Sacrifice 2020

To all Muslim blog readers, visitors & friends - Salam Eid Ul Adha. So it's two straight Eids in the pandemic season & there's no signs of things letting down soon. Unlike Eid Ul Fitri, the law now permits limited merry-making so if you missed the opportunity to pay respect to your elders, this might be a consolation. In any case folks, safety first & abide by the mandated guidelines. Take care as we say goodbye to July. 

Order 66

So this happened last Sunday. It's 66-related but not an execution.

It's a Fender Sixty-six from the Alternate Reality series. I've been wanting to get one when it debuted but was too late, this particular finish was sold out. When it got re-stocked, I went for the Antigua Tele instead & it was sold out again. Darn distracted. So here it is finally. Why this model?

1. I have a soft spot for freaky Fender models - Marauder, Offset Tele & now this.
2. It's my newfound respect for Mexican models. The Mex Fenders of the past were good but they didn't click with me. For that kind of price, I'd rather get a Japanese Fender. I think Fender did a smart thing in terms of marketing, they offer unique models in the Mexican range just like they did in the American range (Parallel Universe). And now, they have some in the Squier range (Paranormal Series). I'll definitely check those out. 
3. It's Charvel's fault. The current Mexican Charvel models are nothing less than fantastic. It seems The Mexican end of Fender had been keeping things in check since the Pro-Mods & DKs debuted quite recently. I've been spending time checking those out at Swee Lee's Katong branch on some evenings before it closed down. The Paranormal Series are currently handled by the same people so no surprises here. On that note, I have a Charvel in mind but it's out of stock in the mean time.

It's the holiday eve, folks. The long weekend awaits. 😃

Talman bout

I was literally fighting this Talman last weekend for over two days. I think it's an episode worth sharing because I definitely do not wish for you to commit this oversight. 

So I started with unhappiness. This guitar manifested a high action when I started playing so play halted immediately. A quick sighting up the neck showed excessive relief & that got taken care of very quickly; truss rod adjustment. Nothing to it. That should pretty much solve the problem but no. Action was still high past the 15th fret so some shimming took place which addressed the action issue but resulted in fret buzz. This was restricted to the G, D & A strings. Re-shimming took place using a thinner piece of paper but buzzing persisted. I proceeded to check fret height but nothing was amiss. It's only the following day that the answer to my problem presented itself. I decided to check the guitar specs & found out that the radius for Talman models are 12" unlike the flatter 16" RG models. Darn! So there you go, a simple solution for a simple problem, really. Never assume, make efforts to check.

For the fun of it, I tried reverting to a 1.5mm pick which really isn't my kind of pick any more. Nothing good happened so a 3mm pick took care of proceedings. Hope you are having a good midweek. Take care. 👋

Hollow availability

The much anticipated PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo is now in stock at Davis GMC (List: $1,950). Only the black gold burst (seen above) is available in the mean time. Stock is moving fast, folks. 

Antigua (3)

It seems that the Japanese Fender instruments are now moving away from Gotoh pots. Seen here are CTS pots straight from the factory. The default capacitors are also quality ones (TK brand). The best discovery here (to me) is the 3-way selector; it's now the non-boxy, non-circuit board version. No markings on it to suggest a Switchcraft product but will probe further soon. It's unclear if this move applies to all Japanese models with immediate effect, I'm just glad to see good components in my guitar. 

Power of P (3)

Before giving the PRS SE P20 a full appraisal, I'll just disclose some bits here. Really, the workmanship is as good as it gets, no particular unhappiness relating to price-quality issues. The ones I'm highlighting here are too minor to cause a major upset. First up, we see the uneven corners of the truss rod cover; one end being sharp, the other, rounded off. We are well aware that wood working & plastic accessories are handled by different hands at the factory. 

This one shows the uneven trimming of the binding but it's only evident at this end, the other end is perfect. 

On that note (forgive the pun), I'm happy to say that the PRS SE P20 is every bit worthy of its asking price. However, we still have people who whined at the fact that it's made in China. Despite being educated & having access to technical information, we still get people who are dismissive of products originating from a certain country. This shows how narrow people still are today & they are willing to cascade their negative experience from another encounter unto something unrelated. From my end of things, I still rank China as the standard to beat when it comes to hollow/ semi-hollow/ acoustic craftsmanship in the entry level to mid-price bracket. Indonesia is well ahead, in the mean time, for the solid body reference for the same price considerations. 

NGS

Ending the week on a good note - New Guitar Sunday...

Antigua (2)

Nothing major but worth the trouble. I've swapped out the default M-type string tree (L) for the rounded version (R). Fender equips the American models (less the vintage/ era-specific models) with the latter. I prefer the rounded version as it does not snag the string during tuning, giving it smooth travel & a more effective response. 

If you are interested, these are the ones. Can't remember how much (should be slightly more than $10), bought them when SV Guitars still had a store front at Peninsula Hotel. 

HBO

Giving some playing time to my ESP Horizon bolt-on. It's actually finished in a very dark green hue which could easily be mistaken for black from a distance. 

Here's another example in a dark brown finish taken from an online listing. These were made in 1994 - 1995, listed as the Horizon Custom Deluxe. Unlike its current iteration, this one is a bolt-on version. I did not buy mine in the '90s. Back then, ESPs cost way too much for the average working person, brands like Aria & Vantage were the go-to budget references. I was still a full time student in the '90s so this was beyond reach. Davis GMC had a new old stock in their shipment back in 2012 & I managed to grab it just hours after it was displayed in store. The default pickups were ESP's in-house models & I replaced them with Duncan Distortions almost immediately. The selector was a 5-way & I replaced that one as well; 3-way plus a push-pull coil split option. 

Just days ago, Beez did a revival by replacing the dead tone knob. 

Here's my attempt to highlight the green finish by having a green pick there - not quite successful as you can see. Anyway, just glad that this came my way because it's the only ESP in my line up with an unfinished neck, something that the manufacturer will not consider in the mean time.

Silver, gold, rose

So Ibanez paid some attention to its acoustic lineup & introduced these AEWC10 models in (L-R) silver, dark gold & rose gold finishes. No idea how much these paint add to cost but some money should be invested in a solid top for this series of instruments. 

LBX-S

This is the latest iteration of the highly popular EVH 5150 III lunch box amp head. It's basically the LBX in dark mode, retaining all the LBX-II features. 

This time round, the LBX has gone the PRS Tremonti way by including internal coloured LEDs so that when you switch channels, it corresponds to the channel's colour indicator. No significant revision here so at my end, I'll give it a pass.

Happy 40th!

The Floyd Rose bridge is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. Commemorating this event, the company has released this very interesting/ attractive colour variant versions. I really like this idea & it should look the part in the newer ESP/ Jackson (among others) models out there. However, they are only offered as stand-alone units & they cost quite a ransom for a guitar component - expect to pay at least SGD700 for one. Yikes.

PIC: MI News UK

Power of P (2)

The PRS SE P20 came with a set of 12s as default. I am averse to thick strings especially in acoustic guitars so going down-gauge is the natural thing to do. On that note (forgive the pun), going down-gauge is not a downgrade. If there is a mandatory string gauge that all acoustic guitars should adhere to, please link me the source so that I would be enlightened. For this re-string episode, I refrained from going straight to my preferred set of 10 - 47, instead, I'm going with 11s first. As seen above, the GHS 11 - 50 was put to the task. The factory default action was retained to feel the immediate impact of a  gauge change. The decreased tension was felt immediately & I am more at ease during play, less mistakes, definitely. 

G vs C

This would prove to be tedious on our part - Gibson is opposing Collings over their headstock trademark registration. According to Gibson, if the court allows Collings to to do so, these would be the likely damages (quoting from source): 

1. as to be likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive with respect to the source or origin
2. would be likely to impair the distinctiveness, and cause dilution by blurring

From the looks of things, it reeks insecurity all over. The discourse here is to make believe the design infringement based on common understanding; the headstock outlines look similar. The discerning players among us & those who are simply more acquainted to guitar designs would know that the differences are rather obvious. We note that this opposition is happening in the midst of Collings making an effort to register its design. So registration is the issue, yes? One entity out there is telling another that, hey, you can't own your own design. That's deep.

PIC/ quote: Guitarist UK

Return to goodness

Following the coated strings letdown as shared recently (click HERE), I returned to what had been working for me all this while; a good pack of D'Addario strings. Seen here is the 80/20 bronze set, just love the crispy tones from this one. These react especially well with the AW54JR's mahogany, warm & clear tones.  Can't help but relate to it as crispy - keep in mind that a mahogany sound board has more midrange than a spruce-induced top end. Combine this with the 80/20's very bright offerings & you get that wonderful crisp tones. Not quite appealing if you sing & play at the same time.

Price Watch (11)

Was trawling the after-market & stumbled upon this one. I'm not the price police but time & again I would appeal to your senses in pricing your items to clear. If the objective of your listing is to fish for interested parties more than anything else, you are entirely entitled to act according to what you deem fit.

The seller is asking for $2,500 quite obviously due to that exclusive signatures there. However, a quick check with Swee Lee's listing revealed that this instrument (new) is going for $1,999 & that's the autographed version. I'm giving the seller the benefit of the doubt, maybe, through sound reasoning (forgive the pun), he/she will match Swee Lee's price. All the best. 👍

Jupiter 6

The best thing to happenthis week - the Seymour Duncan Jupiter 6 is finally released. Bonus - there's a neck version as well. I'll let the endorser do the talking:

Slashing

Not a Slash fan by any means so I've been ignoring these 2020 models. However, treating the Les Paul as it is without looking too much into the signature details, I must say that this version is perhaps the most appealing if you are indeed a Les Paul fan. The only signature indicator in front of the instrument is that truss rod cover which can be replaced easily. Unlike the Slash models of the past, these are devoid of gaudy cobra inlays or some extroverted body colours. How much? $4,199...

That Slash acoustic there is the limited edition vermillion version which is basically an overhyped J-45. I don't see Slash as a pivotal reference for a Gibson acoustic & the $4,899 is simply excessive.

Gibson is doing it right for the Slash models in terms aesthetic details (or the lack of excessive signature details for that matter) but the asking prices are simply ridiculous. OK so Slash is the reason Les Paul sells by the truckload everywhere (these are available at Swee Lee now, by the way) but the so called upper tier version like the Slash series for instance, are beyond the workingman's reach. I'm totally put off by the price tags but hey, I'm not a fan so no love lost.

Unworthy

Sometimes, I try my best to not judge a certain product based on a popular belief. I might be too nice at times & continue to give an already beaten reputation another chance. I believe this is that situation. 

There is this very popular string brand (let's call it Brand E) that offers a so called benchmark coating standard in preserving string life. Brand E might be the proverbial reference for those who believe in string coating technology & are not privy to any anomalies. Not me, of course. The coating somehow flakes off over time but that was an encounter of the electric kind. I decided to try the acoustic version & fingerpick all playing moments to eliminate the fact that the pick itself is the root of the issue. As seen above, despite the fingerpicking treatment, the flaking happened & exposed parts rusted pretty quickly. This is definitely my final obligation for Brand E. Good riddance.

Control

This is the latest EHX release called the Cntl Knob. It's basically an expression pedal without any rocking parts. You set the two knobs there to toggle between your desired differences & that's it. Why the need for this one? If you are put off by expression pedals taking up real estate on your board, this would be a possible alternative. The catch - it only works with pedals with an expression input. However, for the love of me, I could hardly imagine the need for one after watching the demo clip. I shouldn't talk too much as I'm not the pedal board type. Anyway, if you can spare the time:

Power of P

My latest acquisition (hinted last Thursday) is this marvelous PRS SE P20. I can never fully let go of my attraction to parlour-type acoustics for its sheer fit to my needs. That's right, folks I am more comfortable with smaller bodied acoustics be it a 3/4 model or a parlour make like this one. I enjoy playing travel-sized ones as well but it restricts technical movements & lacks projection when dealing with single notes. OK, more on this soon, do watch this space.

A big thank you to Janet & the good people at Davis GMC for a pleasant acquisition. 

HM is in

Fender's 2020 version of its HM Strat is now available at Swee Lee. Both maple/ rosewood fretboard versions are listing for $1,799 ea. 

For this amount of money, you get the least favourable Floyd Rose bridge (FR Special), do keep that in mind. I'm not deflating your enthusiasm but how much more does a 1000 series FR bridge cost compared to the Special? Not much. It shows how enthusiastic Fender is in re-introducing this iconic model. For this amount of money, it's wiser to give the buyers their money's worth, yes? Also, please be aware that the scale length is 25.1" as opposed to the regular Strat's 25.5" & it has nothing to do with the number of frets or length of the entire instrument. 

Mojo

I believe this is one of my better playing, better sounding guitar. This S470 used to be black but it's now this green-ish gold. I'm still on the lookout for 22-fretted S-Series & I know these can't be had new today. There are a few in the after-market but I'm not agreeable with the fret life of those despite going for good asking prices.

Just a minor revision this time - the bridge pickup is now a DiMarzio Mo' Joe (together with the Area '61 (m) & PAF 36th (n) - these make an unlikely attractive combo for me). Why bother? 1) The DiMarzio was clearing for a good price at SV Guitar 2) The Air Norton that used to be in there is more impressive in clean settings compared to an overdriven application.

I'm totally aware that the Mo' Joe was designed for Joe Satriani but I'm more attracted to what it has to offer EQ-wise. As seen above, it has a strong midrange response which is my staple; blame the extreme metal streak in me & my need to hear very harsh, intense midrange for that intent. Verdict - the Mo' Joe sounds crunchy at high distortion settings, extremely suitable for players in search of that doom-esque grizzle. However, as correctly implied by the EQ settings above, the spike in midrange isn't excessive. If you wish for that bass note chugging to see you through, it got you covered but do not expect a thick, PAF type palm muted motes.Bonus - it has an awesome split tone, very Strat-ish in a modern way. 

Choice 2020

Singaporeans head for the polls today. It should be an easy one if you've been keeping up with what went on for the last week or so & reading between the lines (also - reading between the lies). I will be more critical when it's a level playing field which is not the case in the mean time. Just glad it's a long weekend, time to catch up with gear. Anyway, enjoy this one:

PIC: New Naratif

New G

Today's adventure. 😜

Exotic

Sweet SE, this one - Custom 24 exotic top zebrawood. It's available now at Davis GMC & listing for  $1.1K; a reasonable asking price if you ask me.

The other junior

Not many manufacturers would invest the time & money into shorter-scaled guitars. These models are lesser in demand due to a niche appeal. It is therefore good to see that this Summer, Ibanez has the AE245JR out for those of us who embrace a smaller make acoustic. This isn't a fresh take on a scaled down AE, three years back, Ibanez had the AE205JR which is still in the current catalog (CLICK). This version features a solid okoume top & a katalox fretboard. If you think the latter wood is a synthetic feature, know that it's another name for Mexican ebony.

Jackson's Summer (2)

Jackson joins the sandblasted camp this Summer. Not a Floyd Rose fan but this one is a looker with a simple but attractive monochrome theme. Duncan JB/59 pairing gets my vote. (DK2 Ash)

Jackson also joins the Evertune camp with this 7-string Dinky. It's fair to say that the Evertune bridge solves tuning headaches for the performing professionals. (DK2 Modern Evertune 7)

Single hit

Letting off steam with a singular objective. Naturally, the RGR08 was my pick. I still have a soft spot for single pickup guitars, regardless of the brand name. The Duncan Nazgul pickup here is perfect for angry moments but it's acquired taste. In addition to being an all out distortion affair - nothing less than the SH-6 - the Nazgul is injected with some grizzly top end.

This is perfectly reflected in the Duncan EQ chart, note the reduced bass response but it does not equal a poor bass performance, just lesser than the average high output humbucker. If your amp is up to it, chances are, you can dial in a good low end as compensation. My take on the Nazgul is that it's a pickup for the metal camp. Nothing smooth/ prog-esque about it, in fact, it sounds grizzly & menacing. It won't quite supplement all your chug fest either. There's a healthy dose of fuzz going on in here if that's your thing but it's nothing grungy, all out metal. Imagine Darkthrone coming out of your amp & laying seige to everything nice. OK enough already. I think you get the picture.

Small SLO

I am an amp person more than a pedal person. This release by Soldano is indeed a welcomed one. If you are into menacing distortion, the SLO-100 is one of the standards to beat. What kept many of us away from it is the size & that excessive wattage. However, joining the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo, it's something we are keen to own but not at the asking price. This SLO-30 is listing for USD2.7K, this amount of money could get you a proper 100W amp from a different brand name. It's good to see Soldano joining the smaller make (aka lunchbox) amp to appease the home fans but we are expecting the lunchbox price bracket. 

Special

This is a special one indeed. It was a special order liaised by Davis GMC for me some years ago. The good ESP people were willing to tweak certain features from an existing model to include others from another existing model. It's virtually a hybrid design.

So my request was a simple one; an existing M-Series with a H-S pickup configuration (Seymour Duncan JB/ Classic Stack Plus in this guitar). Since I get to pick my finish of choice, I went with white. Why? Because the preceding models that I acquired before this one were black. This went the opposite way.

The H-S pickup combo was a refreshing change. The ESP people tilted the neck single coil so that all strings are aligned with the pole pieces. Was this a design in any existing ESP model back then? Yes - the Horizon FR 27. Subsequently, Kiko's signature ESP model featured the slanted neck single coil slot as well. That was easy for ESP. 

The white finish was regrettable. All white finish will yellow over time, the parts coming into contact with the hard case interior will yellow faster than other areas (as seen above). It's like that repulsive sweat outline on a white pillow cover so no more white for me. ESP stopped this special order programme a few months after I ordered this one. Bummer. 

Jackson's Summer

In the absence of Summer NAMM 2020, Jackson, along with other manufacturers announced its mid-year line up. This is one of the showstopper (if there was one to begin with); a 27 fret soloist with much glitter to boot. Jackson isn't the first when it comes to extra frets (ESP/ Ibanez were there) but the fact that it dares to debut such a looker in the absence of a real reception speaks volume (forgive the pun) about intent. This isn't a second tier import model & will set you back about USD1.9K if it rocks your boat. That arched top is a nice touch. 

Genesis: Blue (3)

The replacement pickups in this one are DiMarzios:

• Neck: D'Activator
• Mid: HS3
• Bridge: D'Activator

This isn't the first account of D'Activators in my guitar, they were in my Jackson Yellow Dinky (click HERE). I'm largely a Duncan camper but I'm not averse to DiMarzio, especially the D'Activator. These  are easily preferred in terms of extremity & clarity when it comes to tone. The bottom end loving geeks out there wouldn't be in love with this kind of offering; they sound brash & manifest more treble than a typical PAF type humbucker. I'm at home with this kind of tone as it easily addresses my extreme metal needs & additional bottom end could easily be dialled in over at the amp end. If there's any Duncan equivalent, then it would be the JB but the D'Activator is a louder counterpart. I lowered the bridge D'Activator a little bit more than my usual preference & it sounds marvelous. 

Related entries:

Genesis: Blue

Genesis: Blue (2)