Heavy listing

Have not been swinging by places to get CDs but these are the latest 2 acquisitions:

• Pestilence- Hadeon: Mameli & company are still fronting it after all these years. I thought the band called it quits post-Obsideo because there was an announcement of no-recording commitments after the album release. You should listen to Pestilence because they are the heavy proponents in death metal. While others got away with speed, Pestilence takes their time to propel good music first & foremost.
• Memoriam- The Silent Vigil: I'm really glad the band is putting out stuff like this instead of treading the Bolt Thrower path. We can't really un-hear the BT bits in this one because 50% of the line-up are products of BT & they're pretty proud of the heritage. We don't mind that at all but we need to respect the band for who they are & this release gives us every reason to do so. The bass here has so much presence; it's threatening to define the album.

First fold

It was all over guitardom when I left work for home today- Gibson files for bankruptcy. It's definitely not unexpected but a matter of when. The company is effectively under note holders' management while the business keeps running to try make ends meet- what's left at the end, more like it. Fingers are pointing to the leadership that ran the company aground, many are asking why is he still even there (we know who he is, surely). Strangely, it is to be understood that the company will return to its instrument-making forte while ending the attempts to turn the brand name into a lifestyle label. My question to these people would be why realize this now at the death? Should there be signs of trouble, people at the helm should make it a point to realize why Gibson exists in the first place because it's clearly the simple objective that was lost. It shouldn't take a genius to see that mending messy ends require competency, not audacity.

My thoughts go to the people working the ground for their efforts in giving us quality instruments despite the current grief. These people are putting food on the table for their families, certainly not the smart asses who thought they could waltz the brand name into more commercial success only to discover there's a brick wall in the way. 

Re-string holiday

Nothing like re-string therapy on a holiday. My Ibanez RG471 gets a fresh set of strings & moisturized fretboard. This is one of my guitars sporting a very low action profile with a set of 009s. 

The Screamin' Demon/ '59 pair is really something here. I like how the squawking midrange of the Demon gets offset by the ask body's trebly response. 

The working class

It's a day of rest here. To the working cohort, yours truly included, we are working to make ends meet. Well, that would be the majority of us- family to feed, bills to pay. Where I am, the cost of living is climbing compounded by the fact that more things are affecting the quality of life, buses moving slower, frequent train breakdown, people with poor public etiquette, authorities with elitist mindsets & the lists go on. Looks like we will be working our souls off with very little leeway for leisure. But there exists this tenacious bunch of people in society who would find time to play guitar regardless of the circumstances. Wishing you a deserving day of rest. 😁

Tuned trouble

The Gibson camp is currently dealing with another messy upheaval. Their robot tuner developer is suing them for $50mil mainly on commercial (profits) & contractual (R&D) grounds. Not a good thing to happen, definitely, when the tuners were meant to be a revolutionary tuning icon for the company. 

The most fundamental observation here is that the device itself had failed to address tuning concerns. Do beginning guitarists simply give up due to fundamental tuning issues? It's also a rotten consideration on grounds of appeal- the Gibson brand name is arguably the wrong label to be associated with a technical evolution of this nature. We could agree that the brand name itself represent formidable heritage more than anything else.

On a legal perspective, if a company owes you money & there's a good chance it would fold, suing them would get you in line as a priority creditor should your case carry weight. Last heard, Gibson is counter-suing them & believe the developer's legal proceedings are nothing but a publicity stunt. 

Selling: American Standard Tele pickups (SOLD)

These are from a Fender American Standard Telecaster, in 8.5/10 condition. No screws, just the pickups.

• Selling as a pair only
• Self-collect: CCK mrt stn
• No reservations/ trades
• Queries/ confirmation through e-mail: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Final price: $120