re-finished it in blue with a light glitter coat.

Here are the scratches, evidently, I didn't use a filler before applying the blue coat. This was intentional because I used whatever colours I have in the mean time, I obviously did not have any fillers 😅 The glitter coat was meant for another guitar but it made its debut here. The pickups in there are DiMarzio Distortion S models. Was told the previous pickups were active units but I am not a fan. I prefer angry passive pickups.

Will continue to use Olympia strings as long as they are still available. 

Pro-M Jake

Was looking at this new Charvel Jake E Lee model, the Pro-Mod version. Unlike the American take, this one does not sport a matching body-headstock finish which I thought looks more appealing. This is one of those guitars that combined Seymour Duncan (JB, bridge) & DiMarzio (SDS-1, middle / neck) tonalities to give the player the best of both worlds (aggression vs smoothness). The previous Pro-Mod (featuring a pickguard) listed for slightly more than $2K, hope this one doesn't stray too far off this mark. 

Pic: Charvel

Ibanez April 2026: 8540PIII

Aw, darn... Ibanez elevated the 540P into its J-Custom tier. This gorgeous version is the 8540PIII with the rather obligatory gold hardware & TOL inlay. I guess these are obligatory details of a J-Custom which I personally do not fancy. Pickups are DiMarzio's Air Norton S (n) & Tone Zone (b).

Already, the beef with this one is that block heel; fans are asking why such a hindrance was preserved when everyone is looking forward to venture up to the 24th fret these days. Anyway, this one is currently not available in this region.

Pics: Ibanez

S-Sunday

Another day of staying indoors & playing guitar. This is the SML721 featuring tilted frets. Tilted, not fanned because the first few frets are not tilted so there's no fanning out.

I happened to come across a pair of DiMarzio Fusion Edge pickups which were purchased (for a good price) & installed here. The FE has a hit / miss reputation & these are definitely a miss in this guitar. The last time I hear good stuff coming from the FEs were from an extended scale RGD. These have to go soon.

My final pack of DR 9s went into this guitar. For the kind of music I embrace, DR strings are the best but they cost a little more than the other strings brands out there. I will only purchase them during seasonal discounts.

Ibanez 2026: Kiko

Kiko Loureiro's new KIKO300 puts him into the AZ camp. As seen above, the guitar offers an HSH pickup combo + 24 frets. Pickups here are DiMarzio KIKO models & that flick switch is a coil-tap feature, not the Alter Switch. If the features here look familiar to you, it's basically an AZ2407 with a flick switch. Of course, those block inlays help differentiate this guitar visuall7.

Pic: Ibanez

Ibanez: RG653DX

Regardless of the other distractions, this new RG653DX is a winner in my books (in the RG category). It doesn't stray away too much from its other RG siblings in terms of design. On that note, players out there agree that the big block inlays & that 'shell pickguard might put loyalists off. Both colours feature an ash body & DiMarzio pickups (Norton / TZ). By the way, the 6XX models are not new to Ibanez, there was an RG655 (2014) which was basically a variation of the RG550.

Pics: Ibanez 

Green P (4)

Just reached home from Beez's. This guitar had its electronics overhauled (90%) & ready to rock.

The pickups in this one are DiMarzios less the middle one which is a factory default Ibanez single coil: Crunch Lab (b) / Breed (n). I don't really fancy DiMarzios but since I have these lying around, they were put to good use. The sparkle finish isn't really obvious in this pic.

I nearly threw this away without realizing there's one more set left. Summary of what took place with this Ibanez RG2570Z:

• Body re-finish. Only the top part was done to cover the worn out surfaces & countless scratches. Green sparkle (mild) finish with a final lacquer overcoat. Took a few days to cure, leaving it in the sun helped. 
• Cleaned bridge. Thorough cleaning, wipe down + polish.
• Replaced pickups, pots & selector switch. Only bridge & neck pickups were replaced. Middle default pickup was left in tact. New, smoother & non-scratchy pots were installed. 5-way selector was also replaced. All pots + selector switch are Japanese products. 
• Removed all corroded screws. So many rusty & oxidized screws, all replaced.
• Clean other hardware. Thorough cleaning, wipe down + polish top lock & tuners.
• Fret re-dress. Some were re-crowned.
• Action set up. After shimming the neck pocket, a low, shred-worthy action was achieved.
• Cleaned fretboard. A good amount of gunk was removed & fretboard was re-oiled. Happy with the outcome.
• Cleaned headstock. Headstock was wiped down & polished. Love the shine.

So much work done but it's a fulfilling task for me. I am very happy to be occupied & applying my know-how & witnessing a dead instrument come back to life. It had been a good Saturday.

Length matters

After years of handling pickups, I thought this would be good info for both seasoned & beginning players alike. The pickup depicted above is the Seymour Duncan trembucker version of the JB.

This here, is the F-Spaced version of DiMarzio's Evolution humbucker. Notice the length difference for both pickups.

Yes, I'm highlighting a minor length difference between these pickups but it makes a lot of difference if you intend to install these into the various guitar brands / models out there. Do keep these in mind:

• For guitars with pickguards, there is a high chance that a little trimming / filing needs to be done if you opt for the SD trembucker. Yes, it's only a mere mm difference but the trembucker would either not fit into some pickguards or the fitting is so tight, the sides of the pickup are scraping against the pickguard.
• For guitars with pickup mounting rings, the same issue would manifest. Notice Seymour Duncan includes a complementary mounting ring for all its trembucker pickups. So this is what it's for, please do not discard that.
• For guitars with direct mount pickups, the trembucker would again scrape against the sides of the pickup cavity. Filing this away is a little tricky but from experience, it's a tight fit as opposed to an impossible fit.

Saturday morning, still reminiscing my good days at work. Needed a distraction. Took this out to play.

Couldn't get any nice solo ideas going. I blame the pickups for this 😅 DiMarzio's D'Activator / D'Activator X were not conceived to propel ballads & emotional solos. Spent a good hour or so just grinding out brutal riffs. At least I get to manifest my frustrations.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Stay safe.

Muscle T

Seriously, I don't know what's trending in the Tele Universe these days but DiMarzio has answered a call for more hard-hitting tele tones. The Muscle T models here serve to appease those gain fiends but we wonder if these players would resort to a Tele for such needs. In any case, notice that the bridge PU's pole pieces are staggered. The neck version is rather excessive in the top end with bass frequencies nearly wiped out. The reason for doing so - to enhance the Tele tone in this position which many considered lacking in definition. I can attest to this as I always look forward to beef things up in this department.

Pics: DiMarzio

Ibanez: Sept '25

By now, you've seen the new Ibanez releases for September 2025. After being absent in August, Ibanez returned with the good stuff this time.

One of the releases is this IV2RG. This marks the beginning of a new series of guitars - Visions, made in Japan. These instruments (only 2 in the mean time) sit above the J-Custom range so expect some hefty price tags when they debut here. I immediately like the headstock label; it's free from any pompous tags like J-Custom / Prestige which are more suggestive than anything else. Let the instrument quality speak for itself, not some patronizing labels. The guitar is a through-body design, with an ebony 'board, steel frets, DiMarzio pickups & Lo-Pro Edge bridge. I have no idea if Ibanez is obliged to equip a higher tier instrument with vine inlays but this seems to be the case lately. I'm not into excessive fretboard marking so this is a put off. Ditto the gold hardware - paying for a coating that would wear off over time is not my thing. 

I'm trying to understand why there is a need for a new tier especially so when there are no distinct differences between a J-Custom & the Visions. The neck-body construction might be it but this is not a sure formula to become a better instrument. It might be the case for price justifications; oh, the new VISIONS are neck-through so we're asking more for it. 

Donor appreciation (cont'd)

• Shawn Siow. Thanks for the contribution - every bit helps me in so many ways.

Black Saturday

Was at Beez's to get pickups fixed into my Ibanez RG521. Was there early to avoid the road closures for the NDP 2025 rehearsal but roads closed earlier than I expected. The good thing - the City Hall-Peninsula-Funan underground linkway facilitated regular pedestrian movements regardless of the road closures. Thank goodness.

The pickups in question are DiMarzio D'Activator X. I have these pickups in my Ibanez Destroyer so I know what to expect from them but strangely, in this guitar, these manifest more low frequencies. It might be due to the direct body mount but I like what I'm hearing.

Of course, a quick re-string before the pickups were soldered into action. So this pack of Harmony strings were left inside a bag at my storage space since March 2024 - yikes! But Harmony strings, true to its enduring nature, remain usable.

Warrior Dave

Jackson & Dave Davidson continued their collaboration into the Warrior zone. Many conformists out there would find this outline a little repulsive but it's compulsory consideration for all those dwelling in the metal zone.

Those of us who are not into maple fretboards, it's available in ebony as well but with a reverse headstock. Specs are decent; DiMarzio Pickups (Occult) & an FR1000 bridge. This is a Pro Series model FYI.

Pics: Jackson

Y & Y

This year's NAMM announcement saw the resurgence of the Korn-endorsed Ibanez guitars. Unlike its previous iteration, the models this time round are RGD-based despite featuring a 25.5" scale length. The Yin model comes in an all black finish, a pair of DiMarzio Blaze pickups (a very Universe vibe) & an ebony 'board. The body being nyatoh might be the obvious cost-cutting indicator since these instruments are not Japanese but we wonder how much more a mahogany body would add to cost for it to be excluded. The U-Bar whammy is an obvious nod to its roots.

The Yang model, living up to its contrasting symbiosis, comes in a white finish, featuring a rosewood 'board instead. This model features a fixed Evertune bridge, the pickups are also a pair of DiMarzio Blaze but is devoid of a tone control. 

I see the Korn act as being over & done with. It's making a return riding on a generous dose of nostalgia, the guitar brand being a large part of this resurgence. Do you see nu-metal making a come back, am I missing this? So the obvious implication here is that players won't lose their mind & rush to acquire these guitars come Summer. There is also the danger of these guitars being a pair of overpriced non-Japanese signatures & the fact that these are 7-string models mean they would only appeal to a certain cohort of players in guitardom. If there is a real interest in re-booting the Korn affair, then the guitars should be RG-based, not RGD. Further cost-cutting could be observed by re-instating the DiMarzio PAF 7s instead of the more costly Blaze; the PAFs were indeed the original pickups back in 2001 when the K7s were unleashed to the world.

Lest we forget, Brian Welch left Ibanez prior to this Yin Yang introduction & his LTD 7-string was awesome to say the least. We can see why the RGD was chosen for this come-back owing to the LTD Horizon's curved body top & chamfered cutaways. The forces that be at Ibanez might have seen something coming by facilitating the K7 return which we, the lay people at the buying end, do not. There's nothing to be too excited about these instruments as they are not in the upper tiers of the manufacturer's catalog. 

Goodbye, January...

Pics: Ibanez / L&M

Sunday guitar

Another indoor Sunday episode (excluding morning walk). It seems that SG is abbreviating Sunday Guitar 😅 at least for my case. I never did a follow-up to this entry here: CLICK pertaining to the DiMarzio Evolution humbuckers in this guitar so here it is. I took this out to play because I needed to hear good DiMarzios in action. So DiMarzios are bad? Of course not, I personally prefer Seymour Duncans but I do pay attention to the DiMarzios that serve my needs.

The pickups in this guitar are actually an Evo 2 & an Evo. As depicted above, the bridge pickup has a rather flat response save for a little nicked treble. The neck pickup on the other hand has a slightly boosted bottom end & wee bit more treble than its bridge counterpart. There's also a little more high mids on offer.

These may be minor differences but in use, it makes all the difference. The bridge pickup sounds very biting with loads of clarity. The neck also manifests much clarity for solos despite a curbed treble response. Folks, this is strictly a Gibson - DiMarzio chemistry especially involving an SG. Please do not cascade this understanding unto your Jackson / Ibanez guitars sporting a whammy bridge & be upset with the outcome. In due fairness, the EVOs were made for Steve Vai who is using an Ibanez with a dual action whammy bridge so by virtue of this understanding, the chances of these pickups working in such a guitar is a highly likely outcome. My point in bringing this episode to you is to share the fact that the EVOs sound very appealing in Gibson SGs as well. If you kept coming across reviews of the EVOs in shred-esque guitars then let me be the one to tell you that these work wonders in other guitar types as well. 

Purple Sunday

Just got the wiring for this sorted out. On the way home, finally met the guitar GOAT 😅

It's like this - The replacement pickups for this guitar are DiMarzios. This guitar features Ibanez's dyna-MIX10 switching system. DiMarzio pickups have to be wired in another way, not conforming to Ibanez's colour code. In this case, DiMarzio's Fusion Edge humbuckers actually follow the Ibanez color code. So there. We were made to figure out an unnecessary permutation of wirings only to realize that the original combo is the correct one to begin with.

Ibanez: August '24 (3)

One of the new guitars Ibanez released this August is Paul Gilbert's FRM350. This iteration has that fancy tail end Gibraltar model, something you'd see on an AR model, for a vintage vibe. Pickups are DiMarzio's Air Classics which I like. 

So this time, there's a magnetic platform at the treble cutaway to hold a slide. Do you need one for your guitar? No, you don't but Paul Gilbert does. He's on a slide itch & Ibanez is acceding to the endorser's fancy like they did with his mini humbucker & single coil affiliations not too long ago.

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Thank you for your kind contributions: Ryan Woo

Pics: Ibanez

Heavy zone

I have a love-hate affair with DiMarzio's Tone Zone. In some guitars it sounds downright nasal with a semi-useless bass response. That fuzzed-out sound... I hate it. In others, it can really give a good punch to heavy distortion. Depicted above is the Tone Zone in my Ibanez SEW761. It sounds awful most of the time (in this guitar).

Today, I decided to pair it up with the Digital Metalizer (MZ-2). Outcome:

• the TZ has an excessive bass response so the MZ-2's EQ was set past midway to enhance treble
• overall tone was more usable in chorus modes. It seems that the TZ needs some kind of a top end booster to make the overall tone less nasal / fuzzy
• tone sounds more palatable when the drive was set to about 3/4 way. Implication - the TZ might be better for crunchy stuff rather than all out metal

Verdict: Nothing changes. The TZ is more of a miss than a hit for me. Strangely, I would want to hear it in action every now & then 😅

Review quickie: DiMarzio Norton

The DiMarzio Norton is an Alnico 5 humbucker with a strong midrange response. It's meant to be a bridge humbucker with a high output performance. The one you see above is the special order double cream finish which was sold to me for a good price because it's an F-Spaced version; the owner wanted a regular spaced model. It was still sealed in the box when I took over possession.

Likes

• clarity with distortion
• smooth overall performance at high volume settings
• relatively good clean tones

Dislike

• nasal midrange at high gain settings

Overall rating: 80%

I'm not really a fan of DiMarzios (if you've been following this blog diligently) but I make exceptions for models which cater to my needs. The Norton here was spec'd out for a pushed midrange performance which is absolutely my thing with regards to the music I play.  So this humbucker was adept to all harsh settings common in the black metal realm but the midrange gets nasal at high gain settings (even in less distorted situations). A check over at the amp's EQ section is a must. The good thing about DiMarzios - they still maintain the smooth, polished overall tones with excessive processing. If you wish for clarity (especially the solo-inclined geeks) at high gain, the Norton is the way to go, regardless of the music genre.

Thanks: Bothers Kai Jie / Jordan Thiam for your kind contributions. One more time - I'm very grateful to all who had made my December a little more bearable. If you wish to join the cause - for which I'm grateful for - please refer to the QR code on the left shoulder of this page. Thanks in advance!