There's still a need for the Tascam DP-006
There is a good reason Tascam still makes this.
I prefer the ZOOM R8 for multitrack recording duties, but then there's the Tascam DP-006. It is less in price, but why would anybody bother with a 6-track recorder?
Answer: The DP-006 is where you get the most for the least in the smallest form factor. It is the best "sketch pad" recorder you can have.
The DP-006 is small. Two 1/4" inputs and built-in condenser high-quality microphones for mono or stereo recording of voice, acoustic guitar or other acoustic instrument. Fairly easy to figure out.
And when I say small, I'm not kidding. 6.1" x 1.6" x 4.2" (155mm x 41.5mm x 107mm).
The tradeoff to the size is that there are no physical fader controls, although there is complete control of levels through the menus. It wouldn't be much of a recorder if you couldn't do that.
It is easier to record with the DP-006 instead of a smartphone because of the dual 1/4" inputs and dual microphones. Everything you need for quick multitrack sketch recording is at-the-ready with the DP-006.
Also, the DP-006 can run on just 4 plain alkaline batteries for up to 8 hours. That's pretty darned good. And since few people record for 8 hours straight, you'll get some good life out of the batteries you put in it.
To give you an example of how easy it is to sketch record with this, you could sit on your bed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, a set of headphones and the DP-006 and just start recording. After that, you can mix and master, still just sitting right there where you are.
Granted, the ZOOM R8 can also do this, but it's not as compact as the DP-006.
It's just nice to have a DP-006. And if you absolutely need 8 tracks, Tascam also still makes the DP-008EX. Slightly larger, but also a significant bump up in price.
The low price and compact size is what makes the DP-006 such a winner for quick sketch recording.
I would own one myself if I didn't already own the ZOOM R8.
This year's Thanksgiving guitar, Gretsch G5031FT Rancher
A weird guitar from Gretsch, but Gretsch knows how to do weird right.
Guitars like this is what makes Gretsch cool.
This is an electic-acoustic guitar. The FT in the G5301FT model I'm talking about means Fideli-Tron, which is in reference to the pickup you see very prominently displayed. Gretsch made absolutely no attempt to hide the pickup and instead kept it in full view, almost as if the guitar is wearing a gold medallion.
What we've got here is a 25.0" scale guitar dreadnought shape, laminated back and sides, solid spruce top, mahogany neck, laurel fingerboard with 12" fretboard radius, a single knob for master volume (which of course has the Gretsch "G" logo on it, very nice), compensated bridge (which makes for much better intonation), gold-plated hardware finishing, 4-ply tortoiseshell pick guard, white binding on the soundhole, body, neck and headstock.
I also dig the "mustache" style look of the bridge, and the horseshoe on the headstock. Looks cool.
The price? Pretty darned good for what it is. Well south of $1,000.
Is this a new model? No, but it's probably true you've never seen one.
The price is nice for this. Definitely not the plain ol' standard dreadnought and has nice personality to it, along with a sound that delivers. Can't ask for much more than that.
A thing to watch out for with cheap Strat copy guitars
This is a very easy thing to miss, and it can drastically change the way the guitar plays.
Cheap guitars are cool, so when you see something like the Grote guitar that sells for under $100 new, you think hey, I'll get that, set it up myself and it'll play great.
Not so fast. There's something you're missing that you probably didn't even notice.
The string guides.
If you look at any Strat style guitar with a straight (meaning not angled back) headstock, it has one or two string guides to keep the strings from popping out of the nut during play.
A string guide introduces a break angle. If there is a single guide, two strings (high-E and B) have the break angle changed. If there are two guides, four strings (high-E, B, G, D) have the break angle changed.
The steeper the break angle, the tighter the string will feel when tuned to pitch (especially during string bending).
The Grote seen above, while certainly cheap and totally playable, has guides that are closer to the nut than usual.
Examine the cheap Squier Bullet Stratocaster for an example of traditional guide spacing from the nut. Notice how the guide that holds down the D and G strings is just before the A-string tuning post, and how the guide holding the B and high-E strings is just after the A-string tuning post.
Yes, placement of guides on the headstock does make a differece, and again, this is a very easy thing to miss.
Generally speaking, guides that are closer to the nut will have strings that feel tighter, and not necessarily in a good way.
How do you test whether the string guides are adding too much string tension or not, and what can you do about it?
This test is very easy.
Loosen the strings. Take the strings off the guides, tune the guitar back up to pitch, then play and see if it feels different.
If the strings feel easier to play, then you know the guides are the problem.
Fixing this problem is fortunately cheap. Use nylon spacers. I can't tell you the exact size of spacer to use because it varies from guitar to guitar.
A second option is to take out the guides and install a string retainer bar instead. You will of course have to drill new holes in the headstock to install this, and this isn't much of a bother with cheap off-brand guitars since it was cheap to begin with.
The main advantage of using the retainer bar is that you can adjust the height. If you set it too low (you would know if strings feel too tight during note bends), you can detune the strings, back out the screws a little bit to raise the bar a little, tune back up, adjust as desired.
Another advantage of the retainer bar is that if you find yourself knocking the low-E or low-A string out of the nut sometimes from hard play, that bar will keep those strings in the nut even if you play like a caveman.
Sometimes all it takes to get a cheap Strat copy guitar truly playing like you want is a good setup, and getting your string break angles set just right on the headstock itself.
Burgundy Mist makes an appearance on a very affordable Telecaster
I like the look of this one. A lot. And the price is certainly right.
I'd argue this is one of the best applications of the Burgundy Mist finish I've ever seen.
Usually I only see this color on Strats. This time it's on the Squier Affinity Telecaster Deluxe.
The great part about this guitar, other than the color, is that it's a Deluxe model, meaning it has the contour curve in the back like a Strat does. What that means is that it's a very comfortable player. Looks like a plank from the front, but the back is where things get really comfortable whether playing sitting or standing. Very nice.
In addition, being it's an Affinity model, the tuners are better than on the Bullet series. Generally speaking, the Affinity series from Squier is good stuff. It's not the bargain basement Bullet, nor is it the upper priced Classic Vibe. It's right in the middle. You get something good without having to pay a bunch for it.
Great to see the Burgundy Mist finish again, and this is the best yet.
Bad vision friendly watch, Casio W218
This is probably the most legible digital watch there is, and it's fortunately cheap.
I'm middle aged, and while I'm not 50 just yet, I am starting to experience vision issues related to age.
Seen above is the Casio W218. Before getting into that, some info relating to my vision.
The specific thing going on with my vision happens right after I get up in the morning. Right after I wake up, I can barely read anything. Glasses on or off, doesn't matter. It takes me a good 5 minutes before I can really start to focus.
I don't use an alarm clock because I use the phone for that. However, I don't want to fumble around for the phone to check the time after just getting up, so I wear a watch to sleep. This is when I realized I need a watch that has high legibility without being a goofy-big thing, and it absolutely had to have a good night light for low-light reading. Casio W218 works great for this.
When I get up, my vision is fuzzy, the room is dark and I need a clock I can read. All I have to do is turn my wrist close to my face, press the night light button and oh yeah, I can read this even with glasses off. The amber night light fills the whole display and I can see and read it all.
Some specs and further explanation of what makes this watch so great
First, bear in mind I have a 6.5" (16.5cm) wrist, but whether you have skinny or big wrists, anybody can wear this.
Dimensions are 44.4mm lug-to-lug, 43.2mm width, 10.8mm thick. That makes it sound like a goofy-big watch. It isn't, and that's primarily due to the fact the lug-to-lug is short.
Also bear in mind the actual display itself. Yes, the watch is 43.2mm wide, but the bezel is thick. The display itself is about 21mm wide, which sounds too small, but that is compensated for with large LCD digits.
On paper, the dimensions make it sound like it wouldn't work at all, but in practical use, it's actually just right.
Another thing going for this watch is high contrast LCD. The LCD panel is a light gray, basically identical in color to the F-91W. Easy to read at any angle. But the huge advantage over the F-91W is the night light.
Looks like a classic square G-SHOCK, except you can actually read it
When talking about the classic square G-SHOCK, the two models most people go for are the DW5600E (basic) and GWM5610 (tough solar, atomic timekeeping). Both of those are great watches with great night lights, but have displays with small digits and an LCD panel that washes out easily when viewed at an angle.
The W218 does have a classic G-SHOCK square appearance. It doesn't have the water resistance of a G-SHOCK (50m compared to 200m) nor is it anywhere near as tough, but the price is right and it's far more legible.
Is the W218 basically an F-91W?
Functionally, yes. If you took an F-91W, gave it a bigger LCD with bigger digits, far better night light and thickened up the strap, you get the W218.
Literally, the only difference in watch operation is that two buttons are flipped. On the F-91W, the night light button is on the left and start/stop button on the right. On the W218, night light button is on the right and start/stop on the left. Other than that, the feature set between the two is exactly the same.
It pretty much doesn't get any better than this for digital watch legibility
The W218 has a high contrast LCD with large digits and great night light in a case that isn't goofy-big, and it's easy to operate. It doesn't get any better than that.
It comes in several colors. I prefer the classic black myself, but there is also red, orange, green and blue.