Hate Eternal: Fury and Flames

Fury & Flames is a release on my 2008 anticipations list. Knowing Dim Mak's Shaun Kelly's presence in the recording line-up is very re-assuring guitar-wise. My expectation of every Hate Eternal release is very high, namely because Erik Rutan is a first class guitar proponent/songwriter in this music genre, whose work rate has been consistent since the debut, Conquering the Throne.

True enough, Fury & Flames is a non-compromise in terms of intensity & musicianship. It is heartening to see other members co-writting the tunes but as a whole, Fury & Flames showcased improved production (especially the bass). Rutan's solo approach is still the oriental tinged noodling & if you are familiar with Shaun Kelly's playing style, you can actually identify him in the mix. Great release, to say the least.

RIP: Jeff Healey

The guitar world mourns the passing of Jeff Healey on March 3, 2008. The blind guitarist succumed to his final bout with cancer which began in his infancy, the gravity of which claimed his eyesight. His passing came as a shocking development to band mates who witnessed his return from countless surgeries.

Biyang: OD-7

I've managed to put the Biyang OD-7 through some set ups today, the picture here was the pedal at its most beneficial. Some notes:

• *The pedal acts as a solitary drive unit very well. If you thrive on cleans but would require minimal dirt at times, this OD-7 would impress.

*The WARM mode is especially fulfilling as it recreates that revered TS808 offering with the right amount of drive intensity & tone colouration. No surprises here as it's equipped with the same tone chip as the aforementioned pedal but at 1/3 of the price...

*In conjunction with other pedals, the OD-7 did well by being non-intrusive tone-wise. The 3-modes lets you choose how you wish to boost your dominant drive/ distortion unit. It does the sweet saturation impressively with metal-type distortion.

*As an amp drive booster, the OD-7 proved equally (if not better) impressive against whatever contenders there are out there (I own a few of these). Once again, the tri-modal voicing lets the fickle minded player employ the pedal accordingly, which was especially useful with my multi-chanelled Marshall JVM. The OD-7 was there to complement clean, cruch & high drive settings without switching pedals.

Lemon oil: apply or avoid?

Many of us read dichotomised views when it comes to lemon oil. As a treatment chemical, should it be applied (if so, what's the recommended dosage?) or avoided altogether?

Lemon oil is a moisturizing/ conditioning fluid, don't let anyone tell you different. Its job is to address dryness in wood & is often applied to the guitar's fretboard which is only applicable if it's made of porous wood (eg: rosewood, maple isn't porous...).

If you detect dryness in your fretboard (spots being lighter in hue) chances are, it needs moisturizing. In addition to lemon oil (the yellow liquid in the clear surface bottle, above), there are other such fluid in the market. I've featured Dunlop's 02 Deep Conditioner & BEMIS' Wood Conditioner, among others. The commercial lemon oil, sold as a guitar care product in the shops, is especially formulated to be fragrant unlike Dunlop's 02. BEMIS Wood Conditioner isn't guitar exclusive, in fact, it's a general wood care supplement for any wooden products which require conditioning/ moisturizing often; your mum's chopping board is one of them.

My experience with these 3:

• Lemon oil: the least lasting & least oily but the most fragrant
• BEEMIS Wood conditioner: the longest lasting with the oiliest concoction
• Dunlop 02: fastest to dry with a conditioning strength in between its above-mentioned 2 counterparts. Plus points for the manufacturer's wisdom of including a ready-to-apply tip; dabbing on a cloth before application is not required.

When applying any wood conditioning fluid, be sure to give it time to set in (10min or so). Apply sparingly & leave it to sink in before wiping away excess. Products with a lemon derivative especially, are to be applied less frequently due to its acidic nature; it would weaken the fretboard material over time.
In our equatorial climate, the need to recondition our fretboard is to be exercised as & when it arises; our porous, wooden fretboards lose moisture faster unlike in temperate climatic conditions. Also, there are some of us who use scouring fluid (eg: Dunlop 01 Cleaner & Prep) to remove dirt/ grime off our fretboards. This often contains alcohol-based solvents which dry our fretboard excessively hence the need to recondition/ remoisturize.

9V batteries

I'm not one to employ a power source (they hum your output) to my pedals, call me old school but my way is the battery way. I'm also not keen on the alkaline pedigree, this sustains the pedal on reduced power & affects tone (especially for drive/ distortion/ fuzz units). The batteries you see above are what I currently use. I'm very impressed with the Vinnic as it is the longest lasting & costs $0.90 per piece.

Fender: Mustang Bass

Over the years, I've been buying & selling basses & the Fender Mustang (Jap) is the only 4-stringer left in my line-up. This belonged to my father initially, he was sold on the idea of getting a short-scale bass after seeing me buy the Ibanez GAXB but according to him, it lacks the regular thump he loves hearing from the regular scaled units. After much considerations, we agreed to swap basses; my Ernie Ball SUB bass for his Fender Mustang...

It was indeed a regretable move as the SUB was discontinued- not that I dislike the Mustang, but I should have simply bought this one from him & own 2 great basses instead of 1.

This Japanese Mustang bass isn't a re-issue by any means; it's an interpretation (& licensed) by the Eastern craftsmen on a make which was over-shadowed by its regular scaled & more popular siblings, namely the Precision & Jazz. It's not true- the Mustang is as thumping as other basses but it has a more acute midrange response due to its dwarfed nature. Those of us who are more adept to the guitar scale length would welcome the Mustang.