MOMM (25)

Svartsyn is the 7th Khold release & it's a little tricky as they 'went away' for 8 years. With the line-up in tact, Svartsyn is quite the guessing game for many of us - is it a Til Endes extension or is it something new? But fans will know that Khold had been Khold throughout their releases & this one is no different. It's nothing too different from Til Endes but we hear some drop in tempo for many numbers, more importantly, no drop in intensity. For me, I've been hooked since hearing their debut release, two things: 1) They are the mid-tempo specialists in this genre 2) Their bass is always outstanding (in context). Most memorable track - Odslet Blod.

Goodbye August...

Price watch (43)

Smarvo amps, in this make & colour scheme, are largely Marshall copies. This one here is an attempt to emulate the non-tube MG. I've tried this model before in a jamming studio once, a good copy I must say & sounds very close to the real thing. $210 for a 40W amp featuring a 12" driver - a very good consideration.

If you are in for a budget set up, maybe a standby or practice reference, check this listing out. The brand name is partially hidden but those might be a Vantage bass / guitar. Amps are priced at $50 each.

Darco... up

Darco strings, my preferred no frills strings, is now 50c more expensive. Then again, other string brands are also more expensive than before & that happened before Darco's prices went up. My take-home wage - no change, compounded by the fact that I'm not paid on days I go for treatment.

Standard melody

Gibsunday it is. Early start to the morning, doom laden, of course. It seems that I incline towards playing doom metal when dealing with SGs, not that it's an exclusive association but it  kinda happened. 

Just for the fun of it, I played these two, it's like dealing with two ends of the SG spectrum; the most basic version (Melody Maker) vs the industry standard (Standard).  It's not about pitting one against the other but hearing what each has to offer in terms of ideation. The Standard is the heavier between the two & naturally has more low end. The pickups there are Gibson 61 humbuckers which manifest a good midrange response but not overpowering. The Melody Maker, on the other hand, has a maple body & by the sheer size of it, we would have thought that it's lightweight but it's not too far off the Standard. Simple reason - maple contributes to the weight. On that note, the MM has an airy tone to it so the lone bridge pickup there isn't too bright sounding but clarity is assured. 

My preference? Both serve different needs. For prolonged play & distortion menace, the MM is much easier in the hands. For smooth legato passages, the Standard's neck humbucker is hard to beat. That's the Sunday morning in a nut shell. 

Red revival (2)

I had second thoughts about these pickups but these are the fabled DiMarzio IBZUSA trio. This means very little to me as I'm not a DiMarzio fan, I will only embrace the ones that give me what I want to hear.  Also, I have no budget for replacement pickups in the mean time so they were given a thorough cleaning & left in tact. The volume & tone pots were replaced as those were dead. After Beez re-wired them, they sounded alright. In fact, they sounded good to me, the midrange & top end responded with good clarity & not rounded off like many DiMarzios out there. However, after a few days of playing, the split tones were not heard when selector position 4 was engaged. Darn. 

So back to Beez for a diagnosis. Both humbuckers were functional in split mode at position 2 but not 4. Conclusion - the 5-way selector was dysfunctional. What a relief. Replacing a 5-way selector is definitely more financially viable than getting new pickups. So as you can see above, a new GOTOH YM-50 took over proceedings (shiny new terminals) & the pickups were back in business. Yes, I only had an oversized Orange Drop cap to spare for this guitar & it was put to use as depicted above as well. Folks, the thinner S-Series body could not accommodate the Strat-type 5-way selector; the curved & extended terminal would extend beyond the cavity, the reason a GOTOH was used instead. Also new - input jack. The older one was still functional but it crackled way too much, Beez advised a replacement now would be a good idea instead of returning subsequently to get it done; it's a matter of time.

To be concluded... 

Simple melody

No regrets; simple, single coil goodness.

To be continued... 

Curt @ Davis

 

A little belated but be informed that Curt Mangan strings are now available at Davis GMC. My first encounter with this brand name was back in 2008 when they were sold at G77. These are very close in feel to Ernie Balls but in my opinion, they last a little longer on the average. Be informed that Curt Mangan used to work for Ernie Ball.

Pic: Davis GMC

Ray of colours

EBMM added more colours to their line up of short scale Sting Ray basses. As you can see, both rosewood & maple fretboard versions are offered. I'm always a fan of short scale basses, regardless of the brand name. I feel these resonate better with  guitar players as they feel more like a baritone guitar rather than shorter basses. With EBMM, even their short scale basses are listed for a premium & we know it's all about uncompromising quality.

Pic: EBMM

Price watch (42)

This is an Epiphone Pee Wee. It's a novelty guitar, still playable but scaled down, shorter than a 3/4 model. Body is dinged as indicated.

This LP SL, in my opinion, is a better deal; it's a regular-scaled Epiphone with a good starter amp. More importantly, it's in a very good condition. Value for money, definitely.

Clearance @ CM

This might just be an overlooked gem at City Music's clearance department. It's the single channel version of the VOX AC30 for those who like a little bit of dirt in their clean tone.

Come on... you've always wanted to try a set of 8s for super bendy moments, no? Not even $2...

 

Pics: CM webstore

LTD - none in the mean time

This is a big blow. LTD guitars will not be manufactured in the mean time. Efforts are under way to fulfil current orders with an extended waiting time. Darn. Word is, prices will go up (for many guitar brands) come November. They are doing so before the year turns so come 2023, you will see many instruments sporting revised prices. As for us, if LTDs continue to be unavailable come the new year, it'll be compounded by the GST hike. 😕 If you are really in love with any of the LTDs you currently see in the stores now, please decide quickly.

Pic: ESP

Red revival

Alright folks, this is something I got from the after-market; an Ibanez S540. The ex-owner is an old-timer who gave good mileage to this guitar for sure. We had a good chat. He told me he bought it in 1994 but S540 fans would know that '94 was the year, Ibanez had the Quantum (Q) humbuckers in the S540 so this one is definitely a pre-'94 as it featured a set of DiMarzio IBZ USA pickups.

Let me share with you how much I got it for. It was listed for $700. Upon personal inspection, there were many dings, scratches & the gash you see above was the deal-breaker for me. However, this was located at the rear of the elbow relief of the body so it's invisible from the audience view point. These were all undeclared in the listing so folks, if you are dealing with a well-used instrument which looks fine in listing photos, you are the wiser if you take time & see the instrument in person. Sometimes, the seller might deem it unnecessary to declare because it's a well-used instrument anyway but the buyer needs to know & it will inevitably be the decision-making factor. Together with the worn out frets, I managed to talk the price down to $600.

In the listing photos, the rear of the guitar cavity, where the whammy springs reside, was uncovered. Then I realized the bridge in this guitar was not the Lo-Pro Edge it was supposed to feature - darn! A cheap Chinese product was in place. As such, the trem block was not catered to match the thinner body depth of the S-Series, the reason it could not be closed & left exposed. I thanked the seller for his time & was about to walk away when he asked me how much a replacement bridge would cost - at least $200 was my answer. He told me he really had no use for this guitar any more & wanted to let it go to the first person showing real interest, so the price was further marked down to $400. Final question before I make my decision - are the electronics working? He could not assure me so the price was further marked down to $350. It sounded like I had squeezed dry a senior citizen of his prized possession but as you will see in further episodes here, despite its Japanese pedigree & DiMarzio manufactured pickups, it's not worthy of its $700 asking price. The guitar was purchased for $350 & I wasn't sure if it's a steal or daylight robbery. 

To be continued... 

BP online

Sign of the times, really - Bass Player magazine will cease publication & go online instead. I still love to read gear-related magazines but going to town & buying them is a hassle. I believe there's less readership when it comes to the physical publications & many of us don't mind reading the digital / online version. It's a green move as well; less paper used. Let's see if I can just grab the final copy before not seeing them any more at bookstores / news stands. Still remember those days when I spend virtually the whole day at MPH (Stamford Road) reading Guitar World, Bass Player & Metal Maniacs.

Pic: Future Music

Dinosaur fuzz

If there's any fuzz fanatic who deserves a signature pedal, J Mascis has to be the one. This signature Big Muff is a belated tribute, really.

My Dinosaur Jr. staple are these three releases, Where You Been being my personal fav. These collection of songs opened up some perspectives as to what being guitar-inclined means. It's the other side of shred-till-you-drop guitar dedication; magnificently introverted. 

Pics: EHX / stereogum

Price watch (41)

There are no issues whatsoever with the Ibanez guitars featured in this PW episode. Being a fan of these models, I will definitely recommend them to others in a flash. However, prices are too close to the retail listings to warrant good considerations. The AZ2204N here was actually priced higher than the retail model but seller is willing to consider a price nego. 

The QX54 is just $50 off the retail listing. No price nego for this one. Yes, it's virtually new but the fact that it is under individual ownership compared to something you can get new from the store might be a deal breaker for some of us, especially with that slim price difference in mind. 

Flat Fender

Interesting release by Fender Japan; a flat top Strat. Meaning - edges are not rounded off, Tele-style. It's also an HSS config, with a wide range-esque Shawbucker. Roasted maple board but from the looks, the entire neck might be roasted as well. Of course, they had to make this an FSR model but we'll see if that's absolutely the case.

Pic: Fender Japan

CC3

New pickup day - Seymour Duncan's TB-11, Custom Custom. This is in fact my third CC in an Ibanez. I got this one used. Seymour Duncan's trembucker models are hard to come by, especially the less popular ones. The popular ones available in the stores here are JB, Distortion & PATB Distortion. The rest are rare sightings but they do make it here from time to time. I just love the spiked treble coming from this pickup, mixing well with an amp's boosted EQ. It's like the polite version of a JB to put it simply. Guitar in question - my Ibanez S570.

Side note - not a good day for the joints. Lately, ankles & knees had been swelling at the end of the day. Cancer side effects, definitely, but more prominent these days.

Strikers!

Kramer recently launched a trio of affordable, Floyd Rose equipped guitars seen above. If they are available here, they would be in the sub-$500 price bracket. Then again, they won't be available here any time soon. Buy them online & have them shipped over, you say? Not worth it considering the shipment charges are about $100+/- (DHL / FedEX). 

Pic: Kramer online

Pre-hike promo

How can I not support the nice people at City Music especially when they are upfront about prices? The current batch of new G&L (American models) are on a 10% off promo before prices go up pretty soon. On that note, it's not just G&L, every brand name will effect an upward price revision. Some of the manufacturers are pivoting price increases on new & 'improved' versions of selected models when in fact, those instruments were just given budget 'upgrades' or new colours. Coming back to the City Music G&L promo, they are not obliged to have a sale but they did - kudos to them.

Pic: City Music

Offset FSRs

 I've never been distracted by Squiers this much. These FSR Classic Vibe offset models are something.

I think I'm quite a sucker for block inlays in a Jaguar  ($719) / Jazzmaster ($729). They are just likeable quirks to me. These are of course available at Swee Lee in the mean time. Again, those prices are potential deal breakers (for me especially) but guitar prices are trending upwards these days & they are gonna get more 'unreasonable' soon. For that kind of prices, we could get a Japanese guitar in a relatively good condition. Decisions, decisions...

Pics: Music Radar

Golden bar

Seriously, Ibanez... you're offering this as a separate purchase? We know this is complementary for only one guitar out there. Unless there is a demand for this to go with black / white / red / blue / green guitars. Is there? In any case, it would look mismatched & downright... ugly.

Pic: Ibanez

NJ @ Nov

 Mark this date on your calendar ✌ Looking forward.

Happy 57th

Happy & prosperous birthday to the beloved nation. Testing times ahead despite edging towards normalcy. Prices are going up - food, utilities. housing... We do not sleep well at night knowing the waking day is further uncertainty for our children. Handouts are not the answer, it's a political motivation more than anything else. But the love for the motherland remains unflinching. Majulah!

Price Watch (40)

 

I've reported this 'Gibson' for obvious reasons. This should stop.

This is a good one if that finish crack isn't a deal breaker for you.

Pleasant JC

Finally, a pleasant J Custom RG. It's new for August, doubt this will be here but worth documenting. Not everyone fancies the tree of life inlay in the JCs & this one feature blocks instead so it gets my vote. Also, that natural flame top looks 'right' in this one.  This is the RG8570 & it's looking good. 

Knobs

These are the default knobs in my GJ2. They feature these rubber grip  ring as seen above.

 

It's a great idea but these stain the finger tips.

Simple replacement knobs. 

Price watch (39)

This is a good one, I remember playing the black version once but the condition was not as fantastic as this one. Price is still negotiable so that is really worth the consideration.

There's nothing wrong with listing this guitar at this price - it's your prerogative. 

However, this is uncalled for & downright disrespectful. Even the law here doesn't impose such conditions for non-electronic transactions. Please spare a thought for those who do not have the means to transact electronically. In today's society, there are still individuals who do not empathize others despite being more educated & blessed in so many other ways. If you have a preferred method of payment, then simply state so. You can very well exclude transactions not to your convenience but do not exercise something unprescribed by the authorities here. 

JV @ Swee Lee

These guitars were mentioned here in February. They are now available at Swee Lee. I thought they were gonna be listing for less but these are the prices for you to consider (this is the deal breaker for me). Remember, these guitars sport a soft V neck profile.

Pic: Swee Lee

Hammering

This pedal is unnecessary but interesting.

To be continued... 

SD vs D

Same guitar series but not exactly the same model & there's a different pickup combo as well. This is what I resort to on days when I'm bored; indulge in variations. The left guitar (SEW761) sports a trio of DiMarzios, it's counterpart (S771) has Seymour Duncans. I engaged both guitar's bridge pickups only for this session & it's not pitting one against the other; it's never this approach when tone variation is concerned. So it's DiMarzio's Tone Zone at one end & Seymour Duncan's Perpetual Burn at the other. Let's take a look at the EQ charts for both pickups.

This is how the Tone Zone 'sounds' like; it's a bass saturated pickup & it makes itself heard that way. I dislike this pickup since the start & that was way back in 1991. Paul Gilbert was pictured with it in one of those DiMarzio magazine ads & I must say I fell for it. There were no You Tube back then to hear a sample at the very least before making purchase decision. This Tone Zone went into several other guitars along the way & those were bitter episodes. I tried my very best to give this pickup a chance but it's one detestable tone episode after another until I bought this SEW761; the Tone Zone somehow sounds good here. It's less fuzzy & likeable.

The Perpetual Burn, on the other hand, is virtually the complete opposite; it's a trebly pickup but a little scooped sounding. The nature of my music is a reliance on midrange / treble to supplement distortion clarity. The PB does just this but this pickup sounds excessively bright. So for those of us with less dedication to EQ, this one requires some tweaking attention for sure; not for the hasty, definitely. 

It's myopic to embrace a certain brand name at the exclusion of others & I learned this through experience. While I'm firmly in the Seymour Duncan camp, some DiMarzios are really likeable & it's a matter of time I find out what these are. In the mean time, I ran out of guitars to accommodate this adventure & that's not abut to change Lately, I've been having more DiMarzio episodes & it's largely due to the fact that I've about virtually tried whatever Seymour Duncans available out there. OK, the passive ones, at least. 

Chipped & over-priced... was.

Do you remember that grossly overpriced Indonesian Ibanez KIKO model with an obscene chip featured here not too long ago? Let me refresh your memory: CLICK The pic above is the very same overpriced guitar...

... but now sold at one of the Cash Converters outlets here. Price? $650. That's a whopping $1,650 difference. So now you know its 'true' worth & it's one of the reasons why I keep a keen watch on prices & find some listings downright disagreeable. This update was made possible by one of the blog readers here; thanks for the info - you know who you are. 

Yo, GIOs!

We begin August with a couple of stunning GIOs from the Ibanez camp. This souped up, gold hardware, purpleheart 'board & poplar burl veneer top is the new GRG220PA. Those covered pickups are just stunning here.

The equally attractive GRG121SP sports a flip flop finish that changes colour depends on the angle you're looking at. Again, those covered humbuckers are just right in this guitar. 

While we are very glad to see flashy GIOs slowly appearing in the Ibanez line ups, we surely hope this is not a cause to raise prices accounting for the 'upgrade'. We'll see how much these will list for when they get here.

Pics: Ibanez