NGD: Gain by Fujigen (FGN) Elan Deluxe-TR

[indrangelion]

Won't keep you up here for long Straight to the porn!

Within moments after the guitar's received, went straight for its first mod. ESP Arming Adjuster solves everything that are wrong with my guitar maintenance skills

A wild photo bombing bunny appears!

Specs:
EMG HZ H-4 Pickups, Basswood body, 5 ply Maple/Walnut bolt on neck (24 Fret Jumbo), Rosewood fingerboard, Acrylic Lacquer top, Gain original Floyd Rose bridge, 1Vol, 1Tone,3-Way Lever Switch Coil Tap Push-Push SW(Tone Knob), incl heavy duty gig bag.

My first foray into the Fujigen (FGN) brand. I know that this is their cheaper model (think ESP's LTD, etc), but I'm very impressed with its playability.

I was after an "all-rounder", something comfortable to play both sitting and standing up, high fret access, not as heavy as my LP, and a floating trem. I have to admit that one of the reasons I bought it was because it reminded me of Broderick's white Jackson, but 90% was due to the curiosity for the brand. So far it's looking good. No neck dives, sleek and fast neck, not heavy nor light at all.

The EMG HZ's (H4) need to go though. It sounds like fart, for the lack of a better description I'm in the process of ordering a pair of blue DiMarzio Super 2 and a Liquifire. Also a set of Planet Waves locking tuners. I'll take more pics of the updated guitar once the new pickups installed. Also thinking of dropping an OFR in, but not sure if it's a retrofit or not

Thanks for looking!

 

[McBrain]

Looking good. Where are these made?

If you want to replace the floyd, then i looks like you will need a Schaller "Floyd Rose II" with the short screws.

 

[themike]

Sweet Fgn' deal, man

Reminds me of an entry level Angelus

 

[Yul Brynner]

It's like a Prestige Ibanez just with a different body and headstock shape! Nice.

 

[indrangelion]

Looking good. Where are these made?

If you want to replace the floyd, then i looks like you will need a Schaller "Floyd Rose II" with the short screws.

Indonesia. The QC is actually pretty good. One thing that bothers me is the control cavity was routed a bit roughly (not all that smooth).

Thanks for the info! I'm a little bit of a newb when it comes to Floyds, since I've avoided them most of my playing life. Schaller Floyds have the reputation of being "the best Floyd out there", but would it also be worth looking into a block upgrade? Looking to increase the resonance and that extra oomph in the low end. The ESP arming adjuster has actually increased the brightness and resonates more because of it. But just wondering if there is anything else I could do to make the most out of it

Sweet Fgn' deal, man

Reminds me of an entry level Angelus

Haha now that you mention it, the headstock shape really adds to that Angelus look. I actually haven't noticed it until now

 

[Pikka Bird]

Ibanez/Cort crossover? I like it a lot.

(I don't actually know if Cort or Caparison used that kind of style first, BTW)

 

[IbanezDaemon]

Want!!!! That is a great looking guitar.

 

[Tristoner7]

Very cool, HNGD ! I've been trying to find someone who will ship that exact same guitar to me here in the states but no luck so far. We have 1 FGN dealer here but he can't get the Gain series. Interesting note: Shane from bMusic told me that these are actually made in the same Indonesian facility as the Ibanez Premium stuff.

 

[indrangelion]

Very cool, HNGD ! I've been trying to find someone who will ship that exact same guitar to me here in the states but no luck so far. We have 1 FGN dealer here but he can't get the Gain series. Interesting note: Shane from bMusic told me that these are actually made in the same Indonesian facility as the Ibanez Premium stuff.

Haha I actually bought this guitar from Shane 'Twas on special, so I couldn't resist. Didn't know that about the Premium Ibby factory. Now I'm impressed!

If you're looking to get one exactly like this, I believe there is a brand new one floating on eBay at the moment. Otherwise, I'm sure Shane would be able to get one for you.

 

[Tristoner7]

Awesome, I asked him but due to a few laws he can't ship the Gains to the US, there's an Elan Expert on eBay here but it's a little more than I can afford at the moment, maybe one day. I love the look of them. Any chance of getting a review any time soon ?

 

[indrangelion]

There's this one from another Australian dealer. eBay sellers are usually a little more lenient with international customers.

Gain by FGN (Fujigen) Deluxe Elan Electric Guitar | eBay

A review? Yeah sure Watch this space.