Hidden compromise

I do not intend for the following 4 pictures to be an exposure of a deception; no guitar stores here are selling compromised goods to buyers. If they do, the instruments you brought home wouldn't be working. This is my effort to bring you, my friends, to an understanding of quality control. Manufacturers out there are sometimes fighting themselves silly to conceive instruments which require a certain standard of construction which they know they cannot fully conform to, with a limited production cost. However, they are mindful enough to tuck these away so that what (flaws) you don't see, won't make your heart ache. Keep in mind that I bought this guitar after seeing these flaws & accepting the instrument as it is. The guitar in question is my Rally Neosound Jr. & it's all about the binding in the inner F-holes.

This first pic shows a cut-like gap.

Pic 2 shows an atrocious rip. 

What do we have here? Coarse binding surface? Looks like it.

More uneven finishing here.

I hear some people out there saying I'm being ultra petty with small compromises but this is the Achilles heel of an F-hole finishing. When it comes to making the F-hole edges presentable, the budget instruments won't pull through as well as their upper tier counterparts. In view of the instrument's list price, the binding work you see here might prove to be pseudo-binding after all; ordinary wood surface given the cosmetic fix so that it looks like real binding. Whatever the case may be, the manufacturer has a duty to see this done properly.

More grip, please

When you get more acquainted with your instruments, you'd know the parts to replace. Some of us do this for a cosmetic intention, the rest of us do it on accounts of functionality. The knobs you see above are from my Rally Neosound Jr. Because I constantly reach out for these knobs (especially the volume knob) to mute play after certain passages- & I do need quick muting- the shape & form of these knobs just don't help.

Here are the replacement knobs which are not more expensive but they complement my needs. Note the grooved upper half of the knobs & less skirting in the design. These are the details that promote grip.

Duncan talk: Hot Rails SHR-1

Seymour Duncan's Hot Rails (SHR-1) is a humbucker, don't let anyone tell you different. Many of us would have gotten it confused with the single coil pickup by virtue of its size- it's compressed into a single coil dimension but it's still a functional humbucker.

The SHR-1 is best used in propelling distortion, in fact, it sounds exceptional in this light as opposed to its clean voicing (you should resort to the Cool Rails for a more attractive clean application). This pickup is touted to be bass excessive but in fact, it has more midrange to offer. As such, the SHR-1 is equally lethal in a massive-bodied instruments as well as the lighter counterparts- the reason I love them in my Fender H1 Strat & Squier Duo-Sonic; the latter guitar being lighter. If you are in the mood to decamp your Telecaster into intense distortion territory, the SHTR-1B would be a superb consideration as well. A little precaution of you wish to have it in the neck position, be mindful of its (lower) midrange response; it might turn your tone a little too boomy for general liking.

Manufacturer's notes:

• Pickup's default EQ settings: Bass-5/ Midrange-7/ Treble-4
• Magnet type: Ceramic
• Output: High

My experiences with this pickup:

• Current resident guitars: Fender Highway 1 Strat (bridge)/ Fender American Standard Tele (Bridge)/ Squier Duo-Sonic (bridge)

If there are dweebs out there telling you it's a bass-excessive pickup- it is AND it is not; depending on the guitar it is resident in. It indeed manifests a strong lower midrange responses which sounds very low to many of us but in a bright sounding instrument, it gives you that marked sponginess that would ensure some clarity in the mix.

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PS: It's only the second day of the new year but that sinking feeling of having to start work soon just spoils the weekend. To many of us, January is the dreaded Monday; a reminder that it's a long way to go until the next serving of genuine happy hours.

Squier: Hot Rails Strat

At the close of 2010, my final guitar purchase was Squier's Deluxe Hot Rails Strat. It's nothing fancy despite what the name suggested; a basswood body, 22-fretted guitar but...

...equipped with a trio of Duncan Designed HR-101 humbuckers. Yes, these are indeed the budget reproduction of Seymour Duncan's Hot Rails pickups but they aren't to be marginalized just because they are of Eastern origins. If you like saturated distortion, the HRs are superb for the job. I considered this guitar after reading the manufacturer's spec sheet; it actually sports a basswood body so I thought it'd be a perfect complement for the pickups (the HRs, should they replicate the original Duncan's pickup specs, would be a solid performer with a neutral body- nothing too inherently bright & massive) & given the right amp, it's a wonderful player indeed.

Sonic retainer

My first tinkering for 2011..

...is the swapping of my (Squier) Duo-Sonic string retainer. I have the rounded version in place of the former, 'vintage' version. The rounder version is more responsive to tuning, it is also devoid of sharp edges so it reduces the chances of string snapping at this part of the headstock.

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.