50 More Miles

"Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious cunsumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio" - Hunter S Thompson

I've been listening to a lot of 90's music lately. Stuff like Failure, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Music you would only find in the last half hour of 120 Minutes or in the bargain bin of the local record shop. Maybe you would hear about it from a cool friend, but often times you would just see an interesting album cover that caught your eye. Much of it was experimental and meandering without the pretentiousness of progressive music. 

I've also been rewatching some of my favorite 90's movies. Killing Zoe, Kaliforna, Best Laid Plans. It was always funny to me because at the time they were considered "ultra-violent" when really they were trying to be the next Pulp Fiction. Often times the violence over shadowed the story when talked about in the press but I've always enjoyed the story of a desperate guy trying to get out of a bad situation. These and heist films are my favorites, Killing Zoe is both. 

The other day I was out with the family and this idea came to me that I sang into my iPhone. I was thinking more Smashing Pumpkins and when I got home and started jamming on this droning meandering idea. The original melody became the chorus of the song, but immediately I had a very different idea that became the verses. I picked a drum loop that fit the feel of the song. I grabbed my seven string guitar and came up with more ideas. I plugged in my Keeley Monterey Fuzz and that's when everything came together. Experimental, meandering music driven only by the guitar and drums. 

I started picturing someone driving across the desert at night trying to finish a journey. Exhausted, cranky, they just want to get to their destination. How much longer... about 50 more miles. Boom. That's what reminded me of my favorite Hunter S Thompson quote. 

ADHDguitarist · 50 More Miles

Experimental, droning, fuzzy feedback in an amp that sounds like it is melting down.... all good things. I did three takes on the guitar and most of what you hear is the 2nd one. I changed up parts of the drum loop to play to the music. As I did the mix down I pushed the hell out of the buss compressor and at a couple of points in the song when I hit a low G on the seven string it sounds like the limiter chokes, this giant blooming sound obliterating everything in the mix. It's glorious. This is not commercial music. I don't care. I write and record music for me and anyone else that might enjoy it. 

If you'd like to buy me a drink my music is available on Bandcamp here: https://adhdguitarist.bandcamp.com/track/50-more-miles

NGD Ibanez RGD IR7M

 Happy Birthday to me.... 

I've kind of wanted a 7 string ever since Steve Vai played one on Passion and Warfare and Whitesnake's Slip of the Tongue. But in those days 7 string guitars were rare and pretty expensive. In the early 2000's when every manufacture seemed to explode with less expensive 7's, the band I was in liked down tuned six strings. I didn't need a 7 and I was fine with that. Plus a lot of those less expensive seven strings had issues, the necks would twist and honestly I was a bit spoiled by some of my nice guitars. 

About two weeks ago I was again thinking about getting a 7 string when a used Sterling by MusicMan JP7 showed up at my local Guitar Center. Music Man's have always been a bit odd to me, I like them but for some reason I've just never fallen in love with one. Still I was thinking about going and checking it out. Then this Ibanez showed up at the same store. But with an hour drive I decided if I didn't love either of these guitars I wasn't going to get one.  Still I had to drive down and check them out. 

SPECS

The RGD IR7M was made in 2018-2019. In 2018 they used mahogany and in 19 they used nyatoh a cousin to mahogany that sounds similar(this one is an 18) Other than that they are exactly the same. The locking tuners and the proprietary Gibraltar Bridge are made by Gotoh. The pickups are made by DiMarzio for Ibanez and are called Fusion Edge pickups. The finish is a matte metallic blue and the neck is a 3 piece and the fretboard is Birdseye maple. 

The Indonesian made Iron Label series has been out for a few years and if you read the online reviews they can be hit and miss. The factory they are made in is owned by Cort Guitars which is not a brand in the past I have associated with well made guitars, but the specs on this guitar intrigued me. 7 strings, hard tail, 26.5 inch scale. Also the blue is pretty sexy.

When I got to GC I checked out some of the other guitars first and then headed over to the used section. I played both guitars for a few minutes. The JP7 had a few dings and played fine but it didn't speak to me. But the Ibby on the other hand was in very good shape. There were no dings or scratches, just a bit of burnishing around the volume knob and on the upper bevel where the arm sits. There is also a tad bit of finish rubbed off the bass side of the bridge. The strings hadn't been changed in a long long time. If I had to guess someone bought it played it for a few weeks and put it in their closet. 

RESERVATIONS

I wasn't sure about the position of the switch but it sits just forward of where I tend to pick so it's never in the way and using it is as easy as sticking out a finger on my picking hand. I have to say I really like the extra inch on the scale length. Much like going from a 24.75 to 25.5 there is a difference in how the strings bloom. Also I had read a lot of mixed reviews on DiMarzio Fusion Edge pickups. I have to say I expected to dislike them but they sound pretty good and I've decided I will leave them for the time being. From what I've read online these are what the DiMarzio Titan's are based on. 

Now on to the most important thing. How does it play? Pretty great! This guitar plays as well as my Ibanez Prestige S1520BP which I have often said is like driving an exotic car. The neck is a bit thicker (and of course wider) but it's very comfortable. And the tension is very even all over the neck. A lot of lower end guitars have a very uneven tension. The Gotoh locking tuners keep the strings in tune very well. 

CONSIDERATIONS

So what might I change. I think I might swap out the volume pot for a push pull to take advantage of the coil splits and when I do that I'm going to have a graphtech nut put in. I've also read that Hipshot makes a direct replacement bridge for the Gibraltar II so that is an option. And the pickups? I don't know yet but at the moment I kind of like these. I do like the Seymour Duncan Alpha Omega set and I'm curious about Bare Knuckles so I'm considering them also. 

I don't know yet exactly where I'm going to fall with this guitar but I am really enjoying it. Aside from its djenty qualities it's a really nice playing guitar and it sounds really good. But considering the great shape it's in and that I got it at HALF of MAP pricing I'm gonna say it's a win!