E-Maverick

And so it happened; ESP did an Edwards version of the Maverick. After the ESP & LTD versions in February, the Maverick is now represented in three manifestations. Will a Grass Roots version take place soon? That aside, the Edwards Maverick features a Lil '59 in the neck position instead of a rail type single coil. Reminder: The Maverick features 27 frets.

Pic: ESP Japan

AZES40B @ SL

I see the Ibanez AZES40B in stock at Swee Lee. It's listing for $40 more than its previous incarnation featuring a white pickguard. A different pickugard colour raises the price by $40? I don't think so. We are all looking at a price hike per se which happens with new shipments.

Pic: Ibanez

27

SOLAR now offers a 27-fret model. This here is the ACS1.6FRW sporting a standard 25.5" scale length. ESP & Ibanez did it, now SOLAR has one that should be more affordable than the aforementioned brand names. A GOTOH 1996 bridge in this one. Nice.

Pic: SOLAR

 

Thank you & goodbye: Wayne Charvel

The world remembers Wayne Charvel for his extended guitar tinkering that eventually led to the Charvel brand name. I should have made it a point to purchase these guitars before they were acquired by FMIC. These used to be available at City Music together with Carvin guitars. Those were the days.

Pic: Guitar

Grassroots: Mystique

The good people at ESP are slowly (but surely) cascading their standard models unto the more affordable sub-brands. I sincerely hope this was the byproduct of an internal realization that the LTD models are becoming more expensive (& unreasonable) & pricing many eager players out. This here is the Grassroots Mystique, last manifested as an Edwards iteration. On a personal note, I still can't get over that headstock outline which looks like a glorified mistake.

Pic: ESP Japan

Antares

Kiesel has a new model in its lineup; the Antares. As you can see here, it's an offset design (think: Fender Jaguar / PRS Vela) quite clearly aiming at the shredders among us. I'm still trying to get used to that headstock design but everything else looks awesome. Loving the one-knob option.

Pic: Kiesel

Gone but not forgotten: Mike Browning

Another legend left us - Mike Browning. Together with Trey Azagthoth, they formed Morbid Angel but he left the band due to personal friction with Trey. Subsequent indulgences, Nocturnus / Nocturnus AD, still shocased his drumming prowess. These bands also feature very capable guitarists so they were a hit with me.

Pic: JRmetalzone

Yes & No

Yes - Swee Lee now has baritone ukulele strings (Ernie Ball). $9 per pack, thank you so much.

No - Swee Lee has no baritone ukuleles listed on its web store / available in any showrooms. Duh?!

Pic: Ernie Ball

Fly HG

Still wondering why this took too long to happen. Blackstar's FLY 3 amp is now offered in a high gain manifestation. That NITRO button there offers a more sizzling amp drive often associated with heavy music. 

I currently own the standard version (since 2014), not this high gain version. The default overdrive was indeed insufficient to propel heavy music but I came to terms with it after plugging a Tube Screamer in. I'm looking forward to try this version: 1) I hope the NITRO mode doesn't scoop the midrange 2) The NITRO distortion doesn't make the tone fuzzy in view of the small driver on board.

Pics: Blackstar

Tim's bag

Signature bag. That's right, it's a Tim Henson model to accommodate both acoustic & electric (quoting the manufacturer). 

Don't see anything special / outstanding about the product. Chances are, you can get an equally good / better model from other brand names.

Pics: Ibanez

 

Roto deals

Good deals (@ Swee Lee) if you are agreeable with the Rotosound brand. I'm saying this because there was this point in time when the Rotosound QC was rotten. Every pack of strings was plagued by rust spots, the fresh, out of the shipment box ones were not spared either. 

25.5" = Long Scale?

This is a Gibson Les Paul Custom. We've seen many LP Customs before but this one sports a 25.5" scale length. Gibson is doing well by confusing us with its long scale reference. In the Gibson universe, 25.5" is a long scale length because the instruments are predominantly 24.75". So does this mean the Jackson, ESP, Charvel, Fender & Ibanez fans are actually playing long scaled instruments?

I have no idea if the Gibson employee who documented this actually plays guitar. Do we need a 25.5" scale length to employ drop tunings? Does a 25.5" facilitate better drop tunings? If that's the case, those extended scale length & baritone measurements that go well beyond 25.5" - are they way better for this application or does string gauge help offset scale length issues when it comes to drop tunings? Geez...

Pics: Gibson

Gone but not forgotten: B War

The early Marduk lineup featured Roger Svensson (aka B War). A completely no nonsense bassists who chose not to pick his bass; it's fingers through & through. I'm a fan, of course. Favourite album featuring B War - Panzer Division Marduk / La Grande Danse Macabre.

Pic: RTTP

Assassin 8

Oh man, SOLAR is offering the Assassin features in an 8-string format. The one you see here is the A1.81A (A for active pickup - it's a Fluence Open Core Red). The Assassin concept is fundamentally a black-out guitar featuring a single humbucker, a single control knob & red highlights for the pickup, inlay & truss rod cover - simplet yet very intimidating for those of us who dwell in the metal zone.

Pic: SOLAR

Ice @ SL

Two new colours for the Ibanez Iceman (IC420) this July - this Coral Green Metallic...

.... and this gold top. I noticed that these July releases were already available at Swee Lee ($899) even before the official announcement.

I see the Iceman as a refined Les Paul, both guitars have many things in common: 1) 3-per side tuners 2) Set neck joint 3) Dual humbuckers / 3-way selector / 4 control pots 4) Tune-o-matic (type) bridge. The Iceman appeals to those of us who had enough of the Les Paul's weight & a desire for an extended cutaway arm to promote placement stability when played sitting down. The Iceman is one heck of a cool guitar (no pun intended).

Pic: Ibanez

FF bass @ DGMC

Some very cool - and definitely affordable - fanned fret basses are now available at Davis GMC. If you're that adventurous type who benefits from dropped tunings, a fanned fret option would definitely help proceedings when it comes to string tension. This here is the Bacchus WJB-1MS which lists for $699 (bag included). A sunburst finish is also available. When it comes to value-for-money, the Bacchus name is hard to beat. 

Pic: Deviser

BK @ DGMC

Please be informed that Bare Knuckle pickups are now available at Davis GMC. For those of us who are new to the brand, know that prices are astronomical due to the brand's boutique nature (whatever boutique means to you). Paying for a matching pair of humbuckers could easily get you an entry-level guitar.

Pic: BKFB

Vega T

Those of us who are whammy excessive but still prefer our Strats to do the bidding, the Vega Trem is now available at Swee Lee (upwards of $220). I usually lock down my Strat bridge as I don't whammy, so...

Pic: SOS

Limited & missed

Aw, darn. This was a limited edition Japan only AZ2204NJA - good for 2025, strictly. I'm somehow averse to white single coil covers (remind me too much of the Strat) but these look very acceptable here. That awesome top there is ash, Ibanez refers to it as Japanese Ash.

Pic: Ibanez Japan

White & grey

Ibanez did a wonderful thing this July by re-introducing the Genesis RG550 in white. It was done before not too long ago & was quickly snapped up. Those who are trawling the scalper's market for one can now get it for a reasonable retail price. (EDIT: The white version is not offered in China)

This is the other new finish in the lineup, a grey affair & would probably appeal to senior folks like me. 

Pics: Ibanez

TB

That brass contraption you see there is a Trem-Band. What does it do?

There. Basically for players who own a guitar with a dual action whammy but wish it to be single action only for some reasons. Trying to understand who such players are & the reason(s) for not owning more than one guitar to fulfil this need.

 Pic: Trem-Band

Capo pedal

The manufacturer refers to this as a capo in a pedal format. It raises / lowers pitch emulating a physical capo function. In layperson understanding, it's actually a pitch-shifting device & it's gonna cost you USD249. Yay / nay? (PS: the SOLAR Chug capo can be purchased direct from the manufacturer's homepage).

Pic: SOLAR