Nothing to be ashamed of

I bought this Gibson SGJ in 2013. I was attracted to it for its 24 fret neck & the satin finish; Gibson's traditional, lacquered neck finish, in all due respect, kills good wood. When I was at Swee Lee's Bras Basah showroom, many people who passed me by while I was testing it (before buying, of course) were equally interested in this model due to its price. It's in the $800 range & proved to be one of the most affordable Gibsons around. Until today, what makes a good Gibson, remains subjective so the chaps who deliberated on it must have known the brand name in great depth because they said: 1) Entry level price equals entry level Gibson 2) The weight is wrong, the lacquer would make a difference 3) 2 more frets for an SG killed the tone... 

Who were these people? Majority of them were mid-lifers, given the amount of white hair & wrinkles on them, I'd say a good number of them were carrying a senior citizen fare card in their pockets. Then again, I might be wrong but the comments they made clearly reflected a lack of respect. I'm not a Gibson fan to begin with but I understand where they are coming from in terms guitar craftsmanship & respect whatever atrocities they detailed their contemporary instruments with. The SGJ here might be a little off when it comes to tone with regards to an SG Standard but it remains reputable in terms of QC. In fact, it was very well made for the price. We can definitely get round the Gibson tone if we dislike what we hear (replace pickups, get effects pedals, etc.) but to say that it's way off due to some revised attributes, is a little disrespectful.

A year on, I purchased another SGJ simply because the reputable QC was in tact & the price, well, it became a little more affordable. Gibson somehow managed a downward revision for this model (price-wise) & in my opinion, it did good for those who are trying to get to know the brand name. It might not be a flagship model but it served its purpose as a bridging model. 

There's nothing to be ashamed of when one invests in a more affordable instrument. Disregard others' opinion when you know what you are dealing with in person. How should it be, a $5K guitar that sounds very crappy or its more affordable version sounding like how it should be for your musical needs?

Korg: KR mini

This was the acquisition yesterday- Korg's KR mini from the City Music sale. I've not messed with the storage & editing function of this wonderful little ditty, just had a lot of meaningful moments with the presets. I'm just flippin' glad that it came with internal speakers so it requires no other amplification. It runs on 3X AA batteries as well so if you have some by-the-beach acoustic moments to fulfill, the KR mini is it.

Hats off to the City Music sales team who maintained a very high level of customer service amidst the high sales traffic. I'm also affirming their team work; they went about the store helping one another, it's rather evident from what they did & said to one another. The CM sales team is truly a TEAM. 

CM sale 2013

Starts today if you aren't already on your way there :-) We might bump into each other. Happy shopping!

Eid 2013

It's that time of the year- Eid greetings to all Muslim friends & blog readers, forgive & forget, yes? To rest of you- enjoy the long break :-)

Ramadan greetings 2013

A peaceful, blissful Ramadan to all Muslims out there. Remember- fasting does not equal no guitar-ing :-)

Earth hour 2013

Earth hour happened just hours ago. Embrace darkness.

Is it about that per se- enduring discomfort for an hour to show concern for Mother Earth? After its initial observance in 2007, this event took a commercial slant & today it's rather fashionable to be seen in EH events in town. There are usually post-EH activities going on after the passing of the official observance hour & I'd say, the amount of electricity used would defeat the conservation that took place during the EH hour itself. And the politicians present during that post-EH celebrations... tsk, tsk tsk. Read the papers to know who they are.

What we did- listened to music (a very mono, transistor experience) in the dark

Pro Broderick

The new (2013) non-USA (Pro series) Jackson Chris Broderick models look the works- mahogany body, DiMarzio pickups... but why the Floyd Rose Special bridge? If you have any experience at all with this least expensive version of the FR bridge, you'd know how fragile it is. A little over-tightening of the locking string saddle & it'll crack. I don't mean to be demeaning this product but it's better off not being there.

So Mexico

News- Charvel's So Cal models are back for 2013 but this time, they are Mexican. The manufacturer promises the beloved specs of the USA/Jap models at a non-prohibitive price tags. Indeed, they start at USD799..

ESP: Standard

It's a little belated but here's what ESP has to offer for 2013; the Standard. The 'Standard' tag is clearly visible at the headstock so it'll leave us fans a little beleaguered as to how different this standard is to its predecessor. If it's a mere migration of that label from the rear of the headstock to the front, then why do it at all? With the new LTD Elite models in the same price bracket as the previous Standards, it's interesting to see how much these newbies will cost.

Do I have any plans to acquire the new generation of Standards? I need to see, feel & hear them in action first... as soon as they get here, of course.

Poll: Gear acquisition 2013

February greetings, everyone. Once again, my thanks to you for participating in this poll- made me know you are out there & reading this blog- kudos.

It seems that Ibanez is on the players' mind this year but it's really kinda early to conclude anything. My constant Ibanez updates here might have something to do with it- we can't rule that out. Fender comes in at a strong second but come to think of it, Fender has a lingering presence in everyone's minds all the time. A surprise third would be PRS but the manufacturer did the right thing by offering a strong QC showing in its SE range so the urge to own quality without going broke is real. But this poll doesn't stick because we know, over time, as more fresh enticements hit the shelves, demand changes :-)

Ibanez: RGR520

Ibanez's RGR520D is one of the new models offered this year. While I salute the manufacturer's inclusion of a Seymour Duncan set (JB/'59), it's a little baffling to see the Edge Pro bridge still marking its presence. I've nothing against this bridge, in fact, I revere it for its ability to include the strings' ball end while still being a locking unit. The Edge Pro definitely sits above the EZ-II in terms of performance, in my books.

What's that? There's too much Ibanez coverage here? Well, I've pretty much covered what Gibson has to offer this 2013 at the twilight if 2012, the Fender offerings are largely above mid-price & the ones more accessible to the man on the street (OK, ladies as well) are largely unconfirmed (applicable to this country) in terms availability here. I'm still waiting what the ESP chaps have to offer in addition to the LTD Elites but I know there are more good things from them at the tail end of the season :-)

JEM 7 (2013)

It's the new Ibanez JEM, this one. At a single glance, it's something that's done before but after counting the strings, you know it's a new one for 2013. Let us not kid ourselves in the understanding why the Lo-Pro Edge bridge was included. Also, the pickups there are DiMarzio's Blaze models, the very ones used in the new Premium Universe model.

Ibanez 2013: The Iceman cometh

How's everyone's Saturday coming along? My Saturday is good (thusfar) with the knowledge that Ibanez still has the Iceman in production this year. It marks the return of its original headstock seen here & block inlays.

It's still offered in 2 finishes; black/ white. However, it now sports the Gibraltar bridge as seen here. Is this in any way inferior to its predecessor sporting a string-through body feature? You'd do well by asking why the typical Les Paul sounds very intriguing & it doesn't sport a string-through body implement. Ditto sustain.

Also new this year, the Iceman in a 7-string incarnation. This is on my want list :-)

Gibson 2013: Les Paul Standard bass

We love the Gibson Les Paul, even dweebs like me own one (after knowing it has no specific returns in terms of personal pleasure- we buy for the signature tone). However, are we that enthusiastic when it comes to the LP bass? This here, is the Les Paul Standard bass, conceived like its guitar counterpart; chambered body, same profiled neck- the works.

If you compare this year's version to its predecessor, you'd notice the bridge & headstock revisions.

Schecter 2013: Sixx

Schecter has a Nikki Sixx bass in its 2013 line-up. Looks simple & sleek. The body outline isn't that refreshing- that's right, it's Thunderbird-esque. It's quite a struggle to reach those 20+ frets, if only it has a cutaway there... What's that? He doesn't go that far up? Oh...

Fender 2013: Pawn Shop Mustang

How can I not like the Mustang bass? I own one, it's a shorter-scaled unit (30") so it's a likable bass for guitar dweebs like me. This 2013, the Mustang bass is still a Japanese make but it features a humbucker so it's something I am considering. I was gonna go with a full scale bass this year because I don't own any of such basses in the mean time. The last good one had a history with my dad but I'm trying to forget that episode... sheesh.

Schecter 2013: The screaming demon

I like what I'm seeing from Schecter's 2013 range. This Banshee here is one of them- the works! Looks to be a promising shred machine (but we know it's more than just shred) with a pair of Duncan's JB/'59 & a Series 1000 Floyd Rose bridge. Thumbs up!

TC Electronics: Economy looping

I want this one. Really. Here's why:

• It's a true bypass unit
• It loops & nothing else. I really don't need anything other than a looping feature in a loop pedal. So this is a no-frills unit, it'll serve my needs
• It's small. The economical dimensions mean it won't take up prime space at the pedal board or in my guitar bag should I need to bring it out & about
• Price? Bet you it won't be as excessive as any other quasi-boutique units out there offering a fundamental function

Schecter 2013: Raise hell and be heard

Schecter is now in the amp market with their Hellraiser 100 to debut at NAMM '13. This amp is offered both in the head & combo formats. What's the diff between this one & the rest, you ask? The manufacturer has this 'FOCUS' control to voice the amp for lower tunings, namely addressing your 7 & 8-string needs very much complementing the Schecter guitars of that description. The combo version features a pair of 12" Celestion V-30s so you know there's no compromise in features. Nice. Nicer if it's made available here.

Schecter 2013: Hellraiser 006

This is great- Schecter had brought the 006 design back, this time as the Hellraiser 006. I was hoping it would make a comeback in this post : CLICK. Now that it's revived, maybe I should do something about it. Hmm...