Fender's recent release; a Kenny Wayne Shepherd signature model. His last signature Strat was in 2013, this recent manifestation is quite a departure from its predecessor. Visually, the block inlays & painted headstock are the obvious changes. The body is now ash & chambered & that neck there is bound, not quite visible from this angle. A very big difference is the radius; from its former 12" manifestation to the current 7.25" so he now favours a curved profile. I think it would look killer with a 70s style headstock but that's just me.
Fender's 2020 version of its HM Strat is now available at Swee Lee. Both maple/ rosewood fretboard versions are listing for $1,799 ea.
For this amount of money, you get the least favourable Floyd Rose bridge (FR Special), do keep that in mind. I'm not deflating your enthusiasm but how much more does a 1000 series FR bridge cost compared to the Special? Not much. It shows how enthusiastic Fender is in re-introducing this iconic model. For this amount of money, it's wiser to give the buyers their money's worth, yes? Also, please be aware that the scale length is 25.1" as opposed to the regular Strat's 25.5" & it has nothing to do with the number of frets or length of the entire instrument.
Singaporeans head for the polls today. It should be an easy one if you've been keeping up with what went on for the last week or so & reading between the lines (also - reading between the lies). I will be more critical when it's a level playing field which is not the case in the mean time. Just glad it's a long weekend, time to catch up with gear. Anyway, enjoy this one:
It's a brand new week & we begin with the news that the initial batch if Epiphone 2020 models are in. I'm just gonna do some price comparisons here to get your considerations going.
It is also a reminder that there is now an Epiphone version of the current Gibson range. I have no idea if this is status quo with immediate effect but this is the current commercial strategy till further notice.
There are many more models on offer, I'm sure you are enterprising enough to check them out but I just wanna highlight the LP Studio for this episode. Note that no LP Studios are offered below $2K now. This price here is the latest from the Curleigh management & it pretty much reflects where things are going in terms of prices. Yes, this is lesser than the final Juszkiewicz batch but it's still above the $2K mark. Why is this such a big deal? The LP Studio is the most affordable LP in the family. It's devoid of cosmetic extras yet performing on par with its more exorbitant siblings (no binding, no AAA maple flame top). Based on this consideration, the Studio should not be a deal-breaker for many of us in terms of price but it is definitely not the case as we know it. The Gibson camp is trying to say that their most affordable LP is still worth that much despite being stripped down. More importantly, they will tell you that the real affordable deal is the Tribute range, not the Studio. With the Epiphone 2020 range, we can now re-consider our options with regards to price but an Epi will never go into Gibson territory in terms of material treatment; sounding good & playing well are bonus manifestations.
So folks, for about a quarter of what you would fork out for a Gibson, you now have the Epiphone version to consider & it's worth the trouble keeping in mind that the Epis are now reflecting the Gibsons very closely. You get upgraded pickups, nut & pots for that asking price & selected models are featuring ebony fretboard as well. Things are looking good here but not for the models sporting the older, clipped dove wings design; these are destined for a clear-out in terms of desirability but we know they are not second fiddle in terms of performance & tone.
So there you have it, hope it'll be a good start for many of us this week & one more time - stay vigilant, stay virus-free. Take care. 😊
The more affordable JS is now offered in this metallic light blue finish but pickups are in-house models. The JS140M is a winner visually (liking the maple fretboard), even the coil split feature is a winner here but pickups could have been more enticing.
It's a 25th Korn-iversary this year so the Apex 30 is inevitable. Do the Korn people need a commemorative model to get by? Simple answer - no. Only one of them is still under Ibanez endorsement, the other is with ESP. One of the reasons he moved on, according to a recent interview, is that ESP has Evertune bridges in their instruments to keep live situations in check. Can you now understand why there's an Evertune in this one? Why is Ibanez not as accommodating you ask? You must understand that Ibanez takes pride in detailing their instruments with their own hardware, especially the bridges. Instead of bowing down to Floyd Rose, they did their Edge thing. Instead of bowing down to Wilkinson, their did their SAT thing. We note how the exceptions come into the picture when endorsements are involved. Looks like this model is mirrored against the RGA but it's not the first, remember the Komrad? All in all, in my opinion, this isn't necessary. Ibanez is obliging because Korn brought in so much money for them in the early 7-string days. I'm seeing this as a possible second take on that boom but we know it's not gonna be that easy. Consolation - the DiMarzio Blaze pickups are good.
I had been patient with 2019 in the hope that its conclusion would be a sweet one but it turned out otherwise. Circumstances were beyond my control but my plans were leveraging on the year end occurrences; unwise, to say the least. So here's a painful lesson at the turn of the decade - never rely on something beyond your authority. Work hard & ensure things manifest its true intention according to your means, not others'.
Nothing major today, just a family lunch-out & absorbing the moment as much as possible. I'm not the resolution type, I don't believe in crossing out failed listings. I do have plans & intentions but they will never be on a grand scale especially when uncertainty looms & threatens to rear its ugly head when you least expected. Expending energy dealing with disappointment, to me, is not worth it. I rather use it to play guitar.
Folks, thanks for dropping by to read stuff here, I glad to know that there are still people out there who enjoy reading. I'm the reading type. I don't thrive on a video content. Seeing that happen any time soon would be quite remote. Here's to a great new year & a meaningful decade ahead - keep your passion going!
Some really late details from the Ibanez camp this year. It's already the final week of 2019 & no firm references are offered to us till now (Xmas, actually). This is the initial disclosure for 2020, the RG1121PB (Premium).
Sure, there's the 7-string version as well (RG1127PB). Matching burled headstock veneer for both models - good.
Some things to note, folks. It's now a 7-piece neck. These people are serious about stability & they know roasting necks for each & every single new model is costly. Anyway, this approach had proven its worth in terms of a successful outcome so why not stick to it, yes?
On the flip side - gold frets. I have no idea if it's merely a coating, we'll get more details soon. Say, does gold add anything to durability or tone? We know it adds to cost, yes?
New bridge - looks minimalist & derivative (might be a variation of the Mono Rail). That's a covered DiMarzio Fusion Edge pickup you see there. They should disclose if this model is really favoured by the fans by an overwhelming majority. I might be the marginal few who finds it distasteful.
Some official promo clip here which includes the whammy version, RG1120PB. If you've noticed by now, Ibanez reformulated the model citation again. Oh, well.
The EHX camp will have this mini pedal tuner for 2020 so it's no excuse for you not to have one on your pedal board; space constraints will not be an acceptable pretext. The good thing is, it's affordable, listing for USD39 & comes with a complementary PSU - how about that?
Kinda excited that Schecter has this PT model for 2020 (PT Pro). This version sports an ebony fretboard.
Equally delectable is the roasted maple fretboard variant. I'm certainly looking forward to these being available here & the manufacturer classified them as mid-price models. We can expect a $900 - $1,200 price range on that note.
I'm putting two more models in the spotlight for LTD's 2020 releases. There will be others along the way, the manufacturer assured us this is only its Phase 1 of their new model announcements. The model you see above is still part of their top tier Deluxe range, the Horizon H-1001. That see-through quilt top is simply the highlight of this guitar.
It's also good to see a Viper making the numbers. Over the years, this model had been sidelined somewhat, dwelling in the shadows of other more popular outlines like the Eclipse & Mirage. It seems that the Seymour Duncan Pegasus/ Sentient pairing are the feature pickups in many of the Deluxe models, these two included. I must say that the Sentient is indeed one of the formidable passive neck pickups in the SD lineup but a little under-rated in the mean time. The Deluxe models are doing this humbucker a big favour by having it there to carry the tone through. The Jazz & '59 are the tried & trusted go-to models but these represent the old guard of Duncan pickups not that they are out-dated but the Sentient is the future that should be embraced.
For 2020, the LTD camp made it a point to inject glory into the Deluxe range. These are in fact, top-of-the-line selection before we enter the signature side of things. The Deluxe range can be identified by the 4-digit reference in its model alpha-numerics. This stunning green monster here is the Deluxe H3. I'm a fan of the H3 as it's the lesser known Horizon models featuring an offset body while preserving the awesome curved top. Pickups in this one: Seymour Duncan Pegasus (b)/ Sentient (n).
More good stuff from the LTD camp. This has to be one of the best they have to offer in 2020; the M-Series featuring a simple, fixed bridge (Hipshot) & a through-body design. Plus point - this fade finish is just gorgeous. The M is often too tied down by a Floyd-type bridge which is further popularized by a certain Kirk Hammett. It's good to see a simple variant this time round which is an upper tier model.
This is another amazing fade finish & deserving for an upper tier EC model. The pickups for this 2020 manifestation is the Seymour Duncan Pegasus/ Sentient pair - thumbs up!
For 2020, the Phoenix will be revived but offered in the LTD higher tier, the Deluxe version. Seen above, the model featuring active Fluence pickups.
You prefer passive pickups instead? Here's a version with Duncans. Really liking the idea of having a Phat Cat in the neck. So it's a fair offering; something for both active & passive fans. Good job, LTD. 👍
PRS had made public part of their 2020 line up, beginning with the SE range. I will begin by highlighting two of the most worthy selections in this offering. This mean, green monster is the Starla. We know this was in the S2 line up with a Bigsby-esque whammy bridge but things had gotten simpler here with just a tune-o-matic type bridge & lots of charm. If you do not dig the PRS wrap over hard tail, this one's worth the consideration.
The Mira is PRS' taunt on the SG model; a more elegant one quite clearly. This one, however, still sports the wrap over hard tail unit but it's the adjustable version so you will continue to like the instrument's intonation beyond a set of gauge 10 strings simply because they are adjustable. Implication - PRS is serious about offering quality for the money. Some convincing:
