Squier Sub-Sonic, the 24 fret baritone guitar from 20 years ago

This guitar definitely wins the award for Best Name Ever for a baritone electric.

On page 147 of the Fender catalog back in 2001, one photo appeared of a baritone guitar by Squier. It only came in one color, Black Metallic.

This was the Sub-Sonic Stagemaster Deluxe, even though "Stagemaster" nor "Deluxe" appears anywhere on the instrument.

Basically put, this thing looks like the Baritone Guitar of Doom. With the exception of the headstock logos, everything on this guitar is blacked out. Paint, hardware, controls, tuners, all of it. Nothing but black. Also, it has a neck-thru design. No bolt-on.

The Sub-Sonic would look totally at home at a heavy metal show, no question about that.

How much?

I've seen the Squier Sub-Sonic selling between $650 and $1,000.

This thing is somewhat rare and attainable.

The Sub-Sonic is one of the cleanest designs I've ever seen for a baritone electric, and it was also built to play. This was made at a time when Squier was trying to be "edgy" with newer modern guitar designs.

Remember, this is before the Classic Vibe Series existed, so this was the best stuff Squier was making at the time. And even though the Sub-Sonic is 20 years old, when you pick up one that's in good condition, it doesn't look nor feel old at all. The Sub-Sonic could easily be released today and would still be considered modern.

If you fancy an "evil" looking baritone electric, seek out a Squier Sub-Sonic. You won't be disappointed.

If you don't want to deal with a vintage electric guitar and would rather get something now that's new (and probably cheaper with better build quality), see the ESP LTD Viper-201B. The B is for Baritone, of course, so it's low, loud and mean. Also check out the other baritone electrics available. There are plenty to go around.

Fender actually came correct with the Jag-Stang this time

This is not a guitar I'd ever buy, but at least this one was launched right.

Nostalgia sells, which is why Fender is having another go with this guitar (the first time was in the early 2000s).

Will it sell? Yes, of course it will because of two very specific things Fender did this time around. First, launch with a lefty version, and second, have it in the same color Kurt Cobain had his Jag-Stang in, and that's exactly what happened.

Yes, there is a right handed version if you want a look at that. But the lefty in Sonic Blue is what counts.

If I recall correctly, when Fender had their first go with the Jag-Stang back in 2002-2003 (which was made in Japan), the color was there but no lefty version - and that ticked off Nirvana fans a lot. They wanted the lefty and didn't get it. This time they do with the Mexico version.

Why I would I not buy this?

Before I list my reasons why, it doesn't matter what I say here because the fact the Sonic Blue lefty version exists means it's guaranteed to sell. That's the one fans have been wanting for years, so regardless of my opinions, Fender should easily sell all of the Sonic Blue lefties with no problem at all. I don't know how well the Fiesta Red lefty or the right-handed versions will do, but that blue lefty is a guaranteed seller.

With that said, this is why I'd never own one personally:

Butt-adjusted truss rod location, like many of the Fender Vintera Stratocaster guitars have. Neck has to come off for adjustment.

It has a leaned humbucker. The rear coil pole pieces absolutely don't line up with the G, B and high-E strings at all, and the front coil pole pieces absolutely don't line up with the low-E, A and D strings at all. What I'm hoping Fender did was use a humbucker with a strong ceramic bar magnet, which would at least somewhat mitigate the strings not lining up with the pole pieces.

7.25" radius fingerboard. This guitar will fret out easily for most notes bent beyond one semitone.

Jaguar control knobs. Never liked those things.

I won't own one, but again, the Sonic Blue lefty will sell. It's as sure of a thing as any.

$10 fix for Fender Stratocaster tight string tension problem

I almost returned the Fender Stratocaster I just bought because of this. Fortunately, the fix was easy and cheap.

I just bought my new Fender Player Stratocaster. I haven't even owned it a month. But I noticed a problem.

The strings felt too tight when compared to my '89 Squier II Stratocaster. That guitar feels just right where the strings are nice and "slinky", but the Fender absolutely did not.

At that point I did what most Strat players do. Adjusted the string saddles, took out a tremolo spring from the back (you only need two, especially if you don't use the tremolo system), adjusted neck relief, and so on.

None of this worked.

After that, I tried a different string brand.

That didn't work either.

What I was attempting to do was get the same slinky feel that my Squier has. I thought I covered everything.

I didn't. There was one thing I missed. The string guide (a.k.a. string tree).

As it turns out, the Fender Player Stratocaster uses a string guide for the B and high-E strings that does not use a spacer.

When I compared this to my old Squier, I then knew the Squier had a spacer and the Fender did not. Yes, my Squier has two string guides instead of just one, but even so, both have spacers.

After discovering this, I detuned the B and high-E strings on the Fender, removed them from the string guide, then tuned back up to pitch to see if the guitar felt any better.

It did. Now I had that nice slinky feel I was looking for.

At this point I needed a spacer. I drove to Guitar Center and bought a Fender Stratoacster string guide set. Nobody sells the spacers individually. You have to buy the whole string tree set. This means you spend 10 bucks for something that's literally worth about 25 cents. Yes, I could have bought just the spacer for cheap at a hardware store, but I didn't want to deal with the issue of having a spacer set too high or too low. The one Fender makes is exactly correct for their headstock and nut, so I paid the ridiculous 10 bucks just to get that stupid thing.

After installation, the string guide is now raised, resulting in less string tension. Problem solved.

Why does a string guide spacer affect string tension so much?

Let's find out.

The 101 on break angle for Stratocaster and Les Paul guitars

Break angle affects string tension. A lot.

In order to have the least amount of string tension when tuned to pitch, the strings have to be as straight as possible from end to end when installed on the guitar.

Installed strings on electric guitars do not travel exactly straight from end to end because of break angles. Decrease the break angle (where possible) wherever one is found, and the overall string tension is decreased.

On the Stratocaster guitar:

From back to front, break angle 1 is tremolo block to string saddle, break angle 2 is saddle to nut, break angle 3 is nut to string guide, break angle 4 is guide to tuning post.

Break angle 1 can be lessened slightly by only using 2 tremolo springs instead of 3, and allowing the bridge to float.

Break angle 2 can be lessened slightly by saddle height and neck relief adjustment.

Break angle 3 and 4 can be lessened significantly by raising the string guide with a spacer for strings that use them.

On the Les Paul guitar:

From back to front, break angle 1 is tailpiece to bridge, break angle 2 is bridge to nut, break angle 3 is nut to tuner post.

Break angle 1 can be lessened significantly by raising the tailpiece.

Break angle 2 can be lessened by adjusting bridge height and neck relief.

Break angle 3 can only be adjusted very slightly by using locking tuners since there are no string guides.

It's ordinarily the tailpiece more than anything else that makes a big difference with Les Paul string tension.

This is, by the way, why some players will wrap the plain strings (G, B and high-E) around the tailpiece. By doing this, the height of the string when leaving the tailpiece is closer to that of the string saddle itself. Some Les Paul players swear by this method and say it makes a big difference. Bear in mind that over time that strings will leave marks on the tailpiece. Also know that the break angle will be different from plain to wound strings. String buzzing may happen, and you may need to reintonate and adjust neck relief. You also have the option of top wrapping all the strings, but again, know that those strings will mar the tailpiece. You may want to buy a separate tailpiece (very affordable) to top-wrap with if you want to keep your original in good condition.

Where does less string tension matter most?

Answer: "Full" chords and bending notes.

If you like where your string height is but just wish you could hold chords easier and/or bend strings a little easier, that's where less tension is the answer - especially if you've tried lighter gauge string but that didn't work out.

There are thin core guitar strings by GHS (for both electric and acoustic) which absolutely do help for easier chording, but not for note bending.

Where the note bends are concerned, examine every break angle and adjust the ones you can. If your nut slots are cut correctly and everything else checks out, do your best to decrease break angles where possible, and this may make your guitar much easier to play. It certainly worked for my Fender.

Alnico vs. ceramic magnet electric guitar pickups

This is my take on the whole alnico vs. ceramic pickup argument.

Let's first define a few things up front.

Alnico (which should actually be written as AlNiCo), means a pickup magnet made of aluminum, nickel and cobalt. It is not a company name but rather the three 2-letter abbreviations for what the magnet is made up of.

Ceramic magnets, originally invented in the 1960s, are magnets made of iron oxide and strontium carbonate. It is also a man-made magnet.

An alnico magnet pickup has a number after it that defines its relative strength. The higher the number, the greater the output. The most common for guitar pickup use are 2, 3 and 5. Alnico 2 is usually applied to a "vintage output" humbucker, while 3 and 5 are usually used in single-coil pickups, although 5 is also used in humbuckers. In the Stratocaster, alnico 3 has a lower output but more of a "1950's" tone with higher treble, while alnico 5 has a more "1960s" tone. Generally speaking, most players prefer a pickup with alnico 5 magnets because of its higher output, regardless of whether it's single-coil or dual coil humbucker.

Do ceramic magnets have number grades like alnico? Yes. There is ceramic 1, 5, 8 and 8B. The one most commonly used in guitar pickups is ceramic 8, sometimes known as just C8. What's the difference between the grades? Way too nerdy for me to explain. The layman's way I can describe why C8 is used is because it is "most appropriate for use in a guitar pickup".

This all being said, when people say "alnico vs. ceramic", what that actually means is "alnico 5 vs. ceramic 8".

Which magnet do I prefer?

This literally depends on how the pickup is voiced.

I just bought a brand new Fender Stratocaster that has alnico 5 magnet pickups in it. I also have my 1989 Squier II Stratocaster which does have ceramic magnet pickups in it.

With ceramic, I prefer the sound to be "ratty". I actually like the sound of really cheap ceramic magnet pickups, which is exactly what my '89 Squier has in it. The midrange is too loud, treble ceiling too low, and bass is kinda there and kinda not. The guitar sounds great. Yes, I really mean that. It's a very specific type of Strat sound where once you figure out how to wield it, wonderful sounds happen.

With alnico, I prefer not-to-vintage spec, which is exactly what my Fender Stratocaster has. The pole pieces follow the fingerboard radius (more or less), and the tonal character has a natural midrange "scoop" going on. Midrange frequencies are a little lower while treble and bass frequencies are a little higher. If you were to look at this on a graphic equalizer, the midrange scoop is slight. Nothing too crazy. And that's good.

Is one magnet better than the other?

It really depends on application.

Players who like in-your-face high output pickups will always go with ceramic magnet humbuckers. For rock and metal, you can't beat having one of those in the rear bridge position of a solid-body guitar. A DP100 Super Distortion is all you need there.

Players who like '50s super-clean twangy Strat tones will always prefer alnico 3 magnet pickups. A compressor effect can always be added in for more pronounced notes without adding any distortion.

Players who like '60s Strat tones will always prefer alnico 5 magnet pickups, as they can promote tube type amp speaker breakup better, and work better with the fuzz effect.

Players who like experimenting with a lot of digital guitar effects will generally gravitate towards ceramic magnet pickups, as they do typically work better there - especially for the more "atmospheric" and "dreamy" type effects.

In the end...

If you're confused between which to use, I'll say this:

Ceramic is ceramic is ceramic. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the magnet will be C8. Strats will still sound like Strats, and pretty much any solid-body guitar with humbuckers in it will be just fine for rocking out with.

With alnico, you have to be a little more careful. It is most likely true you want alnico 5 for everything. Rear pickup, middle pickup if the guitar has one, and front pickup. Personally, I like alnico 5 in Strats and alnico 2 in Les Pauls, but that's just me. You would probably prefer alnico 5 everywhere unless very specifically trying to achieve a vintage-correct sound.

This is the proper orientation for a Stratocaster knob

This may be pedantic, but if you're a stickler for these sorts of things, this is the right way to do it.

When you get a brand new Fender Stratocaster, the knobs have to come off because that's the only way you can get rid of the protective plastic film off the pick guard. The knobs also come off whenever you need to clean them or need to periodically lubricate the potentiometers. But what is the proper orientation when you put the knobs back on?

There are three ways most Strat players orient their control knobs:

Method one: Align to 1.

With the knob off, turn the potentiometer to where it would be at the 1 indicator. Align the knob 1 to the treble side rear pickup height adjustment screw, press on.

Method two: Align to 10.

With the knob off, turn the potentiometer to where it would be at the 10 indicator. Align knob 10 to the treble side rear pickup height adjustment screw, press on.

Method three: Align the word upside down, parallel to the neck with potentiometer "on 10".

This sounds complicated but it's really easy.

Aligning the word VOLUME or TONE printed on the knob parallel to the neck is actually the correct way to do it.

Do this, and there is no way you can get it wrong. All the knobs "line up" properly.

This will work on the Stratocaster or any guitar where numbers are printed on the knob. It always works.