Hyper

 

This is the latest by Kiesel, the Hyperdrive. Looks like a Jackson Kelly-esque take with a more compact outline but it's actually a reverse concept of one of their own models. I kinda like how such outlines are offered in a smaller, compressed size. If you have handled a full blown BC Rich Warlock / Ironbird / Beast or anything of that nature, you'd appreciate this compression. Basic build starts at USD1,649.

Goodbye, October... 👋

Les Jones

 

Gibson finally released the Les Paul Adam Jones signature with quite a fanfare. There's a special video featuring a resurrected astronaut & a mutant zombie wasp traversing the ethereal forest giving life to this guitar. Regardless, the guitar in question features an interesting pair of pickups, the Seymour Duncan Custom DDJ & Gibson's own Custombucker installed in reverse. Be informed that the neck gets a relic treatment & worn out to the maple at most places. 

PIC: Guitar.com

Another

 

To wrap up the month. Whatever. 

Esquire!

 

This was a difficult decision but it happened. I got obsessed with the anniversary Esquire after trying it & decided to bring it home (after paying, of course...). I was never a big fan of any anniversary re-intro of anything (em... maybe one other guitar) but this one is a good one per se. It appealed to me in every way & it's a must have. I've been a fan of single pickup guitars to begin with so having only one pickup in there is no big deal at all. OK, more to come & in case you missed the full appraisal: CLICK

Michiya

 

I have a very limited knowledge of what's going on in Japan & there are many talented musicians there. Every now & then I would come across fine players & this is worth sharing - Michiya Haruhata. He has a delicious signature Strat seen above, featuring a DiMarzio Air Norton (n) & Fred (b). The middle single coil is Fender's own Texas Special but a Custom Shop version. This is Michiya in action with this very guitar:

PIC: Fender Japan

Clearance @ TYMC

 

Some stuff are clearing for a good deal @ TYMC. The Carvin LB20 you see here is definitely one of them. Modern tones with a good thump. When I tried this out sometime ago, I managed to hear it in action with some OD & it's one of the more pleasant ones I have ever come across.

These are good stuff as well, especially when you are on a budget - $15 ea... 😯

PIC: TYMC FB

59 lure

 

A custom shop Epiphone LP does not make sense; the costs & resources for one would jerk it into Gibson territory & we wouldn't be moved to pay that much money for something that doesn't say Gibson on the headstock. So they did the next best thing, a collaboration between the Gibson custom shop & Epiphone to give you the guitar depicted here - the 1959 LP Standard (seen here, the aged dark burst version). 

They went so far as to include that special medallion-esque toggle cavity cover so it takes you closer to the custom historic feel on a budget. Some plus points: 1) AAA maple top. May not be the real deal in terms of substantiality but they put in the effort to make it count. Kudos. 2) Gibson Burstbucker 2 & 3. That's right, real Gibson pickups in there. 3) Hard case included. The not-so-plus point here would be the Indian Laurel fretboard but this is not a make-or-break factor especially on an Epiphone.

Tele galore (not)

 

Life is a breeze when everything is a Telecaster. Not. How difficult could it be to proof read postings especially when you have a team doing it? 

On that note, here's a suggestion to sellers / distributors out there; if any member of the public / potential buyer spots an error, offer them a token discount on their next purchase. This way, you are virtually employing others to help you with error management for a very meagre amount. It adds a more human touch to your business, come to think of it, by connecting to people as opposed to profits. 

J Line: RG6

 

They unveiled this two days ago with a fair bit of hype over at their social media end. This is a Made in Japan RG6HSHFX in a very black finish. The bridge there is a fixed bridge Mono-rail version but the tuners are locking Gotoh MG-T models. Blank rosewood fretboard - yes!

Folks, the heel here is the block version so it's no different from the Genesis RG550. We wonder why the AANJ feature was omitted, it's like a step backwards but it's not a serious setback. The pickups are also the in-house V & S series, again, a very Genesis feature.

With that, the J Line series feature two offerings (Talman + RG) with a hint of more to come. I'm implying this because over at the Japanese listing, the Genesis models have been discontinued with the J Line seemingly taking over proceedings. The features discussed above also hinted at a cascading of Genesis model attributes with affordability in mind. So the J Line might bring in a deserving '90s nostalgia, appealing to cult followers of that era while converting new campers with non-extravagant features that might end up being modded anyway (eg. pickups). Looks like the business plan here is that of reclamation in light of the constricted financial outlook of buyers in the meantime. Hoping there's an S version with 22 frets next.

PICS: Ibanez Japan

Core!

 

If you are waiting for this with bated breath, be informed that it's now available at Swee Lee (List: $879). This is the face of multi-fx now; something compact, not restricted to floor use & mandatory interface capacity.

PIC: Roland BOSS

Solar B

 

So they finally did it - a Solar bass. The smart move here is letting the brand name gather a good / strong following before introducing variations to the fold. 

Some stuff: 1) The body is sungkai. The Malays / Indonesians would know it as jati. English - it's teak & something more common in the furniture industry. Teak is a hard, heavy wood & it's no surprise they use it for bass. 2) The pickups are TESLA so if you still think these are second-rated, they are actually good stuff, just not commonly used by the big brand names in guitars & basses. 3) It does not come with a bag. Bummer. Currently, it's only offered in this A (bolt-on) series with a 5-string variation. 

Review: Fender 70th Anniversary Esquire

 

Fender 70^thAnniversary Esquire

 

Aw, dang! This Tele here is a celebration of 70 worthy years. A precise, more respectable reference to this particular model would be an Esquire instead of Telecaster because that’s what Leo called it back then. I’m appraising this model on two accounts: 1) Is it worth the nostalgia? 2) Is it an over-priced novelty? So here goes…

Construction/ fit/ finish

After some extended personal time with this guitar, I must say that it’s the true definition of an NOS. This is what you would get if you travel back in time to buy a fresh Esquire from the store. Everything here is true to form, I couldn’t find anything to nitpick so it’s a worthy time-traveler. However, be informed that the body is a roasted pine version, the original would have been an uncured pine. This explains why it’s a super light guitar & we know that pine per se isn’t a hefty wood to begin with. The entire instrument is nitro finished, neck & fretboard included. Look forward to some gracious ageing with this one; that relic look would be at your disposal over time. You can now avoid feeling duped paying for an abused guitar. How it’s aged, it’s your call. Oh, those slot head screws are a fine touch & a deserving throw-back - top marks, Fender! One fine rehash with some extras to boot.

Playability/ tone

This isn’t a modern Fender, it’s a repro of a historical landmark so the neck carve departed from that contemporary, shallow profile. It’s a beefy U-type but it’s not as bulky as the Japanese Offset Telecaster. If you are an ardent grabber of necks, this one would please you. As the neck is all glossed out, be assured that it is not an overwhelming overcoat so handling this guitar over prolonged period of play is a pleasant experience indeed. If it could appease a gloss neck heretic like me, then Fender did it right. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the roasted pine body is a light darling. The unplugged resonance here is, to say the least, above average. Thank you, Fender for keeping the action adjustment screws in check, no palm-stabbing experience here either, it’s a very comfortable guitar to play.

 

I’m still overwhelmed by the goodness of a lone pickup coupled with a three way switching / selector option. To begin with, this is a Tim Shaw designed pickup so nothing detestable could be heard from any of the selections. If you wish for a normal tone experience, notch the selector in its middle position, the volume & tone knob works like any other ordinary Tele. Flick it towards the bridge, the tone knob is bypassed & one could hear a very raw, in-your-face Tele tone; the best I’ve come across thusfar. In this option, the pickup is at its brightest. Flick the selector neck-wards, the circuit now employs another capacitor wired especially to the volume pot & you have a very rounded top end; fat but not muddy. I actually enjoyed all three variations as these open up the tonal palette from spanky cleans to crunchy blues to - dare I say it – metal-esque lead voicings. If you think this is a one trick pony, then you are dismissive of what that 3-way selector does for the instrument even before hearing it in action.

Conclusion

As promised, on accounts of both queries: 1) This is one heck of a re-intro by Fender. I was skeptical at first but after hearing it in action, it’s a beast! The guitar remains objective & thankfully, it wasn’t revised to reflect the times. Ok, the roasted spruce is as contemporary as it gets but it didn’t get in the way of good nostalgia 2) Value-for-money considerations – it’s worth every cent. The price is definitely befitting of its class. Some would argue that it doesn’t feel like a $2.9K guitar & that’s because we often link a hefty price tag to present day luxury; double locking whammy bridges, active circuitry, multi-ply bindings, exotic tops, etc. This guitar should be valued for its goodness, the QC & tone are enough considerations for the money - yes, it’s that worthy. If there is any aversion for this instrument, then from a personal perspective & I’m really nitpicking here, the slot head screws inclusion were excessive. If you’ve dealt enough with them, the screwdriver has a tendency to slip because slot heads do not promote grip. Then again, this Esquire is so good, no screw drivers should come near it. So that concludes my very happy encounter parting with this much hard earned money for an OTT Esquire. No regrets.

Overall rating: 95%

Likes

·      Simplicity

·      Weight

·      Three-way tone selector

·      Neck profile

·      Designer pickup

·      Overall QC

 

Dislike

Too many slot head screws in a single guitar

Fender: 50th Anniversary Esquire

List: $2,899 (hard case included)

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

PIC: Fender

HP 2

 

Peavey re-launches the HP model after a hiatus following the pandemic earlier this year. The HP 2 will be handled by European craftsmen using aged wood dating back to 1990. These are the predecessors to the current EVH models with just the headstock variation. Do not look forward to them making their way here & it's largely due to the daft Peavey dealer who is semi-clueless when it comes what's in & what's not in the mean time.

We need a new Peavey dealer here. Now.

V-good

 

Finally, I got to try this out at Swee Lee (Start Vista) last Sunday. The store was not crowded so decided to give it a go. I usually don't fancy Mexican stuff, if it's a value for money Fender, my affiliations are with the Japanese version. However, the Vintera series are levelling up to the Japanese standards. I believe this 50s Strat has successfully surpassed the Japanese take in both QC & tone. But I was reminded by the cyber Strat community that it might be my lucky day. I happened to come across an exceptional model, they said. The Mexican QC is really a hit/miss affair & I could attest to this having come across both outstanding & rotten models over the years. Then again, the Vintera range might have a different agenda & consistency might be it. On that note, if you are after some Strat magic & wouldn't want to venture into the American offerings, this Vintera 50s Strat is highly recommended. 

Pic: Fender

Belle

 

A new one by Wampler - the Belle OD. You might think it's another TS-like, mild OD unit just because it's green but the Wampler camp paid tribute to another low profile but just as good green pedal; the Nobels ODR-1. Mr. Brian himself with the demo:

PIC: Wampler

Fatigue Sunday

 

I bought this quite some time ago. I was gonna fix it into one of the Gibsons but held back & saved it for one of the single humbucking guitars. Then it got misplaced, was MIA until recently when I went looking for my keys. It's a Custom Shop Alan Holdsworth humbucker, the AH1B otherwise known as the Metal Fatigue, proudly wound by MJ herself. The thing is, it's given a relic look at the production end, the rusty  pole pieces are definitely not my thing. Since this approach worked for me for one of my SGs, I bought a plastic cover to give it a blackout look.

It looks like the Kiesel Holdsworth now sports a serious active humbucker but you know what's going on, really. Why did I swap the Kiesel humbucker out for this one since Kiesel custom voiced its pickup according to Holdworth's specs? I think you know by now that I'm a Duncan fan & I somehow believe that this version has something for me. It's that unspoken magic or just mere understanding of what the Seymour Duncan name has to offer when it comes to tone. Both pickups are capable of capturing the signature Holdsworth tone, that deep, bass inclined, semi-alien voicing which is almost synth like in its qualities. However, unlike the Kiesel version, the Duncan version is richer in harmonics & would serve metal dweebs like me when it comes to extreme distortion & quick solo bursts. So that was yesterday's indulgences. It's a quick trip to Beez's to get this installation done, was home in a jiffy to enjoy the 'new' tone.

Review: Edwards E-LPC

 

In the Les Paul domain, only a Gibson matters. Even if a particular model succeeded in outdoing the Gibson in every way, the Gibson will hold true to value & appeal. The Edwards brand name is ESP’s sister label which deals domestically (Japan market). If any of these instruments make their way out of Japan, it means that favoured dealers are bringing these in on private terms. As such, we don’t see any advertisements or outright promos pertaining to the Edwards products. Everything is done exclusively; you either commit your following to the brand name’s limited cyber presence or you are the type who embrace Gibson dearly & its sister company, Epiphone. 

 

Construction/ fit/ finish

The E-LPC here is obviously a Les Paul Custom copy. I dare say it’s a copy because Edwards made no attempts to differentiate its physical attributes from the Gibson version less that brand name & the absence of a split diamond inlay at the headstock. Everything else screams Les Paul Custom from one end of the instrument to the other. As the QC is overseen by the ESP hands, production standards are above average. In fact, it’s so good, being in this price range, it seems unreal. A couple of demerits here, firstly, it’s that excessive lacquer build up at the neck-body joint, particularly obvious on the bass side of the strings. Secondly, the glue for the upper fret inlays are also excessive. In fact, you would see more glue than inlay here but the pearloid finish masks things up fairly well. It would take an extended observation to notice this imperfection & on that note, both issues are really forgettable flaws. You wouldn’t notice them unless you get into sleuth mode in the name of fine observations. Top marks here, definitely.

 

Playability/ tone

My first impression of this guitar has to be its weight – a hefty 3.8kg. If you are a Les Paul purist & believe in the magical weight category, this will have some mojo going. The guitar sounds jangly unplugged without being excessively bright. The neck width is a good 2mm wider (at the nut) than the Gibson spec. Also, the rear carve is more of a Fender C-type albeit a lot thicker but not as thick as the Japanese offset Telecaster. So it’s fair warning to you if you think you can get away with a Custom-esque feel for way less money – not quite. It’s good to know the fretboard here is ebony, in line with what Gibson started with historically. As such, the feel is simply smooth with a deserving hardneess without being synthetic. 

 

Tone-wise, I think I expected a little too much from the in-house EH-1G humbuckers. These sound very rounded & lacking definition in some settings, especially under extreme distortion. In clean mode, things remain fat & creamy. That neck pickup can definitely pull off some good jazz tones & I like it a lot more than the bridge counterpart. On hindsight, the humbuckers are very 57-ish, vintage in spirit with a good potential for hard rock & a very rounded top end. I’m still trying to get used to that top hat type control knobs, especially their looks from a playing angle. However, the in house ESP pots work well & are not scratchy.

 

Conclusion

Is the Edwards E-LPC the definite alternative to a Les Paul Custom? My frank & direct answer – no. Is it then a worthy investment when it comes to emulating the Les Paul Custom? Again, my frank & direct answer – heck, yes! Do not commit yourself to believe that it’s a Les Paul Custom by another name just by how close (very close indeed!) it looks like to the actual guitar. In the true spirit of the Les Paul Custom, the neck carve could have been more accurate. The tone on offer here is also a love / hate affair & it wouldn’t win over fans of modern high gain tones. The E-LPC shows the world that Edwards has good standards in production & listing for good money but people tend to take issue with the fact that they are downright copy cats. Be informed that copy models are not the only thing Edwards does. 

Overall rating: 85%

Edwards: E-LPC

Availability: Davis GMC

List: $1,150

Likes

• impressive Japanese QC
• smooth tuners/ pots
• quality ebony fretboard
• price + bag included

Dislikes

• weight
• vintage type pickups, limited dynamics

Maple Sky

 

Heads-up! If you've been waiting for this maple fretboard  version of the PRS Silver Sky, it's now in stock at Davis GMC. I hope by now you would've realised that the new list price for these models (the rosewood  version included) exceeds $3K. I find this Orion Green version very attractive. 

New E

 

New. Happy. Broke. 😐

45th M-II

 

We have to give it to ESP for their continuous ability to make head-turning guitars. These are simply awesome M-IIs... killer looks.

It's part of the ESP 45th Anniversary celebrations & manufactured in limited numbers, of course. 

Good roast

 

This is simply awesome & worth every cent. It's a Bacchus BST-2-RSM & available at Davis GMC. Got to handle one last weekend & the appeal is way beyond its asking price - $325. For many of us, anything Strat-ish has to be, at the very least, Fender associated. This is the reason players gravitate towards Squier. Now remove the Squier association & replace it with awesome feel. Awesome because it sport a roasted maple neck (mind boggling at this price point). It will be an uphill task trying to convince people to embrace this brand name for its sheer goodness. With regards to the price tag, we would be bent on catagorizing it as an entry-level unit but if you handle one in person, it's way beyond that performance.

Undeserving

 

This is undeserving, to say the least. Lego has intentions to release this in time to come & it's an official commission. I find the amp acceptable but the guitar is a firm NO. That headstock alone is a nightmare. Whatever, Fender.

PIC: GW

Hype

 

Fender teamed up with fashion giant Hypebeast for this Strat you see here. It's called - you guessed it - Hypebeast Stratocaster & made in the fine facilities in Japan. No surprises here as they did a Supreme Strat before (CLICK). I personally see this as unnecessary but we do realize that Fender's global sales went up this year despite the pandemic so they won't hesitate to perk sales up further with this one which is arguably appealling to a different market sector. Whatever, Fender.

JB/J

 

The Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz pair, seen here in gold covers, are simply... the JB & Jazz goodness. If you wish for clarity & some tasteful brashness, the JB has those. The jazz is the proverbial neck pickup that does cleans & drive well despite its name. Yes you can do jazz along the way as well, no surprises there. I don't fancy gold covers but it fits into the vibe of this guitar. Another good tone day for me. 

GT

 

This was released rather recently, I've meant to mention it here but got distracted; as usual. This is the new GT series by Taylor. The manufacturer says it sits between a grand concert & a GS mini with a full solid body construction (spruce top + back / ash sides). The scale length is also an in-betweener; 24.3" +/- the fretboard is eucalyptus. If this is meant to entice the GS Mini fans to cross over to the GT camp then it's a risky call price-wise (USD1,399 without electronics). There are very few GS Mini fans who are truly displeased with the instrument in the mean time; the playing comfort & tone are simply done right. The financial profile of the current GS Mini owners are also not ready to own the GT. Also, Taylor is  competing against itself because for USD1,399 the American Dream model would be easy enticement for players who want to move into a bigger sounding acoustic domain, which is a natural thing to do if one is to move away from a smaller, compact-sized instrument. 

PIC: Musicradar

New @ stores

 

Some stuff that would do your weekend shopping some good - we begin with the Edwards LP-types here. The E-LP125SD ($1,450) gold top is equipped with Seymour Duncans from the factory so it lists for a little more than its brother. That black E-LPC ($1,150) is the non-Seymour Duncan version; a good investment if you are into Japanese guitars which are affordable but not skimpy. Available at Davis GMC.

Over at the Swee Lee camp, a pair of Fender signature models: 1) HER (above, $1,599) 2) Tom Morello (below, $1,879). 

PICS: Davis GMC/ Fender

White burst

 

Released in the Japanese market - Ibanez AZ2204 in this white sunburst finish. The manufacturer cites a flamed maple top but it's not pronounced in this example. I believe the term 'burst' would be enough to describe this colour, 'sunburst' would refer to the shades of brown traditionally seen on Strats. We don't refer to other colours manifesting that burst effect as sunburst. A good example would be silverburst.

PIC: Ibanez Japan

Goodbye & thank you: EVH

 

The news of Van Halen's passing reached me very early in the morning. We are all early morning people here due to work & school commitments. Even the cat wakes up before everyone else. So throughout the day at work, Van Halen songs were playing in my mind, the images of him jumping up with his guitar - couldn't help but think of those. Flying Eddie, they call those.

My exposure to Van Halen's music were not his classic David Lee Roth era hits. I bought For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in its cassette format to check him out. He had been appearing in countless guitar ads in the magazines I bought back then with the EBMM so he must be someone formidable in guitardom. I was expecting Malmsteen-esque performance & was a little let down after hearing For Unlawful... but kept coming back to the album because the songs in there were all well structured & the guitars fit into each one perfectly; neither excessive nor minimal. 

Over the years, I continued to check his releases out & managed to venture into VH's back catalogue. He has a unique approach to guitar no doubt but nothing excessively shreddy as his guitar content needed to fit into songs unlike the shred soloists in those days; Vai, Satch, et al. I developed a liking for VH's Sammy Hagar albums and this is a definite favourite: 

Pics: K Mazur/ Jake L

Mini spirits

 

Folks, H&K has these for your consideration - the Spirit Nano amp heads. If you've heard their Spirit 200 models in action, the tones would be along those lines; rather brazen in the overdrive section & arguably above-average cleans if paired with the right driver. 

Please be informed that these are solid state technology with proprietary internal tube simulators that the manufacturer refers to as the Spirit Tone Generator. You get three different voicings here, the Vintage (clean-esque tone with minor break ups once it's cranked up), Rock (so H&K claims there's brown sound in this one) & Metal (self-explanatory, this one). 

Despite its scaled down affair, the amp head generates 50W of power but misses that opportunity to be great as no FX loop feature is offered here. I mean, it includes a cab sim but not an FX loop so the implication is that you can go crazy over at the computer end of things but for no frills practicality, it fell short. Differentiated control knob colours for the three models; that's a nice touch.

I am not here to play the part of the party pooper but I want us to take a look at the fate of preceding mini amp head models. Take the Vox MV50 series & Joyo's Bantamp amps - were these hits or misses? These are novelty releases at best. They came & went. Some of us might take interest along the way but they don't offer us enough staying power in terms of tone. Regardless of the amp size, tone is everything when t comes to amps. Amp software plug-ins are the mini amp head killers & we are aware of this.

The amp head situation in general is further compounded by the fact that players in this country are averse to owning a stacked unit. They cite legal complications relating to noise levels in housing estates as well as high rise private residential areas. Talk to the stores here & they will tell you the pain of selling amp heads, let alone a stacked unit in any dimension. Regardless of the situation, I'm leaving the H&K promo clip here for enticements:

30th Attitude

 

Yamaha commemorates its 30th anniversary collaboration with Billy Sheehan with this bass. The colour is a little boring but it's the colour of Sheehan's first P-bass (aka The Wife) so it's a walk down memory lane. Yamaha makes good basses, really. If you've handled an upper tier model, you know it's the works; everything so classy from one end of the instrument to the other. If you don't already noticed, Yamaha invests more time, resources, R&D & marketing for their basses than their guitars (in the mean time). However, many of us do not look up to Yamaha as a formidable name in musical instruments, we are distracted by their motorbikes, boat engines & pianos. 

L

 

Weekend is gear time for many of us, myself included. Managed to re-string this one. Strings were all rusty; to think that I gave it a good wipe-down before returning it to the case. Hmm...

One of the main dislikes about SGs is the fact that the input jack is front access. I invest in L-plugs for this reason, it's an easy solution. The regular straight plug work great but it juts out like a sore thumb & tends to get in the way for those of us who frequent the control knobs despite being out of the way by design. 

Spent about an hour with this one this morning. I couldn't bring myself to play anything nice or hard rock-ish, it's all out aggression through & through. The SG an easy instrument to play but the neck dive might be too much for many of us.

99

 

I'm kinda looking forward to these JHS pedals. These are the fresh 3 Series (3 knobs per pedal hence the name) going for a very reasonable USD99 each. You know how it is with JHS, prices are on the steep end but these look & sound promising. By the time these are listed here (if they ever made it at all, the back order is looking a little crazy) look forward to pay about $140 which is still attractive. OD & Distortion, these will be on my list.

PIC: Tone Tailors

Rats!

 

Pro Co Rats are now available at Davis GMC. You have to be quick though, some are even sold out already. 

PIC: Davis GMC

Basilio!

 

Best news to start October with - Lari Basilio is now officially in the Ibanez camp. I really hope they give her a Prestige signature model because it's deserving. If you have not seen / heard her in action before:

PIC: Ibanez FB