GEAR news 2005

[Grain]

fghfghjj

i agree wif u. u r rite.

 

[subversion]

the Mike Mushock signature is not a bad guitar at all, it's just that the endorser's name just doesn't appeal to some of us...

 

[Bruce]

the Mike Mushock signature is not a bad guitar at all, it's just that the endorser's name just doesn't appeal to some of us...

i think the MMM model is overpriced tho

 

[subversion]

it's a fair price, the only dissent is- no case provided... :x to me it's kinda important because not all bags would fit the slightly longer overall length.

 

[subversion]

Ibanez Artcore AF85VLS
List: $800

The AF85VLS isn’t a new guitar, 2005 is its 2nd year of production & it survived elimination from the catalogue unlike its AX (smaller bodied, single cutaway) & TX (Talman shaped) siblings. So what’s the story here?

Unlike the dual cutaway AS models, the AF85 is a hollow unit. It’s simply lightweight & relief-inducing, if you’ve been strapping solid bodies all these while. Unlike its other hollow body brother, the AF75, the AF85VLS has a rounded cutaway, much like the Grestch Brian Setzer rather than the Gibson L5. This AF75VLS is actually the twin brother of the AF75DT/ BS, except that it suffers a genetic defect- it’s sycamore bodied rather than maple bodied… big deal huh?

Yes in deed. In addition to being more visually stunning (the flame adding on to the mojo…), the tonal properties differ if you take time to listen to it closely that is. But first, praise goes to the fit & finish of this guitar, unblemished & immaculate. The all-round binding is fantastic, no frayed edges anywhere, which includes the scratch plate. This is a piece of work per se, it’s actually plastic, laminated with a layer of matching flamed sycamore. At this price, it’s reflective of genuine quality, very applaudable in deed. My exclusive praise goes to the neck-body attachment which has no sign of excessive paint blobs. If you aren’t familiar with the semi/ hollow neck-body joint, the angled, protruding neck tongue inclines markedly to keep up with the very high bridge elevation. It’s all about accoustic resonance, high bridge placement is necessary to accentuate non-amplified resonance, the reason unfretted instruments like the violin, has Eifel tower-like bridge height measurements. Finishing this area of the guitar is a little tricky, too little paint & the gaps will show, too much & it’ll look like you’re covering a botched-up area. The chrome tail end & fabulous pearloid fretboard markers add to the touch of class. Time to plug in…

If you are expecting buttery, Gibson-esque tones, you’d be slightly disappointed. The AF85VLS does possess smooth voicings but it has this touch of crispiness which is critical for single note definition, especially when the neck humbucker is in play. The deep C-profile neck is very pleasing to the touch, very shred-inducing too if not for the small frets which get in the way. Clean, it’s a jazz machine, a very worthy Gibson competitor in my books. With added drive, the guitar is very responsive but watch the treble on your amp, it’ll get screechy when excessive. Nevertheless, the sycamore managed to trim a healthy dose of top end from the overall nuance.

I’m not a fan of big, hollow-bodied jazz type guitars, the body depth remains a playing challenge but this AF was very hard to put down. However, be warned that the small frets buzz easily if you pick too hard which I did do at times. Rest assured that it’s not an anomaly. The intonation of the guitar is surprisingly spot-on. I love it to bits… Please do not audition it in the hopes that it’ll out-jazz a Gibson- it’s not one to start with. Another well-made, thoughtfully priced Chinese Ibanez to be content with.

 

[subversion]

DR Extra Life: Peacock Blue- $18

DR strings offer their coated series in blue (for electric), now available @ Davis... have been using their black & blue versions since they debuted, impressive to say the least.

 

[subversion]

the following are part of the 2005 Ibanez offerings which have made it here. prices are not released for most of the models, they would be available by Tuesday latest, check this space for updates:

RG320

**review out soon 8)

RG321 (all mahagony for 2005) 8)

SZ320

the only one with available list price: $800, if i were you, i'd acquire the sunburst version because it's asian market exclusive...
**review out soon

SZ520

SZ2020

GSZ120

perhaps the best Gio ibanez model to date...

S520

if you think those are active pickups in there- nope. they are passive, covered, Infinity models...

IC400

the iceman is now mahagony...

AR300

 

[audio]

subversion...im waiting for the SZ320 review...can show me the sunburst one can? tot of buying prs but i tink get SZ320 1st coz prs told me it will wait faithfully for me on the wall..hehe...

im realli crazy bout SZ320 since i tried it few days ago although the electronics quite dissapointing..but for $800 who cares..can operate a bit..drill holes here and there so can put my hand thru the hole..how many colour available for the SZ320 2005 models?..

 

[subversion]

hey man, if you can check this space by midnight, my review should be up... 8)

the SZ320 in sunburst- no pics so far... for ASIAN market, the SZ320 comes in 3 finishes this 2005 sunburst/ gold top/ black

which model did you try? i played the 320 gold top for quite a bit today, the new Duncan Ibanez pickups- thumbs up!!

 

[audio]

my fren's SZ320 weathered brown..i like!!!!!

 

[subversion]

oh.. that's exactly what i own + i have Seymour Duncans (Custom Custom & Alnico II Pro) in there... yum, yum! since i already own the SZ320, i'm now eyeing the cheapo GSZ (yes, i like this guitar, it met my expectations) & the Prestige 2020... 8)

 

[subversion]

Ibanez SZ320
List: $800

I already own the SZ320, a very fine guitar per se, even Marty Friedman was impressed (upcoming Marty signature model based on his current pair of Ibanez SZ320). My agenda today was to actually hear the new Duncan Ibanez humbuckers in action, more than anything else…

The SZ is a departure form the skinny necked RG models, it’s also set-necked as opposed to the RG’s bolt-on assembly. Frets are of medium size, again, different from the RG’s jumbo fixtures. The headstock is also a peculiar sight, 3-tuners per side, unlike majority of Ibanez solid bodies, which sport 6-a side layout. The body’s thick, my friends, much thicker than the RG & it only features a rear chamfer (depression like the Fender strat, so that your rib cage fits snugly in there), because the top is an arched construction, think Les Paul… the scale length is also slighly shorter than an Rg's- 25.1"

The ’05 SZ isn’t any different from its pre-decessors, its thick c-profile, rounded neck is a welcome change, no hindrance if you are a shred-head, just need a little getting use to. Your sloppy fretting would be audible with the on-board medium frets, so buck-up your fingerings before you audition one. Unlike the proverbial set-neck construction we know too well in a certain singlecut guitar, the SZ’s version allows for immaculate upper fret access with only a hint of bulk at the 20th fret. Not excuse for not being able to reach the remaining 2 frets. My only gripe with the electronics is the mini, pickup toggle switch which is stiff, appreciate if it would be slightly bigger too… The highlight of the SZ model is of course its (Gibraltar III) bridge- it was conceived especially for the SZ, devoid of sharp edges & it proved its worth; very comfortable picking palm placement in deed. This feature, coupled with the through-body stringing, make the SZ a sweet, sustain machine. This year, the limelight is shared with the Duncan Ibanez humbuckers…

Seymour Duncan collaborated with Ibanez for selected (set-neck) models this 2005 to give you, a more expansive tonal palette. In addition to the Dimarzio-IBZ pickups in other guitars, this move is a plus for us tone mongers. I had a very high expectation from this guitar prior to this try-out simply because I’m a Duncan convert (but I still adore certain Dimarzios), I’m happy to report the present tonal difference (applause all round, please). The superseded default Ibanez SZ humbuckers were no different from those notorious Powersound, Infinity & Axis pickups, in many entry-level models that we kept auditioning & dislike. The Duncan Ibanez models here had their top end trimmed but not excessively because the neck unit gave off the much needed clarity when one plays the upper frets. Back your volume off & you’ll hear the Alnico Pro-type vintage overtones, which is so pleasing. Blues? No problems… The bridge humbucker also performed equally well treble-wise. Clean, these pickups are above-average but it’s nothing like what Ibanez Super 58 units would offer. If you are not a Duncan fan, you’d be screaming for Dimarzios but you won’t get that kinda tone from this guitar.

It’s good to know that the ’05 SZ320 maintained its high construction (forgot to mention the superb body binding- no frayed ends anywhere + well-dressed frets) & tonal standards. Kudos to Duncan for this long awaited collaboration, we hope to see more Ibanez with similarly voiced pickups in time to come.

 

[fibredrive]

i am amazed at ur writeups and reviews. thks subversion! u work for a magazine or somethin?? heh.

btw, u got ur pickups yet? the vintage noiseless?

 

[subversion]

thank you sir! no i don't work for any mags, if you wanna recommend me to one, i'd be delighted...

you know, the best results are from the things you do under no compulsion... 8)

nope, no news of the Vintage Noiseless yet...

 

[subversion]

Ibanez RG320
List: To be announced

The RG320 isn’t new for 2005, its revision are only the pickups & floating bridge. You might wanna consider this guitar as your first electric, but do read on before deciding…

The RG320 is a visually captivating guitar, but that gorgeous top adds nothing significant to tone, it’s a mere laminate (maple) cap. Although the 320 is an RG family member, the neck on offer here (Wizard II), isn’t the super skinny make, it’s rather sizeable but still thin if you’ve been playing Fenders & Gibsons all these while. 24 jumbo frets adorn this guitar & they are very well dressed in deed- zilch sharp edges. I strummed this guitar before plugging in & it emanated bright tones for a basswood body. The default action was acceptable but the fretboard's a little dry out of the box.

The amplified tone did little to alleviate the inherent tone of this guitar. It is treble-excessive, much of it is pickup attributable- the 'new' Infinity humbuckers (pre-2005 RG320 sports a pair of Powersounds) shouldn’t really be here. I’d prefer the Powersound pickups as they were less harsh, then again, do not put high hopes on Ibanez Infinity, Powersound & Axis makes, they weren’t conceived to be fantastic to begin with. It’s usual practice to swap them immediately upon purchase, you’d do better than to keep on playing with these pickups in tact, be warned. Despite being dual humbucking, the 320 sports a 5-way switching option, one of which activates the neck humbucker in a parallel tap mode. This way, you’d get a decent single coil simulation should the need arises. Also, if you fancy this switching option, tell the person who attends to your pickup swapping to maintain it.

The new Edge III vibrato bridge is also suspect. If you think it's as good as the Edge Pro/ II siblings, then I’m sorry to break this news to you- it's more TRS than Edge Pros… if you are new to Ibanez, many fans simply celebrated the TRS demise in the RG range, its reincarnation in the Edge III guise (benefit of the doubt- maybe it wasn’t meant to be another TRS but it’s as repulsive nevertheless) & residence in this year’s RG320, is an unfortunate regression. If you aren’t the whammy type, leaving the bridge alone is the best way to appreciate this otherwise fine guitar.

Well, well, despite the other good offerings by Ibanez this 2005, the RG320 is rather self-annihilating. I don’t blame the guitar per se, but the Infinity humbuckers & the Edge III vibrato is an oversight. If you still wish for a floating vibrato equipped, dual humbucking RG & you’re on a tight budget, hunt for a pre-2005 model which sings much better than its current manifestation.

 

[MrE]

Ooh... I always admired the Iceman...

Hey subv, any idea how much it will go for?

 

[chimaera]

The ibanez sz series looks quite tempting. Eh subversion how would u say the ibnez sz neck compared to ur PRS Mccarty neck, I have a prs n thinking of getting another guitar to complement it but yeah ill try to get one with the closest neck profile to the prs,....

 

[teleholic]

i checked it out the day before..radius and chunkiness quite close to a prs..esp mccarty..

 

[novocaine]

Are the SZ320 (black) and the Iceman models in at swee lee already? I've been waiting for them to come in as well...can someone enlighten me? Thanks!

 

[teleholic]

not sure about the black finish for sz320 as i only saw gold, but one of the guys told me they have the iceman in the warehouse...probably he meant at sims?