Rash

It's Tele Tuesday! Got this out for a re-string & some playing time. I like the tones from the Duncans here (Hot Rails / Hot Tele). Despite being a hot humbucker, the Hot Rails still manifests good twang at lower distortion settings. The neck pickup is one of the clearest sounding in all my Teles, perhaps it's benefitting from the 500K pots. A set of D'Addario 9s, of course.

This is kinda strange; I didn't know a rusty screw would leave a rash mark on the pickguard. It's like the surrounding area was infected by the rust. As you can see, I've replaced it with a new one. In fact, I  replaced all pickguard screws today. Confession: I'm actually not into the sunburst finish but when I saw this on a Tele, I just had to have it. This American Standard Tele is my first ever Fender bought in 1998 when Swee Lee was still located at the rear end of Level 3, Bras Basah Complex. The unit is now occupied by Art Friend's extension space. I simply favour the Tele more than the Strat when it comes to Fender - the reason why I have more Teles in the mean time. 

SSS?

New for 2020, but still a little uncertain? I'm saying this because Charvel's DK22 SSS shouldn't be named as such. There's a humbucker there so the third 'S' is a little misleading. You can say that it's still a valid reference since they are emphasizing the size, not the pickup type. Well, whatever floats your boat, Charvel. I thought this would make a good Strat killer since it's by the same people handling the Strats but the politics of product differentiation dictates the need for an obvious difference so this had to give & it's slanted the other way. Good to see this one featuring 22 frets instead of its 24 fretted predecessors. These days, I prefer 22 frets so might give this a go when it gets here. FYI, those are Duncan's Custom Flats & Hot Rails in the bridge. 

Railed

I finally got this done today at Beez's- a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in my Strat-type Bacchus. It's been put off for quite a bit because I misplaced the Hot Rails. Beez was quite taken aback when I appeared at his workplace hands-free. I only brought the body for him to wire the pickup for a simple reason; I had to detach the neck to remove the guitar's scratch plate in order for a pickup replacement to be done. Why bother with the neck at all since it's gonna be detached at Beez's anyway, so it stayed home. I've not quite played it so to speak, was busy trying to get rid of some fret buzz as I've re-set the action to as low as it could possibly be.

Duncan talk: Hot Rails SHR-1

Seymour Duncan's Hot Rails (SHR-1) is a humbucker, don't let anyone tell you different. Many of us would have gotten it confused with the single coil pickup by virtue of its size- it's compressed into a single coil dimension but it's still a functional humbucker.

The SHR-1 is best used in propelling distortion, in fact, it sounds exceptional in this light as opposed to its clean voicing (you should resort to the Cool Rails for a more attractive clean application). This pickup is touted to be bass excessive but in fact, it has more midrange to offer. As such, the SHR-1 is equally lethal in a massive-bodied instruments as well as the lighter counterparts- the reason I love them in my Fender H1 Strat & Squier Duo-Sonic; the latter guitar being lighter. If you are in the mood to decamp your Telecaster into intense distortion territory, the SHTR-1B would be a superb consideration as well. A little precaution of you wish to have it in the neck position, be mindful of its (lower) midrange response; it might turn your tone a little too boomy for general liking.

Manufacturer's notes:

• Pickup's default EQ settings: Bass-5/ Midrange-7/ Treble-4
• Magnet type: Ceramic
• Output: High

My experiences with this pickup:

• Current resident guitars: Fender Highway 1 Strat (bridge)/ Fender American Standard Tele (Bridge)/ Squier Duo-Sonic (bridge)

If there are dweebs out there telling you it's a bass-excessive pickup- it is AND it is not; depending on the guitar it is resident in. It indeed manifests a strong lower midrange responses which sounds very low to many of us but in a bright sounding instrument, it gives you that marked sponginess that would ensure some clarity in the mix.

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PS: It's only the second day of the new year but that sinking feeling of having to start work soon just spoils the weekend. To many of us, January is the dreaded Monday; a reminder that it's a long way to go until the next serving of genuine happy hours.

LTD MH-327 (2nd take)

Was at Davis GMC today, had another go at LTD's MH-327. There's definitely some addiction when you start playing this guitar- it's the neck. It's got that perfect profile for some tasty shredding despite not being as thin & inviting as Ibanez's Super Wizard make. The other interesting aspect of this guitar is its body wood-pickups interaction; the inherent acoustics here are rather bland but it's a classic case of having the right pickups in there (Duncan's Hot Rails/ Custom 5) to get the job done. Some desirable notes separation could be heard here.

Expect some Gus G models from the upcoming Davis GMC ESP shipment.

Squier: Deluxe Strat

This, my friends, is one of the best Squier Strat I've come across. It's haunting me ever since I tried it 2 days ago...

Unlike the Squiers of yesterday, the current cohort are much well constructed & pieced together, the overall QC is also more reputable. As such, I've no issues with physical anomalies with this one; the 'Deluxe' tag here also implies more accomplishments in this department. The action on board is a fair one; neither too low nor too high, just nice for shred/ bluesy bends. The neck is one of the straightest I've spotted- well done Squier!

The highlight here is absolutely those Duncan Designed Hot Rails (HR 101) pickups, the trio is just menacing for high drive/distortion work. They don't muddle up notes which is good news indeed, especially for us dweebs who are neck pickup inclined for solos.

How about those abominable, protruding screws vintage string saddle bridge? None here, look carefully, it's the Synchronus Twin-Pivot type which won't stab your hands; very pleasant encounter.

For those of us looking for a magnificent backup or that elusive first guitar which won't break the piggy, this is highly recommended. Forgive the Blackmore aura, yes?

PS: Darling, this is proof enough, yes? That good things need not cost us a bomb... :-)

Sonic Rails

This is my latest commitment; the DUNCANization of my Squier Duo-Sonic.

I'm growing fond of the Duo-Sonic's 24" scale length which matches very well with the .0095 (D'Addario) set of strings. I've also been using it for some intense drive-type music hence the consideration of having a pair of humbuckers in there:

• Neck: Seymour Duncan Cool Rails
• Bridge: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails
  

The Duo-Sonic comes with a ready, full-size humbucker routing should you wish to have some of your favourite pickups in there.

Of course, not forgetting the master who is responsible for this make-over: BEEZ the magnificent. Thank you, sir!!

First Fender: American Standard Telecaster

My first Fender is a 1997 American Standard Telecaster. I bought it (in 1998) as a challenge to myself; would I be able to play a guitar which is devoid of my fancied features? The tele was the perfect opposite of my Ibanez:

• single cutaway body design
• single coil pickups
• lesser number of frets
• non-locking nut/ bridge
• no bevel/ chamfer to promote comfort fit
• maple fretboard
• non-slim neck

The Tele was indeed a challenge in the beginning, I had a hard time getting comfy with the thicker & rounder neck profile. The guitar's body edges kept digging into my ribs, the tuning was off rather quickly during play & the hum at high drive settings was annoying. Ironically, this guitar made me adapt & learn more about maintenance. It's also one to constantly remind me I'm cradling a no-frills guitar so all I have to offer while playing are good chops, otherwise it's the perfect implement to showcase one's incapacity.

When I subsequently bought a Strat, this Tele was resigned to accept my eccentric playing; the love for aggressive music. As evident from the current pickups on board, it's tinkered to accept more drive without being sonically repulsive. In fact, I subliminally challenged it to ferry my black metal inclinations because if it's as good as it's touted to be, it would rise to the occassion. Verdict: It's one of my favourite guitar for the genre. I have utmost respect for the brand name & what the 'Telecaster' name upholds; simplicity that withstood the test of time.

Current pickups on board:

• Bridge: Hot Rails (for Tele)
• Neck: Hot Rhythm