shaun has something to say. . .

Ibanez Craze

It's almost 1 more month to my 21st birthday ahead, and I have friends and relatives asking me what i want for my birthday present. As I was giving some thought over it for the past weeks, I couldnt think of anything else except for the desire to buy another Electric Guitar! Haha. Dad says I'm wasting my money because I'm buying another guitar while Im still in the learning process. Aw well, Justin did tell me before to be more patient and concentrate on improving the skills before I think of getting another new guitar, but I cant WAIT any longer!!! Well, it's not because I'm rich and just wanna waste the extra money to buy a WANT item, but rather I'm pretty bored and sick with my current SG, the pickups are rusting badly, the pickup switch is having problems switching from RHYTHM to TREBLE etc....

So just last weekend, i drove over to SweeLee and took a look at their showroom displays. Apparently, the shop assistant told me they had just finshed a recent SweeLee Sale and thus the explanation for the vacant spaces around the shop. I was so intrigued and glued to the IBANEZ guitars that were displayed there! As i was there to see and feel the overall exterior of the guitar, it's indeed true that the neck and structure of the guitars are really suitable for lead-playing. I found it pretty comfortable to play, although I didnt have the opportunity to test out the pickups and sounds yet. Well, take a look at the few pictures and maybe you could provide some advice and comments on the few which I took notice of?

* Ibanez JS100 Series Electric Guitars *

"I wanted a guitar with a modern sound, but with a vintage feel, with smaller frets and more radius on the fingerboard. It had to be subtle enough to catch nuances, fast and easy to play." - Joe Satriani @Ibanez.com

The JS100 is designed to Joe Satriani's exacting specifications, with his custom neck profile, 2 custom designed humbucking pickups, and the Edge Pro II locking tremolo. The body is thinner than a stock RG size body, but thicker than the S-Series, to provide a great combination of comfort and tone.

Specifications:
JS neck
Maple Neck Material
Basswood Body
22/Medium frets
Rosewood Finger Board
Edge Pro II bridge
IBZ AH1 (H) Neck PU
IBZ AH2 (H) Bridge PU
Pearl Dot Inlays
CH : Hardware Color

*Source: http://www.wmcworld.com

Scale:

648mm/25.5"
a : Width at Nut
42mm
b : Width at Last Fret
56mm
c: Thickness at 1st
20mm
d : Thickness at 12th
22.3mm
Radius

250mmR

* Source: http://www.ibanez.com/ *

This was what I initially set out to buy, for the fact that although this model is pretty old,it's sold at around SGD$1100+(for a Signature Series)! Quite worth the buy, except that firstly, SweeLee doesnt have stock other than the black coloured one ( I wouldnt mind the red or white one), and that perhaps the pickups used cant beat some of the other models.

* Ibanez RG Prestige2570E *

Specs:
Wizard Prestige neck
5pc. Maple/ Walnut Neck Material
Basswood Body
24/Jumbo frets
Bound Rosewood Finger Board
Edge Pro bridge
DiMarzio IBZ (H) Neck PU
DiMarzio IBZ (S) Mid PU
DiMarzio IBZ (H) Bridge PU
Brown Mirror Sharktooth Inlay
Vital Silver Finish
Includes Deluxe Hardshell Case

Basswood is a comparatively lightweight wood, which makes it very comfortable for extended playing. With a good balance of highs and lows, basswood is right in between alder and mahogany in sound character. The 24 Jumbo frets offer easy playing for leads and chording.

* Source : http://www.wmcworld.com

Scale:
648mm/25.5"
a : Width at Nut
43mm
b : Width at Last Fret
58mm
c: Thickness at 1st
18mm
d : Thickness at 12th
20mm
Radius
430mmR

* Source: http://www.ibanez.com

This seems like a better buy overall, did some reading over some forums and people were saying that in comparison with the signature series, perhaps the RG Prestige is a much better,versatile buy for hard rock n stuff. Then again, the price for this is almost SGD$1800+... and with that price, i would rather pay bit more and probably get a Fender or Gibson manz. haha.

* Ibanez SA120 Guitar *

Specs:

IBANEZ SA120 CN E-Guitar, Mahogany Body, 3-pc. Maple Neck, 22 Medium Frets, SAT PRO Tremolo, 2 Humbuckers (AH5 Neck and AH6 Bridge), Chrome Hardware, Color: Charcoal Brown, incl. Gigbag und Gurt

*Source: http://www.thomann.de

Scale
648mm/25.5"
a : Width at Nut
43mm
b : Width at Last Fret
56mm
c: Thickness at 1st
19.5mm
d : Thickness at 12th
21.5mm Radius

400mmR

* Source: http://www.ibanez.com

The much cheaper alternative I would say, as it can cost below $1000 or slightly more depending on the colour design and stuff. Then again, I do not know if it matches the other models.

Gosh, I'm in a dilemma, someone help me!

Monday, July 9, 2007 at 10:44:00 PM

Herman Li's Asian Tour 2007

As I was browsing through the usual webbies online, I came across this ad at SweeLee's site :

Gosh! Herman Li's coming to Singapore once again for his Asian Tour Clinic! In case you're wondering who the hell is he, he's basically the lead guitarist from the Power Metal Band, DragonForce, which came down to Singapore recently for their "Inhuman Rampage" concert tour. Well, I didnt manage to catch that gig , partly because I aint a Power Metal genre kinda fan and thus doesnt really appreciate their music influences.

In case you guys are curious what this guy can do, check the links out:

+ Herman Li and Sam Totman performing the "Through the Fire and Flames" solo together.

+ Herman Li and Sam Totman giving instructional demos and advice on playing their song

Well, it never fails to make mi go "WAHHH" whenever i hear or watch this video, and if you have bothered to watch the above video, the 1st thought in your mind would be " Wow.... how the hell did that dude do tt shit on the guitar? it's all pure speed shredding..!!! wouldnt his fingers go cramp?" Lolz.

Then again, there are other friends of mine(guitarists) who think there's just all pure speed, and it seems so messy and disorganised, and thus they think otherwise for guitarists like Herman Li. Aw well, to each his own opinion. If anyone out there is interested in going for the Clinic anyway, check out Swee Lee's website at : http://www.sweelee.sg/

Hmm....Im still waiting for the day Joe Satriani or John Petrucci to come down to SINGAPORE... or even better... G3 coming down for Asia Tour! That would be sweet...

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 at 12:29:00 PM