Line 6 "Classic" speaker mode upgrade for Spider V amps
This is how modern guitar amps work. And I very much like it.
Line 6 recently released the MKII versions of the Spider V amps. I use the V 60 because it's pretty much the perfect size for home use. Small but not too small, very lightweight, great interface software, USB, smartphone connectivity, and so on. It also just sounds damned good.
A problem that a lot of owners complained about is that miking the amp basically wasn't possible because of the full range speaker. This has been fixed with the new V 60 MKII that now has a "Classic" speaker option that "turns off" the full range and makes the amp sound more like a traditional combo.
Does that mean the old MKI amp is now obsolete? No! Line 6 released the software update for free along with newly updated Spider V Remote software, also for free.
This literally means you can simply update a MKI to a MKII. No "hacking" required. No need to buy a new amp.
I really, really like this. Line 6 did so well here by not requiring a forced hardware upgrade just to get the latest features.
Also, yes this new Classic speaker option is easily accessible in Spider V Remote in the "Cab" section for any preset.
Why does anyone care about miking a guitar combo modeling amp?
If you take something like the ever popular Shure SM57 and use that to mike a Spider V amp with the full range speaker enabled, the recorded sound isn't good. With the full range on, it's like trying to mike a home stereo speaker.
What the Classic option does is get that old-school combo amp sound, and like magic, now the Spider V can be miked and it sounds right.
In the way guitar amps are progressing these days, yes it is necessary for this feature to exist. Guys want amps that will do everything. They want something that can be used live, used over USB, used DI, controlled via the amp, PC connected software or smartphone, emulate basically everything, be stuffed with all the effects, be able to be miked, and so on. Spider V now does all this.
It is very convenient to have everything done at the amp. Sure, you can use 100% software. Or you can go old school and use a tube-type amp recorded with a microphone. But having it all in a nice, lightweight combo amp is something many guitar players prefer, myself included.
Line 6 offered everything I wanted in an amp at the best bang for the buck, and that's why I bought it in the first place. The fact Line 6 offered the Classic speaker software upgrade totally for free to existing Spider V amp owners is just cool. This lets me know my money was well spent getting the amp.
Epiphone DC Pro has a very cool factory mod
This guitar comes with a factory mod that most Les Paul players wish they had in their guitars.
The Epiphone DC Pro in Mojave Fade (which by the way comes in 4 other colors) is one of those "true" Epiphone guitars in the respect it holds its own.
DC stands for Double Cut, and it absolutely does not compete with Gibson. If you look at the Gibson Double Cut, that's a totally different shape. And even if you look at the old Gibson Double Cut from the early 2000s, the Epiphone still doesn't look like that guitar either; this is why I say the DC Pro is a "true" Epiphone.
I'm glad Epiphone put their best headstock design on the DC, which they call a Tree of Life. It fits this guitar well.
So what's the deal with this guitar? What's the secret weapon? What's it got that Les Paul players wish they had?
Answer: Phase switch.
In this guitar is a pair of ProBucker pickups with coil split and push-pull for changing the phase on the neck side pickup.
What that feature basically does is "honk out" the sound, Peter Green style.
With the Epiphone, you get this out-of-phase mod. It's in the DC Pro. Switch back and forth to it whenever you like.
And being the DC Pro is an Epiphone, oh yeah, it's affordable. Not a rock bottom price, but still a nice price nonetheless considering what you get. What do you get? Bound body, bound neck, bound headstock, fancy fretboard inlays, premium pickups, premium wiring option, strap lock connectors, premium tuners... this guitar is totally decked out for what it is.
You don't need a '59 Les Paul to get that Green sound. You just need a DC Pro, which costs way, way less.
Back to a manual
It's been 20-ish years since I've regularly driven one of these things.
I recently traded out the terrible Versa because it had issues. What I replaced it with was a Japanese subcompact. Used, of course. It's a little car that easily achieves a 35 MPG average, but can achieve 40 and even better with hardly any effort.
The big deal however is that the car has a manual 5-speed transmission.
In America, finding a car with a true mechanical manual transmission is rare. Go to any shopping center parking lot, and it's a sure bet that fewer than 1% of all the cars there will have a 5 or 6-speed stick in the floor. You just don't see these things anymore.
It's even more rare to see a car with manual gearbox that is not a kid racer piece of garbage. My car is 100% unmodified. No stupid aftermarket tint. No "cold air intake" buffoonery. No Flowmaster muffler. No "upgraded" wheels. A car like this is so rare that I can confidently say it is most likely the only stock unmodified car with a manual gearbox whenever parked in any parking lot.
Advantages of driving a car with a manual gearbox
If you know how to handle 3 pedals and a stick, there are some nice benefits.
- Stick Discount - If the model of car I bought had an automatic transmission, it would have cost 25 to 30% more just to buy it. With the 5-speed stick I got a massive discount just because of the stick.
- Possibly the best anti-theft deterrent device - I could take the car, park it in any lot, walk away leaving it running, unlocked and with windows rolled down... and on my return the car would be right where I left it. Nobody would bother stealing the car because nobody knows how to drive stick anymore.
- Stupidly easy to increase gas mileage - The automatic version of my car is 33 pounds heavier than what I have. That's like carrying two 16-lb bowling balls in the trunk 100% of the time. A 33-lb weight reduction may not sound like much, but believe me, it matters. I can also do other things now like short-shifting, proper coasting, and so on.
- Engine braking to save brakes - When done properly, downshifting to slow the car when approaching a stop extends brake life (particularly the fronts) a great deal.
How does it feel going back to a manual?
Pretty cool.
Modern cars pretty much operate like a Barbie Jeep in the respect everything is all push-button and sterile.
It literally has been 20+ years since I've daily driven a manual, and I totally forgot how organic the driving experience is with a stick. With the car I have now, a Barbie Jeep it is not.
Driving stick is not as smooth as the auto, but that's not a bad thing. I can really feel the car more when upshifting and downshifting. It has actually caused me to drive more safely and deliberately.
Where fun factor is concerned, obviously the manual is better than the auto. Running through the gears or even just downshifting to pass someone is fun.
My car is thankfully modern enough to be equipped with two things I can't live without, that being A/C and cruise control. Having A/C is self-explanatory. It's the cruise that's awesome. I've never owned a car with a stick that had cruise that actually works. This one does.
It's neat driving the manual. I dig it.
Four Squier guitars you have probably never heard of
These are some older discontinued models that I found used for sale right now at Guitar Center, so yes you can get these at the time I'm posting this.
Squier Venus
This was an oddball design where the humbucker pickup leaned one way and the neck pickup leaned the other, with ferrules after the bridge leading to the rear where the strings are loaded. It's definitely different and looks cool.
Squier Espirit
This design doesn't appear to borrow anything from Fender whatsoever. The design is a bit more on the reserved side, but the block inlays and binding look nice, and the pointy headstock adds in a bit of uniqueness.
I am somewhat sure the top of the body is arched, but not totally sure.
Squier X-155
This is a very classy axe. Big body, big tone and a fantastic looker. My favorite part of the guitar is the Squier "S" in the tailpiece. I'm pretty sure this is the only Squier to ever feature such a thing.
Squier M70
You might think at first that this is a Les Paul copy. It isn't. This guitar actually is more close to copying Gretsch single cutaway guitars. See the modern Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet and you'll understand what I mean.
Does this mean the M70 sounds like a Gretsch? No, because it obviously doesn't have Gretsch-style pickups. It just has a normal humbucker tone to it.
A cheap not-Strat Strat that's actually good
It might be cheap, but this guitar has it where it counts.
To start off, no, this is not as cheap as the Squier Bullet Strat. You will spend a little more to get this guitar, but only a little more. It's the Sterling by Music Man Cutlass SSS.
There are two immediate things about this axe that make it better than the Squier.
First is that it has two knobs instead of three. This means tone control on every pickup setting, whereas with traditional Strat wiring you get no tone control on the bridge-only pickup.
Second is the truss rod adjustment location at the heel. You'll see a black notch after the neck pickup and before the neck. That's the wheel where you make the adjustment. This is, without question, the easiest possible way to adjust neck relief. Why? Because you never have to detune the strings. With a headstock location, at least two strings have to be detuned to make a neck relief adjustment. With the wheel at the heel end there's no such requirement. Just pull the strings slightly out of the way, tighten or loosen to your desired relief, and that's it. Done and done - and you can do it 100% from the seated guitar position too. Very convenient.
Actually, there's a third immediate benefit over the Squier. The volume knob is away from the bridge side pickup. A very common complaint of Strat owners is that they keep hitting the volume control accidentally. You will not have that problem with the Cutlass.
Now aside from all that, yes this guitar sounds like a Strat and it looks cool in Daphne Blue. The neck has the oh-so awesome satin finish, just like Fenders do. The truss rod is dual-action for even easier neck relief adjustments (as if it wasn't easy enough already). Tuners are all proper die-cast metal secured with nuts on top. Even the neck connection is more stable with a 5-bolt pattern.
Yeah, you get a ton of guitar for the money with the Cutlass SSS. But of course the best part is that this guitar is cheap. More expensive than a Squier Bullet, yes, but still far less expensive than the nearest available Fender.
Are there any downsides? The output jack is on the side of the guitar like a Telecaster instead of on top like a Stratocaster, and the headstock does look slightly "stubby" with it's 4x2 tuner layout. But then again, that is a staple of Music Man design.
And yeah, that's it. Those are the downsides, if you could even call them that.
Basically put, this is pretty much the best not-Strat Strat there is. Much easier neck relief adjustment, volume knob won't get knocked accidentally, sounds right, and is priced very nicely. Trust me, you can afford this one.
I should also mention there is a gorgeous rosewood board version and a very nice looking HSS version as well - all for the same price.