LTD 400s: Awesome fades

Folks, starting the new year with some LTD enticements. These came late into the picture, they were only available at Davis GMC on the final day of the year hence missing your attention. 

These are the 400 series, the highest standard offerings before the Deluxe series. It's no surprise that they look good to begin with. The faded finish is simply attractive.

Pickups are either Seymour Duncans or EMGs - good tones are assured.

I've tried a few in store & the feel is definitely on par with the asking price; nothing shoddy. 

Featured here from top to bottom: MH-400NT/ MH-400FR/ H-400/ EC-400/ M-400

Faded summer

No holding back- new LTDs for Summer 2019. The manufacturer released a series of faded finishes for the 400 series.

The 400s are top-of-the-line standard models before the series enter the Deluxe tier (1000s). I do check the QC for these models from time to time & must say that the finish had been done better over the years. Look out for the part where the neck meets the body; this heel area is the part vulnerable to sloppy treatment but the 400s had been well taken care of, unlike the lower tier models which are bolted on & do not manifest specific finishing issues.

Ibanez 2019

As mentioned previously, it seems that the faded/ gradation finish is flavour of the moment.

So it's no surprise that the Ibanez camp is into it as well but credit to them, this wasn't exclusive for 2019. 

Faded

I had this crazy idea not too long ago to mess with the burst finish. The original burst idea was a combination of colours which were complementary involving a darker outer ring that faded inwards.

I thought it would awesome to retain the faded idea but do it in a uni-directional interpretation. I guess Ibanez got to it before me. Seen here are the new faded finishes for the SR300 & SR305.

New faded

A lethargic Monday but work's over for now... :-)

Was looking at these Gibsons online- the manufacturer did some faded models prior to these releases, if you have no reference to what I just stated, it goes to show how significant those guitars were. I remember them because I ever owned a faded SG before & it was one of the most affordable Gibsons which didn't compromise quality or tone. Why were those faded models unpopular? The average Gibson fan is a traditionalist, any variation from the initial design, they would deem it as deviation. In my opinion, Gibson need more of such affordable interpretations on the popular models. These will draw newbies into the fold. We also need some Gibsons to nail the tone but we can live without the flashy bits. Then again, the Gibson camp is all about the flash; sounding good SHOULD be coupled with looking good. I'm sure some purists out there would deem these models depicted here as not so true Gibson guitars. In any case, these faded models are limited edition so seeing them here is rather remote.

Gibson: SG Special (Faded Edition)

This is my first, truly enjoyable Gibson; the manufacturer's name is legendary but it has limited appeal to me. The Faded SG has what I prefer- a non-gloss neck finish. I can't quite live with a gloss finish (but this didn't prevent me from getting a Les Paul/ PRS) as this overcoat gets cruddy over prolonged play especially if one's hands sweat excessively. I am also a big fan of satin finishes as this accentuates more midrange from the instruments natural resonance.



The guitar was originally equipped with Gibson's uncovered 490R pickups which didn't win any favour with my set up (especially so when it comes to single note clarity) & were very quickly replaced with Seymour Duncans: Custom 5 (b)/ Alnico II Pro (n). I find the SG (regardless of the variation) to be initially repulsive due to this playability factor- the neck's heavy nature neccessitates the player to hold it up while playing sitting down, otherwise it would kamikaze. Nevertheless, this Faded is a joy to play, certainly one of the more played guitars in my camp.