With the chickens... again

The same family of chickens now judging my Ibanez. Following yesterday's Strat episode, there was a strong urge to hear single coils in action but not in a Strat. So out came the AZ2203N.

Does the AZ2203N sound like a Strat? Reality check - any single coil equipped guitar would sound like a Strat because those are the pickups in a Strat. Things would get a little fiery when someone in the conversation would attest to the fact that Fender's version of the single coil sounds the best. Best is always subjective but we all could agree that Fender sets the standard.  Everything else is measured against this yardstick. 

Does the AZ2203N feel like a Strat? Reality check once more - it says Ibanez on the headstock so it doesn't give a hoot if it feels / should feel like a Strat. Strat is Fender's proprietary reference to a triple single coil equipped guitar & it became a utilitarian reference along the way just like how the Pampers brand is understood to mean baby diapers. The neck profile here differentiates itself from a Strat; it is a little thicker & rounder. Those who are accustomed to a Strat would agree that it hold its own. It's a darling for deep bends as well as some shred-esque applications. 

Why did you buy the AZ2203N when you already have Strats? I embrace variation & re-interpretation. These factors manifest appeal & will continue to be the inherent account for why people buy a non-Fender 'Strat'. It works because we humans, do not have the same hand profiles so some variations on a popular theme would appeal to some of us. When I pick up my AZ2203N, I tend to play differently; I don't stray into the clean zone & I tend not to slow down my playing. It's a different case if I pick up a Strat; to me this is the best tone to be adding chorus to & I enjoy playing slower on a Strat. Some playing psychology & maybe a placebo effect there but that's how it is. 

Dimensional weekend

It's a Saturday without distortion. Kept things clean today to appease the Dimension C application. I'm not a clean tone person by any means but today was enjoyable. There's something about the chorus & clean tones that everyone should embrace. Not to mention, a touch of reverb. Also, cleans & single coils are good friends. 

Review quickie: Seymour Duncan Five-Two

This is a quirky pickup by Seymour Duncan. The Five-Two here refers to the magnets used in this pickup - Alnico II for the E-B-G strings & Alnico 5 for the D-A-E strings. This model is offered for both Tele & Strat applications. 

Likes

• clarity
• warm cleans
• thick distorted tones

Dislikes

• rather sensitive to pickup height adjustments

If there's any magic manifesting from this hybrid magnet design then it's proving its worth. The Five-Two has very good articulation across the frequencies despite the EQ chart suggesting a scooped setting. In clean mode, it sounds warm with an impressive midrange presence, again, contrary to what the EQ documented. I love this pickup for its lead / solo applications; it sounds very humbucker-ish without becoming mushy at high gain / drive levels. If you wish for a commanding lead tone without resorting to the ceramic discourse, then this pickup is it. I feel that it's rather sensitive to pickup height adjustments, more apparent in distorted settings.

Rating: 90%

Let Larry Basilio convince you:

Seymour Duncan: Five-Two

Availability: Davis GMC

List: $130

Pics: Seymour Duncan

Review quickie: Seymour Duncan Psychedelic (neck)

I'm not really a single coil fan but I appreciate the clarity offered by single coils & its lush applications with chorus. I only got this pickup in search of a neck replacement that is out of my comfort zone. The Psychedelic came to mind as it sports a scooped EQ which I totally detest.

Likes

• Clarity
• Good for both clean & overdriven tones

Dislikes

• Lacks bottom end

As you can see from the image above, the Psychedelic is a scooped player in all positions. In use, I could hardly detect a marked scooped tone. It's all about the treble here which others might disagree. As it is a neck unit, I had the tone control maxed out to prevent any muddy definition & it sounded sweet with distortion. Clean, it performed equally well. If you are into sweep arpeggios, this is a good pickup option. With reference to the SSL-1 which is arguably the benchmark for decent single coil tones, the Psychedelic isn't too different, I hear a stronger treble response from this one which might appeal more to those of us who solo in the neck position.

Rating: 89%

Seymour Duncan: Psychedelic Strat

Availability: Davis GMC

List: $125

Pics: Seymour Duncan

Singular objective

Today's decision to stay indoors was an easy one; it's crazy hot outside & I hardly have any money to buy stuff. So there.

I'm still in single coil mode & enjoyed some great moments with this Melody Maker. I think I really need to hear this guitar with a humbucker on board. That pick guard slot there can only accommodate uncovered single coil size units. There's hardly any single coil size humbucker that are uncovered in the market right now so I'm still looking out for one. 

Simple melody

No regrets; simple, single coil goodness.

To be continued... 

Essential 31

So ten days after it was sent to me for a re-string / set up, I have taken over the ownership of the Ibanez AZES31 (I would have preferred the red version over this one but that's purely a cosmetic preference). This was paid for after selling off some other miscellaneous stuff which I had lying around here at home. I managed to shave off nearly half of the asking price for this instrument through this financing & must remind myself it's still not the right time to buy gear in the midst of settling my chemo bills; still expecting at least four more to be in the mailbox soon. Really looking forward to finally declare I have nothing to do with treatment bills any more. Wonder when this day will come...

Anyway, would like to share with you why the previous owner decided to let it go:

• Does not feel like a Strat. Of course, it's not a Fender & it's not trying to be one / outperform one in any way. It's appealing mainly to the Ibanez campers to embrace something more traditional without moving over to the competitor's camp. If you have a good / preferred Strat to begin with, high chance you might not deem this worthy / embrace the subtle differences.
• No whammy bridge. That's right, it's a fixed bridge. If you want the whammy version, the AZES40 has that feature. I'm with fixed bridges these days & welcome this readily.
• No use for that extra switching. This is the signature feature of the AZ models; giving the player  extra tonal manifestations & pickup combos to make it 'unique'. Yes, some of us prefer an S-style guitar to remain as one in its strict manifestation. The extra options are not to our preference & we wonder why we paid for that to begin with

I'm not averse to these features & largely an Ibanez fan so these are acceptable details for me. A 3x single coil combo in an Ibanez is something I've not owned & that added to my OK list for owning this guitar. 

Essentials (3)

OK folks, my final coverage of the new Ibanez AZES series is this AZES31. Yes, it's the Ibanez version of an S-type guitar but this one has a fixed bridge & that definitely hyped me up. A 25" scaled guitar + triple single coils, that would put us in the PRS Silver Sky territory without paying for one ($429 vs $2,999) but we know it's not gonna be a like-for-like comparison, just a thought.

How would that dyna-MIX switching system serve this guitar since there's no humbucker in there? The above reference shows that, in use, there are series options in position 1 & 5. In position 3, you get a Tele-style pickup combo giving a total of 8 different tonal responses. Keeps you busy on days when counting grass might be an interesting proposition.

Finally, this is something I had left out in my previous coverage - a one piece input jack. Meaning - the entire baseplate is your input jack. Good - a single unit means you won't be dealing with the shaft coming loose over time, reducing connectivity issues. Not good - if the entire plate gives way (eg. crack / break), you think there's a ready replacement out there? Of course, if you don't mind a non-one piece unit like an LP type feature, it's good. I can't confirm this compatibility till I measure one in person. When will that happen? Hmm...

Pics: Ibanez

Secret Agent

This is a Brad Paisley - Seymour Duncan collaboration, a Telecaster neck pickup. It's is supposed to be there in an Esquire, tucked away under the pickguard hence no mounting flap seen here. That's the reason why it's called the Secret Agent - presence unseen. It's unfortunate that the sound bytes / demo videos only showcased a certain genre application, for all we know, it might be just as good for heavy metal.

On that note - goodbye August 👋

PIC: PG

Antigua (4)

This is my first set of DiMarzio pickups in a Fender. That's right, I have no DiMarzios in any of my Fenders since the start but this is my embrace for good tones regardless of the brand name. I have my Seymour Duncan inclinations but every now & then, some others would make my like list. Anyway, the pickups you see above are DiMarzio True Velvet single coils for Telecaster.

I have never tried this duo before & had initial reservations due to the wide difference in output between the neck & bridge counterpart. I am dealing with a hot bridge response but a polite, vintage-like response from the neck. What made me proceed was the EQ; these are exactly what I wish for in this guitar in the mean time. The default neck single coil suffers from a very weak midrange & has a nasal overall voicing that threatens to thin out any time. The boost in midrange here is what I was looking for. The default bridge pickup on the other hand sounded too darn honky but someone reminded me of the Tele's true nature; a honky, twangy guitar unlike the girth of a Strat. Despite being a metal fan & thriving on a commanding dose of bottom end, I opted for more treble instead. It's the D'Activator approach in a single coil format so to speak. 

Once again, the services of Master Beez was rendered to make the swap happen. After about a week of True Velvet-ing, I must say that it was a deserving switch. More importantly, it serves my embrace for gobs of distortion with clarity & surprises on two fronts: 1) The bridge pickup was not  treble excessive at all despite the anticipations. It all boils down to my amp settings & I believe the EVH 5150 has a good working low end to begin with so no major upset there. 2) The neck pickup did not wimp out in terms of output, it barks & roars as fiercely so the true measure of a pickup performance, in this case, is its actual adaptation to the player's set up. I'm a happy camper.

All that (faux) jazz

I talked to someone a few days ago regarding having good single coil tones in the neck position. I specified a beefy & rather treble-ish response. If there's any P-90 in mind, maybe that learned person could rattle some recommendations. His outright response was that P-90s won't give that kind of tone in the neck. They tend to mud-out for that wooly tone which is the reason why Gibson favour them in their early hollow bodies. He was right.

I have no issues with P-90s in the bridge but in the neck position, it needs more bite for solos. My best reference for a P-90 neck tone along this requirement would be my Seymour Duncan Phat Cat. This pickup isn't quite a P-90 but it's very close to something else which I could not pin-point until this morning.

This morning was a morning with my Jazzmaster (above - American Performer Jazzmaster). This is the kind of single coil tone I favour; thick & treble inclined. It doesn't wool-out for that Les Paul-esque woman tone pioneered by a certain Eric. Nothing jazzy transpired this morning. Instead, I'm still after that crunchy tap tone which I believe only a single coil could champion. How about the standard, Strat single coil, wouldn't that solve everything? Not for me; it's twang excessive. I'm moving away from that tone but still staying in the non-humbucking territory. 

The other way

I'm really, really glad I bought this. It's not an easy purchase, lots of snooping around the net, trawling through Japanese websites & finally finding it. The info was relayed to the good people at Davis GMC (thanks, Joe/ Janet!) & it finally touched down like more than 2 months later. Why Davis? Because they have an excellent relationship with ESP & that's why we see selected Edwards model making it here. In my case, this is the 3rd 'special order' involving the Edwards brand & it went as smooth as my other 2 orders. It's only the waiting that kills.

Recently, it had its 5-way selector replaced- corroded + no notching in any positions.

While I was at it, got Beez to replace the default cap to the Emerson you see above. I only bought it because it's on sale. ESP pots by default.

3 x single coil cavities.

Anyway, the pickups on board are Seymour Duncan's SSl-1s by default, very normal but sounding extra special in this guitar. The bridge pickup there has some mojo going namely due to its reverse tilt. Well, if this was meant for a lefty, that would have been a normal tilt. When my playing runs into a black hole, totally lost, uninspiring, dead, chances are, I'll give this guitar a go; it's just very inspiring. 

I know what you're thinking- I'm actually trying to re-create that Hendrix magic down to the quirks but hey, I'm not a Hendrix fan, will never be one. I dislike his playing & might be the very few guitar dweebs out there who might be behaving this strangely. Well, that's how it is. One thing for sure, this guitar taught me to deal with limitations & discomfort, focus on the good tones & feel instead. FYI, it's an Edwards E-SE-125M/RB.

Hot lips

In the mail. Which guitar? Still thinking. 😎

Some mojo (2)

Was at Beez's on Tuesday to get these done. The pair of Mojo Tone pickups featured here are the Knockout model. The default Japanese Jaguar single coils were above average clean but in driven mode, they just sounded thin. I was expecting at least an on par performance against a Strat single coil but that proved to be a let down in this aspect.

These pickups are higher output sporting ceramic magnets but with a healthy dose of sustain. The slotted pole pieces were a clever touch to maintain a balanced output/ volume across strings. They are awesome clean as well so these are worthy replacements in deed.

Before heading home, we managed to chill out 😎

Pounding

A day after I gave this guitar a set of fresh strings & swapped out dead parts, the middle pickup died. Bummer. Brought it to Beez to confirm the status & it was established that the pickup indeed met its mortal end. Grabbed a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound at Davis & this was the final line up. Thanks to Beez once more for overseeing this make-over.

If you are interested in the QP, be informed that it's a high output unit which necessitated a deeper location into the cavity. Not sure if it's a clear presentation here but the QP sits much deeper than its other humbucking siblings to balance out the volume difference. 

Coloured

This got done today. That errant. non-green single coil turned to something more related to its siblings. It was done economically- stickers. That's right, the green there is a piece of coloured strip, something you can easily purchase at e-bay.  If you take a closer look, the default holes actually did not match the ones in the Ibanez bobbin. On that note, I'd advise you against wasting money this way.

However, it might be a case against Ibanez familiarity when it comes to measurements. The ones I purchased (from the same seller) for my Seymour Duncans were awesome.

Lush

Had some playing time yesterday (public holiday); no overdrive, just the Strat & my chorus. I still believe that the single coil pickup does better for cleans compared to its humbucker counterpart. If you wish to get out of a rut, one way to do it is to employ a different set up, one which is preferably not your cup of tea & compel your way through it. 😁

Fat singles

'Supp!? I'm still in single coil mode.

But these are fat single coils aka the P-90s, unlike the ones in Strats. These are the least likely candidates for shred as they hum excessively under lots of gain/ drive. I have them out for variety's sake- hearing too much traditional single coil tones lately so something has to give. 

On the topic of single coil pickups, can the P-90s pull off the twang? Answer: Not that apparent when used in isolation. However, you can hear that when both P-90s are used simultaneously. In guitar speak, it means leaving the pickup selector in that middle position. 

Confession- I used to like only humbuckers. Simple reason- I started off with humbuckers & I'd been hearing them in action for a very long time at the exclusion of others. I deem everything else as 'inferior' until Stevie Ray came into the picture. Then I told myself I must have single coil tones or I'd die unaccomplished (in some ways). Then Danny Gatton came into the picture & the Tele honk was haunting me till I bought my first Tele. So as you can see, opening yourselves to other people's music, the ones which are not your cup of tea especially, is key to embracing change. Change is good, my friends, as it forces you to step out of your comfort zone & understand many things from a different perspective. ★

Biting coils

Single coil mode still on. Getting ready to put aside menacing distortion for creamy drive. I've been putting the single coils through too much distortion for the last week or so, I still need the saturation to manifest acceptable legatos but it's time to abandon the amp & pedal boost this time round.

I like the Jaguar. I used to hate it a life time ago due to pickup squeals & unnecessary switches. I failed to fully appreciate the tone per se & that shorter scale length. With the American Pro Jaguar now available, I should be heading for that option but the price is simply a deal breaker. Really glad I grabbed whatever came my way. That Schecter VE-TE is another glad-I-bought-it instrument; simply great tones with those Duncan Quarter pounds in there. 

Seymour Duncan: California 50s set

Greetings, tone hounds. How's the weekend coming along? A little too brief, yes? Anyway, it's been a while since I've done a 'formal' product appraisal so here goes... 😉

The product in question is Seymour Duncan's California 50s single coil set. The 50s monicker there is a little evasive because the pickups in question feature an Alnico V magnet, leaning more towards a contemporary voicing rather than a strict vintage articulation. These pickups are mounted onto my Fender American Special Stratocaster featuring a rosewood fretboard.

Clean
We renew our belief that Alnico magnets are the best in this turf, regardless if they are of the stronger variety. In all positions, the C50 set successfully captured the inherent instrument twang. It's like hearing amplified wood in action- almost, very convincing. The manufacturer did well in maintaining the EQ settings for all positions, we don't hear a selected frequency excess coming from any positions. With that in mind, do note that the neck position is the least performer in terms of sharpness but it won't blur into mud.

Drive
The first drive test involved an amp source; a Marshall JVM 410H. The crunch & OD1 channels were used. Crunch settings brought out the best from in-between positions. In addition to the jangle, there was a firm, organic, clunky voicing that we all love to hear, especially Neil Rodgers-type funky chords. Tame the volume & we are in blues territory; this is the versatility of the C50s that make them a good buy. The harder drive settings brought out splendid individual performances. If you are the solo type, the drive experience here should be rewarding. Both the neck & bridge pickups have impressive clarity, nothing too saturated & we have the alnico magnet to thank for that. The fact that it's an Alnico V means we need not try too hard to get the drive going. There you have it, a good balance for both clean & driven tones.

The next drive test involves an OD pedal in booster mode to accentuate the amp's drive performance. The neck pickup suffered a little mushiness due to saturated drive responses. The bridge counterpart fared better here, in fact, I could push it into pseudo-metal territory with no issues in terms of clarity. Not forgetting the middle pickup, it inclined towards its bridge bother's performance; a more ready player when push came to shove.

Conclusion
Lest we forget, the C50s are actually...

... the SSL-1s as depicted above 😁 The fact that they had been re-introduced as a collective trio under the 50s slant (whatever that means to you) made you think in vintage terms which they are not. But in some settings, they sound more vintage than some other Alnico V manifestations. I'm going to recommend these to those in search of untainted cleans but at the ready for some contemporary drive tones. On a side note, I've pushed these pickups into hyper-metal territory with good results (unlike the SSL-5 in action, but that's for another appraisal episode) but the hum was just not worth it.

Rating: 8.5/10 👍

The California 50s are available at both Davis GMC & 35 Guitar Avenue.