GS270 (6)

Done & good to go. Reminder - this is an Ibanez GS270, a GIO Series guitar made not to look like one. This is my third GIO given this kind of treatment.

Was at Beez's yesterday to get the electronics done.

Nothing fancy, a pair of Artec rail-type high output humbuckers. The middle single coil is the default pickup which was given a black metal cover.

Not too pleased with the replacement truss rod cover as it sports cloudy build ups but glad it was available.

A fresh set of Olympia strings. 

Was this re-finish necessary? No. It was a fun engagement for sick people like me to pass the time. I enjoyed seeing my efforts come to fruition & was not bound by any standards. I'm not a pro guitar tech who makes a living out of this. I also don't believe in sending my guitar for a pro paint job because it's costly. Thanks for reading / following. 

Artec @ SV

Artec pedals are clearing out at SV Guitars for $29.90 each. Click HERE to see more on the list.

Pic: SVG 

Review quickie: Artec Giovanni pickup

The Artec pickups are under the Giovanni Series of electronics, manufactured for electric guitars. These are very affordable pickups available at Amazon. Magnets used are either Alnico II / V. The high powered GHXTN model here features Alnico V magnets.

Likes:

• clarity
• price

Dislike:

• clean tones

Both the bridge & neck pickups manifest clarity we often hear coming from notable brand names which list for much more. The bridge pickup, would appease all the distortion fiends out there, especially the ones who peddle heavy music. The clarity of the neck humbucker is useful for solos. A strong midrange / treble response is heard coming from both models & on this note, the clean tones on offer are acceptable & would require some modulation (e.g. chorus) to mitigate a more appealing response. Certainly not the pickups to get for jazz.

Final rating: 70%

Availability: Amazon

Ptice: $30.05

Red Dinky (3)

A belated conclusion to this episode but a conclusion nevertheless. The JS12 underwent a pickup swap. The rail type humbuckers you see here are Artec pickups. These are very affordable & they are quite singular in offering; good for distortion. The cleans here are as good as those default ceramic Jackson pickups to begin with. I went with this pair due to its rich harmonic content which can be rather excessive especially if you wish for unobtrusive solos in the neck position. 

So we conclude this episode of a forgotten guitar brought back to life. It's not a perfect reincarnation but a deserving one for something largely unplayed with minimum wear. On this note, the Jackson JS12 is my recommended guitar (despite being a firm Ibanez fan) for those of us looking for something affordable but not shabby with lots of potential for greatness along the way. In fact, the JS12 doesn't feel like an entry level Jackson considering how well these are constructed & put together. Of course, the default tuners remain its Achilles heel when it comes to wholesome gratification. 

Previous episode: CLICK

Ibanez: GS121 (3)

The first thing that was done to the GS121 was a body top treatment, specifically, it's a re-finish. The original top was satin black which had a few scratches in some areas that scratch removers could not handle. That's right folks, you simply can't use liquid  scratch removers (plenty available at petrol kiosks) on satin surfaces. Not quite apparent but the new finish is a flip-flop blue / green / purple. I only did two layers this time & allowed drying to take place overnight. I also placed it in direct sunlight to help the curing process & applied polish cream. If this step is omitted, chances are, the finished top would be sticky & would stick to your bag surface. My make-shift spray 'booth', as you can see above, are merely used boxes conveniently salvaged from the recycling bin downstairs. 

The default fixed bridge (left) had dead saddles; they were mouldy & the action adjustment screws were rusty & impossible to turn. I ordered a replacement unit but the screw holes were all misaligned & were smaller (right). The default bridge was given a good clean up & the saddles from the replacement units were transferred over. Apparently, the replacement unit was meant for Standard Ibanez models, not the GIO ones.

I took the opportunity to re-finish the headstock as well, to match the body. The original decal was easily removed as it was a screened transfer. The surface was sanded & sprayed over, again, only two layers were done. The replacement decal you see here is the adhesive type. I prefer this over the water transfer version as it is more resistant to lacquer & devoid of that Fender-ish ghostly outline. After proper drying, the headstock was given a layer of lacquer finish to seal the decal onto the surface. As you've noticed, I removed the nut to facilitate this process. It was easily re-glued once everything was done. I hope the pics above give you an idea of what a flip flop finish is; notice the colour shift from purple (top) to green (bottom).

Beez did the final touches for me; a pair of Artec pickups together with a 3-way pickup selector. The default pots were left alone as they were still in excellent condition. 

That's it folks, a make over coverage of an unglam guitar. We cannot rule out the fact that something great can happen to something uncelebrated if the right things are done to it. I'm showing you that you don't need a luthier level know-how (myself especially) to actually execute a simple tinkering. Be prepared to accept the fact that some spares might not conform to your needs because replacement units are often not produced by the original manufacturer & measurements could be off. Wishing you all a great weekend & a successful mod adventure if you're at it.

Previous episode: CLICK

Clearance @ TYMC

 

Some stuff are clearing for a good deal @ TYMC. The Carvin LB20 you see here is definitely one of them. Modern tones with a good thump. When I tried this out sometime ago, I managed to hear it in action with some OD & it's one of the more pleasant ones I have ever come across.

These are good stuff as well, especially when you are on a budget - $15 ea... 😯

PIC: TYMC FB

On SALE @ SV Guitars

Some stuff are on sale at SV Guitars, I'd recommend the above pedals (I own them) if you are looking for something above average but nothing excessive.

Hotone: Wally Looper

A simple looping unit, something that would definitely squeeze onto your pedal board. Has great clarity & that elusive output control, it actually adds gain to your signal.

Artec: Gainer Boost

One of the numbered boost units out there that feature an EQ section. Set the bass to nought & pump up the treble for a -you guessed it- a treble boost function. Raise the bass & set the treble to 20% - 25% setting for a smooth legato application. All this without muddy-ing out or sounding too piercing. This isn't merely a volume boost, the gain adds a good amount of drive to your settings, do note. 

Pushing the driver

These two go well together. In fact, I tried them both together at the store prior to purchase. They are complementary in this exact arrangement.

The NUX OD-3 is a surprisingly polished mild driver. By virtue of its colour alone, you know what the OD-3 is offering tone-wise. There isn't any pronounced midrange hump heard so if you wish for that reproduction on a budget, this might be a let-down. I view the OD-3 as a very shrewd follower of Fuch's Plush without sounding too familir. Artec's gainer boost on the other hand, is a smooth operator, not by default though, but by engaging its 2-band EQ. The gain on tap here is rather intense but in a good boost kind of way, not as a definite drive source.

Now, cascading the OD-3 into the GB is a polished affair. The OD-3 requires a booster unit that complements its silky voicing & the GB does just that if you turn the treble control down & start with the bass control at noon position. Turning the gain control Eastwards wasn't as impressive as bringing the volume up, mind the additional treble while you're at it but there's always the treble control to keep things in check. The overall voicing is one of smoothness- think Alan Holdsworth & Tom Quayle- without sacrificing saturation & harmonics richness. All for less than $160- now isn't that a steal?

Gaining & boosting

I've been playing pedals lately. A pedal revival is not happening at my place because I own pedals all along, just that I don't feature them in my line up unless it's necessary. This here is a very affordable Artec boost pedal. If you are into clean boosting, most probably, this one isn't favourable. In addition to a mark up in volume, the pedal offers some servings of drive due to its high gain nature. The 2-band EQ you see there are unnecessary but they add some dimension to tone & I bought this pedal due to just that. In its entirety, the GB can offer the fusion-type player some of the smoothest drive (think Alan Holsdworth/ Tom Quayle) if s/he chooses to cascade a mild overdrive unit into it. Sweet.

The Artec Gainer Boost pedal is available at both SV Guitars & TYMC.

Selling: Artec Rock 'N Roll (SOLD)

About 2 weeks old, absolutely immaculate condition :-) It gives a fusion of drive & distortion responses.

• Artec: Rock 'N Roll (mini series)
• Condition: 9/10 (box included)
• No reservations/ No trades
• Self-collect: CCK mrt station
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $39 (final)

Artec: Rock 'N Roll

It's the in-thing now; mini pedals. The ones capable of populating your pedal board in terms of quantity & variety. The leading names to note: Mooer, Eno & Artec. Mooer is the standard to beat, uncompromising in quality, both tone & QC-wise. Eno is mocking Mooer in terms of price & selected models are sheer value-for-money. Coming on to Artec, these guys are serving you functionality with some acceptable compromises.

The Rock 'N Roll (RNR) pedal is a mild drive/distortion type capable of letting you have some smooth, boost-type push at lower gain settings while the upper end gain markings let you enjoy some DS-1 type distortion, nothing too intense. The overall controls performance are responsive but you need some patience with the mini GAIN & TONE knobs. Much of the cost-trimmings here involve the materials in use- plastic. The RNR sports a plastic housing & chassis so in terms of vulnerability, this one is outright fragile. The pedal simply fails if it's used unsecured so the best application here is to strap it down to your pedal board. I have only acquired this baby for about a week but it's working well, so much of the consideration would be to see how long it would last. 

Tone-wise, the RNR would appease single coil worshipers more than the typical humbucker fan. Given the right pre-amp to couple this pedal, some Malmsteen type, throaty single coil distortion is achievable. In terms of accommodating fat humbuckers, the RNR is a little wanting in terms of bottom end definition.

It's an interesting time to be dwelling in mini pedal goodness. Manufacturers are giving us players some good variety to work with & the competition has manifested a good range of prices as well. But with the goodness comes some compromise & this should be well understood & accepted. Purchase decisions are then at the behest of your learned investigation- cheap & good may not last you through & the upper end, more revered products may just be downright awful. Take time to shop & select what you need (not what you want). Keep in mind that these babies require power supply (no battery capacity whatsoever) so that would entail some supplementary expenditure.

Artec mini pedals are now avaialble at TYMC.

Artec's compact take

After my visit to Beez's, I headed to TYMC to check out Artec's latest offerings. Nothing evolutionary, just a range of compact pedals & yes, others were there before Artec so there's no gloss to this embrace. I managed to have a go at the 3 units you see here- a clean boost & 2 drives. Prices are kept below SGD80 & this was made possible for a simple reason- all pedals feature plastic housing. If you think this is a complete turn off, stop whining & move on; you have ENO & MOOER to choose from. As always, thumbs-up to the TYMC team when it comes to customer service. I had plans to try only the Blues Drive but they took 2 others for comparison's sake & that should be the way- letting the customer decide & widen his options before making an informed decision. It's not easy choosing a pedal, let alone choosing something one really wants in terms of preferences. More report to come :-)

Artec trio

Am I averse to budget pedals with unknown labels? Definitely not. I'm very happy with my Artec trio, as seen above, which are superb for the money. The Switch Box is particularly interesting. It can be used as an amp selector on days when you want 2 amps going. It also works the other way; 2 guitarists plugging into 1 amp- particularly useful when you are teaching guitar. You shred your parts while your student waits for you to finish & you 'switch' him on. This way, he can't interfere & annoy the daylights out of you.

2 Wahs

If one owns a single coil equipped guitar, the lure of the wah is a haunting one. The best wah sound comes from a clean single coil tone; that's how I hear it. The wah & distortion aren't ready compliments. Anyway, I currently own 2 wah pedals:

1. Artec Standard Power Wah: Optic based wah unit
2. Vox V847: The traditional wah unit & the standard to beat

Artec's APW-3 isn't a costly pedal, I bought it because it sounds good with dirt, not only clean tones. There's added dynamics here due to the presence of a tone pot. The VOX V847 is equally affordable, it's the wah tone to return to should you be sick of other offerings out there so it's a good pedal to keep. There's an ongoing debate as to which wah manifestation is the more desirable option since the optic based unit does not have the upper hand in tone generation because it's pot-free. I believe it's whichever pedal that works because there's no established superiority when it comes to tone. If you can't live with a certain presentation, simply put, there are other options out there.

Distortion R Us...

These are all the distortion units I own bearing the 'Distortion' tag on them. They aren't excessively intense, just enough to out-drive an overdrive but nothing excessive to be worthy of a metal-type assault:

• Visual Sound: Son of Hyde
• BOSS: DS-1
• ARTEC: Soloist Distortion
• MXR: Distortion +
• Toadworks: Mr. Ed
• Seymour Duncan: Power Grid

PS: Elmo is not a distortion unit...

Artec: Vintage Power Wah

People keep asking me, hey, which wah pedal do you fancy? I have a simple answer: None. I find wah pedals annoying as it doesn't supplement my playing needs (which is basically playing very fast with an obscene amount of distortion). Wah units sound best under clean settings, which I seldom indulge in. Anyway, I currently own 2 wah units, this Artec Vintage Power Wah is one of them. Why I bothered with this one:

• simply sounds fantastic; neither too muffled nor excessively trebly
• potless operation, lesser chances of breaking breakdown

Artec: Analog Delay

I've never been a fan of the delay effect; I dislike bits of my playing to trail off, to me it's simply annoying. I prefer reverb to delay but as it is, my Epihone Valve Jr amp is devoid of any other feature save for a volume knob. This is the very reason why Artec's SE-ADL made it into my effects line-up.

I set it up to propagate a reverb-like effect which is possible with any other effects unit/ brand name for that matter but the SE-ADL is a simple unit to mess with & it gets my vote in the affordability department. Nevertheless, the Biyang delay which I tried recently gives this pedal a run for its worth in every aspect.