Squier Stagemaster and Squier Showmaster, the unsung cheap rock hero guitars
At one point I owned a purple Stagemaster, and there are times I regret the fact I traded out this guitar.
Two of the coolest guitars with seriously good build quality to them are the Squier Stagemaster and Squier Showmaster. They feature things usually seen on expensive Fender models, such as two-post bridges, Floyd-Rose systems on some, premium grade sealed tuners, high-fret-access neck and so on. Even the paint is premium grade on these things.
Oh, and the best part: Dirt cheap.
The first question you probably have is why I got rid of mine. It's because ultimately, I'm not a humbucker guy. I'm a single-coil guy. And I happen to play the Squier with the biggest single-coils available, the Jazzmaster. That's my thing...
...but your thing may be humbuckers. And if so, both the Stagemaster and the Showmaster fit the bill very nicely.
As a true workhorse cheap rocker guitar, you can't really get any better than one of these. Flatter fingerboard radius at 12.6-inch if I remember correctly, seriously cool looking reverse headstock (some painted, some not,) premium grade parts throughout and it's just a solid build all around. With very little setup, the Stagemaster/Showmaster is a gig-ready/stage-ready guitar. Well, most of them are.
The only ones that require some work are ones that have the Floyd-Rose in them. It's probably true you'll have to get a new Floyd installed, being the guitar is over 10 years old. But given how cheap these things sell for, you'll have plenty of cash left over to get one.
Why do Stagemasters and Showmasters sell for so cheap?
You'd think that a premium-grade build guitar would sell for a lot more, but these don't.
Why?
Squier brand. I'm not kidding. The only reason these don't sell for more is because Squier is on the headstock.
What's the difference between the Showmaster and the Stagemaster?
Not much.
Showmasters typically have an HH layout with no vibrato system.
Stagemasters typically have an HSH layout with a Floyd-Rose style vibrato system.
But then there are the oddball models where a Showmaster will have an HSH with Floyd, and a Stagemaster like the one I had will be an HSS hardtail.
In other words, shop both models and just pick out the configuration you like best, as the all have the reverse headstock neck with the 12.6-inch fingerboard radius. The neck is a bit flatter than the typical Fender feel, sort of like Gibson/Epiphone with a longer 25.5-inch scale length.
What I do know is that there are more Stagemasters out there than Showmasters, so if you want one plus another as a backup, the Stagemaster is the better choice just based on availability. If you want something more exclusive that almost nobody has, the Showmaster is the better choice.
Rather get something new instead of old? See the Squier Contemporary Series.
Cheap import guitar of the week #7 - Chackson Pro Dinky
Arguably, this is the best cheap-import feature yet, but you can't have it.
This China knockoff most closely resembles the Jackson Pro Dinky model.
There are two huge reasons to buy this China knockoff.
First, it's under $140 at the time I write this. But there is a $95 shipping charge. SO WHAT? The total price is still under $250 and still an amazing deal.
But why so amazing? That's the second reason, which is there is maple color on both the headstock and the fretboard.
It's the second reason that matters more, because you almost never see Jackson guitars anymore with that seriously cool maple fretboard + black shark fin inlay + black-logo on maple headstock look.
The maple + maple is one of the most badass looks that Jackson ever released, and they are not easy to come by - never mind see one for under $300.
Whenever you see a maple fretboard on a Jackson, the headstock is always painted black. Ugly? Yes. But the maple + maple looks incredible. It has that oh-so cool "ultimate guitar rocker" look to it like it came straight out the 1980s - and that's not a bad thing.
Even if the frets are a little uneven on arrival where you need a guitar tech to do some minor touch-up work, it's worth it because nobody else will have a Jackson that looks like yours.
Here's the part that's awesome and funny at the same time. Even as a knockoff, it's easily worth 500 bucks just for the maple + maple combo. No joke. There are Jackson players out there that would do anything to get a maple + maple guitar like this, because at present, Jackson is painting all their pointy headstocks.
The only way to get this guitar in a look like this from Jackson would be to have the custom shop craft it for you. Don't bother. Get the knockoff and enjoy.
Why can't you have it? Yeah, good luck finding one. You're better off just buying the actual Jackson since you can order it, like, today.
Cheap import guitar of the week #6 - Chender David Gilmour Stratocaster
Somehow, I doubt this is "Made In USA", but it's still a cool dirt cheap guitar.
It's not too difficult to acquire a very convincing David Gilmour Stratocaster copy. And believe me, you will want the copy over the real thing. Why? Because the real thing is quite expensive, while the China copy is under $300.
On the Gilmour China copy, they usually get the neck correct, so the look of the guitar is a spot-on. As for the rest of it, that I can't say because I've not played it.
However, I can say this: The real-deal guitar has Fat '50s pickups in it and some Seymour Duncan electronics wizardry. You can get damned close to that by buying a Fender Custom Shop Fat '50s pickup set. That set is not as expensive as you think it is. Actually, it's a fairly good deal, even as a Fender-branded product. So when you want that "sparkly" tone the Gilmour Strat has, that set of pickups is pretty much how to get it.
Or, you can outright buy the Gilmour pickup set. But it costs more than the Fat '50s set. Your choice...
...which basically means you could just skip the China copy, get a black Squier Strat, toss in the correct pickup set, and you're done.
garmin nuvi 40lm three years later, and free maps for older nuvi models
It's been a little over 3 years since I bought this thing. How has it fared out? Let's talk about that, what the best older nuvi models are, and how to keep the map data current with free stuff.
Currently, I have a nuvi 40LM and a decidedly old StreetPilot i5, which I'll talk about more in a moment. The only thing that's gone wrong with the 40LM is that the power button popped off. However, a quick dab of superglue fixed that right up and it's held ever since. You'd never know it popped off and it was the best superglue job I ever did (I was quite proud of myself because the repair worked so well). That was about a year ago.
The 40LM still works the same as when I first got it. It rarely complains and I can confirm that it is reliable.
However, being I use GPS so much, I need a proper backup, so here are my adventures with that.
Ye Olde StreetPilot i5 is unfortunately just too old to use
I bought one of these 6 months ago for use as a backup and for nostalgic reasons, given my first Garmin satnav was an i3 and the i5 is very similar to it. The problem is the unit will not support any memory card over 2GB. And since the free OSM maps for the US are now over 3GB uncompressed, I literally cannot upgrade the maps in the i5 anymore.
That was a bummer, so I needed an alternative backup unit that could support more map data.
Enter the nuvi 200
I decided to go ahead and buy a used nuvi 200. The cost was $27.49 exactly. I don't have it yet, but it should arrive in the mail a day or so after I publish this. The going price is between $25 to $30 to get one with mount and bracket, so what I paid was fair.
Why did I go with the 200? Because I already know this unit. Any 2x0 series would have been fine, be it a 200, 250, 260 or 270. It just so happened that a 200 model is what was available, so that's what I bought.
All 2x0 models have the SiRF chipset in it. That means solid, fast GPS signal acquisition, and that works just as good today as it did back in 2007.
Updating maps for free on a nuvi
An appropriate memory card is required for this. The maximum memory card storage the nuvi 2x0 series can support is 8GB, so the 8GB microSD card w/SD adapter is what's needed.
After that, all it takes is stuffing the memory card full of free OSM map data. Done and done. No need to buy maps.
Additional note: All the older StreetPilot models, meaning the i2, i3, i5, c310, c330, c340, c550 and c580 have a 2GB cap on the SD storage it will support. And 2GB as noted above will not fit the entire US. In other words, for full use of the OSM maps, a nuvi is required since it can support 8GB.
Why didn't I just buy a new nuvi and make the 40LM a backup?
First, I didn't feel like spending the money on a new one.
Second, they have bugs. Garmin will attend to the bugs and release patches as they always do, but new-model bugs are not something I want to deal with.
Third, the 2x0 has no dopey menu animations, which I sincerely appreciate. My 40LM has menu animations and I hate them.
Fourth, there's nothing in the newer models that I would find useful.
It's totally true that the older nuvi 200 is a dirt simple satnav, but assuming it works like it should (which I hope it does, given it's used,) it will get the job done in fine style. Should my 40LM fail, the 200 will be there as the backup.
Rich's handy dandy tips for getting along with an older 3.5-inch Garmin satnav
I'll end this one with some tips on using the older, smaller nuvi satnavs from Garmin. This covers all 3x0, 2x0, 2x5, 5x0, 11xx and 12xx models.
Tip 1. Only use free OSM maps
While it is possible to "borrow" Garmin map data from other units or from a download somewhere (but not from here; don't ask), you are better off using the free OSM maps.
Need a reason? It's updated monthly. Not annually. Not quarterly. Monthly. It doesn't get any more current than that. No, you don't need to update every month. Update whenever you want. The point is that it's nice the map data is updated so often.
Tip 2. Enter Favorites by coordinates whenever possible
To the best of my knowledge, every nuvi has the option to manually enter coordinates when you want to.
Bing Maps is without question the easiest when it comes to getting coordinates. Find a spot on the map, right-click and ta-da, instant coordinate info.
For any instance where a street address can't be mapped, the coordinates can always be mapped.
Tip 3. Use a 2D "Track Up" or "North Up" map view
Using 2D gets more usable (keyword there) map info on the screen and in many instances is easier to read on a 3.5-inch screen.
Tip 4. Update the firmware (only if the battery still holds a charge)
Do a search for "Garmin WebUpdater", download that, install it and use to update your old nuvi to the last-released firmware for it. Most nuvi owners never update their firmware. Do so on yours, as it will apply necessary patches. Since you have an older unit, you only have to do it once.
If the battery doesn't hold a charge, see next tip.
Tip 5. If the battery is stone dead and won't hold a charge, replace it
The internal battery on the nuvi is easy to replace and they are readily available and cheap (usually under 9 bucks, depending on model). There are also plenty of YouTube videos that show you step-by-step how to replace the battery on a nuvi. Just search it on YouTube and you'll find the one for your model. Yes, it's easy once you see how it's done.
You need a battery that can hold a change to perform a firmware update, else you'll brick the nuvi.
Tip 6. Routing trips over 200 miles/322 kilometers all at once is a bad idea
It's not that the nuvi can't route a trip over 200 miles. The problem is that over that much distance, you may encounter a signal drop where the nuvi gets "confused", tries to recalculate and locks up.
If you have no choice but to route a distance of over 200mi, the best thing to do is to cycle the nuvi's power every time you take a rest stop. It's probably true you'll stop for a break every 50 to 100 miles or so. When you do, instruct the nuvi to stop routing, power it off, unplug it, plug back in, power back on and reroute. This will almost always cure any GPS satellite weirdness and prevent lock-ups.
Tip 7. If sun glare is too much to deal with, get a shade
GPS shades have been around for a long time now. If the sun prevents you from seeing your satnav's screen properly, shade it. Some older nuvis have backlights that aren't as bright as they used to be, and if you have one like that, the shade is a cheap way to extend the life of your satnav.
Happy navigating. :)
Epiphone ES-339 Guitar Review
While at the Guitar Center last week, I tried out an Epiphone ES-339.
Now if you've been reading my blog at all, you know I think this is the best value guitar of 2015. Does it live up to the hype I gave it?
Yes.
Looks even better in person than I thought
I said before that this guitar has sex appeal, and wow does it ever. The sunburst finish on this guitar is spot-on correct. The burst is correct, the hue is correct, it's all correct.
Smaller than I thought - but not in a bad way
It's easy to think this guitar is an ES-335 size. It's not. The ES-339 truly is of a Les Paul size.
In other words, it's a super-comfortable player.
Sounds "smooth" like an ES should
I don't like using words like "smooth" to describe a sound, but there's really no other word that can describe ES tone. It's a sound that's not supposed to have the treble attack of a Strat or a Tele, nor is it supposed to blare in volume like a Les Paul would.
All I can say is that yes, it has the smooth tone of a proper ES.
Neck and frets are a just-right size
Thankfully, the Epiphone ES-339 has a modern neck feel to it. If it were true-to-vintage spec, it would buzz all over the place. No buzzing in this ES.
Now granted, I prefer Fender/Squier neck sizing over Gibson/Epiphone, however if I owned this guitar, yes I would feel totally comfortable with it. And I'm sure many other players would feel right at home with it also.
Weight is just-right for me
The ES-339 is a semi-hollow body, so it's light, but surprisingly not too light like I thought it would be. It has a nice weight to it to make stand-up play very comfortable.
However, there may be some who wish it had an extra half-a-pound to it. Personally, I think the weight is just fine as-is.
Epiphone reports the weight at an average of 7.2 pounds. That's a few tenths less than your average Strat weight.
Great alternative for those that want something that's not a Stratocaster, Telecaster or Les Paul that has loads of class to it
The ES-339 is a sexy guitar with sexy tones to match. There's not a bad piece of hardware anywhere on the guitar and it requires no upgrades whatsoever. It is a "set up in USA" guitar prior to being sold, so it's pretty much out-of-the-box perfect with only very minor adjustments necessary.
Will the 339 woo me away from my Jazzmaster? No. But I may consider picking one up in the future. This is one of the modern greats from Epiphone, no question about it.
I sometimes wish Epiphone built nothing but semi-hollow and hollow-body guitars, because they do it so well, even for Asian builds. Great stuff. Truly.