Cheap guitar of the week #45 - Squier Bullet HSS in Aztec Gold
This is probably the last time you will ever see this guitar sold new for the price it's selling for.
Right now (as in February 2016), you can get this guitar for $129.99 USD. It's not listed at $149.99 yet because this is one of the last pre-price-hike Squiers of 2016.
This is, of course, a Bullet model, meaning the lowest-priced full size electric guitar from Squier. Any electric lower in price goes into kid-size territory, such as the Squier Mini.
Aztec Gold is a color I'm genuinely surprised made an appearance on the Bullet Strat. It used to be only available on high-end Fender models (Jazzmaster, specifically). Then it was only available on the upper-end Squier 60th Anniversary Classic Vibe Stratocaster. Finally, the color trickled its way down to the base model, the Bullet Strat.
If you know cheap Squier axes, you know the Bullet. I owned one myself at one point. It's a decent bang-around guitar.
Should you buy it? If you want a gold Strat for $129.99, yes, because it's the last of its kind at that price in that color. In a few weeks, this guitar may be still for sale, but not at the $129.99 price tag, and the gold color option may be gone for good.
In other words, if you like the gold, get it.
Should you buy a guitar during hard economic times?
Is this a good idea or not? Let's find out.
Generally speaking, if you're buying a guitar, such an expensive one like the recently released Fender American Elite Stratocaster, you're either buying it for yourself or for someone else.
"Someone else" doesn't mean gifting the guitar. It means buying a guitar as an investment piece, which as I've said before several times is one of the dumbest things you could ever do. Don't buy guitars as investment pieces. Just. Don't. Do. It.
Moving on...
3 hard fast rules when it comes to buying expensive electrics
Rule #1: Never finance; always pay in full up front
An expensive electric guitar is a luxury item. And for any luxury item to be worth something, it has to hurt to buy it. If you're going to slam down $1,500 USD or more, you just do it. Don't even think about financing it.
If you have to think about the money you're about to spend before you buy, you don't want it. If you really wanted it badly enough, you would have bought it already.
"But I don't have the money..."
Then don't buy it until you have the money. And when you do, spend it all. Yes, it's going to hurt. That's the whole point.
Rule #2: If you buy new from the guitar store, you'll never get the complete original package
The best example I can give of this is what happens with the cheaper brands such as Squier and Epiphone.
Did you know that every single new Squier Stratocaster and Epiphone Les Paul comes provided with tools (usually a truss rod key and string saddle key if needed)? If you bought yours from a store, I guarantee you never got those things because you bought it off the rack.
Did you know that electrics over a grand are treated the exact same way? The guitar store doesn't give a crap if you get all the original tools and paperwork or not. All they care about is making the sale. You never get all the stuff the guitar is supposed to come with.
The only way to truly get it all is to buy it online and have the guitar shipped directly to your house.
"But what if I insist on seeing the unopened box in the guitar store?"
That guarantees nothing. You think guitar stores don't know how to reseal a package so it looks like it has never been opened?
Again, if you want the complete, unmolested package, you must buy it online. It's the only way.
Rule #3: THERE IS ONLY ONE RIGHT TIME TO BUY A GUITAR
Yeah, I unleashed the all-caps fury for this one, because it's the most important thing to keep in mind.
When is the right time to buy a guitar?
Answer: When you have the money.
Yes, the answer is that simple.
If you have the money, buy the thing. Today. Right now. Don't think about it. Just do it.
My only advice is that when you buy the guitar, buy for YOU and not as an investment piece. If you buy for investment reasons, I guarantee you will lose. Don't be a loser. Be totally selfish and buy for yourself. That's the winning way of doing it.
"What about the bad things I hear about the economy?"
Ultimately, economic climate has absolutely nothing to do with your guitar buying decisions, nor should it influence them. No matter where you are in the world, an economic crash can happen at any time. Will you get any warning of this? No. When it happens, you will never see it coming no matter which economic "experts" you listen to.
Modern society runs on money. If it didn't, the world would have have switched to 100% solar energy for primary means of power and all vehicles would run on nothing but natural gas and biodiesel exclusively. But obviously, that didn't happen. Why? Because there's no profit in it. The world does things in ways where someone always profits and that's just the way it is.
Believe me, nobody is truly ready for an economic crash. And the best way to think about it is to not think about it.
Right now, at least in the US, the economy still works. I can still buy guitars online or from a store if I want. Chances are you can do the same.
As long as we can all actually buy guitars, that's a privilege we can all enjoy. It's when we don't have the privilege that things get bad real fast.
In other words, buy now while you actually can, because if a crash does happen, then you won't be able to buy any guitars at all at any price.
Cheap guitar of the week #44 - Jackson JS32 Kelly in Ferrari Red
This is the best looking Kelly I've ever seen. And it's loaded and cheap.
The JS32 Kelly is Jackson's take on a Gibson Explorer shape, albeit much more angular and a much different player compared to the Explorer.
This is the first time I've ever seen a Kelly in red, and oh yes, it looks awesome.
The only unfortunate part it that would appear this guitar is only available with a FR vibrato system on it. If you want that vibrato, you're fine, but if you want a "hardtail" version, that being the JS32T Kelly, you can't get red but you can get an awesome viola burst, so there's that.
The JS32T would actually be my preference, however I admit that it doesn't command as much of a presence as the JS32 in Ferrari Red does. There's just something about that red that really suits the guitar well. In fact, it could arguably be said that Ferrari Red is the best color Jackson ever put on that guitar.
Quick specs: Basswood body, satin finished bolt-on maple "speed neck" in 25.5-inch scale with 12-to-16 inch compound fingerboard radius, 24 jumbo frets, Floyd-Rose R3 system, pearloid sharkfin inlays, two "Jackson High Output Humbucking" pickups, master volume/master tone knurled knobs, 3-position toggle, sealed tuners, white binding on neck and headstock.
After reading those specs, you're probably thinking, "Wow, that's a lot of good hardware for the money." You're right, it is. While you would pay a ton of money for all that stuff on a Fender-branded guitar, you get it for far less on the Jackson-branded guitar.
Why the far cheaper price for the Jackson? Because it's Jackson and not Fender. Still a fantastic guitar, however.
If the Kelly style agrees with you, get one in JS32 with Floyd-Rose or JS32T hardtail. The guitar is loaded with goodies.
Squier guitar price hikes - is it time to abandon the brand?
It might be time to stop buying Squier and start buying Rondo.
(This is a reader requested article. If you'd like to request something for me to write about, email me.)
This email came in. Jonathan writes:
Rich - would love to see a post discussing how good of a value you feel Squier is now that they've raised prices on many of their guitars.
I know you've touted the brand for many years and own a number of their guitars. I personally had a CV 50s Tele for a while and loved everything but the neck. Still a great buy with an inevitable price hike or look elsewhere?
Let's answer this question first:
Does the Squier brand follow the inflation rate?
Actually, they stay slightly ahead. Or at least in America they do.
The cost of a Squier Bullet Strat is listed by Fender as $149.99. You'll see the $149.99 has not been reflected just yet, but will shortly within the next few months. If you want a Bullet Strat cheap, GET IT NOW or you will pay more for it real soon. I'm not kidding.
When I bought a Squier Bullet Strat back in 2006, the cost was $119.99. The hike of the Bullet Strat guitar from $119.99 in 2006 to $149.99 in 2016 is about 9 bucks ahead of what inflation dictates what the guitar should sell for.
Do I agree with the price hike? No, but it does prove that Squier does follow the inflation curve and stays slightly ahead of it.
Does this mean guitar buyers should just grin and bear it?
No.
You do have alternatives, depending if you have the option to do so depending on preference. If you like Strats, Teles, Les Pauls and other common guitar shapes, there are plenty of alternative choices out there.
If on the other hand you like more specialized shapes such as Jaguar and Jazzmaster, you have fewer alternatives and will most likely have to remain with the Squier brand.
What about Rondo?
There is the possibility that I might buy an SX brand guitar this year. I'm feeling the urge to get a cheap all-maple neck Strat, and I can get that from Rondo for far less than Squier, and here's the kicker:
Rondo makes the better guitar. I've known this for a while now.
One thing I've never said about Squier is that all their guitars are great, because they're certainly not. I've sent back and/or traded out several Squiers because of problems. Electronics problems, neck problems, body problems, etc. Never have I said that Squier makes guitars perfect, because they certainly don't.
Rondo brands such as SX and Agile make far superior instruments that sell for less. The only reason I've not bought one is because there is literally no way to try it before buying it. Also, if I don't like the guitar and want to send it back, I'm stuck paying the return shipping fee for that, which is close to 15 USD.
However, with Squier's latest price hike, it's now worth the risk to buy Rondo because a $99 SX Strat is built better than a $300 Squier Vintage Modified Strat. So if I buy an SX Strat, the guitar + shipping is about $115. And if I try it and don't like it, that's a return cost of $15 that I lose. But like I said, it is worth the risk of losing 15 bucks, because otherwise I would be spending $320 (that's price of guitar + tax) for a Squier Vintage Modified Strat.
In other words, with Squier, it's now more true than ever I would be paying more for less compared to the SX brand from Rondo.
Is Squier worth it now?
Now as for what Jonathan asked about the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s, is it worth the soon-to-be $400 price tag?
No.
And I'll tell you exactly why. That was the price of a FENDER BRANDED China-made Stratocaster, that being the Modern Player Series (no longer available). How do I know this? I owned one, and that was the price in 2012.
Granted, the Classic Vibe Series is Squier's top-of-the-line product for electrics. But now it's the price of a Fender model that existed barely 4 years ago? Sorry, no sale.
What about buying cheap used guitars to save a buck?
I don't recommend this unless you know how to work on a guitar neck. If you know how to level frets, replace frets, replace nuts and replace tuners and have the workspace for it, then go ahead and buy used.
When I wear out a guitar, I trade it out and just get another one. Other than my first guitar (the '89 Squier Strat), Squier guitars are not worth the effort to work on. It's better to just get rid of them and buy something else.
I mentioned above that I might be buying an SX Strat copy this year. I have a specific reason for this. I want all-maple neck Strat, but I don't want a Squier Affinity Stratocaster because that's now priced too high for what it is, and I know SX makes the better guitar for just 99 bucks.
If I decide to go SX, yes I will have to run the risk of buying-before-trying. I may hate the neck on it, and I may lose 15 bucks in shipping if I have to send it back for a refund. But maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and get something good. Time will tell.
Ultimately, you make the call
Having the accessible low-priced good guitar was Squier's game to lose.
Have they lost the game?
That's where you come in.
Your wallet does the talking here. If you think the price of a Squier electric is too expensive, then it is, and you seek out an alternative. It's your call.
Is the Casio F-91W the best wristwatch in the world?
It just might be.
From what I understand, the wristwatch industry absolutely hates the Casio F-91W, and for good reasons. But before I get into that, up until very recently I had, unbelievably, never owned an F-91W. I do now. And it very quickly became the best wristwatch I own.
Why?
Three reasons.
First, a genuine F-91W keeps time so well that you'd think it is secretly synchronizing with an atomic time server, but it doesn't. This thing doesn't even gain or lose so much as a second until more than a week has passed. I'm not kidding. Over the course of an entire year, an F-91W shouldn't gain or lose more than 3 minutes at most; that's some stellar performance right there.
Second, even though this watch is small, it's more readable than a watch twice its size. This is because the contrast of the LCD is near-perfect, meaning almost no discernible shadow from the segments. It is incredible how readable the little display is.
Third, the beep. I own other Casio digitals, but this one has an absolutely perfect beep sound. It's loud but strangely not obnoxious.
I like this watch so much that after owning it less than a week, I bought a second one as a backup. I don't suspect Casio will stop making the F-91W at any time soon, but if they ever do, at least I'm covered for the next, oh, 20 years. Heck, I might even buy a third just to make darned sure I'm not without one of these.
And yes, it typically takes the CR2016 battery about 7 to 10 years before it finally dies.
I finally understand why so many people love this watch
The F-91W is wristwatch perfection. Unbelievably accurate timekeeping, stupidly simple design, superior readability with near-perfect LCD contrast, all the function you need and nothing you don't.
Oh, and the best part. Cheap. Dirt cheap. This is why the wristwatch industry hates it so much.
From what I understand, Casio has been accused of trying to completely kill the wristwatch industry with its F-91W model along with other low-cost models. Prior to cheap plastic Casio digitals, a truly good and accurate wristwatch basically didn't exist.
There was a time when it was completely normal for wristwatches to gain or lose 5 to 10 minutes over the course of a week. In fact, to this day, it's still normal for even the most luxurious of mechanical movements to be +/- 5 to 10 minutes off per week even with the best of engineering. Quartz movement just can't be beat no matter what anyone says.
Accurate no matter where it's made, as long as it's genuine
What blows me away about the F-91W more than anything else is that you can totally depend on this thing. Whatever the F-91W states the time is, that is the time and you don't have to question it.
Something funny is that since this watch is so popular, there are many fakes out there. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to tell if you've got a fake or a real one.
The first and obvious thing is the LCD contrast. A genuine F-91W's display can be tilted almost flat and you will not see the display "shadow out" to 88:88. At any angle, it can be read easily.
Second is the "Easter egg". You hold down the right-side pusher for 2 seconds, and "CA510" appears on the display. Fake F-91Ws don't show this.
Third, the little "U" at bottom right, which is almost impossible to see without a magnifying glass, is printed just below the second S of RESIST at bottom right. On fakes, the "U" is larger and not aligned properly.
Fourth, the "WR" in the bottom middle has a very specific lean to both the W and the R. If you compare it to a fake, it's pretty easy to spot.
Now as far as where it's made, Casio has made this watch in 4 nations. Japan, Malaysia, China and Thailand. Mine is from Thailand, and I can assure you it is the genuine article.
Bad things about the F-91W?
There are only three.
First is the water resistance. Very low. You can splash it and submerge it for short periods of time, but that's about it. I wouldn't shower or swim with it on.
Second, the backlight for night viewing is very small and is not bright. Very dim, actually. It works, but just barely.
Third, the strap. It's Casio's infamous "resin" strap, meaning it will crumble apart after a few years. Fortunately, there are plenty of replacement straps out there and will continue to be for a long time.
An F-91W will probably outlast any technology you have right now
There's not much in the way of tech that can match the longevity of an F-91W. It will outlast smartphones, PCs, laptops, tablets, most microwave ovens and a whole bunch of other stuff. While everything else breaks, the F-91W will continue to work.
To have any piece of tech work perfectly for a decade for under 10 bucks new? That's a modern day miracle, and it's why the F-91W might just be the best wristwatch in the world.