B Clearance @ Swee Lee

Swee Lee is having good discounts for B-Stock items. I find some of the guitars clearing for good prices but the extent of the B-grade was not disclosed so I'm a little wary when it comes to recommending others on what to grab before the offers cease. For instance, bridge misalignments, despite being slight, should be avoided due to intonation issues. Also, fretboard lifting off might lead to expensive repair episodes down the road. 

A sub-$3K PRS Silver Sky should interest many fans of this guitar but as mentioned before, the nature of the flaw was not disclosed in the listing details so tread with caution. Two colours are available, moc sand & dodgem blue ($2,931 ea).

This Cort G300 is one heck of a player. Because it doesn't sport a glam brand on the headstock, players are naturally not drawn to one. I played this model a few times back when it was still available at Swee Lee's Bras Basah outlet & it's an easy recommendation for those looking for a good guitar without spending a bomb ($805).

This is an easy recommendation for newbies but pros won't mind getting one for backup - Heritage Ascent H-150. The only dislike (personal) are those tuners. For all models that I've tried in store, they were either dodgy or stiff ($289).

Pics: SL / Cort / Mannys

Ascent+

I'm looking forward to these Heritage Ascent+ (Ascent plus) guitars which will be released soon. Yes, the Ascent Series are the budget counterparts of the H-150 line. The current Ascent models are all bolt-on guitars.

The Ascent+ features a set-neck construction with an all access trimming. Interesting? Definitely. More importantly, It would mean those who are not keen with what Epiphone has to offer (similar price bracket) can look forward to these guitars as a deserving alternative. Looking forward to try one when they get here.

Pic: Swee Lee 

Heritage starter pack promo

Swee Lee is having a Heritage starter pack promo in the mean time. Year end is here, it's a good deal for young learners to pick up guitar playing & the fact that some of us might be itching to get these ourselves for whatever reason(s). 😅

 

Heritage @ C&M

Was across the Causeway last weekend. Will usually drop by C&M Music (Plaza Pelangi) if I crossed over alone. 

Interestingly, there was no sale for the Heritage H-150 but it's $70 cheaper across the Causeway. I had nothing in mind, just casual browsing. Asked if they still have the RG565 in stock - negative.

Pic: Heritage

Heritage return

Pic: Heritage

Just glad to see the Heritage brand name being made available again at Swee Lee. Definitely on my to-get list once my purchasing power resumes. Wonder when that will happen.

Hello April...

G vs H: Done

This was announced yesterday. It's an out-of-court settlement. The legal implication here is that, there's no clear judgement awarded to either parties pertaining to certain rights. About time. Gibson & Heritage guitars are  embraced by many players pros & hobbyists alike. At our end, we do not deem these instruments as a substitute of each other, in fact, we can be proud of owning both. But in the commercial realm, allusion & semblance could affect sales performance in many ways so manufacturers invest in a lot of time, effort & money to protect their intellectual property & ultimately the brand's goodwill. It's all understood but if it's bordering on the ridiculous, do not blame us if we are partial to a certain manufacturer's stance on the matter. In any case, the buyer suffers the most. These instruments being absent in the market is a blow. Having them flown in from external sources is a very expensive affair.

On that note, the days of people selling inflated, used Gibson / Epiphone instruments in the after-market here are numbered. These instruments will make a comeback in the stores so the argument of 'these instruments are not available here' will not stand (it's lecherous IMO). 

Pic: JL Fulks

GIbson... Gibson?

This poll was done here not too long ago. Many of us have resigned in the knowledge that the Gibson instruments won't be available in the stores here for a while. When will they make a come back? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Parties are still in contention & the situation here is compounded by the fact that the former Gibson distributor is also the owner of the Heritage brand. Ultimate losers - the guitar players. We can't get any Gibson guitars & the deserving contenders, Heritage, are unable to churn out Heritage guitars to appease the masses. 

At the rate things are going, Gibson is quite alright with not having any distributor here for their instruments. The current CEO is proud of the Gibson Garage opening up in countries as alluded in his interviews with guitar publications (June 2022). These are stand-alone distribution centers, free from third parties having a share of the company's earnings. In fact, if Gibson thinks the market at this end of the world is important & significant enough for them, the Gibson Garage stores might make its debut here for all we know. There are currently no other parties capable of distributing the Gibson brand of instruments owing to the financial muscle they are flexing, or the lack thereof, to be blunt. 

 

Pics: Guitar / Guitar World

Heritage assault

There might have been further developments since this took place some days ago but let's understand the initial occurrences. Heritage guitars had initiated a 'defensive suit' against Gibson in light of Gibson's ongoing harassment of other manufacturers of late. 

We have limited details why this legal wrangling is taking place. In light of the potential economic slump attributable to the COVID-19 situation, manufacturers should start collaborating, not opposing one another. I have a particular interest in this because:

That's right folks, Heritage has a Singapore element now & at some point in time, especially at the backdrop of such a fallout, people might question if the Singapore pedigree has anything to do with such aggression. I'm sure you'd agree that we need to reserve further comments till finer details surface. There are loyalists here in both the Gibson & Heritage camps but we should be guitar loyalists more than anything else. Such tension would eventually affect product integrity; the ultimate losers here are buyers.

Got Heritage?

If you believe in the goodness of Heritage Guitars, you are a firm believer of... em... heritage 😝 The H-150 here is the benchmark for those who are looking for a Gibson alternative but refuse to embrace   derivatives. Well, the H-150 is technically a derivative but one which is overseen by the Gibson people- the ones who refuse to move away from the Kalamazoo plant. OK so these are available st Swee Lee in the mean time (List: $2,999).