Ibanez S570B: (Slight) Set up

I was rather fortunate to have acquired this particular Ibanez S570B as it manifested one of the best QC from the Indonesian plant. The neck was ramrod straight so no adjustments were required but take a look at the bridge in the above pic- it's embedded too much into the cavity implying a very low action. To many of us, we equate very low action to shredding goodness- the lower the action so the more desirable it would be, yes? But that's not the case if it impedes movements, especially so if it affects your (individual) playability.

So the objective here was to raise the action to suit my playing comfort, first up would be the unlocking of the top-lock (nut) device. Many of us tend to overlook the (bridge) fine tuners before we do this, we should level the tuners prior to unlocking the nut because we need a 'neutral' positional reference when we next fine-tune our instruments. Raise/ lower the tuners to a mid-point position, this way we get equal travel to compensate the need to sharpen/ flatten tuning after we lock the nut. 

After tuning, do check your bridge alignment (side view) to see if it's sitting parallel to the body's top surface; in my case, it wasn't. The springs-strings required a balancing act & I couldn't be more grateful to Ibanez for this exposed feature- it provided easy access to the thumb-wheel adjuster. 

And there we have it, a raised action (but still low) & a leveled bridge alignment. Since it was a slight adjustment (magnified by the big photos here) the intonation stayed true so no adjustments necessary there. Great guitar this S570B.

S-series: Wish list

These are the S-series made available for the US market but not offered here (wish they were...). I am keeping my Ibanez acquisition focused on the S-series because they are the models I prefer over the RG. The QM top here is a mere laminated layer but it adds a touch of class to the overall finish.

The S770PB sports a satin finish & a poplar burl top. I have a soft-spot for a lacquer-free top as it adds sting to the guitar's top end without relying too much on the pickup performance. There's a 770 model available here but it features a flame maple top which is, em... nothing extraordinary. 

But this maple fretboard S570MQM is priority before 2011 comes to a close. Simply stunning...

Ibanez - Pyramid

It's good to know that I'm not the only one fitting Pyramid strings into (some of) my Ibanez guitars; the Pestilence guys are at it as well... So it means Pyramid strings are quality products after all, eh? We usually come to such a conclusion- brand name embrace by recognized players imply a quality endorsement but it's really a personal experience/ appeal. I know those Pyramid strings are above average products, it's all about what works for you.

Plush activity

I've been hearing too much passive tones lately so I had my Ibanez RGR08LTD going this morning, through the Plush Cream pedal. The Cream overdrive did well in taming the protrusive top end from the Duncan Blackout to give a very smooth response. However, this combination proved too much (subjective) in terms of output because there wasn't quite an overdrive tone to be heard, in fact, it's a distortion outcome pertaining to intensity.

Ibanez: S570B

Got this Ibanez S570B from the Swee Lee sale (BB branch) which happened yesterday. It wasn't my initial target but it's a lovely compromise. It needs a little set up, though. This will be done soon, I see some spare time come National Day.

My other S-series:

• S540LTD
• S1620
• S420

Ibanez: GRGR011LTD

What does the 'GIO' tag there on the headstock, mean to you? Does it imply a second-grade instrument which you should avoid? Whatever it means, I gave this guitar a go yesterday...

We tend to be dismissive of the GIO series because they are the manufacturer's budget offerings & they still are. But this lightning beast here is a wonderful player, even the Powersound pickups in there sound very 'right' under loads of distortion. However be warned all ye in search of sparkling cleans- not quite available here. I love the neck- it has all the Wizard goodness while not being excessively thin, will definitely appeal to shredders. While there was a general acceptance of the pickups, be informed that the absence of a tone knob means you must live with the default pickups' tone character so make it a point to hear it in action before you commit to purchase.

Ibanez RGD321: Regional availability

We've seen this guitar before; it's Ibanez RGD321, offered in the US market exclusively...

... until this (2011) Summer, of course. Ibanez is now making the RGD321 available in this region. Note the (slight) pickup difference there- this region's offering features the CAP version of the VK humbuckers.
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Obiter dictum: Transport cost to increase by 1%... Will the service quality also increase by 1%?

Ibanez: RG350M... red edition

You are still in love with your yellow RG350M, eh? This red edition (Summer 2011) should distract you quite a bit.

1 more for the south

Good news for lefties- this summer, Ibanez adds a few more models for the left-handed players, the S420 is one of them.

Ibanez: RG7321

This Ibanez RG7321 is for sale, but it's not mine. If you are interested/ in need of more details, please get back to Mr. Naz, at the following e-mail address: nazrie33@gmail.com

Tony Macalpine

These days, the new breed of guitar shredders would now Tony Macalpine as Steve Vai's hired hand. Be informed that Mr. TM is a lethal guitarist himself, he's also adept to the synth so this gives us the idea of how accomplished he is in terms of music. In the '80s, I've always confused Tony Macalpine with Greg Howe; they both sport similar hairdo & their guitar mastery made them leaders of the shred pack.

Well TM is back with a new self-titled album (& riding in his employer's guitar brand bandwagon) which is indeed a shred fodder but with heaviness to boot. Well, with 8 strings in his guitar & lots of distortion, sounding heavy is really unavoidable but I like this release because it has a 3-pronged approach to (electric) guitar instrumental- melody, technicality & heaviness. Here's a taster to what you can expect from the above-mentioned release:

South

Kudos to Ibanez for remembering the left-handed players among us. Although this isn't a comprehensive offering but the Summer's inclusion of south-paw models shows that lefties are not forgotten.

New Artcore

New Ibanez for Summer- the AS53. The semi-acoustic idea isn't new though, just the finish + lesser knobs.

Absolutely attracted to this AF...

Separated at birth... Episode III

Do you remember Jackson's Warrior model? Yes, it's the one which ignited a character clash of sorts with Ibanez's Xiphos. But we learnt that both guitars was inspired by a certain BC Rich model. But Jackson's discontinued Demon (pic above)...

...& Ibanez's 540P (also discontinued) looked very similar, yes? So maybe the Xiphos episode wasn't the first design bout between the manufacturers.

Eillek SALE

If you are looking for some Ibanez (such as the ZR bridge assembly seen above)/ Fender/ Gibson spares, among others, be informed that Eillekoet is currently having a SALE. You have till 27th June to check them out. Also, get to hear your favourite song being played in-store while you shop- no kidding.

Kahler the 8

This Ibanez 8-string was featured in Tony MacAlpine's new album. We can tell it's not a stock option by virtue of its bridge- it's a Kahler.

Swine tone

So the Bare Knuckle pickups went into my Ibanez SZ520FM. It's a pair of Warpigs.

FACT: The bridge Warpig features a distressed metal cover salvaged from WWI. It was alleged to be coming from a Mark V tank which was disintegrating in a trench. The neck Warpig includes parts dipped in toxic sludge believed to be the ingredients in making Agent Orange fluid. 

MYTH: The Warpigs are ordinary high output humbuckers with a tweaked bass response for some smooth jazz/ fusion overdrive responses or grinding low-end notes in an extreme metal distortion setting. No pigs were slaughtered to manufacture these pickups.
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Obiter dictum: A decomposing torso was discovered floating in Bedok Reservoir yesterday. In the recent wake of an uproar by Woodlands residents, when a dead body was discovered in their apartment block's roof top water tank, there might be furious demands by citizens in asking the authorities to replace the entire reservoir with a fresh water body just like the eventual replacement of the aforementioned water tank. He, he...

Ibanez: SZ520FM

Remember the Ibanez ISG35 bag I mentioned a few days ago? Well, that was bought for this guitar; the discontinued Ibanez SZ520FM.

When the SZ520 was released, it was a 'first' in the SZ range to feature a flame maple top & a new fretboard inlay, the 'cardiac heartbeat' indicator. But I didn't buy this guitar for those reasons, I have always admired how the S-series fundamentals were manifested to become this set-neck model. The feel of the instrument was a departure from the typical RG/S shredder affair. It was a bold move by Ibanez back then, I had my reservations but after trying one at Swee Lee (I tried & bought the SZ320 first) I knew this guitar was a success.

The body's flip-side...

... but more importantly, the pickups. The SZ series will be remembered by Ibanez fans as the Seymour Duncan-Ibanez collaboration. However, these pickups were not a made-in-USA affair (the ones in the Prestige SZ models, were), they were Korean & differentiated from the Duncan Designed models featured in many budget guitars like some Squiers. 

Instead of the 6-in-line Ibanez headstock designs of the S-series, the SZ featured a 3-by-3 design instead. I can't stand looking at this headstock for long because it reminds me (all the time) of the S-Classic models which I really wanted but not available here. *SIGH*

The headstock's flip-side view with the Korean i/d numbers. By virtue of this identification, we know it originated from the same factory which currently handles PRS' SE models.
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Obiter dictum: I was watching late night news while doing this entry; it seems that the MRT's North-Eastern Woodleigh station will be officially opened later today. According to the authorities, the station remained close for years because the neighbouring population was insufficient to supplement the station's operational costs. But many of us would see this as a poor excuse to deprive the opposition ward of good service amenities. Now that the Potong Pasir constituency had been recaptured by the ruling party, we would expect such things to happen. But if the authorities choose to say that the population is now in good numbers to trigger the stations operations, are there any statistics to back this up?

Ibanez: RGA42T

I saw this Ibanez RGA42T (new for 2011- look at the new bridge in there...) at Swee Lee's Sims Drive warehouse during the last sale (5th June '11). Have been wanting to try it because I handled it during the sale day & it was one heavy guitar. I managed to try it yesterday at the Bras Basah showroom instead & I was right about the tone- it features a pair of active pickups so any hope of the instrument's weight contributing to the tone was diminished by the circuitry.

The 340

This Ibanez RG340 is a new model for 2011 but only offered to the Japanese market.

The idea might trickle down from the RG2560, we need not be surprised if it did, yes?

But the 'RG340' isn't a fresh conception. Ibanez has an RG340 in the 1980s under the Roadstar offerings. I remember this one after flipping through my cousin's Ibanez catalogue. The cutaways were not as pronounced as the current RG models, in fact, it looks very much like the S-series.