Green Orange

Didn't expect this to be available here but you can get it at Davis GMC ($1,190). This is the limited edition Rocker 15 in green. I didn't see the Rocker 32; it might have been sold off / not available to begin with. I didn't ask the store 😅 For those of us with a British type of drive voicing fixation, the Orange is rather iconic because it offers a hint of fuzz at high gain settings that had become a flagship tone embraced by doom-sters. Those of us who are not into this music genre, you can enjoy some of the creamiest drive tone which would rival a Vox.

Pics: Orange UK

Metro Express

Of course, I've not forgotten about our bassist friends. The Sadowsky MetroExpress basses are now available at Swee Lee. These are affordable models (Chinese) but still in excess of $1K. The 5-string versions are also in store. 

For those of us who are predominantly guitar oriented, it's good to own a bass. This opens up opportunities for us to understand music arrangement (how we fit basslines into the tune) & chord progressions. That's right, I always use the bass to identify chords in songs & then I play those on guitar. It's a little long winded but my mind works that way. 

S-Tuesday

Unemployed, indoors with some time in hand; I'm taking this opportunity to play & look after my gear. Just wanna hear an S-Series in action today so this was the guitar of choice - S1620.

I just love playing solos in the neck position, the Seymour Duncan Distortion is an awesome pickup for this intention. Good definition & won't mud-out under intense distortion. I dislike neck pickups that churn out muddy notes at high gain despite sounding good clean. Many Gibson pickups are as such. A quick re-string & a little set-up (bridge related) before playing.

BFDR

Got access to Swee Lee's Black Friday (BF) deals. Nothing too enticing, a little upset that only Sterling guitars (selected) are subjected to the discount. This event is curated unlike other BF deals elsewhere, discounts are store-wide. So if you've been saving for a Fender guitar & hoping there's a good deal waiting come BF - it's not happening. 

I just got myself some DR strings, prices are good after the BF discounts.  I used to be a big fan of this brand (till prices simply turn me off) because it somehow caters to those of us peddling aggressive music. The strings feel solid, the tone, above expectations. These are not for those who embrace boomer bends, though. Just being upfront.

Standard Sunday

Sunday with the Standard (S2 Standard 22 satin). This was an unplanned purchase. The S2 Series were given the American treatment rather recently  & it came with a revised price which contradicted the manufacturer's philosophy of making the S2 range affordable price-wise. The model you see here is the pre-revision Standard 22 in a satin finish. The reason you don't see the wing button tuners there. I like PRS for its 25" scale length. That in-between (Fender's 25.5" & Gibson's 24.75") feel & tone makes it different (to me). I'm also quite a sucker for non-gloss finishes especially the neck. This was clearing for a good price at Davis GMC once upon a time so I had to grab it. 

I don't quite fancy the default pickups so these are Seymour Duncans (JB / Jazz). I don't see too many covered JB trembuckers available here so it was grab & go from Davis GMC. The neck pickup is a pre-owned unit which the previous owner did not install into his guitar. It was virtually new. I don't whammy so the bridge sits flushed against the body.

Saturday morning, still reminiscing my good days at work. Needed a distraction. Took this out to play.

Couldn't get any nice solo ideas going. I blame the pickups for this 😅 DiMarzio's D'Activator / D'Activator X were not conceived to propel ballads & emotional solos. Spent a good hour or so just grinding out brutal riffs. At least I get to manifest my frustrations.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Stay safe.