My first acoustic bass, Glarry GMB102
Transparency notice: Glarry sent this instrument to me for free. Consider this a sponsored review.
It's my first acoustic bass.
Glarry emailed me and asked if I wanted to review one of their products. One of them was the GMB102 acoustic bass. Being I've never owned an acoustic bass before, I said yes.
I was sent this bass for free and do not have to return it, so you can consider this a sponsored review of sorts.
The video below goes into detail about what I received and you can hear how it sounds both acoustically and electrically, but here's the long and short of it:
The finish did have a few flaws, but they were minor and did not affect the playability of the instrument at all.
This is an easy player, although the roundwound strings it comes installed with don't do it any favors since you will hear a lot of finger moving noise while playing. I say this in the video but will say it here also: I strongly recommend switching over to D'Addario Half Rounds string set. I have used these before and they're great. It's the middle ground between flatwound and roundwound where you eliminate all of the finger noise while still getting that familiar roundwound feel. And they're not crazy-expensive either.
A feature that's usually only available on upper-end basses is both 1/4" input and XLR - but you get that on the Glarry GMB102. I've not looked around, but I think this is the absolute cheapest way to get a hi-z and lo-z electric bass. That XLR being there is a big deal. You can go direct-to-mixer with no problem at all and use the on-board EQ to shape the sound so it works with whatever setup you have.
Lastly, the piezo pickup. You have to understand that piezo has a specific sound to it, and it's nothing like what a pickup sounds in a regular solid-body bass. I'm not saying it's bad but rather different. You will have to spend some time shaping the sound to your liking.
Here's the best advice I can give concerning a piezo pickup: It will sound terrible through a guitar amplifier, but sound near-perfect through a PA speaker, especially if you connect using XLR. Output one of these the same as you would with a regular vocal microphone (like a Shure SM58), and the sound will be much more to your liking. Trust me on that one.
Full video review
I made sure to go through everything about this bass. What's in the box, how much it projects, how to get a battery in the battery box, and so on.
The only watch anybody needs (for real)
What makes the Casio WV58A (or metal bracelet version WV58DA) watch special and the only watch anybody needs?
Before I answer that, the model you may want more is the Casio WVA-M630B. That one has an additional feature I'll mention in a moment.
There are three major things that make the WV58A the only watch anybody needs. Radio controlled (as in "atomic") clock sync, all necessary info on the home screen and price, which at the time I write this is under $35 for the resin strap version.
The minor things that make the WV58A great is that it has an alarm feature, stopwatch, countdown timer and the ability to flip the date from month/day to day/month, meaning it is US and UK-friendly where date display is concerned.
As far as I am aware, the WV58A is the absolute cheapest way to get radio clock sync on your wrist. If you're not familiar with that, it means the watch sets itself. During the wee hours of the morning when radio traffic is at its lowest, in America the watch will attempt to receive time and date information up to six times from the time server station in Fort Collins Colorado to sync its clock and calendar...
...which is why I mention the WVA-M630B above just in case you prefer analog over digital. It's more expensive, true, but it's there if you want it.
WV58A is an old model which I think is from the late 2000s (I couldn't confirm the model launch year) that's still made new. Casio is no stranger to this as they have other models still made new that haven't changed in over 30 years (hello, F-91W).
Small bit of Casio history: The first worldwide Casio watch model with radio controlled timekeeping was the WVA-300, launched in 2001. Yeah, that was close to 25 years ago at the time I write this, but where watchmaking is concerned, anything post-2000 is "recent". Was the WVA-300 the absolute first Casio radio controlled watch model? No, that was the FKT-100L from 1995, and only in Europe.
Before continuing, another current new model with radio control is the WV200A. It's chunky and big, but under $40 currently.
I call the WV58A the only watch anybody actually needs because it requires absolutely no interaction to use it. You don't have to set the time because it sets itself. You don't have to press a button to see the weekday, date or year because it's already there on the home screen. The only thing I can think of where you have to press a button is to use the night light for night viewing.
Otherwise, you just strap this watch on and go. It even automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings Time when that happens. How cool is that?
There's only one negative about the WV58. The battery only lasts for about 3 years (which incidentally is the one thing the Casio WVA-M630B has over it as that is solar powered). The battery used in the WV58 is the CR1620, and those are fortunately cheap.
And yeah, that's literally the only negative. Wear the watch until the battery dies, replace the battery, put back on, sync the clock (which can be done manually) and off you go.
The WV58A is the watch you get when even setting the time annoys you
Have you ever seen one of those "atomic" wall clocks? Having one of those in your house, office or shop is LOVELY because after its first radio clock synchronization, guess what? You're done! It works, and it's always correct!
Wouldn't it be great to have that on your wrist too? That's why you get a WV58A.
Some other radio clock sync watch options...
If you don't like the look of the WV58A, here are a few more options other than the WVA-M630B mentioned above. All of these are more expensive, but they all look nice.
G-SHOCK GWM530A. Old school G-SHOCK "solar atomic" model, but very legible (which can't be said about many G-SHOCK watches). There is also the MTGM900DA-8CR. Different model but exact same watch in a "Sand" appearance. You'll understand what that means when you take a look at it.
G-SHOCK GMW5610U. The updated classic square G-SHOCK, which is also "solar atomic". The older 5610 (again, also "solar atomic") is still being sold, but the 5610U has some updated features for about $30 more. Yes, it's worth it because some convenience features have been added in that the old module didn't have. An example of that is a switch from the EL blue night light to LED white, along with adding in the night light to be on for 3 seconds instead of just 1.5.
Citizen Air Skyhawk. Busy dial, but as far as I know, all of these have radio clock sync. The Citizen Navihawk also appears to have all models with radio clock sync.
No matter what you get, having radio clock sync in your life will be very welcome because it's one less clock you have to set.
Full instructional video
If you get a WV58A or WV58DA of your own, follow this instruction video on how to set one up.
Using the Bluey Wackadoo kid's watch
I was lent this to review.
What I was told is that kids are all about the Bluey show right now here in the US, and that I should put together a video tutorial on how to use the Bluey branded watch, so I did.
Before getting the VTech Bluey Wackadoo watch, I literally had no idea what Bluey was, so I looked it up. It's an Australian TV show on ABC Kids for preschoolers (which is Australian Broadcasting Corporation, not to be confused with American Broadcasting Company), and in the United States the show is on the Disney Junior network and internationally through Disney+.
I don't know anything about the show but do know this watch type, as it's very similar to the Blue's Clues Learning Watch.
What I find most interesting about watches like this are the challenges faced by those who design them.
You may think about the intended audience for this watch (very small children) and then have questions.
Why is this watch not waterproof?
Why only a monochrome LCD display?
How come it does not have a backlight?
Why is the audio speaker somewhat soft in volume?
Why is it not a smartwatch?
Why include any watch features at all?
I actually have answers for all these questions, because the way this thing is designed actually does make total sense.
The watch is not waterproof because there is literally no way to do this and have a speaker you can hear at the same time, given the price point. Sure, such a kid's watch could be designed to have a good speaker and be waterproof, but that would add so much cost that nobody would buy it.
The monochrome LCD display and the non-backlit display is for one reason. Better battery life.
I believe the reason the speaker isn't louder is for the parents and not the child who wears this. The audio volume of this watch is set to "tolerable". It's more than good enough for its intended purpose.
Kids smartwatches do exist, but this one is not. The main advantage of it being a plain watch is it never needs to be charged, it never needs a cable attached to it, and never needs to be connected/paired with anything.
The watch features aren't there for the preschooler. I'm positive of that. Those features are for the parents. If a parent needs something to quickly tell the time, set an alarm, use a stopwatch or a simple timer, all they have to do is take the watch and it's all there. In fact, the only "complicated" parts of the watch are specifically for those features. Everything else is simple. The super simple stuff (meaning the games) is for the child, the rest is for the adult if they choose to use it.
When you think of the watch features in that respect, then it starts to make sense. The designers were trying to make something both small children and adults could get use out of, and I think they succeeded.
Need help setting one of these up? For instructions on how to use the Bluey Wackadoo kid's watch, see my video How to set up Bluey Wackadoo kid's watch.
This is the guitar of the future
You don't have to wait for this because it's available now.
I'm talking about guitars with carbon fiber bodies. If you think it's ridiculously expensive, think again. There are plenty to go around including a few that have 100% carbon fiber bodies. Some even have a touchscreen built into them. Carbon fiber is here and absolutely not going away...
...which is why I call it the guitar of the future. It's only a matter of time before Fender releases a major model as a regular production run guitar made from this material. Yes, this means there will be "Fender Carbon Stratocaster" where the only actual wood on the guitar will be the neck and nowhere else. And it won't be a highfalutin custom shop model either.
Now to be clear, Fender technically has crafted a carbon fiber Strat... sort of. There was the "Stratocaster 1" from a few years back, but that was a collaboration between Fender and Saleen and totally a highfalutin custom shop thing.
I do wonder when Fender will make the leap, commit to the fiber and just go for it.
Am I saying they should go all-in with fiber and dump all the wood body guitars entirely? No, of course not.
What I am saying is that there are other guitar makers right now making carbon fiber guitars (some for years!) you can buy today... and Fender doesn't have one.
They should.
A darned good place to start would be the Acoustasonic model. If there's anything in the Fender lineup that would take well to carbon fiber, it's that one.
Fiesta Red is a weird guitar color
I have never owned a guitar in this color because I'm almost afraid to.
Yes, I'm talking about Fender and Squier guitar colors because some of them can really mess with your head. Gibson really doesn't have any regular production color options that cause confusion, but Fender absolutely does.
Some Fender (and by association, Squier) guitar colors are "safe".
For example, the Daphne Blue Jazzmaster I just acquired recently is, without question, a light blue. You totally know what you're getting with that color. If you didn't know the name of that color, you'd probably call it a sky blue, and everybody knows what that looks like.
Candy Apple Red is another where you know exactly what to expect. This is typically a darker red with metallic flake, hence "candy" since it has sparkle to it. This is one of the few colors where you could buy without seeing the guitar in person and still be pleased with what you receive.
And of course there is the safest electric guitar color of all, gloss black. What's interesting is what's around it that makes or breaks this color. Neck color is actually a big deal, especially if the fingerboard is maple. Some Strat players like a very light color neck with no tint for added contrast against the body color, while others prefer a deeper almost-orange tint for the maple neck color.
BUT THEN... there's Fiesta Red.
This is a dangerous color because hardly any two guitars in this color look the same, even if made by the same company.
Fiesta Red can look like - and I'm not kidding here - either red, pink, orange, brown, purple or even blue. Don't believe me? Go through a few pages of listings for guitars in this color and then you will.
And if you think that's weird, sometimes Fiesta Red looks clay-ish while other times it resembles a bubble gum color.
You may think, "Well, the color changes because different cameras and lighting were used depending on photo". You are WRONG. And you will understand why you're wrong once you see enough Fiesta Red guitars in person. No two look the same. This color will mess with your head to the point where you think you'll need your eyes checked...
...which you don't need to do. Your eyes are fine. It's the color.
And no, whether the guitar is finished in nitro or poly isn't the only factor to take into consideration.
Fiesta Red in new condition is supposed to be a bright, light red. And if you looked at it in a color swatch book, you'd say, "Yes, definitely red. No question."
Apply it to a guitar, and the color changes. Even if you meticulously applied the paint yourself to a guitar body so it matched the swatch precisely, somehow it doesn't look the same even after a full curing.
Like I said, Fiesta Red is a dangerous color. It's just plain weird...
...sort of like Fender Midnight Blue. Some see blue with that color. Others see purple. Others see an almost-black.
Midnight Blue doesn't shift in color as much as Fiesta Red does (probably because there was never a nitro version of it as far as I know), but it's another one that will mess with your head the longer you look at it.