How to scallop your fretboard

Previously, I wrote on the benefits of a scalloped fretboard and after yesterday's clinic, I noticed that Kiko's guitar is scalloped from 12th fret onwards. I've always wanted to try just half scalloping instead of having the whole neck scalloped. So I whipped out my files, took some pictures of the process and I shall write a short article on how to actually go about doing it.

Tools you will need.
1. Half round wood rasp
2. 0 Grit Glass paper
3. Half round file
4. 300 Grit Sand paper
5. 600 Grit Sand paper
6. Lemon oil

Step 1: I usually start off with  the upper frets (Start from 24). As the frets are too small, I will wrapped 0 grit glass paper on a huge screw driver and start filing away. As you are attempting to create a groove, you will have to do it against the grain of the wood. Continue filing after you see a semi circle carve form on the fretboard.

Step 2: For Frets 19 onwards, I will use the half round wood rasp and start filing away the wood for the groove. It is a lot faster with the wood rasp but the wood rasp is unable to create a smooth surface. It is fine, just get the correct height you want for the scallop.

Step 3: Use the zero grit glass paper, and start sanding the half complete scalloped frets to smooth out the existing grooves created from the file or wood rasp.

Step 4: Repeat step 3 with the 300 grit sand paper.

Step 5: Repeat step 3 with the 600 grit sand paper.

Step 6: Once all the visible scratches are smooth out, pour a healthy dose of lemon oil onto the exposed wood (Only for rose wood) to replenish the oil of the wood.

Step 7: Enjoy your newly scalloped fingerboard.

For maple fretboard, instead of replenishing the oil on the fretboard with lemon oil, you can alternatively use sealing oil to seal up the pores of the wood for a nice lustre look. I've previously touched up one of my maple fretboard scallop job and refinished the fretboard with Tru-Oil. You can read more about it here.

Kiko Loureiro Guitar clinic!

Today I went to Kiko Loureiro's guitar clinic and I have to say, it really is an eye opener! A lot was discussed, especially on practice styles and how to approach on composition and melody making. I saw a lot of familiar faces and friends (Scott from Sound Alchemy, Subversion writer and editor of Guitar Addict) during the autograph session. Thank you Jo Wee for making this possible. I've also gotten a couple of things sign (especially the guitar). Enjoy the picture of my signed goods (Click on picture to enlarge)!

Tubescreamer!

The Ibanez tubescreamer is a mild overdrive pedal and by mild, I do mean really mild. Famous players such as Stevie Ray Vaughan has his tone attributed to just this pedal. However, even though as a drive pedal, many players often confuse this is a much more intense overdrive pedal and often wondered why the pedal doesn't allow heavier distortion.

The truth is, this pedal was never meant to be used as it is but rather act as a booster pedal to any other existing drive. It is actually called a "Tube Screamer" because it is usually use to push an existing tube amplifier making the tube amplifier "scream". Hence the name, Tube Screamer.

The way I like to use the Tube Screamer is to lay it behind a drive pedal (My favourite choice for this will be a monte allum modded DS-1) and use it as a booster. The saturation in the tone causes the tone to intensify and fatten up, making it a breeze for faster, clearer picking and cutting through the mix.

The next time you are looking for a booster pedal, consider a Tube screamer or a clone of it. This pedal is guaranteed to have your guitar screaming out loud as you are punching in those lightning fast solos.

Coated strings

I never was a fan of coated strings but due to my sweaty palms, I kill strings really fast, especially in this humid part of the word. My strings literally tarnish and turn brown as I am playing the guitar.Even so typically, with the wipe downs, string cleaner and coating liquid.

I usually use very cheap strings (since they don't last anyway) but for the guitars that I seldom play, I will actually put coat strings on them. My choice of coated strings will always be poly coated Elixir strings. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about these strings. They sound new from the day I put them on till the day the string breaks. They really do last 5 times longer than normal strings and usually, you can see the coating splitting open at the usual fret area or at the parts where you do your picking. Of course, there is no surprise that the that is the usual place for rusting. However, the interesting part is, even though there are signs of rusting, the strings doesn't sound dead at all.

The tone however for elixir strings is always brand new. It has no signs of sounding dead and to some, this may sound un-natural as there isn't a seasoned/broken in tone even after prolong playing. The best part is the strings always feel smooth and slick. Always shiny and new.

If you are one of those who dread changing strings or own a floating tremolo equipped guitar and changing strings is a bother, do give the elixirs a try. You will be pleasantly surprised on how long they last and save you the trouble of constant restringing.

Ishibashi and their Mavis line: MST-200

Ishibashi, a popular instrument chain from Japan created their own line of starter packs for electric guitars and I have nothing but good things to say about this line. When I went to Japan with my friends last year, I've showed my friends one of these and he bought one just to start out learning the electric guitar. This is another wish it is in Singapore post.

Just specification wise makes this guitar worth every penny of it's price. It is a stratocaster style guitar with 22 frets. One fret more than standard made in china strats of other brand (Squier, SX). It features a maple or rosewood fretboard, once again giving the players a choice of maple instead of the standard rosewood. It also features a basswood body.

Quality control wise, I can only say the frets are well levelled compared to a Squier and I was able to achieve a 2mm action on the 12th fret. Once again, this isn't something that is common for a low end instrument made in china.

To top it off, the whole kit cost only 9800 yen which loosely converts to about SGD$150. For a guitar of this price, it's really hard to go wrong. The only thing that has changed from the original design was the fender-ish headstock, which I believe the fender lawsuit has finally caught up with them.

This will also make an excellent guitar not only for beginners but also intermediate players. The parts can be easily replaced with better quality pick-ups and bridge from Guitar Fetish. All and all, this is a value for money guitar and is sure to provide endless quality practice time to anyone who enjoys a fine instrument without breaking their bank. If only they have a branch here in Singapore.

Sugizo's Brilliant Mixed Media

If you have seen Sugizo's signature guitar it is an amazing piece of Art in my honest opinion. The design of the guitar is an age old design of the Les Paul shape. However, what is interesting in this application from ESP is that the guitar, instead of using traditional wood types for Les Paul (mahogany) utilizes alder as the body wood instead.

What makes it more interesting is the use of 3 single coils instead of 2 humbuckers. This application allows the expression of the single coil tone, yet without the typical strat tones we hear so much from Fender Strats. The neck thru offers superior sustain and the alder wood offers well balance tones compared to mahogany's wall of sound.

Lastly, instead of a standard tune o matic bridge, the Brilliant Mixed Media has a Floyd Rose bridge, either for superior tuning stability or whammy abuse. Either way, this guitar is a good example of wheel reinvention. Different shape with the same design applications.

Luna sea is a famous and popular Visual Kei band from Japan and they are probably most famous for their song "I for You". I've attached a video below for all my readers out there to enjoy. In the video, Sugizo is however using a Strat.

Happy Deepavali!

Happy Deepavali to all my readers out there. May this holiday brings you joy and give you the time needed to become that super guitarist you've always wanted to or the time to spent with your beloved family or/and instruments.

Demonizer!

My friend recently bought the Demonizer pedal, from the now defunct company, Damage Control and he was kind enough to lend it to me to mess around with the pedal for a couple of days.Demonizer is a twin tube distortion pedal and it features a pre amp frequency and boost knob, Post amp scoop and treble knob, Opto Compressor knob, Drive and Level knob. The Pre amp frequency knob allows for the wah kinda sound shaping, giving the user the chance to set his tone at a specific sweet spot of the Wah without the need for the Wah. The pre amp boost allows for more volume boost and tone shaping controls.

The Post amp Knob allows for either a scoop tone or a tone with overdose of mid bass, which is by far my favourite. The Treble knob well, controls the amount of treble in your tone.

One of the things I like about the pedal is, it has a build in Compressor which allows you to have a more compressed tone, which is usually needed when you are doing your lead works. It also has 2 stomp switches, one being the engage switch the other being the Nuclear mode.

What the Nuclear mode does is it works like a tubescreamer booster pedal, boosting the existing distortion making the tone fatter and creamier. This is especially useful for players who enjoys playing with thick and heavy distortion.

Overall, the pedal can handle anything from slight overdriven blues to hard hitting metal. The pedal is versatile and gives you a sound similar to a full-blown stack delivering thick, chunky, high-gain tube tone. I personally prefer a pedal able to deliver thick and creamy high gain distortion while this pedal without the nuclear mode doesn't do that, however in the nuclear mode, it is however nice and sweet. The pedal however is unable to run solely on batteries and requires external power. For players looking to add a tube distortion in pedal form, this can be one of the considers among a few others.

Attached below are a few sound sample recorded from my simple recording setup and is recorded with my "Frankenstein" and my Marshal MG15MSII with all EQ set at 12 O'Clock.

Demonizer Nightwish Amaranth by Adrian Goh

Demonizer Nuclear Nightwish Amaranth by Adrian Goh

Ftlog demonizer by Adrian Goh

Ftlog demonizer nuclear by Adrian Goh

Ibanez and Gotoh Locking Studs

You probably have heard of these if you are one of those crazy Ibanez fan such as I am. However, what exactly are those and what do they actually do? The terms might be daunting for a newbie who just ventured into the guitar or Ibanez world but it isn't nuclear science. I'll attempt to explain to all what these are.

Traditionally, the Floyd Rose (style) tremolos are being suspended by 2 studs which are screwed down into the body of the guitar. In the body there are 2 metal bushings that allows you to screw in the studs. What the locking studs do is that it has a mini screw within the the stud itself, for you to firmly lockdown the stud to the metal bushing. What is the function of this then? We know that the Floyd Rose is usually being use for it's pull ups and down whammy tricks and this might actually move the bushings a little and cause the guitar to go slightly out of tune. By locking the studs firmly into the metal bushings, there is no way the studs will move at all.

The newer Ibanez (From 2011) models and the old Ibanez models (Those that have the Edge, Lo-Pro) all have locking studs.

The next question will be "Can I actually just replace my existing studs on my Floyd Rose for the added benefit"?

The answer is unfortunately no. As the locking studs are actually bigger in size, you will also have to replace the metal bushings for the studs to fit.

The satisfaction of building your own guitar

MEET YOUR MAKER from Asylum Artists on Vimeo.

My friend came across this video and shared it with me. It's about this custom maker sharing his experiences in guitar building and the satisfaction he got when the work was completed. I can related to his experience simple because when I first scalloped my guitar fretboard without any real idea on how to really do it and the road that got me started on guitar assembling, the satisfaction of owning and building an instrument you can truely call your own is priceless.

Do take some time off and enjoy the video. This video will surely inspire you as it had inspired me.

Official ESP Hizaki and Teru models

These signature guitars have just being released officially by ESP. These are really Hizaki and Teru's official signature models. Hizaki's signature model is a Horizon III with custom finish (I actually preferred the older one) and Teru's signature model is a hybrid of Forest GT and Antelope. Nonetheless, these guitars do cost a bomb but will definitely be a breeze to play with. So, rejoice my fellow Versailles fans. You have a goal to look forward to now!

If only they have this here...LAG

So at the beginning of the year, I went to France for a short period of time (No, I don't speak French) and just like all my holidays, I went to almost every of the local "Guitar street" and France was no exception. Did I mentioned that I actually love that country a lot?

Well anyway, there is an exclusive brand produced by the country called LAG. No, it isn't a system lag or anything like that but LAG produces very good playing guitars. The Arkane A200ST is one of those fine guitars that were bring produced and the quality is top notched, even for a Made in China Guitar. I guess only the top of the QC chain got into the stores.



I've tried one of these myself and all I can say is that the body resembles the Ibanez S series while the neck is at least Wizard II thin. It has a gorgeous flame maple top (not veneer mind you) and Mahogany body. It also features real EMG HZ pickups which are insanely loud and the Floyd Rose special bridge.

The only qualms I have about the guitar is the price. It is kind of expensive for a Made in China guitar at this price range even with the superior quality. I have nothing against guitars that are made in China but I do have a problem against guitars build in a low production area being sold of really expensive. However, if you are able to get pass that fact, this is a fine guitar to own and definitely a very nice workhorse.

Ibanez Premium 7 Strings

Ibanez Fans. Rejoice! Ibanez Prestige quality without the hefty Prestige price. Introducing the new Ibanez Premium 7 String guitar. For players who absolutely must have that extra string for that thumping low end, this is one axe to look forward to!

Changing string gauges?

There was once where my friend came to me asking me to test his guitar telling me his strings were brand new. So I took the guitar, played a bit and looked at him and asked, "Are these .010s and the original gauge was actually .009s or lower?" The answer was obviously yes.

Many a times when many of us who aren't inducted into setting up our own guitars have no knowledge of the existence of different string gauges. What my friend did wasn't wrong but what wrong he did was to miss out another step commonly known to us as setting up. What happened to his guitar was that due to the higher tension of the .010s, the neck warped slightly, causing a pretty high action on the 12th fret. Before you go "Come on, it's only high action", it doesn't end just here. The other side effects of a warped neck are that it causes buzzing, usually from the 13th fret onwards.

So the next time you decide to just change your string gauge, please take note that if you are changing to a higher or lower gauge, make sure that your neck is still straight or a slight bow.

Ishibashi sale!

Ishibashi is having a sale for their used items from 21st to 31st of October. In addition to their usual 10% off on everything in the Ubox, if your purchase exceeds 10000 Yen, you get either 3 packs of d'addario Electric guitar strings or a pack of Warwick bass strings. In addition to that, if you buy more than 2 effects, you get 20% off the total instead. Time for some gear shopping from Ishibashi!

F spacing and Trembuckers?

Have you ever bought Dimarzio or Seymour Duncan pickups and you realized that there is 2 versions of the same pickups. One known as F-Spacing or Trembucker while the other known as standard spacing? Do they make a difference? Yes and No.

What the spacing itself means is that there are usually 2 kinds of bridge spacing, measuring 2.01" (51 mm) center-to-center from the first polepiece to the sixth for F space or Trembucker pickups and 1.90" (48 mm) for standard spacing pickups.

So which one should you get? If your guitar has a tremolo equipped, Floyd Rose or fender Vintage Tremolo, you should get the F Space or Trembucker. If your guitar is equipped without a tremolo or made in Asia or Mexico, you should get the standard spacing pickup.

What happens if you get the Standard spacing pickups for a tremolo equipped guitar or vice versa? Well, there will still be sound from your guitar (that's the yes) but not that the strings that are slightly not aligned to the pole pieces might sound slightly softer.

Why are there 2 different spacings? Before SuperStrats were invented, the only guitars that had humbuckers are Gibson lespaul kind of guitar. When people started putting humbuckers into strats, pickup makers decided to cater to the market for tremolo spaced guitars. Hence F space, for Fender or Floyd Rose (Dimarzio) or Trembucker (Seymour Duncan)

The next time, before you buy pickups to swap out the ones in your guitar, do take note that there are actually 2 different spacings.

Kiko Loureiro Guitar clinic Singapore

Kiko Loureiro is coming to Singapore again. This time, his clinic is happening at Asian Civilisation Museum. Kiko is the guitarist of the famous progressive power metal band Angra from Brazil and is a technical wizard of sorts. This is a clinic not to be missed. Prepare your gear and items for signing. For now, watch the video I posted above on his proficiency with the instrument.
For more info please click here.

Rounded ball end frets?

If you have gotten the chance to own or take a look at the Ibanez premium or J custom series, you will notice that these have "superior" fret treatments and usually having the fret ends rounded. Or known as bullet fret ends. What is interesting in this application is that it usually just serves as a cosmetic enhancement and doesn't enhance playability or whatsoever. A well cut and filed down fret end functions the same. To prevent you from cutting yourself when your fingers are running about the neck.

Have you ever seen how the strings on your guitar vibrates?

My friend came across this video on Youtube today and share it with me. It's really interesting to see how the string vibrates to create different frequencies. However, notice that the thicker strings actually vibrate longer than the thinner strings. Hence the idea that strings of thicker gauge increase the sustain of your notes. This is a very interesting yet educational video. Do take some time off and look at the video.

Fret levelling

Fret levelling is a process where your uneven frets get leveled down via filing. Now, why is there a need for you to even out the frets. One of the few reasons is if you are an avid player and plays almost every night, chances are your frets area already wearing down and in lieu of that happening, you notes are buzzing all over the fretboard. In this case, 2 things can be done to remedy the buzzing. (To read more about Fret wear, please read here)

1. Re-Fretting.

2. Fret levelling.

What determines whether the frets can go through another round of  fret levelling depends heavily on how how much "meat" is left on your frets. If not a lot is left, chances are, you cannot do a fret levelling but have to go the Re-fretting route instead.

The other reason that frets needs to be levelled is when the frets are uneven (very common with asian build guitar) and it doesn't allow you to lower the action of the guitar to a comfortable playing height. The best way to remedy this is Fret levelling.

The last reason for fret levelling is usually done as a process after a re-fretting job.

Why is fret levelling particularly important? Well, you might have guess from the above that it allows you to set you action really low (1mm on 12th fret is the lowest I've managed) without the notes choking all over. When do you know if a fret levelling is in due then? If the action is above your comfortable playing range (I would say 1.8mm at the 12th fret) fret levelling is the only other option.

Taking care of your Strings Part II

Welcome to caring for your strings part II. Usually after cleaning my guitar strings with this I will additionally coat the strings with DR Liquid Polymer Coating. This is actually very useful. It forms a coating after it dries up and prevents sweat from killing your strings fast. This allows my string to last longer. The bad side of it, they cause $16 SGD a bottle. However are they worth it, I would say yes.

Caring for your strings!

Yes. You are reading this correctly. Caring for your strings. As I am staying in the world most humid country, my sweat is capable of turning new slick non coated strings into brown tarnished strings while I am playing.

What I usually like to do is to clean the strings with Dunlop string cleaner and conditioner before and after I play. It keeps the string alive longer and prevents rusting for a longer period of time. By the time it rust, it's time to change the strings anyway.

So for people who have sweaty palms like I do, time to invest in one of these.

Fender style Vintage Tremolo screw spacings

If you own an Asian made Strat copy, Fender Squier or Mexican Fender Stratocaster, your guitar probably is equipped with a Tremolo like the one at the top left. The problem with these tremolo is that it comes with a very thin tremolo block, made of mystery pot metal.

That isn't such a bit deal as the Tremolo is easily replaceable. However, if you go to a Guitar Parts shop and buy the Fender Vintage tremolo or it's copy, you will soon realize that it doesn't fit in the existing screw holes. This is because, the Asian made Strat usually comes with a Tremolo with screw holes measuring 10.5mm wide. The US Tremolo spacing is however 11.3mm wide. Sure enough, you can always dowel the existing holes and re-drill the new holes. However there are some of us who doesn't really want more holes on the guitar body or isn't that DIY inclined. For such, my solution to the problem is this.

Guitar fetish has already done all the measuring work for you. Just pop it in and you are ready to go. With a major improvement to your tone. I have written a review on a similar product made by Dragonfire Guitar parts. However, this article seeks to inform my readers out there to take note that not all vintage tremolo fits into all kinds of strat. There are actually 2 different measures to take note of before heading down to the shop for a Tremolo upgrade.

LTD Beginner/Intermediate Recommendation

My friend, who wanted to start learning the guitar asked me, what guitar should he get that can last him a long time. Well, not forever but at least something that can fight GAS for a while. The first guitar that came to my mind was the ESP F-50. I've personally tried the MH-53 and I find it of above average quality for it's price.

Measuring 42mm at the nut allowing enough string spacing for fast scale runs while sporting a 25.5 scale neck makes it a real pleasure to play with. Although not super wizard thin, the neck however has a comfortable grip to it giving it a shred-able feel. Sporting a rosewood fingerboard, this gives warmer tones compared to harder woods giving nice tonal balance with pickups of high output while easy maintenance makes this a beginner friendly guitar.

The neck is also equipped with super Jumbo frets, giving you the feeling next to a scalloped neck allowing very minimal fretting strength when fretting notes. The amazing thing about the factory dressing is that, I am actually able to lower the action to 1.5mm at the 12th fret without the next buzzing like a bee. This is something to be applaud for a guitar that is made in china.

The guitar features a Tune O Matic bridge, a bridge I highly recommend to beginners. No Tremolo string changing nightmares or tuning instability. Lowering or raising action and string changing is like a walk in the park.

The guitar sports a Basswood body, which is considered a tonally neutral tonewood. I personally think Basswood is an excellent tonewood to allow Pickups tone to sing through and to me, Basswood is more of a Mid Bass dominant wood. Basswood is also being used by well known guitarist such as Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai and John Petrucci.

Lastly, the thing that I hate most about this guitar, is the pickups. It lacks character and is muddy when you push the gain high. This is a nightmare for shredders and metal head. However, this can be easier solved from a pickup swap.

Versailles Signature Prototypes?

I was browsing around the ESP guitar webpage and I chance upon this pictures. Is this the prototype of Hizaki's and Teru's signature guitar? They look absolutely gorgeous. Anyway, for people who don't know who they are, they are the lead guitarist from the Visual Kei band Versailles. Check out the video below to find out more about them!

Fretless/Fret Hybrid Bass

Was surfing the Ibanez Website as a temporary GAS fix today and I happened to chance upon Ibanez latest innovation of Fretless/Fret Hybrid Bass. I am not a bass player myself but I find this concept highly innovative. This is Ibanez's attempt to give bass players option in their instrument. First 2 strings being fretless while the rest fretted.Four fretted strings are tuned normal E-A-D-G to cover cool bass lines, while the two fretless strings are tuned to the same D and G as the fretted strings.

It also features a Light Ash body with 5-piece Jatoba/Bubinga neck. This combination of exotic wood gives this bass a unique blend of tone. If I were a bass player, I will definitely give this bass a go. The next question would be if they are going to do something similar for the guitar. Scallop/non-Scallop hybrid?

Buzzing!

Today, I was at a music store, playing around and came in this guy, wanting to test a Jackson guitar. So after the attendant aided him in plugging into the instrument, he was complaining that the guitar is buzzing all over the neck. So since I was beside him, I offered to take a look at the guitar for him and realized that everything was in order. Straight neck, nice action and such.

I proceed in telling him that the guitar isn't really buzzing. I then told him that if it ain't buzzing in the amp, it ain't buzzing. The notes in fact are ringing clearly. Most of the time, people who have no clear idea on how the instrument works will mistaken such nature of the instrument as being faulty. There are a lot of cause to buzzing and picking hard is one of them. However, are they truely buzzing or just rattling?

Sometimes, it's really just the players.

Action!

The Action of the guitar is probably one of those terms as a player, especially a beginner would have heard of when first encountering a guitar technician. What exactly is the Action of the Guitar? It is the amount of space between the string and the frets of the guitar. Why is the Action of the Guitar particularly important? It is because, the Action of the Guitar determines how comfortable it is to play the guitar. Although there are many different kinds of action available that each individual players prefer, I personally like very low action on my guitars, usually measuring 1mm at the 12th fret(This is only for electric guitars).

What are the advantages of having low actions. The lower the action, the less pressure required for you to fret the notes. Meaning it's a lot easier for you to play. However, for players who center around the first 3 frets of the guitar, the action probably wouldn't make that much of a difference.

What are the disadvantage of having low action then? Well, the string get robbed of it's vibration property therefore giving you less crystal clear tone. What is then a good action to have? According to Rich Harris from Ibanezrules.com, he usually sets his guitars at 1.5mm measured at the 12th fret. That is adequate enough for easy playing and giving enough space for the string to vibrate.

My personal preference is 1mm however, what is yours?

Rocksmith

For once, I am allowing my inner geeky video game side showing. Presenting to you the Rocksmith video game. The only game that allows you to plug in ANY guitar into the game system and play the game. Now I personally thing this is a fantastic idea to get one to start learning how to play the guitar. The last time they made a guitar related game, which is Guitar Hero/Rock Band, we have players from all over the world claiming rights in playing perfect for Dragonforce's Through the Fire and Flames (Which is harder for guitar players by the way).

The best part about the game is, it scales according to your level and it has build in effects for you to make your in game effects board. Did I mention that the advertisement is actually very inspiring too?

True Temperament Frets

If you are a fan of Steve Vai, you probably might have seen him playing with frets that looks like this. This isn't just some bad fret job but quite the opposite. The theory of having frets like these is equivalent of having perfect intonation for your guitar. The idea is that the guitar, being a screwed up instrument doesn't give you perfect intonation even well intonate. For example, if you play an A chord, it should not give you the perfect tuning of an A chord. If you do tune your guitar to a perfect A chord and play the D chord, you will realize that the guitar is very out of tune.

This is especially noticeable when you tune your guitar using the 54555 way and attempt to tune every note accurate to the previous string (an additonal note is when you tune with a tuner, you notice that the notes ring slightly different), by the time you hit the 6th string, you will realized that your 6 string isn't exact a perfect E verify with the tuner).

What the True Temperament frets does is to correct that, making sure that no matter which part of the frets you are using, you are well intonate and in tune. I've never personally tried one of these but would love to.

Ishibashi Shanghai

Good news for fellow Singaporeans who are travelling to Shanghai. There will be an Ishibashi Shanghai soon. If this isn't the only good news, Ishibashi will be having a Ubox sale for 3 days, in celebrating the opening of the Shanghai store. Start surfing their Ubox page and look for your dream gear!

Nightwish live at Wacken full length concert

Nightwish full length concert can be seen on Youtube. Nightwish is one of my favourite metal bands as they are the first few to combine symphony elements without overdose of power metal riffs and rhythms. Although they have changed their singer, whose style resembles more hard rock than metal, they however kept the symphony elements in their music. Their previous singer whom they fired off is now doing projects of her own. Both of them are nice in their own way and I still like the band nonetheless. Well, enough talk, enjoy the concert!

Fake Dimarzio Pickups?

Today is another day of random window surfing and I chance upon these on Ebay. The first thing that struck my mind is, are these real? Well, after researching a bit on Jemsite, these are 100% fake Dimarzio. Even thought these should only come with the Ibanez prestige guitars, this seller (From Hong Kong) somehow manage to acquire stocks for these and they all seem to be damaged at the bobbins.

A search on google confirms that the ones above are fake. Compared to the real ones, noticed that the DiMarzio fonts are somewhat different?

Floyd Rose Special bridge

Have you ever seen guitars with sub $1000 price tag armed with one of these? These are real Floyd Rose tremolos but however, they aren't the same as the Original Floyd Rose. These are kind of like the licensed bridge by Floyd Rose themselves. However that being said, they aren't that bad either. These are pretty high quality bridges compared to a lot of the licensed bridge out there. However, it is still always better to take note that these are the Original Floyd Rose and might not give the player the same kind of performance.

Let's talk about nuts

Today, I was playing around with my "Malmsteen" and it occurred to me that in addition to the scalloped fretboard, I also took the liberty to change the nut into a brass one (One that I cut myself). I wanted the guitar to be as close to the YJM Model as close a possible but within budget.

Anyway, the nut change did change the tone, making it significantly brighter compared to the stock plastic nut (Squier). However, what most people do not know is, it doesn't change the tone (At least not in an audiable way) when you fret the notes. Think of it this way. What acts as the nut after you fret the note, is your fingers and the fret. So, logically speaking, shouldn't the tone of the note produced by the nut, when fretting a guitar be replaced by the way the note is fretted and the material of the fret?

The next question will be, why would I want to change the nut of the instrument, if it doesn't affect the tone that much anyway since I will be fretting most of the time. Well, it isn't a necessary change but, I changed it due to the fact that I scalloped the fretboard of the instrument. Due to that, the tone of the guitar is considerably brighten so to speak and to balance out the sound when I am doing my open chords and strings, I changed the nut to a brass one instead.

The same principle applies to nuts of other material. This is exceptionally so if it's being performed on an acoustic guitar, where majority of the players are playing open strings. However, that will be another story or discussion for another day.