Ibanez GSR200 is the best value bass right now
Giving the cheap (but good) bass some love.
I just mentioned the best value electric guitar, so I figured it would be proper to also show the best value bass. And in this case, it's the Ibanez GSR200.
This bass is available in transparent red and a very cool looking soda blue. You can also find these sometimes in black or white, but those are currently all sold out. I consider that a blessing because the red and blue versions look so much better.
There are a few very specific reasons why this is the best value bass.
First, price. 200 bucks.
Second, the most versatile pickup layout, the P/J, which means a staggered single-coil in the middle and a straight single coil in the rear. This gives you pretty much any bass tone you're looking for.
Third, four control knobs and not just two.
Fourth, absolutely no neck dive. The top horn is above the 12th fret, which is proper.
Fifth - SURPRISE! - this is an active bass. There is a battery in the back. While this isn't necessarily a desired thing for guitar, it totally is when it comes to the bass. In particular, this can make running the bass through a PA or at home through a DI sound a whole lot nicer. Active pickups work best with clean tones, and being nearly all bassists play clean, believe me, you're going to get some great use out of this.
With that active pickup setup and all the other goodies, how could you not want one of these for just 200 bucks? All the upgrades have already been put in from the factory. Just plug in and go.
Schecter C-6 Deluxe is the best value electric guitar right now
You can't beat what you get for this price.
The C-6 Deluxe, sometimes with model number represented by color 430 (black), 431 (blue) or 432 (white) is - for the moment - the best you can get for an electric guitar value right now.
I call this one the best electric guitar value because it absolutely destroys anything else right now selling for $300.
That's not a typo. This guitar at the time I write this in August 2020 is just 300 bucks. New. Not used. With free shipping. The only thing paid on top of that is tax and nothing more. So at worst, the absolute total price you pay for one of these with tax included is just shy of $325.
Given how stellar Schecter's build quality is, there is absolutely nothing Squier or Epiphone makes that even comes close at this price point. Again, remember, 300 bucks.
And let's talk about balance. I'm not talking about sound (which is good) but rather how the guitar physically feels playing seated or standing. Zero neck dive. Contours everywhere. Easy access to every fret. Ergonomically speaking, this is far better than other standard guitar shapes.
Now let's talk about sound. What you get is just a plain pair of humbuckers and they work, which is all you can really ask for what you get here. But given how little the initial cash spent is, this guitar would take very nicely to replacement pickups. And, thankfully, the pickup routes and cavities are standard-sized. If you decide to get replacement pickups, they will fit.
Tuner upgrade? Not necessary. Schecter uses good tuners on all their guitars.
Bridge upgrade? Also not necessary.
Pots or switch replacement? Again, not necessary unless you feel you absolutely need replacements.
The only thing you may change on this will be the pickups, but as for literally every other part of the guitar, just keep it as-is and you'll be good to go.
Once again, I'm going to remind you this is 300 bucks shipped, and nobody else is selling this much guitar for so little.
If you've never tried Schecter before, now is the time to give this brand a try while the C-6 is priced as low as it is just to get them out the door.
List of Casio watch measurements
I keep a document on my computer of Casio watch measurements for reference, as this helps to compare models both for current and future production models. I then thought this list would probably be useful to some people, so here it is.
The most important measurement for each below is the lug-to-lug width. Casio, thankfully, does release this information - but not on the USA web site for some strange reason. For several of these I had to dig around the internet just to find the measurement specifications.
This list is ordered from longest to shortest lug-to-lug. Each measurement below is lug-to-lug first, case diameter second, thickness third.
Obviously, this is not a list of every Casio model ever made because that list would be gigantic. But it does list the more popular models including some from G-SHOCK, including a few that are no longer in production.
GWM530A... 56.8 x 46.0 x 16.60 mm DW6900.... 53.2 x 50.0 x 16.30 mm SGW100B... 51.5 x 47.6 x 13.20 mm WV58...... 51.5 x 42.0 x 11.00 mm G100...... 49.6 x 47.8 x 15.70 mm DW9052.... 48.5 x 43.0 x 14.70 mm DW5600E... 48.9 x 42.8 x 13.40 mm WS1000H... 48.3 x 42.6 x 12.70 mm WV59...... 48.3 x 39.0 x 12.50 mm WV200A.... 48.3 x 39.0 x 12.50 mm AE1000W... 48.1 x 43.7 x 13.77 mm MRW200H... 47.9 x 44.6 x 11.60 mm G5600E.... 46.7 x 43.2 x 12.70 mm GWM5610... 46.7 x 43.2 x 12.77 mm LDF50..... 46.7 x 23.6 x 11.40 mm LX610..... 46.2 x 39.5 x 12.40 mm MW600..... 46.2 x 41.5 x 12.40 mm W213...... 45.5 x 40.0 x 11.70 mm WS210H.... 45.4 x 44.0 x 13.30 mm AW90...... 45.0 x 38.6 x 9.50 mm AE1200.... 45.0 x 42.1 x 12.50 mm HDA600.... 44.6 x 41.1 x 13.40 mm W218H..... 44.4 x 43.2 x 10.80 mm F108...... 44.4 x 42.6 x 10.30 mm AW80...... 44.5 x 38.5 x 11.00 mm F200W..... 44.1 x 40.0 x 11.50 mm W800...... 43.9 x 35.7 x 12.50 mm W96H...... 43.9 x 35.7 x 12.50 mm W215...... 43.8 x 40.7 x 10.90 mm W217H..... 43.1 x 41.2 x 10.50 mm AW49...... 42.0 x 36.0 x 9.00 mm CA53W..... 42.0 x 33.0 x 7.00 mm F201W..... 41.0 x 34.0 x 10.50 mm MW59...... 40.0 x 36.1 x 8.90 mm A500...... 39.0 x 34.0 x 9.60 mm FT600WB... 39.0 x 32.0 x 10.00 mm LRW200H... 38.9 x 34.2 x 11.50 mm AQ230..... 38.8 x 29.8 x 8.10 mm A168...... 38.6 x 36.3 x 9.60 mm F91W...... 38.2 x 35.2 x 8.50 mm LW200..... 37.9 x 34.9 x 11.90 mm A158W..... 37.5 x 33.5 x 9.50 mm
Certain models that fit best for most wrists
If shopping around for the best fitting Casio watch, here are a few models to pay attention to in particular.
Best fitting G-SHOCK square
The go-to model for most people is the DW5600. I suggest against this and to go with the G5600 or GWM5610 instead. The DW5600 measures at 48.9 x 42.8 x 13.40mm while the G5600 and GWM5610 measure at 46.7 x 43.2 x 12.77mm. The smaller G5600/GWM5610, while slightly wider than the DW is thinner and has less wrist overhang. Yes, it costs more but fits the wrist much better whether your wrist is small or large.
The main difference between the G5600 and GWM5610 is that the 5610 has atomic timekeeping. Otherwise, both are the same and solar powered (meaning in theory, the battery can last 15 to 20 years as long as the watch isn't in complete darkness for long periods of time.)
Best fitting, best looking model that's cheap, tough and readable
Model W218H. The 218 gets it just right where cheap + tough + readable is concerned. It has 50M water resist so you can shower and swim with it. The battery will last 5 to 7 years. Several colors available. Looks good for what it is. Very wrist-friendly whether skinny or large. Very easy to read. It's basically an F91W that's bigger, tougher and with a much better night light.
I can honestly say the W218H is an "everybody" watch. Good for kids, adults, seniors, everybody.
Cheapest tough solar that fits well
Model WS210H. This has a tide graph on it, but the big sell of this one is the solar rechargeable battery in a case size that isn't gigantic.
Most solar power watch models from Casio are too big and/or too expensive. The WS210H is one of the very few (if not the only) affordable solar models with a lug-to-lug that is only 45.4mm. While the case diameter sounds huge at 44mm, believe me, it's not. The actual LCD isn't that big. This is a "tough" model, so the case was fattened up and that's where the 44mm case diameter comes from. It's not goofy-big. And again, it's the lug-to-lug of 45.4mm that makes this fit so nicely on so many wrists. It's also nice that the buttons are big and easy to press.
Like the solar G-SHOCKs mentioned above, the WS210H can also in theory have a battery that will last 15 to 20 years as long as it's not kept in total darkness for long periods of time.
Best fitting Casio square that's not a G-SHOCK
Model AE1200. If you like square but want it cheap and feature-packed, AE1200 is what you want.
This model is a fan favorite and one of the most mod-friendly Casio watches ever made. But even if you have no intention of modding it, the plain black AE1200 looks right, has one of the best amber dual-bulb night lights (arguably even better than EL,) and while the day-date display is small, the time display uses big, thick digits for easy readability. The 45mm lug-to-lug width ensures this fits almost any wrist, and the 42mm case size is one many consider "just right" for a square.
Forbidden Planet 1956 - it's awesome
This movie may be almost 65 years old, but truly great old movies defy their age.
I just recently saw Forbidden Planet for the first time. This is, obviously, a science fiction flick.
This movie predates Star Wars, Star Trek and even 2001: A Space Odyssey.
You can buy this movie if you want a super high quality Blu-ray version, but you can also stream or download it totally for free on The Internet Archive. Although if you want reproduction movie poster, that's not free but totally worth getting just because it looks so cool.
The entire reason I even watched this in the first place is because it features Leslie Nielsen when he was only 30 years old. Yeah, the guy from The Naked Gun movies. Same dude.
However, I very quickly forgot about that because of how amazing this film is; I totally got taken in by it.
It's not that the storyline is unbelievably good or anything like that. Rather, it's just incredible seeing what Hollywood did with science fiction back in the mid-1950s to make it work. And make it work they did.
The film starts off feeling a bit claustrophobic because it begins inside a spaceship. But then after landing on the planet, things open up. And then later on when taken underground, things really open up. It's incredible the feeling of bigness this movie gives off.
The characters were likeable, and enough was given so I knew the purpose of each. And while things do get exposition heavy in some points, it doesn't ruin the movie.
Altaira Morbius is the only weird character because there are times when I don't know what her angle is supposed to be. I know what her purpose is, but her angle takes some sharp changes as the movie goes along that confuses me a bit; this is something I blame on 1950s movie storytelling.
The best part about this movie where the story is concerned is when you find out who the villain actually is, because it actually makes you think and look inward.
The best part is about the sound is that the soundtrack is 100% electronic. No music and no orchestra heard at all. Supposedly, this was done to save cost of production, but it just adds to the movie's mystique. Sometimes the absence of certain sounds can be very effective, and this movie certainly proves that.
Given the amount of sci-fi movies I've seen over the years, it's real easy to pick out scene styles in Forbidden Planet that other movies made after it used. It's almost like this movie was made as a template for how sci-fi space movies are supposed to look. Well, everything except for Robby The Robot. That character is an ultra-1950s thing, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Yeah, I liked this movie. It's a good watch.
Living with a "full numbers" analog dial watch
This dial design is still the best for analog watches.
An example of a "full numbers" analog watch is the Casio MW240. Yes, it's cheap. But it does have every hour of the day on the dial, 1 through 12. You would be surprised how difficult it is sometimes just to find a dial design like this.
Part of the reason for the recent purchase of my Casio MTP-V006 is because it has a full numbers dial. This is without question my favorite analog dial design because it is one of the fastest to read.
To be clear, full numbers means every hour is displayed. If hour 3 or 6 isn't there because of a date window, then it doesn't count as a full numbers dial.
What's supposed to happen is that if you want a full numbers dial, it should be as easy as searching for field watch and just picking out the one you think looks the best. But as you'll see, that's not always exactly what you get.
Yes, you will see some full numbers dial watches there. But you're also going to see a bunch with complicated chronograph dials, date windows blocking hour 3, partial numbers dials, minute track numbers where the hours should be, and so on.
A true field watch is supposed to have something like the dial design of the Casio MW240, as in ultra-legible with high contrast on an uncluttered dial. Strangely, there's really not that many field watches that match the legibility of the MW240. Funny how a dirt cheap $20 watch is actually more legible that other field watches that sell for much, much more.
I need those hour numbers
I definitely need all those hour numbers on the dial, otherwise at certain times of the day I have to stare at the dial longer to figure out what time it is. That may not sound like a big deal, but it gets annoying having to repeatedly do that.
For whatever reason, I just can't get used to a symbols-only or any other analog dial that doesn't have all the hour numbers on it.
Some watch wearers are totally okay with hour markers that are all symbols. Most dive watches are like that where almost all the hour markers are just big dots with no numbers present. I owned one of those before and just couldn't get along with it.
Digital is, of course, the easiest of the easy to read because it's nothing but numbers for the time. But analog looks better, even if it's just a cheap MW240.
Although I've been a digital watch wearer for years, I've purposely been wearing the MTP-V006 just to see if I could live with it. Yes, I can. And it's mainly because of the all numbers dial. Reading the time is easy with all the hours there. Easy as a digital? No. But I've finally found an analog dial design that works for me, meaning I can wear it daily and not be annoyed by the display.
On a final note, I would get an MW240 if it weren't for the fact it's slightly goofy-big for my wrist with its 43.6mm diameter. If it were a 38mm (which is what my MTP-V006 is), I would have already bought one.