Price watch (67)

It's $899 at Swee Lee but out of stock in the mean time. We know stock for this one is gonna be replenished, yes? It's a matter of when.

Ditto this one; it's$1,899 at Swee Lee. Only the black version is in stock in the mean time.

$30 for this?

Yes... this! It's clearly a damaged instrument. What's that bit of absent charity in you preventing a bona fide giveaway to budding repair techs out there? It's all about the money?

Review quickie: PRS SE Swamp Ash Special

The Swamp Ash Special is not a new PRS model. This is merely an SE version of the original SAS which was discontinued in 2009. Back then the middle pickup was reversed unlike the normal orientation you see in the SE make. This late 2023, PRS released two new bolt-on offerings in its catalogue, one of which was the SAS.

Likes

• build quality
• neck feel
• pickups
• price

Dislikes

• loose tuners
• pickup selection

The SAS & CE are just the second & third bolt-on models offered in the SE range. True to it's bolt-on nature, these instruments are indeed not as pricey as the set-neck counterparts. The immediate draw to this guitar is simply the neck feel; very comfortable & playable, almost playing itself 😅 Adding to that, the top draw QC which extends to the body. I personally feel the pickups offered here are immediate winners for those of us looking for a classic sounding tone with a touch of modern voicing in various applications. I see the humbuckers as possible reincarnations of the fabled Seymour Duncan '59s but grittier in response when it comes to drive. The single coil might be the weakest link in this tone chain, but we cannot hear it in isolated performance to give it a true appraisal as no such option exists. It is always in combination use with other pickups, some selections are not as inviting & exist for variety's sake. Tuners are uncharacteristically loose upon initial engagements but it's an easy (tightening) fix. For a whisker under $1K, this has to be one of the best value-for-money instrument this year. The tone & playability are simply outstanding for the money. Enough said.

Final rating: 85%

PRS: SE Swamp Ash Special

List: $999

Availability: Davis GMC

P-Dream

This was news at the turn of the weekend; Mike Portnoy is back in Dream Theater. I have stopped listening to Dream Theater. I only like Images... & Metropolis (Part 2).

Pic: BMouth

V-Nile

Dan Vadim Von (bottom right) is now in the live Nile lineup. Unlike his Morbid Angel commitments, he's covering bass for the band. Em... I've stopped listening to Nile, gave away my Nile CDs. 

Pic: Nile FB

Bolting

The PRS SE bolt-on models are in at Davis GMC. The CE 24 is $999 $799.

The Swamp Ash Special - $999. Those prices... I believe Davis GMC is trying to match the sale figures of their American counterparts.

Pics: PRS

Lunar healing

A much awaited announcement - Moon Healer, JFAC's upcoming new release in February 2024. In the mean time, here's the second song from this album:

Pic: Metal Blade

BP

This is quite a strange one by BOSS but it'll click with the I want a little more kick campers, em, like yours truly here.

Strange because this Booster / Preamp (hence BP) unit is based on the booster / preamp circuits of two non-booster units; the CE-1 (Chorus Ensemble) & RE-201 (Space Echo). These were deemed very inspiring in this aspect & were duly extracted & served in a single platter which is the BP-1w. Folks, I can attest to the CE-1 affair despite not owning this pedal but the CE-5 instead. You just get addicted to that simple but useful clean push, especially for your, you guessed it, clean tones. 

BOSS also reminds users that there is an addition buffer type selector at the pedal's rear that could possibly contribute to some tonal variations, so to speak.

I'm definitely interested in this pedal but why does it need to be under the WAZA label which would price it in the boutique-ish price bracket? Hmm...

Souchiro's

That's right folks, I don't know Souchiro Yamauchi, I don't listen to his band, Fuji Fabric but I'm featuring this Fender Japan Strat Custom here which is his signature instrument. I'm looking at this beyond the endorsement deal, it's an interesting Strat-Tele fusion that might prove to be a hit. In any case, a mishmash of features as such is not new to Fender with their record of releasing Parallel Universe models & such. We have a niggling feeling that this would make it here, yes?

Pic: Fender Japan

MOMM (46)

Today's MOMM episode is a throwback edition.

The Human League: Essential

You won't know these people unless you grew up listening to '80s music on the radio. The trio's more well-known tunes back in the day were mainly Don't You Want Me & Human. I only knew Human as this was one of the MTV hits which I really enjoyed back then. Essential is a 3-CD package with strange, B-Sides that didn't quite possess that flair to out-80s Depeche Mode & Erasure, among others. I enjoy re-discovering such lesser known tracks these days as I see it as an effort to re-discover my past & acknowledge the one that got away, outstanding or otherwise. Those Ah Bengs with curtain like bangs that covered half their faces might have gotten inspiration from Philip Oakey; I kid you not.

Rollins Band: The End of Silence

I only looked up to Henry Rollins after he parted ways with Black Flag. His commitments with BF were largely punk-ish which didn't click with me. Rollins has this emphasis on philosophy & self-belief which were manifested post-BF. His brand of music also has lesser emphasis on speed but remain intense & angst-ridden. The End of Silence is my personal favourite as the overall music is less desperate; lyrics avoided that layperson appeal in understanding depression, unhappiness & everything in between. Used to have this on cassette tape & it was virtually played to death; tape got crumpled at the edges along the way & that messed up the sound. I didn't bother replacing till I came across this pre-loved CD recently.

Review quickie: Grass Roots G-SE-58M/SC

There's no hiding the fact that this is an outright Strat copy. This one has a scalloped fretboard, not quite obvious in this picture. FYI, the Grass Roots (non-Japanese) name is a budget version of the Edwards (Japanese) lineup which are replications of Gibson & Fender instruments in addition to its own series of offerings.

Likes

• quality construction, fit & finish
• good overdriven / distorted tones
• price

Dislikes

• stiff tuners (2 units)
• poorly cut backplate 
• input jack angled up excessively

I was expecting a downtrodden Squier-esque craftsmanship; something riding on the remarkable reputation of its eminent sister brand but this G-SE-58M holds its own. Yes, it's a flagrant copy of a Strat & those scalloped fretboards are not unique to the Grass Roots / Edwards name. The construction quality here is very impressive for the price. In fact, it would easily put some higher tier Squiers to shame. This guitar was let down by its obviously cheap set of tuners with two units proving to be stiff & threatening to invite distasteful opinions by enthusiastic players. The badly cut slot of its cover plate didn't help either; its uneven edges are at best a novice affair. I'm still wondering if the input jack was intentionally angled up more to avoid cable plug contact with the plate or was it a sheer reject from the start; this escaping QC scrutiny is concerning. However, this guitar proved to be addictive & I will credit it for its overdriven tones & overall feel. In clean mode, the budget single coils would give themselves away; these are next to characterless without the aid of any driven influence. All in all, a positive investment if you don't mind the unalluring brand name at the headstock.

Overall rating: 79%

Grass Roots: G-SE-58M/SC

Availability: Davis GMC

Price: $650 (bag not included)

American paranormal

The Jackson American Series Virtuoso models are in at Swee Lee. All models are available less the shell pink version. Gloss finishes list for $2,899 & satin ones are $50 lesser.

Also available - Squier's limited edition Paranormal models. All models you see above list for $629, the Rascal bass is $20 more. (EDIT: The 12-string is also $20 more than the other guitars)

Pics: Jackson / New Atlas

PRS discounts

Heads up, folks - some discounts for you if PRS guitars are your thing. This had been going on for a few days already & I'm a little late in noticing. 

Selected PRS models are offered at reduced prices (price listed have been discounted). If you notice, big music stores (USA) are having some good discounts for their PRSes; Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, Sweetwater, etc. so it's good to know Davis GMC has some discounts for us this time of the year. Of course, the stores here have no obligations to keep up with what's taking place state-side. 

Pics: Davis GMC

Little 78

Seymour Duncan Little '78 pickups are available at Davis GMC - $445 per set. The Slash 2.0 set prices are updated as well.

Neutriks

Midweek... time flies. Just returned home from my out-&-about episode. I'm trying to condition my legs which are evidently getting weaker so a leisurely walk was the order of the day. This is a chemo side effect, the drugs are slowly wasting my joints, knees are the hardest hit followed by the shoulders. The recent diagnostics showed a drop in mobility performance. I thought of doing light running to perhaps re-invigorate the legs but at the rate things are going - no. Skin - that's another story for another episode. 

Anyway, I managed to walk around Sim Lim Tower as well & got myself Neutrik plugs. I need more angled plugs to supplement my SGs as these sport a top-mount input jack. Purchasing new cables is out of the question. The plan here is to send my cables to Beez for him to replace one straight plug with a right angled / L plug. This way, I still get to keep what I currently own. Yes, Beez does plug replacement / re-soldering. If you purchased a custom length instrument cable & wish to have your preferred brand of plugs installed, Beez can handle this.

Slashes

The new Seymour Duncan Slash 2.0 humbuckers are available now at Davis GMC. The three versions you see above are in stock. What's the difference? Version 2.0 has more coil windings for a hotter take on your favourite distortion.

EDIT: Price updates:

• Set (covered): $320
• Set (uncovered): $299
• Single: $160 (all models)

Pic: Davis FB

Review quickie: BOSS DC-2w

BOSS' DC-2w has an interesting history. It began as a feature in Roland's rackmount unit, SDD 320 aka the Dimension D & this was way back in the early  1980s. Come 1985, some of the SDD 320 features were manifested as an effects pedal, the DC-2 aka Dimension C. This didn't last long, the DC-2 was laid to rest before the '90s. About three decades later, the DC-2 was resurrected as the DC-2w, the difference here being that extra option to re-live the SDD 320 goodness via a switch option. 

Likes

• clarity
• ease of use
• works well clean & driven

Dislikes

• battery eater
• lacks editing features
• price

This is a tricky pedal to define; it's a chorus unit but not labelled as one. For this appraisal's sake, I'd refer to it as a chorus. Comprehensively, the DC 2w, to me, is a modulation pedal steep in its chorus function with hints of flanging & reverb in the mix. It's not readily audible unless you plug in a pair of headphones like I did. With this in mind, your clean tones will benefit the most but certain driven settings still sound good & won't get lost in the typical chorus slush. On that note, the DC 2w won't be good friends with the metalheads or anyone favouring intense distortion. Also, if you wish to tweak your settings to suit the music you peddle, that won't be possible as no editing features exist here; you either embrace the presets on board or move on with other chorus pedals. Nirvana's Come as You Are is impossible to mimic with this one. However, if you want an impressive clean tone that is rich in clarity, chorus-inclined but not entirely chorus laden, then all the on board settings will appease you. Yes, you can activate the presets in combo / various permutations. Do invest in a power adapter if you decide to embrace this one because it's a battery eater - normal dry cell will last you about 20min, alkaline will get you by longer but it won't reach the hour mark. Also, at this price, some of us would be happier with the regular chorus pedals out there.

Final rating: 75%

BOSS: Dimension C (DC 2w)

List: $299

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Pic: MR

Gunslinging Sunday

Nothing much happening today, just a quick re-string & staying indoors mostly. It's also one of those days when I think I could get by with just a single pickup.

I also wanted to hear a menacing hubucker in action & Lace's Deathbucker here is certainly one of those. Sometimes, those high output pickup will turn mushy at higher volumes / distortion settings. The Deathbucker, despite its intimidating label, does very well when it comes to single notes clarity. I simply can't get this from the Invader (Seymour Duncan) for instance. Sometimes we just don't know a pickup's true performance until we actually hear them in action. Also, I swapped out the default Floyd Rose Special bridge to the Graph Tech you see above. 

Wishing everyone a good week ahead 👍

Highway star

The new Fender Highway acoustics are now available at Swee Lee - that was fast! The ideal availability update is of course on the actual launch day but we are grateful nevertheless. Folks, the mahogany top versions would be available at a later date.

Also in stock - the EVH Star models. Everything enticing less the price. Just me.

Pics: SL

SE CE

That's right folks, PRS has included the CE models into the SE lineup. This stunning orange version is the SE CE 24. 

This means the SE range welcomes another bolt-on make into the family. But PRS being PRS, they made sure the SE version (right) is different from the USA-made CE (left). From this visual reference alone, we note the SE version was done well & in no way inferior to its American sibling. It's just different.

The other bolt-on CE in this release is the Swamp Ash Special. 

The initial Swamp Ash Special created a little controversy with that reversed middle pickup which irked many fans & it didn't prolong the guitar's longevity in the catalog. Looking forward to try these instruments out when they get here, whenever that will be.

Pics: PRS / Elevate

New (high)way

This was all over the gear feeds yesterday - Fender announced the new Highway (Mexico) acoustics.

Two models are currently available, the Dreadnought...

... & Parlor. Both are offered in either a solid spruce or mahogany top. Both are listed for USD999.

Is this something new & game-changing? If we look closer, the Highways are actually an iteration of the Acoustasonic design. In the interest of something 'new' that would act as a sale enticement, the body's depth are a little thicker than the Acoustasonic making it more acoustic as opposed to an acoustic that is trapped in an electric form factor. The bolt-on design here is also different from the Acoustasonics which adhered to the solid body bolt-on design. Again, this aesthetic consideration makes the Highway more acoustic in looks. If you look at the pickup, it's an acoustic unit, not an under-saddle type. These, among other things, gave the Highway a good / strong acoustic aesthetic. 

I'm personally interested in these instruments as these are the answer for electric players who detest handling a struggle-inducing standard size acoustic. However, giving it a Highway label is a little misleading as this name was used for the most affordable USA-made Fender solid body guitars (circa 2001), the Highway 1 Series. However, this could be the manufacturer's way of preparing the guitar world for a Highway 1 come-back... as a Mexican model this time. Maybe the most affordable Mexican model. On that note, I really hope it won't happen. 😅

Pics: Fender

MOMM (45)

I don't enjoy LIVE music till I bought Slayer's Decade of Agression (1991). At that point in time, my ears were attuned to music production; clarity, balance, etc. You can tell if a band is worth its salt when they play live. You can cheat in so many ways in the studio but live, there's no technology to fall back on. For Mayhem especially, I make it a point to listen to their live music. Before the Teloch / Ghul duo, the band had only one guitarist & it's interesting how things panned out on live shows, especially when the guitarist did the solos; it educated me on the importance of having a competent bassist in the band to patch the 'emptiness' when this happens. 

Mayhem's Daemonic Rites you see above has 17 tracks with over an hour's worth of music but the Intro (1) & Sylvester Anfang (13) aren't exactly songs per se. The rest of the numbers consist of songs from their latest album, Daemon, De Mysteriis..., Grand Declaration & surprise, surprise... Chimera. Since Atilla is fronting the band, we get stellar performances for Daemon & De Mysteriis numbers. The Grand Declaration & Chimera songs, at best, are the band's re-interpretation of how Atilla interpreted the songs. For this live adventure, all I can say here is that the current line-up had become very coherent as a unit & hope they stay together for a good while. 

Less than 10

It's 10 - 10 & short term online sales are prevalent. Thank you, Swee Lee, for taking part in this seasonal enticement but $20 off for every $500 spent... that's not even 10% discount. Till Black Friday (maybe) - adios.

Pic: SL

 

300 JRs

Folks, these are new (October) releases by Ibanez & I must commend them for such considerations. The AW300MWJR is a solid top cutaway sporting a shorter scale length (23.9"). This finish features a myrtlewood body.

The spruce top version is also available but it features ziricote sides & back. 
 

Pics: Ibanez

Price watch (66)

This is a guitar store located at Excelsior SC. The store's glass panel extends to the building's washroom area. Enough clues already.

The guitars you see above are all discontinued models less one PRS. These are not new models, they have been around for a while, still waiting for the right individuals to fall in love with them & bringing them home (after payment, of course). The thing is, prices for these instruments are Day 1 prices. Yes, these have not been subjected to any discounts (yet) till today so falling in love with any of these instruments is a little subjective. Some of the guitars still have the plastic protective layer on them, eg. the Fender Elvis Costello Jazzmaster. This one debuted in 2008 so good luck in removing that; we know what it's like dealing with something that should be removed but given a prolonged existence. 

I'm nobody when it comes to sale recommendations but some things should be cleared in good time. Take that green Strat there with the flag sticker on the pickguard for instance; is an American Original Series. It debuted in 2018 & discontinued in 2021. When Swee Lee still had it in stock, it was listed for $2.8k+ & rightfully so as it's in the higher tier of Fender's offerings. Also, this particular store does not display prices up front; even their online references do not bear any price listings. Price tags, I feel, has a psychological effect on the shopping minds. Even if you don't end up buying, the figures cannot be unseen (if you understand what I mean). This is why some stores even display a fake slashed / discounted listing. I've nothing against this store. In fact, I've purchased three guitars from them, pickups & countless number of strings. I would want them to do well & give other stores there good competition. Then again, I'm sure they know what they are doing despite us (the outsiders) thinking otherwise.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead.

Dimensional weekend

It's a Saturday without distortion. Kept things clean today to appease the Dimension C application. I'm not a clean tone person by any means but today was enjoyable. There's something about the chorus & clean tones that everyone should embrace. Not to mention, a touch of reverb. Also, cleans & single coils are good friends. 

Affordable 7

Also new this October is an affordable Ibanez 7-string from the GIO range; GRG7221. It's really a utilitarian 7-string with low-key appointments, all going for less than $350 (bag not included). I noticed it was already available at Swee Lee before October but didn't think too much of it; really thought it was a re-stock.

Pic: Ibanez

BOSS discounts

FYI - Swee Lee is giving good discounts for selected BOSS pedals & amps. Do visit the webstore for more details. The CE-2w is worth checking out.

Pic: SL 

Review quickie: Olympia strings

Olympia strings are Korean but their presentation hinted at a possible Chinese affair. These are available at Ranking Sports / Music Theme.

Likes

• Price
• Packaging / presentation
• General durability

Dislike

• Feel

The ones under appraisal here are ordinary strings, meaning, they are in no way coated or have undergone a cryogenic treatment. If you are a regular player, unattended / unwiped strings would last about three weeks before things sound & feel dead. If you are the wipe-down type, things are good for about 5 weeks or so. Quality-wise, they are as good as my personal benchmark when it comes to economy, Darco. However, the Olympia loses out on feel. Upon handling, you could feel that these are no better than the cheap, Chinese manufactured brands; Alice & Orphee among others. We could all agree that feel is a make / break factor for strings. If you are solo-inclined, this rejection might set in pretty quickly. Personally, if you are the riff guy, Olympias are definitely acceptable. By the time you read this, these strings are no longer less than $5 per pack. Based on this consideration alone, many of us would rather embrace the Darco brand.

Rating: 70%

Ice is back

Heck, yeah - Ibanez brought the Iceman back! OK so the Iceman wasn't totally discontinued as it lives in the Paul Stanley realm. For someone like me who dislikes signature affiliations, this IC420 is good news indeed. Nothing fancy here, but I need to check those Super 80 humbuckers. 

Pic: Ibanez

Works

I seldom play at night during workdays but this time, it's a triggered occasion. The guitar in question was my GRG010LTD because I already had a certain tone in mind.

The trigger factor - Burzum's Alfadanz, which you can check out above. I was texting a good friend, the usual gear conversation, when he mentioned this song which, despite not being my favourite, is something I took note of for its strong doom & folk essence. Despite his political / left-wing folly, Varg Vikernes is a good song writer. He has this penchant for including the right ideas to deliver the song through. My GRGR is adept to this kind of burly treble tone, not abrasive but a fuzzy treble serving. I feel good keeping something that works / serves the intention. The GRGR is not an expensive instrument, it's something I tweaked for a certain intention & it delivers every time.

Golden morning

Waking up on a Sunday morning feeling depressed - guitar was the answer. A quick re-string, fretboard conditioning & tinkering with pickup height did it for me. 

Folks, it's important you have something to fall back on when feeling down. Intoxication & suicide are never the answers to life's challenges. Get help if need be, never do something that would jeopordize others.

Here's the situation - I'm currently on contract employment. My employment days are usually lesser than my unemployment days so every opportunity for me is gold. My current employer did not disclose some terms of the employment, if they did, I would have walked away for sure. Then again, this is my final employment opportunity for the year. It will end at the end of this month, after which, I will be unemployed till 2024 when the next contract opportunity becomes available again. As such, I dread Sunday, as it is my final rest day of the week before the rot begins again. Hope this gives a better understanding as to why buying a new guitar won't happen any time soon for me. When everyone goes away at the end of the year with their bonuses in hand, I have nothing. December is a very miserable month for me. 

Hello October 👋