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.
So, about a week ago, I wrote about my Dragonfire parts and if you still remember, there is a bridge with a solid steel block, custom made to fit Asian or Mexican Strat.
So I've finally gotten around in installing the bridge, setting up the intonation and action. First thing first, in terms of fitting, this thing fits like a glove. It is a direct drop into your Squiers, Fender Japan and Mexican made Strats. For DIY enthusiasts such as I am, you can fit these into your SX, Artisian, Smash, Timbre and etc Strat copies.
Full size solid Steel Block
Thin Mystery Pot Metal Block
Now if you will take sometime to examine the 2 types of block above, you can tell just by visual alone the big difference between both blocks. The Dragonfire one (The one on the left) features a thick solid steel block while the usual stock one features a Thin Mystery Pot Metal Block. One might argue that a bigger block means heavier weight on the guitar however we also know that the Tremolo Block of the guitar does contribute to the tone significantly. Especially on a Vintage Tremolo type where the string are being string through from the block.
How does this change the sound quality? Well, after changing the blocks, the immediate difference that I can pick up is that the tone is fuller compared to that Mystery Pot Metal Block. There is also an apparent increase in sustain while notes are more apparent in responses.
Let's take a look at the back cavity of my "Malmsteen". This is how it looks like after installation. We can tell from the picture that the Block sits in nicely giving enough space for a whammy down with no fear of the block hitting the cavity.
The only bad point I can think about this Tremolo is that for the first time when I screwed in the Tremolo arm and did a whammy down, to my horror, the Tremolo arm bent slightly at the base near the screw area. So I guess they didn't QC on the arm too well. My consolation is that my friend passed me another one of his extra made in China Tremolo arms and it fitted nicely into the Tremolo block. No bending after a whammy down. Phew!
This is a great upgrade for those who are looking in upgrading their Mexican, Asian Strats or Strat copy. For just 32.95 USD excluding shipping, you can get a great tonal upgrade to your beloved Strat. Say no to Mystery Pot Metal Blocks today!
So I decided that if I were to write a blog about guitar, I should be able to provide means to allow people to hear the sound samples. So I got around in buying the cheapest mic I can afford now, which is an omnidirectional dynamic mic and hook in straight to my EEmu external sound card. It ain't the best setup out there but still gets the job done for now till i can afford an USB condenser mic.
EEmu external sound card
My Omnidirectional dynamic mic
To test my new recording setup, I've tried recording something. I've played this with my Frankenstein, which are equipped with Dragonfire screamers. It is played directly to my Marshall mini stack with max gain and max Reverb, with EQ set at flat. Pardon my bad playing and slightly out of tune guitar (which I conveniently forget to tune while recording), none the less it gives a rough idea on the recording quality and the sound of the Dragonfire Screamer Neck pick up.
I've finally got around to swapping out my stock Ibanez V1 and V2 pickups to try the Dragonfire screamers. On first try, they are actually pretty decent pickups for it's price.
These pick ups were tested out with a Marshall Mini Stack using only Amp distortion with max gain, all EQ set at flat. I put them into my Frankenstein and it seems to handle the Mahogany body pretty well. Starting with the neck pickup, which is to me my most important pickup of all position, even at max gain, the pickups still retains the clarity I need when doing fast runs. The pickups also has a thick and fat bottom end spectrum that doesn't mud out even at max gain. The pickup also has a very nice after tone to it, responding well to picking. Most important of all, it has that warmth to it, making it very pleasant to the ear.
The bridge pick up, even though at the bright side, has a lot of crunch and bite to it. Again, it doesn't mud out with max gain while retaining that clarity when doing rhythm work. Similar to the Dimarzio Evolutions that I so love, overwound at 16.9k it also has tons of harmonic overtones, making pinch harmonics really easy. If you are a fan of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani's Squeeling, these pick ups are really easy for that kind of stuff.
All and all, these pickups are really hot. Lots of dynamics. Another plus point of these pickups is, the pick ups come in 5 connectors and you can choose to coil split the pickup if you want to.
I've also did a unfair comparison to the Dimarzio Evolutions, which are fitted in my RG550, a basswood guitar. Even comparing to a Mid Bass dominant wood with Mid bass overdose pick ups, the Dragonfire Screamers are a tad too bassy and less clear compared to the Evolutions. However, at the price that they are going for, they are worth every cent. I would definitely recommend it to anyone out there who wishes to swap out that crap stock pickup for something nicer to the ear.
For pedal enthusiasts, the Wah Wah pedal is another one of those pedal that will certainly exist in the pedalboard of a player, next to the drive. The Wah Wah is an expression pedal that creates tons of tone expression variation, giving the player a huge array of phasing palette. What specific effect does the Wah Wah do? As it's name implies, it goes, Wah Wah.
Attached below is a short film about the history of Wah Wah. It's a really interesting film while educational at the same time. I highly recommend it to effects enthusiast and my fellow guitar lovers out there. I guarantee you that after watching this, it will make you feel like pulling out your Wah pedal or hit the closest guitar store and get that Wah pedal to Wah-ka Wah-ka away.
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
To all my readers out there, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been actively following my Blog. The page views has just went over 1k and I won't be writing continously without you all out there reading this. This is the first time I've been maintaining a blog over a month and am Happy doing it. Please feel free to share the blog to other fellow guitarist and guitar lovers via the "Facebook Share" button at the side. Thanks to everyone who has been following and I hope to be able to continue to have your support.
Customed California Squier "Malmsteen" is the first guitar that is extensively modded and customized by me. It started out as an ordinary Californian Squier which I've bought while browsing in a second hand guitar store. I wanted a scalloped guitar similar to the one Yngwie Malmsteen uses, to practice my light touch fretting technique. Just so happened that I walked into the shop and found this 21 frets Squier (Made in China) that is cream in color, selling for pretty cheap. I also saw that the neck has some hints of birdseye maple grain and thinking that I should have a go in scalloping, I bought the guitar home.
After bringing it back home, I immediately bought some half round file, wood rasp, some sand paper and armed with guts started scalloping the guitar. Scalloping the guitar wasn't honestly hard, just takes a lot of work to get it there. After scalloping the fretboard, I oiled the fretboard with Tung oil for that smooth finish and proceed to setup the guitar again.
The neck warped at first, which was expected after a full deep scallop but what I never expect was to find the first 5 frets buzzing all over. So, what I realized was that they didn't QC the neck properly and to solve the neck buzz issue, the factory merely bow the neck. I proceed to do fret leveling for the guitar, getting rid of all the buzz.
What Is a Malmsteen guitar, if the nut isn't brass right? So I went ahead and bought myself a Brass Nut and cut it myself. The Brass Nut replacement went well and the open strings was noticeably brighter. I also ordered in a set of Malmsteen pick ups (Dimarzio HS4 x2, HS3) and got them installed into the guitar (Yngwie had to swtich camp over to Seymour Duncan after I build this but nonetheless, I do prefer his tone from his old albums). The Electronic parts were then replaced to Gotoh and as per all my guitars, Orange Drop and Treble Bleed Mod.
Shortly after, I acquired an old made in Mexico Fender Stratocaster Alder body. I immediately did a swap over to the new body, while at the same time changing the bridge to a Wilkinson bridge (big steel block). The only problem with the bridge was since it's alignment was made for US neck, the neck alignment was slightly off. But that didnt post too much of a problem. I've also taken the liberty to change the pickguard to limegreen, something closer to Yngwie's guitar.
The guitar was excellent, good acoustics and all but there was something that was still missing for me. I realized that it was the action of the guitar. I couldn't get it to set to really low action, which was what I prefer. So once again, I filed down the frets, making it compound radius. This ensured that I could set it to ridiculous action without the notes choking all over. This made the guitar very playable and feels nothing like a Squier. The slight mis-alignment of the bridge has also been solved after I replaced the bridge with a custom bridge made by Dragon-fire. It also sports a solid steel block, with the exception of the bridge fitting into Mexican or Asian made Strats. The Headstock has also been sand off and replaced with a Fender decal and for the fun of it, I've signed it "Adrian Malmsteen". Technically, the only thing left from the Squier brand is the neck, but nonetheless, it is undeniably a good guitar with good tone.
This guitar is named "Malmsteen" as originally, I thought it would be funny to have a Yngwie Malmsteen like guitar, in the form of a Squier. My DIY bug got the better of me and I just went on and on modifying it, with each step making it closer to a guitar worth over $1000. This guitar remains one of the guitars that I play extensively up till date.
Customed California Squier "Malmsteen"" Specs neck type: 2pc Maple neck with Skunk stripe fingerboard:Scalloped Maple with dot inlay and Graphtech String Saver String Tree body: Alder fret: Medium Jumbo frets bridge: Custom Vintage Tremolo with Soild Steel Block and Graphtech Classics saddles neck pu: Dimazio HS-4 middle pu: Dimazio HS-4 bridge pu: Dimazio HS-3
Neck Specs Scale: 648mm/25.5" Width at Nut 40.8mm C Shape profile neck
Radius: 241mmR
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.
"紫心姫(Shishinhime)" started out as an Ibanez RG570SA which I've gotten for myself during my trip to Oklahoma USA. I bought this from Ebay and had it shipped over to my hostel in Oklahoma. I wanted an all original RG with super Wizard neck and Original Edge tremolo at that point of time.
I took the liberty of ordering a set of Dimarzio Evolutions while I was there, and had them fitted in once I was back in Singapore. There are no better place to buy Dimarzios. The guitar electronic parts were in bad shape and had to be given a total overhaul. All electronic parts are being changed into Gotoh while Orange drop and treble bleed mod is being added, as per all my other guitars. The guitar later went on being the same way for the next 2 years, without major change or whatsoever.
Recently, there is this seller on Ebay who was clearing his store of all the OEM Jem bodies that he has ever made. One of them is this one featured in the photo. It's made of Alder, Flame Maple and Purple heart. Now, how rare is that? Without second thoughts, I bought it and gave it 4 coats of Tru-Oil finish, bring out the luster of the wood. Unfortunately, the Purple heart, which was purple when it arrived has oxidized and faded to a dark brown shape with a hint of purple. Nonetheless, the body still looks awesome.
The good thing about the OEM Jem body is that it doesn't require me to dowel and redrill the neck. It actually fits like a glove. However, the things that I had to do was to sand down the router marks and fill up the wood chips with the wood dust i acquire from drilling the tremolo claw and stud holes. Especially those caused by routing.
This unique combination of wood gave the guitar a tone that is high on the treble side yet, thanks to the alder wings, it gives off tight and deep lows. This balance out the reflective harshness of the 2 hardwood, maple and purpleheart. Evolutions also sings beautifully with this body as it retains the warmth of the neck and the hotness of the bridge while at the same time being balanced out by the tone wood of the body, making it sound less muffed up compared to basswood.
The neck measures 17mm on the first fret and 19mm on the 12th fret with a flat radius of 430mm and sports a Bulbinga stripe which acts as a separate hardwood to counteracts the neck tension, therefore making it more resistance to neck warping. The thin profile of this guitar coupled with the flat radius of the fretboard makes this guitar a shredder's dream. The action is set to 1mm on the 12 fret giving players the lightest touch possible next to a scalloped neck. Due to the flat radius, players are also able to do high note bending effortlessly without choking the notes halfway.
This guitar got it's name from the purple heart body it sports. "紫心姫(Shishinhime)"means "Purple Heart Princess" in Japanese. As purple heart is a rare timber being used for guitar building, it seem that this would be the only fitting name for the guitar.
Ibanez Custom Jem 570 "紫心姫(Shishinhime)" Specs neck type: 3pc Made in Japan Super Wizard neck with Bulbinga Stipe fingerboard: Rosewood with dot inlay body: Alder, Maple and Purple heart with Hand Rubbed Oil Finish fret: Jumbo frets bridge: Ibanez Original Edge Bridge neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck 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 17mm d : Thickness at 12th 19mm
Radius: 430mmR
