ESP: Horizon III

The guitar in that case, my darling, is dad's new ESP Horizon III.

This is it. I've always wanted an ESP model with that tongue-like headstock outline, a rather feeble excuse to own another ESP model which of course isn't my sound (forgive the pun) reason to bring this guitar home. The people at Davis GMC didn't put this model up for display until they have cleared a little breathing space in their much populated display window. It was black & blended in with the rest of the hibernating ESP guitars there but I made it a point to look out for that headstock every time I pass by. I had to try the Horizon III personally to qualify my belief it's a quality instrument, one worthy of investment regardless if I have any devotions to the Floyd Rose bridge there. The cutaways feature sumptuous beveling, inviting the player to venture further up the neck.

Together with the all-access through-neck heel, the Horizon III proves to be an unhindered playing experience. The only dissent I have for this guitar, albeit frivolous, is that it's black. This is my 8th black guitar, not an intentional finish preference but I am one to tolerate an unfavoured colour in acceptance of maximum playability & great tones.

PS: Thanks Janet, for enduring my extensive try-out; you somehow knew I find this guitar irresistible...

Butah Strat!

This is tonal bliss. I've never enjoyed single coils with very low drive levels till the Butah came along; it's either OTT distortion or squeaky clean. I kept switching between the neck & bridge pickups of my ST-72 to hear a drastic tonal difference. The Butah makes it really enjoyable to play at lower drive levels which was never my cup of tea. What I dislike about playing at such sparse drive output is the lack of saturation which makes playing fast rather tedious as I have to pick a little harder to ensure every note pulls through but the Butah takes care of that. Thumbs up from me.

Hey, dad! (Part 30)

Hey, dad! What's inside this case? It looks like the other two in the room...

Screaming Butah!

My Ibanez TS7 & CMATmods Butah are good friends. I've been enjoying the Butah as a stand alone pedal, it serves me very well as a cruncher for single coil tones. It simply means, the drive generated is slightly hotter than the typical OD unit (think Tubescreamer) but isn't as hot as a distortion. The Butah is wonderful for single coil tones, simply great for that jangle with more definition & sensitivity for solo inducements, not just rhythm work. It sounds like the drive sits on top of your favourite cleans & not intruding into what you already like to hear.

Things get really interesting when the TS7 is used to boost the Butah's drive. Instead of masking the inherent Butah drive, it adds more to saturation rather than churning out a fresh drive voicing. This pairing aleviates the drive sensitivity to shredability levels; that's what appeals to me.

Guitar buying: Initial considerations (Part 1- Starter packs)

This is not an attempt at teaching you to be the wiser individual when you walk out of the guitar store. In fact, the wiser party is the one with the cash at hand at the end of it all. However, satisfaction isn't always having cash but having what makes us happy.

Should I buy a starter pack?
To many of us who are starting out, there is a pressing need to make our purchase complete. This means, in addition to the guitar as the primary consideration, we need an amp as a compulsory supplement. With a limited budget & the strong urge to just play & build on the fundamentals of guitar playing, the starter pack is an easy way out. If this is your objective, it's a prudent move.

What do I gain with the starter pack?
Unlike the starter pack of yore, today's typical starter pack is virtually a beginner's get-going kit. In addition to the amplifier, the newbie gets other necessary supplements in the deal. These would include: strap, tuner, cable, storage bag, picks, polish fluid & instructional media, among others. Please do not treat this as standard issue, manufacturers vary their offerings. It's your duty to visit their web sites & know what's on the list. Do not allow your parents (if you deem their presence necessary in this transaction) to engage in verbal bouts with the dealer because they expect certain items as obligatory provisions. Their belligerence might be immortalized in YouTube.

Do I lose out with the starter pack?
You need to understand the typical starter pack; it's a get-by package. The quality of the instrument & supplements on offer is reflective of the retail price. Starter packs offered by majority of the brand names out there are indeed affordable. The trade off here is that these items are not fantastic & would not sustain the novelty of their purchase for long. Many of us would feel the need to move on with instruments & gear of a different quality & tonal manifestation as time goes by. There are many reasons why this takes place but the two major factors are, one's progressive playing capacity (the current starter unit isn't preferable in manifesting our technicalities any more) & external acquisition influences (we want to be on par with our peers whose tone sound more appealing + we would like to emulate our idols, we invest in parallel equipment). It's not losing out, it's moving on.

Where do I purchase a starter pack?
Many dealers here offer starter packs of various brand names, depending on their exclusive distributorship. Again, it's your duty to check out what they offer. Do not dismiss the lesser known brand names because in this price bracket, the appeal are in the QC standards, playability & tone which are very close in relation to the cost of their production. Here are some dealer-brand name instances for your reference (not exhaustive):

• Swee Lee Co: Epiphone/ Squier/ Ibanez
• Davis GMC: SX/ BC Rich/ LTD/ Washburn
• Beat Spot: Yamaha
• Look for Beez: SX
• Standard Value: Timbre/ Epiphone/ Squier
• City Music: Craftsman/ Line6

Epiphone: Another whammy model

This is another Epiphone LP which has a whammy bridge option but it's a non-locking model- Speciall II GT, new for 2010. It's more affordable than the other standard offerings as it's a bolt-on make. Some of us can't come to terms with the tune-o-matic bridge of the typical LP; it alleviates the strings way off the body & this affects our playing because we rest/ anchor our picking hand fingers on the body top while we play. This LP might help us address this quirk.