Been a while

And so it happened. A new Ibanez. These days it's not about keeping up with what's new but getting what is deserving.

Checking Standard (2)

Dear hard case, you're supposed to protect the instrument, not infect it with rust (hence the broken strings) & mould (those white spots).

You deserve to be baked in the sun.

Folks, the glue that sticks the hard case's interior fur lining to the structure will bleed onto the instrument parts over time. It is aggravated by prolonged storage. If you are the hard case type & believe your instrument shouldn't be subjected to knocks - good for you. Do bring it out for a breather occasionally. My guitar was left stored away for about 6 months. While trying to remove one of the rusty screws there, the pressure cracked some plastic parts which are of course replaceable. More on that documentation in another episode.

A set of Cleartone 10s to sweeten proceedings.

We are good to go. This is my third LP, the first was a limited run LP Studio GEM series which I sold off (regrettably). Then came the BFG which was subjected to numerous mods before I decided to spend good money on a standard bearer, ironically, it's the LP Standard. I've never spent this much money on a Gibson before & back then, it wasn't even my thing; I was a firm Ibanez camper (still am). However, I deem owning a Les Paul rather essential in understanding guitar philosophy so this was a serious turn in that understanding.

The Special one

This 5-way switch is dead. Yes, it might look quite presentable but it didn't notch in any positions & was stiff so it was dumped.

These 2 are dead as well. No amount of contact cleaner would provide any salvation- stuck. The orange caps were saved, of course.

The guitar in question is my Fender American Special Strat. I had Beez instal a Fender 5-way pickup selector replacement & a couple of Gotoh pots to replace the dead tone pots. No orange caps were used this time, instead, my Luxe capacitor went in there. Remember, an American Special Strat comes with special wiring- the middle pickup is tone-free, meaning, it's not wired to any tone control ala Eric Johnson. This isn't my option, it's factory default.

Here it is, all cleaned up & ready to play. The American Special does not come with a hardcase. A Deluxe Fender bag is the standard accessory with every purchase. 

The one you see here is an SKB manufactured Fender case. I recently bought one for my Special, it's a good guitar with plenty of good tones for me so it deserves a good resting place. 

Here you go- proof of the SKB manufacturing.

Attack Sunday

I'm still using D'Addario for my 8-string guitar; it's the only brand that would put me at ease in terms of compatibility issues.

That set went into my Schecter ATX C8. It's not evident here but my C8 is creaming off nicely :-)

I bought this Gator hardcase for another guitar but I ended up giving it to the C8 instead simply because it fits. Available at Davis GMC.

How difficult is it to play an 8-string? 

Do not begin by believing it's difficult just because it has 2 more strings. In fact, you should be delighted by the fact that you have 2 more strings which you can use to replicate ideas that you play on the higher B & G strings. I embrace the 8-string this way so there's no issue for me in terms of acceptance. In fact, I tune my thickest 8th string to G instead of the recommended F#...

Wider neck = obstacle?

Yes, the wider neck has an immediate impact to feel, one of rejection because you have to stretch you fingers to play what you'd play easily on a 6. However, if you posture your arm & hand suitably while playing, I'd say it's no real hindrance at all. I'd also recommend you play the 8 standing up, this way, your hands are suitably straightened to finger the frets more comfortably. Those of us who prefer playing the 8 sitting down often had to bend or arch the fretting hand excessively to reach the lower strings. This hinder movements hence promoting lethargy & mistakes.

New case

My Ibanez S570B gets a hard case- yes, it's another W100RG model. I'm slowly giving some deserving guitars their respective resting places.