Exploring

Greetings, guitardom. Amidst all the Gibson thrashing in the mean time, I've decided to invest in this guitar- the 2016 Gibson Explorer T. The T there stands for Traditional. Recall that 2016 saw the Gibson models dichotomised into two camps, the T (traditional) & HP (high performance). The latter model was spec'd with an adjustable metal nut & a set of (heinous) robot tuners. I'm not a fan of desecration so I went with the T. It's a fresh purchase, from Swee Lee.

I'm not an Explorer fan in any way, but this is a good time to own one seeing that Gibson prices are not coming down any time soon. The primary reason for disliking the Explorer is the body outline; it features a very excessive upper bout protrusion which is unnecessary & reflects poor ergonomics. There is a very high tendency for the user to knock this part of the instrument onto nearby structures & makes movement in standing position very awkward, not to mention clumsy. However, we cannot deny the fact that this extension is the reason why Gibson Explorers are the go-to instruments when sustain is the order of the day. 

Three main reasons why I'm happy with this instrument:  1) The default pickups. The 500T & 496R are my type of Gibson pickups- absolutely brutal when it comes to distortion & manifest individual notes clarity. I won't be swapping them out. 2) Slim taper neck. OK not that slim in the industry but speed-inducing with lots of grip potential. Again, my type of Gibson neck.

3) Headstock. The 6-in-line tuners are, in my opinion, the most stable amongst the Gibson designs. This model comes with a bag but the width of it makes bringing it around in public transport a little challenging. 

Big thanks to Mr. Faizal at Swee Lee I12 Katong for making this happen.

2016: UPs

There were surprises along the way this 2016. Despite the economic crunch, we managed to secure a worthy purchase thanks to the odd sale events here & there. One of them was the Swee Lee warehouse sale which some touted to be a 'return' of sorts but according to the good Swee Lee people, it's a one off so that they could move on with the inventory space at the Sims Drive warehouse. Whatever the underlying reason, we were grateful.

I've been holding back, I've been looking at pre-loved units, I've considered alternatives & I've been dismissive but it finally happened- I bought a Fender Jaguar. I blame the single coil itch which stretched beyond the Strat/ Tele influence. That shorter scale length kills as well. The Jaguar brought out a different side of me, more importantly, it helped me realize some other playing potential. 😁

I had been following the John Page Ashburn for about a year before I bought this Classic model. Despite its availability & repeated calling every time I dropped by the store, I managed to exercise restrain & waited for the double humbucking version to appear before making a decision. I've read what Mr. Page had to say about his Bloodline single coils & understood that they had very little in store for me since I'm the high gain dweeb with a ready aversion for all things 'vintage'. Hearing a musical instrument in person is a mandatory purchase pre-requisite especially after this John Page episode. As it turned out, the humbucking Ashburn Classic had little appeal to me once overdrive came into the tone equation. My ears loved the single coils more & the decision was final. No regrets. 

These are my final 3 picks accounting for the 2016 delights which had been disappointing through & through. It's not gear-related exclusively but I won't delve into life's little tragedies here; it's a guitar blog so I need to observe strict relevance. There were others worthy of this UPs list but I'm keeping things light for record. 

On that note my friends, as 2016 approaches its spectral instance, here's wishing you an amazing 2017 ahead. A new chapter is way worthy than rancid history- have a blast & stay safe. 

Ibanez RGA- revision

The Ibanez RGA model is one of the RG spinoffs which features a curved body top. It's still in production today & I hope it would remain that way. The RGA model I own was the first generation version - RGA32 - equipped with a pair of active in-house pickups referred to as the Lo-Z3. Unlike others, they run on 2 X AA batteries. 

This year's version (latest), features revisions which reflect some listening, on the manufacturer's part, to players:

1. Pickups are now passive. They are the direct mount version as well, no mounting brackets required.
2. A simpler bridge, which sits closer to the body.
3. Cutaways feature bevelling.
4. Side-aligned fretboard markers.

This year also saw the RGA making its way into the Iron Label series with more refinements befitting of the series' image/ expectations. What does the future hold for the Standard series RGA? Only time will tell.

SALE: Sound Alchemy

Ah, yes- Sound Alchemy is the latest on the SALE list! 👍🏾

SALE: Yamaha @ Beat Spot

Even Yamaha is joining in the SALE fever... 👍 In view of the grim economy & paltry year-end bonuses- it is the right thing to do. 

SALE: City Music

The other sale happening this season is that sale that always happen at this time of the year- City Music's year end sale. This sale lasts till the year end so it's good news for those of us waiting for the year end surplus to happen before shopping. 👌

Standard 7

A late release by Gibson- the Les Paul Standard 7-string 😶. Yes, we applaud Gibson for being bold & going with the flow & we note this isn't the manufacturer's first 7. I wonder how many of you are really keen on this investment (we note how difficult a 7-string re-sale could be in the after market) &  do you recall Gibson's other two 7-strings?

Deepavali 2016

Wishing all Hindu devotees a blessed day with family & friends. It's another family R&R day for the rest of us. 😁

Promo @ City Music

FYI- Happening at City Music now :-)

Earth Hour 2016

We observed Earth Hour last night. It's very simple; we switched off as many electrical appliances as possible for an hour- 2030hrs - 2130hrs. Only the fridge & wifi were available. Everything else was switched off. We gathered whatever birthday candles we had left & lit them up in the wash room & living room. The cat found this activity enjoyable because we were made to live an hour in its realm. The night hunter thrives on very little light unlike us bumbling fools. 

The objective of this exercise was to teach my little girl the value of energy. More importantly, energy is taken for granted in this country. Proof- many people don't feel guilty leaving appliances switched on even when these were not in use. At closing time, walk around the shopping centers here & you'll see some lights left switched on in retail units. Was this necessary? A security personnel told me it was a security measure. Some lights left switched on would give away criminal movements. I'm sure stores here would have armed their stores with state-of-the-art security equipment by now. These things could document criminal shadows in the dark but you wonder how many stores here are interested in such security measures.

Back home, how many of us actually switch off our modem before we go to bed? That night light- is it necessary at all? How many public lifts here have sleep features? It's easy to see how energy gets used up all around us. Our infrastructure today is very energy reliant. Let's not forget energy production here comes from natural resources which we do not posses. It's a costly affair & it's about time we do something about energy consumption. 

These days, if I stop playing for more than 5min to figure something out, I would switch everything off entirely because I know I'm wasting energy. I actually need some off time to do something else other than playing guitar so things are better off switched off. I'd switch everything back on again much later when I know there is a continuous playing time, it's more efficient this way, less wastage. 

What can you do to prevent energy wastage?

Yamaha SALE: Recommendations (3)

What's a Yamaha sale without mentioning a Yamaha bass, yes? In fact, I find Yamaha basses more appealing than their guitars. The BB series of basses are hard to beat in terms of value-for-money. It's arguably a very full-sounding bass without cutting too much corners. At a glance, you won't even notice the budget appointments because these instruments are really well manufactured. The most affordable BB bass on sale will be this BB424.In need of a reliable work horse? Check this one out.

SALE: $599 $419

On that note (forgive the pun), do consider this Billy Sheehan version (BB714) for a souped up tone experience (note the Attitude type pickup configuration).

SALE: $999 $699

Yamaha SALE

This might be of interest to you (especially those with fat hong baos stashed away somewhere). I'd be recommending some stuff along the way. Participating outlets- Plaza Singapura, Thomson Plaza & Westgate. Watch this space. :-)

Primate greetings

Lunar New Year greetings to all! Enjoy the break, expect some monkey business along the way.

BC Rich 2016: The new chapter unfolds

Mk1 Jr V

I've been after BC Rich news this year & this was a major revelation. The BC Rich brand name had been on the silent front since 2010 or so with paltry new models along the way. It wasn't made public but the owners had some issues handling the company as a whole due to some psychological & health setbacks, the specifics of which are best left buried since the company is now starting a new chapter.

Mk11 Warlock

So with effect from January 2016, the BC Rich name was licensed to Praxis Musical Instruments. The folks at PMI are fans of the brand name & they could very easily rattle off the instrument specs to you & that's the extent of interest on offer. PMI are also the people handling EBMM's Sterling range of more affordable instruments & they have been doing a good job to say the least. 

This year, the BC Rich range are divided into 3 major groups: Group 1- Mk1/ Mk3 Group 2- Mk5/ Mk7 Group 3- Mk9/ Mk11. Group 1 instruments represent the manufacturer's starter models as represented by the Jr V depicted above. Group 2 instruments are mid-tier offerings while Group 3 models are top of the line selections; just look at the Mk11 Warlock above & you'd understand. 

The selection this 2016 are not extensive as we see no Ironbird or Gunslinger in the fold. Let's understand that this is Year Zero for them & we wish them all the best in forging on- the heavy metal world & the guitar fraternity specifically, owe so much to this brand. 

Seymour Duncan 2016: The gain focus

Unlike the conventional sales pitch, Seymour Duncan does not put this forth as a drive unit. It's carefully mentioned as a gain stage unit, meaning, it's something you employ to manifest gain increments which does not necessarily relate to drive or distortion. However, we know too well that a gain push will ultimately result in a driven or distorted output, the degree of which depends on what the manufacturer wants to achieve. I'm really glad that Seymour Duncan had taken time to give us such a pedal because it's as useful as a stand alone unit as it is in a stacked arrangement. I reserve further  comments till I hear this in action & we all know that pretty much of the Seymour Duncan stuff (less some custom shop units) gets here in good time.

BOSS 2016: Waza head

I'm pretty much anticipating this new amp by BOSS- the Waza Craft head. A 150W of power but attenuable to a lower wattage performance.

The amp covers many tone references based on BOSS' interpretations. The manufacturer's brand name per se conjures some assurance tone-wise & judging by what went on at the recent Winter NAMM 2016, this amp has it in terms of dynamics & quality. A little wary of the price.

Fender 2016: Elitism

The new breed by Fender- American Elite Series. These effectively replace the American Deluxe models. The specs are largely a retention of the AmD models with a little refinement at places. It's good to know Fender is keeping up but we all know what such revisions mean- an opportunity to re-price.

ESP 2016: Vulture

This is a new one for 2016; James Hetfield's ESP Vulture. I find the headstock unagreeable since its debut in the Snakebyte. The body's a little offset if you missed it.  Nothing really enticing here, maybe the Hetfield camp might want one.

HP Bag

Ladies & gents, not all Gibson HP models for 2016 come with a hard case upon purchase. If it doesn't then be informed that this super padded bag is the alternative. 

Schecter 2016: KM Mk II

Over at the Schecter camp, one of the 2016 updates is this Keith Merrow model. Unlike its predecessors, this MK-II version sports a more agreeable finish, nothing too striking or threatening to glow in the dark. Pickups remain passive- they are the Seymour Duncan Nazgul (b)/ Sentient (n) pairing. There is a very calming visual overview here but we know what it's capable of.

Pic: schecter.com