Today at the polls

In case you forget (highly unlikely) what today is, here's a video clip as a reminder.

Yes, the trademark voice you hear there belongs to Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon. This was indeed a Duran Duran spin-off, formed by the Duran Duran members themselves, called Arcadia.

Return of the Graphtech

My (Fender) ST-72 now gets a set of Graphtech saddles.


What's so good about them?
They are not 'so good', mind you. They just serve their purpose- to ensure smooth contact between the strings & the saddle.

How much?
$40 per set, available @ Davis GMC

Does it kill tone?
I don't hear any tone deterioration, my Strat still sound as snappy as ever. However if you love your default pickups but wish for a less protruding treble end, the graphite helps.

Saving hand

It's not quite obvious here but the action adjustment screws in my Brian Moore i91 were protruding & jabbing my picking hand palm each & every time I play this guitar.

But I've substituted them for Graph Tech's FerraGlide saddles which are more palm-friendly as depicted above. Due to my picking aggression, those protruding screws tear up my palm every time I play so the FerraGlides help. However, after reading this entry, many of us would be interested in acquiring them in an attempt to address a similar issue but be informed that the FerraGlides were conceived to, first & foremost, counter string snapping at the saddle area- the reason for the graphite bits there.

Never coming

Nevermore has cancelled their appearance here (confirmed), so please get your re-funds. If they do, it's without Jeff Loomis so what's the point?

SWEE LEE (Katong) SALE 2 (May 2011)

That's right- another Swee Lee Katong SALE if you still have the cash...

Gibson: RD...

1970s was a down period for many guitar designs & QC, it was also the decade of rejects. The guitar you see here, the Gibson RD, didn't win favours in terms of visual appeal. In giving it due credit for being experimental, some fans could see that it's a fusion of the Explorer, Thunderbird & SG but gone horribly wrong in Dr. Frankenstein lab. Anyway, if you are into such quirks, the manufacturer decided to give it a re-issue run in the mean time. The model you see here is the RD Standard Exclusive.

At the (Pearly) gates

The latest guitar to feature Seymour Duncan pickups- my Ibanez S420. These are a pair of Pearly Gates. If you can't stand extra treble responses, chances are, you'd dislike the PG but it's one of those medium output performers I favour because of its added top end- my ears find this acceptable but I simply can't stand high output pickups in the same likeness.