More vibrations = Good

Yamaha has recently launched the new SG1800 series guitars. Yes, it's that familiar, Santana-era guitar outline which proved to be a something that worked (tone-wise as well, mind you...), so here it is again- the above finish (this one's an SG 1820A) was conceived in conjunction with the band Mastodon.

Anyway,something interesting incorporated into its conception is Yamaha's IRA technology- Initial Response Acceleration. The completed instrument is subjected to mechanical vibrations, the manufacturer's claim being the acceleration of that 'playing in' feel & the delivery of 'excellent sustain'.

The real life understanding here is that, the machine emulates the string vibrations which believably makes the instrument function as a whole when the different components vibrate together. If this happens more often, the instrument components are seasoned together. So when are we gonna start putting our instruments on the washing machine for some good vibrations?

Hyperextension

Woke up early this morning & it was guitar first & foremost. Played for about 30min or so when I felt pain below the left hand thumb area, leading to the wrist. Stopped & had breakfast. Do you remember guitarist Ron Jarzombek, Marty Friedman's current live show member?

If you know the band Watch Tower then you know what Ron is capable of but he didn't play guitar for 3 good years in his life due to the above reason. Note his left hand pinky & ring fingers; there is a portion there which straightened permanently & not bend any more. The doctors diagnosed this as 'hyperextension'; tendon over-stretching & the inability to revert to any flexible position. There were 3 surgeries done to rectify this occurrence, Ron is now back to his nimble-fingered days & happily playing guitar (yes, you are right- there are actually 29 frets in his guitar above...).

I would often carry on playing despite some finger fatigue because this is part & parcel of finger strengthening but the above account serves to remind me that it could be detrimental when painful so it's either stop in the mean time or stop permanently. Which one did I choose?

Duncan inventory

What are my experiences with Seymour Duncan pickups?

Current ownership:

• Lil' '59
• Hot Rhythm
• Classic Stack
• Quarter Pound
• Cool Rails
• Hot Rails
• Phat Cat
• P-Rails
• S P-90
• Distortion
• PATB Distortion
• Custom
• Custom Custom
• Custom 5
• Full Shred
• Screamin' Demon
• '59
• JB
• Jazz
• Alternative 8
• Blackout (active)
• Seymour Duncan IBZ (default in Ibanez SZ2020)

What I used to own:

• Invader
• Alnico II Pro

Why a particular preference for Seymour Duncan? These pickups propel clarity in both clean & overdriven modes, they manifest the guitar's inherent voicings well through the amplifier. This is important for me as I observe a straight through set up most of the time, the pickups in there should provide the allowance to hear my guitars in action & not let the processed output overwhelm the outcome at the amplifier.  

Tribute contradiction

The current Gibson related buzz in the mean time is the guitar you see above; it's the new Les Paul Studio 50s Tribute model. The manufacturer said it 'embodies the look and tone of the great original Les Pauls from the 1950s...' but I read the contradiction which follows with much unease- the current manifestation features a chambered body which wasn't the case of the original 1950s model. So how can this guitar be an embodiment of its predecessor? 

Would you then care for a Japanese copy with excellent credentials to match the Gibson version above? 


To many of us, investing in the Edwards is unthinkable as it is a blatant support for imitation.The Gibson original should be embraced even if it means being baited by the brand name per se & disregarding the misrepresentation(s) it holds. Brand name reverence is indeed a marketing deity.

Deactivated: Ibanez RGA32

I had my Ibanez RGA32 make-over going after the arrival of Duncan's Distortion Trembucker- thanks Janet (Davis GMC) for the acquisition assistance.

As announced in this entry's title, I had decided to remove the default active pickups (Ibanez's own LZ3 humbuckers) & replace them with passive Seymour Duncan units:

• Neck: P-Rails (SPH-1)
• Bridge: Distortion Trembucker (TB-6)

 Another reminder from me- if you wish to do like-wise, the bridge model should be an F-Spaced/ Trembucker model to comply with the Gibraltar Standard bridge string spacing, the above pic should be convincing enough.

The push-pull coil splitter switch was necessary to enjoy the P-Rail's P-90 & humbucking tones. The correct value pots were also installed following the guitar's non-active electronics application.

Finally, a peep in the control cavity- the Orange Drop cap is in there; rather obligatory for me these days. The re-wiring was expertly done by Master Beez & do note the long, black pickup wires which were left in tact. Beez does not snip off pickup wires excessively unless it interferes with other component placements. What's the plus point then? It means the pickup would be suitable for subsequent use in other guitars should there be any disntance related issues. The battery compartment is now not in use as no battery is required to power passive pickups.

EHX: Germanium 4 Big Muff

Here's another fresh pedal from Electro Harmonix for this Summer NAMM; the Germanium 4 Big Muff. The principle subject matter is the pedal's germanium transistor which promises some golden tonal moments of yesterday but a little caution to those of us who aren't familiar with this offering- do hear the pedal in action first. Please do.

I was rather thrilled at the prospect of owning a germanium based overdrive unit to bolster my tube amps' on-board drive because acquiring anything germanium inclusive, would mean the obscene forking out of cash to secure time-capsuled gold. So I headed out to the local EHX distributor to have a go at the Germanium OD unit depicted above. It wasn't the typical, mild OD pedal like some of the more well-known green or yellow boxes we love to own; I was greeted by a box of very fuzzy overdrive gargle, lacking in much definition for lead work.

Nevertheless, I look forward to hear what the Germ 4 variant has in store knowing it is inherently a 2-in-1 offering of distortion & drive.