Pink

We end the month with the assurance that selected Ibanez J-Custom models are offered in everyone's favourite colour- pink.

Gold rush

This was released just days ago. However, it was mentioned in this blog here: CLICK I'm definitely for that single pickup goodness but that bridge totally destroys what a Les Paul should be. Then again, it's a signature spec so deal with the quirk. This is not Joe Perry's initial signature with Gibson (remember the Boneyard?) & I have a feeling it won't be his last. 

Power casting

Fender's Alternate Reality series' Powercaster is now available here. It's listing for a whisker shy of $1.3K. This will pretty much be the price reference for other models in this series. I'm interested in one of the models but would re-think about paying more than $1K for a Mexican Fender. 

Lynch End

The primary reason I bought this album- George Lynch. This collaboration also features Robert Mason, my preferred Lynch Mob vocalist & Mick Brown on drums. Jeff Pilson is on bass so this could not be called another Lynch Mob adventure (Lynch Mob features everyone here less Pilson; Esposito did bass for Lynch Mob). There are various Lynch - ex-Dokken members releases out there that borders on sounding like a Lynch Mob for want of another band name. I enjoy such collaborations because it has a certain song focus unlike solo Lynch projects where the overall vibe screams mediocre in every aspect. The End Machine sounds like, em, another Lynch - ex-Dokken project but the album production highlights the guitar by making it sound a tad more stinging & not nasal like some other Lynch-led projects. This is a good one despite sounding a little jaded. 

EQ = Boost?

I remember this episode of EQ talk with an acquaintance some time back who was of the opinion that the EQ pedal is actually a booster unit with frequency manipulations. I disagreed with him to a certain extent because some EQ units do not offer a gain push. These are notable EQ units with no LEVEL or VOLUME control options. An example is seen above- MXR's 6-band EQ. The primary purpose of the EQ is frequency manipulation, if it comes with a little push in terms of volume or gain then it's a bonus. We therefore do not resort to EQ units as the first cut in boosting our signals. We have clean boosts to refer to for that purpose. 

Am I a big fan of the EQ pedal? I used to be EQ inclined when dealing with practice amps. I needed that extra magic so to speak, to compensate what could have been achieved by a bigger amp or a more feature laden amp in terms of tone. These days, even the smaller amps are quite competent in this aspect as they feature 3-band EQs as opposed to that single TONE knob. 

The Verdict

Recent purchase. My interest in Queensryche is pretty much the Mindcrime & Empire influences. Those were done well & cemented a certain following in terms of guitar music & quasi-metal conception. They were not wimpy despite the slower numbers. Along the way, the band kinda struggled especially after the departure of certain members of the band. I thought things were different after DeGarmo left. Later departures of Rockenfield & Tate further thwarted the band's musicality. That's right, I'm scrutinizing the music. Whatever politics that got in the way, if the band stays true to its music & philosophy, it will pull them through. In the case of Queensryche, fans are tested by the band's drifting away from what made them great. The Promised Land, by my standards, contain both integral & feeble bits that threatened to disenfranchize the band. True enough, subsequent releases presented the band to be in a re-defining stage rather than propelling what's tried & tested. This is the reason why I stopped buying Queensryche releases.

Coming back to The Verdict, it sounds like a return-to-form material. La Torre had pretty much moved himself out of Tate's shadows & rightfully so because he holds his own in terms of the vocal performance here & he covered the drums as well- not an easy feat. Couldn't help but hear Lundgren's influences in terms of guitars. The Verdict sort of moved the guitar standards up somewhat in terms of intensity. No idea how much creative contributions he had for this one but it made me listen. After a full spin, I must say that this isn't an Operation Mindcrime competitor. The band wouldn't venture into that territory & wisely so, they did not. If the initial two Queensryche releases were firm standards held in high regards by the listeners, what's missing here is the band's ability to weave intricate bits into the overall intense song structure. After the first two tracks, things got a little jaded in terms of creativity. There's this lethargy in trying to inject heavy guitar parts into the slower bitts. Nevertheless, there's renewal in the air for the band & this might be an important statement of intent. The band can be rest assured that they did not fall below any standards but climbing up to newer territories needs time & more importantly, acceptance by the 'Ryche camp.

Selling: S520 neck (SOLD)

Have a spare neck to clear, taken off an Ibanez S520EX & in awesome condition.

Here's the heel measurement.

• Ibanez S520 neck (Korea), rosewood fretboard, 22 frets
• No trades/ reservations
• Self-collect @ CCK mrt station
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $90 (final)

Item SOLD, 3/6/10

Baked

PRS is now in the baked maple camp. OK, it's the SE Custom 24 range but more importantly, PRS joins the rest on the industry players in recognizing this proven treatment. However, this is a Europe only release- bummer. 

Washburn revival

Howdy, folks. This sleek looking guitar here is the Washburn D12SCE. This is the revived look as I've brought it back to life recently. Sort of. It's passed to me by a colleague who requested a simple re-string but seeing some things in dire need of attention & replacement, I couldn't just ignore those anomalies. Here are some highlights leading to this manifestation.

This is how the headstock looks like. From just the looks, I could tell that something was amiss. A renowned name like Washburn do not blanket their brand name with a layer of tinted overcoat. We'll get back to this in just a bit. If you are wondering why it's nut-less...

... it was in bad shape & had to go. If you look closely, some slots were chipped & the rust in the B & E slots was permanent. I'm the type who insist that nut slots should be rust-free. Trace amounts of rust could infect fresh strings. Rust also cuts into strings so the chances of new strings snapping at the nut end would be higher than rust-free slots. 

The deserving replacement is a Tusq nut. As you can see here, it's an affordable replacement & it's good stuff- I've tried it in another guitar (Yamaha) & it had proven to manifest a tad more clarity. While at it, I also purchased a set of replacement bridge pins as the current ones were terribly chipped & scratched. These Hosco ones are also good, affordable replacements. 

The tuners were also removed & cleaned up. Mind you, these are quality Grovers that would salvage some value should this guitar be scrapped one day. There is a ready market for a set of Grovers because they had beed proven to be worthy in terms of reliability & stability. This here is an example of a post-polish condition, a far cry from the initial state it was in.

Folks, there is something about this headstock that screams tragedy. Over at the flip side, I had to fill up the tuners' screw cavities with wood filler (those pale dots you see there) because all screws were loose. At the base of a headstock, I could see a crack running across the width & that pick holder there might have been installed to cover this up. 

Compounding the situation would be this revelation, so to speak. As I was polishing the surface, bits of the overcoat came off & it revealed the brighter, livelier Washburn decal. Whatever happened to this instrument, the neck was a major casualty & cover-up took place.

The replacement nut was glued in place & left to set in overnight. That's my standard; a wet application on an instrument must be left to dry adequately before moving on to further rectifications.  I like Tusq nuts because they address a lower action profile & the slots were rounded at the factory unlike some replacement units where the incisions are V-profiled. As you can see here, a new nut simply injects life into an instrument's aesthetics. Unlike previous iterations, Tusq now proudly proclaims its presence on the product surface & the brand name really deserves the attention.

Frets were cleaned & polished- just look at the rejuvenated fret (yellow arrow) vs the neglected counterpart (blue arrow).

Not forgetting the fretboard- moisturized (blue arrow) vs the drier bit (yellow arrow).

Finally, a set of Elixir strings & it's ready for action.

This Washburn has some good tones in there; it's down to the solid top & an overall heavy build. With a fresh set of strings & that spanking new nut, notes ring clear & there's a marked loudness coming from this one which makes it likeable, just pity the headstock condition. Judging from the fret wear, this guitar is a chord-intense player; I didn't notice any wear beyond the 8th fret. The neck was surprisingly straight despite what it'd been through & no adjustments were made. By the time you read this, it's on its way back to its owner & getting ready to belch out hundreds more songs before a deserving retirement. This guitar was handed over to me without a bag. I just feel that it deserves some form of protection due to its rather worn condition. This guitar was resident here for about two weeks. I was waiting for the replacement nut to be in stock & wasn't interested in the plastic ones in store. This guitar model had been discontinued. To date, Washburn had re-designed the headstock for this series of guitars.

FYI, D12SCE stands for:

• D = Dreadnought
• 12 = Series reference. The lower tier models feature a single digit & those are the more affordable versions with laminated tops.
• S = Solid top
• C = Cutaway
• E = Electro-acoustic. 

Wider, please

My hand is telling me to lay off Gibsons for a while. That narrow, rounded profile is not doing the fretting hand any good in terms of wide stretches. Ironically, wide stretches are better done on wider, thinner necks. I'm avoiding any Ibanez necks in the mean time, trying to condition my hand to accept thicker, rounder stuff but it's difficult. I've been playing thinner, wider necks since day one, anything different, the hand would tell me to quit playing & switch to something else. So for the last two days, it's the PRS S2 SC250 which sports a wider feel but not Ibanez thin. 

Guitar mastery

Came across this quote some days ago. I've been playing for more than a decade. After all those years, I must say that, despite being fluent in certain playing aspects, there's still a deeper discovery waiting to happen when it comes to all things guitar. Come to think of it, despite the same number of frets and strings across players & many playing styles, there's still a fresh manifestation every time the instrument is used to put forth musical ideas. 

As for me, every time I acquire a new instrument, I'd be swayed to think & play in a certain way not that the fresh player-instrument relationship has anything significant going on, but it's that differentiated vibe injecting subliminal behavioural changes. It happens every time. This is the reason why I tend to prefer a certain guitar for certain solo, phrasing or song idea.

PIC: AZ Quotes

TV & practice

Was watching TV two nights ago, had this set up going:

• Blackstar FLY 3. Nothing beats this one in the mean time in terms of the most desirable tone coming from a portable unit.
• BOSS DS-1. Giving the Fly a little boost, nothing extensive.
• Ibanez GRGR010LTD. The only Ibanez GIO in my possession. It's the one that keeps me firmly in check; it's not about the bling or the label, it's totally about what you must do with your talent.

I was actually watching the news but got pissed after 10min. From the very beginning, political figures made their presence felt. It was a live news coverage, they did a special on-location broadcast from a festival market here. If they are indeed inclusive, the programme would have included other prominent local figures & not just those political few. Switched the set off & played guitar for the remaining 20min. TV vs practice, practice wins.

Vesak 2019

Wishing everyone a deserving long weekend. Stay focused, play guitar. 🎸🤘🏼

Skimped

Remember the Gibson LP Jr DC Tribute 2019 that was featured here recently?

This was the default tone capacitor. That coin there is this country's smallest coin ($0.05) in active circulation. So under the covers, the Juszkiewicz-era Gibson did skimp on parts. 

I have this in mine. Not holding back. 

Semi-Vela

A nice one by PRS- the S2 Vela is now available in a semi-hollow version. I'm quite a fan of the S2s. Some people dismiss this series as a false enticement due to its selected Korean parts despite being labelled as American. I am happy with what's offered in entirety & the price-to-goodness ratio is hard to beat. Some convincing:

Solar singlecut

It's finally released- the Solar singlecut models, the G-series they call it. Two types are available, this flat top version (GF)...

And this carved top version (GC). Also available are Floyd Rose & 7-string variants. 👍

Nothing too crAZy about it

You know, come January 2019, I was really hoping Ibanez would offer an expansion to its AZ range. The popularity of this model is picking up well given its sheer quality. I've tried both the Premium & Prestige models & they are the works. However, no such thing happened but the expansion came in the form of Premium signature models like the ones you see above for the Polyphia guitarists...

And these two for the Chon guitarists. OK so there's variety now but I am the type who looks away from signature models- far, far away. Signature guitars just turn me off. They were conceived for someone else, not me. This is the reason why I still don't own any JEM or JS models despite them being top notch for the money. I have no reasons to spend good money on something meant for someone else. Riding on commercial grounds, it's the perfect way to unleash something a little quirky to the market. If people put them down for some reasons or other, the manufacturer could always say that, oh, the endorser wanted it that way, not us. So 2019 will not see me buying any AZ models, I choose to wait things out & see what's in store next. Don't get me wrong- these guitars might be your preferred specs, in fact, they should be desirable guitars given how the AZ philosophy was kept in tact, just minor variations. 

Smoke over Europe

Beautiful PRS CE24 satin finished smokeburst guitars- EUROPE only. Bummer.

More gravity

This was in the mailbox last Friday. It's 4mm & sports the usual custom engraving, grip holes & preferred finish. I'm pretty much convinced that 4mm is it; I'm at my most efficient with this thickness but the material influence might play a part as well.

SALE

That's right folks, some sale going on in town from Music Theme....

Sound Alchemy...

And Luther Music. Suffering from shallow pockets in the mean time. 😕

Got Heritage?

If you believe in the goodness of Heritage Guitars, you are a firm believer of... em... heritage 😝 The H-150 here is the benchmark for those who are looking for a Gibson alternative but refuse to embrace   derivatives. Well, the H-150 is technically a derivative but one which is overseen by the Gibson people- the ones who refuse to move away from the Kalamazoo plant. OK so these are available st Swee Lee in the mean time (List: $2,999).

Aerodyne

Fender Aerodyne models (Japan) are nothing new. The ones featuring a more featured top (like this FM example), bound bod & the standard scale length (25.5") are the later incarnations which should appeal to Fender fans. More importantly, they are now available at See Lee so this adds to the list of growing Fender Japan models available here if the Americans are not your thing. (List: $1,249).

F/ TB-spaced

The objective of this entry is to prevent myself from preaching the F-Space/ Trembucker string spacing without a visual reference. This is an issue when it comes to Ibanez guitars featuring a non-whammy bridge. The guitar in question here is my Ibanez RG521, that fixed bridge there is a Gibraltar 2. The measurement as seen above, from E to E, has a clear reference to the need for an F-spaced (DiMarzio)/ Trembucker (Seymour Duncan) pickup model. The general observance here is that anything exceeding 5.2cm +/- warrants this consideration. No such provisions for the neck pickup, do take note.

Double blues

These two, they are worlds apart. The Ibanez RG is the epitome of everything fast & furious. The Gibson LP Jr DC wants you to take your time, feel every playing moment. Had an interesting time playing both in a single sitting.

The RG has a flatter - wider neck profile, trying to slow down on this one isn't easy. It's possible but psychologically, the brain kept telling the fingers to play fast & make it worth the while because this kinda neck profile was meant for this kind of playing. The hand is also postured differently, making the most of the available space for playing many notes. The Gibson neck will fight any attempts to be reckless with individual notes. The rounder - narrower neck profile also means that flattening out one's fingers while playing to achieve a marked playing speed is rather futile. The hand would turn lethargic quite easily. A simple understanding on the matter- the curved thumb (influenced by the round neck profile) does not complement the straightening of the other fretting fingers. 

So these guitars, given their technical profile, are they exclusive for a certain playing style? Yes & no. Yes because their individual neck profile complements a certain playing style. No because many of us would learn to adapt to the instrument's quirks to make things work. 😎

Wishing you a great midweek. 

Light

Fender recently released this lightweight ash Strat in its American Pro series. Also available are the Tele & J-Bass version. 

This brings back to mind the Lite Ash Strat (Korea) circa 2003-4 which I tried at the stores & liked. I would would have bought it save for that headstock outline. From the pictures here alone, you'd see that the latter has a peculiar trimmed curvature which was the regular design of the Strats from the late 1980s. I wonder if that was really the case- Fender re-using those neck excess for the Lite Ash models. 

Ramadan 2019

Wishing all Muslim readers, friends & family a blessed Ramadan- let's give our all.

Revised DC Tribute

They didn't have to but they did- the Gibson LP Jr DC Tribute has a revised manifestation just days ago (released together with its other 2019 'Fall siblings). The bridge is still a wrap-over model but it's a new design & the input jack had been shifted to the side.

The former incarnation for reference. Not so good news- price goes up by USD100... 😦

Stock in

This guitar was featured here last year: CLICK. It's now in stock (List: $1,499). Just showing you the one piece neck. 😎