Dizzy, it's hard to recommend amp settings for midnight cuz I don't know what amp and guitar you're using, and I could only really make a recommendation if your setup is similar to mine.

On the Chorus front, yeah I've heard that the Boss is a good one. You may find that some chorus pedals, like Joe's super-chorus, sound better when you're using two amps, using the stereo outputs of the pedal. I have my chorus plugged into two amps and it sounds better than when into one, but I need a new pedal - mine makes background noise cuz it's kinda cheap and old. So yeah, if you're just using one amp, the Boss will proably give the best sound, unless you want to spend 1.5 grand on a rack-mounted chorus processor! (I think not!)

Anyway, did your pickups arrive? I hope everything is in order and you're happy with it. It was suggested to me that I wind the bridge pickup right up close to the strings, which I did, and it seems to pull out the harmonics a bit better. Have a play around and see what you think!

Dizzy, about the middle part of Midnight ~ just listened to it a few times and I see how important the tone is.

What guitar are you using? I mainly use a Jem into my Legacy, tho the amp isn't too important. The pickups and switch on my Jem are wired as follows: Position 1=neck humbucker; 2=middle single coil and half of neck humbucker; 3=middle single; 4=middle single and half of bridge humbucker; 5=bridge humbucker.

If you have an Ibanez guitar with two humbuckers and a single coil in the middle, this is how they will be wired. For a decent tone on Midnight, I would want something fairly acoustic sounding, so I'd use position 2 - the middle single coil and half of the Humbucker. If you use all of the humbucker the notes will slur together and you won't get the percussive tone you're after. It sounds very acoustic, so I'd also wind the tone on full.

If you're using a JS, then use the coil tap so you're using a single coil....that way you'll get the punchy crispness on each note you tap. And yes, it's all in the wrist. Joe played this in the gig I saw last summer in London - he sat on a chair and laid his guitar over his lap, then tapped out Midnight. He looked very relaxed!

Happy holidays to you too dude!

Jazzer13, go for a Morley Bad Horsie if it's within your budget. Morley Wah pedals are great. And regards the Keeley DS1 - I dunno, it might be the one you want, but then again you might not like it. Vai liked it, but Joe didn't. hope you do like it!

and BeeZer, on the contrary, Morley switchless wah pedals are more reliable! There's no pot so it doesn't wear out. there's no swicth, so that doesn't wear out. Actually the only moving part is the hinge! that's why it's more reliable! Also the LED tells you when it's on or off.

Miguel, sorry, I should have elaborated and said to bar the 24th fret, or theoretical 24th if you dont have a two-octave fretted board! but you get what I meant, which is the main thing. Mmm, shiny new Ibanez acoustic for christmas.....I should think you are f*ck*n happy! hehe.

I think I would find a Luke more versatile and useable but I would miss the Jem's awesome looks, the huge trem cutaway and the abuse you can give it, and the handle! I could only afford a Luke if I turn in my Jem in part exchange......what should I do?!

Ovation1, yeah I gotta keep the Jem. I've had a couple of days to think about it and it's just too pretty to give up!

since I'm late here, it looks like you have it covered, but the main things I found, which could be useful to anybody else doing an installation, were these:

Ibanez wiring is the same as DiMarzio wiring, so the replacement will almost certainly be colour-for-colour. I know that there's one colour that Ibanez use different to Dimarzio...is it green for blue? something like that. anyway, which ever the odd colour is, treat it as the same.

Make sure you use a solder sucker to keep it clean - i Didn't when I first did the installation, and I got solder all over the PCB on the switch, which is why it didn't really work!

You can use crocodile clips or clothes pegs to attach the wires to different terminals, without actually soldering, until you find out how it should be wired.

The ibanez website has wiring diagrams for all of it's guitars, and some of it's prestige models, like RG1320 will have the wiring schematic you're after.

Are you wanting to change your bridge too? I wouldn't bother.....the guitar isn't worth it. I wanted to once, but realised the Satellite bridge on there is actually fine.

Hey folks! I'm not gonna be around any more until friday probably, so I thought I'd say Happy new Year to you all, best wishes for 2004, and here's my personal ideal music awards for 2003! hehe, enjoy

Album of the year: Mourning Widows ~ Mourning Widows

Newly-discovered artist of the year: Andy Timmons

Song/Tune of the year: "Eastern Flier" ~ Igor Belsky

Best guitar solo in a song/tune: "Too Late" ~ Nuno Bettencourt

Best Joe Satriani tune of the year!: "Hill Groove"

Music DVD of the year: Live In Amsterdam, 25th Anniversary ~ Toto (I haven't seen Vai's Astoria DVD and it's not out till '04 here in the UK, so that's why it isn't the winner there!)

Musician Of The Year (I'm gonna take some sh*t for this one!): Eric Johnson

Ovation1, "Akemashite Omedetto Gozaimasu"! hehe, thanks for that dude. Year of the monkey huh? I was aparrently born in the year of the pig....I hope this doesn't have bad implications!

I didn't used to be so keen on 'New Blues' but now I really rather like it. I still don't listen to it that much cuz I usually want to put something else on (ie. Hill Groove. hehe) but it's pretty groovy.

Gbloke2004, what, you want to download Vai's DVD off Kazaa? Why can't you just buy it like everyone else? It hasn't yet been released in the UK....couple of weeks more until it is released.

About Petrucci's sound - he does it in the "Metropolis" Dream Theater DVD too, and it's an effect. He was using his Music Man guitar for that...I guess it was something like that Boss acoustic simulator pedal...pretty impressive. then again, he might have one of his Ernie Ball/Music Man guitars loaded with their (very very impressive) acoustic pickup....it sounds far better than any of the Ibanez ones, but I still reckon it's a pedal, cuz that would explain the speed at which the sound changes!

mischievous, precicely like that!

I'm just disappointed that Eric Sardinas's set wasn't put on there as a special feature, cuz he spent quite some time standing right in front of me and my mate, lookin at us grinning broadly under his hat, cuz we were the only ones making LOADS of noise for him....he deserved it, he put on such a good show, but everyone else was just waiting for Steve to come out.

Highlights of the show for me? umm, the Fire Garden Suite, Blood And Glory, the lasers on his fingers even tho they came off and the smoke wasn't as thick as he wanted it, and the end when Eric came out and jammed on Liberty.

Ty, yeah the production on III Sides is really impressive. It really shows off Nuno's song-writing skills, and yeah, the coupled drum and bass tones are sweet. Also, Nuno's percussive technique really shows up.....you can really hear the squelch he gets from the Bill Lawrence bridge pickup, especially on things like "Politicalamity".

You ever see Vai's statement about anyone wanting to be a virtuoso? I have that taped to my wall, jnust in case I ever get big-headed! if you don't know the quote I'm referring to, I'll write it for you, it's pretty funny!

Yeah Eric played for about 30 minutes, all his own stuff, including "Aggravatin' Pappa". He climbed into the audience and played, used a bottle of Budweiser as a slide, and set his guitar on fire and then played it on the floor! his set was so good, and he played so much that you don't hear on any of his CD's!

Gibsonez, Welcome to T2J! you're from Russia? awesome! since you've just arrived here you will have missed my post the other day about visiting your country. Basically I was saying that if anybody wants to teach me some Russian I'll not complain, hehe. I'm really interested in your country and I really want to visit in a couple of years ~ do you happen to know if there's any good online information resources that will teach me a little more, especially about Moscow and St Petersberg?

He aparrently said this once in a magazine interview. It's a slightly tongue-in-cheek comment, but equally true, and if it wasn't Vai who said it, I'd think it was self-absorbed, egosentric and big-headed, but I think he is in the unusual position of being able to get away with it!

I can't walk in my bedroom without seeing that statement, which is a very good thing.....i'd rather tell people that I'm a bit sh*t than tell them I'm god's gift to guitar-playing, cause that's the sort of people I really don't like!

The flaming guitar thing was so cool - he took a plastic cup of water then drank it all. Then he took another plastic cup (aparrently water but actually white spirit) and poured it's contents on the floor. He lit a match and dropped it, but it went out. He lit another one, dropped it, but it went out. He took his last match, lit it, dropped it and WHOOMF! The puddle roared, he laid his resonater down in it, then tapped out a solo on the floor, spun it round a few times to put the fire out and finished his song! damn cool!

See if you can find someone in the front row wearing a dark blue home-made "Ibanez" T-shirt! hehe

Ovation1, he printed "The modern day virtuoso refuses to die!" inside the Alive In An Ultra World cover, but the other statement was one that was only made in an interview, to my knowledge.

I dunno that I was causing a rucus, I was to astounded at being there. I probably spent the whole 2.5 hours trying to shout but looking amazed! hehe

Aarren, where did you get your shirt? (the one in the photo you linked us to)

But hey, what did you do when you wanted to find a band that would support you? It seems quite hard finding people who are equally interested in writing something that sounds cool!

I know that I'm not too bad cause I have a sort of a reputation, but I'd like to be so much better, and I always will - I'll never be good enough, that's the philosophy that ought to keep me learning.

oh and the best part - its 119 bucks! haha, I'd be hard pushed to hand over a fiver, and even then it would only be for the sheer entertainment value!

i have images of the cat chasing it's tail in that stroller, or a fly going in there and the cat going nuts!

Aarren, that sucks about the shirt! hehe, Iron's are bastards, as are tumble-dryers. They only wreck your favourite clothes. I dunno if that shirt was a favourite of yours, but you must have liked it if the iron attacked it!

Also, it depends what pickup sound you want, so you don't necessarily have to go with DiMarzio, but their good relationship with Ibanez would be in your favour - it makes the installation easier

oh, and what you said about seeing the same names credited with song-writing. Case in point would have to be Extreme - Nuno and Gary wrote everything, but when Paul Geary left after III Sides, it all changed and Waiting For The Punchline sounded kind of strange (but still cool! hehe)

crushingday62, you might get lucky about seeing Metallica S&M - the conductor (who's name I don't recall) of the orchestra, has gotten ill and has said that he wants to do an S&M: 2 efore he gets too sick to do it

I have the action fairly low I suppose - actually, I have the action on my Jem about half a mil higher than is recommended in the Ibanez 'handbook', but the strat is quite low. It'd be interesting to see what changes you might need to make to the pickup heights when you have the lower action. Keep us posted!

also, what josh said is very true - I used to break Ernie Ball strings even tho I'm gentle with my strings, but I haven't broken a single D'Addarrio, without using wire-cutters!

What are you using to supply it with power? if you're using a battery then you might want to replace that, if you're using a power-adapter, then it may be that. I thought it was okay to use any 9-volt adapter, but when I first tried my Smash Box it sounded absolutely awful. I got a BOSS PSA240 and it changed everything. All my pedals are on a daisy chain, and sound sweet.

that said, my Bluesbreakers make a bit of background noise, but that's just because of simple, no-nonsense engineering on Marshall's part!

I also have those pickups in my RG, and I personally don't find them that exciting, but it depends on what sounds good to you. What kind of tone do you want? are you after something smooth, something cool, something hot, something strat-like, something twangy, and what is your preferred amp-tone - heavy distrotion, smooth creamy overdrive, light overdrive or totally clean?

Austin/chris, ouch. I didn't realise he'd actually died...I knew he was ill but damn, that's a shame. Rest In Peace, Michael Kamen

No, definitely not the same as artificial. check out Joe's "Guitar Secrets" book and Eric Johnson's first "Hot Licks" tutorial video for a good descritpion of loads of different types of harmonics.

And I agree with what he said about the pickups being great for Joe - especially the Fred. It has that distinctive nasal twang which means it can't really sound like anything unique.....whatever amp tone you have, it's still quite obviously a DiMarzio Fred. I do recommend Evolutions, and like chris said, the AirZone and AirNorton are good.

Although, F-spacing doesn't make all that much difference, but still get 'em F-spaced anyway! yah, it's a gimmick!

regards instrumental guitarists - Eric Johnson does some instrumental, some vocal, it's all beautiful; Andy Timmons; Jenniffer Batten; Jon Petrucci of 'Dream Theater' and 'Liquid Tension Experiment' will be releasing his own solo record this year (hopefully); Ritchie Kotzen; Greg Koch (if you like f*ck*d up jazz); Frank Gambale; Igor Belsky; George Lynch; Tony MacAlpine

you found DT tickets for saturday?! jesus cristo! that must have taken some searching. Hmph, and they said it was sold out!

Like the Washburn N4; it's a Nuno model, with a Seymour Duncan pickup, a Bill Lawrence pickup, a Steven's cutaway, a Buzz Feitin tuning system and a Floyd Rose bridge....all those names must mean it's good! hehehe. actually, having played it, I can seriously say it's a beauty, I want one, but can't afford it!

TheLordOfCheesecake, yeah it is truly sad that Frank is gone, and it is truly great that he wrote his stuff without the influence of drugs. I wish I could have seen one of Frank's shows - it must have been amazing, and yes, what a guitarist!

Yeah the fatter frets, like on the Vai models, make it easier to play fast runs, because you don't have to press the string so hard to push the note out between the frets. It's most noticeable as an advantage for Legato playing, but it's better for everything really!

You can get pearlescent paint from auto-traders. It's usually used to paint car/bike body panels and kits. That's why you need to put some kind of poly-resin on the guitar first, just like you do with canoes, for example.

But, the thru-neck allows amazing access to the 17th-24th frets, and the neck is very nice. The binding and the fatness of the frets make the neck feel like a PGM. The bridge is a Lo-TRS II like on the old JS100, so it's pretty good, although it gets unstable when the strings get tired.

mick97, thanks for the link mate. I'm eager to try it too, what a beauty the AT300 is! I can't wait. I wonder what the pickups are, and I wonder how much it'll cost.

about it's sound - I actually find it's sustain pretty good. The standard pickups that were in it are not too cool, and that actually dragged the sound down. The DiMarzio's make it sound much better. even if they're not my preferred kind of tone, they still sound good (as you know!).

nice website!

Amerfarah, the Vai movie you're talkin about is Crossroads, and it's not an Ibanez. It's a Jackson. And he sold it for charity as far as I know.

Just wondering, what was your point about Eric Johnson? do you think he is better than Steve or isn't better than Steve? I think Steve is technically more developed, but Eric Johnson is my favourite musician, so it's not necessarily all about who plays the most/weirdest notes.

Look out for Vai's lkondon DVD, it's definitely worth getting. And the G3 '03 DVD is hopefully going to be out next month

Excuse my ignorance, but what country are you from? I have a feeling you're from the US? am I right?! anyway, I got it from "Machinhead Music" here in England. When i talked to the dude on the phone he said "I don't think we have any of those at the moment but I can get one in for you if you like....oh hold on....yeah, I got a bridge pickup right here, it is the bridge one you want isn't it?".

The significant part being that he could get one in for me if I like, which seems to suggest that they aren't discontinued after all!

I love this pickup, and I'm sure you, like myself, would recommend it to anybody who wants a high-output humbucker. Bollocks to Seymour Duncan......Bill Lawrence is about 2 3rds the price and sounds gorgeous.

and yeah, Dr Vai is a great dresser, hehe, I love the 'Dr Love' thing on his jacket!!