Vintage guitar of the week #8 - 1965 Fender Jaguar
For many fans of this guitar, this is The Jag.
A real-deal '65 Jag is a highly desirable Jag with a price tag to match. This is the kind of Jag that has the character Jag fans look for. It is the ultimate hipster Jag. Hipsters drool over guitars like this...
...but is it overpriced? Good question.
You'll see full photo sets on the link above along with its price tag. Personally, I think the guitar is priced at $800 too much. Prepare to do some dealing to get the price down so you don't overspend, if you go for the real vintage.
Why did the Jag get a bump up in price?
Kurt Cobain. He played a sunburst Jag, but it was modified with dual humbuckers along with modified switchgear on the bottom horn. That guy was wildly popular with his band Nirvana in the '90s, fans saw him with his old Jag, and that's basically what brought the guitar back into the limelight again.
Now if you want to get really technical about it, the Jag Kurt used was a '66 and not a '65 (he stated that in a 1992 Guitar World interview.) If you want a '66 in sunburst, there are several to be had, but you'll notice that few of them have the weathered/checked look of the '65 models you'll see. When you want a Jag that has "that look," you have to go slightly older.
True, the '66 has neck binding while the '65 doesn't, but that's your preference whether you want that or not.
Newer, cheaper options?
Fender does make a reissue Kurt Cobain Jaguar with all the mods Kurt had on his.
For a traditional Jag, Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special fits the bill.
And, of course, there's Squier that has a Jag as well, including one in sunburst.
Worth it to get the real-deal '65?
For Jag fans, yes it is.
But like I said, I'd try to knock the price down by $800. That '65 totally has the look, no question there, but it's not worth its inflated asking price.
Squier Affinity Telecaster guitar (with rosewood fretboard) review
I put my money where my mouth is. I bought one.
I've talked, and talked, and talked, again and again, about the Squier Affinity Telecaster. I finally bought one in Metallic Red. More on that in a moment.
Why a Telecaster again?
I actually did own a Telecaster before. A Squier Thinline model in Shoreline Gold. But it had electronics issues so I had to part with it. That, and it sounded too "screechy" for my liking.
This time around I went with the Affinity. No electronics issues with this one at all, and I went with this model for three main reasons. First, it's cheap. Second, it looks proper because of the headstock logo change from 1 color to 2-color (gold w/black outline.) Third, the neck.
The bad
In all honesty, there's very little not to like about this guitar, but here are my turn-offs.
"Muddy" neck pickup
The rear pickup is full-on Telecaster goodness, but the front pickup doesn't have as much treble response as I'd like. I might swap out the front pickup later on.
Adjusting the neck pickup height requires removing the pick guard
True to 1960s Fender vintage design spec, the Affinity requires the pick guard to be removed to adjust the front pickup height.
"Top hat" switch tip
There are two types of Telecaster switch tips. Top hat and barrel. I don't like the top hat, but that's what the Affinity comes with.
This is, by the way, another thing that's 1960's vintage-correct. But I still like the barrel tip better.
Loading strings through the top-loader bridge is a bit weird
The Affinity is not a string-through-body but rather a top-loader. That's not a problem and I in fact prefer that, but the way the strings are loaded takes a little getting used to.
A string is installed in the bridge by snaking it through the back, then pushing down so the string tilts up, allowing you to push the string through the bridge saddle. If that doesn't make sense to you, it will once you use a bridge like this.
Is this bad? No. Just weird.
The good
Just-right weight
The Affinity uses an alder body and not basswood, and the resulting weight as good as it gets. Not too heavy, not too light. Just right. Easy to pick up and play, but still has enough weight so it feels like a proper Telecaster.
Best knobs on a Squier ever?
Quite possibly. They're the best on a Squier model I've ever used. The knobs are the metal knurled flat-top style with a side screw for tightness, and the knob tension on a turn is about as perfect as it gets. Feels very upscale. Crazy-good knob feel and performance for a sub-$200 guitar.
Proper pickup switch
Again the electronics shine here. The pickup selector blade has good tension to it and smooth action.
Better-than-normal sealed tuners
I won't say these tuners are as good as what's on the American Standard, but they're darned close.
The tuners on the Affinity are all separate and attached via a nut that goes over each tuning post. Also, there is screw tension adjustment on the top of each button. On a Squier model, or any guitar in this price range for that matter, that's really good. They also hold tune very well.
Single string guide
The single string guide (which some call a string tree) is great because there is no guide holding the G string down; that means less string kinking noise for G string bends.
Gorgeous finish
The Metallic Red is not Candy Apple Red, but rather a darker, deeper red with just a very slight hint of metallic. Pictures do not do this color justice.
Lake Placid Blue also looks great, but if the red doesn't suit you, the Brown Sunburst will, believe me.
Proper 3-ply pick guard
The white-black-white guard the Affinity has is exactly the way you'd want it to look. Proper and upscale.
"Unfinished" neck feel
The neck isn't unfinished, but it feels that way, and that's a very good thing. The reason for it is that it's not the typical thickly-coated high-gloss that's on most Squier necks. What this does is make the neck feel very smooth and not sticky whatsoever.
True, the neck has no walnut stripe a.k.a. "skunk stripe" on the rear, but who cares? It feels proper.
How does it sound?
Like a Telecaster should.
The rear pickup on the Affinity is amazing, but like I said, the front pickup doesn't have as much treble response as I'd like.
Then again, this may be a totally different experience for you. You may like the voicing of the front pickup just fine.
Other benefits of this Tele
"Civilized" tone
Something I didn't know until buying one is that this Tele behaves very nicely as far as its tone is concerned.
I'll explain.
Some guitars require a lot of tone tweaking before you can get a good recorded sound out of it. Any by tweaking I mean messing around with EQ settings and such. The Affinity Tele hardly requires any tweaking like that at all, other than just a turn of the volume or tone knob on the guitar.
For example, this Tele works wonderfully with just about any kind of effect you can throw at it. Delay, overdrive, reverb, phaser, flanger, reverb, etc., this Tele can make all that sound good easily without spending hours tweaking just to make it sound right.
Great "chorder"
While a Telecaster can be soloed on, its main strong point is chording. The Affinity Tele can definitely chord all day without a problem. This isn't to say it can't be soloed on, because you certainly can do that, but it's great chording character makes it much more friendly to certain effects like chorus and delay.
Is a Telecaster a better chorder than a Strat? Yes. The position and voicing of the rear pickup is what makes work so well for chords.
And let's face it, most guitar players aren't soloists. Chords are what guitarists play the most, and the Tele delivers in fine style there, no question about that.
Final word, availability
Here's the oddity about Squier Affinity Telecasters: Hard to find in a guitar store. Guitar stores don't stock these for some reason.
I live in Tampa Bay Florida. A lot of guitars go through this area. I have three Guitar Center stores and one Sam Ash store all within driving distance of me. And the only Squier Affinity Telecaster usually in stock is the maple-board "Special." I've never seen a rosewood-board Affinity Tele in a guitar store.
My Affinity is in fact a 2015 build, meaning it was made this year. That in itself is an oddity because it's usually the case that Squier guitars in guitar stores are at least a year old in new condition.
The reason I tell you this is that if you want one, it's probably true you'll have to buy it online just to get it.
Worth it? I think so. I bought mine sight-unseen (other than just seeing it in a photo,) and was pleased with what I received.
Cheap guitar of the week #24 - Fretlight 5
Times have changed, and now this is affordable. Really affordable.
I remember a time - and this truly was not all that long ago - when a Fretlight guitar was quite expensive, but now it's cheap.
Why was Fretlight expensive before and cheap now?
When the Fretlight guitar was first introduced, it was not cheap to make. The very idea of having lights on the fretboard showing you where to place your fingers for certain chords and scale patterns was just mind-blowing.
As time went on, the technology got cheaper. Think of it the same way as the way smartphones have progressed. It used to cost $500 for one. Now it's under 30 bucks.
In addition, modern machining allows for smaller electronics to be put into guitars these days with relative ease. Heck, there are guys who even put fiber optic lightning in fretboards and binding now.
Is the Fretlight the best way to learn guitar?
I would call it one of the best (the best teacher is experience.) For learning chords and scales, having lights directly on the fretboard is really, really convenient.
Why is this one called the "Fretlight 5?"
Answer: Because only the first 5 frets and the nut have lights on them. And to be honest, those are the only frets that matter when it comes to learning chords and scales.
It is important to note that the Fretlight 5 is in fact a real guitar. Some think it's a toy. It isn't. While the guitar is really basic, you still have to install strings and tune it up just like any other solid-body electric. It also has a truss rod, again just like any other solid-body.
The two best parts about the Fretlight 5 is that it's affordable and stupidly easy to use. All you have to do is tune up and then literally follow the lights to start learning immediately. It doesn't get much easier than that.
What are the more expensive Fretlight models like?
This is a Fretlight Pro model, in acoustic flavor.
This is more than double the price of the Fretlight 5. The advantage is that almost the whole fretboard lights up, allowing to learn over 5,000 different chords and scales. I'm not kidding.
The Fretlight Pro Acoustic is, without a doubt, the more usable guitar. There is a Fishman system within that allows this axe to be used for studio or stage, if desired. The Fishman system also has a built-in tuner, EQ controls and so on.
So not only do you get a guitar that's more usable, you can also learn more because more stuff lights up on the fretboard.
Do you need the Pro model? That's up to you.
Personally, I think the Fretlight 5 gets the job done. But if you want something that goes beyond being just a basic learning tool that you could play in a studio or band, Fretlight Pro answers the call there.
Does a Stratocaster get better with age?
I give this a conditional yes. What's the condition?
The condition is that if the guitar was played regularly, even if the guitar wasn't maintained 100% properly all the time, then yes, it will age well. Otherwise, no.
I dragged out my old 1989 Squier II Stratocaster (my first guitar that I still own, bought new in 1990) and played it. The pickups and electronics are all original. The tuners and bridge trem block however are not, for the reason both started crumbling apart. The tuners had plastic buttons and started disintegrating, so they were replaced with exact-fit metal ones, and the trem block that was some kind of zinc alloy that literally crumbled apart, so that was also fitted with an exact-fit replacement. Both of these items were donated from a Squier Bullet HH I bought that just happened to have parts that were identical in size and fit to the '89 (and I was obviously very happy about that).
What gives an old guitar its character is the neck and pickups more than anything else. Older guitars that were used regularly have necks that are worn in and pickups that have had their magnetism altered over the years from regular play. When you pick up a guitar that's been well-played, you feel it and hear it...
...and that vintage well-played sound and feel is obviously not limited to just Fender and Gibson. If an electric was made well (as my Squier Strat was) and played well, then yes, the guitar will age well.
But being this article about Strats in particular, let's talk about that.
Any vintage Fender Stratocaster I see that has a selling point of "barely played" or "closet guitar" (meaning bought, played a handful of times and put in a closet for 50 years before being found again) is a guitar I know for a fact will play and sound like total crap.
Even though vintage Strats of that ilk are taken apart very carefully and restored so that everything works properly, the guitar is basically no different than a brand new Classic Series '60s Stratocaster. Actually, correction, there is one major difference. The vintage Strat has a price tag that's 2000% higher or greater (not an exaggeration) over the Classic Series.
Starting at around the late 2000s, guitar crafting reached the point where every single tiny little detail of the old vintage Strats can now be recreated in a new instrument. If you want a Strat that's absolutely identical to what was sold brand new in the '60s, you can buy it right now. And yes, it will be exactly the same as the vintage, top to bottom, inside and out. Just call up the Fender Custom Shop and order one. Or buy a Classic Series. It's that simple.
Given that's true, it puzzles me why anyone other that a guitar collector would want a barely-played real vintage. As a musician's instrument, an unplayed vintage is a total waste of money. Nothing is worn in on the guitar and as an unplayed instrument, it has no distinctive tonal character because it's unused.
This is, incidentally, why so many old Squier Strats don't have a proper sound and feel to them. There are untold thousands of those guitars that were bought, played maybe for a few months, neglected and then promptly forgotten. None of those guitars ever got the chance to be played well.
My 26-year-old Strat has been played and worn in. I have been the only owner of it. The rust on the pickup pole pieces is real. The chips and scratches in the body are real. The super-twangy sound of the pickups is real. Did it sound that way when I first got it? Heck no. It happened over time.
Basically, what I'm saying is that the guitar itself doesn't just sprout character on its own. It's the player that imbues a guitar with character. If your Strat, be it by Fender or Squier, has a feel and sound that you like, getting the guitar to have character is simple. Keep playing it. The neck will change over time, as will the sound of the pickups. It will happen.
I don't play my old Squier Strat much these days, mainly for the reason I want it to last. However, I still break her out once every few months just to keep the guitar working right. She needs some of the electronics cleaned, but other than that, she's still a really good player and sounds better than ever.
Vintage guitar of the week #7 - 1966 Fender Stratocaster
There's just something about a red Strat that makes you really want it.
A rela-deal '66 Strat is not cheap. In fact, it's the price of a new car. I'm not kidding...
...but that doesn't take away the desire to own it.
I don't have to tell you what a Strat from the mid-1960s sounds like, because you already know. Strats were used a whole lot to create some of rock's greatest hits of that era, so you know the sound of this guitar. And if you can afford it, then hey, go buy the thing.
Now if you can't afford that Strat (which wouldn't surprise me) but do really like the look, there are fortunately some cheaper new options.
Now before listing off those cheaper options, Candy Apple Red, commonly abbreviated as just CAR, is a great Strat color when the neck has a rosewood fretboard. I've seen CAR Strats with the maple board, and it just doesn't work. CAR is a metallic finish, and when put against a maple board, the look isn't really that good. But with the rosewood board, oh yes, totally works.
Oh, and here's a funny one: Fender currently (at the time I write this) does not offer an American Standard Strat in the CAR + rosewood style. In fact, they currently do not offer any red finish for a USA Strat at all. Weird, huh?
Anyway, here are the choices for a CAR Strat with rosewood board, from least-to-most expensive:
(Note: For each link below, all colors are shown, but you'll see the red in the listings.)
This is the only Strat from Squier in this color combo that has a mostly-traditional layout. It has a modern two-point bridge and 22-fret neck (like the American Standard,) but with the big headstock on it and modern sealed tuners.
Squier Vintage Modified Surf Stratocaster
This is a non-traditional layout. The pick guard is pearloid and the pickups are lipstick style. However, that's nothing a loaded Strat pick guard can't fix quick, and then you've got the old-style layout back.
If I were in the market for a CAR + rosewood Strat, this is the one I would buy personally. It has the old-style 21-fret neck and 6-screw vintage-style bridge. The only thing I don't like are the sealed tuners (I prefer the slotted vintage style,) but that's nothing that can't be fixed up quick with a replacement set.
Fender Classic Series '60s Stratocaster
With the exception that the headstock is slightly smaller, this guitar is almost identical to the real-deal '66 Strat. Everything is there from stem to stern, including the 7.25-inch fingerboard radius, tall/skinny frets and truss rod adjustment at the heel, just like the '66.
Fender Classic Player '60s Stratocaster
I know what you're thinking. "That's the same guitar as the Classic Series." No, it's not. The major differences between the Classic Series and the Classic Player is that the Player has a 12-inch fingerboard radius and a 2-point bridge instead of the vintage 6-screw. While it's really easy to think they're both the same (especially considering the names are so similar,) believe me, the Player is a totally different animal
Which would I get if I wanted one?
The Mexico Standard, as said above. I would have to swap out the sealed tuners for the vintage slotted style, and maybe a swap out of the tuners from bent steel to block, but that's pretty much it. That's the CAR + rosewood Strat I'd be most happy with, because the Standard is a very predictable, very easy player where once it's set up right, it provides many years of playing enjoyment - if the guitar is properly taken care of, of course. :)
Would I get an American Standard if Fender offered a CAR + rosewood version? No, I wouldn't, and for basically only one reason. The bridge. USA Standard Strats have the 2-point bridge and I prefer the older 6-screw style, which the Mexico Standard has.