Gear News 2004

[subversion]

Gibson SG Special (Faded edition)
List: POA

i'm not a Gibson fan despite them making absolutely fine guitars. 2 reasons- finished neck + muddy tone. it's really a personal bout, i'm well aware that there are countless aficionados out there who are deeply in love with the exclusive Gibson feel & that signature wooly tone. well, the faded series got me interested because they lack the lacquer finish which i detest & the humbuckers are uncovered darlings... mmm... nice...

the Special series of the SG range is akin to the Studio make of the Les Paul offerings, simply put, they are the most affordable of the lot. many would dismiss these entry levels as compromised guitars, but having tried them in person, i disagree.

the faded series will turn you off if you dislike Fender's Highway1 guitars & basses. the whole guitar lack the final lacquer gloss & it felt absolutely worn in, very seasoned, virtually bare wood for sale. with that in mind, the visible grain of the guitar looks dried up & very unpleasant, even the 2-piece joint is visible- be warned. the other attributes of this guitar is a typical SG spec, dual humbucking, dual volume + tone, tune-o-matic bridge & the works... do refer to the gibson homepage for a more detailed spec, yes? the feel is absolutely amazing IMO but the neck heavy peculiarity is still there- typical SG... i have great expectations from this faded wonder simply because it sounded very loud unplugged, no kidding! no complains on the fit & finish, it's a Gibson, enough said...

gibson should offer more humbuckers uncovered as a personal option if you ask me, this guitar had more clarity than many gibsons i've tried. even the neck humbucker had a tad more definition & not too much of that mud ringing in my ears. playability is tops but the .010 default strings are lethargy inducing (again- personal bout...). the action is a little high for impressive shredding but it's very bend-friendly. again, this guitar underscores the unique tonal capacity of a lacquerless finish. coupled with uncovered humbuckers (which induces more midrange FYI), it's ear candy. weeeee.... i would like the fretboard to be more rounded (if it wasn't already) as the slightly wider neck profile (compared to an LP Std) necessitated more stretching & after some time, you can feel the edge 'cutting' into your fingers. this faded SG loves to be driven & a very fine, clean player too. worth every cent...

well, well, what do we have here? a simple, stripped down gibson which is really appealing & much overshadowed by its other, more visually stunning, siblings. somtimes, it's a simple formula that works, this faded SG proved just that. with a boutique name like 'Gibson', we are often disillusioned by the looks of things rather than the quest for playability & tone. it's absolutely ok for one to invest in good looks but at the end of the day, the tonal contribution of such attributes is marginal. i'm obliged not to disclose the list price of these guitars as there are more than one dealer offering these darlings on their shelves.

a fine guitar, i just bought one... ooops!! 8O

 

[stars]

lol. no need to go check other reviews / buy guitar mags

if there is subversion's personal stamp of approval = damned good guitar . seriouslly .

congrats on ur new gibson . wads it called ?

 

[subversion]

thanks he he...

i didn't give it a name, but it's the SG Special (Faded series) from Gibson's homepage... i bought the dot inlay version, not the crescent moon one...

FYI- the crescent moon inlay version is discontinued... but it's still available here 8)

 

[subversion]

Epiphone Dot
List: $700

The Dot is Epiphone’s attempt to replicate the tone & feel of the infamous Gibson ES335, having played one today, I must say that it’s strictly an attempt.

The weight of this semi-acc was all wrong- it’s not too different from a solid, average Epi LP. However, this heftiness was due to the Dot’s maple nature, ditto the neck. It lacked that ‘spingy’ unplugged tone one would expect from a semi so I had to almost immediately plug this guitar in, to hear what it’s all about. True enough, the amplified tone would win many fans over; it’s warm with added bass. Very much different from the Ibanez AS75 which I auditioned subsequently. It has a very polished upper end making it sound sweet with crunchy drive. However, this was also the Dot’s undoing as the reduced, inherent treble gave way to ill single note definition (in other words- mud…) under lots of gain, the neck humbucker suffered the most especially at the upper frets. It’s a very fine guitar to play clean but limit your metal to Opeth-alike, otherwise embrace a solid body instead. Please do not expect an immaculate replica of the ES335 tone from this Dot either, the pickups lack the depth to do so. Now on to the appointments which let me down…

The particular model I played had very poor finish around the F-holes. Messy paint jobs were evident around both cavities. The neck-body joint wasn’t a clean one, you could feel the excess neck material virtually ‘bumping’ out of the finish all round. Messy paint jobs were again evident, this time at the gap between the overhanging fretboard (near the neck humbucker) & the body. One would wonder if this particular guitar escaped the QC’s scrutiny, it’s a real shame really, but these blemishes were invisible at a glance. There weren’t other faults in the fit & finish department, same goes for the electronics except for the pickup 3-way toggle lever, it’s rather stiff. LP players would be annoyed.

If you think the Dot is an easy avenue to the revered ES335 tone, then you’ve gone astray. The critical omission here is a mahagony neck, which would help enhance a 335-type tone. The Dot didn’t fail miserably, in fact should you fall in love with this guitar, it’s because you deem it to be a good instrument in its own turf. If you think you are Epi-bound this year end & looking for a semi, this one might be playing your tune. FYI, the more stripped down sibling of the Epi Dot- the Dot Studio- has already debuted but it’s still unavailable here.

 

[Mjollnir]

subversion wat about epiphone sg's?

 

[subversion]

bro, i've only tried the Epi Iommi SG, i believe there's a review of it here in Gear News... 8)

 

[VonLichtenstein]

argh... cant find the epi sg review.

 

[subversion]

Line6 Uber Metal (from the Tonecore series of pedals, new for 2004)
Sale: $150

The Uber Metal pedal by Line6 is an aggressive distortion device which would more than rival the proverbial Boss Metal Zone. For those of us who believe in other intense distortion units, & not be bogged down by a certain common, black, pedal, maybe you’d like to know more…

There’s no hiding what the UM has to offer, it’s actually a representative of the various intense distortion Line6 has to offer, which are already in amps like the Vetta & others. Instead of just replicating these tones in the UM pedal, you can also sculp it to your liking with the help of other useful features on board.

In addition to 3 frequency manipulations (bass/ mids/ treble), we now have the Scoop & Noise Gate functions on board which I must say are useful inclusions. The scoop feature allows you to have a reduced mid tone without you having to temper with the mid knob, because Line6 respects the amount of mids you like. Unclear? First set the EQ knobs to your liking. Say you have this sudden urge to manipulate the mids only, then reach for the ‘Scoop’ knob, not your mids, & mess around accordingly. Once you had enough & wish to get back to your original mids setting, simply set the ‘Scoop’ knob back to 12-o-clock. Still with me?

Next up, the noise gate. I believe this is a very useful inclusion if you are into high gain settings/ volume for that matter- which is what the UM pedal is all about. It reduces hissings & other non-productive noises drastically. If you embrace noisy single coil pickups, you’ll thank the noise gate feature endlessly. One of the noise gate mode is auto calibrated to the amount of gain you dial in, the other, I believe, adds a dash of compression. Enough feature highlights, now to the real deal…

The UM’s capacity to handle metal is undisputable but that’s not all, with specific pickups & amp settings, the UM would do shred & fusion quite nicely. There is a tendency for the user to crank up the gain but under restraint, the UM is a legitmate blues-rock pedal too. The plus point for the UM pedal is that it doesn’t sound muddled up at high level settings, unlike a certain black pedal we tend to own along the way.

There we have it, another intense distortion type pedal which is impressive.The only thing that turned me off was its sheer bulk & weight, it’s heavier/ bulkier than any average stomp box out there, be warned. I also feel that the red label doesn’t provide enough contrast to the rather dark base, so reading it would be difficult at times. Applause to Line6 for offering us pedal type effects so that we can choose the ones we like accordingly. Together with Zoom’s Trimetal (discont’d) & Danelectro’s Black Paisley (among others), the non-BOSS offerings for intense type distortion is a healthy pallette. No offence to BOSS fans, but sometimes the more preferable offerings do not carry the BOSS tag…

 

[subversion]

Yamaha RGX 820Z

Sale: $1190

the RGX series of guitars by Yamaha is an adaptation of the signature Ty Tabor model with refinements namely in the body of the instrument. as this model is a bolt-on make, the manufacturer (or designer for that matter- Jackie Minakuchi) had opted for a more axpanded body width as it is in no obligations to replicate the TT offering exclusively (the TT is a neck-thru design). the headstock retained the recessed machine head cavity which eliminates the need for a retainer after the nut- you missed that didn't you?

the 820 is a typical, high-octane type rock guitar with all the required appointments- dual humbucking/ friendly upper fret access/ vibrato equipped & the works but it's the bridge design that made it stand out. there's absolutely no screws/ height adjustment features on the string saddles. they were primarily conceived to cushion your picking hand while you play- bravo Yamaha!! any action adjustments, then you'll have to mess with the dual vibrato posts. the saddles were also pre-adjusted to comply with the neck radius. what about intonation adjustments- impossible? no. the intonation screws were cleverly hidden at the tail-end of the vibrato base plate to make it look immaculate. very, clever... 8O

there's no question as to what the pair of Seymour Duncan pickups has to offer (JB bridge/ '59 neck), my belief in the brand name was renewed there & then. please be reminded that the '59 model isn't as proficient in distortion settings, unlike the JB. i would think that the inclusion of this pair was suppossesd to be complementary & you get just that. the C-profile neck is comfortable & complemented the well-dressed frets. i'm no fan of marker-less fretboards & this guitar didn't do me any favour either. any marking references are strictly via the side dots.

on to the piezo pickups- it's a very convincing acc tone but it lacked the midrange brightness of another mid-priced piezo loaded guitar i know (stop guessing, it's the Ibanez SA 320X)... after auditioning several piezo-equipped solid bodies, i am of the opinion that at high volume settings, the differences in tone between 2 different models are marginal.

if you are in for a piezo loaded solid body, the RGX820Z should be on your scrutiny list. it's a well-made Taiwanese, the Duncans in there would be more than enough reasons for you to respect this model at least. this 820 also undescored the brilliant design ergonomics as illustrated by the vibrato, if only all electrics were equipped with such a clever bridge unit...

 

[sef]

hey dude u got any reviews for dis japanese fender JGS-78?? cant find any reviews in harmony central. i also wanna noe the reviews abt gibson SG special (not the faded ones) & ibanez SZ720 (similar to 320 but has nice flame fret marks). thanx

 

[stillwater]

Hello Bro Subversion

You finally did it for the RGZ820. You're brilliant

 

[subversion]

thank you, thank you... i'm not worthy... i try my best to give a fair outlook on all the guitars i auditioned. it took me some time to read up on the RGX820Z before giving my opinion of course...

sef: i did try the SG Special before but wasn't moved to submit a review here because i feel that i can't give it a fair review- i dislike it mainly due to its finish... anyway, i'd say that it wasn't far off tonally from the faded version, it sounded more cut-off in the midrange & had a little more bass.

 

[Mr_X]

mr subversion, were u at swee lee on sunday during the warehouse sales trying guitars? u wear specs and wearing a light yellow shirt? anyway back to gear, have u ever tried the burny les pauls? those that luther sells. pls lemme know wad do u think? thanks.

 

[xhareshx]

is the Line6 Uber Metal avalible in singapore? where can i get it?

 

[VonLichtenstein]

go city music... peace centre near plaza singapure/ dhoby ghaut mrt... can walk...

the site is www.citymusic.com.sg

 

[subversion]

nope- i didn't try out any guitars during the sale, yellow is my least fav colur- oops, you got the wrong person :wink: my policy is this: try the guitars before the sale, during the sale, just grab & go...

nope, haven't tried any Burny LPs, if you can sponsor an audition, i'll gladly try one & maybe put up a review here...

the Line6 Uber Metal is definitely available here, follow directions given by Von, please...

 

[VonLichtenstein]

hmm.. i'm also curious about the burny..

i heard its much better thean epi lps...

 

[subversion]

Ibanez Prestige RG1550FM
(no price quotation for this guitar, sorry, it was on sale when i went to try it out...)

The RG1550FM is a Special Edition offering by Ibanez for 2004. It differs from the current 1550 as it sports:

*gold hardware
*Flame Maple top (laminate)
*mahogany body
*abalone inlays

By the sheer looks of it, it should be a better playing counterpart compared to the bland 1550 that you & I were duped into buying, yes?

Before answering the above provocation, be informed that the 1550FM still maintained the high standards in fit & finish as the other Prestige range of guitars. With bolt-on guitars, it’s essential that we scrutinize the neck-body joint pocket, this would determine whether the neck would shift in times of play & cause tuning instability. No problems here, this guitar had an immaculate fit, compared to a Gio-series model elsewhere in this showroom. The action was perfectly set up & a quick sighting revealed a very straight neck. Mahogany guitars give off a rather bright acoustic tone unplugged & this 1550FM was no different. A promising start, time to get amplified…

If you like your tone bright, with lots of midrange presence, this is the guitar to get. Part of it is due to the default Ibanez V/S series pickups here, the mahogany body also contributed to the midrange enhancement. This is favourable when the neck humbucker is activated, it helps to enhance single note definition but with the bridge unit in action, it got a little too piercing for anyone’s liking. The single coil remained a reputable strat-tone imitator, nothing exceptional. I would recommend a replacement unit for the bridge humbucker to help remedy the bass deficiency, maybe a Duncan PATB or a Dimarzio PAF… (among others, of course). Although the neck sports a Super Wizard profile (the thinnest Ibanez has to offer), the Prestige treatment enhanced playability, together with the jumbo frets, it’s a very playable neck. The only demerit here would be the vol/ tone pots- a little stiff, not a good sign… I didn’t get a chance to try the Edge Pro vibrato on this guitar, I’m sure it’s not too different from my 1550. If there is anyone out there who wished for a separate evaluation of the EP vibrato , please let your intentions be known.

Coming back to the provocative probe- is this a one-up against the basswood 1550? My answer would be: NO. Playability remained comparable for both guitars, the marked difference between these two would be the tone each has to offer. I personally would not give up my basswood 1550 to have the 1550FM as a substitute. The gold hardware is also an acquired taste, I know I’m not a fan. To those of you out there who think that mahogany is a superior tone wood, please re-evaluate your consideration. I’m of the opinion that mahogany gives off a good inherent tone while basswood needs a pickup catalyst to sound appealing.

Excuse me Mr. Vai, why aren’t your JEMs mahogany? You too Mr. Satriani, your basswood JS are lousy guitars, aren’t they? Same goes for you Pablo Gilberto… what’s wrong with all of you, don’t you believe in mahogany? Sick…

 

[stillwater]

Hello Bro Subversion
Yes i truely agree. I have a Les Paul as my 2nd guitar, but i swear to the basswood as my first and main. I don't agree mahogany is better, maybe it is just more expensive, "denser", heavier, and producing a thicker tone? I just think they're different.

Guitars are just like women, they come in different shapes and characteristics, And each man define beauty differently. :lol:

Merry Christmas.

 

[subversion]

whoa... that's some philosophy there bro...

when it comes to body wood, the uninformed would embrace the over-simplistic philosophy, which is: mahogany = king. a steve morse interview i read was a revelation- the man chose poplar as a wood of choice for his recent floyd-rose equipped guitar 8O his reason: lighter bodies let the pickups sing- i couldn't agree more...