When Polish viral virtuoso Marcin Patrzalek sent guitar heroes into a frenzy with a mind-blowing fingerstyle rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir last year, the Ibanez artist could be seen wielding the brand’s AE acoustic guitar.
Now, Marcin has been bestowed his first-ever signature guitar, the MRC10, which takes cues from his beloved AE900-NT.
In terms of build, the sleek single-cut sports an AE body style – which has so far proved to be more than capable of keeping up with Marcin’s percussive antics – composed from a solid Sitka spruce top and pau ferro back and sides.
An adjoining satin-finished nyatoh neck is topped with a Macassar ebony fretboard, which in turn is adorned with a 44mm-wide bone nut, 20 frets and custom-designed mother of pearl inlays.
As for hardware, the MRC10 comes equipped with Gotoh chrome SGS510Z 18:1 gear ratio tuners, a compensated bone nut saddle and Ibanez Advantage bridge pins. There’s also a reinforced wood plate scratch pad to accommodate Marcin’s body tapping.
Within the spruce and pau ferro body, Ibanez has fitted the MRC10 with its X-M bracing, as well as a full Fishman Rare Earth electronics package comprising a Mic Blend Active Soundhole pickup preamp and a Tap pickup.
The Blend function of the pickup – which blends the mix between the pickup and mic – is joined by a Bass switch, which triggers – you guessed it – either more or less low-end.
Aesthetically, the guitar is finished with pau ferro body binding and a specially designed mother of pearl rosette.
“To make the guitar unique and stand out from others, I wanted the main focal point to be a really bright, white mother of pearl rosette combined with red flame-inspired elements, which loosely references my logo,” explained Marcin. “This serves as the main signature feature of the guitar from an aesthetic standpoint.
“With regard to the tone, I can make the guitar sound dark and soft, nearly like a classical guitar, but because of how it’s built, the fire and brightness aren't lost at all.”
Marcin first grabbed attention in 2015, winning Poland’s annual Must Be the Music talent show, before following that success with an appearance on America’s Got Talent.
However, it was his live cover of Kashmir – later re-released as a studio version – that really put Marcin’s fingerstyle prowess on the map, garnering praise from Tom Morello, Vernon Reid and Paul Stanley. More plaudits from the likes of Tosin Abasi and Dweezil Zappa would follow in the wake of Marcin’s viral social media clips.
Speaking to Guitar World last year, Marcin said his ultimate goal was to “show the world that percussive acoustic guitar should be the next big thing”.
“It deserves attention from the mainstream and the average Joe, because it’s something many still haven’t seen or heard,” he commented. “That’s why my own songs, like Snow Monkey, are more mainstream-oriented, with hip-hop, Latino and Reggaeton influences.
“I’m always trying to push where it can go. Maybe at times that’s something that’s lacking in the guitar world. I love experimental and niche music, but I want everyone to know that you can put percussive guitar into anything you want. Using these different sounds and approaches will help the general public understand this will be the next big thing.”
Marcin’s signature MRC10 has an estimated street price of $1,499.
For more information, visit Ibanez.
It’s the second signature six-string from Ibanez this week, after the Japanese brand unveiled Tim Henson’s eagerly awaited TOD10N nylon-string acoustic-electric guitar.
