LTD: H308

Here's a wonderful mammoth; LTD's H-308 (List: $880, Davis GMC). The market is now swinging towards the provision of affordable 8-string guitars & the H-308 is definitely one of them. This guitar is another great Chinese craftsmanship, very tidy & well-finished from one tip to the other. It's a through-neck construction so expect loads of sustain here. For those of us who are keen, be informed that it sports a satin finish which dents easily but I am a fan of this treatment as it promotes a silky, smooth touch for the fretting hand; my thumb can't really get along with a lacquer overcoat. The EMG 808s in there are rather essential for the low notes especially if you live, eat, breathe distortion. Lastly, the 25.5" scale length would make the feel 'regular' if you are too accustomed to this on your 6s. I'd recommend this if you are looking for a little bit more delivery in terms of playability & tone & are willing to spend a little bit more to avoid an entry level 8-string. Thumbs up.

Boost kick

 I'm still refining my distortion (when I'm utilizing pedals) via the booster route, I'm trying to keep the distortion voicing in tact while giving it some catalyst to sound meaner. I got the Jet City Hi-Gain Boost a few days ago from Davis GMC (List: $95) & the label clearly stated the pedal's intent. As a stand alone pedal, the HGB should not be depended on for a refined distortion sound, it's he wrong one for such an application. It should be stacked with one of your main overdrive/distortion units or your amp's dirty channel for that matter. The HGB isn't one to give polite responses as implied by it's label, some of us would find the gain kick a little too sizzling for slight refinements.

With my BOSS Power Stack, the pedal did better as a pre-distortion boost. Once I changed the order, for the HGB to appear post-distortion, the Power Stack's voicing was drowned by the HGB. Through my Laney Iron Heart, the HGB does well as a pre-preamp function (ie: guitar-pedal-amp) AND through the FX loop. The FX loop option was of course more rewarding, letting the HGB add to the distortion fray post-preamp.

How is this pedal different from any other booster unit out there? It adds to gain in addition to merely a volume boost which doesn't make it a better pedal but a different option depending on your intentions.

RIP: Jim Marshall

RIP: James Charles Marshall (29-7-1923 ~ 5-4-2012)

Photo credit: Damien Maguire

Recommended buy @ SV JCube

I'd recommend this if you are planning to grab something @ SV's JCube branch since there's a 10% off: UNO's Warzone (both passive/active versions are fine guitars). Before discount: $790- you work out the math :-)

Hot head

The (Marshall) JCM900 head, making its presence felt at the Esplanade outdoor performance venue. If you wanna know how much heat your amp dissipates say after an hour of play, just place a bottle of water there, you'd be surprised.
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Obiter dictum: Just realised we are now into the second quarter of the year...

LTD: Viper-256

This is a sweet player; P-90s aren't everyone's go-to alternative pickups but they are there to offer us a bolder single coil tone & a rounder bottom end which humbuckers couldn't quite deliver. I've a feeling that someone at the LTD factory barked at the QC people recently to up the standard; it's quite evident in the 330 models & the one here. This Viper-256 is recommended for those of us who wants to hear a little difference from our guitars but unwilling to compromise on class. Please refer to Davis GMC for price quotations.