hss guitars - i get it now
I used to hate HSS electric guitars, but now after owning one I actually like and play regularly, they do make sense...
...if designed correctly, which certain Yamaha Pacifica models are.
Pacifica was really designed correct out of the gate.
I have the second-to-lowest cost Pacifica guitar for this, the PAC112VM. The lowest cost is the PAC112V, with the only difference being that model has a rosewood fingerboard instead of maple. The highest cost model for this particular part of the series is the PAC612VIIFM (which includes the highfalutin options of Seymour Duncan pickups, Grover locking tuners, Graph Tech TUSQ nut and a Wilkinson VS50 6 vibrato bridge).
And no, the PAC612VIIFM is not the most expensive Pacifica Yamaha makes. The two highest tiers are the Standard Plus and the top of the line Professional.
Although, in all honesty, if I do buy another Pacifica in the future, it would be the two-pickup PAC311H (or maybe the 611H). That one is a humbucker + P90, and also has the split-coil option, meaning I can split the humbucker and get twangy Telecaster-like sounds out of it.
The two big problems with the vast majority of HSS guitars...
...is that the humbucker is too loud, and the potentiometer used for the volume control makes the single-coil pickups "screech" too much.
Usually it's the case where the humbucker's output dwarfs the other two single-coil pickups. This means the volume effectively "drops off a cliff" when you switch from humbucker-alone to anything else.
Humbuckers work well with a 500K potentiometer as the volume control because it brings out more treble response. Switch to anything other than humbucker-alone, and the treble is now too high.
The Pacifica thankfully mostly gets around this by having a lower output humbucker, and a volume potentiometer that for whatever reason doesn't "screech out" the single-coil pickups when in use.
I say mostly because yes, the humbucker is still louder than the single-coils, but not in a way where it dwarfs them. It's plenty usable enough, which I appreciate. And I can split it to single-coil whenever I want to get a Strat-style sound on the bridge side.
Sometimes, you just want a humbucker
I also used to hate humbuckers before getting my Pacifica PAC112VM. Prior to Pacifica, every guitar I ever bought with humbuckers just didn't sound right no matter what I tried.
Using both coils sometimes works out really nicely, and not just for rock. Going clean with a lower volume works fantastically well for soft jazz chords. No, it's obviously not the same as using an ES-335, but still, nice to have.
What I needed was the right HSS
The PAC112VM is the first HSS I've ever actually liked. Perfect? No, but darned close.
What the Pacifica has shown me more than anything else is that an HSS doesn't suck when actually designed right.
The only unfortunate part is that in the under-$1,000 range for electrics, Yamaha and Ibanez are the only two brands that make HSS axes that don't suck.
For example, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HSS is great (and the truss rod adjustment at neck side is brilliant), but it's over a grand. G&L Fullerton Deluxe Legacy HSS? Also great, but also 4 figures. Suhr Classic S HSS? Again, great, and prepare for sticker shock on that one.
It's either go Yamaha, go Ibanez or put together your own custom wired HSS guitar if you want to stay under a grand.
HSS can be great, but you have to do your homework on it to get the right one. Yamaha and Ibanez thankfully make getting a good one easier without putting you in the poorhouse.
an advantage of a pacifica over a stratocaster guitar
I had to perform some minor maintenance on my Yamaha Pacifica PAC112VM guitar recently, and had a nice surprise.
What periodically happens is that after a while, either the volume or the tone controls will start developing a scratching noise whenever they're used. All electric guitars do this at some point. When it happens, this doesn't make the guitar unplayable, but it's annoying to deal with. Fortunately, you can fix this yourself.
The fix for this is to spray a little DeoxIT D5 into the potentiometer that has the scratchy noise. On the potentiometer itself will be a small cutout specifically to add lubrication. Once a little spritz of DeoxIT is sprayed in there, turn the control back and forth so the lubrication gets where it needs to go. Once the scratchy noise stops, you're done.
The Stratocaster way...
On the Stratocaster guitar, performing this simple maintenance task is a very annoying process, because to do it properly, the pick guard has to come ALL THE WAY OFF to get to the spray points of the potentiometers.
First, the strings have to be taken off first. I suppose you could loosen them, remove from the tuner posts and then reattach later, but good luck getting already-used strings to rewrap correctly on those posts, because you'll need it.
Second, ALL the screws of the pick guard have to be removed.
Third, flip back the guard to expose the potentiometers. Do this carefully, or you're guaranteed to pull a wire and break a solder connection.
Fourth, spray the DeoxIT into the potentiometer that needs it, then turn the knob that's scratchy back and forth to spread the lubrication properly...
...except now there's another problem on top of the one you're trying to fix. You can't really test whether the lubrication actually worked unless you put the guard back (still with screws out), reattach one string, tighten it enough so it makes a note, plug in the guitar, pluck string and then test to see if you still hear the scratching noise. So OKAY, put the stupid guard back temporarily, attach a string, pluck, test for scratchy noise. If the scratch is still there, guess what? REMOVE STRING AGAIN and repeat until that noise is gone.
Fifth, when mostly confident that you eliminated the scratching noise, you put the pick guard back, put back all the screws and string up.
But hang on, yet another problem may and probably will happen. Even if your test is successful, there's still the chance the scratching will return once the guitar is played in seated or standing position. YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY, SIR! DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.
Yeah, very annoying.
Ever see a Stratocaster with a pick guard that's broken near the output jack? I know exactly why that happens. It's from the owner doing the "spray and pray" in an attempt to fix a scratchy potentiometer. Instead of properly doing the maintenance, that idiot decided to take out a few pick guard screws, bend the pick guard up, spray around the potentiometer that's scratching and hope it fixes the problem. After doing that enough times, the pick guard plastic snaps.
The Pacifica way...
Flip guitar over, loosen 3 screws for the rear plate and remove, spray DeoxIT on the potentiometer that needs it, test. If the first spray doesn't fix it 100%, flip the guitar over and spray again. Do so until scratching is gone. If any DeoxIT comes through on top where the knobs are, dab clean with a paper towel. Reattach 3 screws.
DONE.
No need to take off the strings, and the guitar can be left fully tuned to pitch while doing this. No need to remove the pick guard. You don't even need to take off either of the 2 control knobs.
That's darned convenient.
Are there any Fender Stratocaster models that aren't as annoying when going to fix a scratchy volume control?
Just one.
Fender Aerodyne Special Stratocaster. No pick guard. Controls accessed through a 4-screw rear control plate. The same applies to the Fender Aerodyne Special Stratocaster HSS.
An Aerodyne model is really the only way to get a true Fender branded Stratocaster that's actually easy to maintain.
Or just get a Pacifica PAC112V instead.
i'm finally starting to learn my zoom g1x four
Ever buy something for your guitar playing stuff, use it for a little bit, then put it away and not use it for a year? How about 2 years? How about 3?
That's what happened with my ZOOM G1X Four.
Why? I really didn't feel like learning yet another guitar effects processor, especially when my now-old DigiTech RP360 gets the job done.
However... I bought the thing, I really like the smaller size of it since it can work on the floor or on my desk, I really like that it's powered by USB-C alone (no need for a bulky power adapter), and said okay, let's learn this thing.
After messing around with settings, I'm finally figuring out how to wrangle a good tone out of it that works with both my Yamaha Pacifica PAC112VM and Squier Affinity Stratocaster.
It was actually the Pacifica I wanted to sound right more than the Strat since I play that more these days, which leads me to my next point:
Some guitar effects processors are guitar-specific
The RP360 or even the older GSP1101 (which I also used to own) are amazingly good at making Fender and Squier guitars sound like a million bucks. DigiTech circuitry really works well with a single-coil and can make a Fender design guitar sing - but not so much for humbucker pickups, at least in my experience.
ZOOM G1X Four, once I dove into it, can accommodate both humbuckers and single-coil guitar tones, but it seems to "favor" humbuckers more. This is fine, since the Pacifica is an HSS.
It did take me a while to figure out the G1X Four. I've still not learned it 100%, as it doesn't exactly have the most intuitive interface. Usable, yes, but absolutely not 1-2-3 easy.
But then again, when choosing a do-everything multi-effects processor, choices are limited. It's pretty much either the ZOOM or the BOSS GT-1. The BOSS is nice, but... it's 15 inches long. Good for floor and not for desk. The G1X Four is 8.5". And I suppose the Line 6 POD Go also counts. But again, for-floor only because it's 14" long.
Only the Mooer GE100 comes close to the G1X Four's size at 9" long, but I'm not a fan of the footswitches it uses. I prefer the larger/wider style.
For those of you who would say, "just send your guitar sound to your computer and use software", no, not doing that. I want a dedicated effects processor with its own 1/4" inputs, footswitches and expression pedal, and have that with the G1X Four.
Yeah, it took me 3 years to get around to using this ZOOM, and now I'm finally getting into it. Hopefully this will result in making some new tunes soon.
i don't like hamburgers
If you would have told me years ago that there would come a point in my life where I didn't like hamburgers anymore, I'd have called you insane.
Well, here we are.
The hamburger is, as far as I'm aware, an American invention. When I was little, I ate many hamburgers, mostly from fast food places. During summer, dad would fry up or grill hamburgers. I enjoyed them both.
It's probably true that for many years, not a month went by where I didn't eat at least 5 hamburgers at bare minimum. And I might be completely wrong there, because maybe it was a minimum 10? I don't remember. What I do remember is that I ate a lot of them, especially during the '90s when fast food was still truly cheap for the most part.
I'm over 50 now, and my diet is vastly different compared to what I used to eat. For the better, of course. Lots of greens, yogurt, water, no soda, and so on.
However, if I'm going out to eat and it's decided the meal is going to be some fast food slop, the last thing I would order is a hamburger. And it all has to do with thinking ahead. When I think about what a hamburger is, how it tastes and how it will feel after I eat the thing, I want absolutely nothing to do with it.
What do I get instead for fast food slop? Chicken. Specifically, chicken fingers because I don't want bread. All I want is the chicken, maybe a dipping sauce, maybe some fries, water or a zero-calorie drink, and nothing else. For fast slop, that's acceptable.
What's the problem with hamburgers?
That's an easy answer. Unseasoned, bland and digests terribly.
Let's skip the digestion part and just concentrate on the meat itself.
A genuinely good burger has meat that's been seasoned before frying, even if it's a simple mix of salt, pepper and paprika.
Absolutely nobody does this.
Ultimately, what you're tasting with a burger is the bread, sauces if present, cheese if present, and whatever is on top of the burger.
What does the burger alone taste like? Nothing. A slightly moist, chewy, tasteless nothing.
Chicken places, on the other hand, will either marinate and/or season the meat before frying. It is AUTOMATICALLY better for taste right out of the gate for that reason alone.
I rarely eat fast filth, but when I do, chicken is my go-to. I will always take chicken over a burger or even pizza.
I apply the same thinking when eating at a traditional restaurant. I look over the menu, and if everything sucks, I'll order whatever chicken offering they have and go with that as a safe option.
Since it's difficult for a restaurant to screw up chicken, that's why I consider it safe to go with.
red line casio g-shock dw6900rl is just cool
Casio has their hits and misses with G-SHOCK watches. Generally speaking, I like them, but many don't do much for me as to how they look.
This one, however, really nails it.
Take a look at a Casio G-SHOCK DW6900RL-1 "Original Colors". And I'm assuming RL means Red Line, because seriously, what else could it possibly mean?
I have never owned the classic DW6900, but this one might win me over and I may get this for myself.
Is there anything new and fancy about this DW6900? No. It's the same old school tough watch that Casio has kept in production for years, which is exactly the way I like it. Casio takes risks sometimes, but they also know when not to ruin a good thing.
The change of the G-SHOCK text at top from red to white and the addition of the red border line may be subtle, but wow does it work well. That thin red line breaks up all the surrounding black very nicely. This is what a proper tough sport watch is supposed to look like. Wear it while doing yard work or swimming or on the golf course or wherever.
So I just described a total hit of a G-SHOCK, so what would I consider a miss? The Casio G-SHOCK MRGB5000R. That's a luxury G-SHOCK with a case and bezel of titanium alloy (some material called Cobarion that's claimed to be 4x harder than pure titanium). It also has a gold plated circuit board retainer, black DLC coating, and a ridiculously comfortable "Dura Soft" strap with the mold containing some titanium in it to ensure superior longevity. Yes, Casio went all out with the titanium on this G-SHOCK.
The MRGB5000 also has atomic timekeeping and can be paired to a smartphone using Bluetooth, because of course it can.
But is that super ultra G-SHOCK as cool as the red line DW6900RL? I don't think so. True, the DW6900 doesn't have materials anywhere close to the luxury level of the MRGB5000R, but strictly speaking from a style aesthetic, I just like the DW6900RL better.
It's not that the MRGB5000R looks bad, because it doesn't. As far as luxury G-SHOCK watches go, that's top tier stuff. I consider it a miss because DW6900RL just pops better.
If you can afford the MRGB5000R, get the DW6900RL also. But don't be surprised if it's the DW6900RL you wear more often.