G-Horizon

This Grassroots G-Horizon-FR was released today. Despite being a Grassroots version, it features an alder body & an ebony fretboard. However, pickups are in-house units & the bridge here is a Floyd Rose Special. It's a good looking guitar & is a serious alternative to the Ibanez & Jackson models in the same beginner-esque category.

Pic: ESP Japan

Snapping Friday

Good Friday morning, folks! As more Edwards guitars make their way to Davis GMC, I'd do my part by highlighting stuff along the way. For this instalment, if you are in the market for an S-type guitar but wouldn't mind a non-Fender alternative, do consider the E-Snapper. Seen above is the alder body / rosewood 'board version (E-Snapper AL/R)

Also available, the ash body / maple 'board alternative. (E-Snapper AS/M). Both models list for $1,500 ea.

My take on this - the Edwards brand is largely a sleeper in the market for lots of quality going for a very reasonable asking price. I'd say these would be in the mid-range price bracket. Overseen by the ESP camp, the Edwards brand name is not short of quality. When it comes to tone, it holds its own.

Pics: ESP Japan

Ibanez 2021 (6)

I thought Ibanez was done with the 2021 announcements but this popped up yesterday at their webpage (was busy to update + I had a late day). Seen above: AZS2200F (F = flame maple top)

There are two variations offered; the one you see up there with the whammy bridge (alder body) & this fixed bridge version sporting an ash body (AZS2209H, H = hard tail). The whammy bridge is a duplicate of the AZ's, Gotoh T1802. Ibanez chose to go the vintage way with the 3-saddle T-style bridge but it's still a Gotoh (F1803). I foresee the vintage purists swapping the saddles out for the brass version to manifest an all out twang - heck, yeah! If you look at the control layout of the AZS2209H, it screams Telecaster with a twist. If you are a Tele owner, you'd know how the straight layout sometimes hinder pickup switching so slanting / curving it this way addresses just that. Brilliant. 

So what Ibanez did, to see the bigger picture here, is to offer a T-style version of the AZ model so you entice both Strat & Tele fans to the fold. There won't be a total switch over if you had been a Fender bender all this while as these instruments offer a different playing experience & tone. I'm also glad that Ibanez kept the Seymour Duncan theme going for this series but choosing existing models (Magic Touch Mini / Alnico II Pro Custom) instead of collaborative models like the AZ's Hyperion & Fortuna.

Is this Ibanez's first T-style adventure? Certainly not. The guitar you see above was featured in Richie Kotzen's Electric Joy album. Maybe it's a good time to entice Mr. Kotzen back into the Ibanez camp with the AZS? Hmm...

Lest we forget, these are the other T-style models by Ibanez:

• A: Talman series. Has the T vibe going but the body is an offset design
• B: Ibanez's offshoot label, the Starfield. This one here is one of the Cabriolet models
• C: FR - the most recent design but discontinued WEF 2021. Hold on to yours if you own one

Pics: Ibanez/ Audiofanzine/ Musicstore/ pinterest

Aero II

This is actually Episode 2 of 'Available but not updated'. That's right folks, Fender's Aerodyne II Strats (MAde in Japan) are now available in store.

The HSS version is also available. I usually reject black guitars but this one has white binding & in person, it looks attractive. Unlike its predecessors, version II features an alder body & 2-point whammy bridge. The string saddles are also steel so you get that beefy bright top end & it helps during solos.

Ibanez: The retainer returns

Another Ibanez RG in the manufacturer's catalog (RG2570). But note the following:

• Ibanez re-installed the string retainer at the headstock plus no sliding truss rod cover
• This is a Prestige model but no 'Prestige' label there at the headstock
• OK, so they did an alder body for this one.

S2 Alder

Upon Mike's (Standard Value) special request, the Smash S2 guitars available here feature an alder body instead of the standard basswood. I played one a few days ago, the tonal difference here is the guitar's more vocal single coil response. We do keep in mind why Fender prefer alder for their Strats, yes?

The other revision would be the bridge's string saddles; these are no longer the vintage type featuring those annoying, protruding, action adjustment screws. What we get are the modern block type, ala Fender's American Deluxe bridge hardware.

Wood talk: Alder

Alder is a medium-weight wood which churns out a beefy midrange & an excellent low-end response. Its highs are rather bright, often masking the other frequencies when it comes to guitar amplification. This tone wood is synonymous to Fender's wood preferences because of the manufacturer's bold decision to make it a comprehensive substitute for ash in the early years of its production history. Much of the glorious Fender top end snap is attributable to this wood which enhances the single coil pickup performance.

We note Fender's use of solid colour finishes for their alder bodied instruments due to the grainy nature of the wood which are bland to say the least. Fender reserves majority of its transparent overcoat for the ash bodied models which are visually more attractive (but maple is the standard to beat when it comes to attarctive wood grains).