Slashed Brazilian

Rather fresh off the media- Gibson's latest is a signature Slash Les Paul featuring a very costly & endangered Brazilian rosewood. This kind of money (a hair short of USD13K) would easily fund many life-changing expenses; tertiary tuition fee, property down-payment, medical treatment, you get the picture. According to the endorser, Brazilian rosewood has its proven track record when it comes to tone; 59 LP, 62 Strat & 48 Martin all reek of the wood's magical fibre as we know it. Is this the right time to be releasing such extravagance? If your company's finances are on the rocks due to a possible CEO incompetence, it might be a good move after all. 

Silver bolt

There was a buzz not too long ago in cyberspace about these two- uncanny resemblance, brothers from different mothers it seems. The PRS is quite out of reach to many of us, the Kiesel on the other hand, is a grand lesser & we know it's not a class below its counterpart. I wouldn't mind spending good money on the latter but its rosewood fretboard disqualifies it from being a good export here. Oh, well...

As good as gold

Ibanez RG657 in limited edition gold finish. Looking. 😑

Options

Some of us are pedal loaded & the only thing preventing us from getting a variety of (lethal) tones from our set up is they way we link our pedals. VFE's Klein Bottle & DSM's Loopster are among some covert options out there in letting us re-think our pedal layout. OK so the KB is a little excessive & pricey for many of us. The Loopster is a simpler option but still significant in terms of cost. In a nut shell, these devices enable the user to determine the mount of effect let loose in the signal chain in addition to getting a serial or parallel response. It's like a mixer unit managing amount & orientation. Hopefully I'm able to provide a subsequent episode to this post. 

Re-string midweek

Had snapped while it was in storage.

A quick re-string, re-moisturized fret board, wiped down & a little playing time. Was very tired actually, but had a tune in my head which I had to play. 😁

Proven

Managed to re-string this guitar over the weekend. As stated there, I bought those strings back in January & in September, they are still good to go. D'Addario will always get my support for being awesome when it comes to re-thinking failed ventures. Resilience- we need this. 

Re-emergence

This is old news to some of us. Gibson's Chapter 11 episode had recently been endorsed by the court, creditors & stakeholders, meaning- Gibson will continue to run with a new plan so that its earnings would mend some nasty holes in the organization. Make no mistake in thinking that the instrument wing of the organization is still making money; there are proven records to account for the figures. The rot lies with its consumer electronics sector & a temporary legislative scare which was far-reaching than expected (red: CITES). Compounding this bleak episode is the slackening QC which made the brand name a butt joke in cyberspace. 

More importantly, the system in place exercised its authority in removing the individual at the helm for his inability to oversee a fractured company, whose spirit of innovation got in the way of Gibson's most respected & proven trait- heritage. Evidently, this had taken a toll on the business' core focus & abating signs were plain to see but for the man in charge, he continued to be blindsided. 

We shouldn't expect immediate resurgence but things are in place. The climb back up will not be easy. There are emerging names in the industry that had relegated Gibson into ordinary territory but these entities lack the foundations & proven track record to engulf the market. They remain a small time force of reckoning waiting for that moment of greatness which, fortunately for Gibson, may never come. I'm not a Gibson fan but I will support remorseful entities on its path of rehabilitation; it's part & parcel of learning. 

Selling: Takamine GY93E (parlour) SOLD

Staying away from acoustic guitars in the mean time... My GY93E- well taken care off.

Rosewood back with a maple wedge.

• Takamine GY93E electric-acoustic, parlour sized guitar (generic bag included)
• Condition: 9/10
• No reservations/ trades
• Confirmation/ queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Strictly self-collect @ CCK mrt station
• Price: $300 (final)

Sorry, no testing.

Item SOLD, 24th Sept.

Fresh poles

One of the custom shop SD pickups came with a relic finish which is totally not my thing. All that rust & grime...

Replacement pole pieces from Stewmac 👍

Steel through

Aw, damn! New upscale range (LTD series, they call it) by Solar guitars- steel frets & neck-through construction. Poplar burl top is a nice touch. Available in Hipshot/ Evertune (Euro200 more) fixed bridge options. 👍

PIC: Solar guitars

Compact Yammy

Yamaha is now in the 3/4-sized bandwagon. Seen above is the CSF1M. You read that right- the CSF monicker is back. However, the compact feature in this range is fresh. You'd say that, hey, Yamaha has those compressed APX & JRs going all this while so what's the beef with the CSF range? The CSF range is not a travel type offering so that's the main difference there. This CSF1M here is a 23.6" player with a solid spruce top. 

The CSF3M on the other hand, is a full solid model for $200 more. Both models feature a passive electronics, meaning- no on board controls, just plug in & play. This is believably aimed at Martin's Dreadnought Jr but the Yamaha, in my books, is one up simply because if features real wood for a fretboard. Let me spell it our for you: R-O-S-E-W-O-O-D. So what we have here are good editions to the not-so-big acoustic range out there which is a timely reminder that such instruments are not for kids to begin with. Yes, kids might benefit from such ergonomics but it's as much an adult indulgence. 

Eye iron

Finally. Got news these were available & it wasn't a recent shipment. Stock wasn't updated online, so... 😑

Slashbird

Is your bird on fire? You wish it was but you are on a tight budget, eh? Good news- Epiphone has an affordable take on things. It has the Slash Firebird in Premium & Standard editions but on a limited production run. Regardless, I wish you a fiery midweek. 

Hot lips

In the mail. Which guitar? Still thinking. 😎

Silence is golden

Well, let's put in perspective- silence at the right moments is indeed golden. My set up has plenty of drive coming from both a pedal & the amp's dirty channel. I've been through many noise reduction units & deem them all as practical. Useful is a matter of application which is largely personal. The purpose of having a noise reduction unit is to eliminate extraneous noise from your playing; all those background humming, hissing, pick scrapes & accidental picking could all be hushed. The understanding of silence here is when you stop playing, these noises wouldn't be heard. We need to understand that the extraneous noise  cannot be eliminated to begin with but can control when they should not be heard.

Any down side of using a noise reduction unit? Yes.

• affects gain
• affects selected frequencies
• affects sustain

However, these setbacks are only apparent if the users are not objective when having a noise reduction unit in their set up. For instance, if you max out all the controls without understanding what each does, you are going to suffer the stutter effect; some lightly picked notes failed to get across the noise threshold & got muted. You also need to do a needs assessment- do you need a noise reduction unit especially so for those observing a low drive signal chain. 

Seen above: EHX The Silencer. 

Return of the King

I thought I was through with this one. After a re-visit of sorts, I realized why I bought it in the first place. If you wish for a smooth string-to-string transition, this one's recommended. Or rather, anything with a more rounded tip, is recommended. Thick, hard picks are not for everyone. They have a niche appeal, especially for some of us with playing quirks. I find this one superb for ultra fast riffs. Since I'm in riffing mode in the mean time, it's my current fav. 

Seen above: DAW Jazz King, 3mm

Scaled down decimation

Many of us pretty much regard the ISP Decimator as the industry standard in noise gate technology (the HUSH camp would disagree & most probably back it up with a documented, proven performance). The standard, Decimator as we know it, is a bulky affair, wider than the average BOSS pedal & might jeopardize pedal board real estate. So wisely, the ISP camp evolved their Decimator into this Deci-mate version but rest assured, the original, brick-like model is still in the market for nostalgia's sake. The manufacturer promised a better tracking technology on board this time round. We'll see about that.

Budget compromise

This is a Gibson guitar. It is an economical model & does not feature a separate input jack, it's incorporated into the pickguard. Many of us will just yank the cable off but because it's mounted this way, we are actually pulling the pickguard away from the body as well. The restrain here are the screws. Done repeatedly, it'll warp the pickguard. So the proper way to unplug is to actually press the pickguard down while pulling the cable away which many of us aren't used to doing. So, there. 

Super pot

I'm not pot-crazy. I'm just always game to try for experience's sake. However, I'm not compelled to try because I'm not paid to do so- hard truth. However, in the name of consumer empowerment, I'm willingto squander some money just to share the experience. So Dunlop has this super pot they claim to last more than 7 million turns without failing you. Seen here is the 500k audio taper model available at Davis GMC which costs 2X more than my favourite Gotoh pot. Trying to figure out which guitar deserves this indestructible  replacement. Update to come. 

Ibanez AZ: K & M

All the great Ibanez stuff not available here, right? You bet.

This is a Japan only AZ2402 done in a koa top. Surprisingly, it made its way here & sold out just hours after it's listed. I have no idea if some of the Japanese models do make a quiet debut in the shops in this country for the privileged few but it's unfair for the rest of us. We rely on the manufacturer's website only to be given a double standard in terms of availability.

Recently, the Japanese market released a myrtlewood top version so if it makes its way here & sold out almost immediately like its koa top sibling then it'll only confirm my take on the situation.

Triangular

So what do we have here? It's another fuzz unit from the EHX camp. Despite not being a fuzz fan, I do make it a point to check their fuzzes out. I dislike fuzz tones because of the lack in definition; the rounded treble & squashed bass end are just not the thing for me. However, I find that the EHX fuzz units are among the most pleasant in this aspect. Ok here:

SLX4!

Available at Swee Lee now: SLX4. Floyd Rose Special. Thinking... 😑

Strumming price

Gibson 2019 prices are out. No big price cuts to get excited over but the interesting addition here is the J-45 Studio for all you acoustic dweebs out there. It's more affordable than the J-15 Standard currently listing for more than $2.5K so that's something to look forward to. Prices are steep for Gibson acoustics but on a personal note, Gibson isn't a go-to name when it comes to acoustics. Yes, they have the Hummingbird & co. to impress you with but we have our Martin/ Taylor/ Takamine (among others) to underscore our QC-tone beliefs. I'd like to check this J-45 out at the very least. 😎

Thinning out

Had some playing time this morning. Re-visited a 1.5mm pick. Not a good outing. It seems that I can't play with anything less than 2mm for electric stuff. I tend to apply more pressure when holding, resulting in fatigue. Also, too many missed notes due to playing psychology; I thought I picked some but I didn't. Years ago, I believed that the pick should be the least of my worries as my playing really sucked. There was more focus on technique but along the way, the pick is one of the most essential component of delivery. 

Weekend's here!! 👍👍

Setting

Had been playing the EVH for the past few days. The settings you see here are fixed regardless of the different guitars that were plugged into it:

• EQ. If you have tried Van Halen's amps in any incarnation, you'd realize that the treble response is excessive. I've totally grounded mine (zero!) as seen above & compensated it through some presence. Even at that much (slightly less than 25%), the amp's still hissing at the top end especially with more volume added in.
• Presence. As mentioned above, it's used to keep track of how much top end ended up in the mix. Unlike the HIGH option, presence here seems to spill over into the other frequencies. It's like a universal control of sorts & possibly the most under-used option in amps together with RESONANCE.
• Gain. I like how the EVH was conceived to be a very angry amp in terms of gain. This way, players are compelled to dial it in to taste, not dime it & think higher gain settings are the best. On that note, I have the tendency to max the gain on amps I use. 😅 But seen here, it's under lots of constraint, just slightly more than 50% to get things through. I'm not saying this is the optimal when EVH is concerned but we should dial it in (for everything in fact, not just gain) on a need basis with careful listening along the way. 

Want chrome?

If you are a Satch fan & have $7K to spare, it's available at Swee Lee now... 😎

Solar tint

Recently, someone asked my opinion on Solar guitars. Well, I've not much to say. I always hold back on any until I've played one in person. However, having a dealer here with these guitars in store is really remote. Being me, I do not believe in buying guitars online especially without the in-person experience before parting with cash; I deem this very important. With that said, I have positive experiences with the following brand names when it comes to buying guitars blind, without testing, scrutinizing & hearing: Kiesel/ Agile/ Jericho.

I believe the Solar instruments would be up there in terms of integrity & impression because I've been following them online, I've watched the factory tour, seen the brand owner (Hola, Ola!!) giving an honest review on them considering they are made in the Far East. The reason I'm holding back- waiting for a more exciting range of colours to be available. I've enough of black/ white/ burst. Now that they have the variation seen above, things might be taking a (good) turn 😑

Q&M (2)

Also available at Swee Lee, the Martin Miller (T) & Tom Quayle (B) signature Ibanez models. These list for more than $3K but if you are a fan, especially after trying out the AZ series, these are worth considering. 

Ibanez: AW54JR (owner's take)

Howdy, folks! If you've been hanging out here, you know I'm not much of an acoustic person but I deem owning an acoustic guitar as necessary for serious guitar engagements because the unplugged nature engages the player in a different way as opposed to the drive-centric, amplified responses of a solid body guitar. Here's my take on the Ibanez AW54JR, a 2018 release by Ibanez with simplicity & delivery in mind.

Followers are leaders

It took a while for Ibanez to finally offer a scaled down version of a popular dreadnought without delineating it into a beginner's reference devoid of serious appointments & affordability in mind. The AW54JR here is a mahogany unit (solid top) less the fretboard & bridge which are ovankol. I was fortunate enough to be getting an out-of-the-box unit so it pretty much reflected the factory philosophy of a pre-set up guitar. Nothing bad to say here, every detail was spot on & the nut slot creak I expected wasn't even there to begin with. Tuning was smooth but a little unstable due to the freshness of things; strings look very new & not set in so a little stretching was due & done with. Unlike a travel unit, the AW54JR is devoid of that small frame, it's in fact about 80% of a standard size dreadnought reference & getting accustomed to it was rather immediate (especially for a small-built person like yours truly). 

Let's not kid ourselves by believing Ibanez is at the forefront of this technology with reference to this model but in terms of QC & that forearm relief inclusion, they are indeed one of the leading names when it comes to quality-cost ratio. 

Playability/ tone

We should not measure the AW54JR's performance against a standard dreadnought reference simply because it's conceived to be a different instrument in this aspect. The satin open pore finish is a chief contributor to pleasant playability. In fact, I'd rate this playing experience as excellent but may not appeal to those with larger hands & accustomed to gloss-neck finishes. This was further accentuated by the large frets on board (forgive the pun) so fretting was easy peasy as kids in school would say. Those with shred inclinations would also appreciate the bigger frets for accuracy & light touches. 

One thing that got me the most was volume- this guitar was way louder than expected & manifested a balanced tone not treble-inclined as one would expect from smaller-bodied acoustics. The mahogany is responsible for this impression so all you acoustic-philes who rate spruce top highly, this would be an alternative tonal experience that would not throw you off. Mahogany is also a finger picker's wood  of choice but the AW54JR is one heck of a strummer as well- thumbs up!

Parting words

The AW54JR is not the epitome of acoustic ear candy but it's a top notch offering by Ibanez for players who are not critical when it comes to features. It lists for more than $350 so there are plenty of worthy competitors out there in terms of price but playability & tone are the AW54JR's forte. A scaled down instrument was never designed for ladies or kids exclusively & shouldn't be relegated to such an understanding. The AW54JR is a worthy guitar with lots of inspirational moments waiting to be unlocked by the discerning players. Recommended. 👍

Model: Ibanez AW54JR (bag included)

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Rating: 90%

Worthy competitors:

• Martin: Dreadnought Jr
• Taylor: Big Baby
• Sigma: TT-12E
• Yamaha: CSF3M
• Veelah: Mini Camper M

Sweet singles

OK this is definitely consolation. Days ago I was whining about some dead end single coil tones but putting things in perspective, I just needed some high output single coils to make my day. Thankfully, I have those in the house but not in a Strat. Seen above, a pair of hot Mojo Tone Knockout pickups. Paired with a booster unit & my go-to pick, it was a good Sunday. On days like this, I'm just grateful I have what I want, it's just a swap away so no excuses.

Southern Genesis

All you southpaws waiting for the Ibanez RG550 Genesis- good news, red & yellow models are now available at Swee Lee Co. Not so good news- it's $100 more than the righty version. 

Image: leftyfretz

Haunting

For all intent & purposes, JHS' Haunting Mids pedal is simply a midrange booster. To many of us, it's nothing too important because there is a rooted belief that scooping the midrange out of the equation is the way to go for guitar distortion. This is especially pertinent among the metal dweebs. However, the recording engineer will tell you that the electric guitar is all about the midrange & this pedal is something I'm interested in. More from the man himself: