Roto deals

Good deals (@ Swee Lee) if you are agreeable with the Rotosound brand. I'm saying this because there was this point in time when the Rotosound QC was rotten. Every pack of strings was plagued by rust spots, the fresh, out of the shipment box ones were not spared either. 

25.5" = Long Scale?

This is a Gibson Les Paul Custom. We've seen many LP Customs before but this one sports a 25.5" scale length. Gibson is doing well by confusing us with its long scale reference. In the Gibson universe, 25.5" is a long scale length because the instruments are predominantly 24.75". So does this mean the Jackson, ESP, Charvel, Fender & Ibanez fans are actually playing long scaled instruments?

I have no idea if the Gibson employee who documented this actually plays guitar. Do we need a 25.5" scale length to employ drop tunings? Does a 25.5" facilitate better drop tunings? If that's the case, those extended scale length & baritone measurements that go well beyond 25.5" - are they way better for this application or does string gauge help offset scale length issues when it comes to drop tunings? Geez...

Pics: Gibson

Gone but nor forgotten: B War

The early Marduk lineup featured Roger Svensson (aka B War). A completely no nonsense bassists who chose not to pick his bass; it's fingers through & through. I'm a fan, of course. Favourite album featuring B War - Panzer Division Marduk / La Grande Danse Macabre.

Pic: RTTP

Assassin 8

Oh man, SOLAR is offering the Assassin features in an 8-string format. The one you see here is the A1.81A (A for active pickup - it's a Fluence Open Core Red). The Assassin concept is fundamentally a black-out guitar featuring a single humbucker, a single control knob & red highlights for the pickup, inlay & truss rod cover - simplet yet very intimidating for those of us who dwell in the metal zone.

Pic: SOLAR

Ice @ SL

Two new colours for the Ibanez Iceman (IC420) this July - this Coral Green Metallic...

.... and this gold top. I noticed that these July releases were already available at Swee Lee ($899) even before the official announcement.

I see the Iceman as a refined Les Paul, both guitars have many things in common: 1) 3-per side tuners 2) Set neck joint 3) Dual humbuckers / 3-way selector / 4 control pots 4) Tune-o-matic (type) bridge. The Iceman appeals to those of us who had enough of the Les Paul's weight & a desire for an extended cutaway arm to promote placement stability when played sitting down. The Iceman is one heck of a cool guitar (no pun intended).

Pic: Ibanez

FF bass @ DGMC

Some very cool - and definitely affordable - fanned fret basses are now available at Davis GMC. If you're that adventurous type who benefits from dropped tunings, a fanned fret option would definitely help proceedings when it comes to string tension. This here is the Bacchus WJB-1MS which lists for $699 (bag included). A sunburst finish is also available. When it comes to value-for-money, the Bacchus name is hard to beat. 

Pic: Deviser