The most expensive electric guitar on Amazon
A trip into the realm of the ridiculous.
At the time I write this in May 2018, the most expensive electric guitar on Amazon surprisingly isn't a Fender nor a Gibson, but a PRS. Specifically, the PRS Private Stock McCarty 594 [edit: no longer on Amazon]. The price is in the 5 figure range.
What type of man buys this guitar?
This guitar will probably never see a stage, because this is one of those pride-of-ownership instruments. And it's probably also true that this guitar will hardly ever be actually used.
The type of guy who buys an instrument like this is a collector who likes guitars, or an outright guitar collector. Yes, there is a difference between the two. One collects expensive things like Rolex watches and just wants a nice guitar to pluck around on at home, and the other actually has an expensive guitar collection with this PRS being the latest addition to it.
What's the coolest thing about this guitar?
For me, the coolest thing is the fact the fingerboard inlays are koa species wood, hence the reason they're wood colored and not gray.
The truss rod cover at the headstock is also wood, and I think the tuner buttons are wood too (but even if they're not, they are still of the highest quality materials).
There's also a tasteful blend of gold hardware throughout, which includes the output jack and strap buttons.
This guitar is about a very high level of craftsmanship using woods to achieve the best possible natural look you can get.
I consider this one of the good ones from PRS. There is absolutely no flamey, stripey, or quilty crapola going on with this guitar. The woods on display here with this axe truly do show off the fact it's a luxury instrument.
Does this guitar say "high class"? Yes.
Will the guitar hold its value and increase over time? Yes.
But most importantly:
Will this guitar put a smile on the face every time you look at it? Yes.
This PRS sells for a ridiculous price, but it will make the man who buys it a very happy guy.
For the rest of us, "lesser" PRS guitars are just as good.
ESP LTD H-200FM has a low price for high fret access
Fancy digs for cheap.
At the time I write this, the ESP LTD H-200FM is selling for under $400.
There are two things that make this guitar a steal.
First, it's a set-neck.
Second, it has a 3-piece maple neck. The body is mahogany, and while the neck looks like it's also mahogany, it isn't. It's maple. This is a good thing, as a multi-piece construction for maple usually works out quite well.
In addition to that, this is a good workhorse guitar. A nice, simple hardtail with string-thru-body design, recessed control knobs and recessed toggle switch that stays out of the way during play.
The overall look is clean, and the only problem I can spot is the shape of the headstock. The headstock ends with a sharp point, and while that looks cool, it's almost too easy to knock that and take a chip out of the wood. But being that's unlikely to happen, it shouldn't be an issue.
For you players out there who like high fret access, this guitar makes getting to those frets easy. The lower horn has an additional contour cut on the rear, and because of the set-neck construction, there's very little heel getting in the way.
This is decent for what it is. And given it's under-$400 price point, that's pretty cheap for what you get.
How to pick the best guitar case
It's way too easy to buy the wrong guitar case. Don't make that mistake.
An example of a case that is 100% correct for most guitar players is the polyfoam case. There are 3 reasons why it's the best case for most people:
- Lightweight
- Toughest
- Most shock resistant
The only thing bad about the case is that it's not approved for air travel as it doesn't have TSA locks on it. If you plan on flying with your guitar, a molded flight case is required.
Things guitar players forget about when buying a case
Sure, you can go cheap and just get a padded gig bag. And yes, they work for most guitarists. But when you're ready for the good stuff, you go for the full size case.
The first thing guitar players don't take into consideration with a case is weight. While you probably won't be lugging around your case all that often, you will be pulling it in and out of a car periodically, and even at home you will be lifting and stacking it when putting it into storage. Weight absolutely matters here. You want light, because otherwise you're going to feel that strain every time you pick up the case with the guitar in it.
Hard guitar cases are not as tough as most think they are. It's easy to think, "Yes, this hard case will protect my guitar better than a padded gig bag would." Don't be so sure. It's not the hardness of the exterior that protects the guitar but rather the padding on the inside. Padding on gig bags when fit snugly to the guitar actually protect it better. Padding on polyfoam cases is just as good as padded gig bags with the added protection of an extra tough exterior.
Shock resistance is the major downfall of hard guitar cases, because aside from flight cases, they barely have any. The worst of the worst is the tweed case. Oh sure, they look awesome, no doubt about that. But they have awful shock resistance.
Think of it this way: If a guitar case is dropped on its corner (which does sometimes happen when unloading it out of a car or even a closet,) the guitar will get a big jolt if its in a tweed case or other traditional hard case. It will get somewhat of a jolt in a padded gig bag, and the least amount of jolt in the polyfoam case.
Those jolts, as in shocks, that the guitar is subjected to can break solder connections, wreck tuners or even crack a neck.
In the end, the best 2 cases for regular use are padded gig bags and polyfoam cases. When you need something for air travel, get the flight case.
Squier Bullet Telecaster updates
A few updates on this particular guitar I own.
Yes, I still own my surf green 2017 Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster. It's a dandy of a guitar...
...however it needed some minor fret repair. I bought a fret leveling kit and leveled out 2 frets that were buzzing. They don't buzz anymore. But that doesn't mean I leveled all my frets.
Squier electrics along with the vast majority of other electric guitars use a nickel/silver fret wire material. And because I play as much as I do, I'm already seeing dents along the first 5 frets.
Dented frets happen and that's just the way it is - but as a rule I don't level the first 5 because while they do dent, they don't buzz (at least not on my guitars.) The frets I leveled on my Tele were 8 and 10. Fret 20 also buzzes a little, but that's way up high on the neck and I don't play there that often, so I can level that one at another time.
As I've mentioned before, the way to keep frets from denting is to not use nickel/silver but stainless steel fret wire instead. Ordinarily, this is a material only found on expensive electrics because it costs more to use it.
I've personally never refretted a guitar, but at some point I might because I really, really like the neck on my Bullet Telecaster. It has a great shape and feel to it. If I ever decide to do that, yes I would use stainless steel fret wire. Using that material doesn't prevent fret denting and wear, but it takes longer for it to happen.
And while true stainless steel frets can't be shined up as good as nickel/silver can, that's not something I really care about. I'd greatly prefer a slightly-dulled stainless fret that lasts longer over a nickel/silver that looks nice but wears out quicker.
Fender vs. Mighty Mite replacement guitar neck
Not a lot of money separates these two, but one might be better than the other depending on what you're looking for.
Take the Fender Standard Stratocaster neck. This is the neck most go for simply because it is the lowest priced new Strat neck from Fender - especially after seeing how much a Fender American Professional neck costs.
The Mighty Mite neck on the other hand is about $50 to $60 cheaper than the Fender Mexico neck.
The Mighty Mite neck is better for those who want custom tuners
In the end, this reason is what makes the Mighty Mite the preferred neck to go with.
Fender necks come delivered from the factory with pre-cut holes on the back of the headstock intended for genuine Fender tuners.
If you're going to install Fender Standard machine heads there, then sure, the Fender neck is the one to go with. However, if you're going to install a different type of tuner that has a different mounting screw location back there, then the Mighty Mite neck is the better choice.
It should also be noted that the Mighty Mite necks have 10mm diameter pegboard holes, meaning a tuner set like the Wilkinson E-Z LOK will fit without a problem.
True, you don't get the Fender logo on a Mighty Mite neck. But since there are no pre-drilled holes on the back of the headstock, you get to make the "cleanest" possible tuner installation when you drill your own for your tuning machine of choice.