Guitar Review: Hamer SATF in Trans-Green

Just a short write-up on this guitar that I used to have (wish I still had it, though. damn).

First up, the specs:

• Origin: Indonesia

• Body Type: Solid Body 
• Scale Length: 24-3/4" 
• Body Construction: Double cutaway 
• Body Wood: Mahogany 
• Body Top Wood: Flame Maple Veneer 
• Binding: Ivoroid 
• Carved Top: Yes 
• Neck Wood: Mahogany 
• Fingerboard Radius: 14.50" 
• Fingerboard Material: Rosewood 
• Fingerboard Inlays: Dot (Changed to green abalone trapezoids)
• Number of Frets: 22 
• Bridge: Stoptail 
• Bridge: Tune-O-Matic 
• Hardware: Chrome 
• Number of Pickups: 2 
• Pickup Switch Type: 3-way Pickup Selector 
• Bridge Pickup Type: Hamer Humbucker 
• Neck Pickup Type: Hamer Humbucker 
• Controls:2 Volume,1 Tone
  Finish: Trans-Green
  
  So with that aside, this guitar's most obvious feature is its 2-piece Grade A Flame Maple veneer.
  
   Until you actually hold it.
  
  The neck is surprisingly chunky, probably modelled after Gibson's 50's Les Pauls. But it's anything but a slow shredder. And also surprisingly superb fretwork with zero rough edges anywhere! Even the high-end Chinese Charvels fail to acheive this. Personally I prefer bound necks, but I made an exception for this one. Unplugged, the action seems to be a tad high and tension is kinda loose. But it's probably due to the .09s strung on it. A bit of lowering of the bridge and its about perfect. You probably won't get sissy-assed low action on this axe, but then again, this isn't an Ibanez we're talking about here. Sustains good, though. But notes seem to die out quickly in the higher registers, as with most SGs these days. A guess is that it could be due to the 3-piece mahogany body. Hardware is also reliable for brand-name OEMs (surprise surprise!) and neck doesn't prove too "sticky".
  
  Plugged in, it wins over any kind of Epiphone guitar out there. And I mean ANY. Also slightly better than half of the PRS SEs available. Controls are very responsive and relatively noise-free (bonus). Opening up the back, wiring is surprisingly neat for an Indonesian instrument and cavity seems to be coated in a sort of shielding paint.
  
  And by now I was getting more and more surprised by the amount of careful consideration Hamer put into this production model.
  
  Neck pickup is pretty mellow and great for cleans and lead lines but tends to edge into the "muddy" zone if the tone is backed down too much, but adjusting the height helps somewhat. The bridge pickup lets rip with a very PAFish growl when driven hard. In truth, the pickups are not really top-notch, just the controls are key on shaping the tone here. So use them wisely instead of just leaving them at 10 all the way.
  
  Overall a great guitar that has room to be even better with just a change of your flavour of pickups.
  
  Really the best valued guitar that money can buy, with enough change to get upgrades on hardware.
  
  

Amp Review: Hayden Mofo 30W Amp Head

Every once in a while I come across guitar-related stuff that I feel is worth a review.
And this time I came across an amp from Hayden that I find worthy of a few words of my own.

This all tube 30W valve Mofo amp head by Hayden (from Ashdown) with its namesake emblazoned across the front grill. Used by bands such as Biffy Clyro (I love what they did on "Mountains") and Eagles of Death Metal (never heard of 'em).

Powered by 4x EL84 and 3x 12AX7 (not A7X) tubes that provide the different UK and US voicings that you can get from the respective inputs. And with both 8 and 16 Ohm speaker outputs, the Mofo can drive a wide range of cabinets from a boutique 1x12 in the studio right up to a 4x12 on the concert stage. It has a single jack for the FX loop. But heck, I don't know how that works since I don't plug my effects there. And it doesn't have a standby switch, so I suggest getting a drink before coming back until the tubes have warmed up.

But what irks me to no end is the Stealth switch.

Which is located under the damn thing.

This switch cuts down the output to 2 Watts which allows you Mofo to scream without your neighbours screaming at you. But then its still pretty loud if you're living in a HDB pigeonhole. But as for me, what do I care? I still play with levels at 12 o'clock setting so I can't vouch for anyone.

It's basically a one-channel amp that thinks that it has 2, thanks to the Mofo boost. Think of it as a built-in boost for the built-in overdrive. Think of it as an Orange Tiny Terror on steroids and you'll be in the ballpark.
Maxed out, one can probably dip one's toes into metal territory, but you won't get far without a distortion pedal.
The controls (MOFO, Gain, Middle, Bass, Treble, Presence, Master) are all very responsive and you'll definitely be able to dial in something that you'll like.

And as for the different voicings, maybe it's just me, but I find that the US sounds a bit more British than the UK.
*shrugs*
But then again, I'm a Marshall kinda guy. So what do I know?
I'd imagine this Mofo (see what I did there?) would sound good if you're looking to channel Queen, Led Zeppelin or AC/DC, though.

Oh, and if you don't know what Mofo means, I'd suggest to look at the non-abbreviated version of the word that's printed on the circuit board under the bottom cover(if you don't mind getting zapped, of course).

Overall a nice boutique amp (yes, I said boutique) for the heavy rockers out there, and great value for the price.

Get yours from Musicark @ Peninsula Shopping Centre.

And no, I don't know how much it's going for. But I think there's a sale. Then again I may be wrong.

High-Pass filter Wiring Mod

Losing loads of treble whenever the Volume knob is turned down? Attempts on doing volume swells end up sounding abrupt? Looking for a quick and cheap fix?

This high-pass filter mod ensures hi-fidelity when the volume is turned down. The capacitor attached lets treble through at low volume. The resistor smooths out the volume swell as you move from 0 to 10 and 10 to 0.

Works for singlecoils and humbuckers.

$15 (drop-in mod)

Might not work with other wiring mods offered here.

All About Potentiometers

Namely, There are 2 main brands of potentiometers (pots) for guitar volume and tone controls.

CTS and Alpha.

The main and only real differences between the 2 (other than a super wide price gap) is build consistency and durability. Having said that, prolonged exposure with a soldering iron will still fry it.

CTS pots are very sturdy and need a bit more torque to turn than their Alpha counterparts. They're also known to last longer. (But from my experience, I have actually seen a few guitars with stock Alpha pots that are about more than 20 years old and still work great.) And no, there are no tonal differences between the two. Even if there is, it won't be noticeable to bother yourself with. 

Either brand will be fine to use for guitars and are especially great for upgrades from cheap smaller sized pots that come in stock with cheaper guitars.

Offer Rates for multiple pot replacement. (parts included)

CTS

3 knobs - $50

4 knobs - $65

Alpha

3 knobs - $25

4 knobs - $35

Linear or Audio Taper?

Linear taper is what I would strongly recommend for Tone controls as the changes are more audible and gradual. Great in any situation for most genres. But for those who like a more definitive effect, the use Audio taper.

For Volume controls: Usually the norm would be to go for Audio tapers. It's great for cleaning up a distorted guitar sound by affecting the gain signal.to a certain extent. But when played clean, the volume roll-off may be abrupt and off=putting. In which case Linear taper would be perfect for those who execute volume swells in their style of playing.

In the end, it's the player and his/her style of playing is what ultimately matters.

If you have any burning questions,  feel free to ask by posting on the wall or by email.

The Truth Behind Tone Capacitors

I have people asking me whether is it worth it to get "boutique" capacitors for their guitars... In reality, they're mostly hype. Caps like "bumblebees" and "tropical fish" used decades ago weren't even considered all that great during their time. Even the random ones that I bought to try out from Sim Lim Tower were more or less the same tonal variety. And much much cheaper. Yes, audio purists will hate me for what I just said. But I say put them through an A-B blind test and prove me wrong.

If one is to be finicky about tone, I'd suggest something reliable such as Sprague orange drop and Mallory caps. The real deal is actually in the value of the capacitors and less on the type. Generally,0.022uf (microfarad) is usually used for humbuckers while 0.047uf are reserved for singlecoils. Personally I'd reccommend Mallory capacitors for stratocaster and similar singlecoil-equipped guitars for that slightly rounded "glassy" tone that some people love.

But bear a reminder. "Tone" is relative. Some may like a certain sound, while others may go for something else. If it sounds good to you, then your search has ended. And it also depends greatly on other hardware as well, more notably the pickups, cable, and amp. And not forgetting how your cap is wired up. There is no such thing as a mystical mojo-soaked super capacitor out there.

Rates for wiring capacitors:
Drop-in replacements (wiring configured exactly as the existing capacitor) - $10
Special Wiring upgrade options!  *subject to compatibility*
(please see note on Modern and Vintage Wiring)

Cool Wiring Upgrades

Bored of how your guitar sounds like? Tone just gives out mud after inching past 8?

Might be time for a wiring upgrade!

Probably the last and most noticeable investment to improve a cheap instrument, or to revitalise the dying old guitar you got tucked away, due to age and neglect.

Wiring options are strictly for most LP, LP Juniors, SG, PRS and similar guitars. Email guitarmods.3hree6ixty@gmail.com to inquire.

#1 Modern Wiring -

Pros: Tone control receive signal from input of volume control. Hence, effectively connected directly to the pickup. Consequently, position of volume pot have no effect on the tone control operation. Used in most guitars today.

Cons: Treble roll-off when volume is turned down.

#2 Vintage Wiring - *recommended* 

Pros: Tone stays consistent when volume is rolled down.

Cons: Tone and volume controls are interactive, because the tone control receive the signal from the output of the volume control (rather than the input).

Basic - $25

includes, 1x Sprague Orange Drop capacitor, rewiring and resoldering with solid-core wires.

Full Standard - $25 + $10(1 vol+1 tone pot)/$15(2vol+1tone)/$20(2vol+2tone) *recommended* 

includes, 1x Sprague Orange Drop capacitor, Full-sized Alpha potentiometers (meter-tested), rewiring and resoldering with solid-core wires.

Full Premium - $25 + $24(1 vol+1 tone pot)/$36(2vol+1tone)/$48(2vol+2tone)

includes, 1x Sprague Orange Drop capacitor, Full-sized CTS potentiometers (meter-tested), rewiring and resoldering with solid-core wires.

Rates apply for both #1 and #2 wiring options. 2 weeks guarantee on all workmanship.

SuperTeleBlender Wiring

$70 (for strats/similar guitars)

price includes replacements of  existing volume and tone knobs with 2x CTS potentiometers ,1x CTS blender potentiometer, 1x  Sprague Orange Drop capacitor , new wiring and wire tidy fees.

*optional* replace existing 5-way switch +$10

Just an explanation on the new SuperTeleBlender wiring option.

Its wired so that it can blend either the bridge or neck pickup into the mix, depending on which position the selector switch is.

Say I've selected the bridge pickup (position 5)

If I turn up the blend pot, it will bring the neck pickup to blend together. Creating the "tele sound".

Same goes for vice-versa.

and if the switch is left in the 2nd (neck+middle) or 4th (middle+bridge) position, the input from bridge and neck pickups respectively can be added to the other 2 pickups already selected. Which means that all 3 are engaged for a very full sounding guitar. 

Great for heavy rhythm when your lead guitarist's solo is threatening to drown you out of the mix. =P