Cheap import guitar of the week #13 - Epiphone Slash AFD Guitar Pack
I wish they sold this guitar individually without the pack. But then again, this is so cheap that it's forgivable.
What we have here is a dirt cheap Epiphone Les Paul. The price is really low. So low that the guitar alone would sell for about $89, and I wish it did, but you have to buy the pack.
The thing about this guitar that makes it worth getting is the tiger stripe finish, or as described "AAA Flame Maple top." Yes, it really is billed as that. The body is also bound. For a cheap Paul, the look of it is actually quite good. Looks nice, cheap and ready-to-rock. Can't ask for much more than that.
Guitar manufacturing is at the point where you can basically get any look you want for insanely cheap prices, and the Slash AFD pack is an example of this. It's a finish specifically made for this pack which is why you will only find it in the pack.
Worth the buy? If you like Les Pauls, I think so. Think of it the same as the Epiphone Les Paul Special I P90 in a traditional double-humbucker configuration. If you know the P90 Epi Paul, you already know this one. The main difference is the finish and the fact the Slash Paul has a traditional bridge + stop piece whereas the P90 Paul has the wraparound.
Would I personally buy this guitar? No. But if I were buying a first guitar for someone as a gift, yes I would.
If you wanted what's arguably the cheapest Les Paul that has a bound body with a flame top and isn't a Chibson China knockoff, this Slash Paul is it.
Squier Affinity Telecaster and thoughts about fat guitar players
It's kind of embarrassing that I have to admit what I'm about to say, but the truth must be told.
The Squier Affinity Telecaster is, as far as I know, the cheapest Tele guitar Squier makes. I tried one again over the weekend. Yes, again. And I loved it. I'm seriously considering buying one in the near future. More on that in a moment.
Seven months ago I wrote It's all about the belly cut, where I sung the praises about how great a belly cut is on a solid-body electric guitar.
There was something different about me seven months ago. I was 42 pounds heavier than I am now. I weighed 197 lbs (14st 1 or 89kg) back then. Now I'm 155 (11st 1 or 70kg).
The last time I played a Telecaster shape without a belly cut in the back of the body, I was fat. Last Sunday is the first time I played one without that cut as my slimmer self...
...and the guitar was amazingly comfortable to play.
While noodling around on that Tele, I realized something. The entire reason I did not like the shape of the traditional Telecaster slab guitar shape before is because I was fat. While playing the guitar sitting, my fatness rested the guitar against my gut and leaned it in a way that would stick right into my ribs. But now that the fatness is gone, no more sticking. It's the same guitar as before and nothing has changed. What changed is me.
I was pleased that I could finally like the Telecaster slab shape, but at the same time embarrassed. For all this time, the reason why the Tele shape didn't agree with me had nothing to do with the guitar and everything to do with the fat gut I used to have. Yeah, I'm slim now, but knowing it was the former fatness that made me not like the Tele was a very humbling moment.
Squier Affinity Tele = GOOD
I've played both Squier Affinity Strats and Teles. I'm not too fond of the Affinity Strat. There's nothing particularly wrong with Affinity Strat, but it just doesn't do anything for me. The same can be said for the Classic Vibe Strat. I'm just not into that Strat either. Again, nothing particularly wrong with that guitar either, but it's just not my thing. My two favorite Squier Strats are the Vintage Modified series and the Bullet series.
The Squier Affinity Tele, again being the cheapest Tele that Squier makes, is a seriously good, cheap guitar. There's a lot to like about it.
Neck
Skinny at the nut and a rather pronounced roundness to it, but that nearly-unfinished feel to it is seriously comfortable. I could noodle on it for days.
Tuners
Not the best, but far from the worst. Surprisingly good for a guitar as cheaply priced as it is.
Feels solid
With Affinity Strats, I can feel the cheapness of the instrument. With the Affinity Tele, I don't. No creaking, nothing loose, nothing bad going on. It feels solid from top to bottom.
Sound
The Affinity Tele sounds just fine as-is for the most part. I personally would not need to do a pickup upgrade in one. The balance between the rear and front pickup gives that super-nice middle position sound that Telecasters are famous for.
My only real complaint is that the front pickup (as in the "neck" pickup) on its own "blares" a little bit. But the middle position more than makes up for it. Rear position is just fine. No complaints there.
Switchgear
Real-deal metal knobs on this Tele, just like it should be.
However, I do not like the "top hat" switch tip. Yes, I know this is traditional to the Tele, but I'm just not a fan of it. Thankfully, "barrel" switch tip exists. They are typically used on "Super Strat" Telecasters where there are 5 positions instead of just 3, but I believe they can also be used on 3-position switches (don't quote me on that because I'm not sure).
Should I get one of these Teles, the first order of business will be to get rid of that top hat tip in favor of the barrel tip, assuming I can get one that fits properly.
Will there be a Squier Affinity Tele in my future?
I'm pretty sure there will be.
For a while now I've been wanting a "hardtail" maple-fretboard guitar. I thought about getting a Squier Strat, but I'm favoring the two-pickup layout these days because of the Jazzmaster.
Why didn't I just buy the Affinity Tele I tried out over the weekend? I didn't like the color. If they had one with the maple board in Arctic White (a pale yellow), Black or Metallic Red, I would have bought it.
To get the color I want, I will most likely have to buy the guitar online. If that's what needs to be done, well, I'll do it.
When will I do it? I don't know just yet. But if I do, of course I will be posting articles here and videos too.
Cheap import guitar of the week #12 - Oscar Schmidt OE20G
We've got a gold Les Paul copy here, and it's good.
This cheap guitar does deliver the goods in fine style. Oscar Schmidt is a subsidiary of U.S. Music Corporation, similar to how Squier is part of Fender. You probably know U.S. Music Corporation and didn't even realize it. Some brands under that corporation are Marshall Amplifiers, Washburn Guitars, Randall Amplifiers, Hagstrom, Framus, DigiTech and several others.
Simply put, the OE20G is cheap and good. Very nice price tag, and most of you out there could afford this guitar today.
There are several things I really dig about the OE20G.
It's gold. And gold looks good on a Les Paul.
There are some guitars that carry a gold finish better than others. For example, I don't particularly care for the Squier 60th Anniversary Strat in Aztec Gold. Very nice guitar, no question about that, but for me it just doesn't work on a Strat body. For a vintage-look Squier Strat with maple neck and fingerboard, any other Classic Vibe '50s model works.
The OE20G however has a near-perfect execution of a gold finish. Gold body, darkened yellow plastics, and smartly keeps the metal portions chrome to prevent it from looking tacky.
The headstock is actually done right, looks-wise
On many Les Paul copies, the design fails at the headstock because that's where "I'm cheap" sticks out more than anywhere else. On the OE20G, that's not the case. It's done correct, and has very nice binding around it that looks proper.
It has "regular" humbuckers in it
Most gold Les Paul guitars are equipped with P90 pickups. Now in all honesty, I prefer that because it's a single-coil. But I know a lot of people don't and go for the humbuckers instead.
The OE20G is, as far as I know, the best cheap gold Les Paul with regular humbuckers in it.
It has trapezoid block inlays
A very easy thing to miss, but it's nice the fretboard has Gibson-style trapezoid block inlays on it. This is what most Les Paul players prefer. Granted, it's just for looks, but it is a very desirable look.
Some quick specs
- Mahogany body
- Maple set neck (no bolt-on)
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Chrome die cast tuners
- Lifetime warranty (yes, really)
The best part about the specs is the maple neck, meaning no mahogany flexing weirdness, and even as a set neck, the guitar should last for a good long time.
If you were looking for a good, cheap gold Les Paul with good hardware, this is your guitar - especially when you see the price.
When should you get rid of a guitar?
This is a tough question that is not easy to answer.
I'll start this one off by saying that if you still own your first guitar, such as I do, don't get rid of it. I don't care if the guitar is a complete piece of crap, barely plays anymore or is even broken. Don't part with it. That's your first guitar and you'll never have another.
When it comes to every guitar after that however, the answer on when to get rid of it depends on whether it represents a significant part of your life or not.
An example of a guitar worth keeping other than your first is, "Yeah, that's the guitar I had when I was in school". If the guitar has been with you a while, traveled around and reminds you of good stories that involved it, then yes, it's significant and you keep it.
Another example would be a guitar given to your child that later gave up the instrument, but you kept it anyway. That instrument probably won't be played regularly ever again, but it doesn't matter because it was part of your kid's life, so you keep it (preferably away from the kid so he doesn't go and sell it).
Aside from those examples, if you have a guitar that is used only as a tool to make music with, it doesn't hold significance in your life nor anyone close to you, and you barely play it, get rid of it and get another different guitar.
Since the late 2000s I've bought and parted with several guitars. Mostly Squiers. I buy one, play it for a while, and if I lose interest in that particular instrument, I get rid of it and get something else.
Right now I'm all about the Jazzmaster. But I may get a Telecaster at some point. It might be a Squier. Or maybe a Fender. Or maybe something totally different like a Schecter PT (which looks awesome in gold, by the way.) And I may purposely get a Tele with humbuckers in it. I love my single-coil pickups, but there are times I like the blare of the dual-coil.
I don't plan on parting with my Jazzmaster. But I do plan on getting some kind of Tele in the future. If that Tele proves to be so awesome that it becomes my #1 guitar, then yes, I would part with the Jazzmaster. That's a very unlikely scenario, but it is possible.
The point is that I'm willing to try different stuff, because let's face it, it's easy to get good guitars cheap these days. However, I'm also a believer that one should not own too many guitars, because then you're hoarding.
There have been times when I've parted with a guitar, only to buy another of the same model later because I missed it so much. An example is the bass guitar I own now, the Yamaha RBX170EW. I used to own a RBX170 non-EW version, and I realized how dumb of a mistake it was when I traded it out and tried my hand with a short scale bass guitar. A few months after owning that short scale, one day I saw the new EW version of the RBX170, it looked great and it was the bass I wanted again, so I quickly ran to Guitar Center, traded out the short scale and got my bass back, this time in a better looking version. Everything worked out well there and the price was definitely right...
...but for all I know I might get rid of it and pick up a Jazz Bass in the future. That could happen. Again, an unlikely scenario, but hey, I play whatever works that's priced right, feels right, looks good to my eye and sounds good to my ears. That's all that matters.
6 different types of electric guitar strings you might not have heard of
All electric guitar strings are not the same. Personally, I am a huge fan of Dunlop strings, specific model DEN0942. But there are plenty of others to choose from. Here are a few you might not have known about (with some from brands you already know.)
First thing to note about these? Not cheap. Why so much? Because it's a pure nickel flatwound. Flats are more expensive to make compared to roundwound, and to construct them so they have proper tension at pitch isn't easy. The pure nickel content allows for easier bending, while still having an 'off-treble' tone that flats are known for.
If you have a semi-hollow or hollow-body guitar, Thomastik-Infeld will feel (and sound) right at home on them.
If the price of Thomastik-Infled is too off-putting, these are flats at a much nicer price. I've no idea how these strings perform as far as flatwounds go, but if you're looking to save a buck on flats for your semi-hollow or hollow-body, this is the one to go with. They do in fact cost less than D'Addario Chromes.
I used these for a long time. The reason they're called bullets is because the ends are bullet-shaped instead of ball-shaped.
Back when I played nothing but Strats, Super Bullets really had a nice, "ballsy" tone to them. They also work quite well with humbuckers, too.
This is a string that loses brightness quick, but that's exactly what some players want out of a roundwound.
This was another string I used for a long time (even longer than I used Super Bullets.) Great string that can handle bends easily and has the just-right tension. If you like D'Addario strings but they feel too stiff for your fingers, the Dean Markley NickelSteel is a great alternative.
These strings are specifically designed for drop tuning, but not for the drop you're thinking of. Curt Mangan strings were originally introduced in the late 1960s for guys that liked to tune and play low. Specifically, if you like that "James Bond" or low-pitch country twang, this is a darned fine string to go with.
This is, in fact, a Dunlop string. But it's still cool.
Billy Gibbons himself (of ZZ Top fame) helped design these strings, and it's made in several thicknesses, including one you hardly ever see, .007 to .038.
True to what it says on the package, these strings are kept fairly cheap. And that's good, because if you're trying to save a buck on strings, this is a good option.
I've never tried these, but I do use Dunlop strings as noted above, and that is the main brand I use. If they're built like the DEN0942 is, oh yes, it's good.