Travelling Kohlman

I've always been impressed with the Kohlman bags due to its comfort & durability factors. You can now get one for your travel-size acoustics at TY Music Center ($87).

Pic: TYMC

Selling: Hofner Shorty (SOLD)

Yes, it's that time of the month again where I have to fund my chemo bills / expenditure. Letting the Hofner Shorty go. Barely played, 5mth old as at time of listing. The only mod done here - that high output, rail-type humbucker.

Come with the bag, strap & cable you see above. My price is final, thank you for understanding. ✌🏽

• Selling: Hofner Shorty
• Condition: 9.5/10 (comes with bag & accessories you see above)
• Scale length: 25" / Overall length: 33.5"
• Mod: High output, rail-type humbucker
• No reservations / trades
• Self-collect: CCK / Yew Tee mrt station
• Query / confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $150 (final)

The little belch

I foresee playing with kids in time to come so this acquisition made sense (sort of). The Yamaha JR1 is a travel size guitar which has some goodness in it, not just being a novelty in the manufacturer's catalog. There is this awesome midrange coming from smaller sized guitars if the QC is done right. By the way, this one was acquired during the recent Yamaha sale event.

Selling: Sigma TM-15 (travel size) (SOLD)

It's well taken care off, I have something coming my way so this will make way for that :-)

• Sigma TM-15 (travel size acoustic, bag included)
• Condition: 8.5/10
• No reservations/ trades
• Self-collect: CCK mrt stn
• Confirmation/ queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $199 (final)

Veelah: To go (Spruce)

Greetings, acoustic fans. Here's a quickie & it's about this little wonder- Veelah's To Go travel-size acoustic.

Scaled down guitars are often reduced to children's tinkering supplements; they aren't worthy enough for adults, especially for those working professionals. Then Ed Sheeren came along & proved to the world that it's a matter of preference & a timely reminder that the guitar is a musician's tool first & foremost. The type of guitar in question appeals to personal taste.

Veelah's To Go here is the spruce top version. For this amount of cash, that solid top inclusion is a respectable move. The test model is virtually flawless in terms of wood work- check out that carved rosette! Hardware-wise the tuners are above-average in-house units which do not cause a chronic neck dive.

What do you expect from a travel-size acoustic? A jumbo-type bottom end? Dreadnought resonance? These are impractical expectations. What the To Go guitar has to offer is a sweet acoustic tone, very clear & focused in terms of definition & that all important top end which are rightfully offset by the mahogany sides & back- nothing too bright & juvenile. It's something you don't mind hearing in the midst of song-writing. All the goodness with a complementary bag to boot. I'd say, if you are looking for that guitar to place in that corner of your room at the ready should you feel inspired to play, this one should be considered. Thanks, Mike (SV Guitars) for the heads-up.

Veelah: To Go (Solid spruce top)

Avaialbility: SV Guitars

List: $199 (bag included)

Pic: SV Guitars

Ibanez 2014: Acoustic!

Ibanez introduces a tenor guitar this year (AVD1) & I'm looking forward to check it out. The tenor guitar was first conceived to allow a cross-over for the banjo chaps to double up on guitar. How is it tuned? In fifths (C/G/D/A) but there is no fixed application & I'm gonna employ it in baritone ukelele tuning. The body outline appeals to me as it is not overwhelming like a standard guitar, in fact, it's modeled after a parlour. Coupled with that solid spruce top, it should help me open up some unconventional ideas.

Following the success of 2013's PF58MH, Ibanez has one more for us in terms of a travel-size offering, the PF2MH (from the Performer series). Body & neck are mahogany, fretboard is rosewood but this one has no electronics whatsoever unlike the PF58 but it should offer a similar tone palette. I'm totally happy with the PF58 in terms of warmth, clarity & volume projection despite the size so I have high expectations for this baby. Following this introduction, the PF58 is discontinued for 2014. Glad I bought one :-)

We're still in the Performer range & for those of us who are more at home with standard-sized acoustics (who might venture into the mahogany territory), Ibanez has the PC12MH for you to check out. Not forgetting the bassists among us, PCBE12MH with pre-amp & on-board tuner- how's that?

Mahogany brothers

Friday morning with the mahogany twins- Ibanez PF58 (L) & Sigma TM15 (R).

They sport similar specs- an all mahogany affair with rosewood fretboards but there are detailed differences that made me separate them in term of preferences:

1. The Ibanez is a little heavier than the Sigma so when it comes to a more convincing bottom end, the Ibanez is it. This deeper voicing is the reason why I always pick up the Ibanez first then proceed with the Sigma should I get bored or in need of a change along the way.
2. The sigma has a solid top construction & this would invite the notion that it's a 'better' instrument than the Ibanez- that's subjective. The solid top feature here indeed adds more projection focus, but the Ibanez isn't worse-off because of this exclusion; they both appeal in their own individual ways.
3. The Ibanez has a soft V-profile at the lower frets of the neck end, while the Sigma, I'd say, has a grip-friendly D-profile. You'd expect a more rounded specs from the Sigma but that's not the case. So in addition to introverted chording frenzy, the Sigma would induce some shred at times. Awesome!

 I have Gallistrings 010s in both guitars; yes, I prefer a lighter gauge for my acoustics. If they sound inviting with 009s in there, I'd have stuck to that formula but acoustics were not meant for that kind of string gauge. Oh, the Sigma is $100 more than the Ibanez :-)

Ibanez PF-58: Swee Lee Co

Sigma TM-15: Davis GMC

Ibanez: PF58-MH

You & I know that Ibanez isn't a grand name in acoustic guitars; it's just not in the same turf as the big players- Takamine, Taylor, Martin, et al. However, Ibanez makes some of the most value for money acoustics out there & they are above average to say the least.

Recently, Ibanez released the PF58 in all mahogany (less the fretboard).

It looks overwhelming but the PF58 is a travel size guitar, which I am a fan of. Why bother with small guitars that sound equally tiny, you ask? It's a personal appeal. I struggle to play the acoustic, I do better with something more appealing in terms of size & tone. You'd do well to keep in mind the wood used here- mahogany- so in collaboration with the diminutive nature of the instrument, it might just appeal to some of us in terms of tone, especially if you are considering a Martin LX model, which is equally, small & devoid of a solid body construction.

The PF58-MH is all acoustic, no plug-in options (in the mean time), you just get an on-board tuner for the money. Also, it comes with a bag. I'm currently enjoying the PF-58 in terms of tone & playability, there's hardly any eye candy to behold here but the all mahogany construction is more than pleasant to the eyes. The PF58-MH is first featured here: CLICK

Ibanez: PF58MH

Another new Ibanez for the final quarter of the year- Ibanez PF58 in mahogany. This is a travel size guitar, so all you skeptics who swear by your standard size acoustic, you need not read on. It's a full mahogany unit, neck included, so expect something different from this baby. Pity it isn't a solid top but does a solid top guarantee good tones, a sure formula, if you will?

Epiphone: Expedition

I'm a big fan of travel-size acoustic guitars; they were conceived for a reason. Yes, they are more suitable for kids due to the dimensions but these were not designed for them in the first instance because kids take up standard-size guitars for lessons unless otherwise specified. The primary intention is the ease of mobility.

I chanced upon the Epiphone Expedition seen here, in the store, grouped together with the rest of the shorter-scale acoustics. The thing about acoustics for me, is that they have to make an impact upon mere handling because it's about the guitar per se, it's detached from necessary amplification unless the manufacturer meant it to be an electro-acoustic then the standards would be different. The Expedition was well built in every way but it was let down by a very synthetic feel. It's as if the wood was there to hide an artificial layer beneath. 

Coming down to feel & playability, the Expedition possesses one of the more inviting necks in terms of feel & profile, thanks to the manufacturer's slim taper proprietory feature. Once again, the offsetting factor here is the body, it's too lightweight to counter the neck mass & neck-diving was inevitable during play. The body's solid spruce top could save the instrument much in terms of tone. Moral of the story- solid top is a desirable feature to have in acoustics but it doesn't guarantee good tones. One has to hear the guitar in its entirety & not judge it prematurely pertaining to solid top inclusion. As such, the guitar sounds very boxy (the typical let-down for guitars of this ilk), almost devoid of any inviting resonance. Only a fresh, crunchy set of strings could pull off (no pun intended) a good tone & I was fortunate the Expidition was equipped with a fresh set of strings. 

All in all, the Expidition could serve you as a get-by instrument befitting of social gatherings, not a meeting of acoustic audiophiles. On a personal note, I expected more from the 'Epiphone' brand name but we know too well that these days, a brand name doesn't mean much if it doesn't deliver the real candy. For those of us who are more accustomed to a standard size acoustic (dreadnought et al), please assess this instrument on its own merits before saying it's too toy-like for your own good.

Rating: 6/10

Maestro Jr: Protege

Here's another travel-size/ Junior-size guitar I truly appreciate- Maestro's Jr Protege. I was recently invited to have a look-see at Maestro's Excelsior branch. The highlight was Maestro's revamped designs across the board (the elbow rest bevel is brilliant!) which are all a put off for me (serious!) because I'm not an acoustic person. However, this is a homage to fine craftsmanship, playability & tone which are totally born & bred in Singapore so it's definitely something to be proud of. They actually made me sit down & try all the different models there representing the different range & price points. 

The Protege you see above hails from a more affordable range which isn't short of quality despite the manufacturer's intention to entice would be buyers, price-wise. The immediate attraction is its neck- incredible feel especially for non-acoustic fans like yours truly who would very much want a sleek feel for those fast moments without sacrificing tone- we all know too well how shred-profiled necks just failed to invoke acoustic warmth.

I'm still in the midst of detailing this guitar as it's not featured in the manufacturer's homepage but I get good product knowledge from the sales people at Maestro & my special thanks to Mr. Saiful for spilling all the specs to me.

Sigma: TM-15

I'm not an acoustic guitar fan- I find acoustics difficult to play as I am used to the much slimmer solid body electrics. Also, acoustics tend to sound more appealing with higher action which I find detestable but there are some out there which are well-made & sound incredible. The Sigma TM-15 here is not exactly the most enticing guitar for me but I love it for what it is & accept the build quality at this price point. It's a solid top, 23" scale length guitar (travel size, they call it) with a sub-$300 price tag (Davis GMC).

To be continued...

Veelah!

I was at SV Guitars yesterday & came across this wonderful junior-sized (the manufacturer calls it 'travel' size) acoustic by this lesser known brand called Veelah. I know how it is with many of us when it comes to small acoustics; they sound too sharp, very 'boxy' & unappealing. But not this one. It's a mahogany make with lots of midrange warmth. The necks's a little V-profiled with lots of grip & the instrument sports a mild curve back which in my opinion made the difference. Love the default action- it's not way off the frets, very playable not just for chord enthusiasts only. Check it out at SV Guitars (& some other standard-sized models).

List: $185
Available at: SV Guitars