Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Happy Holidays

Hey friends,

What a year.

Can't believe how fast this year has flown by, and I really am taken back at how much cool stuff has happened as I reflect on this year coming to a close.

The amount of projects we undertook, and pulled off, and all those amazing guitars and basses we built that I hated to see go! It is truly amazing.

This little post will be my last of the year.

It is just a quick THANK-YOU to everyone who we have been in contact with this year, everyone who has showed interest in our company, everyone who chose Combat to build their custom guitar or bass, and everyone who has sent us encouraging messages through Email, MySpace, etc, with all the great comments and compliments.
Thanks guys. We truly, and sincerely, appreciate all of the tremendous support and encouragement we have been receiving by so many of you from all over the world.

I would also like to remind everyone that tomorrow marks the start of our holiday away from the office and work! We will be spending the next 2 weeks at home with family & friends, resting up from a year well done. Our holiday schedule is from Wednesday, December 23rd until Wednesday, January 6th. During this time we will, again, be out of the office and unable to respond to any Email messages, inquiries, etc.

We look forward to being back in the new year for a fresh start in 2010!
Until then guys, have a great holiday season, and a safe New Years.

Big cheers and thanks from Tokyo Japan, and all of us at Combat Guitars!




Friday, November 27, 2009

10 String / 31 Fret Guitar & Bass!

Hey friends,

Things around the Combat office have been so crazy, but I really wanted to make a point to get on here before the weekend to show off the two very unusual instruments we recently got asked to build for one particular customer.

It was quite exciting when I heard that we were going to build a, never before attempted, 10-String, 31-Fret guitar. But when I heard that the same customer also placed an order at the same time for 10-String, 31-Fret bass I was blown away!
More than thinking about how these things were gonna sound, I kept thinking about how that bass would look, and how one would actually be able to play it!!

Well, we turned our designs into a reality and the proof is below. Check out the pics of these crazy looking monsters! I have also included some of the main specs for each one.

First off, the GUITAR.



With both the guitar, and bass, the main set-up is definetly that HUGE neck-through.
The guitar's neck is seven piece Maple and Bubinga, 28" inch scale with 31 frets, held sturdy by two individual truss rods. Ebony fingerboard, with a maple accent, and Pearl inlays. The wings on both sides which make up the rest of the body are Ash, as well as an Ash laminated head top.



The top four strings are set-up on a mounted thin line bridge, while the bottom six strings run through a standard synchronized tremolo. You can find standard tuning on the guitar on the 7th string down to the 2nd, E/A/D/G/B/E. The top three strings are at C#, F#, and B, while the 1st string is at G. The unusual single pickup was provided by the customer as his own unique creation of a customized steel guitar pickup! One Vol control, and direct input jack.




Now, The BASS!



Again, neck-through construction- this time NINE piece Maple and Walnut, 34" inch scale with 31 frets, and two individual truss rods. Ebony fingerboard, with Maple accents with Abalone & Pearl inlays. The body is Ash, with a very nice BuckEye Maple laminated top, back and head.



The ten strings are set-up on two individual Gotoh 5-string bass bridges. You can find standard tuning on the bass from the 8th string down at E/A/D/G. The top two strings are at a F# and B, the bottom four strings are at a C, F, A, and D. Powered by 4 Villex pickups with an Aguilar pre-amp. The hand-made ebony controls are; 1Vol, 1Balancer, Treble, Mid and Bass.



Alright, it has been a long time in the making, but finally we finished making them, (I made sure to get pics this time!) and we got them up here on the Blog for a little show'n'tell.
Look forward to hearing the feedback and comments! So let me know what you think!

Cheers,


- Combat Colin.


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

New site and some CRAZY new guitars!!

Hey friends,

We ran into some unexpected technical server difficulties recently, as well as a few other assorted nuisances, and so we had to pull the plug on our new website and start from scratch.
Right now it is bare basic, but the layout is looking pretty damn slick, I think.

Go ahead over to the website now, check out what we have going on there so far (remember, it's all still in the making) and please feel free to let me know what you think!
Any comments, creative input, is appreciated.. but be nice!



In other Combat News, word is spreading fast about the two new absolutely mind-blowing projects we recently got commissioned to build.
They are; a 10 String / 31 Fret guitar, complimented with a 10- String / 31 Fret bass.
The wood work is all done, paint & finish was completed at the start of the week, and now it is just a matter of getting these things assembled properly with their custom built bridges, pickups and so forth. These were truly unique projects, and a TON of fun to build. I can't believe how amazing they LOOK, and we are all looking forward to how they will SOUND.
I also can't help be curious as to how one will actually PLAY them!

Look forward to these ones friends.. they are truly AMAZING instruments that definitely push the envelope.

As with my last post, I will post a few pics of some recently built guitars to hold you off until the official unveiling of the 10 String monsters.
But in keeping with the "pair" theme, I thought I would share a pair of twin Combat G-Series guitars that were custom ordered for a local band's two guitarists.


G-Series with Custom Inlay



G-Series with Inverted Head



Don't forget to check out the new website, and let me know what you think! And look for updates coming on the blog very shortly about the two new 10-Stringer 31-Fretters!

Cheers,


-Combat Colin.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Playing a little catch-up!

Wow, It has been a while since I have been able to jump on the blog and type up a few things.

So much has been going on, so I am gonna try to remember some of the cool new happenings that I would like to share for the moment. Sorry if this post comes off a little sporadic, I am gonna bring things up to speed as they come to memory in no particular order!

First off, we will have a brand new official homepage up and running by the end of the month! The URL will remain the same, as http://www.combat-guitars.com, but the entire layout will be completely different. We have always done all that sort of stuff by ourselves in the past, but as things in the past few months have become so incredibly busy, we just have not had a spare moment to do all the small things we managed to be able to do before. (Including get on the blog and post something!) A good friend and associate of ours has recommended someone to us that keeps himself busy building websites for people, so let's see how this turns out! Though the new layout will be up and running in the next couple of weeks, it will be far from perfect (as if our current one is!). Since we now have someone on our side looking after the website for us, things will be regularly updated on there.

As the weeks and months progress from the official launch, we should have all ares of the website full of good stuff, including updated pictures and news, as well as photos/specs/and price lists for all the Combat lineup of Guitars and Basses!
Please keep an eye out on the site from time to time. In any case, I will be blogging about the big updates on there, and as always you can can catch up to the moment updates by simply following us on our Twitter.. if you are the Tweeting type.



Ok, next is some cool stuff regarding Ohta Katsu.
Coming up very soon Katsu will be hosting a Guitar Clinic, right here on site at the Combat Guitars office in Tokyo on October 24th, and again the next day at our smaller Sendai outlet location.



Fans of Katsu will surely not want to miss out on this extra special event and sit down with the man himself, to not only see his amazing virtuosic ability, but to have the opportunity to learn a few new tricks and licks. It's also a good way to get a glimpse of Katsu's Combat Signature ST put to the test and in action!




A while ago we had two Guitar Clinics hosted by Duel Jewel guitarist Shun, and these went down really successfully, so we are super stoked at what the Ohta Katsu Guitar Clinic will be like.

Though I never thought of it for either of Shun's Clinics, maybe if opportunity arises I will remember to get some photos of the Ohta Katsu Clinic, and maybe post a little blog report.


(*photos left/right: Ohta Katsu Signature Combat ST)



We have made so much cool stuff lately, it really has been one project after another, so it has been hard to get photos of everything! I keep thinking I will have a chance to get a photo of something and the next thing I know it is out the door already!
Really is a shame that I can't share every guitar that gets built but I do have some photos of some nice looking ST Warms and G-Series guitars we have made very recently, as well as some other cool custom stuff. I will have to dig into my pc here and see what new stuff I have and just throw a collage of stuff up on here on my next post.

So before this post gets too long, just check this brand-new bitchin' ST Warm!



Gotta love that super nice quilted maple hand carved top! All natural body binding, and hand-made ebony pick-up rings as well.

Alright!
It's good to be back on here.. man I could spend all day on here talking about stuff but I will hold off so I can unload a little more tomorrow, with some more pics!
I hope this pic of the custom ST Warm was a teaser enough to urge you back here soon to check out what else we have been up to at Combat.


See ya back here!




- Combat Colin.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Yet Another Holiday!

Hey friends,
Sorry I haven't been around much for the past while. I have been spending so much more time in the work shop, and much less time near a computer. We have made tons of new beautiful looking ST Warms, as well as some awesome looking custom stuff lately. There have been some pictures taken, and I will be sure to return to the Blog soon to update you on all the latest creations with pictures!
And BASSES! Where are the basses??! Man, I KNOW we are way overdue to show off some new bass stuff, so that will be coming as well.

Don't forget though, you can always check out our official MySpace page to see all sorts of custom Guitars AND Basses in the pics section!
http://www.myspace.com/combatguitars

Anyway, this is just quick note, as I am on my way out the door to embark on YET ANOTHER week long forced national holiday. I will be back in the office on Thursday and Friday, before taking the weekend off again, so during those two days I will be sure to update the blog with some cool pics, as well as answer emails, and get back to all who are waiting for their Estimates! Be patient till Thurs/Fri guys!

Alright, time to get my holiday on, yet AGAIN!
See ya Thursday!




- Combat Colin.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Creating Duplicates

Our long "Obon" holiday is now over, and we are back in the swing of things here at the office.

One of the things we get common requests for is "creating duplicates". This includes everything from exact replicas of various artist's signature models to the Les Paul that Jimmy Page used on a particular piece of footage.

Though we have made various "replicas" of other company's models in the past, things around our industry have changed quite significantly as of very recently.
A lot of the major companies in our industry have become increasingly noting of the amount of smaller companies out there making replicas of their models, and making a good living that way- while they themselves seem to be not selling as many guitars as they used to. This has everything to do from the possible price of certain instruments right down to a difference in quality. Whatever each individual company's reasons may be- the outcome is the same; they have made it clear that they will no longer stand aside and allow copies of their instruments to be made by other companies.

The only way around this is to pay a particular company, we'll call a "guarantee", to allow us to build a copy of one of their instruments. As a very small business, personally, we simply can in no way accomplish this.

Getting to the signature model issue; this is just not even up for argument. For obvious legal reasons, both on the part of the said manufacturer, as well as the artist in question, creating a copy of an artist's signature model is in no way possible, whatsoever.

Believe me, it has nothing to do with pride. It's not like we are just trying to force our own models on our customers. If we could get away with building anything we wanted, our orders for guitars would more than triple, and thus so would our income!

We are extremely flattered that we get so much positive feedback on the quality of our instruments, and as a business the last thing you want to do is turn a potential customer away; but the reality is that we really cannot build replicas of another company's instrument any longer.

We have always, from the inception of the company, prided ourselves on (as well as having the strict company policy as) being a CUSTOM ORDER MADE guitar and bass manufacturer. We love building instruments hand-made. We love being able to deliver exactly what our customers want. This is the most cherished core of Combat Guitars, and it will never change. We will always build each and every instrument custom order made. Though we can no longer create duplicates of another company's patented model, we can still take your ideas and turn them into something fantastic. Something original. Something of superior quality, and superior sound.

Combat also has a few original models that we are very proud of. The 4 most popular I have blogged about in the past, as well as posted galleries of on our MySpace page.

They are; the ST-Warm Series, the TL-Warm Series, the Type-G Series and the LT-Series.

Check out my blog post on them HERE.

CLICK HERE to see photo galleries of all of our original models as well as an array of custom guitars and basses we have built in the past.

I hope that helped to clear up the "creating duplicates" issue.
Thanks for your understanding!



-Combat Colin.



Monday, August 10, 2009

Out of the Office For "Obon"

Tomorrow begins yet another week long forced holiday here in Japan.

Last time was in May, when we celebrated the week long string of individual holidays collectively called "Golden Week".

This time it is for the "Obon Festivals."
The calender isn't marked at all by Obon, yet everyone seems to understand when it is. Not sure why we need to take so much time off work, but alas I am defeated by the iron grips of tradition.

Thus, we will be out of the office from August 12th until the 17th.

If you remember my extremely cynical blog post back in May about "Golden Week" and it's individual holidays, and subsequent reasons for the holiday's, I did give a brief description about what it's all about. I find the reasons for Obon to be much more respectable.

Obon stems from India, and the Buddhist beliefs of the Ullambana Sutra. The Japanese people believe that during the period of Obon that the Spirit's of their ancestors return home. So naturally, during this time all Japanese families re-unite together to celebrate the communion of the family. To reflect on their departed loved ones and express thankfulness for how the remaining impact of what they have done for us still effects our lives, and to honor them with remembrance.

I can definitely see value in a tradition like this, and so will check my usual cynicism at the reasons behind some national holidays at the door.

Though I do support a tradition like Obon, and respect it entirely, believe me when I say that I am always the last guy who wants to take time off work. Again, really sorry but, because of Obon we will be out of the office until Monday August 17th. So, let me apologize that you will have to wait for any responses regarding anything until after then.

Instead of stressing about your guitar, in the spirit of Obon- take a few days to do some nice things for your mom instead.


See ya Monday!



- Combat Colin.






Monday, August 3, 2009

Combat Guitars Original Models!

Things may seem to have slowed down a bit in regards to the blog, and I apologize for that, but nothing could be busier or more exciting than what is happening behind the scenes these days here at the Combat office.

I really do need to start capturing more moments on film, video and the digi-cam, so I can get them up here on the blog and share them all with you! Again, I apologize for the recent absence, things have just been a bit nutty! I will kick back in gear with the blog though, so please be patient, and as always a HUGE thank-you to everyone who continues to support us here at our small business, Combat Guitars.


We've recently made a couple one-off customs that were just SICK, and unfortunately they got picked up by their owners before I could even think about getting some photos! There are enough photos floating around on our official MySpace, and Website anyway, for you to get the idea of what I mean by some pretty sweet looking custom one-offs.

In any case, what I would really like to start focusing in on much more intensely and exclusively are the four Combat Original Models. Don't get me wrong, one-offs are great! They are exciting to build, and a pleasure to see finished. However, I think I have focused in on the one-off stuff a little too much and would really like to take things in a new direction. Of course we will always be a custom maker, that is our strict company policy! But, we would also like to establish ourselves amongst our fellow guitar companies with our own line-up of seriously great looking, and awesome sounding line-up of original guitar models.

Another area I have neglected is showing-off our basses! Combat Guitars is just as serious about our hand-made basses as we are about all our custom guitars. Our one-off basses, as well as our line up of original basses; the Combat Mega Bass and the Combat MSB Bass.

I promise I will get more in depth, and more active about the bass stuff, starting very very soon. But for now, in regards to this post, I do want to remind you of, our maybe even introduce you to, the four models in Combat's original line-up!



COMBAT GUITARS ORIGINAL MODELS


The design of all four models in Combat's line-up have been carefully thought-out, in every aspect. Not just aesthetically, but how the guitars feel, how they are shaped, and how tonal out put is effected. When coupled with any number of Combat's original head designs (which can be chosen by YOU), the guitars are set-up to be superior in every way. String-tension, tuning stability, and again- maximum tonal out-put are all things which have been carefully noted of.

Though these are a standard line-up of guitar models, the customization aspect of Combat Guitars still remains. Choose your model, then choose your head-shape, choose your preferred neck-joint, neck grip, hardware, pickups, color, bindings, etc etc etc.

This is Combat's original line-up of guitar models. All completely customizable by YOU.


1. The Combat ST-Warm Series

This model takes a classic, and standard ST-type body design and turns it into something spectacular. The ST-Warm adds a unique arched body top to this timeless design, and is available as a hollow-body or solid-body (ST Solid-Warm).


Combat ST-Warm Series




2. The Combat TL-Warm Series

Like the ST-Warm, the TL-Warm is based on a classic TL body shape, but with a unique arched body top. The TL-Warm is also available as a hollow-body, or solid-body (TL Solid-Warm)


Combat TL-Warm Series




3. The Combat G-Series

The G-Series guitar is your all-around guitar! With simple customization this amazingly versatile guitar can be perfectly suited to nearly any type of playing style, with a shape that is simple and subtle, yet sleek and stunning. Though we think this guitar looks and sounds best as an arched top, we will accept orders for flat tops as well.


Combat G-Series




4. The Combat LT-Series

The LT-Series is the newest addition to the Combat original line-up of models. The LT-Series guitar is a gorgeous contemporary shaped instrument that combines classic characteristics of an LP type guitar with modern curves, and an arched-top that's hand-carved, topping out at over 20mm.


Combat LT-Series




To see more pics of the Combat original line-up of models; the LT-Series, the TL-Warm, the ST-Warm, and the G-Series CLICK HERE!




If you are interested in creating your own custom Combat Guitar or bass, simply fill out our FREE Estimate Form to as far as you can with all your ideas and specs, etc, and I will get back to you, usually within the next day, with advice and a FREE estimate!




CLICK HERE to read more about why hand-made is better.

CLICK HERE to read about all the steps involved in making a custom guitar




Thanks again for all your awesome support! Be sure to keep checking back here on the blog, as I do promise to keep profiling all the newest guitars and basses we make, as well as to get more in depth on the bass side of things! We are also still working on a few video projects we hope will see fruition soon.





- Combat Colin.


Monday, July 20, 2009

Shun / Duel Jewel Signature Model


Introducing the Combat Guitars Shun Signature Model Guitar!


Shun, the guitar player for Duel Jewel, has been a familiar face around the Combat family circle for quite some time now, and we are proud to finally announce the official launch of his Combat Signature Model Guitar.





*Shun's Signature Model Guitar is available in two variations.



COMBAT SJG-1





Body: Alder
Top: Flamed Maple
Neck: Maple/Walnut 5P
(Flamed Maple head top)
Fret Board: Ebony
Inlays: Pear Blocks
Frets: JD 6105 Medium Jumbo High
Pickups:
-Front / Dimarzio PAF Classic
-Center / Dimarzio Virtual Solo
-Rear / Dimarzio D-Sonic
Bridge: Gotoh 510T
Controls:
-Rotary Switch
-Master Vol
-Master Tone






COMBAT SJG-2





Body: Alder
Top: Quilted Maple
Neck: Maple/Walnut 5P
(Quilted Maple head top)
Fret Board: Rosewood
Inlays: Pear Blocks
Frets: JD 6105 Medium Jumbo High
Pickups:
-Front / Dimarzio Virtual Solo
-Center / Dimarzio Virtual Solo
-Rear / Dimarzio D-Sonic
Bridge: Synchronized Tremolo
Controls:
-Rotary Switch
-Master Vol
-Master Tone






* The price for both the SJG-1 / SJG-2 is ¥300,000 (Japanese Yen).



For more info on Shun and his band Duel Jewel please check out the following websites:

Duel Jewel Official Website:
Duel Jewel Unofficial MySpace:



As always, if you have any questions about the Shun Model Guitar, please feel free to contact us anytime at: international(at)combat-guitars(dot)com




- Combat Colin.


Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Ushirokara-Maekawa.

Hey friends,

Check out our Official YouTube Channel to see the latest uploaded vid!
The video is another slap-bass demo, this time featuring the one and only Ushirokara-Maekawa.

Combat Guitars Official YouTube Channel:



Ushirokara-Maekawa


As I have stated in a previous post, Maekawa is quite a familiar face around the Combat Guitars family circle. He is a renowned professional session musician who collaborates his amazing bass ability on many different projects. He has been featured in numerous magazines, and has also been welcomed further inside the Combat camp as an instructor in the newly established Combat Guitar School.

Maekawa exclusively, and proudly, plays Combat Basses.
Here are but a few regularly used weapons in his ever growing arsenal of custom Combat Basses:

Maekawa's Combat Custom 4-String Bass


This bass's main specs include:
A solid Ash body, bolt on Hard Maple neck on a Purple Heart fingerboard.
Custom frog inlays. (Maekawa has a thing for frogs).
All gold hardware. Two Haussel pick-ups, Kahler bass tremolo bridge and an Aguilar obp3 pre-amp. The controls are 1 vol, 1 tone, 1 mid and a treb-bass stack pot.




Maekawa's main bass. Custom Combat AYA Series 7-string Bass


Here we go again with another awesome instrument in our ever growing array of AYA Series guitars and basses. This one is Maekawa's main bass, and it is truly a gorgeous instrument.
Here we have an Alder body, laminated and weaved with layers of Bubinga, RoseWood, Flamed Maple, Hard Maple, Ebony and Purple Heart.
The bolt on neck is constructed of Hard Maple, Walnut and RoseWood, with a RoseWood fingerboard.
Four Villex pick-ups, with two Aguilar obp2 pre-amps.
All gold hardware. Hipshot 7-string bridge, 4 stack pots; vol, treb, mid & bass, and 2 balancers.



Maekawa; slappin' the AYA Series LIVE!



Check out my other blog posts for profiles on various other AYA Series guitars and basses! You can also see more pics on our official web site, and official MySpace page!
And don't forget to check out our official YouTube channel to see Maekawa slappin' it silly on his Combat Custom 4-string!


Combat Guitars Official Website:

Combat Guitars Official MySpace:

Combat Guitars Official YouTube Channel:




- Combat Colin.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ohta Katsu!

Head on over to our Official MySpace page, and check out a cool addition!
We just uploaded an awesome song into the music player, an original song recorded by golden boy Ohta Katsu.

Combat Guitars Official MySpace:



Ohta Katsu

Yesterday, Katsu came by our office with a very nice surprise. It seems he recorded an original song to donate to us for promo on the MySpace. This is an awesome way, not only for you to hear a Combat Guitar being shredded like nobody's business, but for you to also hear Katsu's amazing guitar playing.


For those who don't yet know the name Ohta Katsu, he is one of Japan's golden-boy Guitar heroes. His popularity continues to rise every year and is being featured in an increasing amount of magazine coverage, guitar books, DVD's and other media forms of guitar instruction and adoration, not just in Japan but in many other Countries and websites/ magazines, etc from abroad.

Ohta Katsu stumbled upon Combat Guitars a few years ago and has not looked back since. He continues to play and stand behind Combat, using Combat Guitars for all of his studio and live work.

Katsu's weapon of choice is the Combat ST Series. His are custom made a smaller size than a usual ST style guitar. Made with an Alder body, one-piece bolt on Maple neck and Dimarzio Virtual Solo pickups in all 3 positions. A standard set-up of 3-way toggle switch, one Master Vol and two Tone controls. He changes the head shape on different guitars, all of which are Combat original designs. The jumbo scalloped frets are also an important feature Katsu demands for his guitars.



Ohta Katsu Custom ST


















For more info on Ohta Katsu-

Ark Storm Official MySpace:

Ark Storm Official English HomePage:




For more on the Combat ST-Series Guitars, check out my April 12th Blog Post here:





- Combat Colin.


Thursday, June 4, 2009

AYA Series Custom ST.

Here's another newly built guitar I just HAD TO show off.
It's a beautiful custom ST based on our
AYA series. In case you are not yet familiar with our AYA themed series of guitars and basses, at the end of this blog post I will provide a link to one of my previous posts on the AYA Series.

Just to tell you a little bit right now though,
AYA guitars and basses are not a series of instruments based on a specific "shape", but rather an aesthetic design. We have built AYA Series guitars with the ST shapes (like the one I will show you below), AYA TL's, AYA G-Series, and a whole slew of AYA themed basses.

The
AYA themed guitar series are Asian influenced aesthetic designs infused into the highest quality hand-made guitars and basses out there.

Check out this custom
AYA ST:


AYA Series Custom ST by Combat Guitars




Here we have an Alder body with a pretty stunning top and back. Both top and back are laminated with Purple Heart, Buckeye Maple, Flamed Maple and Ebony. The top is further complimented with a matching hand-made pick guard of the same materials. Awesome sounding Lindy Fralin pickups, with custom made Purple Heart pickup covers.




One-piece Maple neck with a laminated Honduras Rosewood fingerboard. The fingerboard is also weaved with Padouk, Flamed Maple, Ebony and Purple Heart. The inlays are real Abalone weaved with Ebony.



Inverted Combat original head. Stamped with the AYA Series logo.



For more info on the AYA Series Guitars & Basses, check out my April 6
th blog post on the AYA Series: HERE

To see more pics of AYA-Series guitars & Basses, as well as the other original line-up of Combat Guitars; the Tele-Warm Series, the ST-Warm, the G-Series, and the LT-Series CLICK HERE!



If you would like to build a hand-made AYA Series guitar or bass, send us an email and tell us your ideas! Visit our official Web Site for our contact details!





If you are interested in creating your own custom Combat Guitar or bass, simply fill out our FREE Estimate Form to as far as you can with all your ideas and specs, etc, and I will get back to you, usually within the next day, with advice and a FREE estimate!




CLICK HERE to read more about why hand-made is better.

CLICK HERE to read about all the steps involved in making a custom guitar:




Thanks!




- Combat Colin.