Forest band

This is the only forest band I've come across, operating under extensive precaution against opportunists. Enjoy.

Pencil stopper

The prevailing reason- for us guitar owners dealing with a dual-action, locking whammy bridge- for not removing all strings from the bridge during a re-string exercise, is the bothersome collapse of the bridge into its cavity.When this happens, we cannot access the locking end of the bridge to free the strings from the clamps.

You can use a pencil or any other firm contraption to wedge it between the bridge & the cavity. Do lay a piece of cloth under the pencil to prevent it from denting the body surface.

Festive season business hours

Dear friends, the following stores have updated me their business hours for the upcoming festive season (Chinese New Year) for the week of 31st Jan:

Davis GMC (thanks, Janet, for the update) will be closed from 31st Jan till 6th Feb. Business as usual on 7th Feb. That's a whole week of festive break.

Swee Lee Co (thanks, Yadni, for the update):

• 31/1/2011 - 1/2/2011: Business as usual
• 2/2/2011: Close after 2.00PM
• 3/2/2011 - 4/2/2011: Close
• 5/2/2011 - 6/2/2011: Business as usual

Look for BEEZ: Business as usual on 31/1, 1/2, 2/2, 5/2, & 6/2. The industrious Beez says he's available on both days of the Lunar New Year (3/2 + 4/2) by appointment only. Meaning: If nobody fixes any appointments with him on those days, he won't open shop. Thanks, Beez, for the update!

Selling: BOSS FV-50H Volume pedal

Before I embraced the noise gate, the volume pedal kept things quiet. No, it didn't eliminate the excess background hissing but it shut out the noise when I wasn't playing. These days, I prefer not to work my foot while playing so the noise gate takes over. The BOSS FV-50H remained unused ever since so it should be with a more deserving owner.

So it's clearing for $49, the usual procedure applies (ie, reply this post or e-mail me). Self-collect at CCK Mrt Stn upon confirmation- thank you for reading.

EDIT: Pedal sold 30th Jan, 8.40PM. Thanks to all interested parties.

Selling: Sound Drive SG-612R (head only)

Next on my clearance list: Sound Drive SG-612R (head only). 60W of great solid state tone. I know what you are thinking; it's solid state, how enticing could it be? Then you've not heard this amp in action. 

If you are looking for a formidable lead tone without notes being muffled, this amp should be a consideration. 

Further queries welcomed (reply this post or e-mail me). Asking price: $359 (final). Thanks for reading.

No ESP (part II)

Unlike last year, there's no record of Kiko Loureiro in the ESP pages this 2011. Word is, he's not with ESP any more so his signature models were absent in the catalogs.

Selling: DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary (F-spaced)

Okie dokie! Clearing my DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF humbucker (F-spaced) for $69 (final).

The PAF 36th fuses the best attributes of a vintage-voiced PAF & adding some contemporary interpretations along the way. It sounds very close to a PAF Pro in terms of drive/distortion application but the overall tone is a smoother affair. It's pick sensitive, meaning: If you do lots of guitar volume manipulations & trigger drive by picking hard, this pickup is recommended. All queries welcomed. Hope to clear this before 31st Jan. Thank you for reading!

EDIT: Pickup SOLD, 29th Jan 7.43pm. Thanks to all who replied.

Maple Mikro

The MIKROs come in a maple fretboard version this 2011. Looks the works. Hope they make it here.

New Horizon

ESP's Horizon III is now offered as a Grass Roots version (new for 2011: G-HR-68) & they still look enticing. As it is a budget manifestation, the pickups are in-house units (but I suspect they are GOTOHs) & the Floyd Rose bridge is the Special model.

Gun salute

There are actually many shred-worthy guitars around; it's not far-fetched to conclude that every manufacturer has something in store for the fleet-fingered. Availability is another issue altogether, yes? The above BC Rich Gunslinger model is new for 2011 & it's an absolute stunner; BC Rich don't just churn out pointy units for the slaughtering heavy metal dweebs, yes? Just wish it's available here for our considerations.

EDIT: The manufacturer's website specified the humbuckers here to be DiMarzio's X2N but I'm not aware this humbucker comes in the pole-pieces version as depicted above.

Selling: Behringer GDI21

Selling my Behringer GDI21 @ $49. Superb condition, all queries welcomed.

EDIT: Pedal SOLD at 9.07am 27th Jan. Thanks to all interested parties :-)

Decent package

This is a good offering by Swee Lee, I'm not highlighting this for the price but I've played the G200 (Cort) & it's a good starter unit in terms of QC.

Tone-wise, do not expect anything spectacular but they offer some decent cleans for the money, especially so when I got to hear it plug into a Fender (tube) amp. You might say it's the amp rather than the guitar which is giving off ear candy in this case but I managed to A-B it against a Peavey guitar & this G200 did better.

Offset truss rod

This is a neat innovation by Jackson- an offset truss rod placement. Why is this necessary? It's because this guitar's neck sports an asymmetrical neck profile; it's thicker on the bass side, thinner on the treble side. You won't be seeing this in the shops any time soon as it's currently limited to the Custom Shop models.

Eastern Front: Blood on Snow

Eastern Front is a quintet of black metal proponents from the UK. What they offer in Blood on Snow is a chapter of war tunes. You might expect some savage production here by virtue of the genre but this has to be one of the most well-produced releases with each & every instrument playing, clearly audible for scrutiny.

Music-wise, Eastern Front embraces an up-front, brash guitar assault, akin to the materials churned out by Endstille & Krieg, among others. The difference here would be the efforts by the band in making the riffs melodic & differentiated, audible in both left & right channels if you enjoy your music through headphones.

Despite a praise-worthy performance & certainly making Blood on Snow one of the better releases in 2010, what's inadequate here is a touch of class. In the attempt to be presentable, maybe the subconscious ingredient- a relentless, attacking element - could have been more up-front. Nevertheless, this is recommended listening.

GIO ATK

The ATK bass is offered as a GIO model this year (above: GATK20), let's hope it'll be available here. I wonder if there's any pickup cavity under the pickguard; it's unnecessary, really. Even if the bassist employs a pick for his playing, he'll be dominant over the pickup area, not that patch near the neck.

Jackson Chris Broderick

Chris Broderick looks happy with his new guitar. If you wonder why you see Fender in the background, well, Fender owns Jackson.

6 & 7-string versions available (this pic from iheartguitar blog). I was expecting more in terms of feature/ innovation but that's about it from Jackson. Congrats Mr. Broderick, sir, on your new instrument. I'm with you for your immense talent, regardless of the brand name you embrace.

Is it really working?

This is just a consequence of posting my gear for clearance at quasi-unbelievable prices; people doubt the functionality & would like to get another assurance. Nah... I'm not mad at you for doing that, in fact, you have the right to further probing before buying. I do not wish to misrepresent my gear to you in any way.

What if I have a business set-up (guitar related, of course...) & offer crazy prices; would people doubt me or would I gain an unbelievable following? Food for thought.

Selling: Squier Hot Rails Strat

That's right- my Squier Hot Rails Strat is for SALE: $399. It's currently set up with very low action sporting a set of .009 strings, condition: 9/10. Bag included. Do I have any more discount for this guitar upon confirmation? That's for you to find out...

Snap

This is a rare occurrence for me; when I took my Ibanez SZR520 out of its bag, the B-string was already flapping about- it snapped while the guitar was in storage. A quick look at the ball-end; there was much corrosion there. I decided to replace all strings only to discover more corroded D'Addario ball-ends.

BC Rich strings

Was at Davis. Bought strings. Headed home.

Great packaging but not environment-friendly.

BC Rich Strings: $6.00
Davis GMC

Dimarzio: D Activator X

This is my Ibanez SA1260 with a fresh bridge pickup- DiMarzio's D Activator X. The previous humbucker in there (also a DiMarzio), a PAF 36th Anniversary humbucker, didn't last a month. The pickup doesn't do well with a hefty guitar like my SA here which also churns out much bottom end in its unplugged performance, a vintage voiced/ output pickup doesn't help the situation; it's adding oil into water.

My initial intention was to go for a Seymour Duncan humbucker as I've had much success matching the various models on offer to the guitars I own but I decided to keep it a DiMarzio affair since the single coils (stacked humbucker actually) in there are DiMarzios (a pair of Area 67). I need a pickup with a strong midrange response, nothing too excessive in the treble offering but with enough bass to push lots of bottom end palm muting through. The D Activator X offers high levels of midrange & bass with the former exceeding the latter offerings slightly. Regardless of whatever niche appeal the manufacturer proposes this pickup for, it works in this guitar. I didn't grab it by virtue of its high output which is typically associated with heavy music because that's not a sure formula. I'm in it for the clarity & distortion saturation.

PS: Thanks Beez for the excellent workmanship once again.

Washburn: WM24

I was at Davis yesterday & managed to give the WM24 guitar a quick test. This is one heck of a simple player; it sounds above-average with lots of drive/distortion but with any other instruments in this price bracket, the clean responses could have been better. If you are looking for a first electric or something simple with lots of good tones & playaility, the WM24 should be on your shopping list.

Wasburn WM24 (List: $580)
Davis Guitar

Compact

While the KORG people are busy reducing their Pandora (new 2011: Pandora mini) to a compact unit...

...the ZOOM camp is expanding their G1 series into the G3 unit (also new for 2011).

Regardless of the manifestations, I'm waiting to hear what's in store tone-wise.

Selling: BOSS RC-2

Selling my RC-2 (Condition: 8.5/10) for $90... the usual applies:

• self-collect @ CCK MRT Station
• queries/ confirmation via e-mail: subversion@lycos.com 

EDIT: Pedal SOLD off. Thanks to those who replied. I received 21 e-mails for this one. Yikes.

Ibanez GIO (headstock) decal

Do take note of the revised GIO decal (with immediate effect); I personally find the inclusion of the 'tick' motif to be complementary to the headstock design. The Prestige decal looks empty without that inclusion & places too much emphasis on the 'Prestige' label; to me, it loses class.

Ibanez: RGD321

As mentioned before, my fist guitar for 2011- Ibanez. This is the RGD321, one of the models which are not offered in this region. Thanks to Mr. Brendon of BGW guitars, its acquisition was made possible. 

The RGD series is one of the few RG models which doesn't say 'RG Series' at the headstock.

I'm very happy with Ibanez's in-house VK-DT pickups, I have no plans to replace them. I find the RGD321 more attractive, tone-wise, as opposed to my former RGD320 namely due to weight issues (which entail tonal differences). The RGD321 sports the Gibraltar Standard bridge which is hassle free & gives much palm placement comfort. Despite being lethargic, I managed to play this guitar for about 2 hours; it's too distracting to be put away & ignored till later.

PS: Thanks to BGW Guitars for making this acquisition very pleasant & hiccup-free.

GARTB

Since the discontinuation of the GAXB, I've been looking for a simple, affordable shorter-scaled bass & this year, the GARTB is addressing that need. Will try it out once it gets here... & when would that be?

LOKless

WEF 2011, there will be no more Series 7 pedals in the Ibanez range. We know them by the Tone Lok reference.

OK, time to start taking good care of my TS7... not that I neglect my pedals but because I own 2 of them, it now gives me no reason to treat one better than the other. Some of us simply love our DE7 as well, right? You know what to do.

Fresh 9s

Still in the Ibanez camp- we have here one of the new Series 9 pedal, a Jet Driver which is quite a winner with me simply due to its dedicated midrange control. Yeah!

The other interesting addition is the Bottom Booster for all you dweebs who keep whining about your thin, shrill tone. In addition to beefing up your signals, as the name implies, it beefs up your bottom. 

I mean bottom end; sorry 'bout that.

More importantly, both pedals feature true bypass.

Attractive?

That mysterious, very unattractive bass highlighted here late last year, is the new Ibanez Grooveline bass. I don't think it'll win any accolades in the design department but the ergonomics are there. The body's offset design is a fusion of what I believe to be the RD & Affirma curves, both are extinct now. The designers' objective is for the Grooveline to epitomize balance so visual attraction takes a back seat here. The bridge is also fresh for an Ibanez bass- the Tight End unit; we've seen them before in the FR & RG1451, though.

Charged sisters

What's so special about these 2-knob pedals featuring pictures of ladies? Well, these ladies are re-chargable so there won't be a need for batteries or power cables the next time you put them to use. So the lesson here is; it's not how they look like but what they can do (for you). Got that?

UPDATE: Red Witch pedals will be in store @ Davis by January's end. (Thanks Janet for the update!)

Play = therapy

It was late at night. I felt rather depressed & unenthusiastic since it's only the beginning of the week in the month of January- the beginning of the year; so how exciting could the situation be, yes?

The darkness of night implied inactivity where every living, breathing creature retires to regenerate for the day to come but some of us simply can't do that. We can't sleep despite being too lethargic to do anything else but my equipment in front of me beckoned me to play & play I did. Yes, we kept everything down just to see the time through.

It's good to know that a simple/ brief moment with one's equipment, heals.

Gray memory

This is a commemorative Ibanez ATK bass, in memory of the late Paul Gray (Slipknot)- RIP. It would be a more deserving bass should it feature the original specs of Mr. Gray's workhorse but that won't induce sales for the manufacturer. There should be a lefty version for it, shouldn't there? Considering Mr. Gray was left-handed.

RIP - Paul Gray (1972 - 2010)

Selling: Pandora PX5D

OK... I'm selling off my KORG Pandora PX5D for $75 (Condition: 9/10) if you are interested. I won't need it for any forseeable applications so it's better off with a new owner. Interested?

EDIT: SOLD! 17th Jan, 10.08pm... thanks to all who replied.

VOX: Series 22

VOX is offering us more affordable guitars this year- the SERIES 22 model you see above. I was considering the SSC-33 last year but felt that I could do better with a 'normal' humbucker.

Frankly Carvin

Finally, the revelation of Frank Gambale's new Carvin signature guitar based on Carvin's SH645 model. More details to come but hear it in action first:

Digitech amp

Digitech now (2011) has an amp for us- the TH-150. A tube amp. The power amp section features a set of KT88 tubes, be informed.

Give us ash

This could be hope for us Ibanez fans (however slim it might be); the ash-bodied RG470AHZ is featured in the region's web page implying availability (when the time comes). Let it be here, however late it may be, I don't mind waiting, really.

Ibanez RGA32 Ver 2011

This is the splendid RGA32, the most affordable in its range before the selection goes into the GIO models.

Do note the slight revision difference this year; the guitar features some beveling at both the cut-away sections. It's a petty highlight but I don't want any of us here to get into a tiff with the shops/ buyers suspecting it might be a fake due to this difference.

Loop R us

VOX is jumping into the looper camp this year as evident above. Looks like this one's gonna be on my acquisition list for 2011. I don't jam much, lonely dweebs like me enjoy playing with machines.

BOSS is also keeping things in the loop (forgive the pun) with the RC-3. If you've enjoyed the simplicity of its previous incarnation, the RC-2, this one's revised with that in mind- another one on my to-get list.

Track it

Was at Swee Lee SALE (Katong) last Friday, this pickup was all that was purchased for one of my Ibanez guitars- still thinking which one it should go into.

Of course I'm sure

Not too long ago, someone quizzed my reference to the Swing Paul Danial signature model. Was I sure the guitar listed for less than $900 when the SV Guitars listing was $3K?

What I played was the Paul Danial Signature model which was in store before the Custom Shop model. It didn't help that there were no record of it anywhere so my reference to it then was rather loose- which model was it in particular? But the <$900 price tag there was no mistake. So it didn't matter that I played this guitar several times & took note of the price tag, shared it here, I was still doubted. This is one of the reasons why I dislike quoting/ disclosing prices (I'm not the shop selling it anyway, why would price advocacy be of importance to me?). I'd rather the interested parties get price references from source... gee... it's just a phone call away.