Price check: Gibson

More Curleigh-era Gibsons making their way here. The 2019 Gibson SG Jr costs slightly more than its 2018 counterpart. No prominent differences between the two less the different scripts at the respective  headstocks. The 2019 has a Graph Tech nut while the 2018 has a Tektoid version. Which one is it for you? Is it worth paying that wee bit extra for a nut material difference? The decision is entirely yours. 

Acrylux picks give away: Winners

Congrats to the above-listed recipients, picks are on the way. Please forgive the less than timely postal service due to the peak festive season. 

One more give away before we say goodbye to 2018 so watch this space. 😎

All that jazz

I finally managed to sit down & discover what the new Fender American Professional Jazzmaster (OK, not that new since it debuted @ January 2018) has to offer. I would like to pre-empt readers out there that this is not a formal appraisal of the instrument but a documented impression more like it. On that note, I make no apologies for being personal with certain perspectives.

Thumbs up to the QC standards of an American Pro instrument. I expected no less than the American Standard bearings & this Jazzmaster did not disappoint. The immediate feel was very impressive; flawless, so to speak. Volume & tone controls were smooth & functional, ditto the tuners. The darn pitfall here is the 3-way selector which was super stiff in the neck selection but no issues with the midway & bridge options. I'm pretty sure this is just a little glitch but it bothered me excessively as I constantly needed to toggle the pickup options for adequate tonal evaluations but I was hampered in this aspect. Bummer.

Moving on to the pickups- the other let down. I'm rather surprised with how praiseworthy these are deemed to be in established gear literature & online references. Having heard them in person, they sound nasal even under the slightest hint of drive. I feel they are only outstanding in clean mode but we know how the Strat clean is the standard to beat. Certainly not recommended for those who thrive under lots of gain/ drive. It's certainly not an amp issue because I played it through two amps just to confirm how trashy things are & I wasn't proven wrong.

My take- the American Professional Jazzmaster received some fanfare when it debuted this year. A less confusing electronics layout, functional bridge features & pickups wound to manifest contemporary tones were the key upgrades. I still couldn't get over the fact that the tone let me down because this guitar was shortlisted as a possible year-end acquisition for me. I would urge you to check out the Japanese version first before committing to this American. The Japanese is still sticking to the traditional Jazzmaster formula but it's in my opinion a more honest rendition of a Jazzmaster. Mind you, there's at least a $900 difference between the two so some thinking & an informed decision is due. 

So all that jazz comes to nought. At least for me. 

CM EOY sale 2018

Sale starts today. *checks wallet*

PS: This entry was supposed to appear yesterday because after alerting them, they realized that they got the SALE date wrong- it's 23rd instead of 24th. I am using the wrong version, obviously.

SALE @ TYMC

Sale now happening at TYMC- amps, ukuleles, guitars. 😐

SA EOY sale

Sound Alchemy had started theirs. *checks wallet* 😑

Light greetings

To all Hindu friends & blog readers- enjoy your big day. Happy rest day to the rest of us, especially for yours truly, it had been a hectic week with too many downs. Looking forward to spending time with the acoustics today.

Player Plus

These were released late summer in three different pickup manifestations as seen above. The rest are essential LP features less the satin finish & richlite fretboard. Price-wise, listing for a little short of $2.7K (at Swee Lee), the PP won't find a ready pool of fans owing to the aforementioned specs. If I were to be looking for an LP in this price range, I'd opt for the LP Classic (2016 - 2017 range) instead as it sports a rosewood fretboard for about the same asking price. Also, the Tribute range benefits from the satin finish more than any others due to the no frills features. The BFG did a take on this finish type which proved to be unpopular among players who are after a road-worthy attribute. I personally prefer the bare satin option but not on instruments in the higher price brackets. 

Slashbird

Is your bird on fire? You wish it was but you are on a tight budget, eh? Good news- Epiphone has an affordable take on things. It has the Slash Firebird in Premium & Standard editions but on a limited production run. Regardless, I wish you a fiery midweek. 

What the Fooz?

A new one from the SD camp- it's a fuzz/ trem/ synth pedal. For those of us who love the beeps & tweets in our playing, it's something to look forward to. As for me, I'm not even a fuzz fan. 😁 OK here's some persuasion:

Eid Ul-Adha 2018

Blessed Eid greetings to all Muslim blog readers & friends. May this year's sacrifices add meaning to our commitments in life. To the rest of us- have a good midweek break 👍

Citrus

Aw, man! GAS!! 😓

Sale @ SV Guitars

Good start to June 😁 Happening at SV Guitars now.

Vesak Day 2018

A day of calmness, peace & more importantly, rest. 😑

BFG 2018

If you recall, this was the initial incarnation of the LP BFG Gibson did back in 2007/ 2008. Oh yes, I bought one. Love the fact that the bare finish added much to clarity & the hum-P-90 combo was what I was looking for at the time of purchase.

Wasn't aware they did a 2018 version of the BFG. 

Both P-90/ humbucking versions are offered so there's no hybrid combo this time. Also, no wooden knobs, no kill switch, no Grover tuners & the fretboard is granadillo. Those humbuckers there are labelled as open coil humbuckers which would fetch very little in the after-market. Oh, it's only offered in black. 

Purple- done

This was done last weekened. The guitar in question- Ibanez RG550 (Genesis 2018).

It's an all DiMarzio affair this time- Evolution (n)/ Area 67 (m)/ Steve's Special (b). Why DiMarzio? Because my yellow RG550 is the Seymour Duncan version so this is an opportunity to hear a tone contrast. The Evo was high on my consideration list for its light treble bite, nothing too piercing but avoiding the rounded, wooly tone altogether. The A67 was already in my SA1620 & it's perhaps one of the best stacked humbucker that retains twang without being too Fender-ish. Coming to Steve's Special, it's an unlikely inclusion but I know it'd work in a dual action whammy bridge type that lacks bass. Of course, the SS isn't bass excessive, it's scooped sounding & something I dislike to begin with but I'm determined to make it likeable, at the very least. Let's see what happens along the way.

PS: Wishing all Muslim blog readers, friends & relatives a blessed Ramadan ahead which starts tonight.

Mid-year enticements

Happening at Sound Alchemy now. A good time to consider Japanese guitars- we know how prices are these days so here's a chance to maybe do something 'right'.

The working class

It's a day of rest here. To the working cohort, yours truly included, we are working to make ends meet. Well, that would be the majority of us- family to feed, bills to pay. Where I am, the cost of living is climbing compounded by the fact that more things are affecting the quality of life, buses moving slower, frequent train breakdown, people with poor public etiquette, authorities with elitist mindsets & the lists go on. Looks like we will be working our souls off with very little leeway for leisure. But there exists this tenacious bunch of people in society who would find time to play guitar regardless of the circumstances. Wishing you a deserving day of rest. 😁

Earth Hour 2018

It was a different challenge for me this time round, the Earth Hour 2018 episode (last night) was actually filled with guitar playing. Kept the front door open to enjoy the corridor lighting, brought my Kiesel DC, Blackstar FLY3 amp & an OD pedal to the door vicinity & sat on the floor. The account:

1. Sitting on the floor with the instrument resting on the lap is a numbing experience. The leg  cramped up easily & it necessitated some stretching every other 5min or so.
2. Poor lighting affects fretboard visibility & induced mistakes.
3. Poor ventilation due to the 'dead' ceiling fan meant sweaty palms got in the way of playing as well.

I could imagine those performers struggling to manage themselves on dark stages or other poorly lit venues. Most of the time, I wasn't looking at the fretting hand & relied heavily on feel which didn't pay off because it's not how I usually play. I compelled myself to play for 30min before retiring to the couch with the cat.

Our cat had been a darling throughout the episode, she chose to sleep after this pic was taken. 👍

Anyway, Earth Hour as always, is hype. It's only acknowledged by people who bothered & remained truly committed to the cause. Respecting the ailing earth isn't on everyone's life agenda. The residents here showed no special acknowledgements of what Earth Hour meant to them. Doubt if they even knew it took place. I'm doing this to create awareness for my little girl here especially so when the school shared the event during brief classroom moments just days ago. By doing so, we manifest a concerted effort in addressing common concerns, it should not be a lopsided affair; learning institutions do not bear the brunt entirely when education is concerned. Kids look up to parents as well & we make efforts to ensure  learning becomes holistic. In any case, I do not see  environmental awareness becoming an embraced philosophy in the heartlands. Mind you, even Earth Hour itself has a commercial slant to it so a genuine care for the environment must truly come from the heart.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead- it's the final week of March.

Genesis hike

The much anticipated Ibanez this year, among purists mostly, is perhaps the RG550. The Genesis version is now available at Swee Lee but they are all currently SOLD OUT. This time round, it lists for $1,299 which is $400 more than its debut price back in 2013.