Glitter

I mentioned these guitar at the start of August - Grass Roots G-M-II-FX. Before August turns, these guitars are offered in metallic flake finishes, this blue version is one of them. I would rather spend money getting this kind of entry level instruments as opposed to the Squiers & Ibanez GIOs. Agree?

Pic: ESP Japan

Post-purchase

Now that you've acquired your dream guitar, what do you need to own to keep your needs in check? Or are you that type of person who would only purchase stuff on a needs-only basis?

First & foremost, you need an amplifier. However, the philosophy of amplification today had been displaced by amp simulators residing in the computer. Simply put, it pretends to be an amp so that when you plug into a computer, it receives your signals & processes it to make it sound like you are playing through an amp. I'm not compelling you to get an amp & tread the purist path because the simulators today are darn good imitators. The latency issues had been dealt with along the way & this, in my opinion, makes amp simulators more respectable. Let's move on.

The items on this list are neither definitive nor final.

Essential

• Tuner. Everybody needs a tuner unless you have perfect pitch. If you play acoustics without any electronics on board (a tuner is a common feature), a clip-on tuner is compulsory acquisition. The electric players are better off with pedal tuners (just my opinion) unless they are pro players who need to prance around on stage most of the time, away from their pedalboards. I've tried app-based tuners; not too bad but it gets distracted easily by extraneous noise. 
• Cable. Never be content with that complementary cable that came with your guitar. The ones that came with my Ibanez some time ago ended up being radio antennae. I heard a phantom Michael Jackson singing through my amp once, so there. Invest in a good cable which are very affordable today unlike in the 1990s when I started out. Preferably, get one with replaceable plugs & OFC wires. To me, a good cable makes or breaks your interest in playing.
• Picks. Try different picks along the way. Try different pick materials, thickness & shapes. These are the pick factors that would define your picking hand movements & eventually your playing precision. I started out with thin picks because those were given to me, I didn't know there were other picks out there which were life-changing (they still are). Also, what works for others might not work for you. Till today, I'm still trying out picks.

Good to have

• Strap. Even if you are a bedroom guitarist, you should at least try playing standing up. There's a marked difference in playing position & posture when you play standing up with the guitar strapped on, the main factor being the fretting hand curvature. I discovered that the standing position frees the hand from excessive stress (that impedes movements) simply because the guitar, in its strapped position, forces the player to straighten the forearm.
• Guitar stand. Do not lean your guitar against the wall, cupboard, table edge, etc. because the chances of it toppling over & breaking is very high. Also, not all guitars can be placed flat on the floor due to its angled headstock (eg. Epiphone, Gibson). If you have to leave your guitar out till the next playing time, get a good guitar stand, otherwise, keep it away in its case / bag.
• Polish cloth. Please, please... wipe down after play. If you don't believe in polishing, just give it a wipe down. This removes moisture & grime off your instruments. You won't appreciate this routine until your guitar's bridge is corroded beyond cleaning or your guitar's electronics get messed up entailing in repair costs. If you do not believe in buying a dedicated instrument polish cloth, use an old t-shirt which works equally fine but it needs to be cotton, no compromise.
• Polish fluid. The job of this fluid is actually to remove grime / oil off your instrument, a good shine is a bonus. This often goes unnoticed till its accumulated significantly on your instrument making it look really repulsive. At the very least, it will affect your instrument's resale value if you are considering selling it off.

Pics: Swee Lee / Dunlop / GC

A Beast to Praise

This is only the band's second live album, the first was back in 2004. I'm buying this to actually hear what's going on with the guitars. The studio albums couldn't manifest a clear difference between the two guitarists, usually live albums would shed some light on this situation. I learnt this after listening to Slayer's Decade of Aggression. I'm definitely a fan of the music but the studio albums suggest that they don't need two guitarists in the band because I struggled to hear any differences along the way.

Pic: knottfest

Chimey

I have always enjoyed clean tones with an acoustic plugged in. Recently, a nylon string alternative was preferred. I don't strum chords too often (can't remember the last time I did), I tend to stick to arpeggiating three notes with an overload of chimey modulation dialled in. I have no obligations to follow what others are doing for cleans, I'm mostly on heavy distortion anyway. This LANEY Prism mini has such good clean tones on board. 

79s Thinline

This is a good release (to me) by the Japanese end of Fender. Ash body, 3-bolt attachment, CuNiFe pickups, the works. That's right, the thing with limited edition Japanese stuff is always the probability of it not making its way here.

Pic: Fende Japan

ICWH

So Ibanez is doing things a little differently this August, releasing this new model in the middle of the month instead of doing so at the start of the month. This here is ICWH727; Iceman Wes Hauch 7-string. A signature 7-string model - meaning - it would manifest a niche appeal. It's beyond reach for most of us so I won't state the price here. Do you even know Wes Hauch?

Pic: Ibanez