Hofner progress

We're putting in the frets in the Hofner Verithin, with Jingo using decidedly third world techniques and tools to do it with. According to this article, frets should be pressed into the fingerboard, not hammered in, but since we don't have the proper instruments this will have to do. To his credit, Jingo is a careful artisan and was able to install the frets without damaging the guitar.

We're going slowly with this because we want to do it right -- although Jingo is also notorious for being a slow worker. As it is we're about three weeks behind schedule, and it looks like it's going to take at least another week before this project is done.

We've decided to use wood strips as binding for the neck because we couldn't find plastic that's both strong and good-looking. Also, I think we'll just use sanding sealer on the entire thing because I want to preserve its aged look -- sort of like how the Stradivari violin nicknamed "Hammer" looks like but still sold for 3.5 million dollars.

Keaggy video

As you can probably tell, I just recently discovered YouTube. I did a search on my favorite guitarist, Phil Keaggy and I discovered that there are a few videos of him posted there, including this one:

Beach rap

This has nothing to do with guitars but is all about music. We had lunch at a beach restaurant here in Davao City on Mother's Day and found some boys roaming around and offering to rap for us for a few coins. I normally don't like giving money to mendicants but these boys proved they were no beggars: they launched into a few raps that had some social commentary in them, talking about living in Davao City and how difficult life can be.



It was a good thing my Nokia 6630 can take videos, so I shot this for your enjoyment. I asked them who wrote their raps, and they said they did it themselves. As near as I could tell, they would compose these raps and distribute it among themselves -- not by way of the written word, mind you, but simply by rapping to each other until they got it down pat. They were actually pretty talented, with my only observations being that their timing wasn't perfect and their "beatbox" wasn't too consistent. Still, for boys of about 10 who hardly go to school, they were good.
You'd be interested to know that we gave them a total of about 50 pesos for their performance, pretty good money for a few minutes of beach rap.

Once more, the Gretsch Vegas

In case you didn't believe me when I said I played a Gretsch Vegas at church once, here's a picture of me playing with it again. I was recently at the office my good friend and role model Jun C, who owns the guitar, and found that he had brought it because he had a gig that night. Since I had missed having a picture taken the first time, I asked him to snap a couple of pictures of me playing it.

Since this was taken with my phone camera, you can't really make out many of the fine details of this guitar. The inlaid fingerboad markers are shaped like dice, which explains why it's called a Vegas. I'm guessing the body and neck are mahogany, but in the absence of any information on the internet that'll remain a guess. It's a heavy guitar, but because of that its tone is incredible. Its sustain lasts for weeks, and you can feel it vibrating against your body even when it's unplugged.

Like I said, it's one of the best guitars I've ever played!

Laid back jam night

Last Monday night I was privileged to sit alongside five talented guitarists for the first meeting of a guitarists’ group we had been planning to organize here in Davao City. Dante Arevalo, guitarist of the band Punch 9, had graciously allowed us to use his home for the first gig when plans to use a popular night spot failed to materialize, but I think it made for a more laid back atmosphere that allowed us not to perform but simply to jam and enjoy the music.

I arrived a little late for the blues jam and found Dante, George Tujan (guitarist of 9Volt Lemonade and was the one who actually invited me to be part of the group), Louie Avenido, Josh Nerez, and Carlo Jose Garcia already wailing on their respective electric guitars. I hesitated before taking out my acoustic guitar from its case because all the other instruments were electric (an Aria Pro and two Washburns), but since it was a guitarists’ meeting I had no choice.

The jamming was done over some backing tracks provided by Dante through his Palm Tungsten T5 (right) hooked up to a karaoke machine. It was my first time to play with such skilled guitarists in a long time, and I must say it pushed my playing to a new level. Not that I played well, just that I was in a different zone that night.

I tried to set up my Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler to show off its looping and multitracking capabilities, but I was dismayed when it wouldn’t power up. I was afraid I had broken it somehow, having left it inside our car for the better part of the day Sunday when it was very hot outside, but I was assured by my fellow guitarists that that wouldn’t have been a problem. The jamming went on just the same, but at the back of my mind I was already calculating how much it would cost to have my gadget fixed.

Finally, when I was about to place it back in its bag, Dante suggested that I adjust the voltage of my power adapter to a higher number: crossing my fingers, I did that and plugged it in. Lo and behold, my DL4 powered up, and I happily showed it off to the gang.

I did some loops and showed the group how the gadget works and how I use it in live situations. I was hoping I could spread the “looping gospel” through that, and I guess I’ll have to wait a while before I see any results.

The night ended quietly, with the group pledging to meet on the third Monday of June, this time bringing other recruits. The next meeting should be a little more exciting, and if you’re a guitar player here in Davao City, drop me an email so we can place you in the loop.

Variax Acoustic 700

Got this email from Dante, a Davao City-based guitar player-friend:

"I was at Perfect Pitch at Park Square and there was a guy trying out a Line 6 Variax Acoustic. It was great. It models a lot of sounds. It can’t copy nylon strings but the steel strings are OK. The 12-string is also cool. You can even change the tuning digitally (i.e. the guitar is standard-tuned but you will hear alternate tunings)."

I agree! I was at the same store last month and tried the same guitar and was very impressed by it. I was actually going to write about my experience with the Variax Acoustic but never got around to it, so I guess now’s an opportune time.

The Variax Acoustic on display at Perfect Pitch is the 700 model and sells for about 90,000 pesos (give or take a few). On the net it’s listed at 1,199 US dollars, or only about 62,000 pesos, but Perfect Pitch bases its price on the list price of about 1,679 US dollars – about 87,500 pesos (to which one has to add shipping and taxes).

Here’s how Line 6 describes the guitar:
Variax Acoustic 700 offers you 16 models of the finest acoustic instruments on the planet with the push of a button. You can easily access jumbos, 12-strings, or even a nylon string classical to suit any style of play. Variax Acoustic 700 gives you the freedom to achieve an expertly mic'd acoustic sound without complex setups or feedback, even at concert-level volumes! Recording a great acoustic sound no longer requires a noise-free environment or a big equipment budget; just plug in and go. You also get instant access to alternate tunings for endless possibilities to fuel your inspiration.

As a mainly acoustic guitar player, I was rather disappointed when I picked up the Variax Acoustic 700: it was solid-bodied, which meant it didn’t give any appreciable sound when played in its natural, unplugged state. Its weight also made it feel like an electric guitar in my hands. Oh well, I guess it would have been too much to expect it to be a good guitar both plugged and unplugged.

So off to the amplifier we went, and the Perfect Pitch guy plugged it into an acoustic guitar amp (can’t remember the brand, though). Before strumming I set the dial, located at the upper bout, to “Dread,” which I guessed (correctly) was based on the sound of the dreadnought with which I was familiar. I strummed it and, lo and behold, it gave a full, even, and rich sound, with lots of bass and high end.

Then I tried the other settings, and while I couldn’t tell if I was hearing the exact replica of those guitars (parlor, jumbo, jazz, even banjo and shamisen), there was enough difference between the models to make it seem like I was playing a completely different guitar with each setting. Also, tweaking with the three sliders in the control panel gave different mic positions, volume, and compressor settings. All the models gave a satisfying sound, and the fact that it gave no feedback was a plus.

As a guitar, the Variax Acoustic 700 plays really well, better than the Variax 300 (electric) that I tested last year. The action was spot on with no buzz, and the neck was smooth. The intonation was perfect: I tuned it once and was able to play all over the neck with no problem. The only beef I had was its aforementioned weight: it was just too heavy for an acoustic guitar. Oh, and since this is essentially an electric guitar, I couldn’t tap the soundboard to give a percussive sound. Other than that, the guitar could catch most of the nuances of striking, strumming, plucking, and slapping the strings.

I think one of the best features of the Variax Acoustic 700 is its ability to give alternate tunings on the fly, without having to touch the tuning keys. This is done digitally, and one only has to press the model select knob. Once in this mode (which is indicated by a flashing red-green light), you can choose the tuning you want with the top slider (the one that controls the volume). You can take your pick from open E, open A, open D, low G, high G, DADGAD, drop D, and E & A octave down.

I’ve always wanted to experiment with open tunings but have never really gotten into it for fear of breaking strings from all the detuning that’s required (being a third world guitar player means trying to make strings last for weeks on end). With the Variax Acoustic 700 it was all a matter of pushing a knob and sliding the control. I played in different tunings and it really was much easier to get both melody and harmony mixed together. I could imagine myself doing well as a fingerpicker with this guitar.

The Variax Acoustic 700 certainly lives up to its name, but I think its main drawback is that it is too electronic and too digital for me. Not that the digital sounds aren’t great: they all sound good, and I’ve never really believed in musicians who say electronic modeling is “cold” and “impersonal.” My main concern with this guitar is what happens if the digital circuitry bogs down? Repairs will most certainly be expensive, and cutting corners (by taking it to non-Line 6 technicians) could prove disastrous. I’ve already had my Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler fixed once, and I guess I’m just afraid it could happen to this guitar.

Not that I could buy it, of course. At almost a hundred thousand pesos, I have more important things to spend my money on. Line 6, however, has just introduced the Variax Acoustic 300 (right), and I see that in some websites it sells for about 600 US dollars – half the price! The only difference I can see for now is that the 300 doesn’t seem to have alternate tunings – which is a shame since that was the biggest draw for the 700 for me. Oh well, I guess you can’t have it all.

Ibanez's affordable hollow-bodies

If you’ve always wanted a hollow-body electric guitar but have never been able to afford one, I have the answer for you. I was at MegaMall in Manila over the past weekend and stumbled upon a store at the fifth floor that sells, among others, great guitars at unbelievably low prices.

It’s really easy to miss AudioStudio if you’re a guitar player because all you can see from the outside are speakers and other audio equipment. I myself only went in because I was interested in a speaker system for MP3 players displayed at the window. Once inside I saw that the store has a stall for guitar gear like pickups, tuning keys, bridges, and other stuff, but what really got my attention was a collection of guitars practically hidden behind a stack of speakers and amplifiers.

As it turned out, AudioStudio is a distributor of Ibanez guitars, and it has in stock China-made ones that offer the same quality as Japan-made Ibanezes without the high price tag.

I picked up an AS73 (pictured above right) because it looked the closest to the Hofner Verithin that I am rebuilding (and, by extension, the Gibson ES-335 it is itself emulating) and started strumming. It felt excellent, very smooth, very playable. And because its body is hollow, I could hear what I was playing.

But perhaps sensing that I wanted to hear more, banch manager Jojo Sanglay offered to plug the guitar into a Peavey amp. With no effects save for the amp’s reverb, the AS73 sounded full, sweet, and bell-like, and while I have little experience playing such guitars, I was willing to bet it sounded the way a good jazz guitar ought to. Each note was distinct when playing leads, and strummed it had an acoustic quality that made me think it could replace my Ibanez AW100CE acoustic guitar.

I switched the amp to “distort” and began to play some leads, and the AS73 did not disappoint. It behaved like a rock instrument, giving a fat, heavy tone that’s both complex and distinct.

When I stopped playing I looked at the price tag and almost fell off the amp I was sitting on. It was only a little over 17,000 pesos, or about 330 US dollars. “It’s more expensive than my acoustic guitar!” I exclaimed. I then went through the other hollow-body electric guitars there (mostly AWDs pictured at right) and saw that they were even cheaper. The solid-bodies were similarly priced, and in fact the only one I saw that went above 20,000 pesos was an acoustic guitar that had a solid top (the model of which I unfortunately didn’t pay attention to).

What gives? Why the low prices?

Jojo explained that the guitars are made in China, adding that while many China-made products are of poor quality, Ibanez has not cut corners and insisted on producing the same quality in its guitars. Based on what I heard and handled that afternoon, I’d say he was telling the truth.

Back home I checked out some reviews of the AS73 (including this one from Harmony Central) and found that on the whole the guitar has been received well by many guitarists. For us third world guitar players, these Ibanezes are great buys, and I’m now actually thinking of ditching my acoustic guitar in favor of an AS73. It offers a good mix of acoustic and electric tones, making it a viable option for our gigs.

Heavyweight

I wrote before that my preferred picks are thin, but of late I have had a change of heart. I read an article in which a guitarist extolled the virtues of heavy picks, saying, "the heavier the pick, the bigger the sound" (or something to that effect). I didn't believe it initially and went to my guitar to confirm to myself that my choice of picks was correct. I strummed a few chords and heard the familiar percussive sound of soft plastic meeting tense steel, and I went away satisfied.

But then in a recent trip to Manila, as I was doing my usual rounds of guitar stores, I decided to buy some picks. The store (JB Music Mart, if I remember correctly), however, didn't have light picks and offered me some heavies; I hesitated for a while and then told myself, what the heck, I'll try them. In the back of my mind I knew it was a mistake, but for 15 pesos apiece it was not going to be an expensive mistake.

When I got back home to Davao City I tried my new picks, and what I heard blew me away. Instead of sounding harsh as I had feared, the heavy picks gave very bright, very chunky, very percussive, very full, and very heavy sounds. No matter if I picked or strummed, the heavy gauged plastic gave a richer sound. It even made me play a little bit better because I had more control of each note.

So now I'm packing heavy picks, and so should you.