Cool things happen when you turn DOWN the guitar overdrive
An exercise in going for a Deep Purple sound shows how cool a guitar can sound with minimal overdrive or distortion.
Recently, I was on a Deep Purple kick and decided to record a song. This is actually the first time I've gone for a Ritchie Blackmore sound using a Telecaster, and it totally worked.
But it's how I made it work that's the important part.
A common mistake a lot of guitar players make is using too much overdrive and/or distortion, resulting in a muddy tone that sounds terrible. For rock tones on Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars with only single-coil pickups, using less overdrive works a whole lot better - if note drop-off is accommodated for with compression.
I've said a bunch of times and will say it again that having a compressor in your collection of guitar effects is a very, very handy thing to have. In the effects chain, I always put it first. The only time I wouldn't is if I used a wah-wah pedal.
Part of the reason some guys chase after specific amps with tubes is to get natural amp compression. But even if you have a tube amp that has that tone, it has to be cranked up real loud in order to hear it. Using a compressor can get you "that sound" without blowing out the windows.
Using my DigiTech RP360, I'm able to set up exactly what I want, which includes putting the compressor first in the effects chain, albeit a digital one. So whether you use traditional analog pedals or digital means, the way to set up compression is the same.
When the compressor is engaged, the overdrive can be turned down and I still get a decidedly good rock tone. Yes, it's totally true I let the Telecaster "twang out". I didn't even attempt to hide the twang of the guitar and let all the trebly, clacky sound come right through. It worked out just fine.
I will eventually complete the song as it is unfinished. But I really wanted to show off the low-overdrive cool sound of the Telecaster played in a Blackmore-ish style.
Ibanez SA460QM has luxury guitar features for cheap
This is definitely an Ibanez that's a diamond in the rough.
It continually amazes me how sometimes certain guitar makers release guitars that are packed with luxury features for so little money, and the Ibanez SA460QM is one such example.
Now when I say "luxury features", that refers to both things that are for appearance and for function. Some guitars are built just for ornamental reasons and others for just utility. But this one has both.
For appearance, the two standouts here are the body binding with abalone ornamentation (as in a nice shiny/sparkly line that follows the body binding,) and matched burst headstock to the body. Ibanez could have just painted the headstock black and that would have worked, but they went the extra mile and matched the burst seen on the body. Very nice touch. And of course, the quilted top really works here.
For utility, that's basically the entire rest of the guitar. This axe features my favorite output jack ever on top of the body (think of it as a modernized Stratocaster jack, it's really nice,) bridge made of good steel, a well-balanced pickup set, great tuners, a body with arched top, and near-perfect body balancing (you'll never get neck dive on this guitar.) The neck is a bolt-on, but there is no neck plate, which is something usually reserved for higher end guitars. And the bottom horn is also scooped for easier high fret access. This axe is just loaded with goodies.
The best feature however is that this is an every-player guitar with nice luxury bits while still being just a great guitar overall. The SA460QM suits any player age, any play style and fits in any genre. That can't be said for many guitars, but can be said for this one.
Oh, and the price. For what you get, it is truly not expensive.
Pick this one up. It's a keeper.
Casio AW80 is the best cheap gentleman's ana-digi watch
This is the only ana-digi I own. And it's a good one.
The Casio AW80 is an ana-digi watch that's cheap and comes in many flavors. Resin strap, metal bracelet, fabric strap, white dial, black dial, silver dial, blue dial, black bezel, bronze bezel, red bezel, blue bezel, some with arabics, some with partial arabics, and so on, and so on. The one in particular I have is the 5BV model with the bronze bezel and tan fabric strap secured with Velcro. The 1BV is the black version of that and the 3BV a green version.
A very easy way to tell AW80 models from one another is that AW80 means resin strap, AW80D means metal bracelet, and AW80V means fabric strap with Velcro.
Every AW80 works exactly the same, as they all have module 2747. This module features 3 alarms with one snooze, countdown timer, chronograph, world time feature that supports many time zones, DST recognition, full auto calendar, hourly signal.
The oddball feature of the AW80 is Telememo. Yes, it has it, just like some Casio Databank watch models. The AW80 allows up to 30 records that can contain name and number data. Will you ever use this feature? Probably not. But then again, maybe you will. It would be particularly good for storing passcodes to electronic gate systems (ex: you drive up to a gate and a passcode is needed to open it) or anywhere where you have to punch in a short code and need to be reminded of it. None of the Telememo records you input on the AW80 are protected, but who would ever guess your watch had a Telememo feature to begin with to look for such information?
I will tell you the #1 complaint about this watch. The night light. The light is bright and can be easily read in the dark, that's not the problem. The problem is that only the analog face is illuminated and not the LCD panel.
The #2 biggest complaint is the way the analog clock is set. It's not automatic. You have to manually set it, and in the way the analog works here, the minute hand ticks forward every 20 seconds instead of every 1 minute. Yes, weird, but that's the way this watch does things.
Note that a seconds hand does not exist. This is fine because you can toggle between showing day-date and digital time that shows seconds on the LCD panel.
The #3 biggest complaint is the crystal. It's acrylic and domed. But then again, for this price point it's not like you're going to get a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Why is the Casio AW80 the best cheap gentleman's watch?
Reason 1: It's a 40!
The 9-to-3 measurement of the case is 40mm. Amazon lists this incorrectly as 38mm. I measured the case myself. It's absolutely a 40mm...
...which is considered by many to be the perfect watch size. Not too big, not too small. And because the dial is designed where there's a lot of bezel before the dial actually starts, this results in a look that has near-perfect proportions.
Consider the Rolex Submariner unless stated otherwise is a 40mm. The reason the proportions of that watch work so well is because the dial is smaller to accommodate for the surrounding dive time bezel.
While the AW80 doesn't have a rotating bezel, the design character is similar and it totally works.
Reason 2: Very legible dial
Time and date is very easy to read on the AW80 regardless of which model you get.
Legibility is only an issue for the smaller segments of the LCD panel. Namely, SIG and SNZ on the left (for hourly signal and snooze alarm) and AL1 and AL2 on the right (for alarm 1 and alarm 2.)
And yes, between the hours of 5 and 7, the hands do get in the way of the LCD, but that's a common issue with all ana-digi watches. The question is whether or not the LCD is unreadable when the analog hands are over the display. And that answer to that is the LCD is still plenty readable even when the hour and/or minute hand is directly over the panel.
Reason 3: "Hidden" side buttons
The button design on the AW80 is amazing. They're large and easy to press, but at the same time don't stick out in an ugly way. If I didn't just mention the buttons, you wouldn't have even seen them in the photo above.
Reason 4: Countdown timer
I mentioned this above but will again because having a watch with a countdown timer is very useful. Many people use this feature as a cooking timer. I personally can't wear a watch these days without a countdown timer on it.
Reason 5: Forward or reverse number scrolling
A lot of Casio watches only scroll digital numbers forward. Using the countdown timer as the example, if you want to set a timer of 20 minutes and accidentally scroll to 21, you have to press and hold a button until the minutes scroll all the way to 59, back to 0, then back to 20 again.
On the AW80 you can scroll forward or reverse. So if you accidentally set a timer to 21 minutes when you wanted 20, all it takes is one button press to go back 1 digit.
Reason 6: Ritzy looking amber night light
The night light, while it doesn't illuminate the LCD, is a dual bulb in a gold-like amber color. It just looks good and has a nice warm appearance to it, similar to gold Christmas lights (that's a good thing.)
Reason 7: Styled right
The AW80 is the right size and right weight. But what makes it a good gentleman's watch more than anything else is its reserved styling.
On the dial of the AW80 - at least for the 5BV model - are 3 printed features. Illuminator, 10 Year Battery, and WR (Water Resist) 50M. But the way it's done is not loud. It's much more subtle, thankfully.
All the printed stuff on the AW80 is purposely kept low-key, even including the Casio logo itself which is kept on the smaller side. The AW80V models in particular actually have the "busiest" dials with big hour numbers, 24-hour time smaller hour numbers, arrows at 12-3-6-9 and a detailed minute track. But amazingly, it all works and doesn't look like clown shoes.
How does the Casio AW80 compare to other ana-digi watches of a similar price?
The closest match to my AW80 is the Timex Expedition Chronograph T45181. That timepiece definitely has a more outdoorsy appearance to it, and the bezel does in fact rotate. It also has a nylon strap, which by the way has a width of 20mm, making for easy strap changes to an alternative strap of your choice if you wish.
What throws people for a loop is that this particular Timex is actually a 39mm. Yes, that means the Casio is technically larger than the Timex by a small amount.
However, the point is that as far as ana-digi watches go, the T45181 is a nice option. The curved LCD panel just looks cool. Obviously, the watch has the famous Timex Indiglo nightlight. But like the Casio, it only illuminates the analog dial and not the digital panel.
The best part about the Timex is that the crystal is recessed, making it less prone to scratches compared to the AW80's domed crystal.
Ultimately, I still choose the Casio. The digital portion is larger and the watch lays flatter on my wrist, which is important to me, given I have skinny wrists. I also think the AW80 just looks better than the Timex does.
Dean ZX is the best Explorer guitar for under $400
This is not an easy body shape to get, and there's really only one choice if you want this shape for cheap.
Certain guitars just say "rock guitar" more than others, and the Gibson Explorer is one of them. I personally think an Explorer close to being the best out there is the Epiphone "1984" Explorer, because where the look is concerned, that guitar totally nails it. But while less expensive than the Gibson, it's still not cheap, and finding one new is difficult at best.
There is literally only one guitar in the Explorer shape that's available, built reasonably well and cheap. And that's the Dean ZX.
Depending on which model you get, the ZX runs anywhere from $269 to just a tick under $400 at the time of this writing. And it literally is your only choice if you want this electric guitar body shape for less. Dean is one of the few companies that even bothers releasing a guitar in the Explorer style shape.
When it comes to other classic Gibson guitar shapes, yes you can go super-cheap. For example, with the SG shape, Epiphone has you covered with the SG Special or LTD Viper-10 (which is under $200!) And with the Les Paul, the same applies as Epiphone has the Les Paul Special-II.
But with the Explorer shape, you can't look to Epiphone if you want a "full" Explorer with two humbuckers. You've gotta go Dean.
What is the absolute best Explorer style guitar when you're willing to spend a little more?
The Dean ZX is what you get is you want an Explorer shape guitar cheap.
But when you want the higher end stuff, I don't look to Epiphone or even Gibson.
I look to Schecter.
I personally consider the Schecter E-1 Standard to be the Explorer standard. It's over $400 but still well under $1,000. This thing is so, so good in so many ways.
The E-1 is a guitar I've mentioned here before a few times. It is the best Explorer style guitar money can buy. Looks right, sounds right, feels right, plays right. Everything is just right. It's what an Explorer guitar is supposed to be.
Believe me when I say that Schecter's E-1 outperforms any Explorer that Gibson or Epiphone could build, does it better, and cheaper. But even with the lower price tag, the guitar is absolutely good. You won't be disappointed if you order up one of these.
The cheapest electric guitar on Amazon
Another trip into the realm of the ridiculous, but this time with guitars that anyone can afford.
All of what I'll mention here are absolute beginner instruments. These are throwaway guitars. They are new, but all are priced ridiculously low just to get them sold and out the door. Don't expect fantastic guitars here. What you're buying is cheap and that's the selling point.
Take the Rise by Sawtooth ST-RISE-ST-BLK-KIT-1 [edit: this guitar no longer available, but there are others, keep reading]. What you get with this is the guitar along with a beginner's kit of a little amp, picks, gig bag and such. No, you cannot purchase the guitar separate from the kit, but then again this thing is so cheap it really doesn't matter. At the time I write this, it's under $60 new and that includes shipping.
What's good about the guitar? It's simple. One pickup, one volume knob, one control knob. It's a hardtail so there is no whammy bar to lose. All the tuners are on top of the headstock, making it easier to tune. It's black, which is an easy finish to clean and keep looking nice (assuming the guitar ever gets cleaned.)
Peavey Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rockmaster
I consider this a step up from the Rise because of the body shape and graphics. Kids who like TMNT will obviously like the guitar, but this is actually a fun guitar for adults too. Bring this guitar to a practice session or gig and yeah, people will be laughing at it - but that's the whole point. The guitar is fun and entertaining to look at. And yes, it is a full size guitar (as are all the guitars mentioned here).
Like the Rise, it has a single pickup, one volume control, one tone control, no whammy bar. I actually like the fact the headstock is painted black.
To note, there are several Rockmaster guitars, many of them themed. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the cheapest of the lot.
Here are a few of the other Rockmasters available. Still cheap, but more expensive than the TMNT:
- Star Wars
- The Walking Dead Riot
- The Walking Dead Michonne/Zombie
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 3 Flying War
- The Simpsons
There are more Rockmasters besides that, but you get the idea. Simple fun guitars with wild graphics. Any of these would work well with a punk band or if you just want something fun and different for cheap.
This guitar is actually a "full Strat" with 3 single-coil pickups and a tremolo system. It's not a bad looking guitar in sunburst and it works just like any other Strat you've ever played.
There is one advantage buying the Sawtooth Strat over a Squier Strat. It does have 22 frets while a Squier Bullet Strat has 21. This means you have a 3rd octave D where you can bend a note to a 3rd octave E, and some guitar players consider that important.
The Amazon listing states the guitar has 21 frets, but look at the neck in the photo above. It's 22.
Said very honestly, the Sawtooth does look slightly better than a Bullet Strat because of the painted black headstock.
Good guitar? I've no idea. But it's cheap.
Rich's pick
Personally, if I were in the market for one of these, I'd get one of the Rockmaster guitars and start posting videos to YouTube of me playing the instrument just for the fun factor.
As an adult guitar player, fun is what dictates which cheap guitar to buy. You get the one that puts the biggest smile on your face, which is why the Rockmaster is the best of the 3 here. It's a lot of fun for under 100 bucks.