I'm not sure when it was that these guitars first hit the shelves. If I recall correctly, it was when I was starting my guitar journey. Acoustic guitars that were shaped like electrics. It made sense. If you played electric but needed to switch to acoustic for a song, or if you really didn't like playing a large-bodied acoustic, then these seem to be made just for you. Lots of people must have felt so because these hideous abominations were everywhere. Every six-string playing youth pastor in the bible belt had one of these in his office/chevy blazer. Not to mention that every 20-something, female "singer-songwriter" had one in her college dorm room. Why were these so popular? They were objectively awful. They sounded like wet garbage that somehow was let ablaze. Yet, I'm sure Fender could have paid everyone college tuition with the profits from this line. Then again, college was cheaper then.
I'd typically put a picture here, but If I grabbed a promotional image of these it would just make me angry.
They've brought them back, dear God, They've brought them back. But these aren't the instruments that were back then. These are not meant to help people learn, or be a stand-in for your electric for a bedroom jam. These are priced well beyond any entry-level instrument. A quick price check revealed $2000 price tags. I couldn't believe it, so I checked around a little more. I'm not dreaming, the product of a luthier's fever dream is now demanding thousands of dollars.
I actually saw these for the first time on an Andertons' video probably a year or so ago. I didn't think much of it because if I did, then I'd just get angry. What surprised me, though, was that they didn't sound nearly as horrible as I remembered. I mean, from what I could tell, the electronics on board were putting out what I guitar only describe as "guitar noises". Some of the features are actually welcome. Magnetic pickups and output blending are smart options. It looked as though Fender had put a little bit of thought into these guitars this time around. I gave it a pass. I can honestly say that I haven't given it a second thought since then, but now they've put out the Acoustisonic Strat. They've doubled down. That's when I looked a little further, saw that they were asking as much as a professional instrument, and decided to write (or scream into the void of the internet) my thoughts.
They asked if they could, but never stopped to ask themselves if they should. These guitars are better in every way than the ones that came before. I wouldn't blame anyone who has seen one and considered purchasing one. These are perfect guitars to be sold on-line and demoed on YouTube. They are capable of sounding pleasant. They look well made and attractive. The satin finishes and appointments are top-notch. I'm sure from a stage, these guitars are impressive. However, the acoustic noise that emits from the guitars is the same awful, thin, and stale sounds that the originals had. You know what else the originals had? Horrible balance issues. These guitars would neck-dive harder than SG basses making them a terrible stage guitar. Seeing the price tag of these guitars mad me angry and physically ill. Unless they put a counterweight in the body of the guitar (which I'm sure is just great for acoustics) then I'd rather hurl one of these across a stage than have to play a set with it.
In conclusion
Don't buy one of these. There are so many alternatives that aren't an affront to God. If there is some millionaire out there that wants to do something good for the world, then please buy every one of these and put them into those barrels that homeless people warm themselves by.
Showing posts with label Stratocaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stratocaster. Show all posts
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Saturday, January 9, 2016
The Ugly Truth About Turning A 'Trasher' Into a Treasure
A few years ago I was having trouble, trouble justifying my desire to buy more gear... I'll admit. I like to play new and exciting gear. The reason that I started writing about gear in the first place was to curb my intense desire to acquire. There is only so much to write about, so in search to find something worth while and budget friendly, I took to the internet to find a deal on some musical swag. What I found was a seemingly endless bevvy of options. Used gear was the most appealing. I could find something that I was familiar with and a fairly safe investment.
This week, I was digitally flipping through The Tone Report's online magazine, and found an article about buying or finding a junker guitar and turning it into a player. I love this idea. I have attempted to do this a number of times, to different degrees of success. The plan was always to work on the guitar until it was a top notch part of my collection. What often happened was amassing a large amount of replacement parts, spending almost as much as the initial investment, and ending up with a underwhelming result. This got me thinking about the process and the value of experience. What I found wasn't too pretty.
It's Expensive
You got into this because it was cheap, but now you see that it is adding up. $100 on a guitar, $50 on some pickups from ebay, $35 on some decent tuners, $25 on new pots and wires and jacks. You're out $200+ dollars on your junker, then you have to put it all together. If you are like me, you enjoy putting everything together. The process is the best part. Assembling and soldering, It is rewarding to put something together and having it work. I was working on a SG, installing new pickups, and for some reason the neck pickup would not work. I tried to find the problem. I scratched my head and traced wires, I rewire the pots and pickup... still nothing. I finally tested the pickup... it was dead. Which brings me to my second point.
Sometime the work is just work
I know that seems a little simple, but when you drool over the parts you are going to stick into your current project you seldom foresee the issues that you'll have. The job that take a couple of solder joints, take an hour and a half. You can add a half hour to a job by knocking you parts bin off the counter you're working on. Those screws can hide in surprising places. There are only so many times you can burn your fingers and still "enjoy" the work. Even at modest prices, replacing the common parts in a build like these would run you another $100. So we've breached $300. This brings up the conversation that...
You could have bought something new
There are some decent guitars under $300. There are some more than decent used guitars for that kind of money, and what you have made is only arguably better. Best case scenario is that you start with a body and neck you enjoy and change the sound of the guitar to match you liking while upgrading the hardware to make it reliable. Or you could forego this entire process and just find a guitar that has all of these attributes. I've found that a stock guitar is going to be more reliable and cleaner looking than one that I've modified. I've changed tuners and left holes from the stock ones. Tools slip while working and give the guitar "character marks". Some of the solder work might not be as pretty. The worst thing you can end up with after all that work is something you don't absolutely love. You have something you've put you time and money into, and yet you favor your 'tried and true' over your polished gem.
Conclusion
While the process can be cathartic, the outcome can also be underwhelming. I mention it being a safe investment. Sure, you can try to turn a dime on your guitar that you've worked on, but you are charged with convincing someone to buy your customized guitar. Forget trying to get paid for all that work. You'll be working upstream to convince them to pay more than the stock guitar that you bought. Sure, you can get your initial investment back, but you are more than likely going to be upside down in the end. Having said that, I enjoyed and haven't regretted working on any of the project that I have. I enjoyed the process. To me it was a way to learn more about the instrument that is, in some ways, a part of me.
This week, I was digitally flipping through The Tone Report's online magazine, and found an article about buying or finding a junker guitar and turning it into a player. I love this idea. I have attempted to do this a number of times, to different degrees of success. The plan was always to work on the guitar until it was a top notch part of my collection. What often happened was amassing a large amount of replacement parts, spending almost as much as the initial investment, and ending up with a underwhelming result. This got me thinking about the process and the value of experience. What I found wasn't too pretty.
It's Expensive
You got into this because it was cheap, but now you see that it is adding up. $100 on a guitar, $50 on some pickups from ebay, $35 on some decent tuners, $25 on new pots and wires and jacks. You're out $200+ dollars on your junker, then you have to put it all together. If you are like me, you enjoy putting everything together. The process is the best part. Assembling and soldering, It is rewarding to put something together and having it work. I was working on a SG, installing new pickups, and for some reason the neck pickup would not work. I tried to find the problem. I scratched my head and traced wires, I rewire the pots and pickup... still nothing. I finally tested the pickup... it was dead. Which brings me to my second point.
Sometime the work is just work
I know that seems a little simple, but when you drool over the parts you are going to stick into your current project you seldom foresee the issues that you'll have. The job that take a couple of solder joints, take an hour and a half. You can add a half hour to a job by knocking you parts bin off the counter you're working on. Those screws can hide in surprising places. There are only so many times you can burn your fingers and still "enjoy" the work. Even at modest prices, replacing the common parts in a build like these would run you another $100. So we've breached $300. This brings up the conversation that...
You could have bought something new
There are some decent guitars under $300. There are some more than decent used guitars for that kind of money, and what you have made is only arguably better. Best case scenario is that you start with a body and neck you enjoy and change the sound of the guitar to match you liking while upgrading the hardware to make it reliable. Or you could forego this entire process and just find a guitar that has all of these attributes. I've found that a stock guitar is going to be more reliable and cleaner looking than one that I've modified. I've changed tuners and left holes from the stock ones. Tools slip while working and give the guitar "character marks". Some of the solder work might not be as pretty. The worst thing you can end up with after all that work is something you don't absolutely love. You have something you've put you time and money into, and yet you favor your 'tried and true' over your polished gem.
Conclusion
While the process can be cathartic, the outcome can also be underwhelming. I mention it being a safe investment. Sure, you can try to turn a dime on your guitar that you've worked on, but you are charged with convincing someone to buy your customized guitar. Forget trying to get paid for all that work. You'll be working upstream to convince them to pay more than the stock guitar that you bought. Sure, you can get your initial investment back, but you are more than likely going to be upside down in the end. Having said that, I enjoyed and haven't regretted working on any of the project that I have. I enjoyed the process. To me it was a way to learn more about the instrument that is, in some ways, a part of me.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
5 Ugly Truths About Relic'ing Your Guitar
My relic'd SG
Lately I've been wanting a new guitar. I have a pitifully small budget, but I wanted something different. I trolled around for a pre-loved instrument on craigslist, but nothing quite hit the nail on the head. Mostly because nobody wanted to handover a guitar free of charge. I was reminded that I had some gear loaned out to someone that wanted to learn (and had lost all interest.) The gears where set in motion, and once again I was in possession of my Epiphone SG 310 (or something like that. I had picked it up. more or less, as a souvenir while traveling with my wife back when I had some disposable income. I never really fit in with my other guitar (all Telecasters) so it go sidelined a lot. Sitting down with one of my good friends and fellow gear-nut, we discussed relic'ing guitars. He has a Mexican Strat that he has reclic'd. As he described the process, I started to visualize going through the steps. It reminded me of when I went about refinishing my Telecaster back when I only had one. I then knew what I had to do. I was going to beat my SG until it and I had a mutual respect for one another. There are some things that I learned along the way that were somewhat surprising.
Photo by musiczoo.com
Let's start with the obvious. You are going to change your guitar in a way that will be very difficult to repair. In some cases, repairing a relic job would mean replacing so many parts that it would more new pieces than original. So you strip your guitar down to its bare parts and get ready to do the deed. When I began to distress my SG, I had no idea what it was going to look like. I stripped a Telecaster and repainted it. Over the years, the paint job I did wore in some spots. I wanted to replicate that effect on my SG. What I ended up with was something complete different. Many of the edges have "wear" marks and dings, but it was very difficult to cause that effect. Many of the bevels that are part of the SG shape have been rounded off in the "wearing" of the paint job. Even if I repainted the guitar it would still have a "distressed" shape. So think about that before you break out your "murder tools"
2. You Will Regret Almost Everything
I worked at a passionate rate. Every time I nicked, cut and ding my guitar I grew bolder. I wanted more of that effect. I wanted to go further. If one looked good then ten would be great. Only, as I work a noticed that this ding looked like that ding and those nicks look like someone did it on purpose (duh). I started thinking that I had made a huge mistake that I can't take back. Those marks don't look real. Why would there be dings like that over there! It was all falling apart just as fast as it had come together. So I put it down, went back inside, and had a good cry (a figurative cry). I came back with the mentality that it was the journey that matter, not so much the end result. I let my children bead on the body with a file. I stood on it. I laid it flat on a concrete floor and kicked it around. To Hell with the nitpicky. This is supposed to be fun!
3. It Will Always Look "Manufactured"
Indeed, the marks on my guitar may not fool the "expert" but like I explained above, it is something that I enjoyed. So lets talk about your guitar. No matter how well you think you did, it still going to look manufactured to the one person that matters, You. No matter how well you recreate those marks of instruments that have seen decades of heavy use you will know that your were caused by the tools in your garage. Each time you pick up your guitar, no matter how great you think it looks, you are living a lie. It may be an innocent little fib. Your instrument didn't really earn (or deserve) those marks of abuse. Many people will not even question how those got there, but you know that you did it. there is almost an aspect of exhibitionism. You know a dirty little secrete about your guitar and you parade that secrete in front of everyone just to see if anyone will call you on it.
4. You Won't Want To Stop
It is almost addictive when you wear through your finish and you see the wood underneath. You want more. You want more visible wood (that could be taken wrong). You want more battle scars. You rack you brain to think of where the wear should go. You think about wear the pick would scratch or wear the head would bump into something, or how missing the input jack might put a ding in the finish. You could add cigarette burns (man, visible wood and cigarette burn, this might put me on some sort of watch list) or yellow your finish. There is no limit. I guess you could keep going until your instrument is no longer playable. You could do some real damage if your not careful, but in all seriousness...
5. You Need To Stop
Why do we do this to our guitars. There is really no other group of musician that do the thing we do to there instruments. You don't see drummers spend time and energy into making their instrument look abused (it just happens naturally). Pianist take care in preserving their instruments, much like nearly every other musician. Symphonies take pride in the pristine way their instrument are cared for. Marching bands make their instrument shine before every performance. But a faction of guitarist think that they should degrade their instrument to the point (and past said point) of realism. There are guitar that make my heart sink when I see them. I know that someone has beaten it to the point that it looks like it was recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic. So please, if you are going to add "wear" to your guitar, know how far is too far.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
5 Guitars That Every Guitarist Should Own
There are a lot of guitars out there. If you've been playing for a while then you've no doubt found what you like. It take little more than a trip to the music store to see what you like and what works for you. For me it is the Fender Telecaster. There is something comfortable about the shape and weight. For others it might be a SG or something from Ibanez. There is nothing wrong with any of these, but sometimes we gravitate toward a particular shape and style. If you are the collector type, like myself, then one guitar is never enough, nor is one type. So, how do we go about being a well rounded guitar owner? Diversity.
5) The Pawn Shop Special
There is something about find a diamond in the rough. Sometimes you have call them like you see them. If the guitar is a dud, its a dud. Sometime you find a guitar that was made for about five minutes by a company that doesn't exist any more. Other times you find a guitar that has been loved a little too hard, but despite the looks, the guitar of a soulful tone machine still lives. The best part is that prices are usually pretty flexible. This is a great idea that for the collector with limited cash. It can also serve as a great platform for mods and experimenting.
4)The Classic
We are talking the big four. Strat, Tele, Les Paul, SG. Many of these are made and lots of people make clones. It is actually hard Not to own one of these guitars once your collection reaches a certain size. There is not a lot to say hear. There are some icons that should be experienced. If you do not already like one of these options then look into these guys. Many people like at their choice of guitar as a reflection of themselves, and to an extent it is, and getting one of these classics seems to cliche. There is a reason that these are so prolific.
3)The obscure
Just like owning a classic is important, owning a guitar that no one really knows or has ever thought about since the last one rolled off the production line. Often times these are terrible guitars, but every once in a while these surprise us and end up being fantastic guitars. The pawn shop is a great place to look, as is craigslist.
2)The "Out of your comfort zone"
Get weird. Get way out there. BC Rich is a great place to start. Maybe a flying V or Explorer for the more timid. A seven or eight string guitar will challenge you in many ways. Perhaps it as simple as losing the low E string and tuning a guitar to and open tuning. You should also consider extended range guitars such as a baritone. Resonator or slide guitar could be your "walk on the wild side". Everyone has their own comfort zone, try to find something that is definitively not typical for you.
1))The Fixer-upper
With a little luck and a few tools, you can take a guitar that others would pass up and make it into an absolute player. Maybe this a low-end model that could use some new guts, or a used unit that needs a nice set up. In any case, there is nothing that connects you to your instrument like putting honest work into bringing it back to life. This is a great experience for any guitarist. Working on a guitar and improving its status is good practice for when your main ax develops a hiccup. Skills like soldering and wiring take practice to perfect, so working on a guitar that isn't already an important part of your emotional well-being might be preferable.
5) The Pawn Shop Special
There is something about find a diamond in the rough. Sometimes you have call them like you see them. If the guitar is a dud, its a dud. Sometime you find a guitar that was made for about five minutes by a company that doesn't exist any more. Other times you find a guitar that has been loved a little too hard, but despite the looks, the guitar of a soulful tone machine still lives. The best part is that prices are usually pretty flexible. This is a great idea that for the collector with limited cash. It can also serve as a great platform for mods and experimenting.
4)The Classic
We are talking the big four. Strat, Tele, Les Paul, SG. Many of these are made and lots of people make clones. It is actually hard Not to own one of these guitars once your collection reaches a certain size. There is not a lot to say hear. There are some icons that should be experienced. If you do not already like one of these options then look into these guys. Many people like at their choice of guitar as a reflection of themselves, and to an extent it is, and getting one of these classics seems to cliche. There is a reason that these are so prolific.
3)The obscure
Just like owning a classic is important, owning a guitar that no one really knows or has ever thought about since the last one rolled off the production line. Often times these are terrible guitars, but every once in a while these surprise us and end up being fantastic guitars. The pawn shop is a great place to look, as is craigslist.
2)The "Out of your comfort zone"
Get weird. Get way out there. BC Rich is a great place to start. Maybe a flying V or Explorer for the more timid. A seven or eight string guitar will challenge you in many ways. Perhaps it as simple as losing the low E string and tuning a guitar to and open tuning. You should also consider extended range guitars such as a baritone. Resonator or slide guitar could be your "walk on the wild side". Everyone has their own comfort zone, try to find something that is definitively not typical for you.
1))The Fixer-upper
With a little luck and a few tools, you can take a guitar that others would pass up and make it into an absolute player. Maybe this a low-end model that could use some new guts, or a used unit that needs a nice set up. In any case, there is nothing that connects you to your instrument like putting honest work into bringing it back to life. This is a great experience for any guitarist. Working on a guitar and improving its status is good practice for when your main ax develops a hiccup. Skills like soldering and wiring take practice to perfect, so working on a guitar that isn't already an important part of your emotional well-being might be preferable.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
The Stratocaster
Leo Fender changed the face of modern music in 1950 (arguably sooner) when he produced the instrument we now know as the Telecaster. Also in 1950, Leo Fender sought to outdo even his first accomplishment, he set out to create the perfect instrument. By many's opinion, he succeeded. That effort yielded none other than the Stratocaster.
Fender's first success was the Telecaster. The Telecaster, among other things (like being great), was unrefined. By some accounts, the Telecaster is a slab of wood with the right parts to make a guitar. On some level that account is correct. If that is the case then the Telecaster is the roadster and the Stratocaster plays the role of the high powered luxury super-car. To take a look at the stats, the Strat walks away with a win. Three single-coil pickups, two tone knobs, double cut-away design, recessed input jack, and a shape more than a little reminiscent of the Stradivarius violins make it a master piece. If the Telecaster was proof of concept then the Stratocaster was Leo Fenders signature piece.
The Stratocaster has seen several innovations. The very first additions had a three-way switch that only let you select one pickup at a time. Many players would stick the selector between the first and second position to select the first and second pickups. This trend actually caused the now standard five-way selector to be added. The shape of the Stratocaster is as close to perfect one could image a guitar being. The curves and bevels hug one's body. The weight and balance do delicate dance, being heavy enough to feel substantial but balanced so that the weight sits on the players shoulders.
Leo Fender knew what made a instrument great, three single-coil pickups. Many people love the sound made by humbucker pickups (myself included). These pickups combined high output with noise cancelling, reverse wound coils. In a time were the popular music would mellow and jazz and classical influenced, Leo Fender knew that musicians of the time need presence and clarity to standout from the musical mix. If the sound of the single-coil was too sharp, then the player could adjust either of the tone knobs to cut some of the high-frequencies from the guitar's single, or by adding the second pickup to imitate the sound of a humbucker. So Leo Fender made a guitar feels good, sounds good, and looks good. Perhaps that is why many of the greatest guitarist have chosen to associate themselves with this particular instrument.
Notable Players Include:
Eric Clapton
Buddy Guy
Jimi Hendrix
Buddy Holly
Yngwie J. Malmsteen
John Mayer
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pete Townshend
Such a great design has inspired countless imitators, in fact my first electric guitar was a copy of a statocaster. I can't say that I favor the Stratocaster. I am a Telecaster player, but I do appreciate the accomplishment made by the greatest innovator of the greatest instrument in the world.
The Stratocaster has seen several innovations. The very first additions had a three-way switch that only let you select one pickup at a time. Many players would stick the selector between the first and second position to select the first and second pickups. This trend actually caused the now standard five-way selector to be added. The shape of the Stratocaster is as close to perfect one could image a guitar being. The curves and bevels hug one's body. The weight and balance do delicate dance, being heavy enough to feel substantial but balanced so that the weight sits on the players shoulders.
Leo Fender knew what made a instrument great, three single-coil pickups. Many people love the sound made by humbucker pickups (myself included). These pickups combined high output with noise cancelling, reverse wound coils. In a time were the popular music would mellow and jazz and classical influenced, Leo Fender knew that musicians of the time need presence and clarity to standout from the musical mix. If the sound of the single-coil was too sharp, then the player could adjust either of the tone knobs to cut some of the high-frequencies from the guitar's single, or by adding the second pickup to imitate the sound of a humbucker. So Leo Fender made a guitar feels good, sounds good, and looks good. Perhaps that is why many of the greatest guitarist have chosen to associate themselves with this particular instrument.
Notable Players Include:
Eric Clapton
Buddy Guy
Jimi Hendrix
Buddy Holly
Yngwie J. Malmsteen
John Mayer
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pete Townshend
Such a great design has inspired countless imitators, in fact my first electric guitar was a copy of a statocaster. I can't say that I favor the Stratocaster. I am a Telecaster player, but I do appreciate the accomplishment made by the greatest innovator of the greatest instrument in the world.
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