Ibanez GAX30 is the most ritzy cheap guitar you can buy
And I should know. I own one.
So I bought an Ibanez GAX30, which is not an easy guitar to come by. Availability for this particular model is little, and in all honesty I was not intending on buying this - until I saw it in person and played it.
The only GAX30 available at Guitar Center is in white. For any other color, you have to buy it online because at the time I write this there is no choice otherwise. This may change in the future, but as of December 2018, that's the way it is. Better availability will probably become normal in 2019 and beyond.
White
I have said that white is the worst guitar color of all time, so you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw a white GAX30 in person. It actually looked good. Before seeing it for myself I was absolutely and totally 100% convinced that yes, I will hate this guitar color and no matter what I will not buy it. My mind was changed...
...but not totally. Now it was time to play it.
Playing it in the store
I mentioned this briefly in the video above, but this is the entire story.
I go to a Guitar Center because they had the special edition Squier Mustang HH in Surf Green and an Ibanez GAX30, which as I just said was white. Both guitars are the same price. $149.99 before tax.
I played the Mustang first. It felt like the typical Squier in Guitar Center. It wasn't set up and the action was high. However, it looked good and played nicely for what it was even with the high action. But I have to admit the guitar was a little on the boring side and doesn't have the same cool factor my Bullet Telecaster does.
The GAX30 was not on the showroom floor just yet, so an employee had to run back to go get it and unbox the thing so I could actually try it.
When I did play it, I knew within less than 10 seconds that the GAX30 was the superior guitar over the Mustang by leaps and bounds. This guitar, having never been touched since it left the factory, actually played nicely. The action was only a little high but not too bad.
As I sat there playing it and saw how the white worked with the neck with block inlays, it reminded me of a white Gibson SG, but couldn't remember which one. After getting home, I found out which. It's the Gibson SG offered in a color called Alpine White.
I knew right then and there that I would be getting way more guitar for the money with the Ibanez over the Squier, no doubt whatsoever. It was an easy decision to go with the Ibanez.
A need for a scale length not 25.5 inches
My entire reason for looking at the Mustang and the GAX30 in the first place was because I wanted a guitar shorter than the Fender standard length of 25.5".
I did make a mistake in the video and said there are 3 brands with cheap shorter scale models. There are actually 4.
When it comes to cheap guitars that are readily available in the shorter scales, the choices are Squier, Epiphone, Jackson and Ibanez.
- Squier - Mustang HH at 24.0".
- Epiphone - several models under $200 in SG and Les Paul flavors, all at 24.75".
- Jackson - Monarkh JS22.
- Ibanez - GAX30 and the AX120.
Ibanez, said very honestly, blows away everybody else when it comes to a good cheap shorter scale guitar. There is nothing else that can touch what Ibanez is offering at the price point the GAX30 or AX120 sell for. They offer the most for the least, period.
What makes a shorter scale worth owning?
In the end it all comes down to comfort.
A shorter scale means the frets are spaced closer together and the strings at standard pitch are more loose and bendable.
When frets are spaced closer together, it's easier to fret chords at the first 5 frets, which is where most guitarists play to begin with. When strings have less tension, it's easier to bend notes.
It is totally true your fret hand does not have to work as hard when playing a shorter scale guitar.
The only choice to make is whether to go 24.75" (or 24.7" in Ibanez's case) or 24.0". Your fret hand will let you know which feels for the best.
For me, it was the Ibanez GAX30 over the Squier Mustang HH. Same price, but the GAX30 is better. It might not have a cool Surf Green color option, but it looks quite ritzy in white and nothing can touch it for what it sells for.
How to output a Line 6 Spider amp to a mixer
This is actually really easy. All you need is the correct cable, and possibly a firmware update.
The Line 6 Spider V 60 does not have a 1/4" or XLR output, so in order to output the amp to a mixing board (I send mine to my ZOOM R8), the specific cable to use is a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo to 1/4" (6.35mm) dual mono output. Get the 6' (1.83m) version. Don't get the 3', because that's too short.
Cables like this are ordinarily marketed towards smartphone users where you plug in the 1/8" end to the phone and the 1/4" ends to a mixer...
...but this happens to also be the perfect cable for the Line 6 Spider amp as well because it operates the same way. Plug the small side into the phones jack on the amp and the large sides to the mixing board.
Do you have to use both 1/4" cable ends?
No. You can get away with the 1/8" end in the amp and just one of the 1/4" ends in the mixer. The output will be mono instead of stereo. You leave the other 1/4" end dangling, and that's perfectly fine.
Additional step (optional)
As of firmware release v1.05 of the Spider V 60 there is now the option to have the amp speaker on or off when the phones jack is in use.
To check which firmware version you have:
- Press and hold the Home key until the screen changes.
- There is no step 2, that's it. The first line will show the current firmware version. After about 30 seconds the amp returns back to the previous screen.
Where to go after you're at version 1.05 or greater:
- Press and hold the Home key.
- Scroll down to Phones Mode.
- Press the black knob below the screen once.
- Twist knob left for Phone, or right for Line.
- Press the black know below the screen again.
- Press Home to return to the main screen.
What's the difference between Phones Mode and Line Mode?
When in Phones Mode, the amp speaker turns OFF whenever the headphones jack is in use.
When in Line Mode, the amp speaker stays ON, and sound outputs to both the amp speaker and the phones jack at the same time.
Line Mode can be useful as a way to monitor your amp sound directly at the amp while also outputting to a mixer, and that's why the feature exists. It was very cool of Line 6 to put this feature in.
Remember, the firmware on the amp must be at v1.05 or greater for this menu option to exist, otherwise it won't be there.
Schecter E-1 is still the coolest Explorer style guitar there is
If you're going to get an Explorer style guitar, this is the only one worth getting.
I've talked about the E-1 before from Schecter, and while there are other styles (such as Black Pearl which looks incredible), another is Natural Satin for ultra-smooth comfort.
Some guys like "woody" guitars, and the go-to finish for that look is sunburst. But then there are those that prefer an all-woody look with no paint. An example of this is the Fender Classic Series '70s Stratocaster. I personally don't like that guitar because it looks too much like a coffee table (and yes, I did in fact play one in person, it really does look like a coffee table).
Schecter does all-woody right with the E-1 in Natural Satin. Very nice grain line with all hardware being black, which in this application works.
It was also very smart of Schecter to use block inlays on the fretboard, as it complements the pole pieces of the pickups nicely. But then it goes right back to black at the headstock with all-black tuner hardware - which was also smart.
The satin finishing was also a very smart move. For the Fender I mentioned above, part of the reason it looks so much like a coffee table is because of the gloss finish. Satin finishing has a muted semi-gloss appearance, which on all-woody guitars really works well.
I firmly believe the E-1 is the best Explorer style guitar that exists. And yes, it's better than a Gibson Explorer. Looks better, sounds better, performs better. You're truly getting something genuinely good with the E-1.
I hope Schecter continues to make the E-1 for a good long time. Everything about it is correct where an Explorer style axe is concerned. Right look, right hardware, right everything.
Are headless guitars any good?
Actually, yes, they are.
For the longest time, headless guitars have been expensive just because they have a nonstandard build. After all, it's not "just another Strat".
However, as of recent, they've become quite affordable while still giving you a guitar that plays and sounds great.
Why go headless?
The simple answer to this is ergonomics.
Many headless guitars have a nonstandard shape designed to be ultra-comfortable during play seated or standing.
Obviously, neck dive never happens with a headless guitar.
Tuning with the picking hand may seem odd at first, but it is actually faster, easier and more precise compared to tuning at the headstock. Strings tuned at the bridge are absolutely as straight as possible, and because the nut isn't there, string binding basically doesn't happen.
Also, let's not forget that headless has the easiest access to the truss rod. Just look at the photo above. It doesn't get any easier.
Should you go headless?
If you find that every guitar you play has something about it that is "a little off" and just doesn't feel right, a headless guitar like the one above will probably feel correct. There will be nothing "cutting" into your body, the neck never dives, and you never have to reach far to make adjustments during play.
And fortunately, getting one of these is cheap where not-so long ago it was well over 4 figures to get one. So if you want to try out an ergonomic axe, go get it.
Simple easy fix to a common guitar looper problem
The cost for this fix is exactly $0.00.
A problem with all loopers for guitar players be it a Ditto, DigiTech JamMan, BOSS RC-3 or otherwise is that when you record a loop, play it back and then attempt to play a lead over it, it's too loud.
There are two ways to fix this. One does not work and one does.
Easy way that does not work
If your looper has a volume control, you record your loop, then turn down the volume control. But then you end up with something that doesn't sound natural, so this solution really isn't a solution.
Easy way that DOES work
Turn down the tone control on your guitar.
Seriously, that is all you need to do.
Where this method does not work is for metal music since distorted guitar has a "flat" volume where using the tone knob makes little difference in overall volume to the ear...
...but then again, looping with metal riffs doesn't work anyway because that specific guitar sound was never suited for it. Everything else is, but metal is not.
The only way you can loop with metal (sort of?) is by stereo separating the channel. As in rhythm riff on the left, lead riff on the right. Most looper pedals don't do that. Yes, the stereo looper exists, but it's more trouble than its worth because you would probably have an easier time simply multitracking your riffs in software and panning instead.