40th

We end  January in the knowledge that Squier has released some enticing models to commemorate their 40th year in the running. Tele. Strat, Jazzmaster, P-bass & J-bass are given the Anniversary treatment and offered in two versions - the standard one you see above...

.... & this anodized pickguard & gold hardware iteration. The block inlays & bound neck give this a custom vibe. Of course, let's hope these do make it here.

Pics: Fender / Squier

'59s

A rather laid back Sunday. Took this one out to play. It's an Ibanez S1625, first debuted in 2003. It's good for only a year before Ibanez discontinued this model. 

This guitar has a pair of covered Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers. That's right - '59s - one of the most restrained model SD has to offer. These were meant for PAF-esque tones aimed at the Les Paul camp, mostly. However, being me & my embrace for all things extreme, these pickups are perfect for heavy metal & beyond. I have never bought SD humbuckers with the intention of assigning them for pristine clean tones; I prefer single coils for that kinda application. Every humbucker in my guitars must be at the ready for extremity, regardless of what the manufacturer claimed them to be. 

The '59 is basically a scooped tone humbucker as depicted by the manufacturer. Note that it has a rather excessive treble response & that's why it sounds awesome for single notes in the neck position under extreme distortion. However, turn your tone down & it will manifest excellent rounded notes this side of jazz. The scooped nature is what makes this humbucker outstanding for heavy music but your distortion source must be up to it because the '59 is no match for its other higher output siblings like the Distortion, Custom & Nazgul among others. These latter models were created to stun in the first place, hitting your strings hard will actually distort your signals but the '59 would keep things cultured until a definite source of drive / distortion is introduced into the signal chain. This is only my third guitar to be featuring a set of '59s, the other two being my Edwards Potbelly & ESP Phoenix. That's right, the bridge humbucker in my S1620 is a Trembucker version - covered '59 Trembucker, that's a rare beast.

EQ Pic: SD

Price watch (24)

 

I believe in being fair when it comes to after-market gear. I make it a point to call out atrocious listings, the good bargains deserve some highlight & here're two in the mean time. This American Pro you see above is a steal. That Shawbucker in there is worth more than $100 if it's sold separately. Judging by the colour of the hard case interior, it's relative new. I believe these went for nearly $2K when it debuted. The subsequent version, the American Professional II, exceeded $2K if I remember correctly. The most worthy Fender listing in the mean time.

The American Special was the previous most affordable American made Strat before it became the American Performer with a $200+ price difference. This one here is fairly well taken care of less the dry fretboard which can be easily cured with any wood conditioner. The asking price is a little off $1K which is a very reasonable figure to deal with. 

This belongs to another seller; same guitar but look at that price. Fair enough, this one has Bare Knuckle pickups & deserve a higher asking price but it all depends on the buyer who may / may not accept such pickups despite the proven tone performance. It has some branded electronics as well, Gotoh locking tuners & a Bladerunner Supervee bridge. The seller added a premium to the asking price in view of all these swapped out parts. According to this listing, it's $1.8k to begin with which is not true. Swee Lee & SV Guitars used to list American Specials for less than $1.5k (I remember because I bought one), then again, this one might be bought elsewhere with a higher listing price. An affordable American Strat now sports the price tag of a new American Performer (Swee Lee: $1,649 - $1,729 correct as at Jan 2022). For your consideration, folks.

I have left the seller i/d of the deserving good deals in tact. I believe this is my way of supporting such individuals.  I'm not the price police but I won't hesitate to tell you good / sour deals when I see them.

Ibanez 2022 (5)

The highlight (in the mean time) for Ibanez this year is the Premium neck-through RGs. Seen above is the RGT1220PB. Features not typically found on a non-Japanese RG:

• block inlays (abalone)
• ebony fretboard
• Edge bridge
• steel frets

The definite highlight is of course, the neck through construction. If you are new to this, it means the entire neck extends into the body right up to the tail end. The increased sustain from such a construction is true to a large extent but do not discount the bolt-on counterparts with equally superior sustain; exclusive it is not.   The sides are basswood & pickups on board are DiMarzios (Air Norton / Tone Zone). 

Behold the fixed bridge version (Mono Rail bridge) ...

... and the HSH version if you fancy a middle single coil (RGT1270PB). The 1220 ($1,899) & 1221 ($1,799) are available at Swee Lee already. At this price, do keep in mind that you can get an American Fender. The neck-through construction is nothing new, it had been offered in the Prestige line up before. The first RGT model debuted in 2002.

Pic: Ibanez

SSSE @ SL

The highly anticipated PRS SE Silver Sky has made its debut at Swee Lee. You know this is a good instrument with a proven tone performance going for a good price of $1,049. The blue version had been snapped up.

Pic: GW

I hate myself for...

If you grew up listening to Joan Jett, the rock anthem, I hate myself for loving you should be a familiar tune. Joan Jett got her Gibson signature Melody Maker along the way & it was deserving.

This year, Epiphone did a take on that guitar I would say it's a waste of time. That headstock outline alone is undeserving; Epiphone is indirectly telling everyone that: 1) We are bent on a differentiated headstock for this model like how we did for other Epiphones that are semi-emulating the GIbson counterpart 2) If it looks off & repulsive, it doesn't matter. Are you are telling me, Epiphone, that the technology which could carve out a more palatable design is somehow not within your reach? Body cutaways are not accurate, ditto the rear end curve. Pickguard, pickup consideration & bridge are also off. We get the fact that the Epiphone name is a celebrated compromise, often a winner when it comes to tone & playability but this is a poor case of obligations. Folks, your money is better spent on something else.

Pics: Gibson Legacy / Epiphone

it's Hammer time

New for 2022, Fender's Hammertone pedals - more utilitarian & reasonably priced (USD79.99 - USD99.99). After their previous pedal episodes, I'm glad this happened. Pre-Hammertone, Fender's pedals were hinging on being boutique especially the prices. The dimensions were rather repulsive as well, I think many of us would like to keep the pedal board compact & not let enormous pedals get in the way. Fender isn't known for their pedals, many players won't spend good money on those pedals, they would rather invest in names like Strymon, Wampler & Walrus Audio, among others. So this turn in offerings will be very much welcomed by many. Looking forward to hear them in action.

Pic: Gear News

PCs

When I bring my LPJ out to play, I usually have given up on the Gibson tone for the day / moment & looking for a saving grace. The LPJ is a gloss-free model & it will always sound more appealing to me when its other glossed out siblings failed to please tone-wise.  

But folks, this LPJ is special because it has a pair of Seymour Duncan Phat Cat pickups; single coils in a humbucker housing. This is the second guitar in my possession to sport a pair of PCs & they sound killer. I'm impressed with the distortion aspects of these pickups; they simply sound good & will out perform humbuckers meant for overdrive / distortion excellence, no kidding.

This is the EQ break down of the PCs from the manufacturer's website. It has a little bit of kick in terms of treble & might possibly be the reason for them sounding good. The general expectation here is that, anything with excessive treble will sound repulsive & serrated, almost next to being useless. All this remains to be perceptive, you need to hear the tone in real time application. These pickups sound appealing despite the manufacturer's caution of a zestful treble response. Phat Cats, no regrets!

EQ pic: Seymour Duncan

F-hole in SG

I mentioned this last year (CLICK) & to keep a lookout if Swee Lee would bring these in & they did. It's listing for $1,799 which, in my opinion, is a little steep & it comes with a bag only. However, this is a limited run stuff so it's gonna be a collector's item in time to come. I also like the fact that it has an ash body.

Pic: Gear news

On that note, someone here had brought these in as an independent seller & look at that price. That mark-up is excessive. In Japan, this guitar is listed for about SGD1,695 & factoring in shipping charges if you wish to buy direct from Japan, it would be SGD1.9K at most. I sincerely have no idea why it exceeds SGD2k, seriously, where did that come from? Folks, if there is an official dealer for a certain brand name in your country, it's best to enquire purchase-related stuff with them. If they cannot offer to secure an item for you, looking elsewhere is a good discourse. 

Annyeonghaseyo

In for a re-string; a Korean Epiphone LP. After a little digging, this one was the batch from early '90s, definitely a pre-1995. The serial number is covered by a pick-holder otherwise i/d would have been easier. Will give this one a good clean-up as well. 

Price watch (23)

Another difficult proposition; a Gibson Robot SG with a broken headstock.

Reality check

Gibson guitars with any kind of auto-tuning technology is a difficult one to sell away.  This guitar is an SG, the mechanical implements on the headstock makes the neck dive obscene. The other painful mitigating factor there is the broken headstock; it's unrepaired & offered for sale as it is. 

Managing expectations

This discussion will touch on matters pertaining to Gibson instruments with broken headstocks. The implications discussed here shall not be cascaded unto other instruments bearing other brand names.

A Gibson with a broken headstock will be devalued by 50% of its initial listing price & this applies to guitars with a repaired headstock. If done well, the buyer might offer a little more, depending on his conceptual acceptance of the repair standard. The 50% devalue status is not a strict adherence, it depends on the degree of damage (slight crack vs totally snapped off headstock / clean break vs fragmented break / etc.). Also, no two repair standards are the same simply owing to the nature of the damage. Some damages do not require a re-finish, a simple touch up & it's good to go. Other repair types, like a dowel insertion, is better off with a re-finish. In addition to visual appeal (the finish helps to conceal the dowel's existence), the re-finish helps seal gaps & strengthen the neck. 

Will I buy the Gibson depicted above?

No, not even for $500. Simple reason - I will incur further repair / restoration costs & the fact that it has robot tuners to begin with. These compounding factors will make the guitar repulsive in the after-market. At best, if there's a sentimental value in there, I might do a trade with a pedal or a good, practice tube amp. You might say the pedal-to-guitar matching consideration is way off in terms of value but if that is the case, then there is a failure to understand that this SG is in a problematic condition to begin with.

MOMM (13)

This week's audio engagements:

George Lynch: Seamless

This is unbelievably George Lynch's debut instrumental album. 1993's Sacred Groove doesn't count because that was quasi-instrumental. In fact, it's deemed as a solo adventure more than an instrumental outing per se. Lynch is an incredible player, I still hold him in high regards. If you break down his technicalities, his wide stretch legato is indeed his trademark appeal. Guitar heroes, however you understand this classification, tend to flex their technical muscles in their instrumental showcase. In Seamsless, you have less of that perspective & more song-like arrangements. Neal Schon & Steve Stevens are two other such proponents among others. Yes, they shred when it matters, on other deliverable moments, they keep the continuity in tact. 

Marduk: Heaven shall burn... When we are gathered

That cover art is definitely acquired taste but the music on board is a solid serving of black metal. The guitar tones are still the razor sharp, I'm-on-a-budget kinda tone in the true spirit of the genre. When I re-listen to this release in throwback moments, I tend to forget how real & intentional the ones of early black metal movements were compared to the current production standards. Things can get too polished in this aspect all in the name of appeal. Seeing how Dimmu Borgir, Opeth & Enslaved, among others, established themselves as good-sounding extreme metal acts who are successful in penetrating the appeal aspect of this genre, we need to remind ourselves the philosophy behind the music when it all started. Yes, we can polish things up when it comes to technicalities & production but we must not lose the vision in exchange for mass appeal.

Gibson... respite

Gibson stuff are back up for sale at Swee Lee's online store. Some instruments are available at the Buona Vista showroom. For how long? Will new models come in? Are Gibsons here again for good? Your guess is as good as mine.

Pic: Swee Lee Co,

Birds

I spent time with the ESP yesterday, had the urge to play the Gibson today. And then played both. Must say I have a soft spot for this body outline, it's like a stunted Explorer but more muscular looking.

Very soon, I would be unable to handle the ESP Phoenix, this thing just weighs a tonne but it gives off an incredible sustain. It's also one of those non-LP guitars that goes well with a pair of '59s. Maybe it's due to the 25.5" scale length. 

The Gibson Firebird, on the other hand, is a Tribute version that is lightweight & likeable. The mini humbuckers there are supposed to be bright but they are simply midrange darlings, capable of many Darkthrone-esque moments. I was initially uninterested in this guitar till I hear it in action through an EVH amp. Gotta have it. 

These are guitars similar in outline but vastly different in feel & tone. One cannot simply replace the other just by virtue of looking similar; that's the worst consideration when weighing in on performance outcomes. 

Price watch (22)

Swee Lee has the black version for $249. OK, so it's the nostalgic brown version with the silk blanket that looks very well taken care of (I think it's Canadian) but it's more than 2x the price of what you can get for new.

Similar price issue here; when it was still available at Swee Lee, it was $1,399. 

LTD 2022 - sigs

Hetfield was seen playing this live last year so no surprise it's a production model this year. Camo finishes are cool, regardless of the guitar.

This belongs to DJ Ashba. I don't know him (but I know he exists & his connection to GnR & stuff) & have not heard him play but the fact that it features a single pickup & retains that traditional TE/ST type headstock is a good thing. I prefer this headstock outline compared to the Snapper version.

Goat Whore's Sammy Duet signature - another cool single pickup model, but this one sporting an FR 1000 bridge. I like that chamfering at the 24th fret treble side; besides being objective, it makes the instrument look wicked.

Re-listing: Ibanez SA120 (abandoned project) SOLD

Another case of being too nice to someone. This Ibanez was listed some time back with pickups & strings, all set up well. Someone was interested in this guitar but not agreeable with the price ($300+). He read that this guitar had worn frets.

Yes, there are divots in there, particularly where the G string was. I used to loan this to a friend who took very good care of this guitar but the bending of strings here were a little excessive. After a little levelling, I managed a buzz-free action & left it at that. The divots / worn out areas are still visible but getting rid of them was not the objective. If you read / watch fret levelling tutorials, it's never about sanding this down to make them flat again. It's a good serving of levelling AND filling the divots up. So that friend who was interested in this guitar said this would make a good re-fretting project for him but he's still not agreeable with the price.

So I offered to sell this to him without the pickups to bring the price down. Told him I would remove everything from the control cavity as well but after knowing there is an Orange Drop cap in there together with the push-pull coil split switch (volume knob), he told me to keep those in tact. I think you already know where this is heading; it's not a mere re-fretting adventure with this guitar. I agreed but he became uncontactable for weeks then it crossed the two month line. I have no idea why I continue to believe / trust such individuals but he may have genuinely gotten into some serious medical condition or other life-turning events. Having been through this myself, I would like to avoid negative thoughts of others & hope whatever happened, nothing untoward took place. So there you go, the back story of this guitar which I do not wish to resurrect any more. I would rate the instrument at 7/10 due to the fret wear but if you have dealt with me before, I usually under-rate my items.

• Selling: Ibanez SA120 in as-is condition
• No bag / strings / pickups / whammy bar
• Self-collect at Yew Tee / CCK mrt station
• Query / confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• No trades / reservations please, I am funding my post-chemo treatment
• Price: $200 (final)

Acoustasonic Player - update

If you have a certain infatuation with the Acoustasonic Fenders, be informed that the Player (Mexican) version is now available at Swee Lee. It is $1,170 less than the American counterpart - that's a huge difference. The price of the Player Acoustasonic can get you a good entry level American or a mid-priced Japanese Fender so it needs a little re-thinking in terms of value-for-money.

Pic: Fender international

Solar 2022

Finally, an HSS guitar from Solar. Currently offered in the Evertune bridge version. Interesting thing here is that the single coil pickup is a stacked single coil & not the rail type.

Pic: Solar

Fiore blue

No new Fiore this 2022. It's still 'new' anyway so PRS gave it a new colour - Larkspur blue. 

MOMM (12)

I'm not listening to much new stuff lately. I have my favourite, go-to kind of albums / songs & they still remain relevant for me in terms of appeal. Abbath & Dark Funeral  released a single each from their upcoming new releases & these got my attention.

Abbath is a formidable character in this genre of metal. He has proven his worth since going solo in 2016 & he has good stuff in the self-titled debut album. When Oustrider was released in 2019, the follow-up album, things were not as appealing music-wise not because Abbath has lost his touch but because Ole Farstad happened. That's right, Farstad was the new second guitarist in the band & the lead guitar stuff was under his purview. This guy, he's incredibly talented & telling by the way he plays, he's versed in music. However, his approach to solos with regards to the band's songs, to say the least, is unsuitable. After listening to Dream Cull, the single from the upcoming Dread Reaver, Fastad's unsuitable approach to all things lead guitars are still evident. I have no idea if Abbath realizes this but Fostad needs a telling off, so to speak. Does that mean incredibly talented guitarists have no place in black metal & their versed musicality remains irrelevant to the genre? We then need to listen to Mayhem's Charles Hedger. This is another incredibly talented player but his knowledge & technicality are well crafted to suit the music. Bad Blood from Mayhem's latest offering, Daemon, is the perfect reference. If the rest of Dread Reaver is going to sound like Dream Cull, then it will be another let down for me.

Dark Funeral's Let the Devil In has obvious changes, music-wise. Both the drums & guitars have dropped a notch in terms of tempo. The immediate effect here is an introduction to heaviness. Things still sound relevant here but kult fans would sense a move into the mainstream as things began to be more palatable when it comes to song structure & presentation.

Maybe - just maybe - it's a little far fetched to be judging the entire album based on a song. However, more often than not, the taster is a relevant model for the bigger picture. 

Ibanez 2022 (4)

New black guitar for Ibanez, the AZ42P1... perhaps the first AZ to feature a body binding. Nothing new feature-wise.

Another new black guitar for Ibanez, the RGRTB621. An Iron Label member & the first to be a neck through model. Pickups are DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers. If these pickups are supposed to propel the instrument in terms of distortion aggression then I don't see the objective. The Fusion Edge pickups are in other models as well, not exclusive to something that would be used in heavy music.

Are you actually excited to see these guitars? Hmm...

Pics: Ibanez

Pedal head

You might have fallen in love with a certain Bogner pedal but you keep telling yourself, you need a decent amp to pair it with. Save yourself that headache by just getting this Bogner Ecstacy mini head (Davis GMC: $550). It's basically a Bogner pedal in an amp format. It's a solidstate unit & has lots of punch in the gain section. Just listen to this:

Pic: Guitarguitar UK

SSSE (2)

The anticipation for the PRS Silver Sky SE is immense. Countless leaks & pre-release videos were all over cyberspace leading up to its official release on 11/1/'22. The definite concern here is the changes in details because at this price point (USD849) some things have to be compromised.

Summary of changes

• non-locking tuners
• standard truss rod cover
• 8.5" fretboard radius
• poplar body
• 635JM 'S' pickups
• Higher output pickups (slight)
• 2-point vibrato bridge 
• Covered rear cavity
• Smaller strap buttons (slight)

In true PRS SE philosophy, the colours offered for these guitars are unique to the series hence differentiating itself immediately via visual reference. I am eager to handle one in person & hear the tone in action. Hopefully, these will be here soon but might not be in time to avoid the GST hike (darn!). Factoring shipping costs into the equation, look forward to pay about SGD1.4k for one so it will be hard times for the Fender Mexican & Japanese models in terms of sales. In the mean time, this is what the endorser himself has to say about the guitar:

Update: Swee Lee Co. will be listing this for $1,049 😁

Pic: PRS

Dean 2022 (2)

After Rusty Cooley left Dean, his signature models were re-interpreted to become the Exile models. These are basically super shredder guitars in Dean's offerings. The manufacturer is not known for the shred reference despite having such players in their endorsement roster. Seen above, the Exile X, the most affordable in the series featuring an FR 20 bridge. Pickups are in-house DMTs.

This here is the NT version which costs USD1.1k more than the X, has a flashy top, FR 1000 bridge & Fluence Classic / Modern humbuckers. I'm just wary of the thin cutaways of the Exile. Rusty Cooley specified those to be as such for a functional purpose; he cited unobstructed upper fret access to be his thing back then. If the guitar should topple, these thinner contours might not be as resistant to absorb the impact. Then again, we rarely hear of such incidences but it's a concern for me.

Pics: Dean

Know what you are selling

I came across this listing  last weekend - seller was selling an 'Ibanez electric guitar 'as titled. However, we see different models depicted including a non-Ibanez.

So I prompted him & it entailed in the above conversation. Folks, it's important to know what you have when you are letting it go. If you are unsure, state it as such. Highly likely, there will be someone who knows & you will get your details from that source. My concern when trawling the after-market is that my fellow enthusiasts gets the maximum probability of selling his / her pre-loved gear. Ambiguous / doubtful details don't help. More often that not, I will recommend others your listing if I think you have a good one or your gear is a value-for-money deal.

This is another example; depicted is the Fender Blue Flower Telecaster, not a Paisley. The Pink Paisley version looks like this:

Some seller will edit their listing upon prompting, others will stand their ground. We are not here to tell others to mend their ways (or errors in this case), we are just being helpful. One more time - it's a small gear community we have here, we are better off helping one another.

Pic: behngipseng

Re-moisturized

It's GibSUNDAY & time spent with the SG. Nothing much, just a re-string before play.

This is worth sharing - this SGJ has a satin finished body. Over time, the finish will thin out, especially over the areas of contact with the hand / arm. Note the dry areas above, it's even drier than the fretboard. I have never oiled / re-moisturized this body because it's simply not required till today, of course - after 6 years. If this is left unattended, the dry parts will flake off.

So whatever was applied onto the fretboard got applied over the dry areas & it looks like nothing happened to begin with. Fresh set of D'Addario 10s & it's riff assault Sunday. Actually only about an hour of play. The Seymour Duncan humbuckers you see here: JB (b) / Pearly Gates Plus (n). Wonderful pickups for the guitar. The JB sounds like a seasoned PAF, unlike its bright attack profile.