Nick's 10th

Didn't realize Nick Johnston's relationship with Schecter is now a decade old. This purple beauty here is a 10th Anniversary Nick Johnston's commemorative model that already available at Davis GMC ($1,899). Nick's initial infatuation with guitars saw him embrace a Fender (a Highway 1 if memory serves me right) & the Strat-esque features are firmly preserved here. Some say they prefer this bridge as opposed to the Fender's. 

Pic: Schecter

Black guard

New guitar! Of course not. I'm barely employed, moving around looking wasted with hardly any cash in hand. That's how it is these days; tough times, tougher than what others perceived it to be. Anyway, I decided to mod the American Special Strat you see above:

• Pick guard: Black 3-ply with painted edges to make it look like a single ply
• Pickups: All Seymour Duncan affair - Psychedelic (n) / SSL-1 (m) / Red Devil (b)
• Electronics: A500K volume + 2x A250K tone, HOSCO .022uf capacitor + 5-way selector
• All plastic parts replaced with white version

Since I have a few Strats, I have assigned this one to sport an HSS config. The humbucking RD is not wired to any tone knob, it's giving off that raw, punchy tone which I really favour for aggressive music. The other single coils here are simply doing their job well; twang clarity under tremendous amount of gain / drive. This is my first experience with the Psychedelic (n), would give it a few rounds of tone rigour before a deserving appraisal. Initial impressions - positive.

Also, I have decided to black guard this guitar for a simple reason; the light background with a contrasting dark pick guard makes the instrument look a little bolder, especially with the edges blacked out.

Flat Fender

Interesting release by Fender Japan; a flat top Strat. Meaning - edges are not rounded off, Tele-style. It's also an HSS config, with a wide range-esque Shawbucker. Roasted maple board but from the looks, the entire neck might be roasted as well. Of course, they had to make this an FSR model but we'll see if that's absolutely the case.

Pic: Fender Japan

StraTele

The people at Fender Japan are really splicing things up to offer variety & unique appeal. This latest incarnation is the Hybrid II Stratocaster HSS with a reversed Telecaster headstock.  

It's certainly not a first as Ian Moore's Strat features a Tele neck / headstock albeit not being reversed. It's downright quirky but totally functional. Limited edition, Japan online exclusive, folks. Not something you can get off the shelf easily.

Pics: Fender Japan / Reverb

Solar 2022

Finally, an HSS guitar from Solar. Currently offered in the Evertune bridge version. Interesting thing here is that the single coil pickup is a stacked single coil & not the rail type.

Pic: Solar

Johnston Trad

Nick Johnston is a single coil person but strayed into the HSS path quite recently. The SSS version is still in production in addition to this wonderful iteration. The Schecter NJ Traditional (Indonesia) is every bit a Nick Johnston, just a pickup combo variation. We've seen a few HSS guitars here that are value-for-money; Bacchus BST, GTRS S800, Ibanez AZES etc. This guitar is another one for the list but it's in mid-price territory due to the endorser affiliation. Just be informed that the frets are extra jumbo stuff so it's not quite the Fender-esque feel but a contemporary variation of it. Available at Davis GMC (usually not for long, he he...).

Pic: Schecter GR

EDIT: Another one

Here's another oversight worth noting. I'm not doing this for the sole purpose of bringing certain parties down. I would like to highlight the fact that it takes a team to move an organization to greater heights. The team members must consist of people who are passionate & exercise due caution when dispensing their duties for the organization. If it's within your means, hire people with relevant knowledge/ common interest for your company. 

Suppose Individual X ordered this guitar online. X relied on the product image to commit to his purchase. The company delivered an item based on their product description instead. X wish to terminate his purchase but the store has a no-refund policy for such circumstances. X was offered to replace his initial choice with a substitute of equal value. X does not wish to further his purchase, but the store has no other modes of compensation. This is just one possible scenario. Why put your organization through such an unnecessary predicament?

EDIT: The guitar in the preceding discussion is not from the American Professional series. An American Pro model sports 22 frets & has a truss rod access over at the headstock (21 frets + no truss rod access at the headstock in the above discussion). The correct Am Pro HSS model is depicted here, the latest version sports a zebra finish Shawbucker. Please note.

Ash burning 2017

My John Page Ashburn experience last year told me this guy is heading in the right direction. He would take it slow & only offer sensible releases in the market & it's beginning to be so in 2017. The Ashburn Special here is an inevitable release, nothing too different from the 2016 make but with an ash body.

The Classic is offered in an HSS variation this year & it is a sensible move indeed. 

Ibanez RG2560: Brief take

The Ibanez RG2560 is a rare gem for 2 reasons: (1) The pickup combo (2) Body wood

There are no issues pertaining to build & finish to forewarn, this is a series 2XXX Prestige selection which sits further up the elite tier so if there are indeed any issues in this aspect, the manufacturing team should shoot themselves in the foot & suffer their incompetence. The pickup combination is perhaps a reminiscence of past glory; the RG560 of the 1980s did sport an HSS pickup combo- I own one. The pickups are of the DiMarzio IBZ pedigree so expect some smooth, contemporary tones from the instrument. The ash body is an interesting inclusion & it accentuates the single coil performance more than the humbucker, which by the way, could use some bottom end reinforcements. Em... this guitar is still waiting for its list price assessment & I'd reckon it is going to exceed $2K.