Sovtek Deluxe BMP

Another EHX Big Muff variation but this one has some intelligent features on board. Surprise- it works for bass as well. Watch:

All that jazz

I finally managed to sit down & discover what the new Fender American Professional Jazzmaster (OK, not that new since it debuted @ January 2018) has to offer. I would like to pre-empt readers out there that this is not a formal appraisal of the instrument but a documented impression more like it. On that note, I make no apologies for being personal with certain perspectives.

Thumbs up to the QC standards of an American Pro instrument. I expected no less than the American Standard bearings & this Jazzmaster did not disappoint. The immediate feel was very impressive; flawless, so to speak. Volume & tone controls were smooth & functional, ditto the tuners. The darn pitfall here is the 3-way selector which was super stiff in the neck selection but no issues with the midway & bridge options. I'm pretty sure this is just a little glitch but it bothered me excessively as I constantly needed to toggle the pickup options for adequate tonal evaluations but I was hampered in this aspect. Bummer.

Moving on to the pickups- the other let down. I'm rather surprised with how praiseworthy these are deemed to be in established gear literature & online references. Having heard them in person, they sound nasal even under the slightest hint of drive. I feel they are only outstanding in clean mode but we know how the Strat clean is the standard to beat. Certainly not recommended for those who thrive under lots of gain/ drive. It's certainly not an amp issue because I played it through two amps just to confirm how trashy things are & I wasn't proven wrong.

My take- the American Professional Jazzmaster received some fanfare when it debuted this year. A less confusing electronics layout, functional bridge features & pickups wound to manifest contemporary tones were the key upgrades. I still couldn't get over the fact that the tone let me down because this guitar was shortlisted as a possible year-end acquisition for me. I would urge you to check out the Japanese version first before committing to this American. The Japanese is still sticking to the traditional Jazzmaster formula but it's in my opinion a more honest rendition of a Jazzmaster. Mind you, there's at least a $900 difference between the two so some thinking & an informed decision is due. 

So all that jazz comes to nought. At least for me. 

Good shot

Might be one of the best releases this year listing for less than USD50- unbelievable! For fans of hard distortion.

Yellows

Had been spending time last week with my Ibanez SA1260. This is one of the reasons why I'm holding out on the AZ series; they sport a similar rounded neck profile, slightly narrower as well vs the RG's wide-thin carve. OK so I've swapped out the default pickups to DiMarzios:

• Neck: True Velvet
• Mid: Area 67
• Bridge: D Activator X

Corroded whammy tension springs so...

... it's my chance to try this yellow trio (available @ Davis GMC). Rationale- it's coated so it will resist corrosion, yes? We'll see about that.

Fresh strings- Touchtones by SFARZO. You won't find these off the shelves here, purchased them online. I like to try the obscure brands.

Wishing you a good Monday + a good week ahead. Some give-ways in the works 😎

The other way

I'm really, really glad I bought this. It's not an easy purchase, lots of snooping around the net, trawling through Japanese websites & finally finding it. The info was relayed to the good people at Davis GMC (thanks, Joe/ Janet!) & it finally touched down like more than 2 months later. Why Davis? Because they have an excellent relationship with ESP & that's why we see selected Edwards model making it here. In my case, this is the 3rd 'special order' involving the Edwards brand & it went as smooth as my other 2 orders. It's only the waiting that kills.

Recently, it had its 5-way selector replaced- corroded + no notching in any positions.

While I was at it, got Beez to replace the default cap to the Emerson you see above. I only bought it because it's on sale. ESP pots by default.

3 x single coil cavities.

Anyway, the pickups on board are Seymour Duncan's SSl-1s by default, very normal but sounding extra special in this guitar. The bridge pickup there has some mojo going namely due to its reverse tilt. Well, if this was meant for a lefty, that would have been a normal tilt. When my playing runs into a black hole, totally lost, uninspiring, dead, chances are, I'll give this guitar a go; it's just very inspiring. 

I know what you're thinking- I'm actually trying to re-create that Hendrix magic down to the quirks but hey, I'm not a Hendrix fan, will never be one. I dislike his playing & might be the very few guitar dweebs out there who might be behaving this strangely. Well, that's how it is. One thing for sure, this guitar taught me to deal with limitations & discomfort, focus on the good tones & feel instead. FYI, it's an Edwards E-SE-125M/RB.

Shimming tutorial (sort of)

Greetings, folks. I would like to begin December with this sharing because it's something you can DIY at home without bringing it to a tech & getting charged for it. This is a simple shimming exercise using materials/ tools which a non-tech can handle. To begin with, the shim material I'm using is a left over package inlay from a Seyour Duncan pot. The reason for using it- it's a thin material & chances are, you can double/ triple ply it to suit your needs as opposed to starting with a thick material & facing problems of subtraction to make the material thinner.

If you intend to keep the current strings while shimming takes place, use a capo to secure loose strings before removing the neck from the body. Of course, detune your strings first. 

Cut out the shim to shape as depicted above. In this instance, I'm using a double ply. What you see there is a piece which had been folded into 2 parts. Make sure the shim material does not move once neck re-attachment takes place. If it does, hold it down with a weenie bit of paper glue. Leave it to dry before returning the neck to where it belongs.

It is my personal habit to powder the sides of the neck so that re-attachment is smooth.

After re-attachment, this is what you should look out for- a leveraged neck end. Please observe slight increments in height. More importantly, your strings should be parallel to the fretboard (I've included the strings here for a clearer reference). 

Alright! Good to go! Why is shimming required?

• The inner cavity of the body's neck pocket might be routed a little too deep. Factory hands won't flag this as an anomaly unless the depth is excessive.
• When you tighten the neck screws, softer body wood would compress & this is especially true if wood is not throughly dried before manufacturing takes place
• You switched to a thicker string gauge set & increased the tension of the neck. This tension causes a further downward pressure at the cavity end & guitar necks would sink in after some time. This is again compounded by the body's soft wood material/ lack of proper drying.

Wishing everyone a good December ahead. Year end mood is kicking in. Slowly but surely. 😎