Vintage guitar of the week #12 - 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom
Why bother with a Gibson reissue Randy Rhoads Les Paul when you could buy this instead for less?
This 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom to many guitar players says one thing: "Looks like a Paul that Randy Rhoads would play." And you would be right.
This Paul is really, really close to the Gibson Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom guitar. Technically, the Gibson Rhoads Paul is a 1974 VOS reissue model while the '89 model isn't, but that doesn't matter for much.
I'd still take the '89 model anyway and do so for two reasons:
- The '89 literally costs $3,000 less than the new Gibson Rhoads Paul (I'm not kidding).
- The '89 is usually found in very good condition and doesn't say "Randy Rhoads" on it anywhere since it's not a signature model. It's just a regular Gibson Les Paul Custom, usually in white.
To me, it's pretty obvious that the '89 LP Custom is a much better deal.
If you like the look of this Paul, grab it if you have the cash, because otherwise you'll have to spend $3,000 more for a new reissue of the same thing.
Does Epiphone make something similar?
Yes. Seek out an Epiphone Les Paul Custom in white. You'll get the look you want.
How to get a "dreamy" guitar delay effect
The "dreamy" delay effect is possible to get in one of two ways.
A dreamy delay effect can be achieved by using the right pedal, such as the Behringer Echo Machine EM600.
You get a whole lot of cool delay effects with the EM600. While not as fancy or well-built as the BOSS Tera Echo, you really can't beat the EM600's price for what it's capable of...
...unless you're the kind of player who would rather have a more simple solution to getting that dreamy delay effect, as the EM600 is a bit complicated.
The key to getting that dreamy delay sound is through "trails". There are pedals such as the EM600 and Tera Echo that can do that all in one pedal. But there's also another way.
Two delay pedals chained together.
Now in all honesty, I honestly think the double-pedal method is better for the simple reason you can mix and match analog and digital real easy. I'll talk more about that in a moment.
Of the two delay pedals you chain together, one of them has to have the ability to produce long delays of at least 500ms (half-a-second.) The other can can be short-delay-only with a 300ms maximum delay and that's fine, but one has to have the long-style repeats.
To get that dreamy sound with two delay pedals, the process is simple. One pedal has a long delay, the other a short delay. The first pedal in the chain gets the short delay, and the second gets the long delay. Or you can do it the other way around. Use whatever you think sounds better.
What happens is a "stuttering" effect, and when you play soft chords and/or long notes, the dreamy delay sound happens.
Now as far as what type of delay pedals work best for this, I personally think the short-delay pedal is best as an analog and the long delay is best as a digital. The first analog delay has that not-a-perfect-copy type of repeat, while the second digital delay does have the perfect-copy repeat type.
Some players really like the sound of very specific delay pedals, usually of an analog type. That's fine, but chaining two analog delays together can create unwanted line noise. Having the second pedal as a digital keeps the signal clean and acts as the "dream maker" of sorts for the dreamy sound.
Yes, it is possible to do this with two digital delay pedals if that's what you're comfortable using.
A generic way to try out double-pedal delay is to have the first pedal as 300ms and the second pedal is 500ms or 700ms. You don't want an exact doubling of the first pedal because that defeats the whole point of doing this. You purposely want each pedal "out of time" with each other. Don't even worry about synchronization of the repeats here. What you're going for is that dreamy/atmospheric sound.
As far as how loud each pedal should be, generally you want the first pedal effect louder than the second one. You'll have to experiment to see what works best for you.
Another example using a single pedal setup is the VOX Double Deca.
The Double Deca isn't cheap, but it does have the ability to combine both the long and short delays at the same time in the same pedal.
However, sometimes the separation of the short and long delays when both are active isn't exactly that good.
Make no mistake, the Double Deca is a fantastic pedal, but for the real-deal dreamy effect, having two delay pedals is sometimes the only way to go.
If you already have a delay pedal now, get a cheap Behringer DD400 (a digital pedal) as your second delay, or buy a pair of them to get that cool dreamy delay effect happening. Or you can visit your local guitar store, see what they have for used delay pedals and just pick up the cheapest they have available. Or you can try the single pedal EM600 and see how that works out. Just bear in mind the EM600 has a lot going on with it and is complicated. It's nothing you can't learn, but it takes a little while to fully take in everything that pedal can do.
Cheap guitar of the week #28 - Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V (with coil tap)
Some of these guitars have a coil tap feature while others do not. Fortunately, it's really easy to tell which models have the coil tap when you know what to look for.
The Yamaha Pacifica comes in basically three flavors. Cheap, somewhat cheap and mid-priced. An example of a mid-priced model is the PAC611HFM. When you see certain guitar players swearing by their Pacificas as their #1 go-to guitar, they're usually talking about the "611" model, easily spotted by the P90 pickup in the front position. A "311" model also has the P90 in front (and is priced lower than the 611).
A coil tap version of the Pacifica, the PAC112V, is not the lowest priced Pacifica, but it's not the highest-priced guitar either. It's priced about the same as a Squier Vintage Modified series guitar, and what you get for the money is pretty darned good.
Before I get into that, the way to spot a Pacifica with a coil tap option is easy. If the rear pickup is a humbucker with a black trim ring and the pick guard does not surround that rear pickup, it has coil tap. If rear pickup does have the pick guard surrounding it, that's one of the super-cheap models that goes for $150.
What makes the PAC112V a good buy as a cheap guitar is that as an HSS guitar, it's loaded with everything that matters. Solid alder body, AlNiCo V humbucker, real metal dome-style knobs, 3-ply pick guard, a flat 13.75-inch radius fingerboard (very good for soloing,) a simple 2-knob layout of master volume and master tone, 25.5-inch scale length.
The closest match from Squier is the Vintage Modified HSS. Yes, it's $50 cheaper than the Yamaha is, but you don't get coil tap or that 13.75-inch flat fingerboard radius or dome metal knobs or tone control on the bridge-only pickup setting. This isn't to say the Squier VM HSS is a bad guitar, because that axe certainly holds its own, but yes, you do get more for the money when you spend $50 extra for the PAC112V.
Oh, and one other thing. The PAC112V is a 22-fret while the Squier is a 21-fret. For some players, that matters. If you need that high D on the 1 string, the Pacifica has it while the Squier does not.
The PAC112V does come in several colors. Black, Blue (shown above,) Natural, Silver and Sunburst. The two that have the "most professional" look are Natural and Sunburst.
If you were looking for a good HSS Strat-style guitar but didn't like the offerings from Squier, the next best thing that comes with more goodies is the Pacifica PAC112V.
Vintage guitar of the week #11 - 1990 Fender Stratocaster Plus
Yes, this guitar counts as vintage. It's 25 years old.
This is a bit of a special guitar for me because it's how I remember Strats being when I first starting getting into guitars. I first picked up the guitar in 1990, so this is the kind of thing I saw new in guitar stores back in the day.
Let's talk about the 1990 Fender Stratocaster Plus model.
What makes it a "Plus," specifically? Factory installed Lace Sensor Gold pickups, a Fender/Wilkinson roller nut (later changed to the LSR nut), Sperzel staggered locking tuners (later changed to Schaller locking tuners), TBX tone control, and a Hipshot Tremsetter. On the bridge you will see the two-point bridge and the brushed offset screw saddles, complemented with black adjustment screws and black springs.
This was a time when Fender was stuffing their high-end Stratocaster models with all sorts of goodies, and in addition going for a sleek, streamlined look. The color choices for the Plus model were specifically designed to look upscale, the Fender logo on the headstock at the time was small and silver in color with black outline, and "MADE IN U.S.A." was shown directly beneath "STRATOCASTER", all on the front of the headstock. The back of the headstock is blank as this is before the days of putting any decals on the back.
But is the guitar any good?
Yes and no.
The necks feel wonderful on this particular era of Strat. Fender was using satin urethane coatings (and still does) on the back of the neck during this time on the USA models, giving a silky smooth feel.
String bunching/kinking absolutely doesn't happen on the Plus due to the roller nut and locking tuners. In fact, the only way I know to get any sort of bunching or kink noises is if you specifically let the strings rust first before playing. Obviously, nobody does that.
Where things get a little weird for the uninitiated is how Lace Sensor pickups work when mated to a TBX tone control.
Okay. Let's explain this.
The big deal with the Lace Sensor pickups is that instead of using pole pieces, they use what they call magnetic sensing fields. Make no mistake, this Strat still sounds like a Strat should, but for some, the sound that comes out the Sensors takes a little getting used to because the tonal character is not the same as pole pieces.
Lace Sensor tone is good, and I admit it makes for a wonderful stage guitar as it's a lot easier to command a more "even" sound. But the character of the sound is different. I can't really describe in words what that sounds like. You'd have to hear it for yourself to know. It's not bad. It's just different, and that's really all I can say about it.
Where players really get thrown for a loop is with the TBX tone control.
TBX is Treble/Bass eXpander, and what this does is something I can describe in words easily.
A TBX tone control basically acts like a boost. From a roll of 0 to 5, you get normal tone control. After 5 there is a notch, which you will feel when you reach it when turning the knob. After that notch, resistance is decreased, which provides more treble frequencies, more bass frequencies, more presence and more output - and this is why I say it acts like a boost.
The main advantage to TBX is that it's all passive. No battery required.
The main problem with TBX is that for those not in the know, they just think that after the notch, the portion of the tone control where TBX is engaged is simply "the other half" of the overall tone palate, when in fact it's not. 0 to 5 is regular tone control. 5 to 10 is TBX-enabled. This means for regular Strat tone control "on 10," you would turn the control to 5, and for expanded tone, you go past 5.
Why is this a problem? Because for those that don't know TBX, they would simply turn the TBX control up to literal 10 because that's all they've ever known, resulting in a "screechy" sound. In reality, the best use of TBX is never on literal 10 but rather at literal 6 or 7. And when I say literal I mean "as you see it on the knob."
In other words, literal 0 to 5 is actually 0 to 10 regular tone control, and literal 5 to 10 is TBX 0 to 10.
Confused? You probably are. That's okay, because most have no clue how TBX works until they actually sit down and use it.
In as plain English as I can state it: "The first half" is regular Strat tone control, "the second half" is TBX-enabled tone control. If you want traditional Strat tone control, use 0 to 5. If you want TBX, use 5 to 10. I can't say it any simpler than that.
Will you hear TBX when it's engaged? Oh, yes. That boosted sound will come through loud and clear.
Is it worth owning the real-deal 1990 Plus model?
This all depends on whether you like this particular era of Fender Stratocaster styling, and whether you believe the improvements to the guitar are actual improvements.
I can honestly say this era of Strat styling is the sleekest. Fender went with a sort of industrial-inspired look here. If you put the '90 Strat Plus next to a brand new American Standard, the '90 looks more expensive and more upscale, given its appointments. The Lace Sensor pickups have no pole pieces, so that along with the smooth, brushed saddles and smooth look of the tuners add to that sleek appearance.
A modern Fender that compares to the '90 Plus is the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. Remember, the Strat Plus was a top-of-the-line model for its day. The Deluxe of today does offer enhancements just like the Plus did, but in a decidedly different way. The look of the Deluxe is kept more traditional. No roller nut is present and there are no Lace Sensors, but it does have N3 Noiseless pickups, S-1 switching and compound radius fretboard. The Deluxe truly is deluxe, but is a different animal compared to the '90 Plus.
However, the Deluxe costs more than the '90 Strat does by several hundred dollars.
In the end, if you like the older industrial style and guitar enhancements of the time, then yes, it's worth buying the '90 Stratocaster Plus. The "Plus" wasn't just marketing schlock, as the guitar truly does have several enhancements over the Standard, both in the year it was made and today compared to a new American Standard.
American Special Stratocaster vs. Squier Vintage Modified '70s Stratocaster
Black-on-black with maple fretboard is a thing right now.
I'm looking around Fender's latest offerings for Strats, and I see this black-on-black with maple fretboard limited run American Special that looks almost identical to my Squier VM '70s Strat, also in black-on-black with maple fretboard.
Are the two guitars drastically different from each other? Yes and no.
The Fender has a body made of alder with a full profile while the Squier is basswood with a slim profile. However, both guitars have the same gloss black finish with urethane coating.
The Fender has a 22 fret neck with jumbo frets while the Squier has a 21-fret with medium jumbo. Both guitars have two string trees. On the Fender are the "t-roller" trees while the Squier has "wing" trees. The Squier has slotted vintage-style tuners while the Fender has sealed tuners, which by the way are the standard non-locking type.
On the back of the neck, the Fender has a satin urethane finish while the Squier has gloss. The Squier has a neck color tint all around while the Fender does not. On the front of the neck, the fingerboard radius is 9.5-inch on both guitars. The nut width is 1.685-inch on the Fender and 1.650-inch on the Squier.
The Fender has a Texas Special pickup set, and those have AlNiCo V magnets in them. However, the way things are wired are different than usual. The specs state that Tone 1 (the "top" tone control) is wired to the neck pickup, and Tone 2 is wired to the bridge pickup.
Also in the Fender is what they call a Greasebucket Tone Circuit; what that does is roll of high frequencies without adding in any bass. Not everyone loves that circuit, but not everyone hates it either.
The Squier has Duncan Designed pickups that do have AlNiCo V magnets in them.
The Squier also has standard Strat wiring. Tone 1 is wired to the neck pickup and Tone 2 wired to the middle pickup. No special circuitry is present.
The bridge and bridge saddles are the same in both guitars, but the Fender has a larger tremolo block while the Squier has a skinny one; this is due to the slimmer profile of the Squier Strat's body shape.
Both guitars have a 3-ply black/white/black pick guard and standard strap buttons.
On the Fender, a small "ORIGINAL Contour Body PATENTED" decal after "STRATOCASTER" on the headstock is present; the Squier does not have that.
The Fender is USA-built while the Squier is Indonesian-built.
Which guitar is better?
It all boils down to what you're willing to pay for.
The Fender American Special Strat is $300 less than the American Standard, and with the Special you get the cool large pegboard with the oh-so awesome "swoop" STRATOCASTER logo. And in fact, I prefer the Special over the Standard. If I were to put down the money for a USA-made Strat, it would be the Special, no question about it. If I should happen to win the lottery while the Special is still in production, I'd be happy to order one.
However...
I do not like those Fender sealed tuners and don't like 22-fret necks either. I suppose I could just deal with it as I'm sure it's a great player, but this is where I give Squier the nod as it has the vintage slotted tuners and 21-fret neck that I prefer.
It's for these reasons I don't consider the Squier a "downgrade" in any way. You're not getting any less of a guitar (other than less in price) with the VM '70s model.
These two guitars are not identical to each other. They may look very similar, but the electronics are different as are the neck finishes, fret wire size, number of frets, nut width and a few other things noted above.
The only thing that is true about both guitars is that it's very unlikely either will be seen in a guitar store. I had to order my VM '70s just to get it, and the same will probably be true for the Special.
All that matters in the end is how much you want to spend. And know that you save money with either guitar. With the Special, it's $300 less compared to a American Standard. With the Squier, it's about $130 cheaper than a Classic Vibe '50s.