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 Telecaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Telecaster. 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, 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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