Solar: X2.6FR / Dismember

This body outline reminds us of the fact that Ola Englund (SOLAR Guitars owner) is a huge Dimebag fan. I see this design as inevitable. This new one has that very attractive orange finish with a matching colour for the 12th fret inlay. If you are interested, be informed that the bridge here is  Floyd Rose Special.

Here's another new one - a signature model for Dismember guitarist, Robert Sennebeck. The bridge here is an FR 1000 with a thicker-than-usual whammy block. 

Pics: SOLAR Guitars

G-Horizon

This Grassroots G-Horizon-FR was released today. Despite being a Grassroots version, it features an alder body & an ebony fretboard. However, pickups are in-house units & the bridge here is a Floyd Rose Special. It's a good looking guitar & is a serious alternative to the Ibanez & Jackson models in the same beginner-esque category.

Pic: ESP Japan

HM

Fender's commercial strategy for 2020, it seems, is a return to its glorified past. This HM Strat was a significant part of shred history once but it couldn't keep up with the Ibanez/ Jackson pace of things. While there's still no firm representation from the Fender range in terms of fast & furious playing, why not bring the HM back to stir it up a little, leverage on nostalgia while everyone else is distracted by 'new'. 

The reality here is, when it comes to 'Strat', players would be affected if the design moves away from the traditional outlines. Fender would argue that there are design refinements here to facilitate modern/ shred applications. If that's the case, then Fender is trying too hard to fight itself because they endorse players like Malmsteen, Blackmoore & the Iron Maiden guys whose guitars are all the traditional Strat design through & through. 

It's good to see Fender offering both rosewood & maple fretboards for die hard fans. For me, this is the deal-breaker right here - FR Special bridge. I've had very bad moments with the bridge & it won't sway me back into believing that it's an OK bridge to begin with.

Floyds

This was a recent announcement. Floyd Rose has these two to offer as 'new' units for their product line-up. On the left is the non-fine tuners version but it still locks your strings at the saddles. Guthrie Govan had one of this installed into his then Charvel proto signature model but decided to do away with it. There is currently a Charvel model very similar to the FR version. On the right is the Floyd Rose Special finished in brushed chrome. I was expecting some upgrades specifically the replacement of zinc parts which is the primary reason I dislike the Special. It made the bridge very brittle & prone to breakage when locking. This is the reason why I always advise friends to opt for the FR 1000 instead. I only have FRs in my ESPs & those came stock from the factory. Currently I have no issues with those as ESPs don't equip their models with Specials, they are in the entry level/ lower midrange LTDs.

That orange

This is a new one by Jackson (2018), an orange SLX4, triple humbucking (single coil size) pickups, locking hardware, Floyd bridge- looks cool as heck.

Once upon the 80s, there was a Charvel version which was equally cool looking; the Spectrum, they called it. If I remember correctly, it used to be available at City Music.

Even Jeff Beck was into it along the way. Aw, damn! If only the current Jackson version has a more preferred bridge (FR Special in the mean time). 

Selling: Floyd Rose Special (SOLD)

Brand new, sparkling (ok, maybe not) Floyd Rose Special bridge for sale...

• Selling: Floyed Rose Special locking, dual action bridge (black). Bridge & whammy arm only
• Condition: 9/10 (a few days old)
• No reservations/ no trades
• Self-collect: CCK mrt station
• Confirmation/ query: dark1349@hotmail.com
• Price: $85 (final)

Dean: Vinman 2012

Here's a new Vinnie Moore Dean model for 2012. What's the difference, you ask? Not much deviation from the USA model but this one has an FR Special bridge so it's not gonna dent your piggy too much.