Welcome to my humble blog where I write the little things concerning Guitar, especially the Electric guitar. I am an avid Project guitar builder and enjoys DIY projects on guitars. Through this blog, I will share with my readers my experiments, findings, projects, recommendations and more. Do check back now and then while I hope you will be able to find the information provided in this blog useful.
Sorry for the no action lately. Life has been busy once more. However, I haven't given up on guitar yet. Nope, it's my greatest passion. Anyway, check this out! Finally the Fender T-Shirts from Uniqulo is out! To make it more awesome, there is also a collaboration for Ibanez and uniqulo! Yes, these are limited edition, as per all Japanese products! Show how big of a fan you are to these Awesome guitar brand names. Yes, I have gotten mine!
So, today I was wandering around Excelsior hotel and in SV guitars, the Ibanez Jem70VSFG was just staring at me. I couldn't resist. I had to try it. This is my first take of the instrument.
If your are thinking of getting this and hoping to get the feel of a Jem, this isn't like the Jem7V. It has a thinner neck compared to the standard Jem necks and the last four frets isn't scalloped. The frets aren't 6105 but instead the 6100. This means that it has the standard jumbo frets that comes with most of the other Ibanez.
That being said, this doesn't mean that this is a sucky instrument. The build of the instrument is top notch. The walnut strips behind the guitar are very thick. A lot thicker than the prestige. In fact, I would argue that the build of the instrument is comparable to a prestige or in fact better. The bullet fret end finishing is top notch and the inlays, even though plastic looks really sick. Nothing like a Chibanez. The tremolo that comes with this guitar is an original Edge and comes with locking studs. That is a big major plus point.
Tonewise, it display the standard overdose of mids from the Dimarzio Evos and the basswood body. Acoustic wise, the notes ring out clearly and sweet. This is really a top notch instrument. My conclusion from the first take is, this isn't like the other Jems. However, this is nonetheless a real Jem. And a different one that is very well build!
At this point of time, I was pretty much quite sure on what I was going for. The previous casing was not big enough to contain all my pedals and as such, I shifted to a soft casing instead. Which is actually a lot lighter compared to the hard case. Also, since it's longer, it also allows me to fit in more pedals, which actually isn't a very bright idea considering how much they weight when together.
Anyway, I was lucky enough to snatch a MXR EVH phaser pedal which is used by Steve Vai. That immediately replaced the Biyang that I had before. Also, adding to the list of modulation effects that I have is a Beta Aivin RV-5 reverb pedal. To be very honest, this pedal is actually a clone of the Boss RV-5. No prizes for guessing! Having both a Delay and Reverb pedal allows me to achieve that "For the Love of God" Steve Vai kind of tone on pretty much any amp I want.
Additionally, I've also managed to land myself an Ibanez TS-9DX Tube Screamer pedal on a local forum at a really good price. This is once again a pedal that was being used by Steve Vai when he wants to do solo boosting. He actually replaced this pedal with the Jemini and his version of the same pedal is actually a Keeley modded version. However, mine remains stock. I use this pedal as a booster to my other drive pedals, to give me a thicker, creamier saturated tone. This is especially nice when boosting a modded DS-1.
It is actually quite hard to see in the pictures but the DS-1 I have is actually a modded version. It is done with the Monte Allum Mod and it has all 3 sounds of the DS-1. The stock, All Seeing Eye and Ultra Mod sound. This is particular useful as it allows me full tonal control over the kind of sound I want. Also, with all 3 different drive pedals, I am able to achieve different gain intensity, which pretty much allows me to do any drive voicing from slight over-driven blues to Heavy Crunchy Metal Distortions. To be continued
In the Namm show of 2012, Ibanez has a special treat to all Vai fans out there. Similar to the Yngwie version of the "duck", Ibanez produce a limited to 100 pieces Steve Vai's JEM "Evo". It is the replica of Steve's personal favourite guitar and comes with all the knocks and knicks.
The work man ship of the guitar is very impressive and every relic work on the guitar looks very similar and identical to Steve's favourite Axe. It also comes with the duct tapes that prevent the player to cause the string to stuck at the pickups.
Complete with the package is Steve's personal signature, drawing and numbering of this extremely limited production.
Finally, an 8 string signature from Ibanez. This is the guitar of Mårten Hagström and F redrik Thordendal. Instead of having two humbuckers, the guitar sports 1 bridge humbucker instead.
Mshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden that features voice grinding vocals and hard pumping guitar riffs.
The Ibanez FR series is a model based on the Fender telecaster. Instead of a fat C shape-ish neck like the telecasters, Ibanez decide to keep with it's tradition of thin wizard neck which they are so famous for. I believe there is even an industry standard to refer thin neck as "Wizard Thin".
Another difference being with the bridge of the FR models, known as the tight end bridge. The FR models used to be only prestige but it would seem that Ibanez wants to break into the mid range market segment this time. Think of it this way, an affordable Telecaster-ish guitar with the attributes of Ibanez. Not a bad idea at all I would say.
S series fans! Rejoice. You want J custom quality at Indonesian made price! Ibanez will be releasing S Premium in the next batch of Premium series. Premium necks coupled with sleek mahogany bodies and zero resistance bridge. How can one resist that!
First leaks from Namm show 2012. Ibanez premium series now comes in Desert Yellow and Shocking Pink. These were the colors that once set the glam metal color scheme of yester-years. They still look very attractive to me and would definitely consider getting one.
Above is the picture that is taken from Jemsite.com and we can see the cross section of an Ibanez Super Wizard and Jem neck. We can see how thin the neck actually is and that thinness isn't actually a placebo effect. Also, note the difference of the back, between a Wizard and a Jem neck. Notice the D and thin U difference respectively? That creates a big difference in terms of "feel", which can also contribute to how thick a neck feels.
Unfortunately, Ibanez no longer produces the Super Wizard necks for their mid range guitar. However, if only they show a cross section of their other current available necks in their catalogues.
Do any of my readers out there remember the Design a Jem contest where everyone in the world can take part in designing a Jem and the winner gets one of the 2 made. One for him and the other, for Steve Vai. Shown above is the design of the winner and of course the actual guitar. I have a agree that it is of course a real beauty.
It kind of resembles the shirt that Steve Vai wears for his concerts doesn't it? Maybe that's the reason this design won.
The Ibanez premium series isn't new news. However what is new, at least to me is, I finally gotten down to my local music store and get my hands to try the Premium series. My first thoughts on the Premium is, if players are expecting a Prestige feel to the neck, well it isn't. It's a total different feel to it. The immediately different is that, the back of the neck has a rounder feel to it. It isn't as flat as a prestige. This makes the neck feels way thicker than it should be.
Another noticeable difference is that the 430mm radius is very noticeable, compared to the Prestige. This is because, the rounder back forces the player to grip the neck with the hand, giving more contact area to the palm, more so than a flatter back, which forces the player to anchor this thumb on the neck instead (This is kind of hard to explain).
Lastly, the neck feels somewhat narrower than a standard Ibanez neck. It doesn't feel like a 43mm nut but feels more like a 42mm nut. However, this probably can also be attributed to the rounder back of the neck. Nonetheless, these difference doesn't mean that the Premium aren't good guitars. They are superb guitars for their price and probably plays very well, comparing to guitars of the same price range. However, do keep in mind that as consumers, we are definitely not getting a Prestige feel kind of guitar for a cheaper price. Ibanez quality is evident in the Premiums, just that the feeling is totally different.
A while ago, like a long while ago, Ibanez once had really cool guitars. Not like they aren't making any not cool guitars now. They made a solid brass guitar which was suppose to be the center piece for the the '79 Chicago NAMM show. It sports an ebony board, Flying Fingers humbuckers, and active 3 band equalizer. This is apparently a very rare piece which is also the same guitar featured in Ibanez: The Untold Story. The first question however that comes to my mine is, how heavy is the guitar actually? Well nonetheless, I am sure that it is capable of producing sweet bell like tones due to the nature of brass.
Was surfing the Ibanez Website as a temporary GAS fix today and I happened to chance upon Ibanez latest innovation of Fretless/Fret Hybrid Bass. I am not a bass player myself but I find this concept highly innovative. This is Ibanez's attempt to give bass players option in their instrument. First 2 strings being fretless while the rest fretted.Four fretted strings are tuned normal E-A-D-G to cover cool bass lines, while the two fretless strings are tuned to the same D and G as the fretted strings.
It also features a Light Ash body with 5-piece Jatoba/Bubinga neck. This combination of exotic wood gives this bass a unique blend of tone. If I were a bass player, I will definitely give this bass a go. The next question would be if they are going to do something similar for the guitar. Scallop/non-Scallop hybrid?
This year, is a good year for Ibanez lovers. This is a year of change. This is a year where players get choices which they normally don't on previous years. This is a year of Ibanez willingness to break out of it's norm shell and try something different. Lastly, this is the year which Ibanez offer to players out there, a choice of different tone wood, without causing a big hole in out pocket.
Part of this year's brilliance, I present to you the Ibanez RG470AH, a mid range Ibanez that isn't made with Basswood. Instead, this model sports a Swamp Ash body in beautiful natural satin finish. What makes this change so enticing then? Well, Ibanez has long been making RG from Basswood for it's mid range guitars which includes the famous RG550. There is nothing wrong with the mid range dominant Basswood and neither is it a bad tone wood for a guitar. However, not everyone of us likes Basswood or rather, few of us would like to have the option of some tonal differences. Swamp Ash offers more resonance across all frequency and might appear punchy to some. This is the exact difference compared to mid range dominant Basswood.
Coupled with this year's innovation is the introduction of the new mid range Ibanez Vibrato Tremolo bridge, the Edge Zero II.The new design provides tuning stability and gives the player the option of taking out the Zero system turning the bridge into a full floating tremolo. The bridge also has the advantage of buttery smooth action of pulling up and whamming down while the locking studs, which are once again being introduced with this new bridge, providing superior tuning stability.
For the uninitiated, Ibanez created a bridge that has a lot of tuning stability problems known as the Edge III(There are more which I shall not mention). For a list of the Ibanez Tremolo Vibrato bridges, click here to find out more about the different types of Ibanez Tremolo Vibrato bridges.
Ibanez also did a slight revamp on their Wizard II neck shape and equipped with this guitar is the Wizard III neck. It feels similar to the Wizard II however, with the exception of the extra meat at the sides, giving it a chunkier feel. Even though it is chunkier at the side compared to the Wizard II, it does also however feels "thinner" than the Wizard II due to the flatter back. Think of it in terms of a Thin U shape vs a Thin D shape profile. However, this is by no means a baseball bat neck of the Gibson and is by all means very shred-able.
It also features a 400mm radius (16") which is in my opinion the perfect balance for easy chording and scaling. 43mm nut width (the others being 42mm) provides a wider width for the neck giving sufficient string spacing for fast scale runs. Coupled with the maple neck is the rosewood fretboard which are slotted with Jumbo frets which allows almost effortless note fretting.
As usual with all the mid range Ibanez RG line are the pickups. The Ibanez INFs are pick ups with high output but gets really muddy and thin with high gain. As bad as I deemed them to be, they aren't totally unusable. Compared to guitars of similar price bracket, the pickups do sound way better. However with a pickup swap, this guitar will be a decent workhorse for professionals or professionals wannabes.
Generally, the production line from Ibanez's Indonesia plant has proved the test of time and is still producing great quality instruments of the price bracket. If you are in for a change, for something different from the typical Basswood Ibanez, do try one of these at your local Ibanez distributor today. You might just bring home a new member for the family.
"紅花姫(Benihanahime)" is one of my biggest project that I have even attempted on. When I first bought this guitar, it was in total unplayable condition. I got this guitar, thinking it was a great deal and already having ideas on what to do with it, I bought the guitar home from this Grandpa rocker. The guitar originally came badly repainted (Think ordinary rattle can spray over existing finish with dings) in metallic red. I wanted another Floral guitar and so, in my mind, I was thinking of making this into a Red Floral project. My main decision in buying the guitar was due to the fact that I've always wanted a square heel block neck join Ibanez, the original Wizard neck and the Original Edge bridge. Those are the specs for some of my favorite guitars.
After bringing the guitar back home, I began sanding the guitar and quickly realized that rattle can spray paints that was applied too thick a layer cannot be sanded at all. So I proceed in using the paint stripper (a process which I actually hate as it stings the skin) to strip off the paint.
Next, I had to apply the material finish on the guitar, which was a piece of cloth with Japanese prints. I am a fan of Japanese floral designs which explains the main reason of me choosing this. So there I begin again, with my DIY bug getting the better of me with the drive to create a RG550 unique only to myself. Behold!
As I already had experience with floral finish on my previous "Frankenstein", this project was suppose to be somewhat simpler to do, or so I thought. I did the mistake of spraying over existing nitrocellulose based clear with acrylic based clear. So what happened was that the clear coat immediately shriveled up. So, I had to remove the existing finish and the material and start from step one again.
Meanwhile, I've also decided that I wanted some "Vine of life" inlay with matching headstock. I went ahead and got myself some Dotbuster abalone inlay sticker and clear coated over the fretboard with Matt finish lacquer. I figured that since it is a maple fretboard, I probably won't need to maintain it with oil and such. Coincidentally, the existing finish on the maple fretboard has been played till the point of the lacquer wearing out. So the neck was crying out for a refinish. Since I had extra of the cloth that I used for the body, I proceed in refinishing the headstock with the material. To keep it Ibanez, I added a chrome Ibanez decal over the finish.
After all the hardwork, the guitar is finally finished. Although the main horror of it is to realize that the neck actually needed shimming and after shimming, I had to file down the upper frets just to prevent the notes choking.
I took out the existing Dimarzio Evolutions from my "Frankenstein" and fitted them into a mirror red pickguard, installing it onto the guitar. This guitar also has a push pull coil tab knob for single coil tones. This gives the guitar both versatility and lots of tonal variation. Evolutions although mid bass dominant and hot, actually sings beautifully coupled with the Basswood body.
The original Super Wizard neck measures 17mm on the first fret and 19mm on the 12th fret with a flat radius of 430mm. This thin profile coupled with the flat radius makes playing really effortless. Due to the fret leveling, the guitar is also able to achieve the super sick low action or 1mm on the 12th fret, which I highly desire for all my guitars. This ensures that the player only need to touch while fretting, instead of spending effort to fret.
The guitar got it's name from the fact that it is a Red Floral RG550. "紅花姫(Benihanahime)" just simply means "Red Flower Princess" in Japanese. All and all, I am pretty satisfied with the end product of the guitar, even though it is not as perfect as I would have hoped. The feel of the guitar however is great, especially for a 20+ year old guitar.
Ibanez Floral RG550 "紅花姫(Benihanahime)" Specs neck type: 3pc Made in Japan Original Wizard neck fingerboard: Maple with "Vine of life" decal inlays body: Basswood with Floral Material finish. fret: Jumbo frets bridge: Ibanez Original Edge Bridge neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck middle pu: Dimarzio FS-1 bridge pu: Dimazio Evolution Bridge
Neck Specs Scale: 648mm/25.5" a : Width at Nut 43mm b : Width at Last Fret 56mm c: Thickness at 1st 17mm d : Thickness at 12th 19mm
Radius: 430mmR
I've been browsing at the Ibanez site lately and it seems that 2011 limited edition has finally hit the shores of Europe. These are really interesting models that showcases how Ibanez can step out of it's stereotype shell and reinvent the wheel with interesting product lines. I am sure these models will attract Ibanez fans all over, especially one such as I am, who is trying to own Ibanez guitars make of different tone wood. It's online window shopping activities such as this induces G.A.S. There are a few models which I've spotted that interests me and would like to especially share with my readers and Ibanez fans out there.
Previously, only being offered with Rosewood Fingerboard as RG1570, the ｎew limited edition RG1670MZ BK now give players, one such as I who prefers a guitar without a pick guard, a choice of maple fretboard. What makes it more enticing is that the headstock also comes in the same satin finished natural wood color, which sets it different from traditional Ibanez headstock finishes.
Next up is the revival of HSS Ibanez RG guitar, previously known as the RG560. What makes this guitar so interesting to me is that instead of the traditional Basswood body, it is offered in Ash instead. Ash was a standard Fender tonewood before the switch to alder and tonal wise, is a huge different from the Mid-Bass dominant Basswood. It also comes in Transparent red or blue finish, which nicely outline the natural grain of Ash. Now, if only they come in HSH too.
Ibanez Jem 7v "MNB" is probably the most stock among all my guitars. Pretty much free from my terror of modifications. However, none the less, there are still little modifications being done to it. I had to make it "MINE" right? So I went ahead and changed the capacitor to Orange drop as per all my guitars. The 5 way switch has also been upgraded to a Dimarzio 5 way switch (Switch craft). As I am a huge fan of Steve Vai, it is a must for me to own his signature model. However that aside, this guitar is very playable and I would honestly consider it a class of it's own.
This guitar was also "Souvenir" I got for myself from the land of the rising sun. I went to Tokyo with the intention of getting an Old Ibanez Jem 7v (Ebony fretboard + Lo-Pro) but unfortunately wasn't able to find one. As a matter of fact, second hand Jem seems to be really rare. After going through many guitar stores in Japan, I finally found one Jem, made in 2007 in Tachikawa Ishibashi branch. I immediately requested to test the instrument and after tweaking around the amp and "abusing" the guitar as much as I could, I decided to buy it. My reasoning being that since Edge Pro has already phase out and I prefer Rosewood and Steve's main Jem is equipped with rosewood anyway, this piece, like it's previous incarnation will become a limited edition piece soon enough. In-addition to those cognitive dissonance reasoning, I actually like the feel of the instrument.
The neck measures 19mm on the first fret, 21mm on the 12th fret and sports a 430mm radius. If you have played an Original Wizard or Super Wizard neck before, it has the same radius. However, the main difference being, the Original Wizard or Super Wizard has a way thinner profile to compensate the "feel" of the neck while the Jem neck's thicker profile is much more "unforgiving". That being said, the neck however, surprisingly doesn't feel chunky and actually feels thin. Probably due to it's flatter D shape back and less meaty sides.
The last four frets are scalloped for both easier access and bending. The inlays of the current (any Jem that is made after 2002) has improved routing for the "Vine of Life", meaning you can see less wood filler being used to fill up the extra routing. The Jem is also one of those few rare RG-ish guitar that sports a non Basswood body which in my opinion compliments the Dimarzio Evolutions really well. Instead of getting the mid bass dominant basswood and add it with more mid bass dominant Dimarzio Evolutions, Steve chooses an all time favourite Fender Tonewood, Alder, which is pretty balanced, allowing the warm bass of of soft wood but retains more highs than basswood. Couple with the mid bass dominant Dimarzio Evolutions, the guitar sings out pretty balanced and sweet.
This guitar is name "MNB" because recently, while I took it out of the hardcase to do maintenance on the guitar, I realized that, the guitar has yellowed due to humidity. However, the previous owner had written "MNB" but after selling it to the shop, the shop cleaned the guitar with alchohol or something. So it was sparkling clean when I bought it. After the paint has yellowed, the "MNB" spot remained white. So, imagine one day, "MNB" miraculously appeared on the guitar. I called it "Mana Boleh" which losely translate as "How can" in Malay. It's the first thing that came up to my head when I saw "MNB".
Ibanez Jem 7v "MNB" neck type: 5pc Jem neck fingerboard: Rosewood with Vine of Life inlay body: Alder fret: Jim Dunlop 6105 frets bridge: Ibanez Edge Pro Bridge neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck middle pu: Dimazio Evolution Single bridge pu: Dimazio Evolution Bridge
Neck Specs Scale: 648mm/25.5" a : Width at Nut 43mm b : Width at Last Fret 56mm c: Thickness at 1st 19mm d : Thickness at 12th 21mm Radius: 430mmR
24 frets not enough for you? Complaining about not being able to hit the high notes at all? Look at the 27 frets Ibanez RG-2011SC-BK! Check out the lower horn cutaway. Although, you will need to sacrifice the neck pickup for this (Admittedly, I am one of those who can't play without a Neck pickup). Oh, did I forget to mention, it's a domestic model.
This is the first Made in Japan Ibanez that I have gotten myself in 2007. It is a made in 2003 RG470FM, the only year produced that is equipped with an Edge Pro, and a domestic model at that. I figured that at that point of time, I wanted something better and there happened to be a sale at Swee Lee (A local music store). So I went down and took a look, actually wanting a prestige in mind, but end up picking this up for way less than the price of a prestige.
After picking up this piece, there are a few immediate difference which i noticed compared to the previous RG I have. The neck feels a lot more comfortable and the locking nut, is actually top mounted, instead of the usual back mounting. That actually surprised me a bit as I was expecting a back mounting locking nut. Not that it makes that much of a difference.
The neck really measures 19mm on the first fret and 21mm on the 21st fret with a comfortable radius of 430mm. I am astonished by the precision of a Japanese made guitar at that time which gave me the conclusion that, usually putting branding aside, the more you invest in a guitar, it's actually the workmanship that one is paying extra for. It was first hand witnessing Japanese Craftmanship.
The Guitar spots a Basswood body, which sings out really nice, allowing the pick ups to shine really well. The Edge Pro bridge, which comes only in this particular year of RG470 is really stable and allows a really low profile with nice pulling up action. As per all my guitars, I like my 12th fret action to be set at 1mm, meaning very low action for that fast fretwork.
The best part was, it spots a Flame maple top and in the shade of Transparent blue, my favourite colour to boot (Although now I've leaned towards oiled finishes)! The only thing that I hate about the guitar, is the stock pick ups (Ibanez V7, S1, V8). So I did the usual thing that I do with all my guitars. PICK UP SWAP! I ordered a set of Evolutions from Musician's Friend and got it swapped in. In addition to that, I had Orange Drop and treble bleed mod installed.
Why is this guitar called "青火丸(Aohimaru)" which means the Circle of Blue Fire in Japanese. It's a pretty obvious answer actually, it's blue and it has flame maple top. Circle in this case just means perfection.
Ibanez RG470FM SP "青火丸(Aohimaru)" Specs neck type: 3pc Made in Japan Wizard II neck fingerboard: Rosewood with dot inlay body: Transparent blue Basswood body with Flame Maple Veneer fret: Jumbo frets bridge: Ibanez Edge Pro Bridge neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck middle pu: Dimazio Evolution Single bridge pu: Dimazio Evolution Bridge
Neck Specs Scale: 648mm/25.5" a : Width at Nut 43mm b : Width at Last Fret 54mm c: Thickness at 1st 19mm d : Thickness at 12th 21mm Radius: 400mmR
Previously, I wrote a short article on how changing Pick up Magnets can actually change the sound of your pick up. After further investigation, I read from Jemsite that swapping the magnet for the Ibanez V7 and V8 actually improves the sound drastically. As V7 carries a Ceramic Magnet while the V8 carries the Alnico V magnet, swapping them actually changes the way the magnetic field is being projected out that picks up (That's why it's called a pick up?) the steel string vibrations of the electric guitar.
In this post, I shall attempt to show my readers out there on how exactly to change pick up magnets. The magnet measures 2.50'' long x 0.50'' wide x 0.125'' thick by the way. First things first, what you need is a cross head screw driver, and a flat head screw driver. I must warn all my readers out there, please be very careful when you attempt to remove the pick up magnets just in case you damage any of the coils, which will then be really trouble some to repair.
Now, remove the back plate cover of the pick up by first unscrewing the 4 screws located behind the pick up. Once you have done that, pry open the back plate cover with the flat head screw driver. As mention, please take great care in this process, you really don't want to break any coils.
And this is how it looks like inside.
After prying it open, you will see this very obvious stick of magnet in the middle of the pick up. Pry it out again with a flat head screw driver, and make sure you remember the position of it. I marked it with a marker, just in case I forget. The reason being is that the magnet are placed in a way aligned with the north and south pole in which since i don't own one of those meter to tell which pole it is, I have to use this primitive method to remember it. Before replacing the magnet, make sure to try putting it on top of the existing one. If it sticks, it's the correct direction and if it doesn't it's wrong.
And this is how it looks like after the magnet is taken out. Note that I written BT on the magnet. That means Bridge Top. So go ahead and replace the magnet by putting the new magnet on the middle of the pick up, cover it up with the back plate and screw back the 4 screws which you have taken out earlier.
I haven't gotten the chance to test the pick ups but I shall leave that for another day. Thanks to LonePhantom from Jemsite on providing the information on the magnet swaps and of course the sound samples at your end. You rock bro!
