Greetings all, since my departure from these climes a couple of years ago, I've made a few alterations in my guitar set-up. Nothing major, but it is interesting to note how these things continuously evolve and change. Sadly, with my now being in China, much of this kit is now either at my mother's or in storage in Sheffield. Really looking forward to the day I can get it all back. Be interesting to learn what everybody else is rocking these days. Anyway, here's my inventory at the moment:
Guitars:
Ibanez Prestige S1625TKS
Ibanez RS1010SL Steve Lukather Signature
Much-modded Ibanez RS530
Much-modded 'Fender' Stratocaster
Bitsa Thinline Telecaster
Colin Kendall 6-string acoustic
Faith Saturn II 12-string acoustic
Basses:
Guild Pilot 6-string fretted
Yamaha RBX270F 4-string fretless
Amps:
Laney VC50 (fitted with Celestion GT speakers in place of the useless HH originals and running EL34B power tubes)
Ashdown Blue 130 bass combo
Effects:
Alesis Quadraverb GT Multi-FX
Blackstar HT-Metal Tube Overdrive/Distortion pedal
Joyo 6-band Graphic EQ (cheap, surprisingly good and true bypass, too!)
Morley Volume
CMI Wah
Behringer Midiboard (forget the model number)
Here in China I'm mostly playing a cheap, locally made 6-string electro-acoustic by a company called Dove. Whilst it's not exactly on the same level as my Colin Kendall, it's actually perfectly playable, stays in tune (especially after I put a set of Elixir 11-52s on it), and sounds pretty good, both electrically and acoustically. As I was only meant to be here for a year it does the job. However, now that I'm going to be here for longer, I'm in the process of importing a Charvel Strat-style So-Cal electric through a friend of a friend who runs an instrument store here. one the whole, unless you play the piano or the violin, instrument availability in China is still a serious problem. Even though Shanghai is on our doorstep, an inspection of the main musical instrument district there quickly revealed that rock instruments especially are not only considerably more expensive and scarce than in the West, but even when available they're often in poor or neglected condition. You can imagine my bafflement when, on entering one of the largest instrumental retailers in China, I discovered that most of their high-end US Fenders had been put on display with no strings fitted! Lord alone knows how customers were expected to be able to try an instrument before parting with a not-inconsiderable sum of money. Anyway, what gives gear-wise out there in PE Land right now?
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