The Guitar Junkie

VOX Heritage Collection AC15HTVH Head & V112HTV Cab

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:10:00 -0400

New baby just joined the family!

It's a VOX Heritage Collection AC15HTVH Head & V112HTV Cab

Killer looks!

Killer tone!

She just simply takes my breath away .....

Heritage AC15HTVH Head and V112HTV Cab

Specifications:

Power Output :15 Watts RMS into 8 or 16 ohm loudspeaker load selectable via rear panel switch.

Valve Complement: 1 x EF86, 3 x ECC83/12AX7, 2 x EL84, 1 x EZ81 (rectifier)

Loudspeaker: VOX/Celestion Alnico Blue 12?loudspeaker 16 ohm

Dimensions:

Head Height: 22.5cm, Width 53cm, Depth 26.5cm

Cabinet Height 53.5cm, Width 53cm, Depth 26.5cm

Weight Head: 14.3 kgs / 31.52 lbs

Weight Cabinet: 14.4 kgs / 31.74 lbs

I'm not going to waste my time reviewing this amp. I'm going to spend more time playing with her.

More detailed pictures can be found in "Guitar Porn Gallery"

Getting Picky!! V-Picks!!

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:14:00 -0400

All my years from playing the guitar, there has always been one important element. The guitar pick. A lot of players do not realise this. The guitar picks plays a very big part in tone. All my years of playing the guitar has seen me change a wide variety of different picks. From nylon to metal picks. I have almost tried them all. They were all mostly the same. The only difference was that the thinner picks produced a thin and crisp tone that was ideal for rhythm play. The thicker picks had better control over dynamics and picking but there's a certain drop in tone clarity when compared to thinner picks.

Through the years, I have tried pick after pick after pick. From the classic nylon's to the signature Ibanez Steve Vai picks. Even a Gardenia bread tag was used before as I could not get myself a pick when money and music shops were scarce in the early days of a teenager.

I ended up using a Jim Dunlop Big Stubby. I found that these picks provided a little bit of everything for me.

When I choose a pick, these are some of the important factors that I look into..

1. Tone

2. Size

3. Thickness

4. Material

5. Comfort

6. Non Slip

Recently, I was introduced to V-Picks. My guitar dealer had me try one when I purchased a guitar from him. He handed me a rather big transparent triangular pick. It felt really thick and uncomfortable but the tone was crystal clear. I did not think too much about that pick as comfort is a must for me. I later found out that V-Picks made different sizes for their picks so I called my dealer and bought a few medium / small sized V-Picks and gave them a go.

These picks are really something. It really brings out the tone of your guitar and playing. Be it electric or acoustic. The tones just project out like no other.

The build of the pick is pretty good as well. The edges are sharp but it has a rounded top end which makes picking faster and smoother. The pick just slides easily off the strings. Pinch harmonics and sweeps have never been easier.

Grip wise, there's no special groove to enhance friction to get a better grip but I have not lost my grip on the V-Picks yet. Maybe it's the three sides it possesses that let's you move to a different side if the pick is slowly sliding away from you. It's like three picks built into one.

Give these picks an A/B comparison if you happen to cross paths. They are rather pricey compared to a regular pick. Maybe 4 - 5 times more compared to a Jim Dunlop Big Stubby but it's worth the money. It enhances tone and playability. The Ruby Medium Pointed V-Pick will be my choice of pick for a long time to come.

Gretsch Electromatic G5122DC

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:20:00 -0400

Like the box says: Gretsch, That Great Gretsch Sound!

Specifications:

Color: Walnut

Body: Laminated maple

Finish: Gloss urethane

Neck: Laminated maple

Fretboard: Rosewood, bound

Frets: 22

Scale Length: 24.56"

Nut Width: 1.6875"

Hardware: Chrome-plated

Machine Heads: Chrome-plated vintage-style tuners

Bridge: Rosewood-based Adjusto-Matic Bridge

Bigsby licensed B60 vibrato tailpiece

Neck pickup: Chrome-covered Dual Coil humbucking pickup

Bridge pickup: Chrome-covered Dual Coil humbucking pickups

Pickup selector: 3-Position toggle

Controls: Volume 1 (neck pickup), Volume 2 (bridge pickup), Master Volume

Neck inlays: Neo-classic "Thumbnail" position markers

Pickguard: Silver Plexi pickguard

Headstock overlay

Pearloid Gretsch Headstock Logo, Bound

Knurled strap retainer knobs

My G.A.S for hollow bodied guitars continue to linger. My initial G.A.S was short listed to a Tokai, Edwards, Artcore or a Gibson ES335 type model. After various try outs, I stumbled upon a Gretsch Electromatic G5122 double cutaway. The build is very similar to the ES335 models but this one had more of a catch factor. It caught my attention and my G.A.S so I contacted BGW guitars to have one shipped in for me.

I simply love the cosmetics of the G5122. The intricate details into the make of the guitar is visually stunning. From the knobs, strap nuts and pickups. They are beautifully made with a walnut stain finish.

There are some differences in the earlier made G5122's as compared to the current production line. The earlier model had a transparent pick guard and the current models come with a silver Gretsch pick guard which in my opinion brings out more character in the guitar. The earlier model also spots a 50th anniversary sticker on the back of the headstock. Give and take, I'll prefer the silver pickguard to a sticker on the back of the headstock.

The tone this guitar produces is amazing. Very warm on the neck pickup. Great for jazz, blues and rockabilly. The bridge pickup produces that Gretsch growl that?s so commonly associated with Gretsch guitars. It's hard to explain in words about the tonal capabilities of this guitar. It won't do the guitar any justice. I have met many reviews before committing on this purchase and many review have said that the stock pups are sterile and useless. I personally think the stock pups are great. The look good and sound awesome. But if someone is going to compare these Gretsch Buckers to a set of TV Jones, Then you are better off paying high dollar for a straight up high end Gretsch. Once again, you pay for what you get and what you get and these great sounding pickups that in my opinion needs no swap out.

The Electromatic series are made in Korea. Hence the lower price tag but the build is simply amazing. If you're looking for a semi hollow bodied guitar and would not like to fork out an arm and a leg for a Gibson ES335 price tag. Look no further, I highly recommend this piece.

Pros:

Beautiful Craftsmanship

Intricate Details and Attenttion to Detail

Bigsby Trem Bar

Walnut Stained Finish

Affordable

That Great Gretsch Sound

Tuning Stability

Comfortable

Thin Neck

Versatile

Cons:

Hard Shell Case Not Included

No roller saddles on the bridge

Rating: 9.9/10

More detailed pictures can be found at "Guitar Porn Gallery"

Edwards E-LP-92SD Gold Top Les Paul Standard

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 22:51:00 -0400

Specifications:

BODY: (Top) Flame Maple (Back) Mahogany w/ Ivory Binding

NECK: Mahogany

FNGERBORAD: Rosewood, 22frets w/ Ivory Binding

RADIUS: 305R

SCALE: 24.75 inch (628mm)

NUT: Bone (43mm)

INLAY: Pearloid Dish

JOINT: Set-neck

TUNER: GOTOH SD90-SL

BRIDGE: Old Type Tune-Matic & GOTOH GE101Z

PICKUPS: (Front) Seymour Duncan SH-1n

(Rear) Seymour Duncan SH-4

PARTS COLOR: Nickel

CONTROLS: Front Volume, Rear Volume, Front Tone, Rear Tone, Toggle PU Selector

Edwards guitars are the most under-rated guitar brand in Japan to date. They use bookmatched woods, nitro top coat finishes, Fender and Gibson-size fret wire, identical dimension-matching, and have Seymour Duncan SSL or SH series pickups stock. They cost anywhere from USD$850 - USD$1,200 new. They are designed as the lower-cost version of the Navigator series, but they are really not that much lower in terms of craftsmanship, only price. Edwards guitars are made as Gibson and Fender replicas as well, but at a price most people can afford, and they are the real rivals of the Fender and Gibson guitar, because they are in a price range that is a little less. For what you get, Edwards brand is the best value in electric guitars today, in my opinion, if you are looking for a Fender or Gibson clone and don?t want to compromise tone by searching for older, used vintage Japanese guitars that can sometimes be noisy. Anyone who has ever purchased an Edwards guitars has made a comment about how taken-aback they were at the quality and bang-for the-buck. I agree, Edwards makes arguably the best low-cost guitar in Japan. (Quote: guitarsjapan)

I took the opportunity to pick up a gold top. I have wanted a gold top since I was a kid. I have always associated the gold top with Slash. In my opinion, Probably the most recognized guitar icon on a les paul to date.

My first impressions of this guitar were the excellent quality in build. The finish on the guitar is flawless. There's no uneven finish and the craftsmanship is top notch. The weight is rather heavy on this one. Like most Les Paul?s, they do weight quite a bit and this is normal. Some will argue that this helps the guitar produce its signature Les Paul tone.

I plugged this in through my VOX AD100VT and rigged with a Dano Cool Cat TOD, Biyang Metal End King and a Monte Allums modded Boss CS3. With the Seymour Duncans loaded as a stock feature, I don't think this guitar needs a pup swap. These Duncans are really good enough. With the famous pup combo of a JB on the bridge and 59 on the neck. There is a very good balance in tone. Nice cleans on the neck position. At the middle position, there's that sparkle like chime. At the bridge position, there's a mid boost growl and the harmonics just sing. When I pushed her into overdrive, She holds the low ends very well. Loads of sustain in her and the pickups are relatively quiet.

The overall feel of the guitar is rather good. I have never considered myself as a Les Paul player but this guitar has got some character. I think the stock hardware is pretty decent but one of the downsides that I have with this guitar is the fatness of the neck. It's not a 60's Gibson sized neck and it does get rather uncomfortable after playing for longer durations. Maybe I?m just too used to the neck size of strats and teles that this fatness felt uncomfortable. I guess it's the player?s choice and it comes down to personal preference and getting used to.

My final take on this particular model is rather good. For a fraction of the price of a Gibson Les Paul Standard, It's definitely a bang for the buck guitar. There should not be a comparison between the qualities of a Gibson Les Paul and an Edwards Les Paul although some might argue that the Edwards will pawn the Gibson in many departments but there is a reason why those darn Gibson's cost so much more. Sometimes the brand name says a lot and the legacy of the brand lives on to newer heights.

Rumor has it that ESP has a factory based in china to make Edwards guitars. The woodwork and paint are made in china. Then they are shipped to Japan for assembly, setup and QC. So what's the make? Made in china? Made in Japan? Does it really matter where it is made if the guitar plays well?

Bear in mind that you pay for what you get. But sometimes, you also pay for what you DO NOT get with big brand names. But in this case of the Edwards E-LP-92SD, It's the direct opposite and it's money well spent.

Pros:

Seymour Duncan Pups

Great Craftmanship

Vaue For Money

Great Relica

Awesome Tone

Beautiful Finish

Edwards are from the makers of ESP Guitars

Cons:

Fat Neck

Not a Gibson

Does not come with a original hard shell case

Rating: 8.5/10

More detailed pictures can be found in the "Guitar Porn Gallery"

Meow.....

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:41:00 -0400

I have been reading one too many raving reviews about the Danelectro Cool Cat pedals. The most raved about pedal in that line of affordable stompboxes is the Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive. I have been trying to get a hold of it for quite some time but somehow it always seems to be out of stock when i visit the guitar store. Is it really that good?

I managed to pick one up from the store once i got a tip off about new stocks that has just arrived. This is my take on the Danelectro cool cat transparent overdrive running through my VOX AD100VT and through a Fender American Standard Telecaster on Clean Boutique pre amp.

I was very impressed with the tone of this stompbox. The reviews were true. How could a $38 pedal sound so good?! Maybe it is because of it's cheap price tag that make consumers not pin point the flaws on this range of stompboxes. Besides, the flaws that i could say about this pedal is all in the cosmetics department.

Tone wise, I ran a shoot out comparison with my main overdrive pedal which is the Digitech Hardwire CM2 Tube Overdrive which street values values around the $160 - $180 mark. The Trasparent overdrive could match the CM2 in tone. It's a very very close call. From clean boost to drive levels set to the max i have to painfully admit that the transparent overdrive won in the transparency department but in high gain mode, the CM2 edges out with a bit more bite and grit when set to modified mode on the CM2.

Personally, I think that the knobs on the back of the cool cat is kinda dumb. It makes tweaking a little more difficult comapred to the normal knobs on the top. The blue LED light is pretty in the dark comapred to the more common red LED's on BOSS pedals. I'm using a biyang noiseless adaptor on this as my power source and it's a fairly quiet unit. Not to mention It's also true bypass. Well, at least the sticker on the front of the pedal says so.

Construction wise, It's housed in a metal case with metal input & outut. 4 knobs on the back. Volume, Treble/Bass & Gain. It's a little hard to dial in on the bass knobs as the knob is shared with the treble knob. The knobs are very close to each other and accidental dials happen to their neighbours occasionally. It's built very sturdy and built like it could handle some hard stomps. The main footswitch is pretty tight. Needs some seasoning stomps but it's all good,

A nice touch from Danelectro! This pedal has some minor details in the package. The pedal comes with a cool Danelectro 9v battery. Very nice retro looking battery and also some stickers. 9 of them to be exact. Box candies....

My Conclusion:

Danelectro has made a very affordable pedal for guitarist who do not wish to splurge on exotic boutique pedals that cost 5-10 times more than a cool cat. It's one of those pedals you hate to love but can't help being part of your pedal board family. Some players who are into "boutique" pedals will be ashamed just to even own or mention this pedal and just keep this pedal as their dirty little secret hidden from thier peers. It's price and affordibility means almost anyone can own this. For just $38, this ugly greenish brown box can really produce some serious tones that can rival some famous tubescreamers in the market.

The Transparent Overdrive impressed me so much that i went out to pick up another Danelectro Cool Cat pedal. The Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz! Same small price but big on tone. I highly recommend it.

Rate: 8.5/10

Photo Of The Month

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:59:00 -0400

What Makes Me a Better Man?

I seriously need to get my some of this on my lap, around my body and into my dirty sweaty hands ...

Nevermind The Boobs!

Got PRS?

American Standard Telecaster 2000

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:41:00 -0400

American Standard Telecaster 2000

i just picked this up yesterday. It is pre owned. Excellent condition for a guitar that has been around since 2000. It features a alder body, maple neck, maple fretboard. From the serial dating, This piece is probably made in 2000 at the Corona California factory. I'm not sure what these pickups are but my sources tell me that these are the stock pickups. I will have to take those pickups out to check on their item number to find it origins

I love the finish on this one. Some say it's a 2 tone sunburst. Some say it's tobacco burst. Well whatever... Whichever it is, It's certainly beautiful with the grains showing through the finish. It's one of those G.A.S factor for me to pick this up without thinking too much about how i'm going to suffer through the month with the amount i have spent on this beauty. Counting down the days untill my next payroll arrives so life will be back to normal,

This piece also features a 5 saddle bridge but personally, i still prefer the vintage 3 saddle setup. The electronics feature a delta tone control and a 3 way switch.

I personally love the sound of telecasters. This one sounds towards the warmer side. It's got a very punchy tone and the cleans are amazing. When driven, The string through bridge helps to boost the sustain. It's certainly a leap of difference from my previous CIJ TL71 which had a rather snappy tone that breaks up in tone and produces that "quack" of a tone when the guitar is picked hard.

With the tone knob turned down. Switch on the neck pickup and it produces a warm and jazzy tone with punch. The Bridge pickup just oozes with the TWANG factor with the tone knob in full position.

This is one very versatile guitar. The only dislike i about this guitar is the lack of a broken in feel on the edge of the fretboard. Unlike the 2008 American standard. This 2000 model feels less comfortable . I guess i just need some getting used to with the different types of neck i play daily.

I hope this guitar will be a good investment for me in the future.

9 years and counting till this "Teletubby" is labeled as Vinatge ....

I Rate This Guitar: 9.8 / 10

New Baby Has Arrived. It's a Burny

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:57:00 -0400

Vintage Mid 1980's Burny Les Paul Custom

Just picked this up pre owned. It's a mid 1980's Burny Les Paul Custom in sparkle gold. It.s 95% Stock. It's original color is in sparkle silver but through time and aging, it has tunred to a nice sparkle gold. It's hard to tell the make and details on a vintage burny. There isn't much information to be googled. Still trying to discover the roots of this guitar.

I took her apart to have her re-furbished after more than 2 decades. There was a lot of dirt and grime on the fretboard. Some deep conditioning with Jim Dunlop's deep treatment oil made the difference. I used Jim Dunlop guitar wax polish to clean off the Oxidation on the hardware as well. I noticed that the pickups are the legendary VH-1's. There's still a sticker on the back of each pickup with that label. Seeing those sticker labels really made my day.

This plays very well. I played it through a VOX 100VT with a Digitech Hardwire CM2 and Boss CS3. Very thick punchy tone with walls of warmth and sustain. The VH-1's sound very PAFish but the pickups can induce hum very easily with high gain. I haven't played this hard and long for a long time. It's inspiring when you pick up something that feels good and sounds great. This one is a keeper.

Original Color should have been a sparkle silver. thanks to a previous sticker of some sort on the back of the guitar, I can see the effect of a beatifully aged guitar. Changed from silver to GOLD...

Love it! Just eye candy. This is not a les paul custom you see everyday with a sparkle vintage finish.

More pictures can be found in "G.A.S The Gallery"

Ibanez Artcore AF75TDGIV

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:55:00 -0500

Specs: Ibanez Artcore AF75TDGIV

Neck Material:	Mahogany
Neck Type:	AF Artcore set-in
Body:	Maple top/back/sides
Frets:	Large frets
Fingerboard:	Bound Rosewood
Inlay:	Pearl block inlay
Bridge:	ART2 with VBF70 Vintage Vibrato
NeckPU:	GFS Vintage Filtertrons
BridgePU:	GFS Vinatge Filtertrons
HW Color:	GD
Finishes:	BK, IV

Scale/Length		628mm/24.75"
a:	Width at Nut	43mm
b:	Width Last Fret	58.5mm
c:	Thickness 1st Fret	20mm
d:	Thickness 12th Fret	26.5mm
Radius		305mm

After playing with this piece for a while now, here's my take on the Ibanez Artcore AF75TDGIV. My first impressions are of course it's beautiful looks. That was my main draw in picking up this poor man's alternative to a Gretsch. The Stock ceramic ACH 1 & 2 pickups were not too impressive but the overall build quality of the guitar was very good. When unplugged, It plays very well in terms of tone on it's own. Loud & crisp tone for a full hollow bodied guitar. Maybe the maple tops on the top, back & sides could be a contributing factor for the sweet acoustic tone.

The pickups have since been revamped with a set of GFS Vintage Filtertrons. I had to order these direct from guitar fetish at below $150 including shipping cost for a set of 2 pickups. That's relatively cheap in my opinion. I had my guitar tech install the pickups with orange capacitors & a coil split along the way. It's not an easy feat to install a set of pickups on a hollow bodied guitar so i left it to the pros on this job.

After the entire upgrade, the tone of the guitar when plugged into my VOX 100VT was dramatically improved. The new pickups made a very big difference in tone compared to the stock pickups. There is that certain growl to the tone with the bridge pickups and the neck pickup produces a very warm and bassy jazz tone. There were no traces of muddiness in tone. The orange capacitors may be doing its job to brighten the tone. When pushed into coil split mode which is installed on the volume knob of the bridge, The coils produces a very bright and clean tone which is great for blues.

I guess anyone who has played a bigsby styled tremolo guitar will somehow worry about the tuning stability when the bigsy tremolo is used. I am quite impressed that the ART2 VBF70 Vintage Vibrato held it's tuning very well. I had got no issues with tuning instability when using the bigsby tremolo. But obviously, these bigsby bars are not meant for huge Steve Vai type dive bombs. They are made for what they are. Vibrato's ....

As with most hollow bodied guitars, When pushed into high overdrive or high distortion it will most definately have some form of feedback. You will need to make some adjustments to your playing style or maybe even adding a noise gate to try to cancel unwanted feedback noise. But most definately, the sustain level is sweet and lovely if the right amount of control is applied.

I have yet to see an identical piece locally. I don't think Swee lee has brought this piece in with this ivory finish onto our shores. Maybe not yet as this finish was only introduced in 2008. This one is a keeper for me. the Ibanez Artcore series is under rated and i think more players will start to see their worth down the road. I would definately recommend the artcore's if you have plans to get a hollow bodied guitar at an affordable price.

Pros:

Very affordable price for a hollow body jazz box. Great Value!
Beautiful
Great tone when on it's own
Loud on it's own
Maple tops on all sides
Great build
It's an Ibanez!

Cons:

Stock pickups sounded cold & lifeless
Hard case not included

Rating: 9/10

Wa Biyang Eh !!!

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:34:00 -0500

Here's a cheap alternative to get some pedals which won't cost an arm and leg. The Biyang's! With quite a range out in the market now, These pedals are made in china. I bet a lot of you would probably roll your eyes after seeing that MIC tag.

I recently got 2 Biyang pedals. The first is the Metal End King. This pedal is worth a mention. Built on a shiny metal housing. The Distortion levels on the Metal End King is shattering. With very high gain and lots of tonal options. With some tweaking, It's easy to get a 80's-90's Metallicaish era hard distortion to the new age Nu Metal tones. There's a lot of thumping lows for awesome palm mute riffs. Retailing brand new at $160, This is one of the Biyang's i would highly recommend if you are on a budget. With that aside, there is a manufacturing fault on the amp simulation toggle switch. Some owners have reported the mulfunction of that switch. Even i myself have fell victim to it. Not to worry, The warranty will cover the repair. Just have to bring it back to the shop and it will be ironed out with some fixes. If you're a avid Metalhead, This one is a must try.

Next Biyang on the list is the Biyang OD8 X-Drive. One very unique feature in this pedal is the ability to change IC chips on board. There are 3 different IC chips that come together with the purchase. The NE5532(warmer tone), TL072(harder tone) & of course the JRC4558 (Think ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer). Personally, I think the ability to swap IC chips so easily without the need for solder or any technical experience is a great selling point. With a much sought after tone that the JRC4558 chip can produce, It's an alternative to the ibanez TS9 tubescreamer. Tone wise, this is a good pedal to help boost some soaring leads. Only retailing at $100. How much does a TS9 cost again? For a fraction of the price, I'm comfortable with the tone it produces. It's very close but not a clone worthy TS9.

There are still some Biyang's that i have yet to get my hands on. The next few that i would like to take for a spin would be the AD-8 Delay, CH-8 Chorus and the EQ-7. Another worthy mention about the Biyang products will be the Biyang Noiseless Adaptors. They are cheap and an alternative to the one spots and DC Bricks. At $25 a piece to power up 5 pedals. Most major brands are compatible with it. These are worth checking out as well.

Definately, Value for money pedals and accessories from Biyang. Check out their english translated website HERE

Coated Strings

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:37:00 -0500

Firstly, Merry Christmas to one and all!

Since it's the Xmas season, I decided to put on some new strings for my guitars. I have been a regular user of the 9's-42's for quite some time now and i have decided to give the 10's - 46's a shot. I needed some getting use to as i do find the 9's - 42's rather soft and comfortable but lacks in tone. I'll gradually move up the gauges as i do find the 10's to 46's rather comfortable now.

With that aside, I frequent the Cleartone brand of strings. It is coated and does not rust that easily. I cannot simple stand the feel of rusted strings and not to mention the hassle of string changing as well. That was my main reason why i have shifted to coated strings. Some say that the Cleartones lack in tone but they do last a good 3 to 5 months if cleaned after playing. I agree with the duration of the life span of the strings but i do not have an issue with the tone. I do find the tone rather good for a coated sting. It's not sticky and plays well too. A pack of these retail at $19.60.

So last weekend i went down to DAVIS and got myself a set of Aurora strings. These strings are coated as well but it has a variety of colors to it as well. I'm not much for having colored strings but i decided to give it a shot because they were much cheaper at $16.90. I bought 2 packs of 10's - 46's in gold. I had a set fitted to my Fender Strat. Everything went well with 5 of the strings until the High E string felt rather strange when i tuned it. It just would not stay in tune! No matter how i turned it, It would drop a full step. I'm tuning on standard tuning and I repeated this many times until the string snapped. upon closer inspection on what went wrong, I noticed that the string did not actually snap. Instead, the ball end of the string unwinded itself and came off. This kinda pissed me off so i took the High E from the other set to have it replaced. And the same thing happened again! Now I'm thinking that there's a problem with my bridge that is causing this to happen.

I removed the entire set of Aurora strings and fitted my strat with a set of CLEARTONE 10's - 46's. The installation was flawless like it always did. There was nothing wrong with my tuner, ears, technique and guitar bridge. So here's a little advise, STAY AWAY FROM THE AURORA'S! IF YOU HAVE TO, DO IT WITH CAUTION. With a price tag of $16.90 a pack, dumbass manufacturing faults like this should not happen. Maybe i was just unlucky to pick 2 rotten apples from the barrell but i don't think i will take a chance on a pack of strings that is packed with a price tag of $16.90 with a chance of mulfunction again. Not to mention the poor unprofessional packaging it had.

There's a saying in hokkien " Hor Kua Bo Hor Chiak "

Gibson Dark Fire Les Paul

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:50:00 -0500

Call me old fashion if you will but a Robot Guitar Again? I thought it was a one off thing when Gibson released it's first Robot Guitar. Maybe it was a huge success or maybe they are just trying to revolutionize guitar playing. I'll just stick to tuning the guitar with my ears or with a tuner. In my opinion, Tuning a guitar helps enlighten your sense of tone and hearing. Somethings are better left that way. People just get lazy with that much technology pumped into everything around them.

But the Gibson Dark Fire sure looks intriging with a big price tag... Chameleon Tone Technology? That's something i would love to find out.

VOX Valvetronix AD100VT Amplifier

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:28:33 -0500

100 watts of power at my disposal with 2 x 12' celestion speakers through a metal grill. It's a hybrid valve + solid state amp. Your neighbors will hate you for getting this amp. Crank it up and this sucker can really be loud.Among the many amps that i have owned, this one is the most versatile in terms or built in pre amps and effects. It produces some very nice cleans and killer OD's. It has a little bit of everything for the different player at heart.

Pre Amps
01. Boutique Clean - modeled on: Dumble 100w head (clean channel). My favorite clean channel.
02. Black 2x12 - modeled after a Fender 'Blackface' Twin Reverb amp.
03. Tweed 4x10 - modeled on: 1959 Fender 4x10 Bassman. This preset is a must when i'm playing my Telecaster.
04. AC15 - modeled on: Channel 2 of a 1962 Vox AC15.
05. AC30TB - modeled on: Vox AC30 'Top-boost'.
06. UK '70s - modeled on: 1971 Marshall 50w Plexi Head
07. UK '80s - modeled on: 1983 100w Marshall JCM800 head.
8. UK Modern - modeled on: Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 head (High gain channel).
09. Nu-Metal - modeled on: 100w Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head. Rectifier like tones.
10. US Hi-Gain - modeled on: Soldano SLO100 Head (hi-gain channel). Fat Distortion
11. Boutique OD - modeled on: Dumble Overdrive Special 100w head. Use this with a stratocaster and with some tweaking, You'll come close to getting some John Mayerish tones.

I got this at City Music at a promo price of $580+. That's cheap for a 100 watter with great pre amps and effects. The VOX foot switch can be bought separately which i find very useful for changing presets. I seriously think this amp has some good vibes to it. If you are looking for that vintage tone, This amp is definitely for you. The modern high gains can sound pretty grainy and cold. i would recommend stomp pedals for those kind of settings rather than the pre amps.

The amp comes with a built in tweakable noise gate and some effects as well. There's nothing too spectacular about the effects. 11 digital FX; auto wah, compressor, compressor + phaser, compressor + chorus, chorus + delay, chorus + reverb, flanger + reverb, tremolo + reverb, rotary + reverb, delay and reverb. I don't really care much about the FX's. The only ones i really use is the reverb and occasionally the delay. The ability to tweak the output voltage is great. That way, you can adjust the appropriate voltage needed to push the valves without busting your ear drums.

Pro's

Cheap for a 100 watter that has a name like VOX
Good looks
Nice vintage tones
Versatile for most genres of music
11 pre amps
11 FX's
Ability to add external speakers and cabs
Ability to adjust the voltage of the amp
Noise gate

Con's

Headphone option is no good. It dosent justify the tones and makes them sound cold and sterile
High gain on ceratin pre amps are too grainy
Damn heavy. Some built in wheels could come in handy for the travelling musican

It's Finally Here! My First Jazzbox...

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:48:59 -0500

This just dropped in today. I have been waiting for this for almost 2 whole weeks. There were some shipping issues but they were finally ironed out. It's finally here!

I'm still finding faults with this one. That's a normal thing for me to do when a new piece pops into my collection. Beautiful Jazzboxes usually don't come cheap but this is definitely in a different price league. Build quality and tone wise, I'll have to shred on this for a while to feel and hear it extensively to find out what's the deal in this stunning yet affordable guitar.

More detailed pics that can be found in "G.A.S" The Gallery

Fender American Standard Stratocaster 2008

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:48:42 -0500

I have had many strats in the past but have never owned an American made fender. The hype of the fender franchise was the new American standard. Some swear by it while others will feel other wise. Well, i held back long enough and went out to get myself a brand new piece. I picked the blizzard pearl finish on a maple fretboard and neck. I got this piece from Swee Lee at a promotional price of $1500 nett. *Thanks Jai* My first impressions of this guitar was the Fender SKB Hard case. Frankly, I still prefer the vintage tweed cases as it gives the guitar in it a vintage classy sleek look. But this new molded SKB case sure looks like it can be run over by a truck and the guitar in it will still be in tune. (Try at your own risk!)

I am impressed by the initial factory setup of the guitar. It's was 98% perfect. I only needed a slight intonation on the B string and everything else was set up right. The tone is wonderful. On positions 1, 3 & 5 you can achieve the classic nasel strat tones with quack and twang. On positions 2 & 4 are the glassy strat tones. The delta tone circuit was a nice surprise to me as this is the first time i am using a delta tone system which gives some extra boost to the bridge and middle pickup when the tone knob is set to full on the bridge.

I guess that's why American made fenders are the hype all this while. I'm sure many would oppose and would say the difference in quality is very subtle between the CIJ's, MIJ's and even the MIM's except for the higher price listed for the MIA's. I refuse to debate this apple or orange myth. It's a matter of personal preference and the players touch which makes it different.

Pros:

Smooth neck
Glossed fretboard
Action
Classic strat tone
Delta tone circuit
Hand rolled edges on the neck
Tuning stability
Very versatile
Comfortable

Cons:

SKB molded hard case
Limited finishes
60 cycle hum on pickups

I now understand why the American Fenders cost more and it's every much worth my every cent spent.

Rating: 9.5/10