Missed opportunity: Antigua Strat

Some years ago, this guitar was available here for a good price. Back then, I was indeed looking for a Japanese Fender to indulge in the standard of production which was revered by the industry. I gave this one a miss solely for its looks; the 'calamity' look just didn't sit well with me but we all know how the antigua, together with the silverburst, are indeed the industry's celebrated tragedy very much valued today. Aw, damn!

PS: It's the end of May & we're into the second half of the year 😎

Omega LP

Holiday eve- managed to drop by Beez's to get this done. The former pickup in there was a Bare Knuckle Black Hawk with tremendous amount of output & sizzling distortion but that's not it for me. I prefer something with clarity but not piercing in terms of tone. It shouldn't mud-out at high gain settings as well & Seymour Duncan's Omega is a worthy replacement. Not a Mark Holcomb fan in this respect, I just hear what works for me & disregard the endorser associations.

How uncluttered things are when you have only one pickup to deal with. Thanks to Beez once again for keeping things in check.

Selling: BK Black Hawk (SOLD)

Despite being very menacing in terms of output & distortion applications, the Bare Knuckle Black Hawk is just not my type of pickup. So, letting it go...

• Bare Knuckle: Black Hawk humbucker (bridge), mounting screws included (new, sealed)
• Condition: 8.5/10
• No trades/ reservations
• Strictly self-colect @ CCK mrt station
• Confirmation/ queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $100 (final)

Item sold @ 4 June

Vesak Day 2018

A day of calmness, peace & more importantly, rest. 😑

Tweaks: Kiesel DC

Was at Beez's last Saturday. Caught in the downpour (trapped at the bus stop for more than 20min) but still managed to get there.

Forgive the fuzz but that's the Kiesel DC's new input jack right there. The old one was crackling, after several bouts with the contact spray, it was still problematic so it made way for this Switchcraft version.

While at it, told Beez to swap out the default capacitor with the Emerson one here. Beez insisted on not cutting the wires away, he told me I would need a good working length should I decide to remove it into another guitar. So, like the true pro that he is, he managed to insulate the exposed parts (blue) as seen above. Awesome.

This guitar was set for a 20" radius & it might be the reason why I snagged on strings during fast picking runs. It was re-set to a 16" setting when I reached home.

OK, all done! Spent time with it on Sunday morning putting the Angry Driver pedal to good use. More on this to come. 

Get well soon, Vinnie

In a recent bout with heart-attack, V-Picks owner/ founder Vinnie Smith underwent bypass surgery recently. We wish him well & a speedy recovery.

And on that note, he decided to release this new model called, the EKG. Timely indeed. 😆

PICS: V-picks i/g & webstore

Selling: Aria Frontier 615

It had been a wonderful adventure but time to say goodbye to my Aria Frontier 615. FYI, the guitar had been refinished in this brown hue without a lacquer overcoat so not for the fussy people who worry their instrument body will dent easily at the slightest knock.

• ARIA Frontier 615 (no bag)
• Input jack is in tact, so is the ground wire
• Selling as is- no pickguard/ electronics/ pickups
• Self-collect at CCK mrt station
• No reservations/ trades
• Queries/ conformation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $99 (non-nego)

Dandy

Aw, darn! I'm a sucker for small bodied acoustics & this Gretsch Jim Dandy G9500 is calling to me (now available at Swee Lee). The agathis body is something to think about but I value good tones than being picky when it comes to body wood (for acoustic guitars). Just wish it's a solid top.

Touchy

Was rather pressed for time today. Secured the Touch, to be heard in action soon.

Brightness

Trying something bright with a mahogany body. Usually for acoustic guitars, I value warmth instead of brightness. I'm of the opinion that the bright stuff are more suitable for chord-dominant players whom I'm not. This might be the only time I'm doing this. 

Chewing glass is good

In a recent magazine interview, Marty Friedman might have drawn flak for his Hendrix comment. Then again, it's a personal preference; we are free to choose the heroes we worship. The world might revere a particular individual but we're not obliged to follow. Friedman stated his non-preference for Hendrix & it's largely personal. He also advised players not to succumb to peer pressure.

I don't listen to Hendrix either. 😑

ESP E-II- some newbies

It's approaching mid-year & ESP has released some new E-II models (heading to Summer NAMM, supposedly)- here are some interesting models. The gradation finished Horizon- about time.

Horizon 7-string in sparkle finish & Fishman Fluence pickups.

Maple fretboard version with Bare Knuckle pickups. All these very enticing models, keep in mind that prices are on the up side. 

Driven anger

If you don't already know, the Angry Driver is a 2-in-1 unit featuring BOSS' Blues Driver & JHS' Angry Charlie. The former is something I sold off a while back & the latter is something I tried at the stores but didn't buy. As it is, I wouldn't buy any of those pedals (again) because as stand alone units, they are not what I look forward to hear but putting them together is a different story. 

The JB-2 lets you employ the pedals individually as well as stacking them up in some modes. I don't see myself using the individual pedal mode but putting them together yields some practical tones. On that note, the combo modes aren't for those looking for subtle drive responses. Current favourite- the B-J mode where the milder BD successfully blends into the raunchier AC to create a boosted amp drive type experience. The parallel mode features some pleasant top end owing much to the tapped output. My only gripe- the concentric control knobs. It's be much appreciated if the colours are differentiated somewhat to help us in times of haste. 

Selling: Cinders OD

Letting this go for a good price 😐

• TC Electronic Cinders OD (box included)
• Condition: 9/10
• Self-collect @ CCK MRT station
• No reservations, no trades
• Queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $59 (final)

Sfarzo

Trying something new. I've tried cheap strings, I've tried 'boutique' strings, one thing's for sure- I've not quite embraced a particular brand name to stop trying the different ones out there. This Sfarzo set doesn't feel boutique, there's no magic coating here either. However, the strings don't feel cheap, you know that feeling of having wires under your finger tips instead of strings. That immediate deterioration once you have them in your guitar- these are all absent. It's nearly a week's worth of playing them without any obvious difference in feel so that must be a good sign. Tone-wise, these are not bright steels, no jangly slinky tones to be heard as well. If there's a close reference to better understand the performance, it will be Dean Markley's vintage set; no nonsense feel & tone but nothing extra.

BFG 2018

If you recall, this was the initial incarnation of the LP BFG Gibson did back in 2007/ 2008. Oh yes, I bought one. Love the fact that the bare finish added much to clarity & the hum-P-90 combo was what I was looking for at the time of purchase.

Wasn't aware they did a 2018 version of the BFG. 

Both P-90/ humbucking versions are offered so there's no hybrid combo this time. Also, no wooden knobs, no kill switch, no Grover tuners & the fretboard is granadillo. Those humbuckers there are labelled as open coil humbuckers which would fetch very little in the after-market. Oh, it's only offered in black. 

Ramadan 2018

Dear blog readers, friends & family members, I wish you a blessed Ramadan- may you be granted ease  in your spiritual endeavours & a steadfast commitment which would be perpetuated in further  opportunities.  

Purple- done

This was done last weekened. The guitar in question- Ibanez RG550 (Genesis 2018).

It's an all DiMarzio affair this time- Evolution (n)/ Area 67 (m)/ Steve's Special (b). Why DiMarzio? Because my yellow RG550 is the Seymour Duncan version so this is an opportunity to hear a tone contrast. The Evo was high on my consideration list for its light treble bite, nothing too piercing but avoiding the rounded, wooly tone altogether. The A67 was already in my SA1620 & it's perhaps one of the best stacked humbucker that retains twang without being too Fender-ish. Coming to Steve's Special, it's an unlikely inclusion but I know it'd work in a dual action whammy bridge type that lacks bass. Of course, the SS isn't bass excessive, it's scooped sounding & something I dislike to begin with but I'm determined to make it likeable, at the very least. Let's see what happens along the way.

PS: Wishing all Muslim blog readers, friends & relatives a blessed Ramadan ahead which starts tonight.

Yampeg

This happened last week- Yamaha now owns Ampeg.

If we are looking too hard for successful commercial diversifications, Yamaha should be one of the top contenders. I respect this kind of acquisition where the parent company identifies an external brand name that could further their commercial potential & not something that would plunge them into uncertainty. 

Gibson should learn from these people. 

Bonsai!

Belated birthday present for myself.

I'm pretty much in the Tube Screamer turf because of the amps I own- I don't need a searing distortion from an external source but a mild drive type to kick things up. The JHS Bonsai here is interesting as it emulates the various TS models & the TS-alikes, a total of 9 offerings. I have 3 favourite references in the mean time, the JHS, TS7 & TS10. Despite being intentional, the extra volume offered by the JHS mode might just be a political presence. Hmm...

Goodbye: Bacchus BST-1

This happened yesterday- let my Bacchus BST-1 go to a deserving owner. An under-played instrument in 9/10 condition. Moving on to other focus 😐

Anniversary JM

Commemorating its 60th Anniversary, Fender has a trio of limited edition Jazzmasters for grabs, beginning with this '58...

Classic...

And the triple. Limited edition stuff so may not be available here. Just looking, then.

Pounding

A day after I gave this guitar a set of fresh strings & swapped out dead parts, the middle pickup died. Bummer. Brought it to Beez to confirm the status & it was established that the pickup indeed met its mortal end. Grabbed a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound at Davis & this was the final line up. Thanks to Beez once more for overseeing this make-over.

If you are interested in the QP, be informed that it's a high output unit which necessitated a deeper location into the cavity. Not sure if it's a clear presentation here but the QP sits much deeper than its other humbucking siblings to balance out the volume difference. 

Hiring @ Davis

Davis GMC is looking for new team members. Walk-in interview for interested parties or drop them a line for more details: 6-337-509-2

pic: davis gmc FB

Re-string Saturday: Gold

I think many gear dweebs like me, would take the weekend opportunity to check on our instruments. Gave my Gibson LP Tribute a re-string this morning. This is perhaps one of my preferred Gibson due to its satin finish. If you've been reading the stuff here, I prefer non-gloss necks because I sweat easily & a sticky experience isn't something that makes a pleasant guitar day. When the Tribute model hit the stores, I waited for the humbucking version to be available & there's no turning back.

This happened because I'm old & I always grabbed the wrong knob- always. So a simple solution is seen here; volume knobs are differentiated from the tone knobs. To many LP purists it's desecrating the looks but I embrace practicality more than the preservation of originality. 

Another LP desecration- Seymour Duncans. I simply can't stand the rounded treble tone of Gibson pickups so this had to happen. I also believe the SH-6/ SH-2 are tried & tested pickups when it comes to good driven tones with clarity. 

Selling: PRS SE Tremonti

Good Saturday morning to all- anyone shopping for a singlecut today? 😁

Helping a friend to see this sale through- he's letting his PRS SE Tremonti  go. Comes with a hard case. Interested parties to contact Mr. Dzuhri at: 9-061-1403

Hell to snobs

Came across this article recently. Why should one be revered for one's revolting attitude, glorifying laziness? It came from a pro musician & that says a lot about how impaired you are when it comes to being grateful for your haves- wait till you dive into the have nots. 

Rocklin a Kiesel

Do you know this guy? He's now on the Kiesel roster.

He was deemed a guitar prodigy for showing acute proficiency at age 11.

He was once an Ibanez poster boy & had backing from a certain Steve Vai. How times have changed. I used to read lots about him in guitar magazines. I saw him as a brat because during one of his interviews, he was glorified for dropping his Ibanez JEM, headstock first, to the ground & feeling good about it. Whatever.

Mid-year enticements

Happening at Sound Alchemy now. A good time to consider Japanese guitars- we know how prices are these days so here's a chance to maybe do something 'right'.

Night & day

Saturday morning guitar noodling- done.

These 2 may be in the shred/ high gain territory but they can never replace each other. Some thoughts:

Kiesel DC400

It's the heavier among the two, has more inherent bottom end in there. There are more cleans in the pickups as well, very apparent when the volume knob is rolled down. The neck profile- rounder, more pronounced than an average Fender. Also, the narrower neck influences less death & destruction. If you noticed, the guitar's lower cutaway isn't as aligned to the body as the Ibanez's so when played sitting down, the neck is more angled to the floor.

Ibanez RG471

This guitar is about $500 lesser than its American counterpart, it's also lighter. The satin body finish might be attributable to this. Neck profile- not the thinnest Ibanez has to offer but you can feel the difference once you switch from playing this to the DC. As mentioned above, this one has a wider profile so the hand is more at ease when playing riffs which involve more bass notes. The replacement pickups in this one are of my preferences so tone-wise, I prefer what I hear. The lighter overall feel might contribute to a less pronounced bottom end as well but the Seymour Duncan's Screamin' Demon humbucker (bridge) is one endowed with a commanding bottom end.

It's the first weekend of May- wishing you good times with your gear. 😀

Up or down?

There's this unfounded elation that Gibson's bankrupt so everyone's instruments are now worth a fortune. Simple understanding of this- NO.

Let's be clear that the company had filed papers under Chapter 11 of their laws, meaning, there is no liquidation, just a reorganizing of the finances & a temporary change of ownership. In the mean time, they are getting more loans to make sure the core business, which is instrument-making, gets no interruption. It is the revenue from this core business activity that would settle the proceeding once proven that Gibson is indeed a profitable venture only to be brought down by other commercial involvements which are not core to the business. 

The local news (CNA) covered this in their media space & the comments that followed indicated a delusional following. People are assuming that bankruptcy is indeed a termination of the business which is definitely not the case.