2011 targets: Part 1

Before the revelations of some other distractions come Winter NAMM 2011, I only have these 2 items on my to-buy list. (1) Peavey 6505+ head: I already have Marshall's JVM410 which is outstanding for my music preference, I should be acquiring the 6505+ to help me establish the monstrous, metal tone based on the 'American' expectations, in other words, the 6L6  power tubes. No, I'm not a MESA fan.

(2) Ibanez SR300M bass: I need a bass sporting a slimmer & narrower neck profile, with 24 frets. My current Mustang bass has a shorter scale length while the SMASH JB-1 retains the Fender livery despite holding its own attractions. The SR300 is superb for the money, I was unfortunate not to have grabbed it (arrived late at the SALE venue due to professional commitments) last year when it was on sale. So I told myself, should I be getting an SR300, it's worth to have something a little different from the standard production range offered here, so the maple fretboard would be that difference.

Not available here

Above instruments:

1. Ibanez SR300M (maple fretboard)
2. Ibanez XP300 (with Edge III whammy bridge)

These are not available here, despite them not being too special (only available in the USA). The SR300 is a maple fretboard variation, while the XP300 sports an Edge III bridge. What we have here in stores are the rosewood fretboard SR300 & the XP300FX fixed bridge version. Is it a big deal? It gives us, players/ buyers some options to think of before parting with cash. I also told some stores here if they bring in these models, they would get an upper hand in terms of sales because these are simply not available anywhere. Maybe the additional costs of making them available in the local stores make them not worth the extra trouble, especially so when there are online stores out there attending to specific wants.