Sinobi S9538G may be the best cheap analog watch ever
While the Casio F-91W rules as the undisputed best cheap digital watch, this Sinobi just might be the best cheap analog watch you can buy.
Take the Sinobi S9538G. There are 3 variants of this. Light/silver, light/gold and dark/orange. You'll notice the watch is usually only listed as the 9538 without the S or the G, although that is technically in the model name because it states so on the case back.
What makes this watch so great?
1. Size
This is a dress watch in a 40mm size with a 20mm strap lug width that fits my 6.75" wrist very nicely. While that doesn't sound all that exciting, it's almost impossible to find a cheap dress watch with these very specific dimensions that actually looks nice.
2. Numbers on dial
For whatever stupid reason, it is very difficult to find a cheap dress watch that actually has numbers on the dial. It is easier to tell the time when numbers are present.
3. Date complication
I wish this were a day-date, but the fact it even has a date is nice.
4. Signed buckle
Not the best signature in the world, but hey, it has it.
5. Signed strap
The faux leather strap actually has the brand on it. You never find this on watches this cheap.
6. WORKING seconds subdial
This is also something you never find on watches this cheap. The subdial is not decoration-only. It actually works and counts the seconds.
7. Very quiet tick
You can only hear the tick when brought up to the ear. I am so happy about that.
8. Easy-to-read and not a reflection monster
Indices are read easily, hands aren't "lost" at any time and the contrast is good.
Also, although the photo doesn't really show this, the indices are printed on the dial using raised ink. It's a very light raise, but they are raised for easier reading.
9. The price
It's 9 bucks. Yes, really. This watch actually sells for less than a Casio F-91W.
What's bad about this watch?
Not much, to be honest.
I had to wait 20 days for it to arrive in the mail because it came from Malaysia. But the shipping was free, so I really can't complain.
The date complication, while clicking over at midnight like it's supposed to, only seems to be set by spinning around the hands. I tried pulling the crown to a mid position but it doesn't seem to have one. I consider this a minor annoyance given the price.
The faux leather strap is crappy. Thin, but it works, is stitched correctly and isn't falling apart, which is pretty much the best you can get for 9 bucks.
30m water resistance, which means no water resistance. But again, this was 9 bucks.
Nothing with this case size and price point is as good
There really is nothing else for this cheap that's this good.
The two things that set this watch apart from other cheap analogs are three things. The dial, the quiet tick and the seconds subdial.
Dial: Usually when you go with a watch this cheap, there's something about the dial that looks tacky. An example is if the dial had the word "QUARTZ" printed on it. That looks so cheesy. That's not on this dial, nor is there anything else that looks cheesy or tacky. It's actually designed just right.
Quiet tick: Timex and Swatch are notorious for having annoyingly loud ticks on their analog timepieces. This Sinobi's tick is there, but as said above is nice and quiet.
Seconds subdial: I've got a few things to say about this.
The #1 complaint from quartz analog watch owners is that the seconds hand does not line up with the minute track. Incredibly, the 9538 does line up with its little subdial markers.
Cheap analogs by Casio and Timex never have a seconds subdial. If such a subdial exists on any timepiece either of those two brands sell for under $20 new, I've never seen it.
The subdial is a total luxury option. It really is. This is what makes a quartz analog movement actually look upscale. When you see a one-tick-per-second hand moving, it just says "cheap" - even on expensive timepieces. But when it's put on a subdial, it says "luxury". An example of this is the Timex Weekender Chrono 40. That, while more expensive than the Sinobi, does have a seconds subdial. It looks nice (and supposedly is one of the few Timex analog pieces without a loud tick).
I liked it so much that I ordered another one
This watch is so cheap and good that I went ahead and bought a second one, gold version.
As far as cheap analog watches are concerned, I honestly don't think you can do any better than the Sinobi 9538.
I own a 37mm Orient Tri Star and a 38mm Timex Weekender. But this Sinobi 40mm is just right.
Lastly, I'll say the watch is cheap. It has almost no weight to it. Some guys like something with some heft. But I'm totally okay with the 9538's light weight. It's just a nice, simple everyday dress/casual watch that looks way more expensive than it is.
Total winner of a watch. Truly.
Guitar of the week #103: Epiphone Wildkat Koa
This is one of the better Epiphone semi-hollow body guitars in arguably the most ritzy look available.
When you want a guitar with "the jangle" for that rockabilly tone at a more-than-fair price point, Epiphone Wildkat delivers.
The Wildkat comes in a natural finish mahogany body with a maple top. Model ETKWNAGH3 is also a natural finish but using a koa wood top. And to spice things up even further, there's gold hardware everywhere which includes the Bigsby vibrato system.
Does the koa top wood affect the tone at all?
Given the pickups are fully potted, I seriously doubt it.
The regular production Wildkat has a mahogany body with maple top. This one is the same but with a koa top.
I've not played the guitar, but to the best of my knowledge, there should be little to no difference tone-wise on the Wildkat between maple and koa.
To be more specific, what I believe may happen is that the player (you) may physically feel slightly more body resonance and hear a slightly louder acoustic tone. But as for what actually gets output to the amplifier, that will probably sound just the same as the maple top. Bear in mind the body wood is still the same and that this is a semi-hollow with the same center block as the regular model.
In other words, this is the Wildkat you buy when you want a nice marriage of koa with gold hardware. And you've got to admit, it looks pretty darned good. It definitely looks much more expensive than what it sells for.
Great guitar all around, and certainly a future collectible.
Dunlop DEN0838 guitar strings review
It looks like that I'm a D'Addario convert.
For a good long while I played nothing but Dunlop DEN0942, which is a 9-42 sized set. Then I decided to try D'Addario EXL130+ which is an 8.5-39 set. I liked it, but I went one size smaller to the D'Addario EXL130 which is 8-38, and that agreed with me very well.
Since the EXL130 was so good, I figured the same sized set from Dunlop, the DEN0838, would be even better.
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
While the 9-42 from Dunlop was amazing, the 8-38 didn't really cut it.
In a very short period of time, the 8-38 set wore out. Brightness gone, tension stability gone... it just was not good. While I understand all guitar strings wear out, these wore out really fast.
Another thing that surprised me is the break-in time. The 9-42 set would always break in very quickly. The 8-38 set did not.
In the end, the 9-42 set from Dunlop was great, but for whatever reason the 8-38 set was just terrible.
I'll be trying other 8-38 sets later on, but for now, I'm sticking with D'Addario EXL130.
Guitar of the week #102: Eastwood Sidejack 300
Eastwood Guitars is known for making wacky guitars, but fortunately this one has a more conservative design to it.
The Sidejack 300 model is a guitar Eastwood should be building more often. Priced nice (it truly is), styled right, and without a doubt it does look more ritzy that the standard Fender Telecaster.
You look at a Tele and you see just a plain old Tele. You see the Sidejack 300 and you don't think "plain old Tele". There's a lot more going on here, starting with that bound neck with a shape that slants at the heel next to the front side valco open humbucker. Then you see the 4-knob control layout, the very nicely placed selector switch on the bottom horn, the fact there's actually a truss rod cover (Telecasters don't have that), and yeah, this guitar is good.
Also, the scale length is 24.75" like a Les Paul and not a like Tele, which for many players is the preferred scale.
I only have 2 complaints about the guitar. I don't like the tuner buttons (I wish they were more squat and chrome) and I don't like the output jack on the front. For a Tele style body, the side-mounted jack is preferred. And yeah, this is called the Sidejack yet the output jack isn't on the side...? Weird.
Other than that, good guitar. Definitely not just another Tele copy.
How to get the surf guitar drip sound
This is a cool sound. But is the Jazzmaster guitar required to get it?
Something I've been working on lately is to get more "drip" sound out of my Jazzmaster.
The surf guitar drip sound is a combination of effect settings and playing style. But before I get into that, no, the Jazzmaster is not required to get the sound...
...but it helps. A lot.
Which guitar to use?
The drip sound comes easy to traditional Jazzmaster and Jaguar guitars because they "ping" the reverb easiest.
What I mean by "traditional" Jazz and Jag are the ones that have single-coil pickups with 1meg pots that makes for an absolutely ridiculous amount of treble response. Both the Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster and Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar have these traditional pickups and electronics.
However, it is totally possible to use a Stratocaster or Telecaster as both those guitars also have single-coil pickups with electronics that have excellent treble response. The treble isn't as "hot" as the Jazz or the Jag, but it's definitely good enough.
Where dual-coil (humbucker) guitars are concerned, you'll need something with a lot of treble to it, which is something dual-coil pickups aren't usually voiced to do. Well, not unless it's a Gretsch or maybe an Epiphone Sheraton.
Which effects to use?
Spring reverb or a really good spring reverb clone is required. The spring reverb on my DigiTech RP360 is pretty convincing. In pedal form, the BOSS FRV-1 is the best of the lot.
And as far as an actual amp, the real deal is the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb or the large-and-loud Fender '65 Twin Reverb.
Technically, any amp with a real reverb tank in it can get the job done. But to get a surf sound, the amp has to be pushed fairly hard so the tank springs vibrate more.
For example, my Fender Frontman 212R has a real reverb tank in it. But to "make it surf", significant volume is required. I live in an apartment, so when recording I use the DigiTech instead. And it works fine.
Also, a tip. For extra punch to make for more drip, use a compressor effect.
What technique to use?
The goal is to make the guitar sound like musical water dripping.
Palm muting is required to do this and a lot of it.
What will happen when you mute notes and chords is that you will experience some soreness on your picking hand palm from constantly resting on the strings to mute them. This is totally normal. You get used to it eventually.
The most drip sound happens on the plain strings since higher notes result in "pinging" the reverb more. And since you're using a very generous amount of reverb, higher notes are required to cut through the reverb so it doesn't sound like a muddy mess.
When you first do this, yes, it will sound like a muddy mess. This is not like playing muted power chord 5ths with distortion. It is something that requires more finesse to get right. Fortunately, it doesn't require a crazy amount of practice to do. This isn't rock soloing but rather just a way to ping that reverb as much as possible to make that cool drip sound.
Lastly, I'll say that if you're using to playing rock, you have to unlearn that a bit when going for a drip sound.
Instead of going for sustain, you go for super-short quick notes.
Instead of going for full-bodied chords, you go for smaller chords with fewer notes that are spread out.
Instead of filling every space with the sound of guitar, you have to learn when to pause and play nothing. Why? So you can actually hear the reverb fading out, as that is part of the drip sound.
What does this sound like?
See the video Surf guitar drip sound on Squier Jazzmaster.