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Stuff you should read
Recommended guitar gear for beginners
Top 6 recommended guitar pedals
Recommended rock songs for beginners
Beginner's guide to everything you wanted to know about electric guitar necks
Recommended guitar tuners to get
Why you need a mixer and which one to get
Thinking of a guitar pickup upgrade?
Cheap easy ways to get vintage guitar tone
All guitar straps are not the same
27 Jan 2012
It's unfortunate that the selection of guitar straps at most guitar stores is fairly limited, so it's easy to assume all the straps are the same. Trust me, they're not, and there are several kinds available.
Quick list of strap types for electric guitars (there will be examples below with photos, keep reading)
- Nylon - this is the one most people have mainly because they're really cheap and durable.
- Poly - This is the short term for polypropylene, as in polypropylene webbing. Easy to confuse with nylon because they feel roughly the same.
- Suede - Best described as "big and fluffy" feeling.
- Leather - Always in fashion, but never strap on a guitar using one of these shirtless, as it will leave marks on your back.
- Padded leather - Country guitar players use these a lot.
- Crushed velvet - Admittedly, these look really cool, and the look even works for metal players.
The width of most electric guitar straps are either 2 to 3 inches wide. Some of them keep the same width through the whole length, while others have a belt-style thing going on where it's skinny on one end and thick on the other.
Does the right strap really matter?
Yeah, it does. If you have a guitar strap you hate, you'll never "grow to love it" because that's just not going to happen. If the strap you have now just plain sucks, get rid of it and buy one you like.
What about strap locks?
Personally, I'm not a fan of these. I had them for a Stratocaster a long time ago and just couldn't stand the things, so I went back to the traditional strap style. Works for me. If you like strap locks, that's fine, but they're just not my thing.
Some straps you'll actually like
To see the price of the strap, click on any image below.
Okay, I'm going to list a ton of straps here. Chances are you're going to find something you like out of this list.
| Everyone has seen an EB poly strap at one point or another and tons of people own them. These are cheap. Buy 3 in your favorite colors. | |
| If you can't find the color you wanted from the EB poly strap, chances are the color you wanted is here (which includes a cream-colored one for cream-colored Strats). | |
| If this doesn't say "country player", I don't know what does. | |
| Definitely durable, very rugged, will last for many years and suits any type of look. | |
| Very cool retro look for Fender or Squier guitars no matter what model you have. | |
| This one is interesting because it's not a 2-inch and not a 3-inch but rather a 2.5-inch. If you were looking for that "perfect in-between size", this is it. | |
| You will DEFINITELY get noticed wearing one of these. Very cool-looking and very comfortable. Your friends will be impressed with this one. Works for any music style, even for metal players. | |
| This is a hippie-style strap. If you wanted that late-1960s style look, this is the one. Definitely gets noticed because most guitar stores don't carry cool designs like these. Works really well on Strat, Les Paul and acoustic guitars. | |
| This is another one where your friends will say, "Wow! Cool! Where did you get that?" Why? Because dragons are awesome, that's why. | |
| You can't go wrong with a checkerboard strap, and this one is built well. | |
| It should be noted that while the face of the strap is cotton, the backing is poly, so it will last. Plaid, no matter what anyone says, never goes out of style. |
Remember, if your strap sucks, get one of the above and play happy. :)
Do you really need better pickups in a Strat?
27 Jan 2012
I will list some recommended pickup upgrade kits below for those of you who want to swap out your existing Fender or Squier Strat pickups for something else, but before I do, here's a few words about how pickups in a Stratocaster works.
Standard edition (meaning no special model) Stratocasters by both Squier and Fender have "weak" pickups by nature. The reason for this is because that's part of what gives a Strat its tonal character. In addition, "hot" pickups in a Strat is not always a good idea. What may happen is that instead of getting a "hotter" sound, this can backfire on you and amplify existing noise.
My standard advice to those who think their Strat pickups are "weak" is, have you tried a compressor pedal yet? If your answer is no, this is yet again another instance where a compressor pedal can be your best friend, because using one is a whole lot cheaper and easier than switching out pickups.
As I've said before, I recommend getting the MXR Dyna Comp and trying that out first before even considering swapping out your Strat pickups, because if it's OUTPUT or GAIN that you wanted but are otherwise satisfied with how your pickups sound, that's exactly what the compressor pedal is there for.
Legitimate reasons to get better Strat pickups
Let's say for the moment you've tried the compressor pedal but still aren't happy with the way your pickups sound and want to try something different. That's fine as long as you upgrade for the right reasons.
A list of good reasons to upgrade pickups in a Strat:
- The 60-cycle hum on the 1, 3 and 5 position setting annoys you and you want to get rid of it.
- The existing pickup set you have is either "too muddy" or "too bright" and you want something that promotes a more "even" sound.
- Even with the use of a compressor pedal, the output of the pickups still isn't good enough for your playing style and you want something "hotter".
Rich's recommended pickup sets for Strat guitars
I always recommend getting the set over buying pickups individually because you save a lot of money going that route. If you were to buy pickups individually, you'll literally spend double to triple the price, so again, you're better off just buying a whole set.
Each set below is linked, so if you want to see the price, just click on the picture.
Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups
You would think from having "custom shop" in the name that these would be really expensive, but they're surprisingly affordable. When you want that super-bright Stevie-Ray style tone, these are what you want because they're over-wound to produce that super-bite sound. These are not noiseless/hum-canceling pickups, so you'll still have the 60-cycle hum. As long as you're okay with that, the Texas Special set is a good choice.
Fender Hot Noiseless Stratocaster Pickups
For most of you out there, this is probably the set you want. They're affordable just like the Texas Specials, but are noiseless and a lot more "civilized" than the Specials are. You get your "hot" bridge, "warm" mid and neck without any 60-cycle hum. If you have NO IDEA which set of pickups would genuinely be a good improvement over what you have, this is the 'safest' set to go with.
Fender Tex-Mex Stratocaster Pickups
The Tex-Mex pickups are similar to the Texas Specials as far as tone is concerned, but the best part is that these are really affordable. If the price of the Specials is too much but you want something really similar for literally less than half the price, the Tex-Mex is the way to go. These are not hum-canceling pickups, so you'll still get the 60-cycle hum.
Seymour Duncan Everything Axe Set
This is the most expensive set of pickups on the list. They are hum-canceling and the set delivers an amazingly smooth tone, but bear in mind these are not "traditional" Strat-sounding pickups. I don't know how to describe the sound of these other than "sounding modern", meaning not vintage. If you play rock and metal, you'd probably like these.
DiMarzio Area Stratocaster Pickup Set
These aren't exactly cheap either, however you are in fact getting three very distinctly different pickups with this set. "Area '58" is the neck, "Area '67" is the middle and "Area '61" is the bridge - each of which is specifically designed to maximize tonal capability for their respective positions. The Area set promotes a vintage tone and not necessarily a rock/metal sound, and yes, they're hum-canceling.
On a final note, remember that a pickup upgrade does not increase the value of your guitar at all, so I'd suggest keeping the original set and putting it away somewhere just in case you want to sell your guitar someday in all-original condition.
Beginner’s guide to everything you wanted to know about electric guitar necks
25 Jan 2012
Certain guitars "feel like a Fender" while others "feel like a Gibson", but why? What separates those two guitars as to the way they feel?
There are basically five things that determine how a guitar feels.
- Weight of the instrument when standing
- Body shape
- Neck fingerboard radius
- Neck scale length
- Nut width
As for weight, that's easy to figure out. Either the guitar is heavy, light or just right depending on what you want. The true test of a guitar's weight is how it feels when you have it strapped on and standing with it for at least 15 minutes. Either it will feel right or it won't.
As for shape, a number of factors come into play here. Stratocaster guitars have a cut on the back of the body to better fit your shape while the Les Paul and the Telecaster do not. Shape also counts for positioning, such as where things like the bridge, switchgear, volume and tone controls are.
Aside from weight and shape, most players judge a guitar on how the neck feels, which has a lot to do with scale length, fingerboard radius and nut width.
Scale Length
A scale length is defined as "the maximum vibrating length of the strings to produce the sound". On an electric guitar, this measurement starts at the bridge saddle and ends at the nut, also known as the zero fret.
On a Fender Stratocaster, the standard scale length is 25.5 inches.
On a Gibson Les Paul Standard, the standard scale length is 24.75 inches.
Fingerboard Radius
Guitar players get really confused as to what fingerboard radius is and how it matters concerning how a guitar neck feels.
The fingerboard radius is the arc of the fingerboard. A lower number means the board is rounder where the frets are. A higher number means the board is flatter.
Typical modern-spec Fender neck: 9.5-inch radius
Typical vintage-spec Fender neck: 7.25-inch radius
Typical Gibson neck: 12-inch radius
The radius is the biggest reason why Fender guitar necks feel so much different compared to a Gibson.
What does the radius mean to you as a player?
This is very easy to understand.
Flatter radius fingerboards are better for soloing. If you want a guitar with the "fastest" neck that allows your fingers to go from fret to fret in the easiest way possible, flatter is better.
Rounder radius fingerboards are better for chord playing. The tradeoff to a flat fingerboard is that it makes it more difficult to play full-handed chords on. When you play a full-handed barre chord for example, the neck will dig into your fret hand at the pinky area when you play, and you might even experience some hand strain. On a guitar with a rounder fingerboard, like a Fender guitar, there's much less strain on the hand with full-handed chord playing.
"I like to solo. Does that mean I need a guitar with a flatter-radius fingerboard?"
Not necessarily. You may find that you can perform solos just fine on a neck with a rounder fingerboard.
You will know if you need a guitar with a flatter radius fingerboard if you keep "fretting out" (string bends end up 'squeaking' on the higher frets) even after setting up and intonating the guitar properly.
Nut width
The nut width is literally the width of the nut, as in the part of the guitar where the neck ends, the strings sit, and before the headstock begins.
Modern-spec Fenders and Gibsons have almost the same nut width. The modern-spec Strat is 1.685-inch and the Gibson 1.695-inch. Barely a difference, but the Gibson is slightly wider.
Vintage-spec electric guitars usually have skinnier nuts. On a Fender for example, vintage-spec nut width is usually 1.650-inch, and that's a significant difference compared to modern-spec. When you play a vintage-spec guitar, the strings are literally closer together and you'll notice it. And no, that's not always necessarily a good thing because depending on how you play, your fingers may "bunch up" on strings from time to time when playing chords or soloing.
Most modern electric guitars "feel like a Gibson"
Here are 3 different Ibanez guitars (click each if you want to see more specifications on them):
Each of the above has at least a 12-inch fingerboard radius or greater, meaning they absolutely will not feel like Fender guitars at all and be decidedly more Gibson-like in terms of neck feel regardless of body shape.
Only Fender and Squier truly "feel like Fender"
Not even G&L who makes the Legacy guitar (as well as the Comanche) truly feels like a Fender because that model uses a 12-inch radius fingerboard. Yes, it looks almost identical to a Fender Stratocaster, but you'll instantly notice the 12-inch radius fingerboard the moment you start playing one, and you may not like it if you were expecting that Fender feel. This is not to say G&L makes a bad guitar, as they do make fantastic stuff, but they do have the 12-inch radius on the fingerboard and that's important to know.
When you want the real Fender feel, you have to go Fender or Squier and that's the only real way to get it.
Your only other option is to custom order a neck (such as from Warmoth) where you can get that 9.5-inch or 7.25-inch fingerboard radius neck. Otherwise, the vast majority of electrics are 12-inch radius on the fingerboard or greater.
So there you go. I think that covers everything you would ever want to know about electric guitar necks, or at least enough to know what to buy and more importantly what not to buy.
Rich’s 8 favorite expensive guitars
24 Jan 2012
Just because I don't buy expensive guitars doesn't mean I don't take a look at them every once in a while.
Below are my favorite guitars that are at least $700 or more to buy, and why I like them. Each guitar is linked by clicking on it if you want to check out the price.
The '65 Reissue Mustang from Fender is the only reissue guitar I actually like, because ordinarily I can't stand reissue series guitars. This one however has everything done right, and it's real-deal 1965 feel all the way through. Twangy, "surfy" and spot-on.
I'm not a shredder, nor do I like Floyd-Rose style tremolo systems. However the RG1550M from Ibanez is one of the ultimate 80s-style shredder machines. Right color, right style, right HSH pickup configuration, right everything. True shredding machines don't have graphics and stickers all over them, but rather have all the money put into hardware - and that's exactly what this RG is. The best part of the guitar is the neck, no question. 5-piece "Wizard" with "Prestige" finishing. Incredible to the touch and feels smooth as silk for lightning shredder speeds.
My favorite V style in the world is the Rhoads where the bottom fin is shorter than the top. Jackson makes the best Rhoads V, and the RR5 in particular is perfect because it's a hardtail with no tremolo whatsoever. There are V's, and then there are Jackson Rhoads V's that step up the game immensely. The RR5 is also one of the few guitars that looks perfect in white/gold or black/gold.
Fender American Nashville B-Bender Telecaster
I don't like Telecasters, but I'd own this one. The B-Bender is what makes this guitar worth having, and nothing B-bends better than a Telecaster. If you have no idea what B-bending is, here's a video; it's the ultimate country sound and you need a B-bender to get it.
Fender Classic Series Baja Telecaster
Again, I don't like Telecasters but I dig this one also. The B-bender is nice but sometimes you want a "regular" Tele. This one is pretty much better than anything you'd come across because of Custom Shop options built right in. Broadcaster bridge pickup, V-shape neck, ash body, thin polyester finish, and four-way switching because of the custom neck pickup. This Tele is a perfect blend of vintage + modern and you can't do any better for the price it sells for. (And the Desert Sand color kicks ass!)
The only Explorer worth getting is a hardtail in black. Does it sound any better compared to other models? Nope. Does it stay in tune well? Nope (the hockey-stick headstock makes that almost impossible). Is it light? Nope, it's very heavy. But will you look cool playing one? Yep. There are only two reasons to own an Explorer. First, the look, and second for an angled-shaped guitar you can actually sit down and play (which you basically can't do with a V shape). In addition, the balance of this guitar when standing - assuming you don't mind how much it weighs - is perfect.
Gibson Les Paul Studio Pro Plus
The Studio versions of the Les Paul are lower-priced because they don't have the decorations that are on the Standard models (no binding, standard chrome hardware instead of gold, open-style humbuckers, etc.), however they are every bit a Les Paul, and the Studio Pro Plus model is in my opinion the best Les Paul made - and bear in mind I don't like Les Paul guitars. 1960s slim taper profile neck, better tuner keys, BurstBucker Pro in the bridge, 490R in the neck, and coil-splitting for single-coil tones when you want them. This guitar, said very bluntly, beats the ever-loving crap out the Les Paul Standard in every way if you can deal with the dialed-down look of it. The Pro Plus is quite literally the do-it-all Les Paul.
Fender Classic Series '50s Stratocaster
How could anyone not want a Surf Green real-deal Fender Strat, right? This one I particularly fancy because it has the 50s V-shaped neck, traditional 6-post bridge, and fortunately has a 5-way pickup selector (if you bought a '57 reissue, it comes with a 3-way that can be upgraded to a 5-way with a provided kit). This is again another one of those Fender guitars that has a good modern + vintage combo going on.
Why you need a mixer, and 5 good mixers for under $100
23 Jan 2012
Recording a single instrument to your computer is easy, but it can become difficult quickly if you don't have a mixing board, otherwise known as just "mixer".
A mixer's job is really simple - to allow multiple instruments or microphones to be plugged in so you don't have to constantly keep switching cords from one instrument to the next.
It's best to use a mixer that's small so it doesn't take up half your desk, and use one that has a good layout that's easy to use.
Below are 5 mixers under $100 that are all good.
- Behringer Xenyx 502 - I own this mixer personally, as do many others. Small, easy, feeds audio without complaint and gets the job done. Oh, and the best part? It's cheap.
- Behringer Xenyx 802 - This is the same thing as the 502 except with more inputs where you have 6 instead of 4. Useful if you want a mixer to record a band with.
- Behringer Xenyz 1202FX - Yes, I know I'm listing a lot of Behringer stuff here, but it's just that good. Just like the 502 and 802, except this one has 12 channels.
- Soundcraft Notepad 124FX - The additional option on this one is that it has built-in effects you can use. How many? Over 100 of them. Very cool.
- Alesis S-8 - Not as feature-packed as other mixers, but it does have 12-segment LED meters which gives you more precise control over sound levels. There are some people who would take many-segmented meters over other features, and if that's what matters to you, the S-8 definitely delivers.