NYE

I'm not the party type. In fact, I dislike being around many people. Rather go somewhere & read a book + drink coffee than usher in the new year which has nothing in store for me. Plans had been thwarted by foul weather lately so the new year eve is an indoor activity for me... with my guitars. 

DiGiorgio @ SL

So the Ibanez Steve DiGiorgio signature bass made it here before the new year (List: $2,299). Besides the delight of its availability, we know it's gonna be a slow mover due to: 1) Fretless nature. The biggest deal breaker; even if you are into what the endorser is doing, highly likely, you won't commit to a fretless bass due to its niche tone 2) 5 strings. Not many 5-string fans across the board. Period 3) Price. Self-explanatory.

Pic: Ibanez

Schecter LP-esque

These two guitars appeared in one of my guitar-related feeds today. 

Yes folks, these are Schecter singlecut design guitars (PS-LP-SR), no hiding the fact that they are direct copies of a certain G-brand instrument. A quick check showed that these are not featured at Schecter Japan's official website. In fact, they are exclusively sold at Japan's Shimamura store. Will these make it here considering we have a Schecter distributor in town? Let's see what pans out come 2024.

Pics: Schecter Japan X

Badass

OK... it's a variation of what MXR already have in its lineup but that BOOST / CUT switch there might just attract that group of pedal geeks who find this fruitful. Available at Davis GMC (List: $185).

Pic: Futuremusic

Plate

I have no idea why I have a spare neck plate lying around so it's put to good use. To me, that black liner should be standard for all guitars so that the paint / finish would not fuse with the metal parts over time.

Up to 30

This was updated yesterday @ Swee Lee's website. If you have checked out what's on the discount list, I understand why you'd rather spend that cash to look for some yummy treats at your neighbourhood's seasonal night market.

If you are a pedal geek, do consider the Ross pedals on discount; I believe this is a fair amount to be paying for the brand name & the tone on offer.

On that note, we are now into the final fews days of (possible) gear acquisitions before prices go up when the year turns.

X

Season's greetings. Nothing to look forward to, certainly not a season to be merry.

Indoors

Had been indoors for the last couple of days. Not really in a festive mood, not when I'm in this situation bogged down by uncertainty. The best discourse - play guitar. Had been playing my S-Series a lot lately because these are my fav Ibanez. The RGs are necessary distractions. The thing with the S-Series is, they don't have too many models out since Ibanez-dom is still revolving around the RG. Of late, the AZ models are taking centre stage but I always return to my S-es. Neither of these guitars feature stock pickups. The S1620 has a pair of covered Distortions. The bridge model (TB) is a special order through Davis GMC. The S570B has a Custom / Quarter Pound / Jazz lineup. I prefer Seymour Duncans in my Ibanez & that's not gonna change soon.

Thank you folks, for your kind contributions. If you wish to make some donations to somewhat cure my December deficit, please refer to the QR code on the left shoulder of this page. This won't be a permanent feature, it will disappear next week. In the mean time, let's get ready to welcome the long weekend.

Magna-SLASH

This amp created quite a stir in amp-dom; did Slash leave the Marshall camp for good? Is this a part-collab? Is it a one-off? Whatever it is, it's USD4,899 head + USD2,699 cab & we have no clue who the Magnatone dealer is here (is there any to begin with)? Doubt if there's any strong demand for this other than the fanboys wanting one so badly. So, there.

Pic: Andertons IG

 

Bud Japan

Yet another Fender - non-musician colab. This one has alcohol written all over it. Think - if you wish to re-sell this guitar, which guitar-playing sector would it appeal to?

There's a bass version as well. Seen above: Fender Limited Wasted Youth Telecaster / Mustang bass.

 

Pics: Fender Japan

J-Blue

It's the final few days of 2023 but the blue version of the Ibanez RG8570 is just available at Swee Lee ($4,299). I'm just not into the vine inlay. And the price.

Pic: Ibanez

Aqua F&G

Wonder how much money Fender & Gibson pumped into this movie...

Pic: IMDB

75th

The Fender 75th commemorative anniversary models were over & done with. These were made in limited quantities for sale in 2021.

These instruments are readily recognized by two special features; the 75th commemorative logo embossed at the rear of the headstock & a similar one engraved on the neck's bolt plate. Also, the serial numbers of these instruments indicate a 2020 - 2021 year of manufacture. If any Fender instruments bear any of these features, these are the official commemorative models.

In that same year of manufacture, Fender stamped other non-commemoorative models with the Fender 75 logo which caused confusion somewhat. We can see this on Mexican & Japanese Fenders as well & they are just there to mark the occasion, nothing else.

Drawing this to your attention because there are individuals out there who believe they are selling a 75th but in fact they are not.

Pics: Zenith / Essex

Bass U

This is interesting; Fender's own P-bass ukulele. It's also a little bewildering - it's a bass in a ukulele dimension utilizing bass strings (.045 - .110 set, no kidding). The sides & back are of solid construction (okoume), do note. Considering the hollow body & those massive tuners, if you can't tolerate any neck diving annoyance, do steer clear. Swee Lee is listing this for SGD479 but over at the Fender homepage, it's USD299 (SGD398). My only hint of interest here is that it's equipped with a truss rod.

Pic: Fender USA

Tamura mod v2

Pic: Godlyke

Here's another re-interpretation of the Tube Screamer - the TS808TM2. In a nutshell, it's a modded version by the original TS designer Susumu Tamura done in collaboration with Godlyke Distribution. In this iteration, the processing chip remains the same, the Toshiba 1S1588 diodes are used here to push more low / high frequencies. 

According to the manufacturer, this is aimed at players who dislike the TS in its original incarnation. If I am not TS-inclined to begin with, I would be looking at other pedals to address my needs, not coming back to a modded TS. Doing so would mean I harbour some favour for the TS & not a total dislike - see the irony?

Anyway, prices for this one is excessive - USD349 for the second wave of production (initial batch went for an intro pice of USD299). The pedal-verse continues to be obsessed with the green pedal, revolving around it as opposed to moving on. Come to think of it, the guitar-verse is doing likewise; revolving around Strats & LPs. Here it is in action:

With 2m

An instrument with a certain brand name in a certain price bracket would be duly scrutinized before an acquisition takes place. The scrutiny becomes a wee bit more intense when the brand name is a little offbeat with a touch of local craftsmanship to taste. Folks, the guitar you see here is the Claren 2M.st flying the domestic flag in its manifestation. 

So here you go; a statement of introduction as well as clear intent of what the brand name is all about. When it comes to all things acoustic, I would be overwhelmed with indifference in most occasions, unless that guitar is worth my considerations regardless of its being. 

All Claren guitars are full solid instruments. Looking at the list price of the 2M.st, you'd be thinking if the instrument underwent multiple corner cuttings in order to be existing in this price bracket. I'm telling you up front, the hard case, tuners & electronics featured here are unmarked accessories to keep the price in check. To many of us, brandless items equal poor quality-performance but you'd be surprised how many well known instrument out there are equipped with semi-pathetic, nameless accessories & we fell for these brand names. The ones featured in all Claren guitars are downright respectable & take away nothing in terms of goodwill in every aspect.

How do I rate the 2M.st? I find the overall construction very impressive, especially the neck-body joint areas; all contact surfaces are sealed & we don't see this from the bigger brand names out there. The neck profile here is absolutely addictive & the neck per se is robust with imposing playability. Coming from a predominantly electric guitar player, I've to say it's simply addictive. The other splendid feature here is the instrument's scale length - 24.8". I deem this important for those of us who are not strum-inclined & are technical in our playing. Of course, again being up front, me being me, I don't find the body dimensions appealing to smaller framed players who wish to spend more time with the acoustic guitar but are unwilling to compromise tone. In this light, I'm forgiving in the embrace of overall playability & tone; I'm still in love with mahogany when it comes to acoustics. 

OK, not turning this into a personal gripe episode, the Claren instruments are definitely worth checking out especially for those who are desensitized with brand name supremacy (whatever this means) & prioritize playability / tone. With that said, buying a Claren means you have a firm intention of keeping the instrument, making it a personal embrace & not worrying about anything else. 

Visit Claren Guitars here: CLICK

Price watch (70)

This may / may not be what it claimed to be. The serial number of this guitar is legit which suggests a legit neck.

But the body is problematic. All RG550s, in its various iterations, do not come with that bridge. Granted, it might be swapped in from another Ibanez model but this greatly reduces the credibility of this instrument. Control knobs are definitely replacement ones. If you are interested in this guitar, do tread with caution. $700 is too much for something of this nature, IMO.

I'm always a little put off by listings that do not state the exact model of the instrument. This is a good example - which Ibanez model is this, exactly?

One of the listed pictures actually features another guitar altogether - this GRX is definitely an obvious error. That's a different bridge altogether. In any case, the headstock picture in this listing features a truss rod cover that's inconsistent with the Ibanez models in this price bracket compounded by the fact that there's no string retainer there.

Excuse me, what the heck are you selling?

Initially, this was listed as a Japanese model.

But the headstock says it's a Mexican model so the seller edited the listing. It now reads as a Vintera II. Folks, Fender benders especially, you'd agree that the serial number here shows that the instrument was either manufactured in 2021 / 2018. The Vintera II Series are new this year (2023) so how could this be a Vintera II? Not disputing the quality / functionality of this guitar, just showing you how careless / indifferent people are. All the best to the chap buying this guitar as it's currently marked as reserved.

Teenage fanclub

It's about time - Teenage Engineering products are now available at Swee Lee. I've been secretly preparing myself to embrace beat-making come 2024 & I'm constantly looking for stand alone gear to cope with the learning curve. I do not wish to own those bigger stuff as they are overwhelming in features (wanna start small, something very manageable) & require a computer to run (majority are non-stand alone units). These TE Pocket Operators are the way to go (List: $150 ea).

In the near future, I would want to own the OP-1 Field but at that price & considering my current employment plight, it would take me forever to purchase this without buyer's remorse hovering over my head. If you are deeply interested in the OP-1 Field (like I do) & it's on your Xmas wish list, you can get one for $2,927 at Amazon (shipping charges included). However, subject to the current Swee Lee promo, you'd receive $120 off.

Review quickie: DiMarzio Norton

The DiMarzio Norton is an Alnico 5 humbucker with a strong midrange response. It's meant to be a bridge humbucker with a high output performance. The one you see above is the special order double cream finish which was sold to me for a good price because it's an F-Spaced version; the owner wanted a regular spaced model. It was still sealed in the box when I took over possession.

Likes

• clarity with distortion
• smooth overall performance at high volume settings
• relatively good clean tones

Dislike

• nasal midrange at high gain settings

Overall rating: 80%

I'm not really a fan of DiMarzios (if you've been following this blog diligently) but I make exceptions for models which cater to my needs. The Norton here was spec'd out for a pushed midrange performance which is absolutely my thing with regards to the music I play.  So this humbucker was adept to all harsh settings common in the black metal realm but the midrange gets nasal at high gain settings (even in less distorted situations). A check over at the amp's EQ section is a must. The good thing about DiMarzios - they still maintain the smooth, polished overall tones with excessive processing. If you wish for clarity (especially the solo-inclined geeks) at high gain, the Norton is the way to go, regardless of the music genre.

Thanks: Bothers Kai Jie / Jordan Thiam for your kind contributions. One more time - I'm very grateful to all who had made my December a little more bearable. If you wish to join the cause - for which I'm grateful for - please refer to the QR code on the left shoulder of this page. Thanks in advance!

Swee Lee Year End SALE (2023)

 One last hurrah from Swee Lee before the year ends.

Let's put things in perspective. Suppose I wish to purchase this Fender (Japan) Junior Strat which is currently listed for $1,599. So after the current sale savings, I need to pay $1,549. This guitar only qualifies for $50 discount since it's in the $1K bracket. Considering the price of this guitar was $1,449 before the price hike took place (just before the Black Friday sale), it's actually not a bargain. What if Swee Lee gives a percentage discount instead, let's say 10% off? You would then be paying $1,439 which is slightly lower than its former price tag. I am of the opinion that a percentage discount would be more enticing than block discounts as clearly illustrated above. I hope guitar stores here understand why people prefer spending their money on year-end travels this time as opposed to buying new musical instruments. 

Pic: Swee Lee / Fender Japan

LP - SG

Good day, folks. Hope the Monday started well for all of us. Just leaving some things here when it comes to the LP - SG dimensions. As you can see above, the SG is actually longer than the LP. Many of us wouldn't have noticed this until they are placed side by side like this.

Do take note of these measurements as well; the SG body width (longer than the LP) & the bridge distance to the body edge (more than the LP). Why are these important? If you buy a bag that fits the LP, it does not automatically fit an SG. Same goes for hard cases. Also, if you wish to mod the bridge to let say a Bigsby type, that distance to the edge might make / break your plans. Before we go, the LP you see above weighs 3.9kg, while the SG is 2.9kg. So if you had been playing an LP all along & wish for something less spine-taxing, a switchover is a valid move.

Disclaimer

The SG featured above is the SG Special T (2017) which features 24 frets. Does this make the neck longer than the SG Standard featuring only 22 frets? 

Answer: No. The 23rd & 24th frets are actually occupying the empty space as indicated above.

Pic: Gibson USA

MOMM (47)

Beefing up the metal playlist this year end.

Godflesh: Purge

How relevant is Godflesh today in terms of the music they peddle? Purge is still Godflesh backed by programmed beats. The only reason they appeal to the metal masses is the decision to keep those programming raw & not hyped up the sequencing. Purge re-visits Pure mostly, keeping the aggression in check. There are also, dance-y tunes in this set but the band is intelligent enough to keep the guitar / bass dominant to prevent it from going astray (from the metal path). Also, one of the better produced guitar / bass tones here. I like this album.

Watain: Die In Fire, Live In Hell

Live album so the numbers here are nothing new. There's another guitarist for live shows (P. Forsberg) & a touring bassist (A. Lillo), it's quite the reason why I bought this album. Great live atmosphere all round with all instruments properly panned out & well-produced. Do forgive the spoken parts, some of which are not in English. Watain... the band this country's politicians are afraid of. 

Sho time

Pic: Fender Japan

I actually don't affirm such releases because the individual associated with this Fender (Japan) Tele has nothign to do with music. Sho Watanabe is a graphic artist so this Art Gallery Telecaster (limited run) is purely an aesthetic showcase. By the way, this one's a mid-December release by Fender (Japan). Every manufacturer is holding out till the year ends before unleashing fresh releases to the world. 

Thank you: Brother Muhammad Usmani for your kind contributions. Kind folks, if you wish to do likewise, please refer to the QR code located on the left shoulder of this page - I can't thank you enough & hope you are rewarded many times over for your generosity.

Tumnus ver G

If you are a Klon or Klon-alike fan then be informed of the new Tumnus Germanium version. Yes, the Tumnus is an already celebrated Klon-alike pedal out there but this is that version featuring the oh so magical germanium diode which Brian Wampler claims to be that identical one that resides in the original Klon. Watch what he has to further add to this claim & listen to the pedal in action with various amps:

Pic: Wampler

Hale Voyager

Pic: Kramer

A new one from the Kramer camp - a Lzzy Hale signature model called the Voyager. It's extra pointy & will invite knocks & dents very easily. Bridge is an FR1000, coupled with the in-house Kramer 85-T humbucker, should not make this an extravagantly priced instrument. Single pickup, 22 frets - my kind of features. FR bridge - not interested. Keep in mind that Lzzy has a signature Epiphone Explorer as well.

Thank you for your kind contributions: Ang Tai Fong / B. Gurung. Folks, if you wish to make contributions for my December cause, please refer to the QR code at the left shoulder of this page. Any amount is much appreciated & may you be rewarded many times over for your generosity. 

Price watch (69)

There are currently three Ibanez TOD10N in the after-market which are priced above the retail listing ($999). No doubt, the TOD10 is a popular, fast-selling model but stock will be replenished time & again. It's worth waiting, yes?

Recently, we've seen a Mexican Fender crossing the $2K mark, this Vintera Jaguar comes close - $1,999. In the after-market, it's listed for $1.5K as seen above - would you fork our that much money for a used Mexican Fender? I have nothing against Mexican Fenders, majority of them are well made but price means everything.

I reserve no apologies in saying this is trash. A dilapidated bag with missing handles... just because it bears the Taylor name, it somehow replicates the relic philosophy of Fender & Gibson?

Pleasant stop

Folks, this is a whammy blocking device & it's the cheapest I've come across - less than $5. Maybe it's due to the bare bones nature that kept the cost down. In fact, it looks like a secondary school technical implement / graded assignment product, nothing ground-breaking for sure.  This is also, by far, my preferred blocking device due to its downright effective outcome. I've set the bridge in such a way that the whammy doesn't work at all; you can't even do a dive bomb effect. How is this possible? Simple - use at least 4 springs & screw them deep into the cavity. This way, the string tension is unable to counter the inward pull & hey presto! A blocked whammy. I have removed one of the springs to show you how the device looks like from this angle; yes, I'm using 4 springs. Definitely looking forward to get more of this for a few more guitars.

PS: Thank you Mr. Arvind for your kind contributions via the QR code provided at the left shoulder of this page. Folks, I appreciate any amounts & thank you in advance for your generosity. I'm not moving to a video platform which many people have encouraged me to, for a simple reason - I love to write.

Black Friday @ SG: The sale that never was

The Black Friday / Cyber Monday dates had well expired. Naturally, being gear geeks, we were exposed to bargain deals in our social media feeds. We see steep discounts being offered by stores in line with our year-end bonuses. Of course, those mouth-watering deals were happening beyond these shores much to our dismay.

There were local deals to consider but these were hardly deals. Stores offered sanctioned discounts, selective discounts & indifferent discounts. First & foremost, the local establishments here had no obligations to match deals offered elsewhere. Most of the sale items were import items & the list prices worked out differently for them here so giving them BF / CM deals made no sense. Secondly, manufacturers are offering direct discounts if customers buy from them instead of dealers. These proved to be a serious proposal for some of us who won't hesitate to engage forwarding services after factoring in shipping charges. Since forwarding companies charge according to weight, some of us are more than willing to rope in friends as co-buyers just to split the shipping costs. Wise move. Thirdly, the distributors here are simply unenthusiastic when it comes to such events. The annual great Singapore Sale is effectively dead so why should BF / CM deals be any different? Distributors know nobody would throng their premises come BF / CM so they played along to ride on the hype instead of making genuine efforts to attract buyers.

Gear-wise, if you are living here, BF / CM deals should not be occasions to look forward to acquiring good bargains. Bitter truth - dealers are bogged down by high store rentals (getting higher as we speak) & would do well to perpetuate their existence as opposed to appeasing the buyers. The irony is, if you don't appease the buyers, you can say goodbye to existence. 

Taxes are going up in less than a month. Prices will go up & gear acquisition will be listed further down the consumer priority list. I just feel that this year end is a good opportunity to observe a robust buy-sell before nobody is eager to buy & selling proves to be a headache, come the new year but it is becoming a clear loss to both buyers & sellers. A sorely missed opportunity. 

More 50th

More 50th Anniversary BOSS pedals are now available at Swee Lee. If you are looking for a differentiated tone from something that is already available in the market for a good while, then don't bother. If you don't mind spending on something collectible, then these prices are good.

Manson lite

Manson guitars have just released the Junior models which are the MA (seen above in neon green)...

... & the Verona (this one is called mustard yellow). Despite being 'junior' in monicker, these guitars feature a standard 25.5" scale length. These instruments are a hit with me as they feature a single humbucker & a blank fretboard. The USD1.7K price would be a deal-breaker for many of us.

 Pics: Manson GW