Like rats!

It's finally here, the year of the Rat. Not that it will be more significant than any other CNYs, I simply love the long holidays. It's longer this year as the new year falls on a Sunday. On a less celebratory note, we are on the brink of another plague threat. The Wuhan virus claimed its first victim here just two days ago, followed by two more yesterday. I remember that year when SARS wreaked havoc in 2003 & plunged the economy into the gutters. Bleak times ahead, it seems & that's a little too soon considering many of us were treated with crumbs as bonus at the close of 2019. The irony of celebrating the year of the rat knowing these critters were disease carriers back in the old days.

That aside, I'm looking forward to have some guitar moments this long weekend with very little other things planned to fill the holidays. Here's Like Rats by Godflesh from their 1989 release, Streetcleaner. Wishing everyone a virus-free holiday.

Re-string: E-II HRF

OK, so this was last weekend's engagement. There was this strong urge to hear some menacing active pickups in action & I don't have too many around as I prefer passive pickups. The E-II HRF here is equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan Blackout humbuckers & they just sound brutal in an appealing way. 

Here they are up close. I actually bought this guitar because the active pickups are not EMGs. I've nothing against the EMG, the 57/66 are my firm favourites from this brand name. 

A set of Acoustic Science strings which I still have lying around here. That name there is a little misleading; it's supposed to be a brand name, not the type of strings contained in the pack. 

Just to share - the ESPs were equipped with Cleartone strings at the factory & this is proof. I liked them since I bought my first ESP & I still like them now. These days, the Cleartone name faces stiff competition from Elixir & D'Addario in terms of string life technology & a little under-rated in terms of exposure. 

To end this entry, I just wanna say that this was my final ESP purchase, I stopped buying out of sheer disappointment. It had absolutely nothing to do with the quality on offer; these are still handled by the people who did their bit for the ESP Standard range & remain to be the pride of Japanese production. I'm just super let down by the fact that market segregation necessitated a label change & they chose to drop ESP from the headstock while still flagging this as an ESP product. I have more respect for the Edwards range as they are getting by in a stand-alone environment but still remain ESP to the core. If you have saved enough money to acquire an ESP, would you tell people, darn I'm finally gonna buy an E-II! Or would you rather go with, darn, I'm finally gonna buy an ESP! I have a spot spot for ESP as we have something personal in common but that had come to pass. We move on. 

OK folks, it's the holiday eve - party responsibly, promise?

Ibanez 2020 (6)

We're back to the Ibanez front & I must say that the Pia entry just days ago didn't sit too well with some of us here. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Ibanez fan; almost half of what I own in the mean time are Ibanez stuff. I see the Pia making some false turns in terms of refinements & I will confidently say it won't live up to the JEM legacy. I'm sure it's a good instrument in every way & will please the fans. Moving on, lots of things happening in the AZ camp & it's definitely good news that a lefty model joins the ranks this year. Well, done, Ibanez.

This next one has what I want in terms of variation. It's an ash bodied take with covered pickups & 22 frets. Some of us might think that 22 frets is an inferior take but 22 is ideal for people who seldom venture up high & I must say I'm definitely one of them. What I don't want is an exclusive burst finish & in the mean time, that's the only finish available. 

This AZ2204B is the buzz. People are liking the finish & overall colour combo as it makes the instrument very Gilmour-ish. If you've noticed, Ibanez only introduced black for the AZ this year & guess what? Nobody talks about not having black previously so it proves that a black finish, despite having the ability to sell truckloads, isn't entirely a dominant selling factor. 

On that note, another black finish is available for the AZ2402. Discontinued this year are the sea foam green & pink so making them highly collectable. Be wary of those who are trying to clear them away in the after-market & citing them as rare. 

Re-string: Ibanez SZR520

So I had some playing time last weekend despite being busy. No point dwelling into something that doesn't have a definite end, engage in your indulgences instead, it helps to keep you sane. I simply love this one, more than the standard SZ models. The SZR, folks, were the final iteration of the SZ series before Ibanez killed everything off. A little sad considering the SZ model was the stronghold when it comes to sales. They decided to get a little quirky before ending things & you have the SZR here which looks like a botched design of the SZ. Actually, Ibanez already have a similar design in its archives; the Ghost Rider but this one is not one of those. 

The headstock design was the major departure from the SZ & it closely resembles the aforementioned Ghost Rider. If they expand the width of this outline, you'd get a PRS Silver Sky headstock 😆

These are my absolute favourite when it comes to in-house Ibanez pickups. Only for this year of manufacture, the SZR was equipped with the NDR-1 humbuckers. The magnets used are neodymium & showcase some OTT drive reaction. I have to say it's one of the meanest I've come across before we enter into active territory. Come to think of it, a speaker magnet was used instead of the ceramic & alnico selections preferred by countless manufacturers. Now you understand why I keep them in tact. 

I have a set of 9.5s in there as it sports a 25.1" scale length. Please do not believe whatever Ibanez encyclopaedia out there stating a 24.75" scale length as I've measured this one personally. 

Epiphone 2020 (3)

I kept re-visiting the Epiphone website just to soak in the 2020 goodness. This one here is the LP Modern. That's right, there's an LP Modern in the current Gibson lineup & it's as modern as it gets - chambered body, asymmetrical neck profile, ebony fretboard, coil-splitting electronics & other modern appointments (forgive the pun). The good thing is, these are all replicated in the Epiphone version.

It includes the contoured neck heel & that's the bomb right there! There are some of us who are hoping deep down it would happen; that Epiphone steps up their game & follow Gibson closely because they are affiliated anyway. So Epiphone did just that & we have everything to look forward to when these hit the stores soon. I find this sparkling red finish very attractive; the sparkle isn't OTT & it's dark enough to exude class. 

SSS?

New for 2020, but still a little uncertain? I'm saying this because Charvel's DK22 SSS shouldn't be named as such. There's a humbucker there so the third 'S' is a little misleading. You can say that it's still a valid reference since they are emphasizing the size, not the pickup type. Well, whatever floats your boat, Charvel. I thought this would make a good Strat killer since it's by the same people handling the Strats but the politics of product differentiation dictates the need for an obvious difference so this had to give & it's slanted the other way. Good to see this one featuring 22 frets instead of its 24 fretted predecessors. These days, I prefer 22 frets so might give this a go when it gets here. FYI, those are Duncan's Custom Flats & Hot Rails in the bridge.