GEAR news 2005
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subversion said:
bro !! swee lee webbie lists it at sometihng like 680
is it the same model ?http://www.sweelee.sg/productlist.asp?CatSID=73¤tPage=2
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Moderator
ok my mistake- the RD500 is $680, the RD900 is $950, both list prices... apologies. in any case, i actually tried the RD900 :smt119
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Moderator
affirmative! there is a 5-string RD version, the RD505/ 905:
RD505
RD905
the main diff is this:
RD 500
*basswood body
*Duncan/ Ibanez pickups
RD900
*mahogany body
*Basslines pickups
RD505
RD905
the main diff is this:
RD 500
*basswood body
*Duncan/ Ibanez pickups
RD900
*mahogany body
*Basslines pickups
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Hydesg said:
no they don't. i wonder who told you that... :smt017
jeremyrozario
New member
should be $1050 after 20% discount and +5% gst
wangdexian
New member
stars said:
I doubt basslines (Seymour duncan) are actives...
I think the basses have active electronics though, with the eq and all that. 8)
"New RD900 flagship model with U.S.A. made Seymour Duncan® Bass linesTM pickups, massive milled brass bridge, and eq bypass switch."
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Moderator
yup- active circuitry, passive pickups.
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nope. occassionally they'll bring in Gibson/ Fender, no Ibanez thusfar...
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Schecter 006 Elite
List: $980
The last time a Schecter guitar tried to sway me from buying something else, it distinctly featured a sillhoutte of a dead cocroach at the tail end of its body, which absolutely added zilch to tone. My current encounter with one was a much pleasant one, no such pest in sight, in fact, it’s all tone & no nonsense.
The 006 Elite featured here is a simple guitar, features-wise. All the pickups you need for tonal variation (S-H pickup combo, 1 Vol, 1 Tone, 3-way toggle) & a non-string locking bridge unit that would make Les Paul proud. The message is clear, it’s for your tonal exploration, not for your surgical passtime.
Construction/ fit/ finish
With the 006 in hand, I could easily feel that Schecter got it right, physically. Construction & fittings were top notch, no comments necessary. The neck has a Fender-like width to it but not the depth, it’s slightly meatier to the touch but the C profile rear was enough to make it very playable. After the 12th fret, things might get a little too expansive for the uninitiated but not to worry, playability’s in tact. My only gripe with it was its rather dry fretboard, but that’s very normal with rosewood which is an open-grained wood type, they lose moisture quickly, especially in our equitorial environment. The ones which are more resistant are the Brazilian, close-grained variety but due to environmental concerns, even PRS avoid having it in their 20th Anniversary Std 24 model (2005). Neat bindings aplenty, coupled with a visually pleasing figured laminate top, the 006 was a winner.
Playability/ tone
The 006 was a pleasure to play, kudos to the jumbo frets but again, my dislike for finished necks was renewed. However, if you are used to countless Epis & Gibbos, you’d be playing this forever. Also, no thanks to the unmarked fretboard, less the diamond inlay at the 12th fret, fumbling fools like me would be exposed almost immediately but it’s nothing familiarity wouldn’t cure, as I quickly found out. There was no elbow area chamfer on the guitar’s tail-end but that’s what the 006’s curved top is for- comfort all round, not just that elbow area. The overall sustain of this guitar was much aided by the string through body feature, a thoughtful complement indeed.
Moving on to tone, the 006’s highlight was of course its coil tap feature via the pull-push facility at the tone knob. The default bridge humbucker was somehow inherently smooth under lots of gain, very Dimarzio-like for a Duncan Designed unit. However, upon coil-tap activation, tone was treble rich & twangy, roll the volume off a tad & you get some impressive blues crunch, this side of Fender. But the tone revelation didn’t end there, the single coil in the neck had one of the best definition for a default unit, nothing too brash or wooly, very workable tones from this Duncan Designed SC-102. The default action could use some fine tuning, it’s a little too high for comfortable fretboard acceleration, but gave enough clearance for crisp chords when you play clean.
Last say
It seems that there’s another contender in the mid-priced electric guitar range in the guise of this Schecter 006 Elite. The other 2 guitars which are worthy exponents would be Ibanez’s SZ520 & Yamaha’s RGX520. I’m satisfied with the 006 Elite but critically, the treble side cutaway should feature a longer horn, Schecter would do well to learn from Ibanez & Yamaha in this aspect as it affects the overall balance of the guitar when played sitting down. I’m also of the opinion that the neck width after the 12th fret on the 006 is a little too spacious for comfortable finger gymnastics, both Ibanez & Yamaha had this space checked, we would like Schecter to do likeweise. The 006 Elite is another proof that there are very good set-necked guitars out there which do not cost a bomb.
8)
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Moderator
bro, check your PM 8)
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LANEY TF200
List: $705
Unlike Peavey & Marshall, Laney’s range of hybrid amps (tube/ solid state fusion) features a real tube in its pre-amp section for uncompromised drive warmth. The Chinese TF200 is one such unit, with a single ECC83 tube, 3 channels & a 12” speaker for your tonal needs.
This is a typical 3-channeled amp, one featuring a clean section while the other 2 give the player a drive variation. The switching system is plain simple & the knobs are all well laid out in a row to prevent confusion- there’s virtually no manual reference necessary, just plug in your guitar, read the labels & play.
The clean tone from this amp is an acceptable offering, nothing fantastic or Fender-like, enough to appease chord mongers & some jazz licks on your boring days. The DRIVE 1 channel is a crunch channel aimed at light driven tones, ala blues & hard rock, nothing intense, even when the drive knob is maxed out. To address personal hostility in your music, kindly refer to the DRIVE 2 channel, this one simply screams metal from the start. For a quick scooped setting, Laney has the ENHANCE knob ready for middle frequency fine-tuning, in addition to the conventional mid control available in the main EQ section. Also unique to the Laney technology is the VIBE switch which effectively enhances reverb for an arena-like quality. However, I personally believe that this feature to be worth activating at high volume levels…
The drive tones on offer cover expansive grounds adequately- blues/ rock/ fusion/ metal; they are all there. The major let-down here is definitely the amp’s lack of bass. This is evident from both the drive channels even when the bass knob was on full tilt. It’s rather depressing because the amp was fitted with a 12” speaker as default, a very versatile dimension as many of us here would attest, sadly not in this Laney. If you are even drawn to this amp, it’s because of the ECC83 driven tone; in fact, you’d hear some warm midrange coming from this one as opposed to a full transistor unit.
For those of us who would only part with cash for a worthy investment, it’s rather difficult to commit you into believing that the TF200 is a good consideration especially with the apparent lack of bass. However, if a warm tube drive tone is your game & you wouldn’t mind hooking up an EQ pedal for bass enhancement, the TF200 would be an interesting purchase.
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Schecter Ultra
List: $850
You’d be forgiven to have mistakenly thought that the Schecter Ultra was a Gibson Firebird from a distance; there’s enough attributes to have made it a passable Firebird model anyway. In fact, the Ultra has enough physical traits to make it a tele/ explorer copy but then again it’s a unique guitar per se, visually & tonally.
Construction/ fit/ finish
The Ultra joins the market as an affordable set-neck unit, well-made & worth every cent in terms of construction & fittings. The sunburst model I played was a little messy finish-wise at the neck-body joint but it proved to be a one-off as others in the shops showed no such neglect. You’d be forgiven to think that the raised centre marked a through-neck construction but it’s a clever ploy by the manufacturer to visually enhance the overall aesthetics. There were no other physical anomalies to report, the Ultra had been well-made & attention to details was of a fine offering.
Playability/ tone
The neck of the Ultra is of a wide/ slightly fat profile, nothing as meaty as the PRS version. It remains playable across the fretboard but felt a little constrained at the treble-side cutaway. The overall feel is splendid but it’s not as shred friendly as I would have wanted it to be. Unplugged, the Ultra sounded bright; a typical mahogany affair this one.
What do you expect from a guitar of this calibre- super shred tones/ thunderous bass? Not quite my friends, the Ultra here offers some splendid crunch, this side of Slash. The bridge Duncan Designed humbucker has enough bottom end & midrange for meaty power chords. The neck counterpart has a very ’59 vibe to it & more importantly, a very well defined tone can be heard here, none of the muddiness you’d expect. I’m also pleased to report the rich harmonics from this guitar, especially the from the bridge humbucker, so players who are particular about picking dynamics would do well to check this guitar out.
Last say
The Ultra to me was an ugly duckling until I plugged it in only to discover the beautiful swan tones. It’s not a shred tool by any means but one can always adapt to it along the way. My gripe here was only the 2+4 tuner configuration, I kept reaching for the bass side to access the D string; something many players need getting used to. The set neck cutaway would be better off if the neck joins the body at later frets to cater to further access, instead, what we have here is a typical Les Paul restrictiveness. If you are in for a non-mainstream design with all the cool tones on board, the Ultra would be a natural choice, however, do not expect to acquire a form-fit hard case for it easily.
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Brian Moore i81
List: $800
Brian Moore guitars have been in the market since 1992, however, what was offered then were beyond reach for most of us- think boutique names like Suhr/ Poole/ Andersen/ PRS/ Huber/ Grosh… enter Brian Moore. At the turn of the century, the good people at BM guitars decided to launch the i-series, which were basically the Korean counterparts of the US offerings, the i81 debuted at a later year as these feature non-Seymour Duncan pickups which very much account for the affordability.
Construction/ fit/ finish
The i81 features a bolt-on construction which has a very block-like heel, very much like Fender’s. However, this is compensated by very generous cutaways on both the bass & treble sides. The neck was a sturdy affair & ramrod straight upon sighting. Despite a lack of body binding, the laminate top was well applied as evident from the neat edges. The highlight of this guitar’s physique is its 2+4 type sculptured headstock, which exudes absolute class despite being very eccentric. All in all, the i81 scored top marks here, a great testimony to the Brian Moore name which adorns the headstock. This is one seriously fine, guitar.
Playability/ tone
When I first handled this piece of work, I was taken aback by its overall mass, it’s so PRS- adequately light & resonant! It sounds bright unplugged (typical mahogany), I enjoyed playing it like that for quite a while until it was time to plug in…
BM had wisely located the input jack on the bass side of the guitar’s rear for the uninitiated, so that the rest of your cable won’t become a victim of your stomps, during stand-up play- ultra cool! I immediately went for a high gain setting & the guitar was a blazing shred machine. The good default action was an in between setting, useful for fast fretworks as well as bluesy bends. The blocky heel, although physically present, was virtually non-existent as upper fret access was a breeze, thanks largely to those deep, cutaway scoops. The neck profile was an instant hit with me, again, it draws its similarity to Fender but one can feel its more narrowed taper, especially after the 12th fret.
The pickups were super sweet but the output could have been higher for gain mongers like me who found it lacking, drive-wise. Both neck & bridge units are of vintage specs, you can hear the Duncan ’59 vibe from the former unit, despite it being the BM brand. The bridge sounded very close to my Duncan Custom 5 model but at a much tamed output. You’d also be overwhelmed by the inherent twang from these humbuckers, I personally find them unbelieveable Both units fared superbly clean, so it’s money well spent tone-wise.
Last say
The i81 is a very easy guitar to play. You’d probably dismiss this guitar because, to many of us- who in guitar world is Brian Moore?? This guitar would have scored top marks in my books, especially when it features a fine set of locking Sperzel tuners in the package, but for the quirky 3-way pickup selector placement. If you switch pickups the flick/ slap way, ala Malmsteen, you’d be cursing its restrictive location in between the volume & tone control knobs. That aside, the i81 is an overlooked, fixed-bridge, curved -top gem waiting to be discovered.
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