From left
ZONE-B (Graphic designed by HIGH JUMPER)
★ By adopting a 792mm ultra-long scale and moving the position of the bridge to the body end side, it is designed so that the left hand can easily reach the low position. This machine is graphic designed by Mr. Shuji Masunaga, also known as HIGH JUMPER, who is known for painting helmets and cars.
YELLOW DEVIL
(MAROON CUSTOM 666) PABLO Signature model
★ Limited to 10 models and used by PABLO at Pay Money To my Pain Revival Live at "BLARE FEST.2020" held on February 2, 2020. See the trial report on the right page for specifications and pricing.
d-fly : CJ5
★ d-fly 5-string bass. With a variety of controls such as 3-band EQ, active / passive switching, and a mid-frequency switch that allows you to select 300Hz or 480Hz, you can flexibly create sounds. (Price: Open price / Price excluding market tax ¥ 268,000)
The main trial model : YELLOW DEVIL (MAROON CUSTOM 666)
Trial impression by 衍龍(RAZOR)
When I was just thinking of making my own model, my friend introduced me to Dragonfly. My band basically sets a drop A # tuning, so it was good that the 666mm scale was a perfect match for the extremely heavy sound I wanted to produce. Also, I really like the body shape of "MAROON", and I think it fits my elbows in an exquisite place. My "MAROON CUSTOM666" has a bass thickness, but the "YELLOW DEVIL (MAROON CUSTOM666)" I tried this time has a clearer sound. I think the treble comes out properly and the rise is straight. I like that the midrange feels stronger than the deep bass and the palm mute sound is so cool. In our band, we have to fill the left and right with the presence of riffs, so I do not feel good if that is missing. Also, thanks to the neck, it is very easy to play. I have very short fingers, so it's quite painful if it's a general wide type. But this neck is rather narrow and rounded, so it felt like a fit.
◀"MAROON CUSTOM 666", which is a favorite of Kouryu, has a large impact with the pattern of the body top made of buckeye bar and resin. It is designed for simplicity, but one of the sticking points is that it is equipped with a button-type kill switch.
▲ It is a very simple specification that one humbucker is used. The DIMARZIO "DP207D Sonic" used for this is a model that eliminates the blurring of contours of bass.
［SPECIFICATIONS］
● Body: Hard maple (top), mahogany (back)
● Neck: Hard maple
● Fingerboard: Pau ferro
● Joint: Bolt on
● Number of frets: 24
● Scale: 666 mm (26.2 inches)
● Peg: Gotoh “SG381-07MGT”
● Bridge & Tailpiece:Gotoh "GE103B-T" & "GE101Z"
● Pickup: DiMarzio “DP207 D Sonic” (bridge)
● Control: Volume, tone (dummy)
● List price: Open price (price excluding market tax ¥ 480,000)
▲ The peg is an open type with exposed gear, which is rare for a normal electric guitar. Since the housing is minimal, the weight of the entire head is naturally lighter.
"High quality guitars that can meet the demands of professionals" was the original design concept of Dragonfly, but it was said that it became more and more popular with loud and heavy artists that Mr. Totani had not originally envisioned. It is interesting to show that the flow of the times is not easy to read. The three on the left page ... "YELLOW DEVIL (MAROON CUSTOM 666)" and "ZONE-B", and the d-fly 5-string bass "CJ5" can achieve great bass management with their own designs. The main trial here was "YELLOW DEVIL ~" on a 666mm scale. However, I decided to play again from the 792mm scale "ZONE-B" which was the same as the "B6" which was the beginning of the 666mm scale.
It is 144mm longer than a normal long scale, and as the model name suggests, 6 strings = B, that is, all strings are recommended to be lowered by two and a half notes. The heavy tuning like this tends to make the pitch unclear especially when distorted, though the pitch of this gear is extremely clear, and even if it is considerably distorted, the vibration of the fundamental tone is clear and powerful. Still, the deep bass is neatly organized, and although it is thick and has a presence. The sound problem when tuning is completely eliminated, but short fingers may feel like the space between the lower frets is uncomfortable. However, for example, it is shorter than the middle scale bass guitars, so the problem is getting used to it. It's okay if you think of it as a different instrument from a normal guitar and have a little re-practice attitude.
Based on the background knowledge, we started the trial of "YELLOW DEVIL ~" again. This is PABLO's signature model known as the core user of Dragonfly, and the illustrations that probably imagined him are intensely flashy, but the specification itself is simple that has humbucker and one volume (tone knob is dummy). The moment you pick it up, you are inevitably skeptical about how light it is to lift it. The thickness of "MAROON" is modest compared to the body width, but this lightness must be due to the particular selection of materials. And when I touched the neck, I was impressed by the ease of playing the 666mm scale (I also touched the 792mm just before). If you're a guitarist who likes the loud sounds and sticks to 6th string, you can not hate it.
It has a solid body with a flat top, and the material is a mahogany back and a thin maple top. And so before the trial, I imagined a tone with a tight bass range and a peaky midrange. However, I was surprised at the stretchiness of the entire range so that the moment I made a sound from the amplifier, I suddenly made a voice. Of course, there are plenty of midrange and treble, but the deep bass is so powerful that it blows away those impressions, and it makes me think "No way!". And as if to support the sound, a tremendous resonance vibration is transmitted from the body back to the abdomen. The DIMARZO "D Sonic" that is installed is originally a pickup with high gain, so it is further powered up by this overflowing resonance, and harmonics are really easy to come out. The tone that is dynamically reflected in the picking strength is also wonderful, and the response is super fast. Also, as mentioned above, this model has only a bridge position pickup, but I didn't feel the lack of neck position because the tone changes comfortably depending on how I play.
PREMERO (TOM)
★ The two color tones of red and green are reminiscent of strawberries or watermelon. And the astringent matte black one is also prepared this time. The specifications are exactly the same. A catchy color lineup will be added in the future.
The main trial model : PREMERO (TOM)
▲ There are pickguard mount single coils in the neck and middle positions, and a humbucker mounted directly in the bridge position.
［SPECIFICATIONS］
● Body: Alder ● Neck: Hard maple
● Fingerboard: Pau ferro
● Joint: Bolt on
● Number of frets: 22
● Scale: 648 mm (25.5 inches)
● Peg: Gotoh “SG381-07MGT”
● Bridge & Tailpiece:
Gotoh "GE103B-T" & "GE101Z"
● Pickup: Dragonfly “dfs-1” (neck),
"Dfs-1R" (middle), "dfh-5B" (bridge)
● Control: Volume,
High pass / low pass filter,
5-way pickup selector,
Coil tap switch
● Price: Open price (price excluding market tax ¥ 270,000 ~)
▲ The pickguard is made of metal only in the control part. From the left, high-pass / low-pass filter, coil tap switch, volume, and pickup selector.
"I think it's necessary to have a guitar that is pop and cute and that everyone wants in the lineup." ... "PREMELO", which was started to be developed because of the straightforward opinion of long-time user PABLO, is the latest model of Dragonfly. As mentioned earlier, it is based on the design that Mr. Totani made before the brand was launched, so it can be said that it is an easy-to-understand example of "developing new ideas based on study of the past".
Let’s look at the specifications in order. A standard long scale fits any guitarist. On the other hand, the body is slender like "HI STA (ORIGINAL STYLE)", and it is a compact shape with a rounded outer circumference and further reduced thickness. Thanks to its shape, the lightness when holding it is very impressive. PLEMELO has 2 single coils and a humbucker, and by changing the mounting method of the single coils in the neck and middle position and the humbucker in the bridge position, the optimum sound quality is realized for each (details are in the caption in the above photo). Also, the pickguard is made of metal only in the control part, which seems to be a specification that aims at the impact of looks first, but it goes without saying that it is also advantageous for the purpose of blocking noise. Also, the one I tried this time was equipped with a tune O matic type bridge, and the model name also has (TOM) indicating it. They plan to adopt different bridges and pickups in the future.
What I felt after playing it was that it was a model with great potential that I could recommend to both beginners and professionals. The main reason is why the combination of SSH layout, the coil tap switch and the high-pass / low-pass filter make it possible to handle all kinds of sounds such as delicate clean tone, powerful riffs, and half-tone crunch. If you are a beginner, you can learn the basics of sound making. And if you are an advanced player, you can do any kind of work with this one. It looks like some existing guitar, and at the same time it doesn't look like anything, or it can be anything. It felt like an exquisite design that gave the tone that the player wanted to put out. Also, the good connection of the sound of each pickup is impressive. In particular, the two single coils are quite powerful, so it feels smooth when switching to a humbucker with thick and outstanding clearness. The high-frequency projection method is common to both single-coil and humbuckers, which has a sense of balance unique to a brand with a long history.
3/3