Squier Vintage Modified '70s Stratocaster Review
This is going to be a roundabout sort of review because my purchase of this guitar has a bit of a story to it. Well... more than just a bit.
Okay, so.. the Squier Affinity Telecaster I bought is gone. Not traded out. Returned, and replaced with a new '70s VM Strat instead.
Was there anything particularly wrong with the Tele? No. My fret hand didn't agree with the neck, and I'll tell you exactly why.
Out of every Squier solid-body electric guitar (as in 6-string guitar and not a bass) made, the Affinity and only the Affinity series has a very skinny nut width of 1.60in/~40mm. Every other Squier solid-body electric has a nut width of 1.65in/~42mm. Being the vast majority of my chording is at the first 3 frets, I pay attention to nut width specifically.
Does just 2 millimeters really make a difference in the way a neck feels? You bet it does. I'll talk about that later.
Did I know the Affinity has a skinnier neck compared to other Squier solid-body electrics before buying one? Yes. I figured I could get along with it. I didn't. My fret hand did not like that skinny width at all. The profile thickness of the neck was just fine; I had no complaints there. But that skinny width... nope. That was not working for me, so back it went.
Why a Squier VM '70s Strat?
What I wanted this time around was a Squier Stratocaster guitar with a maple fretboard that had the 1.65in/~42mm nut width. I was done with the Telecaster because this is the second Squier Tele I've owned and returned in less than a week because I just couldn't get along with it.
Side note: There is nothing wrong with a Telecaster, be it by Squier or Fender. But for whatever reason, whenever I get one, it just doesn't work out. The guitar gods in the heavens above just don't want me playing a Telecaster. So be it.
This is every Squier Strat with a maple fretboard option:
My decision was to go with the '70s Strat. I almost considered the Deluxe because that is one seriously fine guitar, especially considering it has a satin finish on the neck just like the Mexico and American Strat models. But the '70s Strat was cheaper, I really dig the look of the large headstock, and black Strats are just cool guitars in general. At some point I may swap out the pick guard, knobs and plastics to white so I can have an Eric Clapton-esque "blackie" Strat, but for now, I'm keeping it as-is.
Is the '70s VM Strat "truly '70s?"
Answer: Mostly in appearance only.
A true '70s Strat is the Classic Series model made by Fender right now (which I have played personally.) That one is very true to the '70s original in every sense of the term. It has the 3-bolt neck plate, the SSS configuration where the middle pickup is not reverse wound by design, "F" tuners specific to the 1970s, a large-and-in-charge "U" shape neck with tall/skinny frets, "bullet" truss rod cover, the works. It's all there.
The Squier '70s Strat is mostly just an appearance package, and that is a-okay because it's really easy to deal with and a very easy player.
"Mostly?"
The slotted six-in-a-row tuners are vintage style, the 6-screw bridge is vintage-style and the 21-fret neck is vintage-style. Everything else is modern, which for me is very agreeable. The neck has a 9.5-inch fretboard radius, Modern C shape and medium jumbo frets. The pickups are the modern Duncan Designed. The electronics are what I describe as "classic 5-way." Bridge-only pickup setting has no tone control wired to it, all other pickup positions do.
The big deal with the appearance is the large pegboard/headstock with the "swoop" STRATOCASTER logo on it, and it looks cool. It just does. Some don't like it. I really like it.
This is in fact my second Squier VM Strat
The first VM Strat I had was one in Vintage Blonde with a rosewood board. Fantastic looking guitar, but it came from the factory screwed up. And I didn't notice the screw-ups until owning it for about a week, so back it went. Bear in mind this was in 2012.
This VM Strat I have now is a 2015 build (the serial number states so,) and it appears all the issues that my previous 2012 model had are gone now. Tuners are improved, bridge is more solidly installed, screws used are slightly larger, tremolo springs used seem to be just a tad larger, the "wing" string trees used appear to be slightly wider and thicker. Or maybe those are the same, but they do appear to use larger screws now.
"Screw size make a difference?"
Yes, and for a very specific reason. The body is basswood, and basswood is soft, meaning it's easy to strip a screw hole (and that includes more expensive guitars that use basswood as the body material.) Larger screws with larger thread not only more solidly connect things to the wood, but also decreases the chance of stripping screw holes. Maybe not by a great deal, but hey, any little bit helps.
Said another way in plainer English: The Indonesian factory that is building the Squier VM Strats is doing a better job and making better guitars now in 2015 compared to 2012; it is noticeable.
That thing about the 2mm of nut width...
I mentioned above the Affinity series Squier 6-string guitars use a ~40mm nut width while all the others use ~42mm as far as I know, and that I'd talk about it more, so I will now.
Two millimeters sounds like nothing, but it actually counts for a lot.
Imagine for a moment if every single key on your computer keyboard or every menu button on your smartphone was slightly shifted towards or away from each other by 1mm. What would happen? It would drive you nuts. You would feel major frustration to the point of making you want to smash something. Not only that, but it would cause hand strain from having to retrain your hand to figure out where everything is, even with just a 1mm shift in position. That seemingly insignificant shift of just a single millimeter is not only mentally painful, but also physically painful as well.
This is not to say 42mm is "good" and 40mm is "bad." Neither is good nor bad. What I am saying is that 42mm is good for me. My fret hand absolutely did not like the 40mm width...
...but there are some players who in fact greatly prefer the skinny 40mm because it feels the most comfortable for them. For some, only the Affinity feels like "the right Strat." It might be dirt cheap, but it's all about the feel. Sometimes it's just better overall to go with the correct-to-your-hand neck and just upgrade everything else around that neck.
What does the Squier '70s Strat sound like?
Pretty darned good.
The Duncan Designed pickups in the VM Strat have what I call a very "civilized" tonal character to them. They're not overly screechy and have good output without being too overbearing.
In other words, a good overall sound. Not "hot." Just good. If you want hot, there are aftermarket pickups that can do that. I don't typically switch out pickups, but if you want to, be my guest.
I'm fine with the stock pickups that came with my VM Strat. When I say "civilized," that doesn't mean "boring." It means "not barn-burning hot, not screechy as hell, works well with your existing guitar effects." That's the kind of Strat tonal character I like, and I got it.
Conclusion
Very predictable in a good way. No awful surprises (always a plus.) The Squier VM Strat is just a genuinely good Strat guitar and it looks cool. And for me, my fret hand very much agrees with the neck, so I'm a happy guy.
Vintage guitar of the week #9 - 1968 Fender Coronado II in Antigua
This is what the Antigua finish is supposed to look like.
Whether Fender's Antigua finish works or not greatly depends on what body shape it's applied to. Where it's applied best is on a body with some "real estate" to it, so to speak. Such an example is the '68 Coronado II.
You can find two other guitars (at the time I write this), a Strat and a Jazzmaster, in Antigua. Both look awful because the finish just doesn't work with either of those two body shapes. But the larger, rounder shape of the Coronado II totally does work with it.
Now, to note, the Fender Coronado is made new right now and comes in several different finishes, all of which look good. But an Antigua Coronado has a super-classy look to it. Very upscale. Notice that even the pick guard has the look carried over.
What does a Coronado sound like? Well, the Coronado was originally Fender's answer to the Gibson ES-330 and Epiphone Casino. While the Coronado doesn't necessarily sound like either of those two guitars, it does have proper semi-hollow body tone, but in a Fender flavor which is brighter. Not crazy-bright like a Strat (obviously), but bright for a semi-hollow.
For the look however, the only way to get Antigua is to buy the real-deal '68. But the other finishes on the newer releases look great, too.
On a final note, the '68 is a super-lightweight at under 6.5 pounds. That makes it a very easy player.
Alice A506 guitar strings review (China)
I was nicely surprised by these.
Why did I buy Alice A506 guitar strings? Price. Buying guitar strings gets expensive, and I was able to score 5 packs of these at $10 shipped.
Now before even getting into whether this string is good or not, notice that there's a circle on the left side of the package. This is a a scratch-off portion (kind of a like a scratch-off lotto ticket) where you can verify the authenticity of the guitar string. When you scratch off the bottom portion, you're presented with a number.
After that, you to go china-alice.com, punch in the number, and if the number is good, it will validate.
This is the first time I have ever seen anything like this for a guitar string product.
Was any personal information required to validate the product? No. The system did not ask for my name or email address or anything like that; it is simply a system to verify that what you bought is the genuine article.
Why does Guangzhou Romance Musical Instrument do this? It's because counterfeiting in the musical instrument world happens a lot in China, and this company cares enough to the point provide you, the customer, with a way to absolutely verify that what you bought is genuine...
...and I can understand why, because in all honesty, the A506 is a pretty darned good guitar string.
The review
There have been more than a few times I've bought strings only to open the package and find a few that are rusted right out of the package. That wasn't the case here. Every string in the pack was in pristine condition and very shiny with not a single hint of rust anywhere.
The strings installed easily, and, surprisingly, were stretched properly in a short period of time.
The feel of the strings surprised me. It's good. I'm pretty sure these are round-core construction, which is ordinarily something you pay more for. Thankfully, these do not feel like Ernie Ball Slinky strings (I can't stand the feel of those,) have a smooth touch and didn't hurt my fingers at all.
The tone is bright, but not over-bright. For Strat and Tele guitars, oh yes, these are good.
My only complaint about the strings is that there is a bit of pronounced fret drag noise when moving fret-to-fret. Other than that, yeah I actually like these.
How long will they last? I don't know that yet. I change out strings every 3 to 4 weeks, so if they last that long without any weird stuff going on or snapping, I'll be happy with that.
I have to say that the overall impression I get is that this is a premium quality string. While the packaging is a bit amusing in a good way, what matters is whether the string is good or not. And I can say yes, the string is good.
Cheap guitar of the week #25 - REVV RPX-1
The ultimate "workhorse shredder axe"? Maybe.
I'll be totally honest here. This is a guitar I would never buy. I don't like the HSH pickup configuration, I don't like guitars with 24 frets on them and I don't like Floyd-Rose style tremolo...
...but there are things to this guitar that make it worth owning for some.
The REVV RPX-1 has two really awesome things going for it.
First, it carries its own look and does it well without trying to copy anyone else. That's a rare thing. You might think, "Eh... kinda looks like an Ibanez." Not really. This is just a plain Super Strat style guitar that doesn't pretend to be something it's not.
Second, this is what I call a "shredder's workhorse" guitar. It's cheap, it looks good and most importantly, it can be worked on, as it does have a bolt-on neck.
Here is why the bolt-on is important:
Any shredder could buy this guitar, take off the neck, scallop it, level the frets (and maybe file the edges a bit), and ta-da, instant cheap scalloped fretboard shredder axe. I don't play guitars like that, but there are plenty who would. All they need is the project guitar to mod, and you can't do much better than REVV RPX-1 for a cheap-ass shredder axe.
A few other reasons why the REVV is good guitar to mod is that it has everything routed out already. Toss in a pair of better humbuckers and maybe a better single-coil for the middle position? Do it. Swap out the tuners and locking nut? Go right ahead.
The REVV is one of those "made to be modded" guitars.
Oh, and bonus: The guitar actually has a Licensed Floyd-Rose trem system on it. No, it's not as good as Original Floyd-Rose, but the fact it has anything Floyd-Rose in it for the price this sells for is impressive.
There are four colors available. White, black, blue and yellow. I like the yellow one best because it makes the guitar look like it came straight of the the 1980s. And that's not a bad thing.
The body was definitely designed right. How do I know? The top horn extends exactly to where it should, right over the 12th fret. What does that mean to you as a player? No neck dive. Ever. The bottom horn also sticks out enough to where this would be a really comfortable sit-down guitar as well.
No, it's not an Ibanez, Jackson or Schecter. But given how cheap it is, who cares? Buy and mod the crap out of this thing. Do light modding with some small fret work or major modding with a scalloped fretboard along with some new electronics. Whatever you decide to do, the guitar is yours for the modding.
Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster review
There's some nice technical wizardry going on with this Strat, but is that enough for this model to be truly "Deluxe?" Let's find out.
I'm at the guitar store, and I see a Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster on the wall in Vintage White (seen above.) I've been meaning to try one of these, and did.
What makes a Roadhouse different?
The only thing that lets you know this Strat is different is by looking at the back of it, where you see a 9-volt battery cover. Why is that there? Because this guitar has a preamp in it.
How is the preamp controlled? By the top tone knob. It looks like a tone knob but isn't, and is actually a notched rotary switch with six settings.
What does that rotary switch do? It "colors" the sound in what I can best describe as "thin" to "thick."
Can the preamp be bypassed? Fortunately, yes. Fender thought this one through. The volume knob has a push-in/out S-1 switch that can completely bypass the preamp.
The good
Has a traditional '70s style look with semi-modern flair
Other than the swap of a white pick guard to pearloid, this guitar keeps a mostly-vintage looking appearance. The only thing not vintage are the modern sealed tuners.
My guess is that this guitar is geared towards country players. Country guys like Strats with shiny bits on it (hence the decision for the pearloid guard,) and the name "Roadhouse" totally says "I'm a country guitar." The color choices of Vintage White w/maple fretboard and Sonic Blue w/rosewood fretboard totally fit the country look, too.
Candy Apple Red and 3TSB are also available, all with the pearloid pick guard.
Predictable neck, with bonus fret
While this is a Mexico-made Strat, it has 22 frets just like the American Standard instead of just 21. While I personally prefer 21, it is proper to see 22 on a model labeled as a Deluxe.
Priced well for a Strat with a preamp
Preamps aren't cheap as it can add a bunch of cost to a guitar. In addition, this Strat design strays outside the traditional build where an extra cavity had to be routed in the back, but yet Fender still kept the price quite reasonable. I would expect this guitar to be priced higher than it is, but it isn't.
My suggestion is that if you like this Strat, buy it before the price goes up, as I'm sure it will.
Weighted correct
Typical Strat weight and not too heavy. Has an alder body with maple neck, just as most Strat players expect.
Passive mode sounds very correct
With the preamp off, you get the passive sound of the Texas Special single-coils loaded into this guitar.
Now although I can't confirm this, I am assuming that this Strat can be played even if the 9-volt battery goes totally dead just from bypassing the preamp.
Does the extra routed cavity affect the tone negatively? Not that I could tell.
The bad
Gloss urethane coated neck
The Fender Standard Stratocaster, also a Mexico build, has a satin finish on the neck. The Roadhouse does not and it's super-shiny, just like most Squier Stratocasters.
I can only assume the only reason Fender decided to do this is because it makes the back of the neck look shinier because some country guys and gals like shiny-everything on a Strat.
Personally, I can get along with satin or urethane. But when I felt that urethane on the Deluxe, I was thinking, "A Strat labeled as a Deluxe model with a urethane finish neck and not satin? Seriously?"
Rotary switch did not feel solid
The #1 feature on this guitar, the notched rotary switch, was two things. Too stiff, and when going from one notched position to the next, it felt flimsy.
While the click-in/out S-1 switch felt perfect, that rotary left a lot to be desired.
Did it work? Yes. But it felt all wrong.
Fender needs to dump whomever is supplying that switch and go with someone else. I'll put it this way: This is the main feature of the guitar. And it's the worst-feeling part of it. Not good.
Wing string trees have no place on a model labeled as Deluxe
These type of string trees are something I'd expect on the Mexico Standard and Squier Strats. But this is a Deluxe model. Fender should have spent the extra 50 cents and put the "T"-roller trees on this, just like the ones on the American Special Stratocaster.
C'mon, Fender. If you're going to label a guitar a "Deluxe," put string trees on it that make it truly deluxe.
The sound
With the preamp bypassed, the Texas Special pickups definitely deliver. I could tell they had higher output from the first chord strummed...
...but does the preamp "color" the sound noticeably when in use?
Well, here's how I describe my experience with it.
Yes, the preamp works and you can hear the subtle differences from one setting to the next. I understand that the change in tone is not supposed to be drastic from use of this preamp, nor should it be.
What struck me as odd at first is how much the preamp "flattens" the sound of the guitar. However, that could in fact be really useful both in the studio and on stage. In the studio, a flat response that's adjustable is actually quite desirable at times. On stage, same thing. You can "tame" the tone of this Strat easily because of that preamp.
Is six settings enough? I think so. However, I did find myself wishing there were two more notches for more treble cutoff. Then again, that is what the tone knob is for.
But again, my biggest knock against this guitar is how flimsy that rotary switch felt going from notch to notch. I wasn't expecting this guitar to be perfect, but again, this is a Deluxe model. And that rotary absolutely did not feel deluxe at all.
Verdict
- Priced right for what it is.
- Sounds great for what it is.
- Looks good and has nice blend of modern + vintage.
- Urethane finish neck may turn some players off.
- Good color choices.
- Very nice that both maple and rosewood fretboard options are available.
- Rotary switch sucks.