Wanted Man!! Thief Caught On Camera at SV Guitars!!

WANTED MAN

This Moron apparently shoplifted at SV Guitars at peninsula on the 26th of November 2009. The stolen guitar is a Swing Prism in white finish valued at appoximately SGD$1k.

Poor Mike, letting someone pull a fast one on him and get away like this.

Anyway, if you know this Moron in the pictures below, Please contact Mike at info@svguitars.com or give him a buzz at +65-63686586

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

This guy has got some nerves! Who would have thought anyone would shoplift a guitar out of a retail shop and just walk out with a guitar in his hands in broad daylight.

if anyone is going to pull such a stunt, why not pick a high calibre guitar?! Why choose a Swing Prism?! There's a couple of shops in the same building that holds some pretty high end guitars that are housed in similiar fashion like SV guitars.

Got to hand it to Mr Moron for his balls of steel but what goes around comes around. In my opinion, a Swing Prism just ain't worth the effort.

Getting Picky!! V-Picks!!

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.

VOX Heritage Collection AC15HTVH Head & V112HTV Cab

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"

Gretsch Electromatic G5122DC

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 anyday.

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. They look good and sound good. 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

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"

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 until 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

1980's Silver Sparkle 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.

Ibanez Artcore AF75TDGIV

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 acoustically
• Maple tops on all sides
• Great build
• It's an Ibanez!

Cons:

• Stock pickups sounded cold & lifeless
• Hard case not included

Rating: 9/10

Coated Strings

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 barrel 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 malfunction again. Not to mention the poor unprofessional packaging it had.

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

VOX Valvetronix AD100VT

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 musician