Middle age man things (hand pain update)
2022 has be interesting where my hands are concerned.
Given I'm firmly in middle age territory now, I pay close attention whenever a new pain happens. For any new pains that come, I do my best to figure out what the cause is so I can either mitigate or get rid of it.
This one has to do with hand pain. My left hand, specifically. It took me years to figure this stuff out, but I finally did.
My left hand started complaining a while back. It was directly under the left hand index finger, on the top pad of the palm. Just there.
You're probably thinking, "YOU HAVE TRIGGER FINGER!" Nope. My index finger has full range of motion and does not have any "locking" in a flexed position whatsoever.
Was there increased pain when I pressed the pad? Nope. Just a dulling pain, as in a soreness. I could still do everything I normally do, just with an annoying and concerning dulling pain in the pad under the left index finger that cropped up every now and again.
What I thought, incorrectly, is that playing a thin-neck guitar was the cause of the pain. I switched guitars and began using a thicker neck. This worked somewhat, but the pain still came back every so often, so I hadn't found the root cause just yet.
What I also thought, somewhat correctly, is that it was the watch I was wearing, which I do wear on the left wrist. What I would wear normally wear is a resin band Casio watch. I stopped that and switched to steel. That did help a little. Then I started wearing the bracelet more loosely, and that helped a little more...
...but the pain still kept coming back periodically. This was getting frustrating, because I knew I was close to finding the source of my hand pain but didn't know where to look next.
Then one day I finally had a thought. Is it my computer keyboard? After all, I do type a lot as I write many things.
Before answering that, bear in mind that at the time I was using a mechanical keyboard, as in the "clicky" kind normally labeled as gaming keyboards. It was loud but I liked the action of it.
Then I finally found some new information that led me to find the source of my hand pain problem.
What was happening is that from the use of a mechanical keyboard, I was doing something called bottoming out the keys. I read about this in a mechanical keyboard forum where somebody basically said, "Yeah, you never want to bottom out the keys while typing because that can cause hand problems later."
That was the eureka moment for me.
With the click-clack of each key press, I would "thud" the key down with each keystroke, putting totally unnecessary stress and pressure on my hands. After typing this way for a long time, my hands started complaining.
Yes, I said hands, plural. The left under-index-finger pad would complain the most, but sometimes it also happened on the right hand too, but not nearly as frequently. Still, it happened.
I said okay, time to get a "plain" keyboard, but one that isn't total crap, is wired (I can't stand wireless keyboards), has a light typing feel to it but not too light, is backlit, has a standard PC keyboard layout and isn't ridiculously expensive.
I found one. Perixx Periboard-329.
After receiving it in the mail, I knew after typing on it for just 10 minutes that I had to have another as a backup because it was that good. When the second one arrived in the mail, I tested it, it worked just as good as the first, so I boxed it back up to keep for a backup, then threw out my mechanical keyboards.
What's the Periboard-329 like? It's like a Dell PC keyboard with better feel, better key travel, increased letter sizing (but not goofy-big) and is backlit. The key layout, THANKFULLY, is 100% standard with no weird key placements. Everything is there, the full number pad is there (which I do use), the styling is NORMAL which I very much appreciate, and it's all good.
Did my hand pain go away immediately? No. It took a few weeks, because my hands needed to heal. I had been thudding away, literally, on a mechanical keyboard for a long while, and it took time for the soreness to go away.
Has the pain gone away completely? Mostly. I'd say it's about 95% gone now. Progress is being made.
What do I wear for a watch now?
The Casio B650WD. I've had this in my collection for years, but as it turns out it has the legibility, right weight, and a wider metal bracelet compared to other low-cost Casio models. I do wear it loose to where when it's flat on the wrist, I can fit my pinky finger under the bracelet on the underside of the wrist easily. I do this so there is absolutely no pressure on any veins just to be on the safe side.
The B650WD is larger and thicker than an A158, so most of the time it does stay put even when worn loose. Works for me.
Am I ready to try thinner-necked guitars again?
Maybe.
Although I'm happy with my Affinity Strat, I'd like to get another 2-pickup guitar again...
...and I might go dual-humbucker this time. Maybe.
Does that mean another Les Paul? Possibly. But to date, a guitar I've never owned is an SG. And it's not like getting an Epiphone SG is expensive. The SG Special VE for example is dirt cheap. However, I also like the SG Prophecy. That is a very modernist SG, and a lot more expensive than the VE.
I'm also not opposed to getting something a little controversial, the Jackson JS22 Monarkh SC. It's cheap, I did try one before and in all honesty the neck felt real nice on it.
Or I may try my hand at parting together a guitar since I specifically prefer lower output bright-sounding humbuckers.
For whatever guitar I get next, oh yes, I'll talk about it.
Great PRS bargain - SE ST22
Low resale value = you win.
For three years, that being 2015-2017, a 22-fret version of the SE Standard existed.
You will be amazed by how low the price is for one of these.
Why so low? Easy answer. Everybody wants the 24-fret version, which you can get for a nice price.
Now I admit, the SE ST22 is a very barebones guitar. Two knobs, one pickup selector, fixed saddle positions with minimal intonation adjustment. But given the almost rock-bottom price for some of these, you can forgive the lack of features.
What's different with the 24-fret version, other than the fact it has 24 frets, is a Strat-style bridge with vibrato. Some PRS guys don't like that and prefer a top-loader, which you do get with the 22-fret version.
I'm not a PRS guy, but for me personally, I'd take the 22 over the 24 just for the top-loader reason alone.
Another really nice perk is that this guitar is not that old. At the time I write this, the oldest one you could possibly get is just 7 years old. In guitar years, that's barely a drop in the ocean where age is concerned. And what that means is you can find very pristine examples that basically aren't broken in at all and play like brand new guitars.
On a final note, does PRS still make a 22-fret SE new? Yes, but only in semi-hollow flavor, and with a Strat-style bridge.
If you want a top-loader solid body PRS SE in 22-fret flavor, the 2015-2017 SE ST22 is what to get.
This ZF Telecaster is as crazy as it looks
Some high-dollar fancy dan stuff here.
Firstly, I'll get this out of the way right up front. The Fender Custom Shop ZF Telecaster is not cheap. But at the same time you're getting something really special.
Secondly, if you like the idea of this guitar but want something without Fender Custom Shop pricing, consider the Charvel San Dimas Style 2 FR, where you get 22 frets instead of 21...
...and that's where I'll start with this Fender.
Yes, they put a Floyd-Rose system on guitar with a mid-60s profile "C" neck (with 12" fingerboard radius) that has just 21 frets. However, you do get a quartersawn neck for added stability, a very nice feature.
Bear in mind I prefer 21-fret necks, but on a guitar with a Floyd-Rose on it? Definitely different.
I actually really like the overall look of this Telecaster. Obviously very modern, but is built to be a player's guitar first, and I like that. It's really nice this guitar isn't "loud" in appearance.
The pickups loaded into this Fender are ones I'd actually choose myself. Seymour Duncan SH1 '59 for the neck side, Texas Special for the bridge side (which can be had as its own set).
And yes, the neck side humbucker does have coil tap thanks to an included S-1 switch.
You do have to part with a big wad of cash to get this guitar, but again, it is special and it's built as a player's guitar.
I'll also remind again that the Charvel alternative exists, and I'm going to end this with a few words about that guitar.
That Charvel does have a rear belly cut, does have 22 frets, is USA built, the Floyd-Rose system is "Original" (the best version of it that can handle the most abuse), and its neck is "faster" than the Fender with a 12"-16" compound radius.
Is the Charvel as special as the Fender? No. If you want special, you want the Fender. But if you want a modernist Telecaster shape guitar that plays like greased lightning, then the Charvel is the better option.
Can you get away with not shielding an electric guitar?
This is an electric guitar subject you're not supposed to talk about, but I'm talking about it.
Over many years it has been pounded in our brains that for any, and I mean any electric guitar, it must be shielded. No ifs, ands or buts about it...
...but do you have to?
Before answering that, there are guitar players that "build" (as in part together) guitars and never bother shielding the electronics. Is that due to not knowing how to do it? No, because shielding is easy. Is it due to cost? No, because copper shielding tape is cheap. Is it due to laziness? Also a no.
The main reason some don't shield is because it can alter the way the pickups sound.
Truth be told, if your solder connections are done properly, your cable management is in order, your output jack is a Switchcraft, the grounding is good, and you're using thicker modern wiring (as in formvar coated wires, a thermoplastic resin, and not cloth coated stuff)... you may in fact be able to get away with no shielding at all.
Does this mean you will end up with a guitar that has massive amounts of electronics buzzing?
Possibly not.
A good example of this are entry level Squier Bullet Strat guitars. Yes, they are shielded, but just barely. Many of them only have cheap shielding tape covering the volume pots and maybe the pickup selector with no conductive shielding paint in the electronics cavities whatsoever.
For the ones with a humbucker pickup on the bridge side, I seriously doubt you would hear much more electronics noise if you simply removed the shielding entirely since there's barely any to begin with. The single-coil pickups would most likely blast out electronics noise, but the humbucker would probably still sound okay without too much noise. Or at least okay for a dirt cheap humbucker pickup.
Is there truly a difference in tone when the electronics are not shielded?
Some guitar (and bass) players swear that the "purest" tone you can get is when there is no shielding and the pickup is wired directly to the output jack. Yes, I mean no tone control, no volume control. When you plug in, that guitar or bass is "always on 10" all the time. If you want volume control, you would have to use a volume pedal.
Guys who put together guitars and basses this way sincerely believe that anything interrupting the signal, which they believe includes shielding, takes away articulation from the pickup. And what that means is the belief that shielding somehow "disconnects" the pickup from outputting its true potential, so to speak.
Then there are other guys who put together a more standardized electronics setup with volume and tone controls, add the shielding, and the guitar to their ears doesn't sound right. The shielding is removed, and they hear a positive difference in tone, so they just leave the guitar that way.
Am I brave enough to no-shield it?
With a single-coil Strat, no.
However, I have entertained the idea of parting together a two-humbucker guitar.
I play mostly clean tones these days, and it would be interesting to see if not shielding the instrument at all would result in something I'd enjoy playing.
Would I do the wired-direct-to-output-jack thing? No. I like having volume and tone controls. But I would wire mine in a minimalist way. Two pickups, one pickup switch, one volume, one tone.
And if with no shielding it blasted out noise, well, that's not really a problem since I can just add shielding to quiet things down.
Remember that shielding is never mandatory. If parting a guitar together (particularly with humbucker pickups), try it without shielding first as it might work for you. If not and things get too noisy, add the shielding in.
Why spend Fender Jim Root money when you could go Squier?
A modern style Tele that brings the thunder.
I was inspired to write this one per a discussion I had on Twitter about this guitar.
The Squier Contemporary Telecaster RH looks like an odd duck in the Squier lineup - until you realize this is the next best thing to the Fender Jim Root Telecaster without having to spend Fender money to get it.
Firstly, RH does not mean Right-Handed, even though it is. RH means Rail Humbucker, which is what is loaded into the Squier on the bridge side, meaning it's technically an HH. However, if you've never experienced a pickup with rails in it instead of pole pieces, the immediately advantage is absolutely no drop in volume no matter how hard you play.
I'll explain.
When you pluck a string, it obviously vibrates. The harder you pluck, the wider the vibration gets. When the string vibrates widely enough from very hard plucking, the strings (particularly the wound ones) can get away from the pole pieces they hover over, causing a momentary volume loss. Pickups with rails don't have this issue. Every pluck, no matter how wide the vibration gets, never has a volume loss. The sound gets louder with harder play, just as you'd expect it to.
Second, there is a belly cut on the rear, meaning the body won't cut into you during play when seated or standing.
Third, there is a sculpted heel on the back for very easy higher fret access.
You also get jumbo frets, sealed tuners, graphite nut, and although you can barely see it from the photo, knurled flat-top metal knobs (those are the best Tele style knobs).
This Squier is a modernist Telecaster for sure and is made for hard rock and metal.
My style of guitar? Not at all, but I'm glad it's in the Squier lineup. At first I didn't really get why it exists, but then when I compared it to the Fender Jim Root model, then I understood. I'm not saying the RH is the Squier version of the Root Tele, because it's not. But for a rock/metal specific Tele, this Squier delivers in all the right ways and needs no upgrades at all.
Three colors for this guitar. Pearl White (seen above), Shoreline Gold and Gunmetal Metallic. I actually do like the gold one. You wouldn't think blacked out hardware would work with the gold, but it actually does.