Guitar of the week #94 - Supro Island Series Westbury
If you wanted something really good that's not just another Strat or a Les Paul, you need to play a Supro.
Supro's "Island Series" has 3 models. The Jamesport (1 pickup), the Westbury (2 pickups), and the Hampton (3 pickups). The Westbury is the best of the three because it's the easiest to get along with. A one-pickup guitar is not something too many people like, and a three-pickup guitar usually results in the middle pickup getting whacked a lot when playing and causing discomfort, so the two-pickup is the best way to go.
This guitar has what's described by Supro as an Ozark shape, which I'm assuming refers to the Ozark mountains (a highland region mainly in the US states Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma). It also has Gold Foil pickups that are designed to sound like the ones developed in the 1950s.
And in case you're wondering, yes, Supro is an old guitar brand. Not new. A very quick history is that Supro was part of a larger company Valco that also included Airline guitars among other brands that made all sorts of different guitars from solid-body to lap steels and pretty much everything in between. Valco existed from the 1940s through the late 1960s. A merger with Kay Musical in 1967 is what ultimately did them in...
...but Supro is back and exists loud and proud today, both for their guitars and their amps. They make pedals too. Yes, this means if you wanted to "go all in" with just one brand that is not Fender where you can get everything you need to rock out, Supro definitely has you covered with some seriously good high-quality stuff.
The Westbury is a 25.5" scale with an alder body and a set neck with 12" fingerboard radius. It is designed to be very ergonomically friendly.
Yeah, this guitar will set you back some, but it delivers in fine style.
How I felt after playing a Fender American Professional Stratocaster
I played one of these. These are my thoughts on it.
So I'm at Guitar Center and I ask the sales guy if the new Fender American Professional Jazzmaster was in stock. Nope, not yet. But he did have a Fender American Professional Stratocaster there, so I decided to try that out.
Here's what happened.
The good
Pickups are bright and responsive.
The "V-Mod" pickups are good. They're easy to get along with and I was able to get used to them quickly.
Factory floating bridge was set correctly.
I had heard a rumor that Fender was shipping the Pro Strats with the bridge set floating, and that rumor is true. Fortunately, the bridge did have its float set correctly and didn't waver out-of-tune whatsoever, nor did it cause the guitar to be a buzzy mess.
"Deep C" does feel right for what it is.
This is a slightly chunkier neck in what's called the shoulder area. This means the edges are slightly thicker. No, it's not a '70s U shape, but it's not the Modern C either. Sorta/kinda the middle ground between those two shapes.
Is it comfortable? Yes.
The not-so good
I was utterly bored with this guitar. It had no pizzazz. No wow factor. No magic.
The guitar didn't play bad nor sound bad. It wasn't too heavy nor too light. The only thing wrong is that the action was set a little high. But even if the action was set up the way I prefer, it wouldn't have cured the boredom.
This version of the modern USA Strat Fender makes just does nothing for me.
I thought that maybe since the neck has changed, things would be different compared to the American Standard. But it's only slightly different, as in not different enough to make me want to buy one even if I had the cash for it.
The two words that best describe American Pro Strat are sterile and pedestrian. The guitar is just a dullard.
Yes, I like a simple back-to-basics Strat, but this one just doesn't cut it.
I bought a G-SHOCK
Yep, I bought one...
...but it's not here yet. I'm going to keep which model I bought a secret until it arrives and I've checked it out. It's a timepiece I'll ether love and keep or hate and send back. But no matter which happens, I'll definitely be writing up something about it.
(You can try to guess the model and email me if you think you know which one I bought if you like.)
For now, what I will say about the watch is this:
First, it is the first watch I've ever bought used. The eBay seller reported the watch as a store return in mint condition. I'll be receiving the watch only, meaning no box nor manual. But that's okay because of the second reason.
Second, I bought it for about 35% less than what I would have paid for it new. It was only 29 bucks shipped.
Third, it is not one of the models I mentioned just recently.
Why did I buy it?
While the model I bought doesn't have every feature I would have wanted, it is one of the very few models that I think will fit my wrist correctly at a price I'll probably never see again.
It is rare to see the model I purchased from eBay in used condition. And it's super-rare to see it in used and mint condition.
If this watch is truly in mint condition where everything works like it's supposed to, then it will be the best possible deal I could have hoped for.
Price was the main reason I decided to go for it.
However, there was a second reason:
I need a watch that can handle life
I was doing some stuff outside while wearing my CA-53. This stuff involved cleaning some things off using the garden hose. I accidentally splashed some water on the watch while using the hose. Oops. The watch was fine and didn't break or anything, but the fact I was actually concerned about it bothered me. I had to stop what I was doing, go inside, dry off the watch... and that was annoying.
It was right then and there I knew I needed a watch that could handle whatever life would throw at it. Whether I'm doing yard work outside, washing dishes, using it as a timer when cooking, etc., the watch just has to handle it without complaint. Worrying whether a little splash of water will damage my watch is just stupid, so I legitimately need something with better-than-average utility to it.
This is when I started seriously considering G-SHOCK watches. I examined the models I was reasonably sure would fit my wrist, and when I found a particular model on eBay selling at an unheard of cheap price in like-new condition, I just went for it. I just hope the watch truly is "mint" as the seller described it in the listing.
As stated above, whether the experience is positive or negative once after I receive my G-SHOCK, I'll be sure to talk about it here in a future post.
Guitar of the week #93 - B.C. Rich MK9 Warlock
You have to be a special kind of dude to wield one of these.
B.C. Rich's Warlock model has been around a long time since its introduction in the early 1980s. Ever since I started playing guitar, I've always seen a Warlock or two in a guitar store. Sometimes you'll even see a bass version.
Truth be told, most Warlocks are junk. But there's a reason for that. It's because most people who buy a Warlock go for the cheap $250 version. Yeah, it is a true Warlock, but if a cheap and good rocker guitar is what you want, your money is far better spent on a Jackson JS32T Kelly.
However, the Warlock I'm talking about is the good stuff. The MK9 Warlock is the one that truly delivers what made it great back in the '80s. It is not the cheapo model. The MK9 is better in every way.
Starting with appearance, you get the diamond inlays on the fingerboard and that oh-so awesome old school headstock with the big R on it - arguably the coolest looking thing on the guitar because it's a gorgeous piece of abalone.
Better versions of this guitar come loaded with DiMarzio pickups, the PAF and the Super 2 - which is almost $150 worth of hardware alone.
The bridge is what's called a Quadramatic, which is as far I'm aware unique to B.C. Rich. It's a solid performer and that's basically all you need to know. Set it and forget it because it just works.
Where the neck meets the guitar has a heel-less neck joint. This is a neck-thru design that makes for very easy access to the higher frets.
What does the guitar sound like?
This is where things get interesting, as the pickup voicing is actually something I like.
The DiMarzio PAF is not a screamer like, say, the Super Distortion. This is an old-school style pickup with less magnetic pull and much "sweeter" sound to it. Think vintage Gibson Les Paul and you have an idea of what the pickup sounds like.
Where the Super 2 pickup is concerned, that's the "hot" pickup in the MK9 Warlock.
So as far as what you can do with that particular pickup combo, you cover a lot of ground. Classic rock to metal tones and everything in between.
I don't even like the Warlock, but I like the MK9
The MK9 as far as I'm concerned is the best production Warlock that B.C. Rich currently makes. Just about everything that made it great in the '80s is in this guitar.
It's the headstock and '80s styling that sells me on the MK9 Warlock more than anything else. The best B.C. Rich headstock design is on the MK9 and the burst finish with the chunky chrome bridge and cream-colored pickups just totally works.
This style of guitar is the absolute polar opposite of what I prefer to play (if you're new here, the Jazzmaster is my guitar of choice). I don't like 24-fret necks, I don't like humbucker pickups, I don't like the 3x3 tuner configuration, I don't like pointy guitar shapes...
...but I can't deny this guitar just gets everything right for what it is.
If you like the Warlock, the B.C. Rich MK9 Warlock is, at least at the time I write this, the only one worth getting.
Casio G-SHOCK models I actually like
Yes, there are actually a few G-SHOCK models I think are good.
There are a ton of Casio G-SHOCK models out there, and most of them are terrible. And by that I mean they're either too big and/or just look stupid. I'm not saying the quality of a G-SHOCK is bad, because any of them can withstand monster amounts of punishment. It's just the look and bulk I take issue with.
Every now and then, Casio does release a G-SHOCK that both looks good and is of a reasonable size.
Here are a few of my favorites.
This is what is now considered a "retro" design since it patterns after what the first G-SHOCK models looked like. It's one of the lowest priced models, but for many it's the perfect watch.
Looks very similar to the DW5600E but has several more features that includes atomic timekeeping (it automatically synchronizes itself), solar power, 20 bar water resistance and so on. Believe me, there are several good reasons why this particular model is priced higher than then 5600.
One of the most legible displays on a G-SHOCK you'll ever see. Packed with features including an uncommon one: a vibration alarm. While true you can a cheap W735H that features the vibration alarm, it's not a G-SHOCK and built nowhere near as good nor does it boast a feature set as extensive as the GD350 has.
Analog-digi with atomic timekeeping. Very nice. Also solar powered, has neo-brite lume on the hands and markers and has a backlight on top of that and 31 time zones, 5 daily alarms, stopwatch and countdown timer. Oh yeah, this thing is loaded with goodies.
This one is a "Mudman" model, as that is plainly stated on the dial. Despite having a large case it wears small and fits smaller wrists easily. Tons of goodies in this one. Too many to list.
What's my pick?
Out of the 5 above, I like the Mudman best. To my eye it has the right blend of round + angled and a feature set I would genuinely get good use out of.
Will I ever buy a G-SHOCK?
At some point in the future I might. I do like that a G-SHOCK can take an incredible amount of abuse easily. It's also one of the few watches you can take in the ocean and simply not worry about whether it can handle it. It can, and easily.