Is your cheap guitar holding you back?

The answer to this question all depends on whether you have the right cheap guitar or not.

I have an SX Furrian Fat. It's called "Fat" because it has a humbucker pickup in the neck position instead of the traditional single-coil for both positions.

The Furrian is a Telecaster style guitar available from Rondo and sells new in the USA for under $200. That's cheap money for a new electric guitar in 2021. Last year, I bought not only the Furrian Fat seen above but also a regular Furrian as well. However, I had a very specific reason for getting these two guitars, which I'll cover in a moment.

On that whole "an expensive guitar will make you a better player" argument...

Most of the time, cheap guitars play just as good as the expensive ones do, with emphasis on the word most.

For example, take the Fender Player Telecaster. What makes that guitar more expensive is what you don't see. The pickups will have better dynamic response. Under the pick guard and control plate, you will find good wiring, proper shielding, proper solder connections, full size potentiometers and a traditional (and more expensive) pickup switch instead of one that uses a small PCB (printed circuit board). The fret ends are also usually finished better.

...but does any of that stuff make you a better player?

No.

You can obviously take a cheap Tele copy, rewire it, re-shield it, change pots, change pickups, change pickup switch and dress the fret ends with the proper tool.

As long as you're not fighting with the instrument...

As has been said by many thousands of guitar players over the years, good setup really, really matters.

The #1 thing that makes a cheap guitar play terribly is the fact it's not set up. Out of the box, the string action is sky high, neck relief is totally wrong, intonation is way off, and so on. In that state, of course the guitar will play terribly and you'll be fighting with it right from the start until a proper setup is done.

Time spent on setting the guitar up will make a world of difference. There's no excuse not to know how to set a guitar up as there are many YouTube videos explaining how to do it.

But is that all there is to it to become a better player? Just a good guitar setup?

No, there is more.

This is where I explain why I got the Furrian guitars to begin with. It all comes down to the neck. As I've mentioned before, that particular guitar has a thicker neck with a flatter 350mm (almost 14") fingerboard radius and jumbo frets. For a Telecaster style guitar, this is obviously nonstandard, but it agrees with my fret hand very well.

I did not come to know this until after I spent some time with thin-necked guitars first.

For those of you who have been following me a while, you remember when I had the black Squier Classic Vibe '50s Stratocaster. Good guitar? Yes. Great, in fact. But it had a thin neck on it that I just couldn't get along with. No amount of good guitar setup would ever magically thicken up that neck, so it had to go.

The Furrians I have now literally sell for less than half the price of one of those Squier CV guitars, but the Furrian neck is one I don't fight with.

You are better off buying several cheap guitars to find out what agrees with you best

I can understand spending a bunch of money on a guitar when you are absolutely sure of exactly what works for you. But if you're not sure of what guitar suits you best, going cheap and staying there until you find something good is the better option.

For me, I found the right cheap guitar for what I like to play. It's comfortable, I don't fight with it, and it allows me to continue to learn new things and advance as a guitar player. But this was not an overnight thing, and I had to go through several other guitars before landing on something that really worked.

I am not saying you have to play the same guitar I do. Not at all. What I am saying is to learn how to do a good setup first. If that doesn't help improve things, try different cheap guitars, and especially go for things you haven't tried before. You have options. There is 25.5" scale (Strat/Tele), 24.75" scale (Les Paul/SG), solid body, semi-hollow body, and so on among other things.

When you find the one that works for you the best, then you can consider throwing some big cash at a more expensive guitar. And that may not even be necessary, because once you find something you really like, why replace it?

If I could travel back to the '90s, would I do it?

Yes.

But only for a month.

Search around the internet for anything '90s, and you're certain to find comments from people saying if they could travel back in time and live in that decade forever, they would do it.

Would I? Yes, but like I said, it would be only for a month. Thirty days in the 1990s is more than enough, and I'd be relieved to come back to the 2020s.

Things I did like

I like the cars of the '90s. A lot of them. Cars by Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Honda, Toyota in this decade were just plain cool.

The clothing styles of the '90s were great. Not necessarily for the look but rather because of comfort. A standard "grunge" look is jeans, flannel and boots. You really can't go wrong with this, even today. It's a style that's both comfortable and wears for a long time. Certainly better than the garbage of the '80s that wore out so quickly.

Video game consoles were made like tanks, and the games were great for the most part. Huge improvement over the '80s stuff. Whether you went Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis, you got something truly good. The consoles were so overbuilt that most of them work perfectly fine even now, and that includes the controllers.

The movie theater experience in the '90s was pretty good. Not quite as good as the '80s, but still better than the 2000s (it's been downhill ever since the 2000s decade).

FM radio in the '90s was the best there ever was, no question about that. What was then known as shock jocks were actually daring and funny.

Things I did not like

Most of this is the stuff people have conveniently forgotten about, but I haven't.

Not a cheap decade

Cable television had a huge price spike, you still had to pay for long distance calls, cell phones and phone service was really expensive, clothes were expensive, and many other things went up in price.

And were the prices of cars, apartments and houses truly cheaper in the '90s? Not really. If you don't believe me, you can run any inflation calculator online and see for yourself. '90s prices for the most part were higher compared to now.

Anything labeled with an "e"

Internet was a new thing in the '90s, so anything internet was electronic, meaning to sound modern, slap an e in front of it, and job done. eThis, eThat, eTheOtherThing. Whatever. Even if the product had nothing to do with the internet, it didn't matter. That stupid e got slapped in front of it anyway.

Goatees and Mullets

I've never had a mullet hairstyle on my head nor ever had a goatee on my face. But I knew plenty of dudes that did. Some had both going on at the same time.

I remember seeing more goatees than mullets, and I know why. It's because a goatee is acceptable in both blue and white collar jobs while the mullet is not. But that doesn't mean it looks any less goofy.

Low rise jeans

Seeing women's butt cracks poking out of the tops of jeans is not attractive. Never has been, never will be. Regardless of how hot the woman is, seeing butt crack is a no-sale.

A woman wearing low rise jeans is the female equivalent of a dude wearing jorts.

If I had to live in the '90s for a month...

...I'm certain that I'd be saying "Get me out of this '90s hell!" after being there just two weeks. Yes, I am saying I wouldn't even last the month.

What music could I listen to? I've already heard it. What movies could I see? I've already seen them. What places could I go to? I've already been to those places before.

I couldn't talk to my friends of that decade, because all they'd see is a middle aged "old" guy. I couldn't talk to my parents or relatives of the era either, because I'd be a total stranger to them at the age I am now. And I certainly couldn't stay at the house I grew up in.

All I could do is just visit places, which I would. But that would get old quick and I'd just want to leave.

And even if it were possible to go back to the '90s at the age I was then knowing what I know now, that wouldn't work either. Yes, I would avoid some mistakes since I would know in advance what's coming, but then make new bigger mistakes that I never would have expected. There would just be no way to win, assuming there's even a victory to be had.

I understand the phrase "you can never go home again" all too well. That time in my life, that '90s, has passed. And if somehow I was able to travel back in time and actually live there for a quick spell, I'm 100% certain my reaction to it would be that of apathy.

Living in that period of time would also be very inconvenient.

Going back to a '90s way of living would be awful

I don't want to go back to a world where there is no GPS, all cell phones were huge bricks with no text messaging, internet connectivity was at dial-up speeds, and the only way to get a decent photograph was on film.

I also do not miss answering machines, writing checks to pay bills, mailing out said checks (which cost extra because envelopes and stamps aren't free), CDs that skipped, floppy disks, no USB, anything labeled "EXTREME" (or XTREME, which is just as bad), and so on. I miss none of that.

Some may say that the '90s were simpler times. And they were. But it was simpler in an annoying way. There's simple good and simple bad. The '90s is simple bad.

I could say much better things about the 1980s, 2000s and 2010s, and maybe I will at some point. But as for the 1990s, I remember that time. I was there. I lived it. It wasn't that great. Other decades were better. Anybody who thinks otherwise is just fooling themselves.

Prepper tip: Know how to use Garmin intersection search

This is a feature of every Garmin nuvi and Drive model (DriveSmart, DriveAssist, etc.). You've probably never used it. But if the GPS signal cuts out and doesn't work, or the GPS grid ever fails, this will come in very handy and get you where you need to go.

What you will need to know are three things. How to put the GPS into simulation mode, knowing what state you are in, and how to perform an intersection search. (This should work in other countries but I'm in the USA.)

Before getting into that, a question answered:

What's the point of knowing this?

Example situation: You're driving around somewhere unfamiliar, and the GPS signal cuts out. You don't know why. It just stopped working. The Garmin itself still runs fine, but it's getting no signal whatsoever. Something happened and you can't get a signal back. You grab your phone to use its navigation. Same problem. No GPS signal. Uh-oh. Now you're lost...

...except you're not. With intersection search, all you need to do is find where two roads meet, read the street names, and that info is enough to get you directions from where you are.

If that doesn't make sense, it will in a moment.

Let's try this out

Putting a Garmin GPS into simulation mode is easy to do as it is just one checkbox. The menu option is called "GPS Simulator". You can locate where it is via Tools or Settings. From there, it will usually be located under the submenu System or Navigation. When checked, the GPS antenna is turned off. When unchecked, the GPS antenna is on. Simple enough to understand.

Intersections (which is the intersection search) will either be on the Where To? screen or from Categories on most Garmin models. If it's on the Categories screen, you may have to scroll down quite a bit to find it, but it's there.

If you have checked GPS Simulator and have found where Intersections is, you're ready for the next step.

Step 1: Touch Intersections and choose your state.

You may see more than one state listed. Choose the state you are in. If you do not see the state you are in, click the button at bottom to type out the state where you are and select it, then proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Enter street 1 and street 2 to find the intersection in the Garmin.

The way this works were it used in a real life situation is to drive until you find an intersection where you can read both street names. Find the nearest safe place next to that intersection and park.

Enter the first street into the Garmin, then enter the second street. Most of the time you don't even need the full street name. For example, within Florida I simply entered Calder for the first street and Busch for the second street, and the Garmin found it:

If the intersection is found, touch the information icon (you can see this above, it's either labeled as a letter i in a circle, or the word "info").

On the next screen, touch "Set Location" to instruct the Garmin that yes, this is the intersection where you are right now:

Once you do this, you can then go to your Favorites or Saved locations and get directions - BUT - when you choose a location you want to navigate to, there are still a few more steps to take. Don't worry, this is easy.

When you choose a location you want to navigate to, the Garmin will ask if you want to simulate driving the route. Choose NO. After that, on the map, touch the top bar on the map screen (it's usually green) and you will be presented with a list of directions. This will be a list you can scroll up and down...

...and that's what you use to get wherever you're going. The GPS won't give you turn-by-turn instructions since there is no GPS signal, but you will have a list of directions from the intersection where you are to the destination.

This is basically the same as if you printed out directions on paper, except it's on the Garmin's screen.

If when following the directions you get lost again, not a problem. Just find another intersection and repeat the instructions above.

A few more questions answered

"Wouldn't it just be easier to know the address of where you are and use that as the starting point instead?"

Yes, of course it would. But if you're in unfamiliar territory and need to stop somewhere to get the address of a place, getting the info isn't exactly easy. Stop at any gas station and ask the clerk what the address of the store is. He won't know.

With intersections, the info you need is printed directly on the signs. Much easier.

"What if I'm on the interstate? What then?"

There are obviously no intersections there, so you have to exit the interstate highway and find one so you can get the info you need and punch that into the Garmin.

"What if the intersection isn't found in the Garmin?"

This usually only happens with highway roads, as in roads that are highways but not interstates that go by name or highway number. In this instance, find an intersection in a residential area instead where the streets are names-only, and that should be found in the Garmin map database easily.

"Should I cross reference the Garmin directions with a road atlas?"

While you should always carry a road atlas in your car, cross referencing one wouldn't help much, if at all.

Let's say you have to go get a thing, and that thing is located in a place about a half-hour away. It's a place you've never been to before. You go there, get the thing, and on the way back home, that's when the navigation stops working. At that point, you figure you're only a half-hour away, so surely you can find your way back. Nope. All these roads are unfamiliar and you end up going the wrong way... which of course you won't realize until driving that wrong way for 20 minutes.

A road atlas won't help you here. What you need is a set of directions that says "Go that way". Find an intersection, get your directions, and then you're good.

Is a capo safe to use on an electric guitar?

Let's find out if this is true or not.

Many moons ago I was told by somebody (I honestly don't remember whom) that you should never put a capo on an electric guitar. Why? I wasn't told that part. But gosh darn it, you'd better not do it or bad things will happen.

Is this true? No. Or to be more specific, using a capo on an electric guitar neck is only bad (somewhat) in a very specific situation which I will explain in a moment.

Use the right capo

On the electric guitar, it is required to use a capo made for steel strings and not made for nylon strings.

Most capos can support both nylon and steel strings. But if the capo is specifically made for nylon strings, chances are the capo spring won't be strong enough to hold steel strings down to the fret. The reason for this is that since nylon strings hardly require any pressure to hold them down, only a lighter capo spring is required. With steel, more pressure is needed, hence the need for a stronger capo spring.

When shopping around for a capo, the product listing should state up front what type of strings it will support.

If you want something that will absolutely work on an electric, use what I use, the G7th Performance Capo. It will hold strings down on an electric without buzzing all over the place. I've had mine for years, and it still works just as good as the day I bought it.

Will a capo damage an electric guitar neck?

No.

Contrary to popular belief, it will not damage frets, not screw up the truss rod and not damage wood if you use one properly.

How to use one properly? Follow the same rules for capo use as you would on a steel string acoustic. Place the capo properly on the neck, don't squeeze it super-tight, avoid bending notes when the capo is in use, and always remove the capo when done playing.

The one instance where you shouldn't use a capo on an electric guitar is...

...when the neck is finished with nitro. More specifically, brand new nitrocellulose lacquer.

Guys that spend the extra cash on a nitro finished neck do want wear to happen, but only from the fret hand and not a capo. Use of a capo may result in premature undesirable marring of the nitro finish.

Yes, I am saying the entire reason to avoid capo use on an electric guitar with newly finished nitro is specifically to promote a more desirable look over time from fret hand wear only. Fret hand wear is the desirable wear, while wear from a capo is undesirable.

Acoustic guitar players that regularly use capos on new guitars with nitro necks will tell you capo use is 100% okay. True? Yes. But bear in mind they're all using necks with significantly darker woods. On electrics with light color necks (e.g. Fenders with maple necks), premature wear is a lot more obvious - especially on necks finished with nitro designed to wear quickly (e.g. Fenders with "thin skin" nitro).

In the end, it's all about appearance first. Use of a capo on a newly finished light color nitro neck may result in an undesirable look on the back of the neck over time.

If you really really care about the look (and let's face it, if you're dropping several thousand on a Fender "thin skin" nitro finish guitar, you do care), don't put a capo on it.

What neck finish handles the capo best on an electric?

Just about anything not nitro.

However, best-of-the-best would be gloss urethane just because it cleans up so easily and can take a ton of abuse.

Fortunately, most electric guitars do have gloss urethane finished necks, so chances are you already have the best neck finish for capo use.

My experience with capo use on an electric

I've never had a problem with it. My capo use has never resulted in wood damage, fret damage, finish damage or damage of any kind.

However, I do use a quality capo.

Ordinarily, it's true the word "quality" doesn't mean much where guitar stuff is concerned, but in this instance it actually does. Don't go cheap with your capo, because it won't hold the strings down properly, lose its position periodically and quickly become annoying to use.

It is worth it to spend extra on a better capo. Again, I've been using the same one for years. Originally, I thought I spent way too much when I originally purchased the one I did, but it's lasted the test of time and still works great, so I have no complaints.

Guitar and parts availability shortage predictions

Can you expect a shortage?

Yes, there will be a shortage. In fact, there is a shortage happening at the time I write this in early 2021. What will be difficult to acquire depends on what you're trying to buy.

I'm going to break this down into two categories, complete guitars and parts.

Complete guitars

What this means is the purchase of a fully assembled guitar, like the kind you buy in a guitar store.

In North America, guitars made in the USA, Canada and Mexico will actually still be plentiful. It's unlikely there will be any shortage of those.

However, for any guitar made outside of those territories, such as Korea, Indonesia and Japan, getting complete guitars may prove to be difficult.

Currently, there is existing stock. But once that stock runs out, getting new stock might not get back to normal until mid-2021.

Guitar parts

Necks and bodies will still be easy to acquire. Plastics (knobs, pick guards, nuts, etc.) will still be easy to acquire.

Metal hardware components and electronics however is a different story.

A whole bunch of things like potentiometers, tuners, bridges, pickups comes from outside North America.

Right now, these things aren't hard to get, but once again, that's because stock currently exists.

However, parts don't run out of stock like guitars do. Fully assembled guitars have a "shelf life" of sorts whereas parts really don't.

For example, if a completed guitar sits in storage for too long, it becomes unplayable and can't be sold. Parts on the other hand can sit in storage for several years and still be as good as the day they were made.

The only thing that really ruins metal hardware parts and electronics is corrosion/oxidation more than anything else. How soon that happens depends on metal type and whether it was treated with anti-corrosion solution or not.

Two more things to take into consideration is that it's rare there is ever a rush on guitar parts, and to the best of my knowledge, guitar parts are never manufactured using the just-in-time manufacturing method. (The car industry uses this method but it really doesn't work for guitar part manufacturing.)

What should you do?

If the guitar part is metal or if it's an electronic, manufactured outside North America and is still available for cheap, buy it now.

For everything else not metal or electronic, you don't have to buy now.