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Guitar Porn in HD – Tokai SG-75
Review: ESP Eclipse II FM FT Distressed
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A pre-aged guitar – to some people it’s the daftest idea ever, while others think relicing imbues the instrument with its own type of charm.
But one thing is clear: artificial ageing is here to stay!
This time we will take a new-old ESP for a spin – the Eclipse II FM FT Distressed.
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The ESP Eclipse II Distressed (current price in Finland: 1.889 €) is a Japanese quality instrument treated to look and feel like a 50-year-plus veteran of the stage and studio.
The rather realistic impression is achieved not only by dings, dents and scratches, but also by using a laqcuer that looks old and sunken in.
The flip side of the Eclipse II Distressed’s body has also received lots of scratches and a bout of artificial belt buckle rash. The neck, though, has been left fairly clean.
The mahogany looks scrumptious, and the finish does its bit to underscore the lively wood grain.
ESP have restrained themselves from adding over-the-top finish cracks, which is a good decision, in my opinion.
The Gotoh-machines look traditional, but are in fact up-to-date locking tuners.
The Eclipse’s beautiful rosewood ’board and jumbo-sized frets have been left untouched by relicing – this is a brand-new guitar with a pristine playing feel, great!
The neck joint is a traditional set-in job.
This viewing angle makes it easy to spot all the dents in the sunken in finish (click the picture for a larger view).
The Distressed-model comes fitted with Seymour Duncans: The neck unit is a ’59-model, while a Duncan JB -humbucker has been installed near the bridge.
The brushed metal covers fit the ESP’s lightly-aged look to a tee.
The neck pickup’s tone control is equipped with a push/push-switch that splits the humbuckers in the up-position.
Everything’s hunky-dory in the control cavity – quality parts, clean workmanship and thorough shielding wherever you look.
The tune-o-matic-type bridge and the guitars tailpiece are quality parts made by Gotoh.
The ESP Eclipse II Distressed is sold in its own, beautiful case.
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Many players complain about the weight of a good deal of LP-type electrics, which can give you a sore shoulder or a hurting back. I can only suggest that these guitarists take a stoll to their friendly ESP-dealer, if this test sample is anything to go by!
I don’t know whether it’s in the wood selection or whether ESP employ an Emmental-method (like Gibson) for weight-relief – by drilling large-diameter holes into the mahogany before gluing the maple top on – but this ESP is the most lightweight LP-style guitar I have ever played!
The neck profile is a very friendly medium-depth ”D”, not far removed from Gibson’s 60s-neck. The sunken-in finish feels smooth and fast, and the fine fretwork and large fretboard radius make for an easy playability.
It’s hard to gauge whether this is due to the relicing or not, but the ESP Eclipse II Distressed feels really live. The guitar breathes and resonates freely, and its fine acoustic tone has a nice warmth and a sinewy midrange.
Seymour Duncan’s ’59/JB-pairing is an excellent choice for the ESP Eclipse II. The pickups have a good balance between themselves, and manage to convey this instrument’s tonefulness onwards to the amp with fine detail. The ability to split the ’buckers adds three fresh and springy selections to your arsenal.
Both sound examples start with the split neck pickup, followed by the full neck pickup, and so on:
ESP Eclipse II Distressed – clean
ESP Eclipse II Distressed – distorted
Regardless of your stance towards pre-aged guitars, there’s no denying that ESP’s Eclipse II Distressed is a fine, high-quality instrument, with its own hefty dose of charm. Shame we had to give it back…
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ESP Eclipse II FM FT Distressed
Current price in Finland: 1.889 €
Finnish distributor: Musamaailma
Pros:
+ looks
+ sound
+ weight
+ playability
+ coil-split
+ workmanship
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Review: Bogner Goldfinger 45 1×12 combo
Over the last decade Bogner Amplification have achieved a legendary status among fans of boutique amps.
Bogner’s best-known design is probably the Uberschall-model, which is aimed squarely at the connoisseur of high-gain amps. But the company also build several vintage-inspired amps, one of which is the Bogner Goldfinger combo.
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Bogner’s Goldfinger 45 1×12 (current price in Finland: 2.946 €) is quite large for a 1×12”-combo. Its dimensions are in a similar league as the 2 x 12 Vox AC30. The reason behind the large and deep cabinet lies in the fatter tone it produces.
The Goldfinger’s preamp section has been designed around four 12X7- and one 12AT7-valve, with the main amplifier running a quartet of 6V6-types. The combo is rated at 45 Watts, but its power can be reigned in using the front panel’s Standby/Hi/Low-toggle, as well as the Full/Half-switch around the back.
The top-drawer valve amplification circuit and the combo’s high-class plywood cabinet naturally make themselves felt on the scales. Handling 30 kilos worth of weight using the Goldfinger’s sole top handle isn’t quite a walk in the park.
The Bogner Goldfinger 45 is a two-channel amplifier, with the clean channel called α – or Alpha.
On the right side of the picture you can spot the Alpha-channel’s controls – gain, master volume (”Loudness”), as well as a three-band EQ-section – with the added attraction of not one, but two bright-switches. Pre Bright spices up the signal in front of the gain control, with Post Bright being inserted into the Loudness-circuit. Pre Bright has a sharper and more dynamic character, in contrast to Post Bright’s somewhat more open tone. Both the gain- as well as the Loudness-settings affect the amount of brightness added via the switches – the louder you go, the less top end bite is added.
On the picture’s right hand side you’ll find the Goldfinger’s master section, with controls for reverb, master presence and the Post FX -loop. One of the Bogner-combo’s coolest features is hinted at by the miniswitch labelled Pre FX/Boost – the input has its own effects loop.
You could use the Pre FX -loop for adding a booster, compressor or outboard EQ-pedal to your signal chain, which then can be switched on or off using the combo’s own footswitch board. If you don’t have anything plugged into the Pre FX -loop, you can use the loop’s own buffer amp as a signal booster, with the amplification level adjustable on the back panel.
The name of the Goldfinger’s overdrive channel is Ω, or Omega, and it’s got a slightly different architecture compared to the Alpha-channel.
The Omega-channel offers you two basic charatcers to choose from, called 80 ja Loud 69. Loud 69 is the more vintage-type setting of the pair, giving you a moderate amount of gain with plenty of dynamics, reminding me of early Marshall-amps or the rudeness of a hollering Hiwatt. ”Loud” is a very good term here, as with identical settings Loud 69 is much louder and punchier than the far creamier 80-selection.
Setting the Omega to 80 morphs the Goldfinger into a Classic Rock -aficionado’s dream machine. There’s lot of gain on tap with a good helping of fat and creamy compression, which calls to mind Mesa/Boogie-style Westcoast-sounds or Gary Moore’s singing Marshall-tones.
In addition to its three-band EQ, Omega also offers a control named Gain EQ, which allows you to change the channel’s tonal focus from warm and fat all the way to biting and bright. Because the Gain EQ -control sits at the channel’s front end, its setting also influences the amount of overdrive.
A full-length spring reverb tank is situated in its own bag at the bottom of the cabinet.
Bogner’s Goldfinger 45 speaks via one of the world’s most-loved speakers – a Celestion G12 Vintage 30.
Because the Goldfinger-combo basically utilises the head of the same name, only flipped on its side, a more fitting name for the back panel might be ”bottom panel” in this case. All connectors, switches and controls face downward, which isn’t so great for accessibility and visibility.
On the right hand side you can find the connectors and the level control for the Pre FX -loop, as well as the socket for the footboard’s screw-in connector.
Bogner’s Post FX -loop offers a plethora of options.
There are two additional speaker outputs on offer, with the impedance switch sitting right next to them.
…and last, but not least, the amp’s fuses, as well as the half-power switch for the main amp section.
Just as the combo itself, the accompanying footswitch board is built to last, and sports the same structured, golden finish as the combo’s control panel.
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The Bogner Goldfinger 45 is an extremely versatile valve-amplifier. Per se this doesn’t really tell you anything, because in many designs versatility comes at the price of a mediocre basic tone.
The Bogner Goldfinger’s outstanding quality really shows in this respect, as each and every link in the signal chain only serves to enhance this combo’s fantastic basic tone.
True, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can get bad sounds out of the Bogner, regardless – for example by heaping both Alpha-channel brights on top of a Fender Strat or Tele – but in those cases it’s the user who’s to blame, not the amp.
Used with good taste, though, the Bogner Goldfinger will enhance the basic character of your guitar’s tone to bring out the best in your playing.
The combo’s spring reverb sounds fantastically lush, with the reverb-knob giving you anything from a nice little sprinkle to full-out Surf Mania.
The only two things I am not totally in love with are the downward-facing back panel, as well as the loud thud emanating from the Omega’s Mode-switch, when used with the amp running. According to the owner’s manual this loud noise is perfectly normal, but it still bothers me a bit, not being able to switch between Loud 69 and 80 on-the-fly.
All in all, I feel that the Bogner Goldfinger 45 is a very strong contender for the title of ”Best Combo ever”. The price tag is steepish, but well in line with the amp’s quality and this particular market segment as a whole.
Here are some sounds I recorded with the Bogner Goldfinger combo:
Alpha (Post Bright on) – Hamer Studio Custom
Omega (Loud 69) – Fender Stratocaster
Omega (Loud 69) – Hamer Studio Custom
Omega (80) – Fender Stratocaster
Omega (80) – Hamer Studio Custom
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Bogner Goldfinger 45 1×12 -kombo
Current price in Finland: 2.946 €
Finnish distribution: Musamaailma
Pros:
+ workmanship
+ sound
+ versatility
+ pedalboard included in price
+ half-power switch
+ reverb sound
Cons:
– back panel placement not very practical
– Loud 69/80-switch’s thud
Testipenkissä: ESP Eclipse II FM FT Distressed
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Esivanhennettu kitara – joidenkin mielestä se on typerin keksintö ikinä, kun taas toisten mielestä naarmuuntuneissa kitaroissa on oma charminsa.
Yksi asia on kuitenkin selvä: relic-ilmiö on tullut jäädäkseen!
Tällä kertaa testissä kävi ESP:n näkemys uusvanhasta kitarasta – Eclipse II FM FT Distressed.
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ESP Eclipse II Distressed (1.889 €) on laadukas japanilainen sähkökitara, joka on esikulutettu näyttämään yli 50-vuotiaalta, paljon käytetyltä soittimelta.
Hyvin realistinen tuntuma on saatu aikaiseksi käyttämällä kolhujen, naarmujen ja lommojen lisäksi myös sellaista lakkausta, joka näyttää hieman ajan jälkeen kuluneelta ja puun syykuvioihin uponneelta.
Myös Eclipse II Distressed -rungon takapuoli on täynnä pieniä naarmuja ja painaumia, mutta kitaran kaula on jätetty lähes kokonaan siistiksi.
Runkoon ja kaulaan käytetty mahonki näyttää herkullisen eloiselta.
ESP ei kuitenkaan vetänyt relikoinnilla överiksi, eikä viimeistelyssä ole keinotekoisia halkeamia.
Gotohin kromatut virittimet näyttävät hyvin perinteisiltä, mutta kyseessä ovat nykyaikaiset lukkovirittimet.
Eclipsen kaunista palisanteriotelauta ja sen jumbokokoiset nauhat on jätetty tarkoituksella neitseelliseksi: uudella kitaralla on uuden kitaran tatsi ja soitettavuus, hyvä niin!
Kaula on liitetty runkoon perinteisesti liimaliitoksella.
Tässä kuvassa näkyvät hyvin relikoidun Eclipse II Distressed -kitaran kulumat, naarmut ja viimeistelyn epätasainen pinta.
Distressed-mallin mikrofonit tulevat Seymour Duncanilta: kaulamikrofoniksi on valittu ’59-humbuckeri, kun taas tallan viereen on asennettu firman JB-malli.
Mikkien harjatut suojakuoret tukevat omalta osaltaan vanhan soittimen vaikutelmaa.
Kaulan tone-potikkaan on lisätty push/push-kytkin, jolla saa molemmat mikrofonit puolitettua.
Elektroniikkalokerosta löytyy laadukkaita osia, siistiä juotostyötä, sekä huolellista häiriösuojausta grafiittimaalilla ja alumiinilla vuoratulla kannella.
Samoin kuin Eclipse II:n virittimet myös tune-o-matic-tyylinen talla ja palkkimainen kieltenpidin ovat laatuosia Gotohin valikoimasta.
Erittäin hieno kova laukku kuuluu ESP:n hintaan.
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Monet valittavat LP-tyylisten kitaroiden paino-ongelmista, jotka tekevät kitaran soitosta epämukavan. Näille soittajille voin vain suosittaa ESP Eclipse II Distressed -mallin koeajoa, koska ainakin testiyksilö on uskomattoman kevyt!
En tiedä johtuuko tämä ominaisuus huolellisesta puuvalinnasta vai käytetäänkö myös ESP:n tehtaalla Gibsonilta tuttua ”Emmental-menetelmää”, jossa porataan rungon mahonkiin ensin isokokoisia reikiä, ennen kuin vaahterakansi liimataan paikkoilleen. Oli miten oli – tämä ESP on kevyin soittamani LP-tyylinen kitara ikinä!
Kaulaprofiili on erittäin mukavantuntuinen keskikokoinen ”D”, joka on hyvinkin lähellä Gibson-kitaroista tuttua 60s-kaulaa. Hiukan epätasainen ”vanhennettu” lakka tuntuu liukkaalta ja luonnolliselta. Esimerkkillisen nauhatyön ja otelaudan loivan kaarevuuden ansiosta, soittotatsi on nopea ja vaivaton.
En tiedä johtuuko tämä relikoinnista tai muista seikkoista, mutta ESP Eclipse II Distressed tuntuu suorastaan elävältä. Kitara resonoi vapaasti ja sen loistavassa akustisessa äänessä löytyy sopivasti sekä ryhdikkyyttä, että lämpöä.
Seymour Duncanin ’59/JB-kattaus on ESP Eclipse II:lle mahtava valinta. Mikrofonit ovat keskenään loistavassa tasapainossa, ja ne onnistuvat täydellisesti välittämään kitaran oman äänen uskollisesti eteenpäin vahvistimelle. Lisäksi humbuckerien puolitus yksikelaisiksi lisää tutuille humbucker-soundeille vielä hyvin hyödylliset kevyemmät ja kirkkaammat vaihtoehdot.
Esimerkkipätkissä aloitan aina puolitetusta kaulamikrofonista, sen jälkeen tulee täysi kaulamikki ja niin edelleen:
ESP Eclipse II Distressed – puhtaat
ESP Eclipse II Distressed – säröllä
Kitaroiden keinotekoisesta vanhenemisesta voi olla mitä mieltä tahansa, mutta ESP Eclipse II Distressed on mielestäni loistava laatusoitin, jolla on omaa luonetta ja charmia vaikka muille jakaa. Sääli, että se piti palauttaa…
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ESP Eclipse II FM FT Distressed
1.889 €
Maahantuoja: Musamaailma
Plussat:
+ ulkonäkö
+ soundi
+ paino
+ soitettavuus
+ mikkien puolitus
+ työnjälki
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