Ibanez 2019 (5): Altstar

Starting the week by looking at this... em... thing. Some people would applaud the fact that Ibanez managed to incorporate its signature pointy headstock into their acoustic guitar designs. Well, are they obliged to? That mountain peaks inlay is also acquired taste. Judging by the specs, this should not be a higher tier model, just a provocative starter. (Seen above: ALT30)

Orange Sunday

I'm still unwell. Trying to rest & not think about work. Had been indoors since Friday night. It's supposed to be a joyful weekend, doing the things you like that offsets work's lethargy but I guess that didn't happen.

Consolation- I got to re-string my Duo Sonic here. It moved up from 9.5s to 10s. I'm trying to get used to 10s which weren't my cup of tea since the early days of my playing. 

The obligatory post re-string playing with the set up seen here through my Blackstar which makes everything sound good. The key to good tones, after years of playing, is always the guitar-amplifier pairing. If you could make them agreeable to begin with, pedals will only help refine what you like to hear. 

Wishing everyone a good week ahead. Take care of yourselves, try not to fall sick. 😀

Gibson 2019 CME exclusives

Gibson collaborated with Chicago Music Exchange for these colour exclusive SG Standards. In addition to the exciting colour variations, the guitars feature block inlays, tortoiseshell pickguards, non-PCB electronics & more importantly, T-Type pickups. Going down Gibson's history, the T-Types were highly rated pickups made between 1968 - late 1970s which are Alnico V-based. 

If only these were available as standard production, I would have considered one, really. The plan is to have an un-modded Gibson SG with a unique feature (colour in this case) which doesn't sound jaded (to my ears- I dislike Gibson humbuckers). Hmmph. 😒

Ibanez 2019 (4): Sigs- Andy Timmons

Well, there are other signature distractions fresh for 2019 in this Ibanez camp but I'll deal with those later. First up, looks like Andy Timmons is in the AZ zone as well (ATZ100). Unlike the previous incarnation, the instrument features a triple S pickup slots but we know how humbucking the DiMarzio Cruisers are.

Taking a closer look, the AZ's default pickguard might be paying homage to his former signature's broken state of things.

We already know how good this guitar is, yes? You might have come across the clip above last year when Mr. Timmons did a Queen tribute but many of you might have missed the fact that he's using his new guitar. Well, well, clever that one.

PICS: Ibanez/ PG

Easy does it

First weekend of the year, taking it easy- down with flu, bad throat. 

Plini!

Mark it down, folks!