Price watch (18)

Trawled the after-market last weekend to see price trends. If you own the LP faded or any other carved top LPs with dot inlays, be informed that these are less desirable compared to the trapezium inlay version. The Gibson camp is more forgiving to dot inlays on flat top Les Pauls; the reason LP Specials & JRs maintain a good resale value in addition to the nostalgia. If there's an $800 offer for yours, please pay attention to that interest. If you can clear yours for $1K then the buyer is a willing individual. FYI, the LP Faded was $1,349 new on its final year of production. Do all Gibson guitars appreciate in value over time? It's a demand-supply situation more often than not unless we are dealing with models on special / limited run which will have a more commanding asking price.

Edit: The current / revised asking price of this guitar is $1,300 & includes a deluxe Gibson bag.

Ditto this LP Tribute but this one has a hard case factored into the price. The afore-mentioned faded will have a tough time going against this one in terms of value-for-money. The other thing about LPs - the non-gloss finish is also second fiddle to the glossed out counterparts. We note the tribute & faded are such examples.

Disclaimer: I'm not here to devalue your instruments, it's my fair assessment of market forces which are dynamic over time. You are free to disagree on all accounts. 

Boxer T

More Fender Boxer series of instruments are now available at Swee Lee. Recent arrival - Boxer Telecaster (List: $1,729 bag included). If you wish to re-live the '80s, this might be it but I doubt this was available  back then here. Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to try & embrace the Japanese craftsmanship. 

Pic: Fender Japan

Mig

The MIG-50 is back. It's now the EHX interpretation of tone greatness.

Amp buffs here will know that the MIG-50 started out as a Sovtek. It's one of those amps in tone folklore that had much to offer but perished in the shadows of obscurity. 

Greatness here is defined by how the amp reacted superbly with a straight-through set up as well as a pedal laden line up. If you are looking for high gain fidelity, this won't serve your needs, it requires an external push in terms of pedals which is an easy discourse. In today's amp-speak, the MIG is a flat response amp that excels with lots of supplementary inputs, it's simply that kinda of amp very much in the likeness of a Roland JC & the absolutely under-rated Laney Lionheart. I'm happy to see this amp being available after countless teasing by the EHX camp in their pedals demo. However, those who thrive live might find it more useful than indoor dwellers due to the obscene amount of volume on offer. Let's hope the MIG gains enough popularity to be offered in smaller wattage format. Here's the MIG-50 in action:

Pic: EHX / Stompbox Sonic

Headless quest

So this was the big announcement two days ago; Ibanez is now making headless guitars. The one you see here is the prime example, a signature release for guitarist, Ichika Nito, the ICHI10. Well, it took a darn long time for Ibanez to finally land a deal with a homegrown talent. 

The guitar itself retained some established details & a re-visit to a familiar territory. The highlight, from my understanding of this presentation, is indeed the headless neck. It's an all roasted affair; the fretboard itself is pure maple while the rear consists of maple & bubinga. The profile, they say, is a Wizard C - a jack of all Ibanez profiles but gravitating to none. This is a clever move indeed, it entices us to buy the guitar to check it out personally, while the rest would want to commit to this new profile as an addition to something new. The cutaway is mimicking an S-Series so that's propagating a current feature, ditto the dina-MIX switching system which many AZ fans find enriching. I'm rather stoked to see the Radius body profile resurrected here, only apparent if it's viewed from the tail end as depicted above. The tapered bass side adds significant comfort to the picking arm; plus points to Ibanez here. Other details aside (will be covered in other episodes), the body is nyatoh. A baffling choice you'd say but it makes perfect sense. The model is touted to be a lightweight artistic tool as highlighted by the headless affair & the body should complement this philosophy. Alright, too much talk already, here's Ichika with the guitar in question:

Pics: Ibanez

Black jazz

July's absolutely unnecessary gear tinkering begins with this Seymour Duncan Jazz humbucker which is currently resident in my PRS Singlecut.

It is now a blackened affair. Why was this done?

So that it matches the bridge Pegasus in terms of aesthetics. Totally unnecessary, yes? But it makes me happy 😬

To come

We end June with this cryptic reminder, by Ibanez, of something new. From that body outline, it looks interesting & would not be something that is currently offered.

Pic: Ibanez YT