The sole distributor for AER in Malaysia is The Guitar Store in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, which is opposite Leisure Mall. Incidentally, Tommy Emmanuel will be coming to KL presumably because of his endorsement of the brand. He will also be taking part in the Penang Island Jazz Festival on December 5.
Anyway, having bought an excellent Yamaha solid wood acoustic guitar, it was expected as a natural progression to get an excellent acoustic amplifier to match. But the most important is still the guitarist! Tommy could bring out the best from a cheap Kapok guitar but a bad guitarist would not be able to bring out the best from an excellent guitar and amp. Just a comment on contrast and not a reflection of my friend's ability.
Initially he suggested to go on National Day, it being a public holiday for him. I had to convince him that KL would be nightmarish for drivers. Moreover, he would have to rely on a promise by an employee to go and open the shop just for him!
Then it was tentatively fixed for the following Friday. But it clashed with their trip to Penang. Then it was changed to Sept. 1. Meanwhile, I contacted my friend who said he would like to join us to have a look too. Another friend was also contacted, who later asked me to buy some special sugar-free 'heong paeng'. I bought them when I was in Ipoh taking my daughter and friends round, and included some pomeloes which I offered to him.
Then came the news that my friend's car was dented by a lorry which needed repairs.I was under the impression that Cheng would be coming back on that day, so I offered to use my car instead. Later, he suggested that we postponed it to a much later date. But I have already bought the biscuits and my other friend will be leaving for China on Sept.4! So with the unexpected turn of events, I am caught with some biscuits meant for a diabetic which I could not simply dispose off, unless I decide to give them away but more important, the promise to my friend to buy them for someone important to him. Cheng came back with her friends on Aug.30 which made my reason for the trip unnecessary. My friend felt bad about it and decided to go on Sept.3 which was yesterday. To make up for it since it all started with his mission, he offered to pay for the tolls and some incidentals on the way!
I was fortunate to have asked my friends to come along because the route we took from Sentul was via Jalan Tun Razak to Cheras, a route which I used to drive 30 years ago, almost every day for almost 2 years, when I was studying in TAR College using borrowed premises of Cheras Secondary School. What a change! I would have got lost several times without their prompt directions. However, without them, I would have used a route familiar to me, via Jalan Kuching, Jalan Maharajalela, Jalan Loke Yew and then Jalan Cheras. Even so, I would have some difficulty in Cheras because of the massive property development which hid or removed all the landmarks familiar to me.
We had Hainanese chicken rice in Cheras before leaving. On the way, I suggested that we jam at my friend's house. My friend from BG reminded me that he had to work in the evening. We had just over an hour of playing some songs, with the usual frustration of not being able to play like before. On the way back, I decided to refuel and nearly made a big mistake which could have been really troublesome and costly. I was used to driving the Accent to refuel at this Mobil station in Jalan Ipoh. So I drove to the usual pump and put in my credit card. Suddenly I realize that I was driving a diesel car! So I cancel the transaction and drive it to the diesel pump instead. My friend could not believe my luck in realizing it before it was too late and even blamed himself for not noticing it earlier.
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