Clean living

The real reason why I purchased the Marshall MX112 cab is seen here. I need a good, working clean tone. The best bet is to invest in a Fender amp but I'd like to capitalize on what I currently own. The cab is supplementing my JCM800 & I know what you folks out there are thinking; that's the wrong amp to be taking my cleans to another level. You are absolutely right. The 800 is known for its bark; the more distortion you pump into one, the more menacing the 800 becomes. Provided of course, you crank things up which I'm not planning to do to keep things clean. I've been plugging the 800 into a Blackstar cab all this while but I hear excessive bass in there so in the name of keeping things all Marshall-y, the MX112 was factored into the equation.

Still on the MX112 cab, the driver in there is a Celestion Seventy 80. It's best described as an outstanding no reaction model, often equipped into a budget range across manufacturers. Translation- there's nothing outstanding this driver has to offer except that it makes what you already like to hear a little more appealing. You know, removing that wee bit of harshness from the top end & making sure the bottom end doesn't boom too much that it kills definition. If you are into this kind of offering, the Seventy 80 in any manufacturer's cab should be considered.

Finally, a good clean isn't a good clean if you don't understand what goes into making a good clean; it's not the amp per se. I must say that the Tele & chorus played this one nicely (no pun intended). On that note, I'm not after a pristine, chimey type of clean, it's my type of clean- something that propels me to play & not mess up motivation considering I'm not the clean type to begin with. Also, if I'm sick of hearing too much cleans along the way, then I know what the JCM800 is good for. 

Happy Tuesday, everyone. 😆

Gibson 2018 (Part 2)

Gibson's Firebird Studio survives another year & offered in a P-90 pickup configuration come 2018. However, the fretboard is now granadillo & please pay USD119 more for this version. Granadillo is a close-grained wood, rather dense, similar to maple in terms of acoustic characteristics. So is this a deserving rosewood substitute? It remains to be seen but comparing the two wood types in terms of likeness is rather futile as they are different. Substitution is not the approach here.

The Explorer also sports a granadillo fretboard for 2018 & price goes up by USD140. The respite here is that it now sports a pair of Bursbuckers. OK, I personally prefer the Burstbuckers compared to the default Series 400 pickups which could sound muddy under high gain. Then again, some of us rely on Gibson for that wooly, woman tone.

Another granadillo victim recipient with Burstbucker pickups as well. Prices- up by USD140. 

Satch-stainiac

This was a recent release (Summer 2017). I think I missed it due to a growing disinterest in Ibanez, have not been checking stuff out. Satch's JS2480 is equipped with a couple of updated features: 1) A Sustainiac Driver (neck) 2) DiMarzio Satchur8 bridge humbucker. It'd be interesting to see how much it would list for considering there's only pickup difference here.

Gibson 2018

September means Gibson is ready to announce their 2018 models & true enough, the list is out sooner than expected. I'm just listing a few here which I find more sensible than the rest, starting with the LP Tribute. Yes, the Tribute range represents the manufacturer's more affordable take on the upper tier models without skimping too much in various departments. The satin finish stays put & for 2018, the Tribute offers a non-weight relief model (seen here in an awesome gold top) so that is something to look forward to- especially so when it's listing for less than USD1K 👍

The SG Special looks the works with mini humbuckers but prices go up by USD100 for 2018 😠

It's good to see the LP Classic getting a P-90 twist as well. Controls revert to the 4-knob affair unlike the current 3 (knob) + 1 (flick switch) manifestation. This Pelham Blue finish is stunning. 

The cab

Managed to unbox this last night.

How things look like from the rear. Gave it some playing time, appraisal to come 😁

Eid-Ul Adha 2017

Ah... a public holiday leading to the long weekend- awesome! A blessed greeting of eid to all Muslim friends & blog readers, may this day renew our faith in sacrifice. All sacrifices- small ones, unseen ones, emergency ones- will be deservingly rewarded so do not hesitate to make that selfless move in the name of good. Remember, killing yourselves to bring others down isn't sacrifice; it's plain stupidity.