Yamaha F345/F 345 Sycamore Top Acoustic Guitar Review
Yamaha F345/F 345 Acoustic Guitar Review
Some recent thinning of my instruments caused me to go searching for a really well-rounded acoustic guitar – I needed an instrument that was extremely affordable, but had attributes of more expensive instruments.
I went shopping for a six-string that had a reasonably loud and clear sound, an instrument that was relatively well-intonated, and that I could afford (my target was less than $250)… I played no less than 50 acoustics to find just the right one. I settled on the Yamaha F345. It fit the bill nicely, and was extremely affordable.
Quick Opinion: The Yamaha F line of acoustic guitars is affordable, seriously consistent in their build quality, and generally a good choice when purchasing a budget all-around acoustic.
The F345, in particular, is exceptionally warm-sounding, and is extremely well-built. The sycamore top offers an interesting sound that is similar to mahogany, but with just a touch more depth. The appointments and features are very good. Overall, the F345 is definitely a keeper.
You can get more information and purchasing info about the Yamaha F345 here at Musician’s Friend.
Playability: The F345 is extremely playable and has a nice balance between comfort for smaller hands and playability for fingerstyle players. Although this is not a true finger-style instrument, a decent amount of room is left over (particularly near the bridge) for those who want to hybrid-pick. It is sized at an average in many respects when it comes to dimensions and build shapes.
For a dreadnaught guitar, smaller players will still find the F345 to be a big guitar. But, as dreadnaughts go, the neck and its attributes help bridge the gap very nicely. The size is just perfect for medium-to-large guitar players, and is still comfortable for those who have big paws.
The neck is really very nice. The finish is smooth and quick, and the shape is excellent. The F345’s neck feels like a graduated soft-V-to-C shape. It has a subtle V near the nut and smoothes down to an excellent C near the body. Of many acoustics I played while looking for the right one, this one had the best neck by far.
The frets are just right for this type of acoustic. They’re not too big, but they’re not the cheap, thin variety placed on many low-cost instruments. The ends are reasonably well-dressed (just a little jaggy here and there), and the string height is quite nice. My only grumbles are that there were a few too many frets that like to buzz. Given the excellent and consistent build quality of this instrument, I thought the frets could have been leveled better.
I generally play phosphor-bronze light strings (11s or so) with this type of instrument. Although I don’t have a gauge, I think this instrument came with 12s – and were 80/20 bronze. If you’re comfortable with more string effort, or don’t do much bending, the factory strings are very reasonable. For those with some difficulty playing harder strings, a quick change to 11s would do very well.
Features: The Yamaha F345 has elegant but simple binding on the front and back of the body. The finish is very nice, and is reminiscent of classic finishes from the 50s. It’s not the hard, plastic feel of many acoustics, it’s smooth and feels like a finish on an actual piece of wood. I don’t know what the finish is, but it is a nice, comfortable gloss.
The tuners are really quite nice on the F series instruments, and the F345 is no exception. The tuners strongly resemble and feel like Grover Rotomatics. They have a smooth action, and are very good at keeping the strings in tune. The tuners feel like they’re about 14:1 ratio – tuning up or down is easy and fine.
The wood for the F345 is laminate, but is extraordinarily well-done. The look, the feel, and the sound are well above par for a laminate-build instrument.
In general, the nut is reasonably well-cut and shaped, the bridge is strong (but not a compensated bridge). The rosette is nice and the pickguard is a wonderful, vintage-looking tortoise color. The saddle is a nice rosewood saddle, with well-cut peg holes (many guitars in this price range have terrible peg holes).
Sound: Another place the F345 shines is its sound. It is very warm in the lows, and mellow in the highs. It lacks the shrill high notes that many basic guitars have. In general, it is a nice middle-sound instrument for playing and even for some recording duties.
I’ve found the sycamore wood top to sound slightly warmer than mahogany, but not as dark as cedar. It is definitely growlier and brassier than a spruce top. It’s unusual – but unusual in a way that is very pleasant.
The sound in the upper registers of the strings is above average. The intonation is very close, even in the 12th fret through the 15th fret section of the neck. I find that I don’t have to compensate for intonation very often when playing this instrument.
The sound is reasonably loud – although it is not as loud as a spruce-top guitar. It has enough projection for medium to small spaces and applications. I would recommend amplification for bigger sound areas or for playing in a big group/band.
Value: The F345’s value is very good. It is definitely worth $250 as a street price. You get good sound, reliability, and consistent quality of build in an instrument that is quite attractive.
This particular bargain instrument is worth a decent hard shell case!
Wishes: I don’t have too many wishes for this instrument. It would look nicer with a split binding on the back and binding on the neck. I found some nice faux-tortoise tuner buttons that I’ve installed to give the guitar some nice additional class – the tuner buttons I purchased were built for Grover full-size Rotomatics, and fit like they were made for the Yamaha tuners.
The one wish that I would love to have in this acoustic (as well as other low-cost acoustics) is an adjustable-height bridge – like those in many Alvarez acoustics. Shimming is fine, but the ease of adjustables is hard to argue against.
Labels: acoustic guitar, F 345, F345, instrument, sycamore, yamaha, yamaha guitar
Ibanez SZ520QM SZ520 Electric Guitar Review
Ibanez SZ520QM Electric Guitar Review
When I was first looking for an electric guitar that I could use as a recording guitar and as a way for my son to cut his guitar-chops, I searched high and wide. I had a severely limited budget at the time I began playing again… and had to get some of the features I knew that I liked in a guitar from my early days.
I wanted a guitar that was tough enough to handle hard rock guitar but that didn't fold on me over time. I also wanted an instrument with lots of sustain, plenty of output, and a nice neck.
I ended up settling on an Ibanez SZ520 for a number of reasons. For sure, though, the SZ520 is a remarkable instrument – one that is not given its true kudos in the world of guitars. It is an unsung hero and an excellent instrument.
Quick Opinion: The Ibanez SZ line of electric guitars (and, to an extent, the Ibanez S line of guitars) are excellent instruments. They have the quick feel of a rocker’s guitar, fairly good quality, and excellent features.
These guitars have excellent playability, great sound, and a price that puts them at the mid range between less-expensive set-necks, and inexpensive top-brands. SZs are not a bargain – rather, they are at the top of their range. Whether or not to purchase an SZ will depend very highly on your personal feature interests, and your particular desire for a given sound. Let’s take a look at this fine instrument – with some comparisons along the way.
The SZ is no longer produced as a new product by Ibanez, but you can see more about Free Shipping on Ibanez electrics at GuitarCenter.com
Ibanez SZ520QM Electric Guitar Review
Playability: Several things strike you immediately when you first pick up and play the SZ520. The neck is a dream – and lacks a big heel. The staggered, string-through design rings with sustain. The body is very nicely balanced and is of medium weight. The fretboard is comfortable.
The neck on the SZ520 is nearly ideal for chord players, shredders, and slide playing. It strikes a nice, medium-width balance against just a deep-enough “C” shape to get a grip on it when you’re running up and down the neck. The neck back is painted to match the body, and has a nice, hard, smooth finish. The neck-to-body join is superb on this instrument – few electrics get anywhere close to this nice of a join. The heel-less feels fantastic when you’re flitting around above the 14th fret. I truly wish most Gibsons and Epis had this type of neck join on their electric guitars.
The body balance is above average, if not pretty close to excellent. After playing the SZ for several hours, you don’t feel like you’re struggling with an unruly animal. It just feels good where it is – especially since the weight is medium in the spectrum. A Fender Stratocaster is significantly lighter in
feel, and a Les Paul is a bit heavier in
feel.
The fretboard, string-spacing, and fret size are an interesting combination – almost unique when compared to the other manufacturer’s view on fretboards. The fretboard is subtly different from most any other instrument out there. For those who are familiar with Fenders: it is thinner than a Strat and wider than a Tele – very similar to the superb and underrated Fender TC-90. For you Gibson and Epi fans out there, the SZ is much more like an Epiphone SG with respect to its neck. The fretboard is extremely similar to the Epi G400s I’ve played.
Fingerstyle players or players who use a modified pick hand (like myself) will find the strings a bit close together. However, this is balanced out by overall comfort, and the ease of gripping chords.
In order to get great sounds out of the SZ in slide and chord/soloing, the strings had to be at least 10s with thicker middle strings (and better, 11s or 12s). Custom light and extra-light strings sound muddy and don’t tune well when applied to the SZ. Also, the tone and sustain are robbed with smaller-gauge strings. I tried 10s Fenders, several 10s GHSs, and even the venerable D’Addario XL110s on the SZ, and none of them sounded very good. I ended up settling between D’Addario XLs with a minimum 11 high E-string and Ernie Ball Power Slinky (11.14.18.28.38.48). The Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings sounded the best by far.
If you’re not going to slide on the SZ, you’ll still need to get some good calluses and stay with a set that is 11 and above. 12s were just too thick for me on this instrument – I had a hard time getting a good vibrato and smooth-transition string-bends with 12s.
The fretwork of the SZ I owned was superb in almost any respect. The frets are medium in overall size and height, and the ends were reasonably well-dressed. The nut was well-worked and had no issues at all.
Features: The Ibanez SZ520QM (QM stands for “quilted maple” cap) is a high-feature guitar made in Korea. It has a gorgeous quilted maple cap on a warm and medium-thick mahogany body. The tuners are OK (not great), but the neck inlay is beautiful (my guitar got the name “blue flame” because of its 12th fret inlay). The finish on the guitar is deep and lustrous.
The heel-less neck feature is worth mentioning again. Feel it for yourself – most folks will absolutely love it.
The binding is light-cream, and is superbly done. I only felt the “edge” of the binding in one or two places on the front of the body, and none on the neck.
The Duncan/Ibanez open-face humbuckers are a nice feature. They strike a nice balance between being able to play stronger, more assertive music – and music that is marginally mellower.
The string-end design is string through. The staggered string holes are of varied lengths from the bridge and its saddles. Unlike many string-throughs, there is no tailpiece – the strings feed directly from the bridge to the holes in the body.
The Gibralter III bridge makes intonation a fairly easy task, and is completely buzz-free. It is stud-mounted to the top of the guitar, so lots of sound emanates through the bridge very nicely into the guitar body.
Sound: The SZ520QM sounds wonderful. It has tons of sustain (although an Epi or Gibson Les Paul still have a longer and warmer sustain – the SZ is more like a set-neck SG in sound and sustain). The pickups and electronics are clean and noise-free. Sonically, the SZ is a good crossover guitar – from harder music to classic rock.
I found the pickups to be not as high on the output scale (sound-wise – I didn’t pull them and put them on a multi-meter) as you get with EMGs or more aggressive Seymour Duncan humbuckers. They are louder than my first Epiphone Les Paul’s original open-face humbuckers, but they are not as rich and creamy.
The pickup-selection-and-tone part of the guitar is pretty good. The SZ has the often-used Tone-Volume-Volume plus pickup switch hardware setup. With the SZ520QM, there is one master tone knob, the middle knob controls the bridge pickup volume, and the knob closest to the neck controls the volume of the neck pickup. The SZ also uses a fairly standard (but extremely well-made) pickup selector toggle switch.
Value: Value for the money is where the SZ is not quite a clear winner. I don’t think the guitar is terribly over-priced, but it is not a bargain in any sense. The Fender TC-90 (albeit with Black Dove P90 pickups) and the Epiphone Explorer and Epiphone Flying V are much better performers – yet they all cost less. A similarly-equipped Dean, Jackson, or Schecter is generally a better bargain for sound and price.
With that said, and in all fairness, the SZ520 does have a great feel, and does a decent enough job for the sound. I am a fan of Ibanez guitars, and there are many models that are great… I just think the SZ 520 should be a little lower in price. – or should have higher-end Seymour Duncans to bring up the value.
Wishes: Some nickel-covered and upgraded Seymour Duncans would be great (or, even better, some EMG HZ passive pickups, perhaps H4s). I really think Ibanez should choose to use some nice Grovers as tuners, or at least some locking tuner/locking nut offerings on this guitar.
Labels: acoustic guitar, bear, electric guitar, ibanez, review, set neck, shredder, sz, sz520, sz520QM
Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse Bass Guitar Review
Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse Bass Guitar Review
I’m lucky enough to have a couple of basses at my disposal for recording or playing. I enjoy my Jazz Standard and fretless – they’re flexible and timeless.
But, sometimes you need the noiseless, punchy, crunch of a bass guitar with a big body and humbucking pickups. I went in search of just that very thing over the past year. I played tons of different instruments from several well-known (and a few unknown) manufacturers. I started out looking exclusively at 5-string humbucking basses. I had trouble finding a 5-string in my price range – in a bass that also had good sound and playability. I couldn’t find a bass in my target price range (sub-$400) that had sound
and playability
and humbuckers
and five strings…
I had to open my search to four-string basses – which brought several great instruments into my price range. One of my long-time favorites has been the Thunderbird. The Gibson 4- and 5-string Thunderbirds are fabulous neck-through instruments. However, most musicians I know are on budgets, and/or need to have more than one bass at their disposal.
The Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse offers a fantastic balance among cost, function, and sound.
Free Shipping and more information here at GuitarCenter.com
Quick Opinion: The Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse bass guitar is cool-looking, medium-weight, low-cost, and sounds fantastic. A bass player gets a ton of guitar for her/his money with the Thunderbird.
Interestingly enough, you don’t see Thunderbirds flying around on the stages of music acts very often. Part of the allure of the Thunderbird is its "different-ness." Each and every time someone (even non-musicians) sees my Thunderbird, they remark that they really like its looks. When they hear the bass, they are struck by its flexibility and depth of sound. Part of the mystique is furthered by the fact that you don’t often see Thunderbirds in local guitar stores. The few that arrive in stock generally sell quickly enough that the floor is clear of them during most of the year.
Snag a Thunderbird. You’ll be glad you did. If you can afford the Gibson issues, get your paws on one. If your budget is tighter, you won’t be doing yourself a disservice with the Epiphone.
Playability: The Epiphone Firebird IV Reverse plays like the Les Paul of basses. The neck is wide enough to be comfortable in string-width, but is slim and tapered enough to make it easy to navigate the full range of the neck. The slick finish of the neck and the neck’s shape make playing up and down the neck a breeze. I tend to treat my bass parts as a melodic element, so I spend time on nearly all the regions of the neck – my Thunderbird’s neck really makes my bass playing more enjoyable.
The frets are nicely done, although they weren’t polished and tipped like a Gibson. The overall effort needed to press a note to the frets is a great balance between buzz-elimination and strength required. It’s easier to get a clean note from this guitar’s neck than with many other basses.
The body weight is just right. It isn’t too light (it has miles of sustain in sound as a result of the body mass), but isn’t so heavy that it makes your shoulder sore after only a half-hour of jamming. I find that my Thunderbird is as comfortable as my Standard Jazz from a weight point of view. It lacks the body contours of the Fender basses, so it’s a bit hard-edged (like most Gibson electric guitar and bass products).
The balance is slightly biased towards the neck. As with most basses, the Thunderbird can neck-dive when you take your hands off the neck. The simplest solution is to grab a wide suede leather strap (or a good strong fabric, non-nylon weave) to do a better job of holding position on your shoulder. Some players relocate the neck-side strap button further forward or even on the back of the body to help compensate. I like to be sure my guitar mods are reversible, so, I went the wide strap route. Bear something in mind here: my Jazz neck-dives about the same amount…
Features: The Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse bass is standard with what you would expect with most basses. It has decent sound control and tuners. The Thunderbird has a fabulous neck and excellent pickups.
It has a volume knob for each pickup and a single tone to control the sound of both pickups. The knob closest to the neck controls the volume of the mid pickup. The knob in the middle controls the volume of the bridge pickup, and the knob closest to the instrument’s tail controls the tone-shaping pot (potentiometer). If you want warmer and rounder sound, turn up middle pickup’s volume and the bridge’s volume down. To make a more growly, biting sound, do the opposite. To get the big wide sound at full throttle, turn both the volume knobs all the way up.
The Thunderbird IV comes with EMG humbucking bass pickups. This detail of the guitar is one of the key reasons I settled on a Thunderbird. These pickups are no slouch, and are phenomenal as a feature for a bass in this price range.
The tuners and neck are extremely well-done and function superbly. The tuners are stabile throughout a gig or recording session. The bridge mechanism is very versatile and has an overall height adjustment that doesn’t require tinkering with the saddles – I really like this bridge.
Quality: Not all of my reviews have a
quality heading. For the most part, I cover quality throughout the body of the review. However, the Thunderbird I purchased really needs to have its own explanation of quality.
The finish is bar-none just about perfect. It looks great, the finish feels great, and there are no bugs or flaws anywhere.
The pickup and wiring system are well above-par for Epiphones in this price range. Generally, I have to tinker with electric bits on my Epis to get what I want. With this Thunderbird, it was great – right out of the box.
The set-up of the neck and the bridge adjustments were just right when I got my bass home. I didn’t have to tune or intonate the bass at all.
Overall, this is one of the highest quality electric basses I’ve ever played in any price range.
Sound: The Thunderbird has earned its name. It sounds wonderful. What humbuckers do for the Les Paul or SG sound, the EMG humbuckers do for this Thunderbird. This bass sings, crunches, growls, and thunders.
With many basses, the sound comes through in a way that “reds-out” the VU meters/recording meters when you crank them up enough to punch through the sound of the band. This is a fairly common problem. I often play my basses through a nice tube preamp (before pedals, amp, and/or recording interface). I get lots of nice sound this way – especially more punch. However, I need the preamp much less with the Thunderbird. It has respectable output power, and is harmonically more rich than it’s near-the-same-price competitors.
In particular, you can dial in a sound that works very well with acoustic guitar sounds – with the mid pickup and a little tone-down. But, the same instrument can be dialed up to rock hard with even the most demanding of musical varieties.
I prefer my fretless Jazz for the ultra-mellow sounds – but the Thunderbird can be really smooth and inviting as well.
You can punch, crunch, and growl with this bass. It also lends itself very well to effects such as reverb, chorus, flange, and even compression or gain distortion. The breadth of its harmonics makes it very flexible and versatile.
Value:This is an extremely excellent value bass. It is worth more than its street price, probably in the $400 to $425 range in
actual value. You get a lot for your money, and Epiphone has just lowered its Epiphone Thunderbird prices by $100 for its non-Goth models. The Thunderbird is now offered in some neat colors, too (alas, no white this time around!). You can purchase blue, traditional brown sunburst, gloss black, and a metallic red. I chose to purchase the sunburst – it was too wonderful to put down.
You get lots of sound and great electronics in this bass. I’ve not seen this level of sonic capability in any bass under $550. Only the bolt-on neck aspect separates the Thunderbird from the more costly instruments.
Wishes: I really can’t complain about anything with this bass at this price… really. If I were to offer a custom model, I’d want a few things different – even if it meant going back to the previous street price ($399).
My little wish list:
White (please!);
At least a glued-in neck (if the neck-through-body construction of the Gibson is too costly to mass-produce);
The very same bridge, but with lots more mass;
Schaller strap lock buttons!;
Would love to have two tone controls in addition to the two volume controls…
Labels: 4 string bass, bass, electric bass, epiphone sg, epiphone thunderbird, passive bass, thunderbird
2006 Fender HSS Stratocaster (Strat) Review
Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster (“Fat Strat") Review
Electric guitar: Effervescent, visceral, emotional, and motivating…
Whether or not you start out as a Fender fan, the HSS Stratocaster is an extremely flexible instrument that is sonically diverse and very playable!
I was looking for an instrument that was comfortable and had a sonic range of sounds, was comfortable and affordable, and would compliment my Epiphones, Parker, and Fenders.
I love the
feel of a Stratocaster – the light weight, the wonderful ribcage cutaway, the warm rounded shoulder for the picking arm, and a simple, clean neck design.
The Fender Standard HSS Strat is all the things a Stratocaster is - but adds the crunchy, punchy sound (to the bell-tone Strat sounds of the neck and mid pickups) with its bridge humbucker.
At first, I wasn't really interested in the idea of a humbucker-enabled Stratocaster – Strats have always been “three singles" to me. However, after I played them many times over, I discovered just how sweet they are and how versatile they are.
Quick Opinion: The Standard HSS Strat is a dream to play. It has sounds that crunch like a Gibson and sounds that sing like an old Stratocaster. The 2006 (and later) Standard Strats (including the HSS) are deeply improved over previous years, and it shows. The new tremolo block, pickups, frets, and finishes are outstanding.
The HSS Standard MIM Stratocaster isn't currently in production (as of 10/2009), but you can see more about HSS Strats and get Free Shipping from GuitarCenter.com
Playability: The HSS Standard Stratocaster plays with great ease. It has wonderful string-bending capability, has a body shape that lets you forget that your pick arm is on a guitar body, and has a neck that is medium-broad for pretty good finger-picking capability. (In fact, if you're a finger-picking or hybrid-picking player, the Fender Strat neck and fretboard are among the most comfortable and easy-to-play on the market.)
As with most any Strat, the pickup selector switch is easy to use and is well within the pick hand's reach. Since the tonal variety of an HSS Strat is often more interesting and varied than a Standard three-single pickup Stratocaster, you may find yourself hitting the 5-way pickup selector switch quite often – varying your sound has never been so easy.
The subtle, non-gloss neck finish is great for when your hands are damp with sweat – your hands can still slide around the neck pretty well, but you can also get a good grip for those hard-to-finger chord shapes.
Features: The Fender Standard Fat Strat has all the features you'd expect from Fender's latest Stratocaster offerings. It has the famous Fender 5-way pickup switch, skunk-striped hard maple neck, a fantastic light-weight body, and extremely well-made electronics.
The pickguard is three-ply on most models (for example, White-Black-White). The back cavity cover is pretty standard for this type of Strat, generally a one-ply white cover. All the plastic parts are color-matched to the pickguard.
The tremolo setup is a standard three-spring mechanism, with string-through saddles and bridge. Tuning stability is average for a Stratocaster – although I have added a
tuning stabilizer (tremsetter) to my HSS for a boost in stability
.
Sound: Sound, sound, sound. That's the main reason for buying an HSS Fat Strat over a three-single Strat.
With the neck and mid single-coil pickups, you get the strong, bell-like tones you'd expect from a Stratocaster. In this respect, especially with the 2006 and later Strats, the HSS will not disappoint. These newer pickups seem stronger and clearer – and have somewhat less noise when playing through a strong tube amp.
With the Fender humbucker on the bridge, a whole new set of sounds come out of your Strat. This humbucker is actually pretty hot in output, and is really crunchy. It does blues, country, and hard rock
very well (but can be dialed back for super-smooth sounds of jazz, contemporary gospel).
The pickup switch configuration is as follows:
Position 1: (switch all the way towards the bridge) is full humbucker, no tone control in the sound. This is crunchy, can be dialed up loud, and is super-clean (good midranges, too).
Position 2: You get the front coil (split) of the bridge humbucker and the middle pickup in combination – the lead (closest to the input jack) tone control effects this combination. This position is very bright, and is louder than the standard Stratocaster bell-tone. This position is good for cut-through-the-band lead tones, but without all the crunch of the humbucker.
Position 3: This position opens up the middle pickup only, with the lead tone control affecting the sound. This sound is the traditional Stratocaster mid pickup sound – somewhat warmer than the bridge, but not as mellow as the neck.
Position 4: This position sets up the middle and neck single-coil pickups together, with the lead
and rhythm (middle) tone controls shaping the sound. Warm, but still lots of belltone.
Position 5: This is for the neck pickup only, and uses the rhythm tone control for sound shaping. This pickup position is the warmest of the single-coil sounds. By far, this pickup selection is the mellowest.
Value:This is an extremely high-value Stratocaster. It is worth more than its street price, probably in the $425 to $450 range in
actual value. You get lots of really nice options (humbucker, coil-split combination) to add to the versatility of your favorite Strat sound and feel.
Folks with a one-guitar budget who need/want to play lots of different styles of music should seriously consider this instrument as a front-runner for purchase consideration.
On my HSS Strat, the fret ends are cleanly set, the height of the frets is very good, and the intonation was pretty close (as set up by the factory). It didn't take very long for me to set the Strat's intonation to a very serviceable and easy-to-play tuning setup. The body finish is just right, no flaws. The neck is straight and is well-set. The standard Super 250 Fender Bullet Strings are wonderful.
Wishes: There isn't a lot to wish for with these Strats. I do wish it was offered with a V-shaped neck as an option, perhaps also with a tinted and V-shaped neck as an additional option – similar to the treatment on the 2006-> "50's Strat" issues coming from the MIM factories. I think all Strats should be offered with optional locking tuners (for those who don't know how to replace their own tuners).
Labels: electric guitar, fender, guitar, HSS, humbucker, single coil, strat, stratocaster
Wedgie's Rubber Guitar Picks Review
Wedgie Rubber Picks Review
It’s definitely time to return to my Uncle Ricky 25th anniversary pick tray for a new pick review.
I do like to have tons of different picks around to try, to use for recording, and to have for experimentation. Lots of particular picks end up being grabbed out of my pick tray on a frequent basis.
My Wedgie rubber picks are a frequent winner in the pick-grab of the day.
There are times when you want some punch out of your bass-guitar attacks, but not the aggressive, bright attack of a regular 351 celluloid or plastic pick. You want expression and a clearly-defined attack point instead of the warm and broad sound from your fingers.
Also, I’ve found times when my finger-style playing on my 6-string guitars is too warm and my pick sound is too bright –
Those situations are ideal for Wedgies. Wedgies combine the best parts of using a pick with the subtlety of finger plucks.
Quick Opinion: Wedgies are well-made, consistently-made, and (for rubber picks) long-lasting. They are an excellent addition to anyone’s pick arsenal.
Remember, picks are sometimes the least expensive way to change your sound… give them a try…
Find more information and pricing for the Wedgies Rubber Picks at GuitarCenter.com
Playability: Wedgies are comfortable and they are easy to grip. The rubber of which they are made is midway between tire rubber and really soft pencil eraser – from a feel perspective. The design has a little cupped place that makes your fingers feel right at home.
Playing with a rubber pick does take some getting used to. It feels a lot like a squishy pick at first, but the attack on the strings isn’t slippery (it grabs the string a little). You have to adjust a tiny bit when you’re going from a hard pick to a rubber pick. On the 6-string, in particular, you start out with a tiny delay of the sound attack until you adjust to the way the pick feels against the strings.
With the bass guitar, the Wedgie pick feels wonderful. If you don’t want to use picks, but want that super-clean attack, try a Wedgie. If you’re new to the bass after playing guitar, you can get right into the groove of playing with a Wedgie. I don’t think there’s any replacement for a well-played finger-style bass technique – but I think the Wedgie makes a great alternative sound.
Features: Wedgies come in three types: Hard; Medium; Soft. They also come in two thicknesses: 3.1mm and 5.0mm. The two dimensions offer you a couple of things… the hardness gives you more or less punch when the string is plucked. The thickness adds more warmth on the thinner one and more volume on the thicker one.
In addition, the thicker and harder picks last longer. Rubber picks have a finite lifetime. I’ve found, after several years of playing them, that Wedgies last longer than many felt picks, and are a reasonably good value. I’ve only worn one or two out. The rougher windings of bass strings produce more pick wear than the finer windings 6-string strings.
I prefer the harder picks for playing on acoustic 6-strings and basses, and softer picks for electric bass and guitar. You may find you like the opposite – but at $.50 each, you can buy several different ones and try to see what you like.
Sound: Next to comfort and grip, sound is the real reason for buying Wedgies.
Plastic, celluloid, and Delrin picks have their distinct sounds. They have similar feel and texture. But rubber picks are a different
experience and sound.
Wedgies have an interesting balance between attack and warmth of tone. Their sound is clean – and at the same time mellow.
Value:Although Wedgies rubber picks are more expensive than their plastic-like brethren, their value is quite high. You get a lot of bang for the buck with these, and the manufacturer has done a great job of making them very consistent in material, thickness, and sound. Kudos to the Wedgie folks for giving us a nice blended sound in such a comfortable package.
Wishes: One wish: I’d like to see them come out with an extra-hard. Something that still gives that Wedgie sound, but an earlier and more defined attack. I’d be sure to buy several.
Labels: pick, picks, plectrum, rubber, wedgie
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