A bid to keep to my 2010 new year's resolutions...

Haiz... Finally!!

Finally i am updating... no time to blog. Actually, i could have time if not for the no-internet situation! Hahaha...but i didnt have time at school to blog la...

The photo above has been my wallpaper for the past few month. It is a photoshop-ed picture of a Fender Stratocaster. I changed the body colour to dark brown (sunburst with bold grain patterns).. The fretboard (the area where your finger presses the strings to get notes..) is rosewood (dark brown) and 22 fret. I don't think it is jumbo frets (the metal wire strips dividing the fretboard into 22 sections) , more likely large or medium sized. The guitar shown above has vintage tremolo with 6 screws. It has 3 single coiled pickups...

Well...here's the coincidence... or maybe i just gravitate unconciously towards this style since i luv the style. (If i didnt like it this way, i wouldnt have photoshopped the original guitar into this look!!) This, below, is my electric guitar!

Scale : 25 1/2" Joint : Bolt-on Body : Light swamp ash w/ flamed maple top Neck : Hard maple Nut : roller type (black) Fretboard : Rosewood Pickup: Lace Sensor Pickups neck- Duncan Designed SC101 single-coil middle-Duncan Designed SC101 single-coil bridge-Duncan Designed HB103B humbucker Headmachine : Diecasting (platinum) Bridge : Wilkinson VS50II Knob : PB type (platinum) Fret : Medium style (2.4mm * 1t) No.Fret : 22 Fretboard radius : 12" Electronics : 1vol-1ton-5way t/g (coil-tap)

Most of the specs are correct except for the 'Lace pickups'. I dun think it's lace but it is Duncan Designed. I dun think it makes any difference from a normal ciplak pickup lah cos a replica is always a replica! Wun beat the real Seymour Duncan but then it should be better than a super Ciplak one! Hahaha...

It was only until today that i realised the similarity between my guitar and my 'dream' guitar on my wallpaper! Hahaha.. at least Kamie didnt go wrong persuading me to buy this guitar. I had actually wanted to go for the Washburns cos i was somewhat drawn to the design. Plus, i wasnt really attracted to rosewood fretboards, i was more into maple fretboards (lighter beige colour and brighter sounding) but the more i look and play the guitar at home, the more i begin to like it very much!

So i decided to do abit of research on it this noon after solat... not bad... Korean made though but dun think you can get mid-low priced guitar anywhere other than indon/korea/china and i think korea should be the better of the bunch. This is a closer look to the grain pattern on the body... oooooohhhh.....

And i didnt get an amplifier as yet... and i shouldnt...

Exams are a month away with all my project deadlines!! oooh nooo!!!

If i got an amplifier, i just spend time stroking the ermmm... i havnt got a name for this one as yet. But so nice arh...

Well great..now im pokai.

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

OK! This one is the new addition to the list! Hahaha...800 bucks? Cmon la..cheaper can auntie? It is a 1963 Epiphone Firebird VII. Old style... but i'd want the brown tobacco sunburst. No nice pic of it tho..

Anyone wants to contribute to my 'electrified string fund'? Hahaha...

After briefing at Bishan Stadium for the Aviva Ironman Triathlon, i met up with Mila for lunch and study. While she studied, i borrowed guitar player's magazine from the library.

Arrrghhh!! It's been bothering me these days and i can stop it till i've shortlisted a few electric guitars so i can aim and start saving for it realistically!! Shitt... my head's playin' with me.

So first up, things i like for in music? Not rock that is too heavy.. i like bon jovi. I like beautiful solos like the ones churned out by santana. I like to blues down and jazz at times... listening to BB King strut his stuffs is so soothing. Basically, a guitar with good sustain and deep sounding cleans. (Haha..after so much research, i have this terms in my vocab now!) I also would like one that allows me to do fingerworks solo better. I just like strong tones.. not much of the 'chimey' bell sounds. (Anyway..i found out how to make my Black sounds like and electric guitar chime! COOL!!)

Specs wise, after research on materials and components.. i'd like those solid bodied mahogany with neck through joints or set necks (for better sustain it seems). Fretboard wise? Anything la.. rosewood or maple, got ebony better! Pickups (or 'pups' as they term it in forums..) I prefer humbuckers to single coils.. a mix of both could be fun! Bridge wise, a simple tune-o-matic with stopbar enuf. I dun really fancy trems. Scale length..25" or ard this wld do. Number of frets? Anything la! Hahaha... i just wanna play!

Basically, I've shortlisted these few electric guitars to aim for by the end of this year.... How i'm gonna get the money is what i will have to think of later!




1st on my list is this Paul Reed Smith SE Soapbar II! SOAPBAR eh?! Hahaha... it refers to the pickups that were designed to look like soapbars.. On ebay... it costs $1K. Haiz...great reviews and i really like the simplicity of the purpose and design.

This is of course my first choice that i will aim for. However, actually i am slightly indifferent about this guitar with the next in line. Its just that maybe, resale wise, Paul Reed Smith seems to be a 'better brand'..






Second on my list is this beautiful Schecter C-1 Lady Luck! Smooth curves and simple design too! Very much cheaper than the PRS at ebay costing $0.5K plus. I checked out the reviews.. like the PRS SE Soapbar, it was picked as one of the editor's choice. Not bad at all..

Of course if i had a thousand i'd go for the C-1 classic! It has the same shape but different components and a beautiful vine artwork on the fretboard the way i love it...

Maybe one day, i will go into inlay artwork since i like design and art..






Then i have the Epiphone Les Paul... my original aim! (Until of course i started to research more!!) Darn... all these research causing me great headaches...

The les pauls are priced quite ok and there are many variants to it... if i could get the elitist, then i should be rich! But think i'd just get the standard..

Bottomline is... i need to get started somewhere!







There is the stratocaster. Nuff said. Super popular yet quite ex. Price past $1K unless i get a second hand. Still, i need to be damn lucky to get one.





Lastly.. there is this Ibanez AX320.. Picked as one of the Editor's choice too for its great sustain and tone. No price for it stated online...

I think it will be ard the same price range as my first 2 choices as it falls in the mid-range guitar section.




But for everything it's worth... all this aim is nothing without skills and the love to stroke the black. I still love acoustics best! (The Art Fazils and Jack Johnson plus all the other cool acoustic songs. Even classicals and Bossa.) Stroking the black till i sleep.. But if i get a guitar, i'll name her 'Camille' like Kamilah in english... Hahaha... Its just a habit of naming stuffs. R1 is my laptop. Hitam is my sis's car. Junior is Kamie's teddy. Ari was my old bicycle's name. Donky was my srambler's name. My bicycle changes name everyday depends on mood though! The best thing is.. i talk to them a times! It's kind of weird but i've been doin it since young.. maybe its the very few things you can confide in that goes one way kot?

Confiding in you still tops it all...YOU! You knowwho..

So back to the guitar topic.. Being a musician i think embodies bringing the best out of the instrument you are using and not forcing it to do things it can't. Every instrument has its boundaries of performance.

A few days ago, i blogged about the voice and how i felt that one should sing using one's true voice. Now, the voice is also and instrument.. like the guitar. I read forums about how people cant seem to play well on one type of guitar but feels he plays well on another. Then, the criticise the guitar saying that the designs are bad and all...

It is an established fact that it is virtually impossible to make consistently performing guitars. Every guitar is unique as it is made of different wood. (Duhh! If i use wood A on guitar A..i cant use the same piece of wood one another guitar ryt? Unless i destroy guitar A of course!) So, i feel one should take sometime to spend understanding his guitar and unleashing the best qualities it can provide. That would make one a darn good musician. They say BB King can put fantastic mood into a single note he plays... That guy really loves his music and instrument man! (He ever ran into a burning building just to save his guitar.)

Right now.. with Black.. i am understanding more and more about him. A cheap TGM plywood guitar you might say.. cost me 70 for a package. If i had the knowledge i have now, i probably wouldn't take a second look at it but back then, when all i wanted was to get started on a guitar and i put aside a hundred for my budget.. that black 3/4 sized steel string acoustic attracted me. Even though i discovered that it is not very resonant and that the action was very high (I get blisters EVERY time i play.. even now!) it doesn't stop me from playing and learning more about it and on it.. the enjoyment of making music simply masks off the pain.

Respect everything given to you..

At least now, armed with more knowledge, i can make better choices and hence more expensive too... haiz. More knowledge can be unnecessary and also burdenful... Proof? Im having a headache choosing from so many choices!! It bogs me down...

After this... still must think of amplifier! Mak dikau.. Kamie!! CAMNER?!

Just found out something i have always wanted to know these days... What the hell is a dreadnought?!!

So i did some research... at first i thought that 'dreadnought' is just another term for an acoustic guitar. However, upon some itsy bit of research, i discovered more. There are actually many shapes to the guitar. The naive me thought that guitars are either big or small.

But there are more sizes than i thot there is out there.. here is an example....


And each of these sizes presents different options of sound for a guitarist. It settles different needs. My blackie is a Classic N i think... Anyway, these are what i quoted from a forum discussion at www.ultimate-guitar.com...

Parlour - Parlour guitars are narrow at the shoulders, narrow at the waist, and conspicuously smaller than the other styles of acoustic guitars.. Their diminutive size means the sound is "weaker" as well. However parlour guitars are often noted for their velvety tone, and many people find the size and shape easier to handle. Parlours were popular with many early blues players, and are still the axe of choice among many fingerstyle players.

Dreadnought- Dreadnoughts are probably the most popular style of acoustic guitars because of their versatility. Their big bodies and strong sound make them popular with everyone from "Kumbaya" strummers to unplugged rockers to flat-picking country kickers. Dreadnoughts have square shoulders on the upper and lower bouts, and are fairly wide at the waist. They project a loud, full sound when strummed or picked.

Jumbo- Jumbo acoustics have gained more fans in recent years, reviving a size popular in jazz's pre-electric days. Slope-shouldered and narrow-waisted, jumbos feature a lot of body behind the bridge, which gives these guitars a nice boost on the bottom end and a big, round tone. A well-made jumbo can project almost as strongly as a dreadnought and still have the warmth and evenness of a concert acoustic.

So i feel, what i need or want actually is the concert-jumbo guitars! Hahaha...Not too big and is somewhat in the middle.

Then, there is the issue of material. I thought i wanted the carbon-fibre made one that blogged about a few months ago... but wood, upon more research appealed to me. (i still want the carbon-fibre one though!!) I always liked the darker shade wood, grainy and heavy sort that lets you have an impression that it is hardy and durable.

BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD
A highly sought after tonewood for its beauty and sound. It is not noticably different tonally from Other Rosewoods, but is more expensive and rarer purely based on its look.

EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD
A beautiful coffee colored tonewood, it is sought after for its color, which ranges from brown to purple to rose to black, and its tonal charactaristics include a strong bass response and long sustain. it is the most populer tonewood for acoustic guitars.

MAHOGANY
A readily available wood that is a populer wood to use to make necks. It produces a bright clear tone. It is similar to Koa in its ability to add snap and sparkle to the instrument.

HAWAIIAN KOA
A very rare amd expensive wood, it is only found between 300 and 7000 foot elevations on Hawaii's major islands. It is expensive mostly because of its scarcity (like precious metals) but it is also a very aestheticly good looking wood. The tone is a cross between maple and rosewood,

BIG LEAF MAPLE
Maple produces a clear, bright, compressed, balanced tone capable of cutting through the mix in an ensemble making it a favorite on stage and in the studio. It is one of the favored woods for jazz guitars, because of the bright, dry tone, very different from Rosewood.

CLARO WALNUT
Produces a deep, "compressed" tone and a lot of volume, similar in that respect to rosewood.

ENGELMANN SPRUCE
Because its stiffness and weight differ from that of Sitka spruce, Engelmann soundboards produce a smoother, slightly mellower tone, one that many players describe as "more mature."

SITKA SPRUCE
This dense, straight-grained wood has the highest strength and elasticity-to-weight ratio among available tonewoods, an attribute that makes it an ideal material not only for our soundboards, but for our internal bracing, as well. Sitka produces a slightly brighter tone than does Engelmann.

WESTERN RED CEDAR
Has been used for decades as a soundboard material on classical guitars, and it's becoming popular among steel-string enthusiasts, as well. Cedar is a "soft" wood known for producing a "warm," mellow tone. We use Cedar specifically for our fingerstyle instruments as it responds quickly and with good volume to a light attack. It is also very well suited to open or lowered tension tunings as they require the same qualitites for good separation and definition.

Darn...all this talk and i will not buy a new guitar when i can't yet play well (enough to busk around confidently!) and when i have no money in my pocket!! Arrrrrghhhh..... i should have read all these before i bought mine! Hahaha... however, they say

"the first investments are usually bad.."

As of now, first loves are always the most memorable... this is mine. Blackie son of Jon Bon Black. And this is my smallest cousin Alfian playing around with it on my bed (cos weirdly enough, i sleep with the Blackie like it is my bantal peluk!) cos i'd strum before i sleep and right when i wake up. It's quite therapeutic actually! Hahaha... and i am learning A LOT from it.. i give myself a target of late-2008 for my new guitar...


I love u too Bubu....Hahaha... right now ur in front of me looking at jobs. Good luck!!

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

Just came back from reservist...











Ain...i also saw this online!! Ain and me got this fascination of carbon fibre...so this is my next blackie..


OMG...its an acoustic-electric carbon fibre doks...

check out the shape of the backside (butt)..oooooooohhhh... Like i've said..

"..im a butt person.."

Haiz....it costs US$3k...
Nevermind...


May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...