1997

Well, well, well... a 1997 Fender Frontline magazine was hiding between books, still in very good condition for a 20-year old publication. I used to bring this along to cafes for a good read back then. Life without wifi & data connection was simple & good.

That Strat on the cover- I wouldn't buy it. Look at that gap there, you'd wonder how it got through QC.

My first Fender was not a Strat for this reason; that headstock outline. Maybe I have OCD genes in me somewhere but I noticed how the trimming of that indicated outline was somehow 'wrong'. I've included the later, Y2K-ish headstock on the right for comparison. It seems that the design was somehow a little compressed at some points so to me it's quite repulsive. I bought a Tele 😜

JCM clean

I'm beginning to love this amp more. Whatever drive tones it was fabled for, the cleans in here were much overlooked. It accepted the chorus pedal well. The JCM800 wasn't known for go-to cleans. Its JTM/JMP siblings have more appealing cleans & that legendary break up tone unlike the excessive manifestation by the JCMs in general. Yes, I'm still wallowing in clean tones. Not after chimey, crystal clear voicings, just that appealing measure which helps get my ideas through. I'm not looking to buy any more Marshalls in time to come, I'm treasuring what I have right now. 

Selling: Morgan OD

After some considerations, letting the Morgan OD go. For fans of vintage style overdrive with a dash of fuzz at high gain settings.

• Selling: Morgan OD
• 1mth old, includes box
• No trades
• Self-collect at CCK mrt station
• Queries/confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $185 (final)

AE goodness

The Ibanez AE series have come a long way in terms of quality. These were offered mostly as starter packs for those of us treading the path of despair when it comes to gear financing. The ones higher up the tier make good electric acoustic models but they are largely non-solid top models with acceptable tones. 

The AE245 model seen here is a solid mahogany top model in the $600 price bracket. This is one of the later inclusions that pay homage to details & tone, effectively shifting away from affordability focus per se. It plays darn well for a cut away model & has some great warmth to the ring, thanks to the mahogany attributes, of course. You'd be hard pressed to find a similar offering from the Big 3 names here (Martin/ Taylor/ Takamine) as they skimp in areas which could have made the instrument more befitting when it comes to unplugged goodness. Some tones in action:

Supremacy

Would you pay serious attention to instruments with a fashion label collaboration? I'm awaiting further details to read if that white fretboard there would likely add measures to tone. It's safe to assume that the price of this one would be astronomical. Enough said. 

Stealth lite

ISP's new Stealth Ultra Lite power amp adds to the list of portable power amp for those of us who would like a simple, speaker-focused set up. This should give Seymour Duncan's Power Stage a some competition in terms of price & mobility considerations.