Down (again)

Dear blog readers, friends & gear geeks alike, looks like I'll be out for a while. This is my second bout with hospitalization + unemployment & too many things are on my mind in the mean time. By the time you read this, I would have already been discharged with numerous follow-up appointments to fulfil (while being away from work with no compensations). 

I experienced a chronic case of chest discomfort last weekend which did not go away for hours; it usually did after a moment of rest. When I walked into the hospital's A&E department, I experienced cloudy vision affecting only one eye. After a couple of day's worth of diagnostics & medication, the preliminary results showed liver issues & a possible tumour to deal with (still requires further diagnostics). 

Thanks for coming back here & reading stuff to dissipate your gear anxieties; I really appreciate it. In the days to come, if you see pieces of gear being put up for sale, do consider supporting.

I have no idea when updates here would be up & running once more. Giving up without a fight is not in my books so I look forward to return. Due to my extended leave at work, I am facing a real situation of termination; it happens when you are under contract appointment. In the mean time, if you have spare change, do consider sending them my way (QR code above - thanks in advance). More importantly, please look after yourselves & stay healthy. 

Fender mod

Got bored (again) & decided to custom design my own Strat using the MOD SHOP online app. I will never move away from being content with a single pickup guitar. Fender is advocating the MOD SHOP platform as giving the buyer infinite possibilities but that's not true, of course. Buyer chooses from listed options. I couldn't get: 1) 21 frets option 2) 3-bolt joint ... so much for infinite possibilities. Anyway, something like this would set me back $2.4K.

Pic: Fender

Solar: Relik

Kinda expected this to happen; a relic Solar. This is an AB1.6FRB Relik (USD1,699) to be precise. I personally don't fancy this kind of finish on a guitar but this look sells so many manufacturers are offering their respective interpretations of relic instruments. Come to think of it, I did own one, an LTD but simply could not come to terms with what it was.

Pic: Solar

New Sky colours

I seldom check out PRS updates. That PRS name invokes indulgence more than anything else. Price tags are simply north of affordability. But we forget there are SE models to be had. These are simpler guitars with next to no flash & are priced reasonably. If you are interested in the SE model, PRS has new colours for you as depicted above.

PS: These are now available at Swee Lee ($1,149)

Pic: PRS

Rotos - new look

We will see these Rotosound strings in their new packaging very soon. Now you know why Swee Lee is doing the buy 3 pay for 2 promo 😆

Pic: Rotosound 

Roto Rose

Had fun with this TL-Rose(wood) today. Played some heavy music with it & those Seymour Duncans took in high levels of distortion really well. They were not conceived to be demure to begin with.

Before actually playing took place, I took this down to Beez's for parts replacements. This was a terribly corroded tone pot that was beyond saving.

The capacitor was also affected. I simply do not understand why this guitar, stored in the same place & under the same conditions, is more susceptible to corrosion than the others. The logical deduction here is that something from inside the control cavity is causing all this to happen. It might just be the case of the body wood harbouring excess, albeit in trace amounts, of moisture & that it's continuing to dry at the expense of the susceptible metal parts.

Finally, a fresh set of Rotosound strings to make things happen. For the record, the Duncans in there are: Hot Stack (B) / Vintage Stack (N). I had to lower the bridge pickup in excess of the recommended settings as its simply too hot for the neck counterpart; the volume difference was very obvious.

Japanese convention

Had been spending time with these two lately: Ibanez AZ2203N / Fender Traditional 70s (Japan). While both sport similar attributes, these are two different beasts.

Ibanez AZ2203N: Heavier than its Fender counterpart, more bass tones regardless of clean / distorted settings. The Seymour Duncan pickups love drive / distortion. The neck here is thicker than the Fender, to be more precise it's a thick D. Not saying the Fender has a thin neck but this one's thicker. 

Fender Traditional 70s Stratocaster: Lighter than the Ibanez, more treble-ish. Default pickups dislike excessive gain / drive. The neck profile is the typical Fender C, the edges are not really rounded & this will affect those thumb-over-the-edge players. Thinner frets, will not appeal to shredders or those peddling bass notes most of the time. 

Will one of these guitars replace the other in terms of needs? No. While both are single-coil equipped, the voicings on offer here are rather different. If you thrive on modern single coil tones, the Ibanez is a wise pick. The Fender is, well, a typical Fender. The default Japanese pickups are clunkier & rather harsh, very suitable for those in-your-face blues tones. Not influencing any choices if you are in for a triple single coil guitar, just putting things in perspective. 

60th

Happy 60th birthday to the nation. I have stopped watching parades commemorating this day. I renew my allegiance in reserved retreat. While we are united on this day to acknowledge our roots & pride, people still remain subservient to the narrative that continues to bleed them. They are afraid to approach, understand & embrace change. They rely on people with curated narratives in ensuring their future are attended to objectively. Have a good weekend, everyone.

Strat-ty Friday

I will always have this urge to hear certain guitars in action. So it's a Friday evening, it's the holiday eve, time for some Strat action. This is my Traditional 70s Japanese Strat which could be purchased for $1.3K back in the day (pre-COVID). 

This is also my opportunity to share some opinion on the Alice guitar strings (.009 set) since the guitar requires a re-string before proceedings.

Unlike the Alice of before, there are no individual paper envelopes for each string this time round, only a single plastic one & I applaud them for this move. It's the perfect time to be showing some care for the environment.

The respective gauges were neatly latched into the holes as seen above so that strings don't get entangled when uncoiled for use. 

Despite all these efforts in upgrading their product packaging / presentation, the immediate impact here is the feel. The Alice of today still feels like a sub-par budget set, these could not match Olympia considering both are in the same price bracket. I have no idea if these should be installed immediately upon purchase but more than two weeks have passed before I got things going. I might give it a benefit of the doubt & maybe try another set just to eliminate this mitigating factor. For the record, the most repulsive strings that I've come across in terms of feel is the Orphee brand. This Alice set, I must say, sits above the Orphee but still not quite appealing. It's like some chemical reactions took place in the packaging before the strings were installed & the fingers could actually feel this difference.

Shimmed

This is my AZ2203N in prussian blue finish. This has been discontinued, the remaining finish in the catalog is the seafoam green. I left the default strings in tact since Day 1, those were a set of 10s. I brought this guitar out to have 9s in there instead. If you are interested, this is my personal take on the AZ2203N: CLICK 

After the re-string, the action felt wrong. Wrong here is that discordant feel when things don't go my way. As this is my guitar, it has to conform to my way(s), no compromise. After spending a day with 9s which felt very repulsive & assessing the situation, I decided to shim the pocket. This was the simple remedy that did wonders. The point I'm trying to drive at is this; we sometimes assume that a simple change in string gauge would not cause an adverse reaction to set up but that's quite a grave assumption. I'm not saying there should be a microscopic assessment of things after a change in string gauge but it's definitely a consideration if things don't click as well as before. 

E-II: SN 3

I'm not a fan of ESP's Snapper headstock but the reverse version here looks acceptable (to me). This is a pretty neat SN 3 (Available at Davis GMC: $2,900) with simple details that will spur you to play. I like everything about this guitar (HSS / fixed bridge / 22 frets) but I have stopped acquiring sunburst finishes (black is the other NO for me). Also, it's been a very long while since I acquire new guitars off the shelf. It's simply not feasible considering the intermittent employment status I am in. It would take me about half a year's time to recover & would interfere with my post-chemo expenses. Some difficulties in life would cascade into the various aspects of our well-being & prolonged till God knows when.

Pic: ESP

E 7

The ESP Japanese camp has released this gorgeous (to me) Edwards 7-string; E-M-II-7. It's a simple, no-frills guitar that beckons to be played. I believe those of us who are into good Japanese craftsmanship & value-for-money instruments, would want to see more Edwards available here. 

PS: For those of us who are still unaware, be informed that Edwards instruments now feature in-house ESP pickups. The humbuckers in the guitar depicted above are the ESP Custom Lab. This helps keep prices in check.

Pic: ESP Japan

GSME

For those of us who revere Taylor's GS Mini, look at what Sigma is offering. If you are bent on the GS Mini's build & dimensions, you can get this Sigma GSME for $480 (Davis GMC). Acoustics do not bring out the best of my guitar playing but I would not hesitate to recommend something very playable / comfortable for individuals who cannot quite come to terms with standard-sized acoustics.

Pic: Sigma

ND Deals @ Swee Lee

In conjunction with the nation's birthday, Swee Lee has rolled out some deals as documented above.

If there's anything that I'd recommend from this deal, it would be the PRS SE CE Standard 24 ($595). This is a wonderful no-frills guitar with above-expectations outcomes when it comes to playability & tone. Sure, those default pickups might not be ear candy to some of us but this is a very good consideration for a sub-$600 guitar.

The other would be the SE Silver Sky ($977). More affordable & more appealing than a Mexican Strat in this price bracket.

Pics: Steve's Music

New CVs

I believe these are the newer Squier CVs released lately. That CV 70s Strat ($649) has a four-bolt feature instead of three so the label here should not be taken as a measure of exact reference. No idea how many of us out there are obliged to consider a baritone Tele but it's included in this release ($749). Strangely, I find the single coil tone to be more appealing when it comes to lower tunings but for those of us who are using this at high gain settings, we just want something humbucking. 

Pics: Swee Lee

Roto promo

Great promo by Swee Lee - 3 for the price of 2. This is my personal experience with Rotosound - many strings were plagued by rust spots on various parts of the string length. This was years ago, pre-COVID days in fact. In view of the price enticements, I shall give this a go & share findings here.