Ernie Ball Cobalt strings are too bright?
These sound a bit shrill for my guitar and playing style.
Firstly, I will say right up front that Ernie Ball Cobalt is a very good string. I'm not saying it's bad. Not at all. These things feel great, bend easy and hold tune great.
As you'll hear in the video above however, they're just a touch on the too-bright side. Or at least that's what my ears hear.
Most people would opt to use the 10-46 "2721" set. I use the 8-38 "2725" set.
My experience with no-nickel strings
The main reason I tried these out is because there's no nickel content in EB Cobalts from what I understand. This was interesting to me and I wanted to experience these for myself.
What you're hearing in the video are the strings after being on my guitar for about 5 days and several hours of play in that span of time. This means they're stretched properly and broken in by this point.
Obviously, they work. All notes and chords ring true, but I notice the string seems to sound best on the middle and neck positions. On the bridge position I hear too much "honk" because the sound from the strings is so bright.
Would the Cobalts "mellow out" after more play? My guess is they would not. Strings are at their brightest on a fresh install, and after several hours of play and being on the guitar for 5 days, they should have mellowed at least a little, but they haven't.
For some guitarists, this is exactly what they want. They want a string that installs bright and stays that way for as long as possible.
I, on the other hand, prefer a string that loses some of its brightness after some play.
Part of the whole selling point of the Cobalts is the fact they stay bright. I get that. But I think this string is better suited for dudes that play rock and metal. They would especially be good for humbuckers that sound a bit "muddy", as these will add in some treble you otherwise didn't have before.
The only double neck electric guitar worth buying
This is a stupid guitar, but if you must buy one, this is the one to get.
Take the Epiphone G-1275, which ordinarily comes in two colors. Cherry and White. The fancy dan Custom Edition of the same guitar that has a "tuxedo" look along with gold hardware all around if you want something more upscale looking is the white one.
I said above this is a stupid guitar. It is. I list it as one of the 5 guitars you should never buy.
However... if you just have to have one of these, Epiphone's G-1275 is literally the only one worth buying and I'll explain why.
Before continuing, yes there are cheap double neck guitars. Ordinarily, I'd say sure, go get one. And you can if you want. But this is one of those instances where you're way better off with the Epiphone for the following reasons:
Firstly, the look. The G-1275 has that famous double neck guitar appearance. Every time you saw some famous guitar player with a double neck back in the 1970s, it was always the "double SG" in a cherry finish.
Secondly, this is the "most usable" (said loosely) double neck. One neck is a 12-string and the other a 6-string. A configuration like this actually makes the most sense where double neck guitars are concerned. Rhythm parts are played on the 12, and leads on the 6. Or, the 12 is tuned E standard and the 6 is tuned DADGAD or maybe D standard instead of E. The point is that you can switch off between the two in a way that can actually work.
Third, the keystone tuner buttons. If you think having plastic tuner buttons is a negative, you're wrong. It's a huge positive here. There are 18 tuners up there. Having them in steel would add in way too much unnecessary weight to an already heavy instrument.
Fourth, the overall weight of the instrument. Amazingly, the G-1275 only weighs about 12 pounds. Yes, that is heavy for an electric, but it is as light as you can get for a double neck electric.
Epiphone G-1275 is the least worst double neck electric
This is the guitar that has "that look". Absolutely nobody will care that it says Epiphone on the headstock and not Gibson. In fact, Gibson isn't even making a double neck at the moment. Listings for the Gibson EDS-1275 go for crazy money, making the Epiphone a bargain in comparison.
For a double neck, the Epiphone is basically what you can call the least worst double neck electric. You get the classic look, the classic tone, the proper 12-string/6-string configuration, and you know how much it's going to weigh before you get it (more or less).
That's basically as good as it gets with one of these.
If you dare buy a double neck electric, Epiphone G-1275 is the only one worth getting. Don't feel like spending the money on one? Understandable. If that's you, go cheap instead since the guitar is a novelty more than anything else.
Hate it all you want, NATO is the best watch strap there is
When you're sick of terrible watch straps, NATO always answers the call.
NATO straps are cheap. For a while I avoided these things, but now I basically won't use anything else on my watches.
I will use a NATO strap on everything from my Casio F105W to my Orient Tristar because they just work so well.
This is what I've found out to be true concerning other watch strap types.
Stainless steel bracelet
I have hair on my arms because I'm a man. I've had watches with lightweight and heavy stainless steel bracelets on them. No matter what I use, they always pull arm hair, and it's really annoying.
In hotter weather, these things are awful because when sweat happens, the bracelet sticks to the skin.
Leather
There are various grades of leather out there. Most of them are terrible. The only one I found that was really nice was very thin, but it fell apart in less than a year because that's what thin leather does with regular use.
Leather straps do not age well. The edges fray, the strap holes stretch almost too easily, the stitching always comes apart regardless of how much you spent on it... it's just terrible.
Resin
These actually hold up quite well, but with regular use they discolor quickly, and in hotter weather they stick to the skin even worse than stainless steel does even when the strap is worn loose. And when that happens it leaves nasty marks on the skin, similar to the kind you see on the forehead when you wear a baseball cap for too long on a really hot day.
I will give the resin strap a nod for the fact they are the easiest to clean, but that's its only perk.
Velcro
A Velcro (i.e. hook-and-loop) strap on a nylon band does work well, but there's simply no way to make Velcro look good. It always looks cheap, and makes cheap watches look even cheaper.
The NATO nylon strap is the best thing going
This strap doesn't stick to the skin in hotter weather, doesn't pull arm hair, takes a long while to wear out, doesn't discolor easily, doesn't leave marks on the skin, and looks better than Velcro because of the buckles and loops.
In addition, because NATOs are so cheap, they're easily replaceable.
Why do watch snobs hate NATO straps?
They hate them because they're cheap and also because a $5 NATO is more durable than their $100+ leather strap. Snobs always brag about "paying for quality" with their overpriced leather. Nylon is better than leather. It just is. There's simply no arguing that point.
There are even NATO straps now made from seat belt material that are even stronger and more durable than the original nylon, which is already highly durable to begin with.
NATO is the best watch strap there is, period.
Guitar options for nickel allergy sufferers
Having a nickel allergy absolutely sucks. If you have one, you're already well aware of it. But thankfully you have options.
Nickel is unfortunately everywhere, and it's not just with nickel plated steel strings but also in stainless steel. Those who have a nickel allergy usually have a really difficult time finding something that works.
These are some nickel-free options that are available.
Nickel-Free Tuning Machine Head Buttons
Acquisition difficulty: Easy
You rarely touch the tuning machine itself, it's the button you're touching. There are vintage-style tuning machines with plastic or pearloid buttons and they are readily available.
Nickel-Free Fret Wire
Acquisition difficulty: Hard
I label this as difficult because the only way to really get it is to custom order a neck.
Warmoth does offer necks that uses gold fret wire in GD6150 (standard Fender) size or GD6100 (standard Ibanez) size. It is absolutely nickel-free.
The option to use the fret wire adds in an additional $30 dollar cost. With everything put together not including tuners, the neck will cost about $300 before shipping for a modern Strat replacement neck.
Your other option is to fret a neck yourself using Jescar Gold EVO fret wire, which is nickel-free.
Nickel-Free Guitar Strings
Acquisition difficulty: Easy
There are several options here, but these are the two are that generally the most available.
The first is coated strings. Elixir is the go-to string for that. However the coating will wear off.
The second is Ernie Ball Cobalt strings. No nickel in those. This is usually the preferred choice since there's no coating you have to worry about flaking off.
[Update] Here are two more guitar string options. I was emailed by a reader (thank you, Ricco) who has a nickel allergy and he stated that D'Angelico ElectroZinc, a zinc-coated string, works out great for him. And in my own research, there is also the Optima gold-plated guitar strings, which of course are gold-plated.
Nickel-Free Control Knobs
Acquisition difficulty: Very easy
Plastic replacement knobs for guitars are widely available and cheap. Very easy to acquire.
Aluminum knobs are also very easy to get.
Nickel-Free String Saddles, Bridges and Tailpieces
Acquisition difficulty: Easy
For Stratocasters and Telecasters, you go brass. For Les Pauls, you go aluminum.
Note before continuing: Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, so if you're allergic to either of those in addition to nickel, you can't use this.
Strat and Tele brass saddles are easily acquired. For modern versions of either guitar, the bridges are flat, so it's unlikely you would be touching it. The only bridge that would cause for concern is the vintage style Telecaster "ashtray" bridge with raised sides.
For Les Paul guitars, aluminum bridges and tailpieces are readily available, as are Bigsby systems. In fact, you may already have a bridge and tailpiece made of that material on your Les Paul now.
Quick note on brass vs. aluminum:
If going the brass route, it will tarnish. Just be aware of that. It usually requires more polishing than aluminum just to keep it looking nice.
Another thing to watch out for...
...is jewelry.
Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and so on. Heck, even that cheap Casio F-91W wristwatch has a stainless steel plate on the back (better put a NATO on that!)
Holy Diver Les Paul Outfit is actually impressive
What I like best about this guitar is how it delivers the goods in a civilized way... but with a monster lurking beneath the hood.
Forget the fact the Epiphone Holy Diver Les Paul Outfit is a Vivian Campbell signature model. Don't even think about it, because the guitar on its own doesn't even need rock star power to show off how good it is.
Firstly, I'm very glad this guitar isn't in-your-face with its appearance. The Black Aged Gloss finish looks great. The black-and-white motif with just a hint of gold on the knobs totally works here.
Second, those pickups. Those are DiMarzio X2N. This is what makes the guitar worth getting (aside from the fact it does come with a case).
Those two large bars on each pickups aren't just for show. I'll explain to you what the big deal is with these.
Yes, they're "hot" output. Very hot. But that's not the selling point. The sell is that there is absolutely no note drop.
I'll explain.
No matter how hard you bang those strings or how far you bend notes, the string physically never leaves the magnet's range. The end result is that note drop never happens.
Where tone is concerned, this means super-ballsy chords and solo notes.
Is this a new technology? Hardly. DiMarzio has been making these bar magnet pickups since 1979. But it's a good type of old tech. This Les Paul delivers a sound where you're never wanting for more. It's pretty much the ultimate power chord guitar. Yes, it can solo very well, but it's the power chords where this thing really shines.
If you've never played a guitar using bar magnet pickups...
It's a different sound. Not crazy-different, but does have its own character. It's absolutely not Gibson PAF nor Fender Strat sounding. You use bar magnet pickups when you want to rock out.
Yes, you can play clean with bar magnet pickups, but in my experience that's not their best use. Electric guitar pickups with bar magnets are designed to push amps harder. It's probably true the first thing you'll do with this is turn your overdrive/distortion effect down once you strum a few chords on this 'Paul.
Does this mean this 'Paul is unmanageable with its output? No. Like I said, it's just different. A good different.