Edwards - Duncans

Edwards (a division of ESP) continues its collaboration with Seymour Duncan. Current models now feature next-gen Duncan pickups like the E-HR here, sporting a pair of Black Winter humbuckers.

Even the 7-string models are into it; the E-SN depicted above with the Pegasus - Sentient pairing.

ESP, in general, is a company that commits to its belief & trickles this into its extensive products. It's not trying to compete against other manufacturers who are specialists in what they do. 👍

Received

Finally, after a no-show yesterday. 

560 trio

An interesting find in the after-market, a trio of Ibanez RG560, respective prices as indicated (correct as at time of posting). 

Blackie, according to the seller has very good fret life, electronics were recently looked into by a reputable store here but it's missing the back plate cover & whammy bar. Pickups are Seymour Duncan/DiMarzio combos, no details were disclosed. Purple retains its default pickups but the hardware had all been swapped out with dings & nicks in the body. White's seller is currently using an older pic for this sale. The pickups indicated differ from those depicted. He's including a bag in the sale but there were no other details stated.

Perhaps you are interested in one of these, so which one would you choose?

One of the sellers here touted his guitar as a rare item. Granted the RG560 was one of the best in this tier during its heyday & had been long discontinued but the fact that three are currently offered in the after market makes this claim a little weak. Hardcore collectors would want original appointments in their instruments so modified, replaced & 'upgraded' features wouldn't score as well. Missing parts would compound the situation further. Providing minimum details for one's item implies disinterest & would invite apprehension from buyers. From the details disclosed in the ads, I wouldn't put my money firmly on any one of the instruments. The Ibanez RG560 is a late 80s release, expecting a flawless versions floating in the after-market is a ridiculous expectation. Unlike the Ibanez pickups of today, the ones manufactured back then manifested appealing tone so having those in the guitar to start with is a sensible consideration. Personally, I wouldn't place stringent scrutiny on the guitar body, the neck condition is more paramount in this case. Be informed that the RG560 sports a very thin Wizard neck & the owner who keeps this neck in check is likely to be a reputable seller. Last but not least, price considerations is the sticky bit- never agree to the price until you see the instrument in person. This isn't a current production model by any means so seeing is believing. 😐

FYI, I currently own the RG560 which was quasi-destroyed by a junkie relative. Forgiven but not forgotten.

PS: This post was never intended to disrepute any individuals concerned. The objective was to observe trending claims by sellers with regards to their respective re-sale items. Details were quoted with a bona fide intention to manifest accuracy as at time of posting. 

Box you!

Seriously- someone is selling an empty Ibanez box... 😱

Cleaning

If you think getting that perfect drive tone is a headache, playing clean would put you in equal hardship. I'm not much of a clean fan but I do indulge in clean tones time & again for variety's sake. Also, playing clean is a sure check for techniques. If you are hiding behind high gain for much of your fretboard gymnastics, playing clean is a reality check.

OK, where do I begin? I don't have a dedicated, clean-only amp to begin with (after selling off my Vox) but I always overlook what my Marshall JVM could do in this aspect. The JVM is one of the best non-Fender clean performer out there, that awesome cleans without being too chimey (think Fender) to begin with. What does one complement clean tones with? A chorus would make perfect sense for ambience & depth. This is especially crucial for amps without reverb. However I ditched the chorus for a compressor instead. If you remove your gain laden tones & listen to all things clean, you'd realize how uneven your volume could become when playing fast especially. Those thinner plain strings can sometimes be too soft & you wouldn't want to hit the strings harder as this results in inefficient picking (for high output pickups, this would induce drive) & mistakes. I have always preferred single coils for cleans & the Edwards you see above got picked. So last weekend, I was a clean camper but that's because I was bored. 😁

Selling: CmatMODS Brownie (ON HOLD)

Selling off my CmatMODS Brownie distortion. It is definitely not a high gain distortion but does provide a hard edge & enough gristle for a good hard rockin' time.

• CmatMODS: Brownie distortion (box included)
• Condition: 8.5/10
• Self-collect @ CCK mrt stn
• No trades/ no reservations
• Queries: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $100 (final)