Guitar of the week #95 - Epiphone "1961" G-400 PRO in Metallic Gold
Gold, gold, gold.
One thing most Gibson guitar designs take to very well to is gold. The Epiphone "1961" G-400 PRO in has a Metallic Gold finish option, and it absolutely works.
The G-400 PRO is a guitar I've mentioned before so I'll just give a quick rundown of the specifications.
Where Epiphone model names are concerned, "Plus" means fancier woods and "Pro" means fancier features. This means the G-400 PRO uses a standard mahogany body with mahogany neck featuring SlimTaper profile, and the electronics feature AlNiCo magnet pickups with push/pull capability on the knobs for a wider range of sounds.
If you've never heard what the push/pull tones sound like on a G-400 PRO, it basically means you can make the guitar sound Telecaster-ish. The brightness of a Telecaster won't be there but the "honk" will be, which for most players is plenty enough to ask for out of an SG style guitar since most play will be done in "full humbucker" mode.
Another nice thing about the G-400 PRO is that it has proper full-size trapezoid inlays on the fingerboard and the "pineapple" inlay on the headstock along with vintage style tuners with buttons that have a slight green to them (which is normal).
Gold SG guitars be they by Epiphone or Gibson do typically hold value pretty well simply for the fact you don't see them often. The Gibson SG Standard for example has no gold finish option (ebony, cherry and sunburst are the only 3 finishes offered). And even on the Epiphone side of things, gold isn't seen that often either.
With the Epi G-400 PRO in gold, yes you are getting a good guitar that comes provided with instant collector value, so it's a good buy all around.
How I felt after playing a Fender American Professional Jazzmaster
The bore-fest continues.
I tried out the Fender American Professional Stratocaster and got bored with it very quickly.
But then again, Strats really aren't my thing these days. The Jazzmaster is my main guitar, so surely this one would have some pop and wow to it, right?
It didn't.
I tried out the Fender American Professional Jazzmaster in a "Mystic Seafoam" finish.
Here are my thoughts on it.
What I liked about the guitar
The knobs felt right and had nice give to them. The 3-way toggle felt good. The positioning of the strings from the Mustang saddles was correct. The tuners felt solid. The overall weight of the guitar was good.
What I didn't like about the guitar
The guitar has an overall feel and tone that reeks of "designed by a committee".
Before I get into that, there are 3 Jazzmasters that get it right. From least to most expensive, the Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, the Fender '60s Jazzmaster Lacquer and the Fender American Vintage '65 Jazzmaster do capture what Jazzmaster character is supposed to be. I have played all 3 of these and have a very intimate understanding of how each works. Each has a distinctive personality, and I can honestly say that no matter which you choose, you're getting a cool guitar...
...but then there's the American Professional version of the Jazzmaster. This is a guitar that has little learning curve. No rhythm circuit is to be found, and Mustang saddles are used so that you never knock the strings out of the saddle grooves. The pickups are V-Mod with treble-bleed to ensure there is never too much nor too little treble.
The guitar is functional, capable and well made, but ultimately a soulless dullard. It's not bold nor daring. It's just kinda... there.
Does the Fender American Professional Jazzmaster suck?
No. It is constructed well using good woods and good hardware...
...but it's as boring as a sack of peanuts. Like the American Pro Stratocaster, everything "offensive" about the Jazzmaster has been engineered right out of it, and that's what makes it soulless.
For me, the entire reason I bought a Jazzmaster guitar originally is because it was different. I love the offset body, love the trebly pickups with the "big" sound, and love the weirdness and quirks. I love it so much that it's the only electric I play. The Jazzmaster made me fall in love with the guitar again.
The American Pro Jazzmaster, while certainly built well, isn't trying to be different, as it is engineered in every way to be an easier and more approachable guitar.
While the guitar doesn't suck, every one of them might as well be only offered in gray, because it's bland and has no life to it whatsoever.
Correction, one other color could be offered. Vanilla. Why? Because the American Pro Jazzmaster is the most boring Jazzmaster Fender has ever made.
Casio G-SHOCK DW-9052V-1CR review and thoughts
Is it good? Let's find out.
So here it is, the big reveal. The watch I bought is a Casio G-SHOCK DW-9052. Mine in particular is a DW-9052V-1CR model.
Before I get into what features this watch has, let's talk about size first.
Is this a goofy-big watch?
I was really worried that this watch was going to be too big for my wrist and look stupid. Fortunately, it's a size that fits my 6.75-inch (17cm) wrist well.
Casio's official measurements for this watch are 48.5 (lug-to-lug length) x 43 (width) x 14.7mm (thickness). And yeah, that's pretty accurate.
I can say confidently that this is not a goofy-big watch. This is a smaller men's G-SHOCK. If you're a member of The-Under-7-Inch-Wrist Club, this watch should fit you just fine.
If your wrist is so small that not even the DW-9052 fits, you can go one size smaller with the DW5600E or GWM5610.
"My wrist is bigger than 7-inch. Will the DW-9052 fit me?"
If your wrist is 7.25-inch or greater around, consider the DW-6900 model instead. It has measurements of 53.2 x 50.0 x 16.3mm, is a very popular model (you can find many mod items on eBay for it such as easy swap-in bezels of different colors), and sells for about the same price as the DW-9052. If you like reverse displays, see the GDX6900.
If you have giant wrists, see the GX56. It has measurements of 55.5 x 53.6 x 17.5mm, and that's one of the largest G-SHOCK digital timepieces.
Legibility
Good, but not great.
The LCD "likes" being in well-lit environments as it seems to show the best contrast under those conditions.
In places where the light is a bit less, the contrast "washes" a bit. It's not horrible, but it is noticeable.
If a G-SHOCK model with a better contrast LCD is your thing, I'd suggest looking at models DW5600E, GWM5610 and GWM500A.
Backlight (night light)
The backlight on the DW-9052 is good. The light itself has just the right amount of illumination, and the big front-mounted G button in front of the case to activate it is as easy as it gets.
The DW-9052 is an older Illuminator and not a Super Illuminator model, which I consider the better choice. Illuminator is an electroluminescent lighting system while a Super Illuminator uses two super-bright LEDs. A problem with Super Illuminator is that it can actually be too bright. Light that thing up in the dark and your eyes actually have to adjust to the brightness before you can read the time.
It is true that a Super Illuminator LED system does use less power, resulting in a longer life battery, but the older Illuminator is much easier on the eyes.
Button use
Typical to most G-SHOCK watches, the buttons don't protrude from the case to offer better protection. Fortunately, the DW-9052 buttons are big and easy to get to.
More often than not I angle my thumb and use my fingernail to push a side button. Yes, this does mean I have to shift hand position when going from one side of the case to the other, but it's not a bother.
Features
In addition to telling time and date, the DW-9052 has one daily alarm, a countdown timer with auto-repeat and a stopwatch. It also has the ability to flash the display when an alarm sounds or a countdown timer ends.
Numbers are only able to be set in forward direction and not reverse. For example, if setting the time to 10:30 and you accidentally skip past 30 to 31, you have to scroll the numbers all the way to 59, back to 0 and then to 30 again.
Something that surprised me in a good way is that the countdown timer does allow to set hours, minutes and seconds. Many G-SHOCK models don't allow timer seconds to be set, but the DW-9052 does. What this means is that if you wanted to set a countdown timer for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, you can. Other G-SHOCK models would only allow 2 minutes, 3 minutes and so on because the seconds can't be set.
Button beeps cannot be muted on the DW-9052.
Weight
My kitchen scale weighed it at 57 grams.
Do I consider the DW-9052 heavy? No. It is solidly in the middleweight range.
A featherweight is something like the F-91W, which weighs 21g.
A heavyweight is pretty much any men's stainless steel watch with a steel bracelet. The weight range is usually between 90g to 120g for those.
Overall appearance, and other 9052 models
The DW-9052V model I bought has the best overall look to my eyes. It is the only one one that has white G-SHOCK text and white G button text. The other models either have red, gold or yellow text on the case.
These are what I think are all the models available.
Older but good model
The DW-9052 has been in production since February 2002, making it a 15-year-old design at the time I write this.
Does this mean the model is dated? No. The auto calendar feature is pre-programmed all the way to year 2099. This means the watch knows when there are leap years, so every 4 years when a February 29 comes around, the calendar will display the correct date.
This is a watch that can truly handle life
I said before that my reason for buying a a G-SHOCK was because I needed a watch that could handle life. I needed a timepiece that could handle getting wet, take a bang with ease and just work without complaint...
...and I think I've found that with the DW-9052.
Guitar of the week #94 - Supro Island Series Westbury
If you wanted something really good that's not just another Strat or a Les Paul, you need to play a Supro.
Supro's "Island Series" has 3 models. The Jamesport (1 pickup), the Westbury (2 pickups), and the Hampton (3 pickups). The Westbury is the best of the three because it's the easiest to get along with. A one-pickup guitar is not something too many people like, and a three-pickup guitar usually results in the middle pickup getting whacked a lot when playing and causing discomfort, so the two-pickup is the best way to go.
This guitar has what's described by Supro as an Ozark shape, which I'm assuming refers to the Ozark mountains (a highland region mainly in the US states Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma). It also has Gold Foil pickups that are designed to sound like the ones developed in the 1950s.
And in case you're wondering, yes, Supro is an old guitar brand. Not new. A very quick history is that Supro was part of a larger company Valco that also included Airline guitars among other brands that made all sorts of different guitars from solid-body to lap steels and pretty much everything in between. Valco existed from the 1940s through the late 1960s. A merger with Kay Musical in 1967 is what ultimately did them in...
...but Supro is back and exists loud and proud today, both for their guitars and their amps. They make pedals too. Yes, this means if you wanted to "go all in" with just one brand that is not Fender where you can get everything you need to rock out, Supro definitely has you covered with some seriously good high-quality stuff.
The Westbury is a 25.5" scale with an alder body and a set neck with 12" fingerboard radius. It is designed to be very ergonomically friendly.
Yeah, this guitar will set you back some, but it delivers in fine style.
How I felt after playing a Fender American Professional Stratocaster
I played one of these. These are my thoughts on it.
So I'm at Guitar Center and I ask the sales guy if the new Fender American Professional Jazzmaster was in stock. Nope, not yet. But he did have a Fender American Professional Stratocaster there, so I decided to try that out.
Here's what happened.
The good
Pickups are bright and responsive.
The "V-Mod" pickups are good. They're easy to get along with and I was able to get used to them quickly.
Factory floating bridge was set correctly.
I had heard a rumor that Fender was shipping the Pro Strats with the bridge set floating, and that rumor is true. Fortunately, the bridge did have its float set correctly and didn't waver out-of-tune whatsoever, nor did it cause the guitar to be a buzzy mess.
"Deep C" does feel right for what it is.
This is a slightly chunkier neck in what's called the shoulder area. This means the edges are slightly thicker. No, it's not a '70s U shape, but it's not the Modern C either. Sorta/kinda the middle ground between those two shapes.
Is it comfortable? Yes.
The not-so good
I was utterly bored with this guitar. It had no pizzazz. No wow factor. No magic.
The guitar didn't play bad nor sound bad. It wasn't too heavy nor too light. The only thing wrong is that the action was set a little high. But even if the action was set up the way I prefer, it wouldn't have cured the boredom.
This version of the modern USA Strat Fender makes just does nothing for me.
I thought that maybe since the neck has changed, things would be different compared to the American Standard. But it's only slightly different, as in not different enough to make me want to buy one even if I had the cash for it.
The two words that best describe American Pro Strat are sterile and pedestrian. The guitar is just a dullard.
Yes, I like a simple back-to-basics Strat, but this one just doesn't cut it.