I thought I’d write up some first impressions of the Solar SR1.6AMP which I just picked up. I haven’t seen any reviews for this model online at all, so I figured somebody might find this helpful. This is a six-string superstrat with a set-through neck joint (I think? the website also describes it as a through-neck at some points) and Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, all topped off with a beautifully garish gold/metallic purple gloss colour scheme. The main selling point of Solars is that they use the Evertune constant-tension bridge across most of their higher-end models. The Evertune is an amazing piece of equipment which, in addition to keeping the guitar in tune, also dramatically improves the intonation in every position on the fretboard. As a result chords are much more pleasant to the ear, especially when playing with distortion. Not only were Solar early and enthusiastic adopters of the Evertune, they also work very hard to keep this very expensive and complicated piece of engineering from impacting the price of the instrument too much. As a result the SR1.6AMP comes in at about half the price of the closest equivalent Evertune/Fishman-equipped Ibanez RG, which is admittedly part of the Japanese-made Premium range but uses a cheaper and less ergonomic bolt-on neck joint.
(more…)Blog posts
-
-
This is another very Satch-esque track in the vein of something off “Unstoppable Momentum” or “What Happens Next”, with a bit of a twist in the form of an intro which channels the sort of guitar/bass tapping duet that Billy Sheehan is known for (with about 1/100th of the talent).
This one is all about rocking, but not too hard. Still, the revved-up surf rhythm guitars are present and correct, I think the tunes are catchy and it contains one of my most successful attempts at a harmonised guitar solo.
-
My JEM has been through some guitar surgery and, I’m pleased to say, come out stronger for it. The JEM 7VP has the bones of a great guitar, but there are some frustrating corners cut, and some hardware choices that I’m not the biggest fan of. A lot of this is personal preference; I must have spent hours gazing at the JEM page of the Ibanez catalogue in the early nineties, wishing I could afford the original JEM 7V.
(more…) -
This song is a bit of a Van Halen tribute. I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of their actual songs, but they were a bunch of amazing musicians with a unique sound, and whose influence can’t be overstated.
American music from that era exudes independence and confidence in a way which comes across as very silly and inauthentic when a non-American tries to do it. So rather than trying to write about getting a car and hitting the highway in pursuit of freedom, this song is instead about a pub crawl of North Oxford on public transport.
-
Sometimes, I just set an audio track to record and sing the first thing that comes into my head. In the case of this track, it was the “I need a beat…beat…beat….beat” line. After that, it was pretty much inevitable that this was going to turn into one of those songs that’s just about writing a song.
-
I’m not a good lyricist. If anything, lyrics are probably the biggest source of delays in getting my music into a finished state. Sometimes, the best thing to do is just open my mouth and see what comes out.
What’s this song about? Nothing. -
One of the tracks in the SHAKE project. This is an attempt to replicate some of the magic of 90s FPS soundtracks, when everything was metal/industrial. Although everyone – rightly – loved Mick Gordon’s modern DOOM soundtracks, I’m even more of a fan of Sonic Mayhem‘s original Quake 2 OST.
I’m sure it’s been done before, but I really like the contrast between the spooky clean lead and the groove-metal rhythm. Imagine Dimebag shredding in a giant subterranean reservoir.