After much soul-searching, internal conflict, meditation, seeking advice and pondering on the meaning of life, I have come to a decision.
Acoustic. :D
I'll be content with the sound of the Epiphone-Laney combo for now. If I'm to buy anything to add on to my electric guitar-playing, it either won't be anything big or it'll come some time in the future when I'm old and have enough of my own money to spend.
Maybe one day, when I'm 35 or something, you'll see me playing a guitar while sitting on a big fat new amplifier. Maybe then, I'll own a heavy mind-blowing Marshall to rock out to. But till then... Till then. *wipes a tear*
This decision is based partially on money. And I think it's a bit too ambitious to wanna get a stack anyway; I honestly see no space in the house for one. Other than that, though, I think this whole acoustic guitar-playing thing is really what I wanna enjoy the best of. =D Don't get me wrong - electric guitar is bloody fun (ROCK AND ROLL FTW) but the sound of a good crisp fat acoustic guitar just.. Just gets you, y'know what I mean?
I've got a few options in mind, so I think I'll go looking around this week and test a few guitars out! HEEHEE.
1. Ibanez. There's this Exotic Wood series selling at Swee Lee and the guitars are SEXY. I've taken a liking to this jumbo body thing! Check it out! *points* Expensive but seems pretty worth the money - I did my research. xD The flaw - most say it sounds better through an amp than it does by itself, which sorta turns me off. =/
Quilted ash top, back and sides. Mahogany neck. Rosewood fretboard.
2. A Gibson SJ-300 Rosewood Modern Classic. VERY HIGH quality sound - warm and rich. Super cool design and the body shape seriously boosts the volume so you get every separate string projected really well. Costs around $15,000.
HAHAHHA kidding. Bet I gotcha. xD In my dreams, this.
2. The Epiphone Dove! HAHA I'd be staying true to myself - I couldn't afford a Gibson Les Paul so I got an Epiphone one. Now I can't afford a Gibson Hummingbird so I get an Epiphone Dove! xD Possibly more value for money than the Ibanez EW? Don't know for sure. Will test them out. This costs just a liiiittle bit less than the Ibanez.
Solid spruce top, maple back, sides and neck.
3. A Takamine! Found these at Davis Guitar, but didn't see the price. The problem with their website is that they have all of these BLOODY GLORIOUS products but they don't state the price anywhere! -.-" Anyway, the EG523SC is what got me. It's definitely a really good guitar, but I just need to know what the price is. I think if it costs the same as the EW and the Dove, I'm getting this. BUT again, I'll test them out before deciding.
Solid spruce top, flamed maple back and sides.
Ok, I did some research and found that this goes for like 400 POUNDS so. Dot. xD
Nevertheless, I think it'd be fun to check it out and say, "Wow, this is really good!" and then not buy it. HAHAHA. No lah, I'll still go to Davis Guitar and compare prices and stuff.
So right now these are my 3 choices. Not confirmed, of course. Might just stumble upon something more lovely along the road. The Dove and Takamine are very similar as they both have spruce tops and maple bodies so I assume both have a very bright, trebley sound. I don't really have a clue about the EW - the body is entirely quilted ash which is honestly a type of wood I'd never heard of before so.. O.o Will experiment!
Right now I think Number 3's out. Too expensive ah. =( I'm probably going for the Dove or the EW. I like the mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard in the EW, just like in my Les Paul. =D But not sure what a quilted ash soundboard sounds like. This guitar is something unique, that's for sure.
*continues my pursuit*
[edit: Uh. Ibanez acoustic guitars seem to be bad according to quite a number of players. O.o]
While bearing in mind that there are 3 science Paper 1s and Higher Malay left to do,
I'M GEARING UP FOR POST-Os, BABY. XD
This is it man, it's like IT. LIKE.. IT.
But before I go and ramble on about how close we are when we're not even there yet, I'll stop myself because I'd like to ramble on about other things. I wanna complain. xD
[GUITAR RANTING BEGINS HERE] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'M IN A DILEMMA. D=
I'm at this point in guitar-playing when I wanna break out from the plateau and start upgrading some more. I MEAN COME ON THERE'S A FREAKING TWO-MONTH PERIOD OF LIVING IN A UTOPIAN WONDERLAND! I'M NOT GONNA THROW IT AWAY BY NOT SPAMMING GUITAR-PLAYING! Anyway, yes I wanna upgrade. I'm just not sure which direction to go. Either way, I'm gonna be paying money and I don't wanna make the wrong choice/s.
Number 1: Let electric guitar-playing be a just-like-that kinda thing and focus on acoustic playing. I've become increasingly attracted to the acoustic guitar, watching all those Candyrat guitarists like Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour, Don Ross (whom I'm sure you all know very well) and being amazed by the sort of magic they can create with it.
If I'm gonna try that then I'm thinking of getting an Ibanez acoustic guitar. One of those jumbo-bodied ones. Something that looks good and is just good enough for an amateur. I don't need a Martin or a Lowden or anything of the sort, I just want something that's not extravagant yet not unimpressive.
Pros: The wallet doesn't hurt that much. It's a less expensive and more convenient form of guitar-playing. (Carrying amps around is insane.) And the acoustic guitar really IS beautiful to play and listen to.
Cons: The electric guitar is neglected. D= And the market for acoustic guitars in Singapore is pretty sad. You either get okay ones or okay ones, cos if you're going for top-notch ones then they're gonna cost you four digits. Big four digits.
Number 2: Go for electric! Cos it's a pity if I have a Les Paul and a super cool effects pedal that People (xD) gave me but don't do much with them. D= But to improve on this one, it's definitely gonna take a little more money.
Currently my amplifier is a Laney LG12, which is just half-decent I guess. It's got a pretty standard EQ - treble, mid, bass. And an overdrive setting. The overdrive is volume-based so if you hit your strings harder, the sound's more overdriven. That's really quite sad cos then you barely get any real sufficient gain unless you have the sound overdriven till it sounds like your guitar's doing robot talk. That way, if you're playing with little overdrive, the note just fizzles away in a few seconds.
Therefore, I should either get a better amp or effects pedals to help me out.
I was thinking of getting a Marshall stack for the famous powerful crunch and sustain of Marshall amps, with an amp head that's packed with pre-installed effects. That way I won't need to worry so much about effects pedals.
One stack that seems really really attractive is that MG15ZWMS - the Marshall Zakk Wylde Micro Stack - nice springy reverb going on, the clean channel's superbly clean, the driven channel is really powerful and I've heard it and it sounds awesome.
It's also pretty affordable for a Marshall stack. I saw it at Davis Guitar on Friday and I've seen it at Beez in Roxy Square too. And it's MARSHALL! To have a high-end stack for a good price is so worth it!
Other than that, though, (this is really just a craving) I've been longing for that Brian May Red Special effects pedal. xD Would be so cool to achieve Brian May's sound somehow, someway.
Pros: The electric guitar and electric guitar accessories market in Singapore is pretty big! High-end stuff can actually be found at affordable prices. And learning to do justice to good equipment would rock. :D
Cons: MONEY. OMG. I know that if I get a new toy, it'll just feel alright to keep getting more to complement it. WHEN IT'S NOT. Soon, you'll see me wanting whole new electric guitars and walls of effects pedals and argh.
SO if you happened to read that rant on my guitar-playing crossroad, do lend some much-needed advice!
Acoustic or electric?
(Currently I'm thinking acoustic is the way to go, but stop me if you think I'm making the less-worth-it choice.)
[GUITAR RANTING ENDS HERE] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, that's written down somewhere. At least now it won't bug my thoughts that much.
Now to write this down somewhere so it won't bug my thoughts that much.
Personal to-do's after Os:
1. Spam guitar! (After making the decision questioned above!)
2. Clear out that store room! (Bloody daunting task!)
3. Clear up that messy bed area!
4. Clear out the school books! (MUAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA)
5. Tidy up this computer! (Already started doing that today!)
6. Sell off those flanger and phaser effects pedals somehow someway somewhere! (ANYBODY INTERESTED? Flanger and phaser pedals - the flanger is okay, the phaser is quite noob, but both were barely ever touched by me. Bought them for $70 each, willing to sell them for slightly less!)
7. Clear up this corner that I'm sitting in!
8. EXERCISE!
9. READ!
10. Personalise my computer and phone a bit!
I'm hoping to be so organised and neat and tidy by the time 2010 comes that it'll make the fresh calendar look disgustingly messy.
:D
THE END IS NIIIIGGGGGHHHHH. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last night was a crossroad. And today he woke up to a brighter morning with a brighter day ahead. It's been decided that he should stop creating bad memories, and he should stop plunging deeper, and he should stop looking up at what used to be and what was meant to be, and that he should see what others see in him while conscious that he was once what he knew he was before. He wants to be deserving of what's been given to him. What was meant to be was meant to be. Vows are unbreakable.
I know I'm not the only one who loves the weather. =)
I woke up today to a rainy morning, and now I'm enjoying a rainy afternoon. With a bio textbook by my side to help me prepare for tomorrow but.. Heh.
It's almost hard to believe how soon the 'O' Levels are gonna come to an end! And though I'm sure we won't be 100% stress-free for the next 2-odd months, this is still gonna feel so, so, so refreshing. It's real freedom. No excuses. xD
Big holiday plans have cropped up - I may be joining the new Black and Red Shirts at their VELOCI-T from 16-20 November, I'm going to Egypt with my family and dad's staff from 24-29 November, and I'm going to Penang with the Scouts from 1-6 December.
Really excited for Egypt. =D Gonna be armed with a video camera and a Prince of Egypt soundtrack to take stupid videos with my sis. HAHAHA.
Penang sounds interesting! We're gonna have a combined camp with the Scouts from Penang Free School, which happens to be the school my grandfather attended in his young days. He was a Scout there too! =D After the camp, we'll have R&R days to shop and lepak and whatnot togadder madder.
Other plans include concert, sleepovers, Changi Gliders, Green Day, 6.1 Outing, movie marathon, ZOO?! =D
And I'm gonna buy things man. :D
But that's all starting 8 days from now. For now, we're still pulling ourselves through O's.
We're not worthy of praise. It's not because we have flaws, it's not because there are other people better than us in what we are good at, but it's just because we're human. We're not worthy of praise.
Even though now we're standing tall and proud. Even though now we've got minds of our own. Even though now we're strong. Even though now we've got people counting on us when they're in need. Even though now we can take care of ourselves and we're tough enough to take on the world.
We were, after all, once babies who knew nothing but to cry, sleep, eat, poop and count on the world to make life easy for us.
Then we grew up and we learnt new things and we strengthened our abilities to handle whatever challenges came our way. But did we do it on our own? Didn't we need our parents? Didn't we need our family and friends? Our teachers?
Hmm, maybe not. Maybe much of it was our own effort. If we hadn't made the effort and put our backs into learning, then we wouldn't have grown very much.
But who gave us the capacity to learn? Who deserves the credit? Who deserves the praise?
Ourselves? Hah.
Of course, some of you may be insistent on the idea that we do deserve the praise. Well, to you your belief, and to me mine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We don't need reminders. We just take comfort in the idea that we do.
If we just consciously and consistently reminded ourselves..
Ziyad Bin Ahmad Bagharib
11 April 1993
East View Primary School (2000-2005)
Victoria School (2006-2009)
Victorian (2006-Forever xD)
Victoria School Prefectorial Board
Arrow Scout Group
VS JLs/SLs
VS Malay Cultural Society
1st ASEAN Youth Convention
A pretty and nice-sounding acoustic guitar
A VOX AC30 CC1 amplifier
A Marshall MG15MSZW
A Roland CUBE-20X
The Brian May Red Special effects pedal
The Brian May Red Special guitar
Kudos.
THANK YOU MUHAMMAD HAFIDZHIN BIN SADALI, CREATOR OF THIS SKIN!
