Gatefold Notes from the Home Studio
When I flip back through this year, it feels less like a calendar and more like a record. Side A, Side B, a few crackles, some magic, and a groove that somehow ties everything together.
The world outside tightened its belt — geopolitics, markets, the whole shebang — and people just stopped buying guitars. My own listings sat like unsold vinyl in a corner bin. The irony? It was a golden buyer’s market. Great guitars, fair prices, and no one stepping up.
Oddly enough, it reminded me of the old days — when gear wasn’t an endless revolving door, but something you lived with, fought with, grew with. And with fewer guitars moving around, I found myself spending more time on the rig, shaping tone. I started naming my guitars, my signal chains, my little universe of tone.
And somewhere in this slow-down, I started talking gear with a.i. — my invisible studio mate. Oddly helpful. Always present. Never needs coffee.
SIDE A — The First Half Spin
The year opened with some character: a 2007 Givson Crown — an unapologetic Gibson impersonator from India. She showed up free of charge, made a little noise, and left for S$30. A charming reminder that a guitar doesn’t need pedigree to serve her purpose.
Then came the real spark — Red, a 1988 Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster in Torino Red, my first overseas purchase, straight from Ishibashi. One box from Japan changed the whole vibe of my room. She didn’t just join the lineup; she sat herself down and became Home.
I flirted with legacy ideas next. Bought Faith (a 2023 Fender Mustang) and Joy (a 2022 Fender Junior Collection Strat) with my girls in mind. Excellent made in Japan guitars… but guitars are funny things. Heirlooms can’t be forced. They left before the year could end — no bitterness, just wisdom. So only Regent, my Gibson R6, remains my only heirloom for the girls.
Meanwhile, the Yamaha Revstar walked in. Everyone says they’re amazing. I said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Good for flipping. Not for living.
An Epiphone Joe Pass arrived and reminded me — kindly — that hollow and semi-hollow guitars don’t fit into my musical bloodstream. The Bass VI made a second appearance this year and ended up in the same exit lane.
As usual, a few Squier Strats dropped by, sang their songs, and moved along. They proved yet again what the old-timers already know: when it comes to budget guitars, Squier still wears the crown.
Then came Free — a left-handed 2012 Gibson Les Paul Studio ’70s Tribute in Silverburst, flipped around and played right-handed. For S$400. She rewrote my understanding of “budget American-made” and introduced me to the surprisingly intuitive beauty of a lefty toggle switch under right-handed fingers.
A Collings 290 DC S showed up too — my first collings, ever. Spectacular instrument… but no bond. Same story as the James Tyler years ago. Sometimes the head says yes, but the hands say no.
Then came Green, my second Clapton Strat in Apple Green. Fine guitar, no complaints. But she’s not Red, not with those noiseless pickups. She knows it. I know it.
Then came 13 September 2025 — the Scandal concert. Mami, Rina, Tomomi, Haruna — something about their energy endorsed their inspiration for my musical compass. Soon after, Spring, the 2023 Fender Haruna Telecaster® Boost in Arctic White, came home on a Swee Lee discount.
She and Red became my two pillars. My Home guitars.
SIDE B — The Low End, New Toys, Old Truths
I discovered this year that bass doesn’t need to be expensive to be expressive.
The 2023 Cort C4 Deluxe in Candy Blue proved everything I needed in one budget-friendly swoop with her good looks and active circuit.
A 2025 Squier Sonic Bronco Bass in Arctic White wandered in for S$100, courtesy of a Mark Sandman itch I needed to scratch. Minimal. Dark. Beautiful.
Then came Mindy, the 2025 AKAI MPK Mini IV in Grey, straight from Amazon US. She’s sticking around as my entry into the wide universe of keys and pads. The Korg Monologue gave it a try earlier, but honestly, the Audiokit synth on my iPhone SE said, “I can do everything she does — in your pocket.” And that was that.
After clearing out the resonator, the guitalele, the mandolin, and passing my Fender parlor to a friend for her son, I found my acoustic anchor — Joni, a 2017/18 Seagull Artist Mosaic with an all-solid heart(wood). If I can only keep one acoustic forever, she’s the one.
The year also delivered a gem: a battle-worn 2012 Fender American Vintage Reissue ’56 Stratocaster in Black, formerly played on a Norwegian cruise ship. Salt, sweat, scars — she carries stories nobody can fake.
THE PEDAL BREAKDOWN — A WHOLE OTHER LP
The ThorpyFX Team Medic came, left, and returned again like a touring act with unfinished business.
The House of Blues and the Broadcast-AP came to serve me well. But they are on the sale rack now — not because they’re bad, but because my tone heart gravitated toward the lo-fi charm of the Vox Cooltron Bulldog Distortion, the Way Huge® Green Rhino™ Overdrive MKIV, and the EHX Green Russian Big Muff Pi. All came this year cheap, cheerful, and full of attitude.
A brand new UV-300 reminded me vibrato and chorus just aren’t my home terrain.
Delay and tremolo though? Always. The H.B.E. Mimic Mock I(used) and the Danelectro Cool Cat Tremolo(new) sing to me in ways expensive pedals can’t.
The Chase Bliss Tonal Recall dazzled — truly — but the Mock whispered to my soul.
Sometimes the boutique queen loses to the scrappy underdog.
The Black Country Customs Secret Path became my reverb of choice.
Oceans 12? Great, but too much menu surfing. I play guitars, not spreadsheets.
The brand new Mosky Beta Ultra (from AliExpress) crushed my Darkglass temptation.
The well-used ZT Lunchbox LBG2 crushed my PJB/Hartke temptation.
The Valeton GP-5 arrived with hype, also from AliExpress, and earned all of it.
The BOSS RC-10R and Electro-Harmonix Tri Parallel Mixer showed up quietly… then slowly became the beating heart of my entire ecosystem.
THE SMALL GIANT ERA
Two small amps made big statements upon their arrival:
- The Blackstar HT-1R MkII — cheap, tiny, surprisingly gorgeous.
- The Positive Grid Spark Go — even tinier, even bolder. She’s coming with me to Switzerland, along with the Audiokit Synth on my brand-new iPhone SE.
REARRANGEMENTS & RED CABLES
I moved my whole studio into the master bedroom this December, so my daughter could have her own room.
That’s not sacrifice. Guitars can always move. Fathers don’t think twice about things like this.
And in the new space, I finally did something I’ve oddly never done: I bought brand-new cables. A Fender Hello Kitty pink cable, a dark pink Fender contour coil cable, and a full box of Ernie Ball red flat ribbon patch cables. Suddenly the whole rig looks like it cleaned up for a family photo.
And, yes — I rescued guitars again this year. I always do. One Squier Bullet Stratocaster even got MIJ pickups transplanted. The tradition lives on.
🎯 Looking Ahead
Still hunting for Legacy #2.
Still naming things I probably shouldn’t.
Still resisting the urge to buy something ridiculous at 3am.
Still a traditional soul, even as the tech creeps in.
And hopefully, the market wakes up in 2026 so I can finally move a guitar or two without needing a prayer and a soft-spoken discount.