420

Didn't realize this was a recent addition to the Ibanez line up; RGR420FM. Despite being in the affordable tier of guitars, this one looks good. There are players out there who would definitely appreciate the gold hardware but it's definitely not my thing. Nothing outstanding here in terms of appointments, even the bridge is an in-house unit that looks very TRS-like. The thing about this type of guitar is (to me) the bridge. It's a make / break consideration, definitely. No point buying something that costs this much only to dislike the bridge (in terms of functionality / reliability) & forking out more money for an upgrade.

Pic: Ibanez 

SOLAR H

Solar guitars did this. It's a big deal because according to Ola, a headless Solar will not happen. In any case, these seem affordable (USD599 / USD699), bolt-on models with in-house pickups. The scale length here conforms to the fanned fret design; 24.75" - 25.5". I'm not a fanned fret fan so this & the slanted pickups are deal-breakers. Slanted pickups here are form-slanted as opposed to placement-slanted. Form-slanted pickups are not readily replaceable; very few (hardly any, in fact) replacement units out there are as such. 

New follower shout-out: Armand Wright. Thanks for following 👍

Pics: Solar

Price matters

This is most probably my final pack of D'Addario strings, unless I have a forgotten pack in some guitar bag pockets somewhere out there. I've been an ardent fan of this brand name since buying them from the Yamaha Store (Plaza Singapura) & back in the day (early 1990s), the manufacturing tech was severely lacking when it comes to durability / string life. D'Addario strings would deteriorate the moment you handle them. By then end of a playing session, let's give it an hour's worth of consideration, you'd see dark spot on various parts of the string length. But back in the day, a pack of D'Addario strings was $5 & it came in those plastic packaging where each string resides in a paper envelope. Fast forward to 2025, a pack of D'Addario strings is $9. There were significant product improvements along the way but in the mean time, I'm not paying $9 for a pack of strings. 

I'm leaving this here for your reference. Strings are non-coated & a set of 9 - 42, available at the local shops here. There are other brands out there, of course, I'm just short-listing those that I've tried.

Ibanez: Sept '25

By now, you've seen the new Ibanez releases for September 2025. After being absent in August, Ibanez returned with the good stuff this time.

One of the releases is this IV2RG. This marks the beginning of a new series of guitars - Visions, made in Japan. These instruments (only 2 in the mean time) sit above the J-Custom range so expect some hefty price tags when they debut here. I immediately like the headstock label; it's free from any pompous tags like J-Custom / Prestige which are more suggestive than anything else. Let the instrument quality speak for itself, not some patronizing labels. The guitar is a through-body design, with an ebony 'board, steel frets, DiMarzio pickups & Lo-Pro Edge bridge. I have no idea if Ibanez is obliged to equip a higher tier instrument with vine inlays but this seems to be the case lately. I'm not into excessive fretboard marking so this is a put off. Ditto the gold hardware - paying for a coating that would wear off over time is not my thing. 

I'm trying to understand why there is a need for a new tier especially so when there are no distinct differences between a J-Custom & the Visions. The neck-body construction might be it but this is not a sure formula to become a better instrument. It might be the case for price justifications; oh, the new VISIONS are neck-through so we're asking more for it. 

Donor appreciation (cont'd)

• Shawn Siow. Thanks for the contribution - every bit helps me in so many ways.

Noir & Blanc

Fender (Japan) has the Noir & Blanc models, depicted here are the Telecaster versions. We have come across the Noir version back in 2022, the Blanc is rather fresh. Fender made efforts to equip the Blanc with a white selector switch tip & in my opinion, should have endowed it with a maple fretboard to make it more in sync with the theme. FYI, the Noir listed for $1,699 when it was still in stock.

Pics: Fender Japan

Down (yet, again) but not out

Greetings, folks. Between the previous entry & this one, I've been in & out of the hospital twice more. The liver swelling is pretty much confirmed & it's causing adverse reactions to medication. There were allergic reactions causing my face to swell up & rashes appearing all over the body. I've been in the ward for observations & the blood pressure was pretty much low most of the time. The various doctors here kept asking if I consume generous amounts of alcohol; I neither smoke nor drink so the liver swelling up is unexpected & mysterious to say the least. 

Folks, if you are unwell & in serious condition, it's better to be warded than being treated as an outpatient. The former means you medical expenses are taken care by whatever government schemes in place. The latter - you fork out cash. I've pretty much used up my last paycheck & whatever donations that came my way (thank you to the kind donors as listed in the previous entry) to make ends meet. So this is a tough one for me especially so when I'm on a contractual appointment; I don't have any medical benefits & I don't get paid for the days I'm not at work despite the legit medical certification. I'm sharing this here so that you can plan your days better (better than me, at least) in case you fall ill & need to be out of action for a while. I pray you would not be in such a situation.

On that note, since I'm pretty much at home for the most part (no work + no money = stay home), I would resume blog entries with immediate effect. It helps keep me occupied (distracted more like it) especially on days when I feel too weak / lethargic to play guitar; it's the meds side effects & it's here to stay. Thank you for all your contributions, if you still have spare change, please send them my way; every bit counts. I would be putting the QR code link at the side bar for easy reference. Thank you once again to everyone who had contributed in so many ways - God bless.