Holy LP

This was released just days ago - the Epiphone Holy Diver Les Paul for Vivian Campbell. The actual guitar that made the Holy Diver recording was a Gibson but this was created to closely replicate that model, especially the inclusion of a pair of DiMarzio X2Ns. 

Does not come with a case though, just this bag; EpiLite bag they call it.

Rosewood unleashed

This had been in the news for a few days. It is a very sensible thing to do. It doesn't take too much thinking to actually realize how dumb it is to subject manufactured products (done way before those CITES people were even born yet) to this relatively recent rule. Apparently, some people somewhere failed to put their little grey cells to good use. A blanket rule isn't entirely preventive, it adds to misery & hardship especially so when not applied in context. 

We would be able to buy guitars with rosewood components at a click of a button again. Hopefully it would be soon. You know how it is with paper pushers overseeing this turnaround - red tape. 

PRS cables

Folks, PRS cables are in stock @ Davis GMC. I'm personally interested in them & would be checking them out. These aren't expensive, comparable to the HOSA & Ibanez brands in terms of prices.

PIC: DGMC

Revival price

Read good stuff about this one but it lists for more than $500. Darn.

V up

This is the new Gibson Flying V 2019. This was the first batch, the pre-Curleigh era model.

The newer Curleigh era version (2019, Spring) features slight differences; the Gibson label at the headstock end of the instrument plus a Graph Tech nut (tektoid on the pre-Curleigh). You guessed it, a slight price increase in observed. Hmm...

Vocal push

In my line of work, vocal projection is everything. However, as one approaches the sunset years, one's vocal chord endurance deteriorates very quickly. I would be down with a severe sore throat (bleeding on occasions) if subjected to prolonged, unassisted loud talking. These days, I'd be arming myself with a mic to reduce this strain but maintain volume projection. However, some PA systems have no gain feature to push things through when it comes to amplification. The solution - external boosting. The JOYO Roll Boost you see here works well with a mic as it would with an electric guitar. It's a non-discriminant; it doesn't choose to boost guitar signals better than vocal signals. It just boosts anything that's plugged into it. 👍

Checking Standard

Following yesterday's hard case upkeep, it's only right that I attend to its content as well - the Gibson LP SG Standard. 

Got this replaced. It's semi-functional, crackled while in use. When Beez tested it out, it failed to work completely. 

As you can see there, the original Gibson humbuckers are back in place (490R/498T), I'll save the story for another episode. Trying the new set of EHX strings here; more on this soon.

Also back in place are the original reflector knobs. That's right, I switched the 3-way toggle switch tip to the black version. 

Beez at work - everything up & running in 15min at most.

This is Beez's signature of sorts; exposed wires or the ones with a high potential to short-circuit the system, would be sleeved.

As for me, I like to keep things in place so that they won't get in the way when the pickguard is re-fixed into position. 

Things are taking a non-Ibanez turn here. I play them less often lately, I'm now in Gibson mode. The Curleigh era will see deadweight models being eliminated from the catalog so it's a good time to see what's worth getting/ keeping in the mean time. Not planning to binge purchase what's left in stock, I will only be interested in the ones that would likely serve my needs. An example would be the 2016  Explorer T that was acquired recently. I'm no Explorer fan but the 500T/ 496R pickups in that guitar screams heavy music all the way. 

Hot case

Taking advantage of the hot day - gave this mouldy hard case a good wipe down & dried it in the sun.

Heritage?

Folks, the 2019 LP Standard 50s from the newer Gibson Original collection, is now available at Swee Lee. The 60s version is also available, same listing price as well. Anyway, Swee Lee should be mindful of that labelling there because there's no such thing as a 50s Heritage Electric Guitar at the official Gibson webpage.

This should be the correct reference. Thank you for keeping the price true to the manufacturer's suggested listing. In any case, it's a no go from me. Will buy something else. If you are keen, be informed that limited quantities are in store. How limited is limited? If there's an active interest for both models over this weekend, they'll be sold out by Monday. 

Price case

Let's take a look at this.

And then, this.

The bag costs more than the hard case. OK, maybe the Taylor name there is a legit reason for the bag to be listed that much. The hard case is an SKB offering & does not bear the Taylor name. But what does the international market say?

USA

• Taylor bag: 100
• SKB Hard case: 137

CANADA

• Taylor bag: 139
• SKB hard case: 144

Regardless of the prices, the bag still costs less than the hard case. Anyway, who are we to say that Item A should cost less than Item B, yes? We don't own a store, we don't ship in container loads of stuff - what the heck do we really know. Hmm...

Questionable crossroads

These were announced today; a collaboration between Clapton & Guitar Center for custom shop exclusives of his Crossroads Fender (Blind Faith Telecaster) and Gibson (Firebird 1). Each will set you back at least USD11K. We sometimes question the necessity of manufacturing such beyond-reach models but for the manufacturers, it really help them sell another Tele & another Firebird. I will continue to steer clear of signature models.

Junior vs Junior

Folks, as promised, my appraisal of the Martin against the Ibanez. Let's get down to the specifics:

• Martin: Dreadnought Jr (Sapele)
• Ibanez: AW54JR

Coincidentally, both have the 'junior' label in the model reference with Ibanez opting it to be abbreviated & incorporated into the alpha numeric citation. I really had second thoughts about doing this appraisal in this light but I need a reference for the Martin so that if you are new to the scaled-down guitar world, you would know that Martin isn't exclusive in having such guitars in their line-up. It is therefore not a contest per se but a leveraged reference. Let's get going.

Construction/ QC

Martin. We know how it is with this brand name - impeccable standards & there's no compromise here. This wasn't meant to be an entry level offering, just a deviation from the regular offerings for players who prefer scaled down dimensions to avoid wrestling with size. Keep in mind the DJ sports an all solid body construction (sapele) but the fretboard wood is an artificial affair (richlite). The wonderful thing here is that Martin made it a point to convince potential buyers it is wood, visually. The stain & grain on board are hardly artificial at first glance. Nothing amiss here less that bridge strap pin cavity that felt rough around the edges. Some manufacturers avoid installing a protrusive contraption to avoid damage during shipment. This is, of course, a minor set back. Very minor indeed.

Ibanez. The AW54JR isn't lagging behind in terms of construction finesse, in fact, it is on par with the Martin. The scary thing is that the manufacturer managed to incorporate an elbow relief at this price point & it puts Martin to shame in this aspect. The AW54JR has a solid top mahogany body with laminated mahogany sides. The fretboard here is 100% wood (ovankol, together with the bridge) & the overall stain looks more attractive compared to the Martin's rather pale affair. However, the Ibanez (this model, particularly) had two loose tuners but it's not something a screwdriver couldn't handle. OK, so the Ibanez had its body strap pin installed at the factory & was strap-ready out of the box. Hmm...

Playability/ Tone

Martin. The instrument had a slight bow upon unboxing but was quickly fixed at the store - just a minor truss rod tweak, nothing to it. The default action was acceptable but the instrument is neck heavy, even the spruce stop version exhibited this anomaly when I handled it at the store. It could have been due to the compact richlite material manifesting its density. As such, we can hear a deeper low end coming from the DJ with a checked treble response; nothing bright & repulsive, a very warm, Martin affair. Addictive, be warned.

Ibanez. The AW54JR had no bowed neck issue but the guitar had a rather high action setting. I wonder why the manufacturer penalized itself in this department because the guitar's main attraction are arguably playability & tone. A subsequent re-string adventure revealed that the Ibanez's default bridge was a good 3mm thicker than the Martin's so the implication here is, Ibanez left it to the owner to tinker with action settings. However, folks, despite the higher action, the AW54JR manifests that wonderful mahogany warmth purists would appreciate. It has a tad more clarity when it comes to single notes which might be attributable to its lighter being. Feel-wise, the Ibanez has a smoother response & this is why we appreciate real wood for the fretboard material. 

Conclusion

A gentle reminder that this isn't going to end with a clear winner but an appreciation of strength & individual appeal. The Martin is a fault-free player proving its worth in every department; even the artificial fretboard failed to render it as the lesser Martin from the manufacturer's extensive range of guitar goodness. However, please accept the fact that the said artificial component affects the guitar's response in the traditional sense but it isn't excessive. The Ibanez, on the other hand is a surprise package & that elbow relief there is a sign of the times; Ibanez is not about to ignore thoughtful incorporations with the player in mind & a firm statement that cost is definitely not the issue. It also proves that non-solid sides & back do not reduce any tonal appeal. Well, the Ibanez's classic open tuners make for sheer attraction in addition to its spectacular wood grains. 

All in all, the stark reality here is that the Ibanez is less than half of the Martin's original list price. We acknowledge the fact that a solid construction is a costly affair but is richlite adding significantly to the cost as well? How about giving us some elbow comfort, Martin? Especially at this price point. Regardless, some great playing moments can be had with either guitar depending on how deep your pockets are at times. 

The capturing game

This is the talk of the moment, a potentially game-changing device that eliminates the need to own multiple guitars (do we really want this to happen?). Mooer's Tone Capture GTR allows you to sample some sound bytes from one instrument & use another to trigger its application. Sample a Strat & use a Les Paul to trigger the Strat sound to confuse everyone. Is this technology new? Remember, the Kemper does likewise for amps. Here's a clip from the manufacturer to show you that it's a quality replication with no lagging responses:

Note that the clip didn't show the acoustic guitar sounding like the Strat/ Les Paul 😎

Fire in the house (2)

One of the reasons why I'm agreeable with this year's Firebird Tribute - the headstock. Last year's Studio model featured a non-reverse design which looked clumsy against the reversed body. This year, it's back to the reversed format but the only gripe I have here is the fact that finger spaces between tuners are very limited. I have to use my fingertips while tuning as opposed to grabbing a button fully to avoid hitting against the neighbouring buttons. However, I don't fancy the through-headstock Steinberger tuners because if you lay the instrument down on the ground/ table, the headstock would be resting on the tuners; potential damage right there.

The Juszkiewicz-era GIbsons were equipped with a set of 9 - 46 at the factory which quickly made way for a set of 10s once it reached my place. A trusty set of D'Addarios, what else.

This guitar played poorly at the store. The neck was bowed out of the box & the action didn't help either. The toggle selector's mounting ring was also loose. Addressing these anomalies together with a set of preferred strings transformed it into a great player. Bottom line - never dismiss the importance of minor details in making things work especially for musical instruments.

I hope the upper tier Firebirds do not feature such careless trimmings. The entire pickguard was well-cut except for this part here. It reflects work attitude & commitment. The Gibson name has a reputation to uphold, employees would do well to understand that their oversight would contribute to the goodwill's undoing. I'm nit-picking, really. I definitely like this guitar.

Rosy jazz

This is a limited edition model, I'm not hoping in any way that it gets here. That all dark neck you see there is a rosewood affair, we can correctly refer to this as a rosewood neck. Unlike the common confusion where a rosewood fretboard is referenced as a rosewood neck. The guitar in question is the Fender American Pro Series Jazzmaster with that special edition neck. OK, won't dwell on it too much since there's a chance it won't make it to the stores. 

Selling: Digitech Jam Man Express

I'm making do with only one loop pedal & this one will be on my goodbye list:

• Digitech: Jam Man Express XT looper pedal
• 8/10 condition, box included
• Strictly self-collect: CCK mrt station
• No reservations/ no trades
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $90 (final, non-nego)

Paul's @ Davis

The highly acclaimed PRS SE Paul's guitars are in at Davis GMC. This is by far the most refined SE I've seen especially so after witnessing it in person. No corner cuttings in terms of presentation, looks & sound the works as well. (List: $1,190)

Lipstick goodness

I finally got this (Fender American Special Strat) done a few days ago - sent it to Beez to have two things done.

Firstly, to get these replaced. Dead CTS tone pots. They were fine the last time I played this guitar. No amount of contact spray treatment could cure something as dead as this. Trashed & replaced.

Secondly, to get these Seymour Duncan SLS lipstick tube pickups fixed. You can't get any from the shops here, bought them online. The reason why I have not tried this kind of pickups after years of playing is simply because they are not available here. No big deal because these days, acquisition is simply a click away. Waited for more than a month for them to be shipped over because they were on back order; I did not see the availability status on purchase day. Anyway, I was more driven by the 25% discount. More on these on another day, suffice to say that they are beyond expectations.

A fresh set of strings to cap it all off. La Bella Super Bender set for, you guessed it, some very bendable moments & they mean what they said - very bend friendly. Will not appeal to the metal heads who thrive on peddling bass notes; the feel is just different. That's right, got this online as well.

Promo for students

Certainly a first here. Support! 👍

D Jr (2)

I have no complaints with Martin's Dreadnought Jr's QC. At least for the one I've acquired, it's in top notch condition in its entirety. Perhaps this is the hallmark of the Martin name; formidable construction for the taking. However, the instrument gave off a pungent stench, akin to that of a dead lizard or some small critters left lifeless in the house for a few days. It's definitely unpleasant & a quick check was done to see if there was indeed something dead in the guitar case- negative. Was there something dead in the instrument body itself? Negative. A closer inspection revealed that the stench came from the strings & fretboard. I have no idea what caused this to happen but it could be:

• chemicals from the strings compounded by the fact that it was left boxed up & stored away prior to purchase
• the richlite material giving off some chemical reactions under humid conditions

Whatever the case might be, I've re-strung the guitar with a fresh set of Dean Markley as seen above. Coincidentally, the strings were left under some books in the house since August 2018 (as documented by the accompanying receipt); a one-year-old set of strings still fresh & crispy. Kudos to Dean Markley for getting it right in terms of preservation.

Moving on to the fretboard, with reference to the pic above, it's very difficult to tell that it's a non-wood material. The grain there is very convincing & they got it tinted right as well. I've mentioned previously that this guitar was a bucket list item for me because I've never owned & do not believed in setting aside money for a compromised component. I strongly believe that the fretboard should be constructed from a wooden material regardless of the pedigree. Putting things in context, the rate of deforestation now is rather alarming. It is inevitable that one day, 50% of the guitar's construction would be attributable to wood substitutes. That would be a sad day indeed. Companies like Martin are looking ahead to incorporate such a material into their tried & tested construction formula. Richlite seems to be a winning ingredient & we have Gibson to concur this commitment; their latest G-45 Standard acoustic features richlite as well. These substitutes also contribute to the lower price tags. 

Okie dokie, the next instalment would be a tone shoot out between the Dreadnought Jr & my Ibanez AW54JR. 

Fire in the house

The latest acquisition is another Gibson (as I slowly move away from getting another Ibanez) but something from the affordable range- the 2019 Firebird Tribute. This is an absolutely gloss-free finish which I prefer. It was fresh out of the box when it arrived at Swee Lee Katong. I told the sales guy (the great Mr. Fouzy) to leave it as it is; no pre-purchase setup necessary. The intention was to see the standard of presentation.

The guitar experienced a neck bow but it's a slight affair that a quick truss rod tweak managed to cure (I did that at home, not in store). As such, it played poorly in terms of action setting. The toggle mounting ring was also loose plus a dry fretboard to kill the joy of buying a GIbson. Folks, these are expected anomalies that are perfectly manageable within the ambit of a good set up. In fact, these are expected since the guitar per se is constructed from organic components that react to temperature. There are parts that would slowly come undone with repeated movements; these are usually tightened parts. We cannot rule out the fact that someone at the factor didn't do a good job at tightening them & contributed to a poor pre-purchase experience - it's all about QC. Tone wise, despite having the guitar plugged into an EVH amp, it was mediocre when it comes to heavy, distorted tones.

Tune in to the next episode of Fire in the house to know how this one fared with my set up at home. 

In check

This is a little snippet of my little best friend in action. It's none other than the JHS Little Black Amp Box (LBAB). I've customised a pair of patch cables to extend it onto the top of the amp head (for convenience more than anything else) & it resides there permanently. That's right, this device is to be plugged into the loop feature of any amp & not to be used in series. There's no ON/OFF switch involved so once plugged in, it's put to work. There's also no battery in use; I would leave this permanently plugged in, no worries about any chemical leakage waiting to happen.

If you've not understood the function of the LBAB, it's an attenuator. The bona fide meaning of an attenuator is a device that mitigates the outcome of a certain device performance. The mitigation here often involves a reduction as the device attenuated is deemed to be excessive in a certain way. The LBAB is a passive attenuator; it does not require an external power source to work. Active attenuators are often attached in between the amp head & the speaker cab, it tends to dissipate heat while in use & a lot bigger by design. 

Is the LBAB the only option out there? If you wish for a simple passive approach to taming loud, high powered amps for indoor use, any device that addresses volume reduction will work: 1) Volume pedal 2) EQ pedal. For a volume pedal assigned for such a task, we note that it has a limited sweep compared to even simple devices, such as the LBAB, specifically assigned for such a job. Also, the volume pedal is often placed on the floor & has limited security when it comes to accidentally activating it while you are on stage. The EQ pedal on the other hand fares better in terms of the volume sweep on offer plus it has EQ options on board for you to fine tune your tone. However, EQ pedals require a battery to operate & once the battery wears out, it affects the overall signal tone. Use a power adapter you say? Be informed that this will induce a background hum. 

Well that's about it for this instalment, the next one might be a discussion of how much tone sucking happens when an attenuator is in use. Till then, cheerio, folks! 

Eid Ul-Adha 1440

Blessed greetings of Eid to all Muslim friends & blog readers, a happy long weekend to the rest of us - hopefully it's a deserving one.

It had been an imposing week for me, personally; staying strong & putting up a stoic front to see this through. More importantly, believe in the sacrifices we have to undergo in order to enjoy the fruits of the labour subsequently - never stop believing & praying. That's what Aidiladha is all about, isn't it?

Another koa top

Ibanez added another koa top AZ, this time it's the AZ2204 version. Those white single coils are out of place & look like a cheap mod was done to the instrument. It's a limited edition model but the last koa top AZ did make its way here. It listed for more than $4K so not expecting this one to be any cheaper.

54

Happy 54th birthday to my beloved country. Changes are in the air but it seems that people here are still haunted by 'what if's... This includes the more educated generation of people who can read between the lines. Unlike the pre-millenium situation, the opposition parties today are smarter, bolder & more daring. Also unlike the pre-millenium situation, the current authority is banking on a spectral buy-in to convert the youngsters. These people do not live through the pre-independent hardship so if you keep drumming into their heads a sense of secured livelihood, they would most probably not listen. In any case, the reek of bullshit is becoming more apparent. I'm sharing my favourite National Day song & it's not something recent compounded by the fact that this year's song is a mishmash of older stuff, recycled, to put it bluntly. I hold the messages in this song very dearly.

D Jr

Managed to grab this on the last day of sale- Martin's Dreadnought Jr. sapele. Will tell you why this is a bucket list item for me.

Modern Japanese

These are simply very attractive.

Available in the Japanese market, I think Swee Lee needs to bring them in. Seriously. 😛

Control State

I know this is not gonna be popular but it's an important highlight. One Control released an amp head recently, the BJF-S66 is sleek & it's a solid state unit. That's right, it'll be an immediate put off for many amp purists but we know there are some fabled tones coming from solid state amps & tube amps don't work for some of us. This is a good presentation of the amp:

D & G (2)

The Lace Drop & Gain pair went into my Jackson Minion V. It is my intention that this guitar should manifest gain-inclined tones as much as possible. 

The bridge humbucker has a very active-like clarity when it comes to power chords. Single notes, on the other hand, sound twangy- rather unbelievable. I have no idea what's the chemistry here but it's a very likeable pickup in this aspect. The neck pickup strives to match the bridge counterpart in terms of distortion voicings & it did not disappoint. The single notes however, are woolier & not as pseudo active. For solos, I tend to activate both. A value-for-money acquisition since these are on clearance. 

Little black

This is my new best friend. It does nothing but tames beasts. Sometimes you need the little people to handle big issues. It's not about the size but what it was assigned to do. Never send in big, over-qualified but clueless entities to handle something beyond their scope.

JHS: Little Black Amp Box

Light up

Spent some time this morning with the MT-15. Giving it more 'tests' before putting up an appraisal.

When I looked up the ceiling, I saw the MT-15 making its mark. 😎