Trio

These were the guitars played yesterday, from left to right:

Fender: American Special Strat

There was a sudden urge to hear some singlecoils in action so the American Special was my pick. The D'Addario steel strings did well to accentuate the singlecoil crisp. But being a distortion fan, I was easily bothered by the lack of bass in singlecoils.

Ibanez: Talman Acoustic

The only acoustic I own, I prefer this guitar's tone plugged in, rather ironic because acoustics are supposed to appeal unplugged. Anyway, this guitar was used for tapping practice. It helped build up finger dexterity which was the immediate benefit when I switched to the electric- tapping was a breeze.

Smash: S2 Lite

This is one of the guitars I am glad to have come across; cheap & cheerful. The S2's hefty feel has lots to do with the great tone it generates. In fact, I've kept the default pickups in tact because they sound above average through any amps I plug this guitar into, thanks to the body/weight - pickups chemistry.

Dry (Part 1)

I had my Smash S2 Lite out Saturday night but couldn't bring myself to play it because:

1. Strings were rusty. I recall not wiping the strings down after play the last time & left the guitar out on the stand.
2. Fretboard was dry. As seen above, the fretboard became dry rather quickly especially so when the last few days were some of the hottest days this month. This is another proof that, in this climate, we need not restrain ourselves from applying conditioning fluid onto our fretboards as & when the need arises. Remember, we are NOT in the tropics.

A more presentable & healthy looking fretboard after re-conditioning.

A set of GHS .009s in there & it's all play thereafter.

Smashing GIO

Spent the morning with the above 2 darlings:

• Ibanez: GRGR010
• Smash: S2 Lite

Default vs replacement

The Ibanez has a Duncan CC in there. This is one of my guitars which proves a point- when the default pickup fails to please, do not hesitate to replace it. When I used to play this guitar with the default covered Powersound humbucker, my mind kept telling me to stop & choose another darling because the tone hurts (as in, it's not what I wanna hear) despite the very appealing playability. So this is indeed psychological & it warrants some attention; the guitar which keeps you going in terms of playability & tone is the one for you, not one which bothers you with either issue. The Smash, on the other hand, has a point to prove too- default electronics doesn't always equal repulsive electronics. I've been very happy with what the S2 Lite offers me tone-wise so it remains as it is. Thumbs up to this one.

D vs C

The GRGR010 sports a rather flat D-shaped neck; it's typical Ibanez this one so playing fast stuff is a breeze, almost effortless with the right action & amount of distortion. The S2 Lite is very Fender-y; a rounded C-affair with practical depth for lots of bends & shred alike. When I play too much of one guitar, I'd switch to the other & this gives a relief of sorts to the fretting hand as it adapts to a contrasting profile with every change. Sometimes I feel I've had enough of a certain neck feel & it bothers me, mistakes were inevitable. The constant swap here is yet another psychological remedy.

Smashing Malmsteen

Time to stop for lunch; had been playing my Smash the whole morning. Managed to re-string this guitar with a set of Malmsteen approved Dean Markleys. If you are interested in this string set, do note the following difference:

Regular .009 set: 9-11-16-24-32-42
Malmsteen set: 9-11-15-24-32-42

Smash POD gate screamer

I still get much enjoyment over a simple set up as seen above. I also get very inspired listening to tone generated by non-guitar specific drivers, the reason I love the X-mini speaker so much. This had been my set up since Monday (17/1):

• Guitar: SMASH S2 Lite
• LINE6: Pocket POD Express
• Beta Aivin: NS100 Noise Gate
• Ibanez: TS7