The Guitar Review Dot Com

Fender Highway One (Hwy 1) USA Stratocaster Guitar Review

2009-10-03T10:05:00.003-04:00

2007 Fender Highway One USA Stratocaster Review

No matter how many instruments I own or play, there's always a need and a feel for a Strat. The sound is unmistakable. The feel is just right. The overall experience playing a nice Stratocaster is really an eye, feel, sound thing (and sometimes, a smell thing).

Strats have changed over the years, from the simpleness of the 50s to the big-hair rock of the eighties to the current array of models. We have so many from which to choose... Made in Mexico, made in Japan, and made in the United States of America. Maple, SSS, HSS, HH, rosewood, alder, ash, mahogany, big frets, skinny frets, vintage headstock, "Jimi" headstock (would that be a Woodheadstock?), gypsy bridge, AlNiCo, ceramic, samarium cobalt, noiseless, noisy, Greasebucket, S1, roadworn... There are so many different Strats and so many different things about those Strats.

I was looking for a USA Stratocaster. I didn't quite have the change available for an American Standard or an American Deluxe - so I looked at and fell in love with the Highway One. I've had Highway One Fenders before, and have always been pleased.

This particular Stratocaster is a complete joy and has absolutely no disappointments. The sound is unmistakable, remarkable, and pure Strat. It plays and looks like a dream.

Quick Opinion: The 2007 and later Highway One Strats are great (previous ones were fine, but for this conversation...). They play well, are affordable, and they sound just like I wanted to hear. They really are well made, and are very comfortable to play for one recording or a whole set of gigs. If you'd like a nice big-fret USA-made Stratocaster, you owe it to yourself to try one of these.

Features: Where do I start? They're genius simple and complex-wonderful all at the same time. They sound and play in a rich experience that leaves the player (and the listener) grinning.

My particular Highway One is, if I am correct, a short-run guitar. I purchased this one when all that was available was rosewood-fretboard Highway Ones. Now, Fender makes a version of these as a standard offering. I'm really glad they did. I like the old HSS Highway Ones just fine, but this was my alternative to an SSS American Standard - and I LOVE maple fretboards on Fenders. (To be honest, I'm reviewing a Gibson SG Raw Power with a maple body, neck, and fretboard - and I love it there too... stay tuned.)

A short list of what the Highway One has:
Excellent post-vintage AlNiCo III magnet pickups with staggered poles and excellent output balance - not too hot, not too thin
A thin-skinned nitrocellulose finish - the more you play it, the smoother and shinier it gets, the more it feels and looks like an old friend...
An excellent mid-size maple neck and fretboard with that 70s "Jimi" headstock and lettering
A comfortable lightweight body
The excellent USA vintage-style tremolo
The always cool Fender Greasebucket tone circuit
Standard tuners and buttons
Decent mass to the trem block
Great-feeling jumbo-style frets

Quality: This particular Highway 1 is an extremely well-made instrument. The craftsmanship is careful and is an extremely good example of what American guitar builders can do.

The fit and finish are flawless. The pickups are wound wonderfully well. The feel, finish, and wood chosen for the neck are just right for the satin variety necks.

Screw holes are lined up right, the action was just perfect for .009 Fender Bullets right out of the box. Easy and buttery to play, without any issues or not-normal buzzes. The frets are level and are nicely polished from the factory (see my wants and desires section of this review...)

I was extremely impressed with the consistency of the matte nitro finish. Nitro is not easy to apply in any stretch of the imagination - and matte finishes show every little flaw or inconsistency. This Strat was loved by the person who made it. Period. The lacquer finish feel is great and is a pleasure to have against your skin. I do like gloss finishes as a personal preference. However, the finish on these doesn't grab when you get sweaty...

I also felt the new Fender gig bag is a major improvement. Highway Ones come with the new super-thick, super-strong-fabric gig bag. Very nice. As gig bags go, these are definitely among the very best.

Playability: Here's where I start getting warm fuzzies about the Highway One I have: the physical experience of playing the guitar is fantastic. Everything about it from the way the trem works to the feel of the frets to the balance of the body and neck is just a pleasure. That's the operative term for these: a pleasure. Not every Strat is a pleasure to play, even when they're correctly and professionally set up.

The balance on my shoulder (with a nice 2.5" faux-suede, thick black strap)is superb. I don't know if this is something factual, but here's something nicely subjective: the big headstock makes the balance unique. I felt that the way this guitar is assembled and planned and sourced is ideal for someone looking for their guitar to feel almost transparent to their playing.

See more info and pricing information at GuitarCenter.com

Simply put, it becomes an extension of my mind and heart - without getting in the way and demanding my attention. I've made some nice progressive rock instrumentals with this instrument, and I couldn't be more happy with the way the guitar felt standing or sitting.

Action is subjective, and is really a personal thing. My son Kennon (of theN.C. band Out of State) likes his strings low but off the frets a good bit - he likes to dig under the string a little when he bends. Me? I like it low enough that the strings buzz a little when they're struck or plucked with vigor. This Strat has been set both ways, and in both instances, it STILL played like buttery joy. Smooth, effortless, and just awesome. This thing plays .010s just fine, but it really feels effortless with .009s. (Incidentally, I tried this guitar with Carlos Santana Big Core 10.5 pure , nickel strings and was very happy with the result.)

Sound: OK... this is a place where you'll either think I'm a genius or a charlatan - Strat players are funny about their sound. Malmsteen, Beck, Hendrix, Clapton, Guy (and the list goes on in a BIG way)... all these folks get (or got) different sounds out of their Strats, and contemporary amateur and pro Strat players are no different. That's my disclaimer... and I'm stickin' with it.

I REALLY like the Jimmie Vaughan, SRV, and Tex-Mex based Roadworn Strat sounds. They make me giddy with distortion, clean, blues, chorus, wah, phaser, crunchy, reverby, vibe-y, and more. BUT these AlNiCo III USA pickups are a great way to have vintage sounds without the truly vintage thin-ness.

Bell tones. Bell tones. Bell tones. Bell tones. (Did I tell you Bell Tones?) The 2 and 4 position sounds on this guitar are just fantastic.

The neck position sound is a little too bright for me. I really wanted something warmer out of this guitar. Even with unique wiring, this guitar didn't quite give me the smooth rich neck pickup experience I was expecting.

The bridge sounds great in overdrive, as does the middle (3rd position). I use an http://www.buyanalogman.com (opens new window) SD1 Silver when playing some of my more adventurous Strat stuff - and the two are MADE FOR EACH OTHER. Wow. Just, WOW.

Value: These days, guitars have gone up in price to reflect the US Dollar, and the cost of everything... but when you look at the Highway One's street price compared to the US Standard street price and the MIM Strat street price, this guitar is really priced just right. It's not a bargain. But at the same time, I don't see it as overpriced, either. The Highway One Stratocaster is an extreme bargain when compared to MIJ Strats.

You get A LOT of guitar for your money. The craftsmanship, features, and ocmponents are well worth every cent these cost. Both in the new market and the used/secondary market they are worth the money.

They hold their value more than the MIM Strats, and in some selling environments, better than the depreciation of the USA Standard Stratocasters.

When times get better, I will buy another to replace this one once it is sold.

Wishes: I'm not really too hung up about anything on this particular Strat. But I do have some wishes:
Do a better job with the fret-ends.
Really, the rest of the craftsmanship is worthy of rolled-edge fretboards. The lack of rolled edges feels strange on a guitar this nice.
Tuners: they need to hold tune better. They're nice and they're smooth, but could do a better job on this particular instrument. The vintage string-in-post tuners on the Jimmie Vaughan and Roadworn Strats hold much better.

D'Addario Chromes Flatwound Guitar Strings Review

2009-05-16T22:34:00.005-04:00

Review in brief: D'Addario Chromes Flatwound Guitar Strings

I've just recently written about D'Addario XL strings in my reviews. I got some new strings in today to replace some worn-out wires on my Ibanez AF75D hollowbody electric (yes, I still have/love the great Orange Punkin AF75D... forever a fan).

I think strings are a very personal thing, and as I've said before, this is not a fanboy point of view. This is a real, objective writing about some really wonderful strings. At some point, I'll cover other flatwounds... I can't always change strings every day to write tons of reviews - so I review the things I play and count on just as much as I write about what I like or don't like.

I use flatwounds on one fretted bass (an Epiphone EB-3 - YOW), my fretless bass, and on two Artcore hollowbodies. Flatwounds have a decidedly warm and smooth feeling to them. Although one can play them through a triple-Marshall-stack on full gain... the best use of them (for me, anyway) is to get that wonderful "mwah" warmth in my tunes.

I do have occasion to use flatwounds elsewhere - combined with good tubes and my trusty Analog Man SD-1 (Silver Mod). They really throw something different into the listener's ears! If you have a couple of different guitars at your disposal, you owe it to yourself to try some flatwounds.

On my Fender Jazz Fretless, I love and use nothing but Fender Flatwound bass strings. On one of my Artcores (Punkin), I only use D'Addario Chromes. Why? Fender and others make GREAT flatwounds, too... but I have a method and reason for my madness.

With my D'Addario XL Chromes Jazz Light (.011-.050) and D'Addario XL Chromes Extra Light Gauge (.010-.048), I get a SMOOTH third string. In most thicker flatwound sets for six-string guitars, the third string (generally a G string {no puns here}) is a wrapped string and not a plain string.

With Fender flatwounds, the third is a little course in texture, so you end up with an odd experience: 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 feel smooth and silky. 3 grabs at your fingers. It's a disconcerting experience for me (personally) when I'm playing. I like all 6 strings (and 4/5 on my bass strings) to feel like slippery smooth wonders. NOTE: I do like the Fender flatwounds on my Bigsby-mounted Artcore AFS75T - the not-so-smooth G string has a nice growly sound to it for rockin' a little harder than my jazzier D'Addarios.

Remember, in my opinion, that strings and picks are integral to both the sound AND experience of playing guitars and basses... So, I go with Chromes on my feel-good Artcore AF75D.

So, where's the review? Right here:

Quality Every single D'Addario XL Chromes string I've ever installed and used has been ultra-consistent and very resistant to breaking. Each string has a profoundly comfortable consistency in wrapping and polishing.

Every single time I install a new set, they feel just like the last set did when it was new. Every single time. Interestingly, with flatwounds (irrespective of brand), it seems my flats last much longer than my roundwound strings... it is as though they don't trap as much "stuff" in them to corrode them...

In the past 5 years of playing flatwounds, I've not had even one D'Addario Chrome string break.

Sound Wow. Always. If you've fallen down on your sound and can't get up, it's worth the $8-$10 to try a set of Chromes! Each new set is like Christmas (or pick your holiday as your heart desires). I cannot wait to play them once they're on! Often as not, a new set of Chromes causes me to be inspired and record a new piece or start a new piece. It's wonderful.

Take a look at info and pricing for all kinds of D'Addario Chromes here at GuitarCenter.com

The sound is decidedly warm and comfy, and definitely jazz-like. It can smooth out even high-gain or distortion tunes, too.

One thing, though: they're not as brassy and bright as roundwounds, so flatwounds (in general) don't PUNCH through the tune's sound as much as everyday roundwounds. You might have to tweak your EQ a little and maybe turn up the volume and/or gain...

Value Flatwounds, of every brand and type, are more expensive than comperable brand and size roundwounds. Most are wound, then polished in one or more extra steps. Some are ribbon-wound. Expect to pay a little more for a set.

But, my flatwounds (particularly my D'Addario Chromes) last as long as coated strings - without having to use coated strings. On average, my Chromes last three times longer than my roundwounds.

The packaging for chromes uses less materials, paper, and plastic... that usually means that they're a little "greener" than some of the other brands and types of strings I use. I like that part...

Conclusion D'Addario Chromes flatwounds are great strings. Try some. You might just get hooked! (BTW, some metal guitarists use flatwounds!)

Wishes None, really. I like them just as they are. I guess the only thing that would be bonus is if I could get them in colors :-).

D'Addario XL (and EXL) Strings - Time Proven Favorites

2009-04-26T21:16:00.005-04:00

This is an opinion review, not a religious or fan-boy review... This is an experienced view of a high-quality brand and string... I play MANY brands of strings, including D'Addario XLs - I believe my review presentation is objective...

As a musician, a guitar nut, and a recording artist, I'm always exploring different things to get different sounds. I'm always trying out strings, picks, pickups, electronics, and much more... always looking to see what something sounds like or feels like.

Strings are a fundamental of music with stringed instruments. Just as a stylus is important to the audio output quality of a fine phonograph, strings effect the sound quality of an instrument. Also, the feel of strings is important to the way the musician interacts with their instrument. There are many, many things about strings that are very personal in nature...

So, what do we feel about our strings? It seems as though every musician with whom I speak has a completely different view of their strings. It's truly amazing. Musicians, from pro to novice, all express divergent views on their strings.

Some folks are so fanatic about their strings that they will spend long periods of time going through identical sets of strings to get just the perfect string or set or pairs or sets of strings. Yet there are others who have the attitude of "it doesn't matter to me, just make sure they're nickel-plated 10s" or "I guess I should change my strings - they're a year old now."

And yet others are somewhere in between. What's right? The right answer is, if the strings do what you want, then they're the right ones.

So, enough about the philosophy of strings... let's talk about a particular brand and type... I'll write more reviews about other brands and types down the road a bit. Today, I'm going to ramble about D'Addario XL strings.

Read more and get pricing information here at GuitarCenter.com

Briefly: I don't beat my strings, nor do I pick/pluck extremely hard or firmly. But, on the other hand, I don't have the light touch, either. Suffice it to say that I am somewhere in the middle when it comes to being hard on my strings. Also, I do like fresh strings - both from a cleanliness point of view and from a sound point of view. I change my strings when they feel icky or they begin to "darken" my instrument's sound. I don't like blackened rough strings or strings that are smelly and dull-sounding... with that in mind, let's do some exploration...

Quality:
First of all, I love these. They're super-consistent quality. I've opened, installed, and played hundreds of sets of D'Addario XL guitar and bass strings - and I've NEVER had one with a bend, a "funny place", or with a largely unreliable sound.

D'Addario strings, in general, are extremely consistent and extremely reliable. I've never had one break. I've never had one "go dull" on me before the rest of the set. I've never had one feel strange when I'm playing. The quality is good and consistent.

Sound:
Here's one of the main things about strings... how do they sound? Not all strings are the same manufacture, not all strings sound the same, and not all strings are musical in the same way.

D'Addario XLs sound generally bright, whether you're playing nickel-plate, pure nickel, or acoustic brass/bronze strings. They have a nice growl to them that sounds like freshly wound metal - very nice. I've played strings from other manufacturers - strings bearing virtually the exact same specs as the XLs I've played. In general, the D'Addarios growl a little more, sing a little more, and produce a mellow tone when played easy on clean.

Value:
D'Addario XLs are generally priced within a half-dollar of all of its competitors. I don't feel that D'Addario XLs are expensive or cheap - they seem priced just right... I feel as though they are the "workhorse" type of string - a brand and type musicians can count on.

They're a great value and will please a large percentage of the string-instrument-playing population...

Long Lasting:
D'Addario XLs last a fairly long time. There are other brands and types I've used that stay close to "fresh" feel and sound longer than the XLs I play, but not many. I have also played brands (brands that I DO like, mind you) that don't last nearly as long.

In general, D'Addario XLs seem to last well past average, and are consistently in the top range of long-lasting uncoated strings.

Closing opinion:
I love D'Addarios. I install them on customer's guitars very frequently. I have a couple of guitars that get nothing but D'Addario XLs (generally 10s). I REALLY like the phosphor-bronze sets I use on my Ibanez acoustic.

I love the quality and the general sound of them. I like the multi-pack options to save some coin, and I like the way they feel even up to the time when they start to get grimy.

They're great strings. Give them a try.

Clayton Custom Picks - An experienced review

2009-02-21T01:29:00.006-05:00

Clayton USA Customized Picks Review

Most of my reviews are sectionalized, categorized, and broken down into parts like playability, value, and quick opinion. This particular review is about a service, as well as the end product. I think this particular review will focus on what I needed, the service I got, and some images of my new promotional item - customized picks!

I wanted to have an interesting way to get ready to market a new part-time business venture called "Bears Guitars." I've opened a hosting site at http://bearsguitars.com. (As of this writing, the site isn't published yet... stay tuned!) I wanted to find a way to get people to look at my customized guitars, my services, my music, and maybe make a few dollars along the way to keep things going.

Fliers and leaflets are OK, and postings at campuses and non-competing stores work good, but simple, recognizeable, and useable freebie picks seemed like a great idea. It turns out that I was right. People love them, and my little simple holder page at bearsguitars.com has actually had some activity recently - largely as a result of the picks.

OK, enough about the whys and wherefores... what about the picks? They came out great! I took a custom-drawn simple bear paw, put the site's name on the design, and asked Steve Clayton's custom shop to make me 100 starter white Delrin picks (the white seems to make the text more readable - I'm going to try a color on the next batch).

I chose white, simple Fender 351-style shape, .8 or so thickness, Delrin, and black printing. People immediately react in a positive way when they see the picks. Job done!

So, how are the picks? They came out very nicely. The images and text are pretty clear, and the consistency and quality are really quite good. Out of 100 picks, I found none with errors or weird pick problems. Very nice!

The time it took to receive my order was a several days, but nothing outrageous. I wasn't expecting rush service for 100 custom picks. However, they arrived in reasonable time and nicely packaged. They were in a simple padded package and came in a simple zip-lock style baggie. All is OK, the shipping process didn't harm the picks or cause any issues. I don't know how they ship large orders (although I don't have the budget to buy lots of picks for http://jbpmusic.com or http://bearsguitars.com).

Want to purchase some of your own? Go to the Steve Clayton custom site and order some! you can go here: http://www.claytoncustom.com/ (opens new window).

My first order consisted of $39 for the picks, and some nominal shipping charges. You can choose among First Class mail, Priority Mail(TM), and other, faster methods. The shipping starts at about $5 and can go higher if you need faster shipping.

I've experimented with a new order - this one for http://jbpmusic.com on blue 1mm Delrin, with a bear design and the jbpmusic.com text... The total order with first class shipping was $44. I think it is a deal.

As with many custom things, the economies of scale apply, if you order more picks, the cost per pick goes down. So if you'd like hundreds or thousands, your price per pick will be lower than my little 100-pick orders...

I highly recommend Steve Clayton's custom picks. You can't buy them at Musician's Friend (but, you could click on the little banner on my page to help me out!), but you can get them directly from Clayton.

Rock on!

Crate V-Series V18-212 Combo Tube Guitar Amplifier Review

2008-12-03T10:50:00.007-05:00

Crate V-Series V18 212 Combo Tube Amp Review

Amplifiers. Musicians. Opinions. Infinite combinations. Put the same amp in front of 50 different musicians and your not likely to get the same opinion twice. That's OK. Some folks like gut strings, others like nylon. Some folks like Fenders, some folks like BC Richs... you get the idea.

The point of my review is not to take an opinionated stand on this particular amplifier. Rather, the point of this writing is to tell you what my V-Series makes me feel and hear. Ultimately, however, you should trust your own ears and wallet. You are your own best judge, even novice, even lofty professional. Music is wonderful and the more colors we introduce, the better.

We wanted to consolidate the amps in the house down to one amp. Some were too big, some were too small, some didn't sound like what we wanted... So, I sold them all. And I bought one amp to serve our (my son and me) needs. I don't recommend this approach, but it is useful for us from the standpoint of housing space and underlying need.

I wanted a tube amp combo. My son wanted LOUD and easy to push the tubes into breakup. My son was looking to compete with a drum set and a small band in small venues and recording. I wanted a way to jam, comp, record, and just enjoy making noise. After playing a bunch of amps (including some sold state amps), I chose the Crate V-Series V18 212. Here's my story (and I'm stickin' to it ;-))

Quick Opinion: The lower-end V-Series Crate Tube amps are a bargain. They're becoming scarce to buy in stores, so if you're interested, play one very soon, or find an online store willing to take returns. These aren't the high-end USA-made Crate tube amps, but they're still Class-A, and you can tell it.

Interestingly enough, depending on which combo (or head) you purchase, you get different types of power tubes - something like a Fender in a couple of models, something like a Marshall in a couple of models. If you can play several side-by-side, let your ears decide. If you're looking for a particular sound, read up on the power tube types.

We love our V18 212. It's only moderately heavy (about 50 lbs, nicely balanced ot the handle), it's loud as a pissed three-year-old, and it has a good fundamental sound. I'm happy with out decision and my experience with this amp has made me contemplate augmenting my studio room with a little V5 combo for when I'm comping.
The Crate V series isn't available in new retail any more, but you can see other great Crate amps here at GuitarCenter.com

The inclusion of a standby switch is awesome. It lets you keep your tubes hot while you silence things in standby for breaks, instrument switches, pedal-foreplay, and other shenanigans - you don't have to shut down and re-blaze your tubes every time you need to fiddle with things on the other end of the cable. Very nice touch for an amp at this price point.

Features: As an inexpensive Class A tube amp, the Crate V18 is actually pretty nice. It has more than just volume or volume and tone (as its price-wise competitors are built). It has a real reverb, three bands of EQ, and drive to go with the volume. Our particular V18 is a combo, and we opted for the 2x12" model. The pair of Crate-branded speakers are fairly run-of-the-mill, but they suffice.

This is a one-channel amp. There is only one input. These things are not unusual in this price range, but it's important to point this out.

What do you get?
18 watts (very LOUD watts, thank you very much);
Class A tube circuit;
2 12" Crate-brand ceramic-magnet 8 Ohm speakers (on our V18212 model);
2 EL84 power cathode biased tubes;
3 12AX7A pre-amp stage tubes;
Gain, volume, bass, middle, treble, and reverb controls;
Two-switch actuation mode (on and standby).

Quality: Our experience with our Crate V18 has been excellent. The tubes seem to be just right in their quality and adjustment. The Speakers are just what you would expect from ceramic-magnet 12s, the control quality is quiet, smooth, and feels good.

The tolex covering and the overall fit-and-finish is just fine. The cabinet seems decently tight and well-assembled. The corner protector covers are nice and big... and the screw-down parts seemt to be pretty good.

Our V18 has been lugged around by teenagers quite a bit. Everything still works great, there are few tears in anything, and the sound is still very, very good.

Playability: Well, as an amp, playability is really not the big thing to review... but... it's easy to position, the knobs are easy and intuitive, and the tube-warm-up time is reasonable. The standby switch is a great feature and makes this budget amp a top contender.

Sound: Here's where the speaker hits the air and ear. The synopsis is this: the sound is Marshally, the spring reverb is actually pretty good but can get overloaded (not quite sproingy like you get on a nice $800 Fender tube amp). It's easy to overdrive the tubes and start crunching away. There is no quiet setting, and there is no clean sound unless you turn the gain all the way off - thereby comprimising the volume almost completely. But, I love playing it in overdrive!

The long version: This amp is really crunchy and tubey for $199. It sounds much better than its price and it really delivers as a low-cost small-gig/recording amp. If you're rockin', bluesin', or doing some crunchy country, this amp delivers in a big way. You can even play it without an overdrive pedal at low volumes to get some nice tube distortion.

Some might find the sound a bit brittle at some settings. Really, the right way to approach this amp is to plug in your guitar, and dial in the different aspects until you like it. I've never seen an amp that sounds great with every guitar at every setting. I warm mine up with an Analog.Man pedal and a nice small device chain (wah, chorus, delay/echo). I'm very happy with this amp at any price under $300.

It sounds loads better than most solid-state amps even up to those in the $500 range. It's a nice alternative to solid-staters for crunch delivery and guts.

Value: This amp used to have a street price of about $300. It was worth it then... Although the occasional discount was nice. Now that these sell for (typically) $199, they're a steal - a bargain - a smart and easy choice. Think about it... at peak gas prices of 2008, that's really only two tankfuls for a large vehicle ;-).

Wishes: I'd like to see a built-in attenuator and a means to get more clean-channel sound out of the amp.

Clayton USA Three-Sided Rounded Triangle Acetal and Ultem Guitar Pick Review

2008-11-17T18:55:00.005-05:00

Clayton Three-Sided Rounded Triangle acetal and Ultem Guitar Picks Review

It has been a while since I reached into my pick bowl and brought one out for a review to share with everyone. I think one of my often-chosen favorites is one of my Clayton rounded triangle picks. I have several thicknesses and materials. The two big-time favorites of the bunch are the acetal .80mm triangles and the .56mm Ultem individuals.

I play many, many different types of picks in the process of a week's worth of guitar and bass adventures (yes, I play with my fingers mostly on the bass, but a pick is all that will do, sometimes). I try to spice up my sound and my technique with different plectrums - many materials, shapes, sizes, thicknesses, and textures. With that said, the Clayton USA three-siders are a very popular choice.

Quick Opinion: They don't break or wear out very often, so I can't say "I buy them all the time."... but... if I'm away from home, these are usually the ones I pick up in the first batch (along with some Fenders). They're durable, well-made, have a great shape, and have an interesting surface (the acetal ones are not flat).

Put some in your pocket, guitar case, porch table, kitchen table, couch-side table, *and* pick bowl. You might find yourself wandering through some great new sounds!

Look for more information, product choices, and pricing at GuitarCenter.com

Features: Pick feature lists are pretty short, but here goes: The Clayton three-sided rounded triangle picks come in several different materials, several thicknesses from about 1/2 mm to almost 2 mm. Each of the acetal-based Clayton three-siders I've purchased have a convoluted surface - they fit to your fingers in a surprisingly comfortable way.

Quality: These picks are really sturdy. Whether you buy Delrin, Ultem, acetal, or plastic, these picks are hard to shred, break, or chip. They do wear over time, particularly on round-wound bass strings/baritone strings, but they last much longer than most other materials.

The manufacture quality of my Claytons has been extremely consistent, never a blem in a bag, and the material has always been extremely consistent and free of bizarre funky spots in material thickness or density.

Playability: Picks are a very personal choice. No one pick is right for everyone. No one pick is right for every sound. No one pick is right for every playing sound... (well, maybe the Pick of Destiny :-)...

For three-sided picks, they're the most comfortable and easy-to-grip I've used. The surface wears smoother over time, but no more than any other pick with the same material makeup.

Sound: Here's where things are interesting... Once you consider the feel and playability of a pick, there is the sound. As I've opined before, different picks cause the same instrument to take on a different timbre, attack, and pick-release. Pinch harmonics/squeals/Billies differ... string length of vibration differs (some picks make a string buzz, while others might not).

Just as importantly, the instrument player feels different when playing different picks. The experience, if you will, can subtly alter the sound by affecting the player in different ways.

In general, thicker picks give more of a thump, thinner picks give a brighter attack and "click", and medium picks can bridge both. Materials make a difference, too. Of the two in this review, the thicker acetal pick offers a slightly brighter sound than even a thinner Ultem pick. The Ultem material seems to be better for a jazzy sound on electrics. The acetal material, particularly in thinner thicknesses, can cause that wonderful clicky strumming sound when playing acoustics.

So, there is a compounded set of characters involving the player, the material, the thickness, and the shape/edge of the picks. With the Clayton rounded-edge triangle picks, there is a nice and warm nature of the attack, as compared to sharp or pointy picks. In general, I play the Claytons about 1/4 of the time (this is quite a bit, considering that I have at least two dozen pick shapes and materials in my pick tray).

Just as a side note, there are other materials, too, like Delrin... I like lots of different sounds, so I purchased a dozen of several different materials and thicknesses - a great purchase that I'm still enjoying two or three years later.

Value: I believe that the prices charged (in most outlets) for a little back of Clayton USA picks is on par with other brands, if only a few cents more than the cheap brands. I don't think there is a better value in three-sided round durable picks. If you're a picking bass player, these are pretty good stuff for durability.

Wishes: None, really. You can even go to the Clayton web site and order custom-printed picks for a reasonable number of beans. How cool is that?

Dean Vendetta CUSTOM XM Review And Sounds!

2008-09-14T21:16:00.005-04:00

Dean Vendetta CUSTOM XM Review And Update!

Sometimes I feel the need to fashion sound and playability in a way that is not offered in commercial instruments. In most instances, a custom instrument is a luxury, costing lots of money or having excellent connections with good guitar manufacturers and luthiers. My budget doesn't generally allow for anything approaching custom status. So... I make them for myself from stock instruments and specialized parts.

The Dean line of guitars is an EXCELLENT choice for customization. I enjoy customizing my Fender, Squier, Epiphone, and Jackson instruments - but for some reason, Deans are just plain fun to turn into custom axes.

Quick Opinion: One of the best custom guitars I've made or played... Simple, sonically-interesting, plays well, and was a lot of fun to conceive and create. Want one for yourself? Send me an email through my contact page here. I'd love to make another.

What can it do? Imagine a nice 60's-70's era mini humbucker sound with several split-coil twists. A little dirtier than the Gibson mini humbucker setup, but very pleasing and crunchy in its own right.

Features: What's not to like? Here's the lowdown on the XM Custom:
The host guitar
A Dean Vendetta XM dual-humbucker in "natural" finish (reviewed here:) ( I love the color on these... I've thought about doing one of the other XM models for that reason...)
Read more information, reviews and pricing for the Dean Vendetta XM at GuitarCenter.com

The sound stuff
GFS AlNiCo V bridge pickup, mini humbucker
GFS ceramic neck pickup, mini humbucker, smooth cover (no poles showing)
DiMarzio PRS-style two-wafer 5-position rotary switch
Switchcraft USA input jack
CTS USA potentiometers
Genuine Sprague Orange Drop capacitor
All-copper USA connective wiring and silver solder
Lots of loving experimentation and effort with these paws

The fun stuff
Medium-ratio green-key Kluson copies (someday some real ones?)
Nice graphite nut
Beautiful hand-made ebony-and-abalone truss rod cover
Re-sanded and nitrocellulose-coated neck profile
DiMarzio speed knobs (Goes to 11!)
Old-fashioned bolt-clamp chicken head knob on the rotary
Schaller strap lock strap buttons
Gibson-creme humbucker rings used as mini-adapters

Quality: Well, my work isn't perfect - I'm not an amateur, but I've only got 4 years experience: I make some mistakes sometimes. That said, a great deal of thought and experimentation goes into the execution of my instrument modifications and customizations. A lot of time goes into getting the sound I'm after. A lot of little parts go into making things better. From the standpoint of the customization parts, the whole thing is high quality, no doubt.

I could have done a better job cutting and dressing the graphite nut. It could still be better if I popped it off and did some more work - problem is, I play it too much and don't want to mess with the success of it.

The pickups are just perfect and are extremely well made. I think the only parts that aren't top notch are the tuners and the bridge. I could drop another $60-$75 on it at some point and really shake things up.

The wiring is good on this one. No extra buzzes, no funky flaky unexpected sounds. Nice solid silver-based solder drops. Not the prettiest solder, but very well-connected. Solid instrument and custom job, overall...

BTW, I did my wiring based on my interpretation of this diagram from GuitarElectronics.com. They're cool people, by the way. I've bought lots of parts from them and highly recommend them for their customer service and selection. Don't forget to add a beer to your shopping cart when you shop with them ;-)

Playability: The guitar is the lightest thing I've ever played (next to an acoustic). The fit and feel is perfect for my body and for sitting. The venerable Stratocaster-style shape is perfect for 24-fret access and the subtle cutaways are really comfortable.

After spending a reasonable amount of time on the neck, the overall playability of the guitar is pretty good. I won't rate up there with a nice USA-made Gibson Standard or USA-made Fender standard, but the XM Custom feels good in the hands and is a pleasure to play.

Sound: I spent quite a bit of time researching what I was after. I started with wanting the sound of the awesome and beautiful Firebird VII (three minis)... I needed a budget donor (but with something different in body wood), and I still wanted the playability and flexibility for a recording instrument. The addition of splitting and the minis REALLY fit the bill.

How does it sound? Incredible. The American pots, switch, jack, and wiring really make for a good transparent sound set. The mini humbuckers are dirty, skanky, crunchy, grimy, and just perfect for the task. The combination of the AlNiCo V magnet and the ceramic magnet really shines out here. It's not the sound you want for sweet smooth love music. The sound is for making your feet tap and getting your endorphins on.

Wanna hear the guitar? You can hear my Vendetta Custom XM in this little ditty I recorded (opens a new window)... All the guitar parts (except the bass, of course) are done with different settings on my Vendetta. This piece of music is highly pre-production, so it's not ready for prime time... but it gets your toes tappin', just the same.

Value: Priceless. This one is likely to be one of the permanent members of my sound library. The sound is just what the doctor ordered, it's light, and it feels pretty good to play. So many sounds in one package... and you gotta love having mini humbuckers in your sound library!

Wishes: I'm ready to make more of these. I'm likely to do an active pickup version (with either EMG actives or Seymour Duncan Blackouts) and perhaps a nice, spanky DiMarzio version...

Washburn Rover Travel Acoustic Guitar Review

2008-08-05T23:56:00.005-04:00

Washburn Rover Acoustic Travel Guitar Review

My family and I went to Montana for a week's vacation out in the beautiful mountains of the Grand Tetons and Jackson hole. Thing is, my son and I went through serious guitar withdrawals. We even went to a little local pawn shop to look for something cheap to buy... No luck there... We learned our lesson about traveling without our six-stringed friends...

I did a lot of research, playing thinking, and reading. Mrs. Bear said that it would be cool if I went out and found a travel guitar for a treat - to be sure her boys didn't go through withdrawals on later trips. Among the many entries in the travel guitar world, I chose the Washburn Rover. Here's why:

Quick Opinion: The Washburn Rover is a good bargain that has lots of nice features, decent build quality, and great playability. I absolutely enjoy playing my Rover - for more than two years now...

Before you read on, let me explain something very important: A travel guitar is not a warm and brassy hand-made high-end guitar. Travel guitars (all of them) aren't right for recording your next piece for a Pixar film or for playing in a back band for James Taylor or Randy Travis (big fan of both!). A travel guitar is made to feed your playing jones while you're on the road and don't want to tote your Gibson Songwriter around in a jet-powered puddle-jumping tuna can...

You can read about other/competitive travel guitars here at GuitarCenter.com

The Washburn Rover is an excellent all-around choice. It plays great (for something so small) and sounds reasonable enough to make you smile when you sit on the porch, look at the mountains, and play your tunes... Kick back and enjoy your Rover... It has brought music to many adventures. It looks and feels like a nice full-size neck with a little curvy body on the end...

Features: The Washburn Rover is chock full of features for such an inexpensive guitar in such a small size. Let me list out a few for you:

Fully bound body and neck;

Solid (!) spruce top;

Mahogany neck, back, and sides;

An actual, fully-useable 24" scale;

Reasonable build quality;

Reasonably well-dressed and set frets;

Compact enough that it fits in many (probably not all, these days) airline overhead bins - I've done this plenty (and the neighboring passengers can still cram their entire household-in-one-overstuffed-bag bag next to it or under it);

and Simple old-fashioned butterbean open tuners.

Feature-wise, the Rover is rich. It comes with a strap and an allen wrench. It even comes with an excellent lightweight zippered fabric-on-foam case that is very sturdy and very lightweight. I've carried mine TONS of places and have never felt bothered by carrying around our Rover (we named it "Rover" - surprised?). It is by far the best bargain for the money, given the features alone.

Quality: The quality of my particular Rover is excellent. It rivals most basic acoustic guitars, and even a few middling ones. It isn't the perfect detail of a Yamaha student guitar, but it is very close. Overall, you will probably find a few flaws in the finish, or a bumple or two in the binding.

However, the neck is straight and comfortable, the finish feels really quite good on the skin, the neck is finished very well, and the tuners are actually quite nice. Overall, the build quality exceeds many $300 guitars. Perfect? No. Excellent for its cost? Absolutely.

The tuners are the exposed-gear variety. They're not sealed 18:1 Grovers or super-cool Klusons. They're basic. However, they stay very close to being in tune the entire time I'm playing on the porch. That's good enough for me. From an intonation perspective, the Rover is very close to being a near-tempered in-tune instrument. Sometimes you have to sacrifice between tuning for a nice clean D Major chord and a clean warm C Major chord. Using a sweetened tuner like the Peterson StroboSoft or Strobing hardware tuner makes things sound better.

Playability: From the perspective of action, neck feel, and string spacing, the guitar plays awesome - just like a champ. Close your eyes and your fretting hand won't know it is holding a little travel guitar. The action is as smooth as butter (I like 11s in some sort of bronze, usually Ernie Ball Earthwoods of some sort or Martin phosphor bronzes.) It really plays much easier than my larger guitars.

The downside? With any tiny-body guitar (not just the Rover, but all of them), you can't sit it on your leg and relax sitting down with it. If you want to be comfortable and not have to clamp the guitar to your chest, install the included canvas strap. Once the strap is on and around your neck, the guitar actually plays pretty effortlessly. If you don't wear the strap, you'll find yourself fiddling with it all the time (no pun intended, or, maybe pun intended?).

Sound: I've played several travel acoustic guitars. Plug-in electric-earbud guitars, very inexpensive no-name imports, and some from the very big brand names. I love the Martin, truly... but the Rover is warmer and less tinny sounding. Even though I'm a huge Martin and Taylor fan, the little Washburn won my ears over immediately.

So, what does it sound like? It sounds like a really nice guitar that is played back through an inexpensive stereo with little bitty speakers. It is fun, not too hard on the ears, and actually has an admirable flavor and character. Bear this in mind: none of them sound big, boomy, warm, and growly. The Washburn Rover is definitely the best of them (in the low-cost range). The Rover actually is more warm (with 92/8 phosphor bronze strings) than some of the expensive boutique travel guitars. The strings REALLY make a difference. Don't cheap out on the strings. Just don't expect it to sound like my Big Baby Taylor or my cedar-top Tak.

Value: The value exceeds its current $149 price. It is less expensive than its cousins and even comes with a good case. It is definitely worth much more. It is a high-value, very fun-to-play instrument.

Wishes: Washburn already answered my one wish for this: They now come in neat transparent colors and a new natural color. (Bear in mind, I haven't seen any of the sunburst-brown ones like our Rover in recent months.)

Taylor Big Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar Review

2008-04-16T11:54:00.005-04:00

Taylor Big Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar Review

Birthday presents are fun sometimes. Last year, a local fellow sold me his one-year-old Big Baby Taylor for a song. I was thrilled. I've always wanted a Taylor acoustic, American made, spruce top, and more. I got my wish last October.

I was looking for a moderately bright guitar sound, but one that was also warm enough for making recordings/serenading my family... I like the darker sound of my cedar-top dreadnaught, but I needed a complimentary, tenor-/alto-voiced sound. Clean, crisp, defined.

The Big Baby Taylor fits the bill, and then some... Here's why I love mine...

Quick Opinion: The Big Baby Taylor is light, resonant, durable, and very simple. It's comfortable to hold for hours and has a finish that is very easy on the skin. I love this guitar. Where else can you get American-made quality, solid spruce top, ebony fretboard, and nice voicing for so little?

It only took me a couple of minutes to adjust to playing the BBT for the first time at my local guitar store. It was like playing an old favorite guitar, right from the start. I was surprised at its light weight, and more interestingly, its decent sound projection.

You can get more info and pricing information about Big Baby Taylor acoustics (they make a NICE lefty too!) here at GuitarCenter.com

Buy a Big Baby Taylor. They're great instruments all around...

Features: The Big Baby Taylor is fairly basic and simple (a good thing), yet has attributes that make it an outstanding choice for someone who wants nice sound on a moderate budget.

The neck is a nice mahogany wood, with a satin finish and a moderate profile. This one isn't thin like a Strat or a Jackson, nor is the neck a log like the big-necked resonators or 50s electric guitars. The profile is comfortable for most sizes of hands. The neck is actually bolted on with screws going through the fretboard into the body. The screws are completely unobtrusive and do not come into mind when playing the BBT. The benefit of this type of neck is that it can be adjusted without popping the neck out of its glue in its pocket, as you would with a set-neck acoustic.

The ebony fretboard is a very nice touch. It is comfortable, doesn't leave your fingers black with wood dye, and is durable. It looks good, too. The satin black headstock face blends down nicely into the fretboard's color.

The body is non-bound, but has decent edge joints. The rosette is etched around the sound hole. The top is solid Sitka spruce, and the back and sides are laminate. Overall, for a sub-$500 guitar, the body is excellent. The satin finish is very nice and very evenly applied.

Quality: The quality of my Big Baby Taylor is great. All the edges where the top and back meet the sides are clean and smooth. Only once (where the edge was whacked against a corner of something in its previous life) have I found a place where the joint felt a little off... which is to say, no problems at all.

The neck and frets are extremely nicely done, the frets are end-crowned for comfort for your paws, The neck finish isn't too slick or too grabby, it is nice and satin-y. My Taylor's neck is two-piece. There is a joint at the end of the headstock/neck merge. The joint is exceptionally strong and smooth to the touch.

The tuning machines are fine quality and have a decent smoothness. I've not had any troubles keeping my Taylor in tune - even after hours of playing (and even in and out of the case a few times). I found some ebony tuning machine knobs and replaced the factory chrome ones - the look is truly awesome.

The back is a little grainy for my tastes... but it doesn't effect sound or comfort in any way. The nut and saddle bridge appear to be either something like Tusq or some other not-cheap-plastic material. I don't get "pings" when tuning the strings or bending strings while playing.

Playability: Plays like a charm. Lightweight, nice neck, comfortable body finish, medium-low action (maybe even low-action). I can pluck fairly hard before I get any buzzes. I don't usually dig in to my guitars with a thick pick much (I'm a hybrid pick-and-fingers guy), but it took an effort to whack the sound.

The size of the guitar (15/16) is unnoticeable - it is a dreadnaught, and feels only slightly smaller than my big Tak dread...

The Big Baby Taylor is significantly easier to play than nearly every acoustic I've played in the sub $500 range. It's a real treat - simple, no fuss - I can concentrate on my music. I have no negatives to say about this guitar in the playability department.

Sound: The Big Baby Taylor is surprisingly loud for a 1/5/16 guitar. It has a tone that is a nice mix between warm and bright - depending where you play on the neck/strings and how you play. You can coax very subtle sounds and great volume dynamics from this guitar.

I put phosphor-bronze strings on my Taylor (Ernie's Hybrid Slinky Acoustics, to be exact). I found that the phosphor-bronze strings really brought out texture and character in this guitar. With straight 80/20 brass-wrapped strings, the low strings seemed a bit thin to my ears. My Ernies really made this guitar sing...

I also added brass string-pins to my BBT. I don't know that they really made the sound too much different, but the combination of the phosphor-bronze strings and the brass pins makes the guitar a dream and a treat for the ears.

Value: The Big Baby Taylor is easily a better bargain than many $500-$600 guitars from a variety of manufacturers. It is sort of a "sleeper", one of the best-kept secrets of the acoustic guitar world. It has big value in a medium price. Mine came with a very nicely padded gig bag (much better than most, much!). It's hard to find an American-made guitar (acoustic or electric) in this price range at all, much less one that is a realy pleasure to play.

Wishes: My only wish? A one-piece neck, or at least one that is one-piece from the body to the end of the headstock.

Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar Review

2008-01-07T13:29:00.002-05:00

Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar Review

Some guitars have a dual purpose in their useful lives. The Dean Vendetta XM guitar is just such a wonder. Some folks need an inexpensive guitar to get them started - not everyone can afford a $2200 Les Paul Standard or a $1300 Fender Deluxe Stratocaster. Some folks need a decent instrument as a base (donor) for some seriously fun modifications - without having to spend $600 on aftermarket parts to put together a donor instrument for one's ideas.

Low-cost guitars tend to fall into one of three categories: cheap, and built to play that way; inexpensive, but not a hit in any area (GREAT specs but poor execution); and inexpensive - but more value than the dollars spent. The Dean Vendetta falls into the third category. As with all low-end/beginner guitars, there are obvious places in the Vendetta XM where money has been saved. Still, the build quality is fine, and the features are actually wonderful.

I specifically went out looking for a Stratocaster-shaped guitar for a mini-humbucker project I had in mind. I didn't want an actual Strat (or Strat clone) this time: I was looking for double cutaway, light weight, and an interesting neck. The Dean Vendetta XM went on sale at my local Guitar Center (and is on sale at Musician's Friend) - perfect timing. I had some proceeds from a guitar sale at Christmas time - and the Vendetta XM came home with me post-haste. It has been the perfect donor guitar for the creation of an AWESOME double mini-humbucker project with a 5-way rotary selector. With some nice USA-made parts, high-end import parts, mods, and a little time, it turned out to be an absolute gas!

Let's talk about the factory Vendetta XM with which I started, pre-mods.

Quick Opinion: The Dean Vendetta XM is a good beginner's guitar - one well-suited to folks who have not yet begun to grow into their inner guitar-hero-self. As with any beginner's instrument, the Vendetta XM is not comparable to well-made instruments from the United States or Japan. If one doesn't expect high-end guitar-ness in the Vendetta XM's $100 form, one will be OK with the result. No, the Vendetta XM is not an American Standard Stratocaster. No, the Vendetta XM is not a USA-made Dean for the family heirloom closet. The Dean Vendetta XM is a nice-looking, great-playing instrument for beginners. It is lightweight, well-featured, and actually looks different than most beginner guitars.

I think the Dean Vendetta XM is a great guitar for starters - one that can be upgraded to accommodate the growing needs of a burgeoning guitar player. This guitar is particularly good for smaller folks (who still want a full-size guitar), or for those that don't like lots of weight hanging on their guitar strap.

My Dean Vendetta XM was not very well set up when I got it. There were (more than usual for a beginner's instrument) fret buzzes and the strings were set too high for a beginner. The intonation is pretty close for a bargain guitar. However, nearly every inexpensive instrument I have ever played had some setup or adjustment issues when pulled out of its box. On the positive side - my Vendetta XM came with an arrow-straight neck and VERY unusually excellent soldering in the control cavity.

Free Shipping, more information, and pricing for Dean Vendetta XM models here at GuitarCenter.com

Features: The Dean Vendetta XM's features are very much it's strongest point. The guitar has a string-through design across a Tune-O-Matic-style non-trem bridge - and the sustain and ring of the body definitely shine through. Even the acoustic sound of the Vendetta XM is pretty good. The string-through design makes for great "ring", reasonable low-end frequencies, and an interesting look to boot.

The simple control layout is a plus. One master tone, one master volume, and a three-way toggle switch adorn the Vendetta XM. The toggle selections are: neck humbucker, both humbuckers, and bridge humbucker. The toggle is a little close to the volume knobs (for quick-change switch slapping while playing). An inspection of the inside of the control cavity was surprising: the soldering was excellent, clean, and well-done. The anti-noise shielding black paint, however, was terribly applied (nothing a little copper shielding won't fix).

The body is very lightweight and is a comfort to the shoulder. The guitar is a little neck-heavy because of the light body, but it isn't obnoxious. My suede strap (fuzzy on the shoulder-side) holds my Vendetta XM pretty well in place for long periods. One small sacrifice of the light body: the guitar doesn't have quite as much sonic guts as a heavyweight like an Epiphone Les Paul, PRS SE, or Squier HH Stratocaster. The stock pickups and the light body do make for some relatively warm (but slightly mushy) sounds played through some amplifiers or models. This is an important thing: the guitar is Extremely comfortable; but there is a small price. A beginner would not feel the sonic difference early in her/his experience. But, this can be fixed with good pickups, a decent nut, and some good adjustment.

Overall, the neck is well above par for an inexpensive instrument. It is reminiscent of a nice Jackson or even a wider Epiphone neck. I like the feel and playability of maple on the back. The rosewood of the neck was kind of weird though: the factory had applied excessive "fingerboard black" to the rosewood. My fingers are black every time I play my Vendetta XM. My particular Vendetta has a great, straight neck. It does, however, have a rough feel - the finish had not been polished down/sanded well enough.

The tuners are adequate sealed machine heads that work fine. Strong bending does pull the instrument out of tune - but not any more or less than any other bargain guitar. The tuners are, however, smooth, better-than-average, and look a lot like the Schaller-type tuners on the nicer Squier instruments.

The dual humbuckers are average, and do the job well enough for a beginner instrument. As with any low-cost humbucker instrument, the humbuckers don't sound like BurstBuckers, DiMarzios, or Seymour Duncan SH* pickups. They're exceptionally easy to replace as the beginner becomes more desirous of better sound. Overall, the sound is fine and the quality is better than average.

My Vendetta XM came fitted with nice lightweight D'Addario strings. They were in good condition, were well-selected for the neck and body type. It's a refreshing change to see commercial-grade strings on a basic instrument - most instruments on the market have lowest-bidder strings installed at the factory.

Quality: The quality of my Dean Vendetta XM is a mixed bag. The finish of the body is flawless - even, smooth, consistent, and attractive (no, they're not gloss finished like in most pictures you'll see - they're satin finished). The finish on the neck is in need of work. The neck finish was rough, the frets were a bit unfinished, and the fretboard is just not as nice as it should be. Even the imprint of the serial number is poorly done. The neck finishing seems as if it was done in a big hurry. The nut is a hollow plastic variety - although this is not unusual in this price range, I'd expect more from Dean.

The wiring and electronics are way above average for a $100 instrument. The quality of the electronic components in my Vendetta were average to above average. The switch and pots are not high quality like Switchcraft USA switches/jacks or CTS pots, but they are adequate and will last for a good while. As with most any budget instrument, the electronics will be noisy in a few years.

I have to say this again (because it is VERY unusual): The electronics were very well done. Most high-end instruments I've played have the same level of soldering craftsmanship and wiring-lengths/wrapping. It may have been just my particular instrument, but I suspect that the simplicity of the controls and the large control cavity make for an easy job at the factory.

Playability: The Dean Vendetta XM is a very playable instrument. It is comfortable from a strap and body-fit perspective, and the neck is a good balance for large hands or even some smaller hands. It is smooth and comfortable in almost every respect.

The tuners go out of tune when the instrument is played aggressively, but not much more than any other beginner's instrument I've played. The instrument needs a reasonable set up when it is purchased - if nothing else to set the string height to the player's liking.

Value: The Dean Vendetta XM is a $149 value, usually sold for $110 to $99 street. Overall, it is a bargain. I really like Dean guitars, and I think they are the spice of the guitar store. I did not hesitate at all to purchase my Vendetta XM.

I think Vendetta XM is great for beginners, and mine has definitely made an excellent choice for my modifications!

Wishes: Do a better job with the neck, Dean: please?

Peterson Tuners' StroboSoft Mac/Windows Software Tuner Review

2007-12-10T13:25:00.002-05:00

Peterson Tuners StroboSoft Tuning Software Review

I record many different types of music via my computer. I use guitars, basses, keyboards, and mic-recorded vocals and acoustic sounds/instruments. I am constantly in need of a tuner which keeps me from having to worry about intonation issues.

Guitars (the whole family, basses, 6-strings, 7-strings, exotics) and just about every stringed instrument are not well-tempered. Read about instrument tempering here. It's fascinating - opens new window. Sometimes, just tuning your instrument to the exact correct chromatic pitches isn't going to give you better sound - "in tune", yes, better sound, no. I've fought the tunings of my guitars for ages (particularly acoustics). Tune up to the correct notes, play three different tracks together with the exact same instrument and the exact same tuning - sometimes the three tracks played together don't sound too good. Why? Tempering. Lack of sweetening.

If you want to tune to the exact pitches your instrument plays, then the StroboSoft sofware (and Peterson's peerless hardware tuners) will give you just what you want, down to the cent (a cent is effectively a hundredth of a tone). But, some technologies help you by giving you "sweetened tunings" - these tunings include the famous and wonderful Buzz Felten tuning system sweetening settings. There are other excellent tunings available to warm and broaden your harmonic and melodic sounds. With StroboSoft, you can spend your time with your music, not with fiddling with your tuner for hours on end.

Peterson's hardware strobe tuners are the best of the best of the best. I've been interacting with them since I was in school band back in the seventies. Recent Peterson Tuners for guitar, bass and other stringed instruments include sweetened tunings. StroboSoft Deluxe also includes sweetened tunings - all of which work WONDERS for your music and your ears!

Free Shipping and more information for Peterson StroboSoft

If you'd like to read more about StroboSoft in detail, you can visit the StroboSoft site here:StroboSoft.

Quick Opinion: Buy this piece of software. Buy this piece of software. Buy this piece of software. Really: Buy this piece of software. Your music will sound better, your music will flow better, you'll have more time to work on your music...

If you're gigging, playing outside a studio, or on the road - invest in a hardware Peterson Tuner (and take StroboSoft's capability with you). The hardware tuners are more expensive than the average hardware tuner, but they are worth it. At some point, I'm going to save up enough sheckels and buy a StroboStomp or the rack version for myself... Their hardware is well worth twice (or more) than their current street prices.

If I can get my paws on a Peterson hardware tuner in the near future, I will write an extensive review of it, as well.

Features: StroboSoft is a snap to use. Install it, go to the setup tab, select your instrument input hardward device, click on "Instrument tune", then choose what kind of tuning you want (6 String electric? 6 String Acoustic? Sweetened? 5 String Bass?). Pluck your strings, and work your tuners/slides/instrument tuning device until the strobe stops moving up or down. You're done.

Set up for the first time takes very little time. Just take a few minutes to read their introduction, set it up, and GO. YOUR music will be sweeter, warmer, and more natural-sounding in a few minutes. Be sure to check out and set up the noise canceling feature (so it can tune easier, even on a noisy guitar or mic) - once you're up and running and understand what the tuner's doing.

Quality: I have had no issues whatsoever with StroboSoft on any of the three computers I use for recording. It has never crashed, misbehaved, or given me the first issue. Flawless.

In case you're wondering, this review is glowing because the product REALLY deserves it - not because of any other factor.

Value: In my opinion, this software is worth at least as much as Peterson Tuners' StroboFlip and StroboStomp hardware. I'm very impressed (and, frankly very, very happy) that it costs so little. The forums get answered, the emails get answered, the folks at Peterson care about their customers, and you cannot find a better value on the market.

Period.

Wishes: I'd love to see a Mac OSX dashboard widget interface to StroboSoft... just a thought...

ESP LTD M-100FM/M-100/M100FM Guitar with Floyd Rose Review

2007-10-24T11:58:00.001-04:00

ESP LTD M-100FM/M-100/M100FM Review

Sometimes a guitar player just needs the rock-solid tuning of a locking nut combined with either a Floyd Rose tremolo or a Licensed Floyd Rose tremolo. With these little combinations of metal strapped to your axe, you can pull and push to your heart's content – and the guitar stays pretty much in tune.

Also, I'm a guitar nut. I like most guitars and guitar shapes (haven't warmed up to the angular and heavy-handed BC Rich stuff, yet). One of my functional favorites is the venerable Stratocaster shape. There's only one Strat, but it has spawned many different (and very similar) guitar shapes over the years. It would be really nice to have an affordable (read: not $399-$500) Stratocaster with a locking nut and Floyd Rose. One can purchase Fender's version of the Floyd on older, (USA- and Japanese-made) Strats. However, they do tend to bring fairly good prices (lots of folks want a Strat with a Floyd). Bear in mind that I am not comparing, nor will I in the near future attempt to compare a Fender to an ESP in my reviews. I am just using the Fender as a point of common reference.

So what are our alternatives? There are a few in the sub-$300 market, but not many.

One such alternative is the ESP LTD M-100. The current iteration, the M-100FM (flamed maple), is a wonderful choice and an excellent intermediate guitar. (Although my son is an advanced player, this guitar is actually one of his favorites, so don’t let the "intermediate" term fool you.)

The M-100 also makes for an excellent modifiable instrument – one that can be bent to the player’s needs in a great many way. I REALLY like this instrument (and hope to buy one someday). I think most players who seek great tremolo work and locking tuning will find this instrument to be top-notch at a low price!

Free Shipping and more information/pricing can be found here at GuitarCenter.com

Quick Opinion: In a few short words? If you want a Floyd, a locking nut, a comfortable Strat-type shape, and awesome build quality, the M-100FM is a bargain and a dream to play.

Buy one. I bought one for my son (Awesome!), and I will buy one for myself at some point in the future. ESP, you are on my list of favorites now.

Modding: The M-100FM uses a 3-position blade switch. With this type of switch slot and a two-humbucker configuration, the guitar just screams for some interesting pickup combinations! If 4-wire/coil-tappable pickups are installed after purchase, and a Fender 5-way super-switch (also a nice one from DiMarzio with the same blade type and connection terminals) – you can get the standard three positions of humbuckers, plus two different coil taps. Awesome sounding, flexible, no cutting or permanent modifications required.

I like the LH-150 open-face pickups that came in the guitar – for the money, they sound fine and have a broad range of harmonics for heavier music, pinch harmonics/pinch squeals, and other high-gain effects. However, the pickups are easily upgradeable to some pretty spectacular options. Some DiMarzio humbuckers, Seymour Duncan Humbuckers, and even some Gibson humbuckers make for great replacements for tailoring sounds to your needs. If you want to go for the coil-tapping modification, modern DiMarzios and Seymours are already 4-lead. You can get a professional to turn your 2-lead Gibson/Epiphone pickup to a 4-lead for a minimal amount of money: Imagine a coil-tappable, Gibson PAF sound in a Floyd Rose-enabled comfortable double cutaway guitar! Some of the above pickup choices may make it such that the poles don't quite line up with the strings, but the differences in sound make the offsets quite forgivable.

We modded my son's M-100FM with a fairly hot GFS PAF on the neck position and a really awesome Gibson 490T from a 2002 SG – both with chrome/nickel covers. It looks good and sounds fantastic.

Playability: Once strings are installed and tuned, the playability is excellent. The neck is of the slightly thin variety (not paper thin like a Randy Rhodes, but thinner than the average Epiphone or Fender Stratocaster). Access to all 24 frets is a breeze, with the 5th and 6th strings being a bit difficult (as is always true with this particular body design type). The relatively flat profile is consistently-done and is quite comfortable.

I really like the weight and balance of the guitar. The body is light and is generally equally balanced to the maple-and rosewood fretboard. When I use one of my nice 2" guitar straps with my son's M-100FM, I can play for hours before I start to feel the guitar's weight. Although the sound is not relative to a Les Paul/Firebird/Explorer’s heavy-body ever-lasting sustains, there is a great balance between weight and sustain.

The Licensed Floyd Rose tremolo works like a charm, is comfortable, and does its job with great aplomb. I added a fourth spring to the tremolo claw to help with keeping the trem unit flatter to the body. Since my son plays harder and thicker strings, the tremolo tended to pull up too much with just three springs. As a result, the trem does take more effort, but it is also more controllable and less wobbly when doing finely actuated whammies.

Features: The ESP LTD M-100FM guitar is a simple guitar – as most of this variety are. But don’t let the simplicity fool you.

The bolt-on neck is great, the two-humbucker and 3-way blade switch combination are excellent, and the licensed Floyd Rose trem system and locking nut are flawlessly executed.

Unlike some cheaper copies of this type of guitar, the M-100 has a counter-sink cut in the tail of the body to accommodate "pulling up on the whammy" in a significant way. This is not a guitar that has just had a Floyd bolted on for the sake of the feature alone. The set-up is excellent.

The body coating is a durable urethane/clear finish over a quilted (cap?) body with dark red or black stain underneath. The effect is beautiful – particularly with the spartan switch-and-two-knob configuration. The knobs are the simple, non-tapping, 1 tone and 1 volume variety.

I love the reversed headstock (longer low strings, shorter high strings). The tuners are fine and seem to be fairly precise, and the look is neat and attractive.

Quality: My son's M-100FM is very well-made so far as finish and fit are concerned. The clearcoat-on-stain is a mile deep in looks, and is glossier than fresh black glass. The neck is consistent, well-shaped, and fits to the body like a glove.

Like many Korean (and other southeast-Asian) manufactures, the wiring and soldering isn’t as nice as the American stuff. The potentiometers are fairly cheap, too. There is only a minimal amount of shielding present in the body and covers. Some simple ROHS-compliant spray or metal linings would be great (and not too expensive to execute, I'd wager).

I love the way this guitar is put together. Very easy to expand, and most of everything is fairly accessible underneath the pickups and in the rear cavities (trem box and controls box).

Sound: The standard pups sound quite good (well above average for a guitar in this price range that has so many other features – pickups in most less expensive guitars are usually sacrificed along with cheap tuners - this one's pretty good). The bolt-on neck is well-executed, so the sustainability is very good.

Overall, I like the way this guitar sounds at this price point.. If I were on an extremely limited budget and could not afford to mod this guitar, I would find that it would be perfect for heavier, overdriven, and/or distorted music. If you drop it through an all-tube, class-A amplifier with some serious watts, you'll need better pickups.

Value: This guitar has a street value of about $279. Interestingly enough, VERY few of them come on the secondary used market (like eBay, Craigslist, and such). It appears that most people find their M-100FMs to be real keepers!

In my opinion, this guitar could easily be sold at a street price of $329, so I think it is a great value. These are great guitars as primary dive-bombers or as a great guitar library member – well worth the money and well worth keeping.

Wishes: More colors, please - perhaps white or antique white? Also, I'd like the option of a maple fretboard (WOW. A transparent black flamed-maple body or transparent antique white with a maple fretboard would absolutely ROCK!).

ESP, I NEED ONE OF THESE! (Hint hint hint hint hint hint) I like the red or the black just fine, thanks! ;-) Are you folks listening? :-)

Jimmie Vaughan Fender Stratocaster - A long term review!

2007-08-21T16:37:00.001-04:00

Jimmie Vaughan Fender Stratocaster Longer-Term Review and Impressions

My previous review of my Jimmie Vaughan Fender Stratocaster has had hundreds of reads and lots of positive reactions and emails. Thank you all for reading! I've been playing my Jimmie Vaughan for a couple of years now... it's still a seriously wonderful instrument, and is a pleasure to play. I've had other Stratocasters now and then since I purchased my Jimmie Vaughan, but none give me the vibe and feel that Jimmie does. (Most folks call these Strats the Jimmy Vaughan Strat...)

I'm going to deviate a bit from my standard review format for this particular write-up. The Jimmie Vaughan Fender Strat is an extraordinary instrument, and has been an extraordinarily good influence on me and my music. I have used my Jimmie Vaughan on three albums now (soon to be a fourth). It is indispensable and an absolute joy to play. Imagine an instrument with an old warm soul – warm and complete – even though it is only a couple of years old. That old soul is harnessed in the Jimmie Vaughn signature Fender Strat.

What follows is my (humble) opinion about this fine instrument – based on real-time experience and hundreds of hours of play. I've made sounds from six different genres with my JV Strat...

Free Shipping and more information about the wonderful Jimmie Vaughan Fender Stratocaster here at GuitarCenter.com

Playability: When one picks up a JV Strat, something sparkles in one's imagination and in one's consciousness. It is light-weight, extremely well-balanced, and has a great mixture of features and parts. I want to be very clear that I am not gushing praise on this instrument due to a relationship with a vendor, manufacturer, or for any other reason – I've played this instrument a great deal, and I look forward to each opportunity to play my JV Strat.

The neck is still one of the best features of the instrument. It is a nicely-graduated V profile, with great wood, a great carve, and great finishing. The neck has a nice tint, and its finish is a wonderful balance between satin and gloss. When my hands sweat from playing in a hot room, the finish on the neck does not feel grabby or overly slippery. I wish all my Strats had this same neck and neck finish. The fretboard width at the nut and at the saddles is just right – I can finger-pick, hybrid pick, chicken-pick, strum, and more – all in complete comfort for both my hands.

The body contour, weight, and balance is about as comfortable and playable as any guitar I've ever had the pleasure to play. Even the consistent, smooth, and beautiful finish of the paint on the body makes the guitar more playable - it's like holding a brand new guitar, even after a couple of years of wear.

Features: One of the strengths of the JV Strat is its diversity of features. It has a great, upscale neck. It has awesome wiring. It has great-sounding pickups. It has wonderful vintage-style tuners (with old-style string-in-post machine heads).

All these features, plus a vintage-looking pick guard and an awesome vintage-style tremolo/whammy make for a Stratocaster package you'll enjoy for years to come. Other than some funky knobs, I've left my JV Strat completely stock – and it will stay that way: it's just right, just like it is.

Sound: Playability and sound are the JV Strat's strongest suits. By far, the wiring and Tex-Mex special pickups in the JV Strat sound distinctive, strong and vintage at the same time, with dynamic sound diversity to spare.

The JV Strat can play along with country, rock (any), jazzy warm music, smooth music, and even hard rock music. A flip of the pickup selector and a change of gain/eq cause the JV Strat to seem like tons of different guitars. The Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster is versatile enough to even please my son (he prefers hard-rockin' nads-to-the-wall double-humbuckin' guitars). I asked him one day which Fender he'd like to get his hands on (if I were to ever let any of them out of my cold, stiff hands ;-)). Without hesitation, he said, "I have always wanted to keep Jimmie.” 'Nuff said!

Value: The Jimmie Vaughan signature Fender Stratocaster is not the least-expensive Strat in Fender's stable. It is, however, very high in value as compared to other non-USA Stratocasters. With a JV Strat, you get good build quality, great electronics, a superior neck, and good finish in one nice package. I still think it is very much worth its street price. Looking back over the past couple of years, I would definitely say that I would buy it all over again, only to find joy in guitar playing again.

Wishes: I have come to love the simple, vintage-look pick guard. I have no wishes to change this guitar. I wouldn't change a thing – except that I wish I had a second Jimmie Vaughan Strat to play – I don't want these to go off the market before I get my hands on another. It means too much to me to be without it.

Gibson Faded SG Electric Guitar Review

2007-05-15T19:43:00.001-04:00

Gibson USA Faded SG Review

Gibson has some awesome 6-string hard-body electric guitars. Les Paul, Explorer, Vee, Firebird, and SG. My favorite Gibson? Any Gibson.

The Gibson USA Faded SG reminds me of some of the SGs I played in the early 1970s (sans shiny finish, though). VERY lightweight, mahogany, thin neck, bright rockin’ humbuckers, tulip tuners, fixed bridge, and tons of vibe. Every time you pick it up, you don’t want to put it down. Gibson has brought these things back in a modern-day form.

Free Shipping and more information about the Gibson USA Faded SG at GuitarCenter.com

Quick Opinion: Like the Gibson Vintage Mahogany Les Paul, grab one. They’ll be gone and you will have missed a great instrument. This is the kind that will sell (30 years from now) on eBay for good bits of money because of the “vibe” and “mojo” of the lightweight, plain SG.

Playability: The experience of playing the faded Gibson SG is a treat. The body is very nicely balanced, very comfortable, and vibrant.
The neck gives a sense of ease – where some necks make you think about them as you play, the neck on the faded SG is effortless such that you forget about it entirely. For you thick-neck fans, this will be an adjustment – it is quite slender and thin. It feels good, and doesn’t have the roughness of many of Gibson’s “faded” guitars.
The body is comfortable, and makes itself comfortable up against your picking arm and your ribcage. The body is very light-weight, almost the lightest solid-body I’ve ever picked up. Incredibly, though, the balance of body to neck is just about 50/50.
I’ve found that the (fairly standard) setup of the bridge, stop-tail, and nut feel good, and are quite flexible. I’ve played one that was set up for slide – strings high, but still playable with fingers. I’ve played several others that were set up for easy action and quick fingering. In both cases, the guitar performed flawlessly with no buzzes or flat spots. (A few of the fret wires had fuzzy ends, but nothing that couldn’t be handled with some fret polishing paper and a little TLC.)

Features: The features of the Gibson faded SG are basic, simple, and uncomplicated. The instrument features a standard 4-knob control: neck pickup tone and volume plus bridge pickup tone and volume. This SG also has the three-way toggle pickup selector (neck, neck and bridge, bridge).
The finish is sort of a satin clear finish on brown or cherry-looking mahogany. Unlike the faded Les Pauls and faded double-cutaway Les Pauls I’ve played recently, the finish on the SG is still smooth, even though it is not gloss-polished. The faded SG feels like an old, comfortable, worn guitar friend.
This instrument is ideal for a double-humbucker split-coil plus phase modification. (Just remember! Keep all the original stuff untouched! The original stuff is pretty sweet. Future generations will appreciate an elderly instrument with its original bits.)
I like the original-style Kluson tulip/keystone green “Deluxe” tuners. They’re not the sturdiest tuners out there – but they feel like the old Gibsons I’ve played as a kid.

Sound: Simply put, this SG SINGS. When you strike a chord or pluck a low string, you can FEEL the sound. It feels like it was special tuned for its setup, strings, and woods. The set neck, unfettered mahogany, and stop-tail bridge give this guitar a VOICE.
It can be played overdriven, over-distorted, clean, reverb-y, warm and jazzy, and lots more. I’ve played several examples at my local guitar stores (I can’t purchase one at the moment – starving artist – so I researched my review with many months of “research playing” at my guitar stores) – and I’ve played them through Mesa, Peavey, Epiphone, Marshall, Fender, Crate, and others. Standing in front of a full Marshall stack (tube head), with everything on 5 and volume on about 4 – WOW – it makes every guitar player in the store salivate to hear the sound.
The Gibson USA 490R and 490T pickups are flexible and warm, but have more output than the vintage SGs around which I grew up. They’re bright without being harsh. They’re easy to push into breakup with a good amp, and they play clean/jazzy with abandon. They’re fabulous.

Value: These SGs are very much worth their street price, maybe more. They’ve been marked down from the $700 range to the $579 range in the past few months. At the new price, they are very much a bargain.
Bear in mind: these do not come with a hard case at this price. They ship with a Gibson gig bag. If you want to preserve your SG, the genuine Gibson SG case (about $129 street) is well worth every cent. If you can’t swing that, at least find a durable TKL or SKG case for it.
As I said with the Vintage Mahogany Les Paul, go to your favorite get-in-trouble guitar store and play an example or two. If you don’t have a git-box store nearby, check out your favorite online haunt and pick one up NOW.

Wishes: I only have two simple wishes: I wish they came with a Gibson hard-shell case (I personally think every Gibson deserves to live in a Gibson case). I also wish that the 490 pickups in this guitar came with German nickel humbucker covers. I’m spoiled by the looks of the old ‘70s SGs.

P.S. Gibson, if ever there was a Gibson sponsorship for "really great Bears who review guitars", this would definitely be one of the ones! wink wink wink nudge nudge

M-Audio MobilePre USB Computer Recording Interface Review

2007-04-12T17:18:00.001-04:00

M-Audio MobilePre USB Guitar/Microphone Recording Interface and Mic Pre Review

The tune linked to the title of this review was recorded using my iMac and my M-Audio MobilePre.

Tons of people now own computers that are capable of recording music. Processors, hard drives, and RAM are now sufficient to (at least) record music and store it on their disks. Macintoshes with OSX now ship with GarageBand - an excellent means of recording - simple, effective, and transparent (it doesn't get in the way of the creative process).

The market has become filled with recording interfaces for personal computers. There are some that are ultra-basic and well-suited for jamming along with your favorite music. There are also some that are very high-end, with huge mixer interfaces and large numbers of instrument/mic inputs.

What do you do if you want to record one or two instruments/mics at a time? What if your budget is tight, and you want to get started with making music, voice, or sound effect recordings? I've found the MobilePre USB from M-Audio to be an excellent starting point. Although I have more advanced recording equipment and gear, I still keep my MobilePre around to do clean-channel acoustic recordings and to do on-the-go recordings.
Free Shipping and more information about the M-Audio MobilePre here at GuitarCenter.com

You can read more about a complete beginner's recording package deal at Musician's Friend here:

Bear in mind that I could write an entire book on using the MobilePre in the recording process, along with its nuances, its quirks, its strengths, and its weaknesses. But I will keep this review in the realm of just that - a review (not a how-to). Perhaps, I'll have some time someday to write a user-friendly "how to" on making recordings with the MobilePre... Things are so hectic that I don't usually have enough time to write a book or tutorial, though...

Quick Opinion: The M-Audio USB MobilePre is a superior and excellent choice for simple/beginner computer-based recording and for computer-based recording on-the-go. Throw this box in your laptop bag with an A-B USB cable, grab your instrument(s) and mic(s) and go. You can record sitting on the porch of a beautiful mountain cabin hideaway. You can record that fleeting idea sitting in the hotel room on a business or vacation trip. When one part of the house gets noisy, grab your bits and go to another part of the house. The MobilePre is simple and extremely portable.

It has two input channels, headphone out, stereo mini-plug out, L/R 1/4" out, stereo mini-plug in, and a single USB cable port. It is powered by the USB connection. It weighs less than a stack of CDs. It is clean, class-compliant, and has a wide range of drivers and freebie ("starter" or "limited") recording software options. The M-Audio MobilePre is an excellent basic/beginner/mobile choice.

What's not to like? Go get one.

Usability: Recording interfaces are not always as simple-to-use and elegant as the MobilePre. Really. It's that simple.

There is one 1/4 unbalanced instrument input port on the front (Unbalanced 1/4? What's that? It's the basic mono plug guitar/bass instrument cable type of input you use to plug your instrument into an amplifier - in use for guitars, basses, keyboards, some types of microphones, and more.). The front port is the left channel input for 1/4. The right channel 1/4 input is in the back of the device, as are both the left- and right-channel XLR (XLR? What's that? It's the big-diameter, three-pin cable type that is most associated with microphones, but is sometimes used with specially-quipped guitars, amplifier interfaces, and more. Most often, though, most folks will use XLR ports to hook up a mic.) It is kind of weird to have one 1/4 port in the front, and the rest in the back, but it ends up being no big deal after you use the MobilePre for a while. You fall in love with the little box, and the quirky front input becomes second nature.

The left- and right-channel level knobs are easy to use and marked intuitively with a silver pointer ridge. The headphone output level knob is simple, too. I like the little blue light on the front of the MobilePre - it lets me know that the box is active, hooked up, and powered on its USB connection.

You get little green blips on the front panel when sound input is going in to the channels (one each for left and right). The green blip gets brighter as the signal gets stronger. Similarly, you get red blips when your signal is too strong (sometimes called "clipping"). The stronger the clip, the redder the light. When I'm using my MobilePre, I try to let my computer software input meters do their job for me, but it is nice to have the signal strength lights on the front of the MobilePre for when you're not staring at the computer screen.

The rest of the MobilePre box is simple. Standard input/output ports... all are clearly marked, and the 48v phantom microphone button is simple to use. It is light, easy, and intuitive (if you're already familiar with the ports). If you're a complete newbie to recording, devices, and ports, the MobilePre is a comfortable, hard-to-mess-up box with which you can learn.

Compatibility: The M-Audio MobilePre is "class compliant" with some computer operating systems, including Mac OSX. I most often use Mac OSX, and I've always been able to plug in the MobilePre and rip sounds into GarageBand or Logic in no time at all. The MobilePre works with almost every major computer operating system in the consumer market. Sorry Linux and Solaris fans - I'm not aware of an official M-Audio driver for those platforms.

I won't go into a list of what platforms are supported, because it changes more often than this review will. You can see the currently-supported driver list here: http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.drivers (opens new window). Bear in mind that as of this writing, Vista is not supported, and Windows XP Media Center is not supported. This may change - check with the M-Audio site.

One important point: the MoblePre works flawlessly and effortlessly with Apple's GarageBand software (part of iLife), and with Apple's Logic Express and Logic Pro software packages. I've never had the first fit, glitch, or issue with my MobilePre in GarageBand 2.0, 3.0, and Logic Express 7.1. NOT ONE. That's cool. If you've got a Mac, and want to record music, words, podcasts, or other sound-based things, the MobilePre is an awesome place to start out.

Note that my MobilePre is a different color than the factory images:

Features: The M-Audio MobilePre USB interface has excellent features, better than average - and very good considering its price range. The MobilePre has one mic channel with phantom power.It is important to realize that not all budget computer sound interfaces have phantom power (Phantom Power? That's where the microphone preamp, in this case the MobilePre, provides a little juice to condenser microphones or other mic-like devices.)

Its two-port (two-channel, left/right) design means that you can have two mics recording at the same time, or perhaps an electric bass and an electric guitar, or combinations of both. You can record real two-channel stereo with the MobilePre. (Bear in mind that there are actually four inputs - but only one left and one right can work at the same time.)

Bundled Software (at the time of my purchase) included Live Lite 4 and Reason Adapted (a lite version of Reason). These pieces of software were compatible with both the Windows PCs and Macs in my house. These two programs let you record sound, layer sound, blend, edit, and mix. Both programs are "starter" programs - that is, they are not the full-retail commercial versions of Live and Reason. Some features are not available in the "lite" versions, and certain limitations are in place. If your recording needs outgrow these starter programs, you can purchase upgrades from these starter packages at a reduced rate.

Sound: Clean. Quiet. No bones about it. The M-Audio MobilePre USB box captures as good a sound as you can muster. Of course - your experience, your wiring, recording environment, and recording gear have a great deal to do with the quality of your recording. However, this device adds NOTHING to your recording. It is very clean.

For my acoustic recordings, either voice or instrument (acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, etc.), I use a nice tube pre-amp to warm up the sound. The MobilePre is very, very clean on acoustic inputs, but is very, very quiet. Sometimes it's nice to add some warmth and punch to your acoustic recordings. I'll try to write about that another day. If you'd like questions answered, some basic advice, or have questions, post a contact question to me and I'd be glad to try to help.

Value: The MobilePre USB interface is a bargain. I think it is worth more than it sells for (street price), but I think it is intelligent to market it in the $150 range... (marketing: maybe run occasional $129 "special sales"?)

You can spend $99 to $699 for basic computer recording interfaces - but no single one of them can compete with the features, number of ports, extreme light weight, durability, and overall compatibility of the MobilePre.

I have been asked a great many times about my opinions of starter/beginning recording devices. It is rare that I don't recommend the M-Audio MobilePre. Even more interesting, I've found that folks keep their MobilePres and still use them after they become more advanced at their craft, and after they've bought more advanced and expensive equipment. I have more than one interface, and I'm still using my MobilePre for certain acoustic things and for travel.

Wishes: I think that it should be very clear in packaging, or more importantly, web site data, what computer operating systems are NOT supported at the time of purchase, or at least give folks a super-simplified means of looking up compatibility before they purchase.

I like VU Meters. They're cool and they make me remember the days of old tube stereos - VU meters would be nice. But, since the MobilePre is so inexpensive and so lightweight, I guess VU meters can be left out. Perhaps a "MobilePre Pro" that would give us all back access, lit VU meters, and dual phantom power (one for both left and right)? M-Audio, are you listening? :-)

The Epiphone SG Special Review

2007-03-19T10:11:00.001-04:00

Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar Review

Bargain instruments are prolific in the modern instrument-sales market. There are large numbers of manufacturers, and there are a huge range of choices for the consumer. Generally, the competition and diversity of designs give consumers a wide range of choices for getting started with electric guitars.

About two years ago, my son wanted to go from using one of my instruments to having a guitar of his own. We talked about what kind of music he was enjoying the most, and what he liked in guitars. I played a fair number of beginner’s guitars (in the less-than-$150 range), showed him several pictures online, and took him to the guitar store a few times to play a range of different instruments. He settled on the venerable Epiphone SG Special (sometimes called the Epiphone SG Special II because of its dual humbuckers.)

It was an excellent choice – one that is still serving him well two years later. He still enjoys it, and I enjoy borrowing it from him from time to time.

Quick Opinion: The Epiphone SG Special is very light, well-balanced, and has respectable sound. It has reasonable intonation capabilities, and the craftsmanship is at or above par for instruments in its price range.

As an all-around instrument, the SG Special competes very well on quality, price, features, and looks. This is a high-value instrument that is very reasonably priced.

Free Shipping and more information about the Epiphone SG Special II at GuitarCenter.com

Playability: Playability is the Epiphone SG Special’s strongest suit, next to its price.

The neck is typical Epiphone, slim but substantial, smooth painted, and medium width. It is a shallow “C” profile (in my opinion). It is very easy to access the entire fretboard with this guitar, largely due to its faithful rendition of the classic SG body design.

Whether you like your strings high up (for slide playing, and those with extremely strong hands), or your strings low – this neck serves very well. The frets are a little thin for my tastes, but they do get the job done in a reasonable way.

The balance of neck to body is excellent, particularly when standing and using a strap. The guitar is light and airy in the hands, but is surprisingly resonant when it is played. I was amazed at how much the body rings with the notes. The light, thin guitar body is unobtrusive to the player’s picking arm, although it is not contoured for ribcage and pick arm rest.

The SG Special came fairly well set up from the factory. The frets were average-dressed for a guitar in this price range. There weren’t, however, any truly bad frets, sharp edges, or major string buzzers (a few spots on the neck, but MUCH less than the typical bargain-priced guitar).

Features: The Epiphone SG Special electric guitar is almost par for features in its price range. It is thoroughly average, and has some things that outweigh others in terms of their value.

The body is great. SGs are fun and easy to play, and are a great all-around choice. The neck is a bolt-on affair, with a shallow pocket in the body to accept the heel of the neck. The feel of the neck and the feel/balance of the body are the strongest positives for the SG Special’s feature list. These items, coupled with this guitar’s sound, make the SG Special a good choice for most beginners.

The tuners are below average in quality. Most Squiers come with much better tuners. However, many bargain manufacturers use the same type of tuners (maybe even the same manufacturer? Not sure, they look the same, though). I think this was the first thing we did to mod the SG… we put Grover Rotomatics on, tuned up some new strings, and have seen significantly better tuning stability and accuracy. The Grovers made it much easier to do alternate tunings with thicker strings… the OEM tuners did not hold up well with rock-style thicker strings.

The SG Special has two potentiometer knobs, one for tone on both pickups, one volume for both pickups. The pickup selector switch allows the player to choose neck only (Rhythm), both pickups (a little more punchy and a little louder), and bridge only (Lead) for more clarity, growliness, and grind. The neck pickup is best suited for smooth sounds. The bridge is fairly hot/loud, and serves rock styles very well. The pickups are average in quality for this price range, perhaps a little more than average. They are largely quiet, and are the open-face (no cover) variety.

The pickups are easily adjusted with standard screw setups. The frets are a little on thin and shallow side, but work adequately well in the lower positions of the neck. Towards the body, the frets are a little small for my tastes – I like seeing taller frets for cleaner high notes.

Sound: The Epiphone SG Special sounds great through a nice amplifier. It holds up surprisingly well against guitars that can cost almost twice as much.

Although the pickups certainly aren’t on par with Gibson high output humbuckers or Seymour Duncan humbuckers, they are actually quite nice for a $150 guitar. The stock pickups can do the distortion thing pretty well, and can even pick up enough signal for pinch squeals and slap-plucks. The output of these pickups is pretty good, if not above average. They lack the smoothness and dynamic capability of better pickups – but they do well for beginners.

I was able to set the intonation of this instrument to very nearly ideal. The neck/length/scale is good for basic set up, but isn’t quite perfect. However, I’ve seen bargain instruments that don’t even come close to the SG Special’s tune-ability.

Value: Brand new, out of the box, the SG Special was ready to be played. I just tweaked the intonation and string height at the bridge, tuned it up, and it was ready to go. The SG has simplified tone and volume controls, and is very easy on the hands… Given the overall quality of the instrument, and the sound it makes, this is an instrument that is in the $189 range for street value - one that you can get for significantly less at your favorite brick-and-mortar vendor or local guitar store establishment.

Overall, the SG Special II is a bargain – one that will last a beginning guitarist for a decent amount of time.

Wishes: I do think this instrument could use two volume and two tone controls. I also wish it was offered in other colors (in addition to dark red and black). The tuners could have been nicer cast-metal tuning machines.

Yamaha F345/F 345 Sycamore Top Acoustic Guitar Review

2007-02-22T14:53:00.001-05:00

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.

Ibanez SZ520QM SZ520 Electric Guitar Review

2007-02-19T22:27:00.001-05:00

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.

Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse Bass Guitar Review

2007-02-14T10:35:00.001-05:00

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…

2006 Fender HSS Stratocaster (Strat) Review

2007-02-12T09:10:00.001-05:00

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).

Wedgie's Rubber Guitar Picks Review

2007-02-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

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.

Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Review

2006-11-26T00:08:00.001-05:00

Gibson USA Vintage Mahogany Les Paul

One of the guitars on my “to get” list is the Gibson USA Vintage Mahogany Les Paul (faded cherry). I've played several examples a great number of times over the past year or so… and although I could not purchase this one for myself (budget, budget, budget), I felt the need to express my view on this instrument. This instrument is a fundamental instrument that incorporates critical elements of a fabulous-sounding instrument. In its basic-ness, this particular Les Paul is all about sound delivery in a price-friendly Gibson package.

Tone folks will find the Les Paul Vintage Mahogany to be a monster… Folks whose budgets cannot achieve the heights of the Les Paul Standard, or even the Classic or Studio, will find this instrument to be a real bargain. Perhaps enough of a bargain to truly bring great Gibson-ness to many musicians’ sound libraries.

This is a fabulous instrument – stay tuned and I'll attempt to explain why it strikes me so well.

Quick Opinion: Grab one right now before they’re gone. Period. If I had the means, I would.

The wonderful Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany is no longer in production :-(. But you can see more about the new Gibson LP Studios here at Guitarcenter.com Check out the new Raw Power LP and SG!

Playability: The Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany is all Les Paul. It has the chunky 50's-style neck one expects from many Les Paul models. The neck is tapered in a subtle way, and the radius is extremely comfortable.

Another interesting aspect of the neck's playability is its consistency. It is even, smooth (if a little woody – like lots of natural-finish acoustic guitars, but not as wide), and very comfortable. As a person who truly likes the 60's neck profiles (and the slimmer Epiphone neck profiles), the Les Paul Vintage Mahogany was different at first. However, after playing several examples over several months at my local, favorite Guitar Center, I adjusted to it. I am now more comfortable going between my Epi Les Paul and the Gibson.

The body’s weight seems to be really well-balanced. It doesn't feel as weighty on the shoulder as a traditional Les Paul – but it still retains that singing, miles-of-sustain feel that makes Les Pauls so breathtakingly essential to many kinds of music. It plays like an old friend. It feels like an old friend, and is one of the most comfortable Gibson Les Pauls I’ve had the pleasure of playing.

Features: The features of the Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany are varied and interesting. This particular Les Paul is a marriage of basic simplicity and killer electronics. The fretboard is very nice, the tuners are the (to me, essential) traditional green-tulip tuners. The body has no binding, and the top wood has the same feel and color of the back and neck.

This particular Les Paul may be a lower-priced Gibson, but it comes with a real, deluxe Gibson hardshell case. This is unusual, considering the fact that some of the other "worn-finished", less-expensive models only come with a gig bag (such as the Vee and the SG).

By far, one of the greatest values in the Vintage Les Paul Mahogany is its pickups. It comes with Burstbucker Pro humbucking pickups. I don't know how different the wiring is (as opposed to the Standard, Classic, or Studio), but the sound is absolutely awesome. The Burstbucker Pros, combined with the case, make this guitar feature rich – even though it isn’t a fancy Les Paul.

Sound: Sound, sound, sound, sound, and sound. WOW. Pick up an old or vintage Les Paul, close your eyes – pop it through some Marshalls or even a deluxe Twin Reverb, dial up the amp, and let loose. Now do the same with one of the Vintage Mahogany Les Pauls. Listen... No matter if you can scream like Vai, cry and wail like Lang, or rip the souls of the audience into happy little pieces like Gilmour, or just play like a regular Jane or Joe, this instrument does not dissapoint. It takes that vintage-ness of the old PAFs, adds more output, and makes the dynamic range of the sound more (a good thing) complex and rich.

I’ve played several of these through a very wide variety of amplifiers, including nice Class-A Mesas, wide-rich VOXs, chunky Marshall stacks, cheap starter combos, Fenders, and some Kranks and Line 6s… this horse can not only trot, canter, or gallop – it is a true thoroughbred: it brings crunchy, singing, sustaining sound to any style, amp, pedal, or volume.
Sound, sound, sound, sound.

Value: Based on its sound, its case, its Burstbucker Pros, and its made-in-USA pedigree, this is absolutely worth much more than its street price. I’d put it at around $1k any day. The fact that you can buy it for much less makes it a 12-out-of-10 value any day of the week. If you've been thinking of going Gibson, or if you’re looking for that sweet, in-your-face rock. This guitar is a "jump on it now" opportunity. If you like warm, jazzy, neck-pickup sound that reminds you a little of B.B. King's ES-combined with some of that Jimmy Page roots-blues-rock, this is the one for you. You won’t be sorry for getting one of these. Go to your favorite get-in-trouble guitar store and play an example or two. If you don't have a git-box store nearby, check out your favorite online haunt and pick one up NOW.

Wishes: An optional 60's neck would be fabulous (well, for me, anyway - sorry 50's fans).

Parker P-36 Fly-cousin Electric Guitar Review

2006-11-08T14:12:00.001-05:00

Parker P-36 Guitar Review

I play instruments each day – with joy, I might add. Part of the real pleasure of making my music is my enjoyment of interacting with different instruments. One of the BIG things that is important to me in an instrument is flexibility of sound.

Some instruments are very well made and don’t have any flexibility beyond the musician’s ability to alter sound. These instruments are important, and are the basis of any “sound library.” A superb oboe, trombone, piano, or trumpet can be played in many different sound-wise ways. But, some instruments allow for added flexibility. Electric guitars, basses, and other electric instruments can have built-in sound-shaping capability.

I recently went looking for a very playable, but very flexible guitar to add to my sounds. I had read about Parker guitars for quite some time – but I brought focus to Parkers because of some truly interesting capabilities. This review unfolds a bit about my decision to go with a Parker P-36.

Quick Opinion: The Parker P-36 is a pleasure to play. Its sonic capabilities are very wide, and the relative price is a bargain. The Parker P-36 is sort of akin to the superb set-neck and fabulous USA-made Parker Southern Nite Fly. As is often said, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and the P-36 doesn’t disappoint.

The P-36 is feature-rich, flexible, playable, and fairly comfortable to play (comfortable even for playing long periods of time). The P-36 I picked had one nice little extra feature – the maple fretboard looks nicely flamed – a beautiful and nicely-done touch.

The P-36 appears to no longer in production, but you can see more information about Parkers and get Free Shipping on Parker guitars and basses at GuitarCenter.com

Playability: The P-36 has a comfortable radius on the fretboard, excellent fret height and width. The all-maple neck and fretboard is extremely accessible and feels "quick." For those of you who are big Fender fans, the P-36 neck is a comfortable marriage between the wider, more arced Strat neck and the narrower, quicker, flatter Tele neck. Overall, I’d give the neck a solid “A.” One distinct advantage of having this instrument is that switching among 6-string Fenders and the P-36 during a session is effortless and doesn’t cause the guitarist to have to re-think much of the scale reach in his/her head.

The interesting, trademark Parker Fly-shaped body of the P-36 allows for easy access to the whole fretboard - with middle-finger access to the upper 6 frets being fairly comfortable to those with longer fingers. After months of playing my P-36, I’ve found very few spots in the fretboard that require a funky hand shape to reach.

The body is nicely contoured. The overall thin-ness of the body, and the wonderful ribcage scoop behind the top horn make the guitar a favorite in our house. Just strap the P-36 on, and the guitar seems to fit against the body as if it was custom-made. Although the top lower-bout of the guitar body doesn’t taper for the pick-hand arm, the thinness and gentle shape of the top makes the lower bout fairly un-intrusive. To reiterate an important point, the guitar is well-balanced, and actually feels lighter than it actually is. The body’s Ash wood is a serious asset in this aspect of playability.

Features: The features of the P-36 is where it truly shines. The excellent marriage of magnetic standard-type coil pickups and piezo-bridge pickups give huge combinations of sonic choices. Combined with the extra-flexible volume and tone control layout, a single P-36 can sound like many different guitars, each by just flipping the small piezo and/or magnetic pickup-select switch. Combined with the familiar neck-both-bridge magnetic selector switch, just a flip, dial, and click causes the P-36 to sound like a completely different instrument.

The P-35 has the fun and interesting headstock of the Fly clan, EXCELLENT genuine Grover 18:1 precise tuning machines, a lovely and comfortable maple fretboard, and an easily-accessible truss-rod adjustment wheel (you don’t have to remove the pickguard to adjust the rod – just use the notched wheel to loosen or tighten).

The tightly-glossed Ash body is done extremely well, and looks good to boot. I chose the blonde finish (what was it they said about blondes ;-)?). Overall, the P-36 is a very high-feature guitar for the money.

As an added bonus, the P-36 sells with a better-than average Parker Guitars gig bag.

Sound: Sound is a strong suit of the P-36. The two single coil pickups are very low-noise, but strong enough in output and aren’t gnarly. The sound from the magnetic pickups is on par or slightly better than comparable singles in guitars in the P-36’s price range. The Fishman piezo saddle pickups are crisp, even, and sound very good.

The piezo pickups add an almost acoustic quality to the sound of the P-36, when the pickup-type selector is set to piezo or piezo-and-magnetic. Although some amplifier types will cause the piezos to quack a bit under load, the piezos actually outperform almost all the bridge/saddle pickups I’ve tried.

The P-36’s sound has very good sustain for a bolt-on neck and moveable saddle guitar. The sound is very consistent throughout the life of the strings, and the tuning stability of the P-36 is well above average.

Value: I believe that the Parker P-36 is well-priced at its “street-price” level. It compares well with many instruments in the $600-$800 range – but with a boatload MORE features. Given a budget in this range, I feel as though I got a bargain – considering the sonic choices now in my sound palette. Since the P-36 is really in its own ballpark (more or less), it is difficult to compare it to the same price-range guitars from many excellent brands. That said, once you pick up a Parker P-36 and plug it in, you’ll be hard-pressed to walk out of the store without it.

Wishes: I have almost nothing to cite as concerns on the P-36. If I was designing the P-36, I think I would only ask for a little difference: a set neck. The bolt-on neck is fabulous, don’t get me wrong… I realize that one of the many feature upgrades going to a Southern Nite Fly is the Fly’s set neck. I also think that better availability of hard cases would also be nice.

Fender American Jazz 4-String Bass Review

2006-10-11T08:43:00.002-04:00

Fender American Jazz Bass Review

There are many good and extremely good manufacturers of bass guitars in the world today. We have the luxury to access a huge variety of basses in all price ranges, lots of different styles and sounds, and a mind-boggling set of choices to make when shopping for a bass guitar.

When I set out to purchase a definitive bass for the majority of my bass playing (and recording), I wanted to have a great sound, a sound that fits many styles of music, and in a guitar that doesn’t require a second mortgage to own. I took several months to play lots of different basses from different manufacturers, and in lots of different price ranges. Although a musician like me wants to have lots of tonal/playing options for his guitars, I need a solid cornerstone instrument for my bass sounds: The Fender American Jazz fits the bill in a huge way. Our Fender American Jazz (“Count Bassy”), will be a member of the family – and a treasured heirloom for many years to come.

Quick Opinion: The Fender American Jazz bass is well-rounded, sonically rich, ultimately playable, and a joy in terms of playing comfort. If you need a long-term bass guitar – one that can fit almost any musical style – The American Jazz is just the prescription the doctor ordered.

Free Shipping and more information about the American USA Fender Jazz 4-String Bass here at GuitarCenter.com

Playability: I played about a dozen bass manufacturer brands before settling on an American Jazz. After long days of playing many basses, the American Jazz felt at once comfortable and effortlessly playable. The particular Jazz I purchased felt like playing an old favorite guitar of many years (just shiny, clean, and new).

The neck is the signature for a Jazz bass – a great taper, an effortless profile, and a satin finish that always feels effortless (even when your hands get hot and sweaty). The neck and body profile make for easy access to the entire fretboard range. As a bass player who loves to use the entire fretboard, the Jazz feels right at home. It is obvious that the person who finished my particular Jazz neck paid attention to even the tiniest of details. (However, see my note at the end concerning the fret wire ends.)

The balance of the body and neck is outstanding for a full-scale (34”) bass. Even though my American Jazz is a tiny bit biased weight to the neck, it never becomes an issue for playing long hours in my home studio. The comfortable body contours for your ribcage and pick/thump/pluck hand arm make the guitar fit to the player like a glove.

Playing our Fender American Jazz bass is a comfortable and enjoyable experience. It’s easy to look forward to recording and playing sessions when one has one of these basses to play.

Features: Another place the American Jazz Bass shines is in its feature set. The vast majority of passive basses in this price range give you tone, volume, and some nice cosmetics. The Fender gives you nice cosmetics, and gives you the wonderful S1 switch. The S1 switch gives you additional sound choices, and can add lots of real-world punch to your sound to cut through even a big, loud band.
My only concern with most passive basses is that it is very difficult to get lots of bass frequency (without sending your equipment/recording gear way into the clip-red-range). The balance between signal volume and punch is a difficult thing to achieve, especially for recording. The S1 switch and the wonderful advanced-magnet pickups in the American Jazz make the search for sound MUCH easier to play, hear, and EQ.

The pickguard is a classy three-layer guard. The neck is a fabulous piece of maple (I chose the maple fretboard for its playability, sound, and looks). The tuners are accurate, easy to use, and simple to maintain. The included Fender hardshell case is wonderful for protecting your Jazz baby.

Sound: I could write a short novel about the sound of the Fender American Jazz bass. (Hey Fender, do you want me to write one?) There are lots of styles of music in the world, and there are lots of wonderful-sounding basses out there from a variety of manufacturers (even several different sounds from Fender). By far, the sound of the American Jazz bass fits more styles and sound qualities than any other bass I’ve had the pleasure of playing (followed closely by the Jazz’s cousin the Fender American Precision bass).

The sound is warm when you need it, it's very vibrant and broad when you tweak it, and there’s not much out there that can growl, sizzle, spank, bite, or punch better than the American Jazz. The Jazz is loud (for a passive bass) without being intrusive, but can take a lead tone in an R&B or rock tune very easily.

The sound of my American Jazz has inspired me to compose and record duets for bass, and has led me to intuitively play melody and counter-melody with the bass.

Value: The Fender American Jazz bass is well worth its cost, if not even a little more. The combination of quality, playability, and signature sound make the purchase of a Fender American Jazz a purchase you will long enjoy.

Wishes: My particular American Jazz plays like a dream – however, the ends of the frets have not been nicely dressed. I’m accustomed to American Fenders having all the little details done without compromise. If you run your hand down the edge of the fretboard against the edge of the fret wires, you can feel sharp, jagged edges. I used some fret polish paper to take a little of the bite off the edges of the wires – but they’re still not as clean as my American Telecaster.

Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt-Top Review

2006-06-08T22:48:00.001-04:00

Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt Top Review

Over the years, there have been many guitars I have played and loved. One guitar, however, has been consistently my favorite to play - the Les Paul. I love Firebirds, Stratocasters, Telecasters, SGs, Ibanezs, PRSs and lists of others. But, time after time, I always come back to a Les Paul. The way they play, sound, feel, and look just says something to my soul. I know that Les Pauls aren't for everyone - no problem. They're just wonderful to me.

Quick Opinion: The Epiphone version of the Les Paul Classic Quilt Top is a well-done rendition, with great features and decent sound. The guitar does not approach its Gibson cousin, but is definitely worth its price and then some.

The Epiphone Les Paul Classic is not currently in production, but you can find out more about Epiphone Les Paul guitars and get Free Shipping at GuitarCenter.com

Playability: In the world of Les Pauls, there are two main camps. Those that like thick necks and those that like more modern C-shaped necks. The Epiphone Les Paul's neck is much more comperable to a modern Tele or Strat than a 50s Les Paul. The neck is slightly less beefy than the 60s-neck Gibson Les Pauls, and significantly less beefy than the 50s-neck Gibson Les Pauls. If you're a modern Fender fan, the Epihpone will probably feel much more at home than the Gibson necks. If you're used to Ibanez electrics or modern ESP/LTDs, for example, you'll find the Epiphone very similar.

The neck plays like greased lightening, and is very comfortable from a grip point of view. The string spacing is excellent for most hands, and the string height is actually superb - right out of the box. In general, Les Pauls have a short-ish scale length (means, the length of the string is a little less than the average guitar). The shorter scale makes thicker strings a little more comfortable to play, and makes reasonable string-bending possible with 10s or 11s.

The balance of neck and body is good, and the fretboard is comfortable and smooth. Some may find the weight of Les Pauls (in general) a bit much to lug for hours at a time, but I think it is a reasonable trade-off for the MILES of sustain and depth of the guitar's sound.

Features The Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt top is very high in the features list arena. Were this a Gibson, the features of this guitar would be between a Les Paul Studio and a Les Paul Standard. The single-ply cream-colored binding is applied to the top edges and the fretboard. The back is pretty much a natural mahogany color, and the entire guitar is gloss finish (including the back of the neck). The quality of the smoothness of the finish is very good, although my particular guitar has a few blemishes underneath the top coat on the back (almost like a filler was applied to the wood, then finished over without coloring the filler).

The Classic Quilt Top is actually a beautiful instrument, with mahogany body and quilted maple carved cap/top. The fretboard is a comfortable and nice quality rosewood, and the headstock overlay is fairly well done. The stop-bar tailpiece is standard Gibson stuff, as is the Tune-o-matic bridge. The guitar sports two tone knobs and two volume knobs, with one of each for each of the two pickups. My Classic came with superb, chrome full-sized Grover tuners. Epiphone appears to have made the switch from the jade-keystone-two-screw vintage tuners not long before my instrument was made - all the catalogs and internet sites still showed the guitar with the vintage tuners and not Grovers. (As an aside, I found some new Gibson-authorized Grover chrome tuners that have the keystone/tulip shape for the tuner buttons - and they were a direct replacement for the factory Grovers. I just like the keystone shape of the tuners better than the butterbean shape.)

Overall, the Epi Classic is complete with features that compare favorably with other, nicer Les Pauls.

Sound: Sustain, sustain, clarity, clarity, and clarity. When you look up sustain in the dictionary, there's a picture of my Les Paul. Nuff said.

The pickups are a little on the low-output side (although still better than the Classic's less expensive siblings). When compared to Burstbuckers or Classic Gibson pickups, the edge, bite, and growl are significantly more tame with the Epi's pickups. But to put them in real perspective, they are more versatile, warmer, and more creamy than any other humbucker I've played in guitars in the same price range. Pickups are almost a matter of preference - when concerning their overall sound. Some like the visceral sound of EMGs, some like the mellow twangy-beefy of Fenders, and others like the true-blue broad-spectrum sound of Burstbuckers. The pickups in the Epi are most comperable to the Gibson humbuckers, but with less output and less tonal range. I realize I ramble on this part of the subject, but I think most will agree that you will always want more pickup sound (unless you've bought a top-of-the-line Gibson/Fender/Etc.).

The sound of this particular Epi Les Paul is good for rock (almost all types), good and gutsy blues, electronica, and some forms of traditional metal.

Value: This is a $550 guitar in value (not 'retail', 'street'). This guitar is significantly nicer than the lower-end Epi Les Pauls, and is an excellent value for the money, the sustain, and the features.

Wishes: I love my Les Paul. Even when my budget will allow me to buy the Gibson Les Paul Standard of many a dream, my Epi will still get lots of play time and recording time.

However - The finish flaws on the back side could have been avoided. Also, as seems typical of many Chinese Epis, my guitar's lead wire solders were not very good. I had to re-solder most of the wiring into the pots before I could get the guitar to behave correctly (as was true of at least 6 other classics at my favorite guitar stores).

I do wish the pickups were covered with nickel covers. I do think the sound might change a bit with nickel covers - but to me, after looking at Les Pauls for so many years, nickel-covered pickups were traditional. Perhaps this model could be offered with more than one type of pickup system.