Eye of the Tiger

This is too good to ignore. More importantly, I used to own one. If you want a good singlecut design on a budget, this is highly recommended. The neck profile is a little flatter than the average Les Paul profile making it great when it comes to fast licks. OK, so this is not a Les Paul & it has no obligations to replicate one. Uno got it right tone-wise, by including those Tesla UNO Custom humbuckers. These are not available separately & they are simply good all round. More importantly, it's on sale & costs way lesser than when I first got it: CLICK 

PIC: SV Guitars

Selling: UNO Warzone 2 (SOLD)

Letting go of the UNO...

• UNO Warzone 2, bag included
• Condition: 8.5/10
• Self-collect @ CCK mrt stn
• No trades/ reservations
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $390 (final)

UNO, game!

Dead electronics. L-R: 3-way selector switch, push-pull tone pot, volume pot.

The selector switch was stiff, connection was intermittent, I'd rather invest in a new one so into the trash bin it went. The first step in dealing with dysfunctional pots is to give it a squirt of contact spray. Maybe let it be for a minute before getting it to work but this pot was beyond stiff, it just won't budge. It's a dead pot. That capacitor had an unexplainable puncture & it felt oily so it's beyond saving. Lastly, that volume pot was also too stiff, too stubborn, too dead. 

All those parts came from my Uno War Zone guitar. New components were bought & the guitar brought to Beez yesterday. They were professionally replaced & the instrument was back to life in under 30min. This War Zone was bought in 2011, the pots went dead in 2013. This time both pots & 3-way selector switch went dead so it's about a 4-year gap between replacements. Electronic components are expendables, they have a finite life regardless of constant maintenance/ treatment. The onus is on the owner to make sure they last as long as they could & if an overhaul should take place, the owner should consider investing in better components to prolong usage. The default parts lasted for 2 years, thereafter I replaced them with Proline parts (Korean) & currently there are Gotoh components in there (Japan) plus an Ernie Ball (USA) selector switch. 

Stay home Sunday: Re-string (Part 1)

Yes, it's a stay home Sunday, with depleted funds & foul weather, it's more gainful staying indoors. My UNO Warzone II needed a re-string so it gets a fresh set of D'Addario (.009s) in there. The action was maintained (Mike did a splendid job before passing the guitar to me), no fretboard reconditioning required. A good wipe down before the guitar was bagged away.

Last chance

Gentle reminder- today is your final chance in getting the UNO Warzone II for a discounted price; the SV JCube opening sale ends today.

Recommended buy @ SV JCube

I'd recommend this if you are planning to grab something @ SV's JCube branch since there's a 10% off: UNO's Warzone (both passive/active versions are fine guitars). Before discount: $790- you work out the math :-)

UNO: Warzone 2 (Part 5)

This is how the WZ2 body looks like flip-side:

1. Generous upper fret access
2. Extended chest area bevel

The standards set by this simple guitar are admittedly very high. The manufacturer chose to focus on not letting owners down by focusing on the instrument's fantastic QC. At the very least, after walking away with this guitar, you'd feel that it's money well spent.

 

I would reiterate the fact that I'm not into guitars featuring locking whammy bridges these days. This contraption get in my way of playing enjoyment more than anything else but this purchase proved that I'm not averse to good instruments regardless of the features (colour & brand name too) on board. A good instrument is a good instrument, this is the way it should be appreciated.

Thanks to Mike @ SV Guitars for making this purchase a very pleasant episode (beyond pleasant actually). He knew I prefer a set of .009s in there & made my day by substituting the default .010s with my preferred string gauge. Kudos, Mike!

UNO: Warzone 2 (Part 4)

A look at the Warzone 2's headstock; a simple outline, very ESP-like. The fittings here are impressive, ditto the binding & decal placement.

The flip-side is equally impressive. The volute under the nut implies a fortified area & that's a wise consideration since that's where it's prone to snapping.

Neck & body joint- I've indicated the line there which means it's a set-neck type. Absolutely good news for us shredders or upper fret explorers alike; considerably less hindrance to impede our movements.

UNO: Warzone 2 (Part 3)

These are lethal pickups (default in the Warzone 2) not because they out-perform everything else out there (that's a very unschooled perspective) but because they are the right pickups for this guitar. You'd hear great bottom end from the bridge Tesla UNO Custom despite the guitar featuring a Floyd Rose bridge which is traditionally touted to hamper bass responses. The neck counterpart possesses that great zing in clean mode, lots of warmth as well. You'd get to hear that smooth distorted notes of yours during solos. I wish TESLA could just make them available to us as regular production models. 

UNO hiding dirty secrets in its control cavity? Not according to the above pic- spick & span. Alpha pots used so you know UNO means business.

UNO: Warzone 2 (Part 2)

 

Do note that the whammy bridge in UNO's Warzone 2 is a Floyd Rose Original model, the same model featured in many high end instruments. Before I brought the WZ2 home yesterday, I managed to have a go at it; actually Mike asked me to give it a good workout & I obliged. It was fantastic in terms of response- smooth operations as expected from this tried & tested brand name product. More importantly, Mike came up to me & clipped a tuner at the WZ2's headstock to check post-abuse tuning & it was spot-on.

UNO: Warzone 2 (Part 1)

This was the fantastic instrument I purchased yesterday; UNO's Warzone 2. Before I left for SV Guitars (Marsiling branch), I took the last dosage of flu med so I was good when I reached there; my nose wasn't leaking & there were no extensive, violent sneezing. However, upon reaching home, I was ill, my eyes were watery so I told the Mrs to replenish my medication; I requested for some strong flu tablets, swallowed the prescription & it knocked  me out. Hence there wasn't any real opportunity to run the gamut but I had sufficient episodes with this guitar to say that it's one of the best out there- in terms of a contemporary-profiled  instrument equipped with locking hardware- for the money. A stunner to say the least. More updates to come as soon as my head stops feeling like there's an anvil resting there...

---------------------------------------------------------

PS: Thanks to brother Aaron Tan for the get-well Twitts!

Activity recommendations

Can you, for the love of your sub-$1K budget, get an impressive guitar equipped with active pickups? I'd recommend you check these 3 out:

UNO: War Zone 1

This is simply a wonderful player. One more time- UNO's War Zone is an impressive player, for less than $850. For any guitars with active pickups on board, we'd do well to keep in mind that they will overpower the instruments' natural resonance. But those active TESLA pickups in there get my vote for being some of the most appealing in both distortion & clean applications. Let's not forget that the WZ1 has great playability to boot.

Ibanez: Halberd

The Ibanez Halberd is a recent addition to the manufacturer's active pickup line-up & unlike its other counterparts mentioned here, it sports a bolt-on neck. This aside, the Halberd is a great player; top marks for playing comfort both sitting down & strapped on. The active pickups are Ibanez's own CAP-LZ models which sound above-average. The ultimate appeal for any serious, shred-worthy Ibanez guitar is definitely its neck profile. The Halberd isn't equipped wit the Wizard neck but it holds its own in terms of fretboard acceleration.

LTD: H351NT

Lastly, but not the least capable, mind you, is LTD's H351NT. It's equipped with a pair of EMGs so it won't go wrong. If you wish for a guitar with lots of good active tones, great playability AND good looks, the H351 is it. For a limited period, Davis GMC is offering the whammy bridge version for the same price as this non-whammy model.

Offer in the war zone

UNO's Warzone I & II are on offer at SV Guitars: $599ea. Offer good for 2 days only, 28th & 29th May.

The Warzone beckons

Here's good news: The UNO Warzone is back in stock @ SV. Adding to the GAS factor, both Warzone versions are now available, so you can choose what you want to hear; a pair of passive TESLA pickups or actives for an all-out distortion affair. No price differences here, both retail for $790 (each).Do keep this in mind- for this amount of money, you get:

• Above-average QC- I looked & re-looked but the faults were not there for scrutiny. Maybe they are hidden elsewhere. Either way, it's a thumbs-up affair.
• Great playability- very fast neck but not excessively thin. Great upper fret reaches (set neck feature)
• Impressive pickups- The TESLAs are largely overlooked pickups but they deliver likable tones.
• Floyd Rose! Yes, it's not a copy or a licensed reproduction, it's the genuine, impregnable, article. I know what you're whining about- for the same amount of money, you couldn't quite get a guitar equipped with a reputable double locking whammy bridge but here's the Warzone for your considerations.

I gave the WZII another audition yesterday & it was an instant hit for me (again). It's a matter of time...

PS: The other Warzone entry: CLICK HERE

No standard

If you weren't quick enough to get hold of UNO's Standard, be informed that these fantastic instruments are discontinued. I sincerely hope the manufacturer has something else to offer in the same price bracket, not to mention the equivalent QC standards. Gee, it's like they say- good things don't last forever.

UNO!

My UNO- I've chosen the Standard; slimmer neck & body dimensions are what I've always wanted from a Les Paul-like guitar.

 

UNO guitars sport a matching body-headstock finish. It's equipped with D'Addario strings at the factory, as tagged.

A pair of Custom Tesla pickups. Great cleans (neck) & lots of clarity under intense distortion. I seldom play clean so these pickups are very likable.

Here's a look at the neck-body fitting. The slimmer body dimensions allow for a fit binding which almost intrude into the neck but there were no bleeding of this nature. Everything's kept neat & tidy by the manufacturer.

UNO: D-Classic

Have you handled a Les Paul Custom? The Epiphone version, you say? No, that's only a Custom by name, the neck profile, body mass, overall tone are all... em... 'wrong'. I wouldn't say the UNO D-Classic here is a better manifestation but it's treading along those lines, especially the neck profile. Unlike the LP Custom whose substantial neck depth dictates a very rounded affair, the D-Classic has a nice 'D' to it, personally, I feel this promotes grip. Tone-wise, this guitar has lots of clarity simply because the pickups are uncovered & it's a Duncan JB in the bridge position; the pickup known for its fierce midrange response. Over at the neck, you'd be surprise to know the '59 here, because of its uncovered nature, has more attack to it which might displace the 'woman tone' fans but it's nothing your amp EQ couldn't cure. How's the QC then? Absolutely top class & deserving of its $1,250 price tag.

UNO: Standard

We get excited upon seeing a Les Paul-like guitar because the instrument's reputation precedes everything else. UNO's Standard isn't a Les Paul, it just looks like one. The Standard is my most likable UNO singlecut design & it's the most affordable in its range- it's Indonesian. However, the manufacturer took measures to make this guitar (very) attractive- stunning looks as depicted above, custom TESLA humbuckers & superb construction; the model I tried was faultless. However, the other attraction is the guitar's thinner body akin to what ESP has to offer with the Eclipse models but the extra seduction here is that slim neck. Imagine a Gibson slim taper profile but only slimmer (nothing Ibanez-thin though...). You like distortion? The Standard performs well with loads of that. Nice cleans for you? Just engage the neck humbucker & listen. Sub-$1K budget for you? Well, it's only $590...

UNO: Warzone II

I'm just back from Standard Value (Woodlands) in search of strings actually but knowing Mike, he talked me into trying the new goodies in store. I tried all the UNO guitars today (was fixed on the Standard singlecut model but had to give it up to audition other models). This is the first in a series of UNO guitar entries so if you are really interested in these instruments, watch this space...

I'll start off with the most intriguing model in terms of distortion applications- the Warzone II. It's a Floyd Rose bridge in there, mind you, it's the original article despite the sub-$1K price tag. Also, you get a pair of custom Tesla humbuckers to fit the aggression bill; stellar performance with lots of clarity & then some sweet cleans from the neck. Albeit the shred invitation, the neck profile here isn't typically Ibanez-skinny but substantially slim to promote lots of speed fretting. Upper fret reaches? No problem because the Warzone II sports a set neck construction. So all of these enticements for a mere $790 listing? If you wish for a predominantly rock-type tones, a familiar outline with attractive playability, the Warzone II would give any mid-priced guitars a run for their worth. Definitely recommended.