SMASH it again!

This is perhaps my final addition to 2008; a Smash S2 Lite. To many of you out there, it's a sheer waste of good money because it's an entry-level, subsidiary brand name product, made in China. However, I'm not one who exalts a guitar by virtue of its brand name, exclusively. I love this one for its downright appeal on grounds of production QC & tone; it's very affordable as well.

Thanks to Mike @ Standard Value for a superb set-up!

Smash S2 Lite

• List price: $270
• Product availability: Standard Value

Final reminder: SV year end SALE ends 31st Dec...

The precaution

This is what I always do when applying string protection fluid (in this case the DR Extra Stringlife); I lay a piece of paper underneath to absord the spills/ excess. What you see here is a string envelope put to good use before going into the wate bin.

RG321- wish...

Really wish the above RG321 finishes are made available here- I think everyone's quite nauseated with the black & blue version. However, I'm not one who judge a guitar by its looks, more particular with QC & tone.

Thank you!

Dear friends, since I started this blog in Feb '08, I've had >100,000 hits/ views (unexpected, really, it's not even a year's worth of activities). The statistics mean nothing to me, more importantly, I really appreciate you reading the entries here (apologies if they are repulsive). I was a little skeptical when I started out because there are people out there who would deem this platform as my design in celebrating lavish excess. I only have one objective in perpetuating this blog- I love to share for the greater part of knowledge is sharing.

The parties you see at the right column have been my friends in understanding my indulgences (the links are active, by the way...), I have received no remunerations whatsoever from them by acknowledging their trade, here. I am eternally grateful to them for making things happen hence the acknowledgment.

It's been a great 2008, best wishes (despite the economic gloom) to everyone & a whopping 2009 ahead!

Ibanez GIO series: Which one to buy?

From time to time, acquaintances ask me which is a good Ibanez GIO model to own (they want to get something affordable for their kids/ they want to own a good back-up unit). My immediate reply to this query would be to abstain from buying them, save a little more & get something more rewarding in terms of QC (my primary consideration when buying entry level guitars) & tone. Please don't ge tme wrong; I'm not being dismissive of the GIO series (I used to own one) but reputable entry level units are very affordable these days, it's prudent to invest in something respectable than make do with compromises.

However, I do have the above 3 GIO models to recommend if you insist on owning one. I had better results with the non-vibrato bridge models as Ibanez equip their GIO series with the dreaded ILT1 bridge when it comes to locking vibrato bridges. The above 3 recommendations also displayed consistent QC, especially the GRG121, (whose default pickups are very acceptable when it comes to high gain/drive applications) when I played them.

If you insist on owning a vibrato bridge GIO model, the GXR370 is a good model to own attributable to its design ergonomics as well as the reputable Edge 3 bridge it is equipped with. Do not expect stellar performances from the default pickups.

PS:

• the GAx70/ GSZ120 are discont'd but still available in the shops
• I have tried more than 1 guitar of each model to keep track of QC standards
  

More re-stringing

I'm having this sinking feeling, a by-product of having to go to work on a Saturday... So how do I pick myself up? Nothing beats guitar therapy; managed to re-string my RGR321 today. Trying a set of .009 Darco strings (by Martin) which I bought during the City Music sale but didn't have the opportunity to use. Darco employs a steel make for the unwound E-B-G strings & nickel wound for the D-A-E so you get that differentiated feel as well as tone. Interesting.

SMASH it!

I was at Standard Value today to have a final look at what I'd be missing at the end of the annual SALE (till 31st Dec if you are interested to get anything) & Mike told me to give the Smash (by Swing) guitars a go. We know how it is with a subsidiary brand name product; plenty of compromises just to appease fans of the original article with shallow pockets.

But not this guitar.

The S2 pictured above is a true value-for-money product which gets a thumb's up from me in terms of playability & tone, far surpassing what others have to offer in this price bracket.

Frank Gambale: BOSS

Frank Gambale is the recent endorser of BOSS products as evident above but that's the least of my interest, really (no offence BOSS fans, I own BOSS pedals too...). I'm actually keen to know the availability of the new Frank Gambale signature (the prototype of which is seen in this picture as well) which is a resurgence of the forgotten MSG series. We'll have to wait till NAMM 2010 for futher news, that's how soon the release would be...

DR: Extra Stringlife

DR's Extra Stringlife is a fluid-based polymer coating which acts as a blanket for your strings, acting against the elements, to promote your string's 'life' so to speak.

It's not cheap, $16 per bottle (the size of an average string cleaning fluid) but it lasted me more than half a year.

Does it work? Yes, it helps prolong that fresh, out-of-the-pack feel provided you wipe your strings down after each play.

Do strings rust? The coating itself has its useful life, once it wears out, strings deteriorate like they always do.

So why buy it? If you wish for your strings to last a little longer, more importantly, if you want that freshness to last a little longer, it's quite worth the asking price. Which would you endure:

• $16 for a bottle of string protection fluid (which you can re-use),
• or $18 for a fresh set of coated strings each time?

Tune-o-matic bridge: Which way round?

Some people (experienced repairmen included) would tell you to align the intonation adjustment screws of the tune-o-matic bridge facing the nut (as per above pic) which they claim is the correct way.
If you visit Gibson's homepage, you'd see the unit on the Les Paul Standard '08 with the screws facing the hard tail instead.

So which way is the right way? Both ways are acceptable, as long as the intonation is done right.

Ibanez RX40

I used to own the Ibanez RX40, it's a model not too different from the RG in its outline but with a more sumptuous edge curves of the body; very Strat-like. The neck profile was a rounder C-shape as opposed to the flatter D-outline of the Wizard units. The headstock was also not angled.

Why did I buy this guitar? I saw Andy Timmons played one, but that was his AT100 model & I thought it looked very Strat-like but still 100% Ibanez. The RX40 was of course, a very different guitar...

So what was the lesson learned? It didn't make me play like Andy Timmons (even after I had a DiMarzio humbucker in there). Never buy an instrument because one's idol plays one, it only fulfills the hero association factor but has very little in store in terms of personal fulfillments (for the record, I don't own any signature model guitar, ok maybe the Gibson Les Paul...).

The RX series were discontinued in 1998, it trickled into the GIO series as the GRX40.

How I spent Xmas

Well, how did I spend this holiday? With my Ernie Ball SUB1 guitar, of course...

• removed the strings
• re-conditioned the fretboard, it looked very pale but no dry spots detected
• re-string with a set of .009 GHS Boomers
• checked intonation
  
• played for hours

I managed to have the action done to a very low setting for this guitar since I bought it, which was possible because the nut was factory-slotted to be deep. Wish EBMM didn't discontinue this one...

Everly strings: B-52s (9209)

I bought a pack of Everly B-52s strings while I was at Zen Guitarworks a few days ago- trying them in my Ibanez RGR08LTD.

Am I being too nice?

After more than 15 years dealing with people on matters pertaining to guitars, I wonder if I'm being too nice to some of them, considering:

1. They leave horrible scratches on my guitar body after an agreement to borrow & 'take care'
2. Misplacing my equipment when it's time to return them to me
   
3. Letting them pay in installments stretching over years
4. Accompanying people to guitar shops & putting them in good stead to the sellers knowing they would end up buying nothing
5. Letting people dictate the prices of items they are buying from me
6. Letting people own the items for sale first & agreeing to defer payment
7. Letting people come over to my place to try my prized possessions (& mishandling them)
   
8. Mailing free strings, cables & picks to complete strangers knowing they need them more than I do
9. Etc.
10. Etc...
    

But my good doctor (pic above) says he had known people like me who are, on the outset, very passive & accommodating but remain to be the most ferocious & damaging should their limits be traversed. According to him I am the type who are subliminally vindictive but are in denial about it because things have been rosy all along. I am too busy pacifying myself with my indulgences (must be my guitars, yes?)rather than taking account of the bitter episodes that came & went.

Oh really?

Marshall MS2 + PPE

The pocket Marshall (MS2) is another addition in my mini amps line up which sound pleasant with the Pocket POD Express. It seems the smaller/ pocket amps accept digital signals better than the regular pedal outputs.

Ibanez RGR08LTD: Tone!

Ibanez's RGR08LTD is a great offering by the manufacturer for those of us who wish for a no-frills guitar with lots of high gain/drive potential (active humbucker). However, it's also one of the most nonsensical in terms of electronics.

The guitar features a kill switch & volume knob which make the instrument excessive in terms of volume control. I had plans to remove the kill switch & install a tone control instead but knowing the active nature of the pickups, it would mean more effort scouingt for a suitable pot & capacitor. I decided to keep the kill switch (I don't vary volume with this guitar, it has to be an all out affair so the kill switch is useful after all) & turn the volume knob into a tone control instead by adding a capacitor, so no removals were involved.

Now I have a guitar for my needs, not something which the manufacturer deems acceptable for general application. No offense Ibanez, I still like my RGR08LTD.

Abgott: Fizala

My final purchase for 2008 is the re-issued copy of Abgott's Fizala (pic here is the original album cover). Majority of the black metal legion release their albums under obscure record labels, getting them is hell.

I make a point to keep track of Abgott's releases because guitarist Tanathos is a guitar teacher so my expectations of his technicalities is very high. The issue with such individuals is that they often do not manifest their true individual capacity because it gets them nowhere, they prefer being recognized in a band context. However, Tanathos' guitar authority is all over this album & it's one of the most varied guitar works I've come across in this music genre thus reflecting the mastery of his accomplishments. It won't appeal to the average Vai/ Satriani fans but if you worship guitar, this one's a respectable attainment.

Volume, up!!

Apologies if I'm hitting hard at rookies but there is a need to turn the guitar volume up when trying the instrument, in fact, turn it all the way up!

Why is this crucial? The guitar's volume knob doesn't control loudness as primarily as the amp's volume knob. Its more exclusive job is to vary the amount of current flowing through so when you have an amp's drive/distortion channel engaged or using a distortion pedal for that matter, a turned down guitar volume won't manifest maximum ouput. Instead of hearing a full-on drive/distortion, you'd hear a crackle-grade buzz. This is the reason why a BOSS Metal Zone sounds like it's milder DS-1 Distortion sibling; something is amiss- it's the guitar's volume knob not turned up!

Ibanez RG321MH (Indo)

I was at Standard Value today, Mike has the RG321MH in stock. Somebody decided to buy this guitar & I managed to get a closer look at the instrument while Mike was doing a pre-purchase set up. I had come across this model earlier this year at Swee Lee & was impressed with the overall QC manifested by the Indonesian factory hands. The fact that the subsequent batch of guitars procured by Standard Value maintained the impressive QC standards, implies that the good people over at the Indonesian plant had good supervision in this aspect, consistency is also a key reflection of what the instrument has to offer. I own the pre-2008 Korean make & the following are some comparison notes:

• Fretboard edges are superbly finished. The Korean model did manifest an equally high standard of finishing but it's quite evident that some extra steps had been taken with the Indonesian version as the edges are stain-free as well
• The mahogany used for the body has close-grained pores, compared to the Korean. Is this better per se? It's not quite aparent but a close-pored plank gives off a tighter punch (bottom end) to the discerning ears (please do not stethescope your guitar body to convince yourself). Ditto the fretboard wood, much lesser dry spots seen on the Indo units.
  
• The nut of the Indonesian is also well slotted- the models I've tried (since March '08), which include the RGRs are all good production materials, minimal choking noted.

There's been much fanfare with Korean guitars but as proven here, having instruments made elsewhere does not sacrifice production standards, in fact, it's been one-up with the Chinese & Indonesian Ibanez makes.

Distortion overkill

This is quite a distortion overkill: A Marshall amp in its most blistering channel with drive set to full blast & an overdrive pedal set to maximum effect as well. Adding fuel to the distortion incendiary would be a guitar with an active humbucker; my formula for a face-splitting aural assault.

It's only wise to include a proceedings referee here; my Beta Aivin Noise Gate unit. I played this scorching set up last evening- room door closed & the ceiling light threatening to spill its guts with that excessive rumble. You've heard what they say: Nothing beats an angry Marshall. Well, try beating an angry Marshall on Red Bull...

Had to stop because the spouse was in need of assistance to shower the daughter... there will be a next time anyway.

Neil Biyang

Oh? So Neil Zaza is using Biyang as well, eh?

Yamaha: BB414 (mine!)

I did try this bass out last month while hunting for a new bass; I need something full-scale not that my shorter scaled Fender Mustang isn't up to it.

The BB414 is made in Indonesia & would trigger dissent among people who deem this country to be a better holiday destination than doing justice to good craftsmanship. In that case, seeing (or inspecting for that matter) is believing. The QC of this one is fantastic to say the least. The other 2 units hanging on display (in the store) are very good in this light but they manifest little anomalies which might be due to the repeated try-outs by customers. I'm also oblivious to colours these days; a black/ red BB414 doesn't make me play better than this white piece.

Tone-wise, the pickups here are Yamaha's own electronics but they sound superb in terms of clarity & impact. They give off 2 contrasting tones for those of us in need of a good slap fundamentals & some great top-end for solos. The slector switch is also a good complement in this aspect as opposed to individual volume knobs for the respective pickups. However, those of us who are into (pickup) tone blending would think otherwise.

All in all, a great bass for the rookie or pros alike, highly recommended (especially so when the festive SALE is still effective, he he...).

Bill Steer (Carcass)

In the recent Carcass reunion tour, while Mike Amott was seen enlisted in the Dean camp, co-guitarist Bill Steer left his Ibanez at home in favour of ESP (he actually got some ESPs to play with through bassist Jeff Walker's connection with the manufacturer). If I were Ibanez, I'd do well to put the new Ibanez stuff in Mr. Steer's hands because:

1. Steer was an Ibanez endorser prior to his Gibson-wielding Firebird days
2. The Ibanez players in aggressive music are numbered & Steer is one heck of a player if you've been following CARCASS

But I guess that's just me.

Gibson: Les Paul Axcess

The Gibson custom shop offers a Floyd-Rose equipped Les Paul aptly named the Axcess.

The interesting thing about the guitar (no, not the Floyd Rose bridge- this is so yesterday...) is the rear bevel making the upper frets more accessible for the more adventurous among us. It implies that Gibson can actually make their guitars more reach-friendly in this aspect which I'm sure many of us would like, especially the shredder dweebs out there.

Corroded/deteriarated electronics

The above pots & 5-way switch were recently removed from my Highway1 Strat after 4 years of service. The 5-way switch was affected the most as this was the item most handled by me during play. No, I did not touch the entire switch per se during play but I keep flicking it so my sweat evidently seeped into the innards & deterioration occurred.

If you look closely, the pots are CTS units.

PPE: Regular batteries

I'm using regular batteries in my Pocket POD Express in defiance of the manufacturer's recommendations- they believe in alkaline power. The device ran out of power today after some 3hrs worth of total playing time.

Resurrected: BFG!

This 2008, the Les Paul BFG was discontinued by Gibson (it's limited production anyway...) but brought back to life in another incarnation: Gary Moore Les Paul BFG

It's interesting to know what GM has to say about this guitar but if it's a personal preference, then the man has earned more respect from me as the specs of this guitar & its predecessor aren't too different, just the knobs & an obligatory truss rod cover.

Fender: Malmsteen Tribute Strat

This is the new Malmsteen Tribute Strat by Fender, not cheap (>USD 12K...) & you get all the cracks & gunk courtesy of the Malmsteen rigours.

I remember reading something about this guitar of his & it came to me today- the headstock snapped/cracked. I'd say Fender would recreate this mishap in the tribute series but would you buy something quasi-destroyed?

Ibanez RGR08LTD- mine!

This is a new one for me- I still fall for single pickup guitars. It's another Ibanez *yawn* so you say but my liking this guitar is about the pickup there.

I'm not a keen fan of active units, they are good for distortion madness more so than any other tonal applications but hey, I am distortion inclined & I am a fan of Seymour Duncan- that's right, the humbucker there is Duncan's Blackout model, not EMG (no offence EMG fans, my ESP & RG8 both sport EMG pickups).

I'm still not keen with the 1xVol + Kill Switch combo, would be doing something about this soon.

I do truss rod adjustments myself, it's not that complicated but it's an exercise in due care; excessive adjustments could lead to irreversible neck damage.

For those of us who do neck adjustments ourselves, here's a tip: How do you determine, other than resorting to the use of capo at the first fret & pressing the 14th fret of your guitar while checking relief, your neck has straightened/ moved after turning the wrench? You use a tuner.

Before you turn that wrench, make sure your guitar is in tune. Proceed to tighten/ loosen the neck accordingly (depending on the relief issue of your guitar's neck). Wait a little while (5min or so) & re-check your tuning- it should be a little flat/ sharp, indicating the occurrence of neck movements. If your tuner fails to register any changes, it would mean the truss rod is not in working order so stop any neck rectifications immediately.

Mini Marshall: Red edition

I'm getting good results plugging in my Pocket PODs into pocket amps. I did own a Marshall MS2/ MS4 but were given away so when I came across the red MS-2 today, I decided to buy it (@ Davis GMC).

Fender H1: Duncanized! (Part 2)

Another Highway 1 of mine getting Seymour Duncan pickups: Classic Stack for Tele. I've decided to install a stacked set because I play with drive/distortion all the time, some noise elimination would be useful. The Classic Stack (neck & bridge) give off a brittle sounding midrange which isn't too quacky/ nasal, this is the preferred Tele single coil tone for me.

Fender: Parts swap

I recently did a neck bolt plate swap as depicted above; the Fender spare's a Japanese product (under licence, of course...). Just a caution to you chaps out there who'd like to spruce up your instruments cosmetically (hardware-wise, especially); some of the Japanese spares don't fit into Mexican Fenders/ most makes of Squiers. Aparently, the Americans & Japanese wares are more compatible.

Coated!

Yes, I do install coated strings in some of my guitars. I have the above DR red set...

...in my RG1550. So what's the big deal? Coated strings last longer, they would not corrode till the coating wears off. People are wary of coated strings because these affect feel- not quite. the coating here is minimal, it won't bump your .009 wire much thicker, it's negligible. However, people still feel the difference, some said the coating restrict movements but if one's accustomed to the feel, it's not a hindrance. A friend also told me the coating restricts (pinch) harmonics triggering. I've not encountered this problem thus far; the fact that my gain/drive/distortion is always at overdose levels might be the assurance.

The real setback here would be the cost of these strings; $18 per pack, that could get me 3 packs of D'Addarios...

Also, for us dweebs who grind our strings, the coating over the picked length disappears more rapidly than the bits over at the fretted section.

DR strings are available @ Davis GMC.

Fender H1: Duncanized! (Part 1)

Hot Rails! That's the new Seymour Duncan resident in my H1 Strat; another great installation by Master Beez!

Did I desecrate my Fender tone? Not really- despite being a humbucker, there's still some twang in there but the overall tone's fatter in the lower frequencies, great for metal-type distortion. I have 2 other Strats with an all single coil line-up so this did not go to waste.

Ibanez: MIMX amp

Managed to try this Ibanez amp (MIMX65) at Swee Lee today (was actually testing a guitar, requested to try this amp as well & they obliged- thanks Swee Lee chaps!) & was impressed by the drive voicings on board, in particular the Psycho & Guitar Hero patches- superb gain, clarity & saturation. There's also a drum section on board for your jamming pleasure. Also included are some preset modulation & time-based effects. An overal great amp, not for the picky.

Fender: Highway 1

The Fender Highway 1 guitars are good instruments per se. My Strat you see above is the first generation H1 model, the Tele is the current 2008 make which features a thicker satin finish & larger frets. However, people tend to put them down on accounts of 'purity' & cost.

• The H1s are American by make but the manufacturer includes hardware & electronics from non-American sources. By virtue of this consideration, people feel they are duped because an American product isn't actually 100% American.
• On accounts of cost, the H1s are priced rather closely to the Japanese Fenders. If you've owned/ played one, you'd attest to the superb build & tone of these instruments. There'd be heretics out there advocating the worthiness of buying the Japanese model (no offence, I own one) instead

I simply regard these Fenders as good contemporary offerings by the manufacturer. The older, more historically appealing Fenders always get the accolades when it comes to tone & craftsmanship refinements but I'd say the H1 Fenders aren't bad at all.

Dean Markley: Hendrix strings

A cool Jimmy Hendrix sticker comes free with every set of Dean Markley Jimmy Hendrix strings. The manufacturer has so much confidence in the icon to such an extent that no brand names/details were indicated on the packaging- people see Hendrix & they want to try.

Did I fall for that? I bought this set because it's pure nickel as opposed to nickel coating. I need to hear the difference...

GHS: Fast Fret

As misleading as it is, GHS' Fast Fret isn't a product to enhance fret longevity; it's a string cleaning/ preserving accessory. One simply applies some via that shaving cream brush-like contraption & one's ready to go.

I did try the FF some time back (like 10 years or so ago...) & couldn't come to terms with the sticky feeling on the finger tips. The wax-like by-product lodged itself into the pores of my rosewood fingerboard as well. I got rid of it before it was used up. I've nothing against the FF in particular but it's something that would not work for me. These days, I'm with any fluid-base cleaning solution. If the FF works for you then, well done...

Generic body

Was preparing my Highway1 Telecaster for a pickup swap today, saw this under the pickguard: There is a cavity above the neck pickup slot despite the neck not having truss rod access there (it's over at the headstock). It implies that Fender is using a generic body for their guitars.

Nut!

What's the big deal with this headstock? The original plastic nut made way for a bone version. The benefit of this change: It gives the clean tones a brighter ring which is especially beneficial for neck pickup employments. Thanks Mike @ Standard Value for a great job!

Satyricon logo

Notice the differences between the older (top) Satyricon logo & the latest? Besides the C & N getting more thorns in their respective outlines, the Baron's cross in the O had been dropped.

Wampler: Pinnacle 2 (Part 3)

I've finished putting the Pinnacle 2 through my playing rigours, some stuff:

• this is the revised Pinnacle pedal (hence the '2'), in a dimension which would appeal to pedal board users
• the pedal has the primary aim of replicating Van Halen's Marshall brown sound but let it not put you off because for someone not keen on this signature tone, I find the overall offering very appealing
• the BOOST feature here adds more intensity to the overdrive to such an extent you'd hear distortion grittiness instead of more drive so it's really a mode switch which would take you from overdrive to distortion. Judging from the mere change in tonal output, I believe it's wired to be post-drive, giving the output a bump in volume as well. It also alters the overall tone character, giving it more depth in overall EQ- to the rest of us, it sounds 'fatter'
• Mr. Wampler took time to give us a pedal which has a good palette of tonal offerings; the TONE/ CONTOUR controls are capable of serving the vintage & modern tone mongers alike in terms of EQ. These are in addition to the immediate tone-shaping flick switch which takes the user into the aforementioned vintage & contemporary settings in terms of drive character

So much fanfare, can the Pinnalce 2 serve the metal dweebs?

• immediate answer: NO. It's not an intense distortion type, not in the same league as your favourite (BOSS) Metal Zone
• but wait till you attach a mild overdrive/ distortion pedal between your guitar & this pedal (the reason you see my Coolcat overdrive in the pic above); listen to the heightened saturation & intensity (but still not the metal-type ferocity) of the final output. The Pinnacle 2 accepts other mild drive type pedals very well. If you've tried the Sound Drive amps (especially the SG612R) & like what you hear in terms of drive, then you'd like what this red menace has to offer

What's that? You don't have a clue what the Brown Sound is all about? It's time you find out, you're 30 years behind...

Ibanez: PGM 2009 (speculation)

The reverse Iceman may take the PGM 2009 anticipation limelight but this is the other PGM (there's still one more though...) which might make it to production; an SSH model- note the blocky heel. While design revision allows a rounder, all-access neck joint to facilitate upper frets reach, Paul Gilbert believes the block design somehow gives the single coil output more depth/ meat.

The Chinese apprehension

The above 3 guitars I own are made in China. I have no regrets buying them considering the total expenditure of these 3 instruments could get me a robust American instrument (which I do own). Friends have been asking me recently if the Chinese guitars are worth it or should we regard them as pariahs considering they are the subsequent country of manufacture for companies wanting to trim production costs.

Should we travel back in time, say 15 years or so ago, if you ask me to fork out my hard earned cash for a Chinese guitar, I'd think real hard before parting with a single cent. There were instances of Chinese instruments manifesting some of the most revolting QC & these are the affiliated products of a very prominent guitar brand name. It was a sheer case of riding on the parent company's branding goodwill but in truth, the products were semi-duds.

It was the documentation of these horror episodes which led to the distrust today, compounded by the fact that all things Chinese (electronics especially: washing machines, refrigerators, hi-fi sets, etc.) were tragedy-in-waiting products. Am I propagating some Chinese sympathy here considering the aftermath of the recent case of toxic Chinese dairy products? I am merely advocating for players in general to value the product as it is- horrible production exists everywhere. Far-eastern production gets blamed all the time but there is a need to understand the level of technology which exists in these places before being conveniently dismissive. The level of production supervision today is different from the days of the past; individuals from the parent company (eg: Yamaha products in Indonesia) make a conscious effort to monitor the output standard in the outsourced country of manufacture. Reputable raw materials are used & the end products are different in performance standards compared to the wares of yesterday...

Ibanez may not suffer from the made-in-China stigmatism compared to Epiphone; potential buyers are skeptical when buying the Les Paul models of the latter manufacturer (because the previous generation of Epi LPs are Korean & deemed to be of better standing in terms of QC). The rookies in guitar buying would fall for this apprehension without knowing what the rot is all about. It is also an uphill battle convincing them to exercise due fairness when assessing a particular product because despite being aptly educated & having the capacity to make sound judgements, they still fall for prejudiced opinions & treating them as forthright references.

Ibanez 2009: JEM non-whammy

Don't rub your eyes, this might be (one of) the new JEM 2009 models- it's a hard tail (non-whammy). As it is, the debut of this model is still unconfirmed (as per Paul Gilbert's reverse Iceman model).

Beta Aivin: NG-100

This is my new noise reduction pedal, something very affordable by Beta Aivin (NG-100). It works very well to say the least & very easy to use as well. I do own the Carl Martin noise reduction unit but that pedal is only equipped with a threshold control. Yes, that helps a lot for those of us who do not wish to tweak ther noise reduction unit but it's no harm owning a variation of the same thing.

Beta Aivin: NG-100 Noise Gate
Availability: Standard Value
List: $65

Hit it!

For a change, I bought drum sticks not that I would want to swap instrument but these keep me occupied while watching TV. I'd whack these just to get some rhythm going:

• unused 2007 organizer
• empty food container
• empty toy box (daughter's)
• couch's armrest
• plastic stool
• tambourine

Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20th 1966 - December 8th 2004)

It's been 4 years since the passing of Darrell Lance Abbott (that's Dimebag Darrell to the rest of us). He was one of those guitar chaps who was equally lethal in his riffs as well as his solos. I remember buying Pantera's Cowboys from Hell, paid $18 for an imported version of the cassette tape (which is now a fungus factory, gladly irrecoverable due to convenient misplacement- I currently own the CD version of it).

Mr. Dimebag arguably made good of the Dean brand name which remained largely unknown prior to his distinguished appearance. I was into his playing because he was not one to foresake technicalities in combination with the heavy music genre.

RIP

Ibanez PGM anniversary

2009 will see Ibanez's PGM model in its 20th year of production. The manufacturer is holding a '20th Anniversary PGM Celebration' at the upcoming Winter NAMM (Anaheim) which would hopefully confirm the reverse Iceman production status. You do know who Paul Gilbert is, don't you?

The first (Part 9)

The first replacement pickup I ever tried was DiMarzio's Tone Zone humbucker. It was a sheer case of embracing the hype. Back then, Paul Gilbert was seen promoting it, so it was perfect timing- I was very busy checking Paul Gilbert out & replicating aspects of his gear was inevitable.

So I had it in my Ibanez RG560 & was ready to rock but it was disappointment for me when I plugged it in with my set up- I didn't like how it interacted with my amps & effects. The pickup churned out more lower frequencies than I'd prefer & the sheer ignorance of believing a higher output unit would do better for distortion, got the better of me. Elsewhere, people kept putting the TZ in good stead but I somehow failed to connect with any of the claims.

It dawned on me that the TZ was indeed NOT the humbucker for me, regardless of what the rest of the universe had to say about it. It went into some other guitars I own hoping a different guitar wood type & dimensions would somehow had something for me but nothing happened.

It was this episode that educated me to not exalt an item for its name; prior to its possession, I had turned down offers for other pickups which are of lower output & lesser known brand name. However, I do have other DiMarzios in my guitars today; it's not about abominating a particular brand name, the fault was clearly mine...

Wampler: Pinnacle 2 (Part 2)

The good people at Wampler initialed their handiwork, serialized it & date marked it- that's how much effort was put into the ware.

Wampler: Pinnacle 2

Bought a Wampler Pinnacle 2 pedal today for a simple reason: I like what I hear. Tone report soon...

Ibanez: Mike Hickey

Between Mike Amott's departure & Carlo Regada's stint in Carcass, Mike Hickey filled in the slot as Carcass' second guitarist. The above Ibanez RG-based guitar was a custom model made for him; how I wish the H-S pickup configuration was still incorporated in the current production...

Gibson: Dark Fire

Gibson's Les Paul Dark Fire would be launched soon- it's another guitar with robot technology; a move ahead by the manufacturer on grounds of technology but has no attraction for me. I'm reserving further comments until I hear the guitar in person...

Hey dad! (Part 3)

Hey dad! You still can't decide which guitar deserves a fresh set of EB? I think it's great with ... zzzzzz....

The first (Part 8)

The first tube amp I owned was Marshall's DSL401. Back then, I've heard how tube-laden amps sounded yummier than the hybrids/ solidstate units, especially after knowing & hearing what a Peavey 5150 could achieve. However, I wasn't looking forward to owning the 5150 because it has Van Halen stamped all over it, that's a direction I'm not heading for. I bought the DSL401 because it's rather affordable ($880 at time of purchase, today, it's beyond $1K) & the tones on offer were something different from the Valvestates (today, these are known as the AVTs) which were more popular & recommended.

In use, the cleans are some of the best Marshall has to offer, this side of the Fender Twin, of course. The light overdrive channel, in its lower drive settings sound very dumble-esque but not a comprehensive take on this theme. I was expecting some ferocious overdrive from the harder drive channel but it lacks the metal girth, pedal utilization was inevitable.

Other fellow owners' gripe with the DSL401 was that of heat- after an hour's play or so, the 401's front panel would get seriously hot. In fact, when the amp was still in my possession, I would face a small table fan at its rear so that the heat would not get out of hand. Surprisingly, this issue didn't affect performance but people are wary of this anomaly.

I eventually sold this amp away because I only used its clean offerings, mainly. I was in search of a more preferred amp drive...

Sounds good to me

To many Gibson purists, it's desecration to plug in the iconic Les Paul into a solidstate amp but I prefer doing this because my Sound Drive amp helps to maintain single note clarity from a deep sounding guitar like the LP. In addition to this, the amp also retains the low end growl so in its entirety, it's a good sounding tone regardless if there are no tubes in there.

Crack!

I was tightening the input jack's mounting bracket last night after removing to see the innards & it cracked. It seems that this is the norm for many Les Pauls out there, it's one of the features which could have been better in terms of durability. As you can see, the replacement's a metal contraption (Gotoh) so cracking would be the last thing that would happen.

The first (Part 7)

The first set of replacement strings I bought was the Ernie Ball Super Slinky .009, recommended by my guitar playing cousin who had a set in his RG550. Regardless of the hype, I just went ahead & bought a pack because the slinkiness of a fresh set was pure attraction itself. However, it didn't last long especially for rookies like me (that was like... 15 years ago) who didn't know the value of a string wipe-down after each play. I kept buying the Slinky set rather often, which took a toll on my piggy. I switched to Dean Markleys instead...


I recently came across a newly packaged Slinky & the lure was there so I bought a pack not to re-live the juvenile rush of having a new set of strings in one's guitar, but to acknowledge the manufacturer's Element Shield packaging technology because the ones I bought back then often contain traces of rust/deterioration. Hmm, which guitar deserves a fresh pack of Slinky...?

By the way, I got this from Standard Value...

Chuck's distortion

I remember talking to a friend about the late Chuck Schuldiner's employment of his BOSS DS1 (Distortion) & he went: That's a weak distortion, what the heck was he doing with that?!

Of course, Mr. Schuldiner used it to kick his Marshall into distortion submission, he wasn't relying on it as a primary distortion source as it is indeed a mild sounding unit. It seems that Schuldiner was actually the one who prompted me to use a mild drive/distortion unit to cascade it into another drive/distortion source (need not be another pedal). I was thinking about it lately, was trying to figure out what/who got me into this whole use-2-instead-of-1 thing. Before reading about Chuck, it didn't occur to me that 2 drive/distortion pedals could work wonders especially when we have to deal with the unbearable, backgound hissing.

Thank you, Mr. Schuldiner, sir. RIP...

Killer Ant/ Pocket POD Express

The Killer Ant seems to be manifesting all types of signals well, the Pocket POD Express is not an exception.

This was also my experience in hearing the PPE perform with an actual amp, a tube unit in this case. The PPE gives off a good basic tone for us who are keen on a simple, multi-FX unit- nothing too excessive but something which doesn't wimp out on tone. The PPE does well but it lacks the depth of the Pocket POD because the latter manifests amp tones, the PPE has a basic tone for the common clean & drive/ distortion needs. It doesn't do more. My addition of the TS7 here (I usually saturate the drive/ distortion for the ease of picking & harmonics execution) ensure there's beef at the output end.

My only gripe with the PPE is its input/output access which are reversed, unlike the arrangement we are so used to in our pedals (less the Russian Big Muff). I've intentionall used coloured cables for the pic above for this explanation; notice how the yellow (output) cable has to go across the brown counterpart (input); LINE6 could have done better in this aspect.

Please do not look forward to strut your Strat/ Les Paul or whichever other boutique guitar you own because they all sound similar through the PPE.

Going curly

Got this curly VOX cable from City Music recently. You've heard people tell you to be mindful of how you curl the cable up, not to crimp it so that it won't give way? Well, with a cable this curly, it's difficult to crimp in the first place, so there you have it, an unintentional safety measure. Neat.

The storage pouch is part of the package, if someone tries to sell you the cable without one, ask why.

Wood talk: Ash

Ash is as synonymous to Fender as alder but it's history. No, not that it's extinct but it was the initial body wood which saw Fender guitars gain reputation & tone signature. Ash is a massive wood so the pedigree used in guitar manufacturing are largely the less massive, more spine-friendly, swamp ash, very resonant wood this one. Inherently, ash gives off a strong top end twang, assuring some clarity in the mix. The mass of the wood ensures a convincing bottom end response, even the lighter ash types has a healthy low frequency ring. As such, ash gives off some natural 'scooped' output & sounds simply right with single coil equipped guitars or situations necessitating large doses of distortion.

Amp line-up

Here're my amps to date. I did not regret buying the Killer Ant as it sounds great both clean & driven. How different is it compared to my TUBE7? It has an attenuated output (if it doesn't, it sure as heck sounds like it) which has a saturated output that I like to hear.

1st December: World AIDS Day

Every year today, I remember the people in the music industry who fell victim to this perilous disease. Among others:

Alan Murphy (Level 42)

Freddy Mercury (Queen)

There are still people out there, despite being educated, manifest narrow thoughts about AIDS victims. Regardless of who they are & the kind of lifestyle they embrace, these people suffered & empathy for suffering is the essence of humanity. But some of us choose to be animals...

You may have your own spiritual philosophies about the disease, especially its contraction through hedonistic means but you remain godless when the time comes for you to understand the fellow human's plight.

Pocket Pod Express!

Yeah! I just gotten myself the Pocket POD Express (totally unnecessary as I already own the Pocket POD) & as you can see here, I've tested it out with my favourite X-Mini speaker. It sounds above average & the tones are as POD as it gets but these lack the refined output of its bigger brother's (Poecket POD is actually of identical dimensions but much bloated, the PP Express sports a trimmed depth). Thumbs up!

CAUTION
I initially inserted the AAA batteries into the PPE the wrong way round & it heated up while I was away watching Silence of the Lambs. The PPE was as hot as my morning cup of coffee when I came back to it much later, no kidding...

Having the batteries in the unit the wrong way round also jammed the cover hatch, so please be mindful on this entailment.

When I managed to get the batteries out & re-used them, they lasted for about 5min & died- this is a fresh set of alkaline AAA batteries, mind you.

Killer Ant (2)

The Killer Ant absorbs pedal tones well. I plugged in my Crush Zone & the TS7 last night (played while watching soccer); the result was very Brit-esque; JCM800 at its fiercest.

MXR

Here's all my MXR pedals. My favourite has to be the Micro Amp. People who've tried it said it's noise inducing. I've not experienced such occurrences, I plugged it through the FX loop feature maybe that's a consideration.