Why are American-made Fender guitars so boring?
Take the Squier Affinity Telecaster. Make no mistake, that is one seriously good guitar. It may have a price that's cheap, but it doesn't feel cheap at all. The playability and sound you get out of it is truly top-notch stuff. More on that in a moment.
It has been told to me by those I've turned on to Squier guitars on more than one occasion that after taking a second look at the brand and buying a Squier axe, they don't bother with Fender guitars anymore. Not only because Squiers are cheaper, but because they have character.
The character of a guitar is a tough thing to describe, but I'll give it a shot.
Squier guitars have a different character compared to Fender guitars. While Squier Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jaguars, Jazzmasters and so on have all the traditional design cues from the Fender models they're inspired by, they're not Fenders. They're Squiers. As such, there is such a thing as Squier guitar character.
This character I speak of isn't something that can be defined easily. Basically put, you know when you're playing a Squier. And as time goes on, there are more players out there who prefer Squier character over Fender character.
Fender guys almost universally hate Squiers. However, there's a growing number of Squier guys who hate Fenders. The reaction by a Squier guy who plays a Fender is usually this:
"This guitar is boring."
Why does this happen?
Guys and gals who play Squiers get used to them. And then when they pick up a Fender, it may look very familiar, but it doesn't feel nor sound familiar at all.
Why does the Fender guitar feel so wrong to someone who's used to Squier?
Several reasons.
Fender pickups for the most part are designed to be vintage-voiced while Squier pickups aren't.
Fender model guitars are full-bodied, but most Squier guitars aren't. The bodies on Squier axes are typically smaller, and sometimes thinner and lighter. The Squier Bullet Strat for example has a slim-profile body.
The biggie however is the neck.
Fender American Standard Fender nut width is 1.685in/42.8mm.
Fender American Vintage Series nut width is 1.650-inch/42mm.
Guess which nut width Squier uses?
Vintage-spec, except for Affinity models which are skinniest at 1.60-inch/40.6mm.
Does this mean someone who's used to Squier will have an easier time transitioning over to an Fender American Vintage Series, such as Fender American Vintage '56 Stratocaster?
Answer: Sort of. While the nut width will be familiar, the fretboard radius and neck shape won't be as the '56 has a 7.25-inch radius, "Thick Soft V" shape and tall, skinny frets on it. A Squier guitar in comparison will have a 9.5-inch radius and a "C" shape neck. And yes, it's true that Fender modern-spec also a 9.5-inch with a "C", but remember, the nut is wider on the Fender.
Anyone who is used to Squier guitar character will find Fender guitar character boring
The sound, shape and feel of Squier guitars is in fact unique to the brand, and that's where Squier guitar character comes from.
Squier made their best effort to emulate Fender design, but what happened is that their attempt to do so resulted in guitar character all their own.
If you've been playing Squier axes for a while, you're used to Squier guitar character. And when you pick up a Fender, chances are pretty good it won't agree with you. And for any guitar that doesn't agree with you, you will find it boring. Why? Because any guitar you find annoying to play will cause you to get bored with it quickly.
"But I want to upgrade from my existing Squier guitar. What do I do now?"
You basically have two options.
Option 1: Upgrade to a better Squier, such as the Squier Deluxe Stratocaster.
Option 2: Upgrade to a Fender, but not the American version. Using the Stratocaster as the example, the Fender Standard Stratocaster (as in Made-in-Mexico version) does in fact have the neck with the 1.650-inch nut width and the 9.5-inch radius, just like most Squier Strats do, but...
...it will still not feel the same as a Squier axe. The Fender will be full-bodied and probably heavier than you're used to. And the sound of it will be more Fender-like than Squier-like. But that may be something you could get used to.
"I can never find the upper-end Squier guitars in my local guitar store..."
You're not alone.
Squier has a whole bunch of great guitars, but they're never in the guitar store.
Solution? Buy online. There is a very agreeable return policy if you don't like the guitar for whatever reason. But chances are you probably will like the guitar and keep it. :-)
Obsolete guitar gear: ADA MP-1
There's some guitar gear out there that many players think have some magical sonic quality to it when in reality there's really nothing magical about it at all. One of these is the ADA MP-1.
The MP-1 is a programmable tube preamp. It has two overdrives, master gain, 3-band EQ (4 if you count "presence"), chorus and like many other rack units of the time has effects loop support.
What made the MP-1 such a big deal back in the 80s? Mainly the fact that for the time it did so much in such a small package (again, for its time), and could be remotely operated by a ginormous foot controller if desired. The way the MP-1 did its thing is via an embedded Zilog Z80 computer processor on the inside.
The only reason anyone wants an MP-1 these days is because they think that because guys like Kirk Hammett and Paul Gilbert used one, they should own one too.
Worth owning? No. Here's why:
Reasons NOT to own an MP-1
- Tone killer - Any tonal character your guitar has will be squashed by the MP-1; it also squashes amp and cabinet tone as well. And yes, these are bad things. This is why just about every YouTube video featuring the MP-1 sounds exactly the same no matter what guitar is plugged into it.
- Noisy as hell - There is no noise reduction in the MP-1 at all, meaning whenever you dial it in, a lot of noise happens. Awful, nasty noise.
- Unreliable - The MP-1 is one of the earlier digital + tube designs combined with a membrane style keypad that can go batty on you at any moment. Not a recipe for reliability. Not at all.
- Only sounds good through large amp/cabinet setups - The MP-1 was "voiced" for large cabinet rigs. Attempting to push it through a smaller rig just won't sound right. And don't even think about trying to record one direct because that will make it sound even worse.
There's a lot of modern guitar gear these days that totally smokes anything the MP-1 could ever do - along with adding in the ability to plug in direct (DI) and still sound great which the MP-1 never had.
I suppose there is a bit of cool factor to the MP-1 just from its appearance. Seeing it in a rack with all its blue buttons and large LED display does look neat. But in all honesty, you can get that classic 80s rock sound without the bulk or the noise using other stuff.
In other words, there is nothing the MP-1 does that can't be done and done better (and cheaper) by modern guitar gear. Anything BOSS makes for multi-effects will run circles around the old-and-noisy ADA stuff.
Cheap guitar report for September 2013
I've had my Bullet Strat for about 3 years and Les Paul P90 for a little under a year.
The Strat at this point "sounds like a Strat" where at first it really didn't. It's pretty much true with Strat guitars that they sound a bit plain until you play it for a while. And by plain I mean an ordinary-sounding guitar with nothing special to it. This can happen even with American models. When it's new, well, it's new. You have to break in a guitar and that's just the way it is. Pickup tone does change the longer you play an electric. The more you play, the more vibration is passed across those pickup magnets, and when played long enough, subtle changes happen and that's when a Strat is truly "yours", so to speak.
The P90 Les Paul still more or less sounds like it did when I first got it because I haven't owned it long enough yet for the pickups to change their tone. I can say however with no hesitation that the neck on the Paul is one of the best I've ever laid my hands on.
And no, the Paul's neck did not feel as good as it does now when I first bought the guitar. As I've said before, whenever buying a guitar no matter what it is, it's a risk. In time, the guitar may become one of your favorites, or you may grow to hate it. With my Paul, oh yes, it's become one of my favorites, no question about that. The more I worked in the neck, the better it got. The "worn" finish on the back is what makes this possible, because the back of the neck is slowly having its finish worn away the more I play it.
This is basically the same reason why I like my Bullet Strat's neck so much because that neck was treated more or less the same way with a light non-gloss polyurethane coating.
These days I find that I really gravitate towards guitars with necks that are non-gloss. Necks with a gloss coat may look real pretty, but it just doesn't feel good as on my fret hand.
And yeah, I know, the vast majority of electrics have a gloss coat on the back of the neck, so you really have to search to find a guitar that doesn't have that gloss. The Epi P90 Paul is one of them, the Squier Bullet Strat is another and the Squier Affinity series also doesn't have gloss on the neck either, which makes for a really good neck after you play it for a while, work your finger oils into the neck and start wearing that finish down some.
It's good to know what you like so you can buy with confidence. It also saves you a ton of money in the guitar buying process as well, because when you know what feels good in your hands, you can seek out cheaper axes that have everything you're looking for. And that can literally save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Korg Pitchclip PC-1 guitar tuner review
Decent tuner.
I headed out to Sam Ash today to check out a Telecaster. It was good, but not good enough to make me want to buy it. Before I left I asked what guitar tuners they had in stock, and there was one selling for about 20 bucks that I decided to buy, a Korg Pitchclip PC-1.
The PC-1 is available basically everywhere. The going price at the time I write this is about 20 bucks. And yes it does come with a battery.
Up until now I've been using what was formerly known as the Planet Waves NS Tuner (now called a D'Addario NS Tuner), and I can best call that particular tuner "okay". Not great. Not bad. Just okay. In other words, it gets the job done, but not in a way where you would say "Wow, this thing is great" about it.
After using the Pitchclip for just a few minutes, I quickly realized it's much better than the NS tuner is, and I'll tell you why.
Easier to mount
Korg got the tension for the clip just right with the Pitchclip, as this thing can be used on anything from a cheap Squier all the way to multi-thousand dollar guitars with absolutely no fear of finish damage.
Easier to use
The Pitchlip has only one button, and that button does three things. Turns the clip on, turns it off, or if you hold it for longer than one second, it flips the readout of the display.
Being this clip doesn't rotate, Korg came up with the idea of just holding the button to flip the display readout, which in all honesty is a great idea because you don't have to worry about orientation. You just clip on, and if you have to do it where the display is upside down, no problem. Hold the button for longer than a second, the readout flips and you're ready to start tuning.
Easier to read
Each LED on the Pitchlip has multiple levels of brightness, so as you tune, the LEDs gradually get brighter or dimmer depending on pitch.
My only complaint here is that the display does have an indicator for sharps but not flats, so if you wanted to tune a half-step down, that would be D#, G#, C#, F#, A#.
Easier to change the stupid battery
Most clip-on tuners make the battery difficult to get to for whatever reason. Not so with the Pitchclip. Flip open the display and it's right there in easy reach; it doesn't get any easier.
Also, yes, the unit will power itself off automatically if not used for 10 minutes.
Conclusion
This Pitchclip is definitely better than the NS micro-tuner is. The wider/brighter LEDs with green and red are much easier to read from a distance (and even if you can't read the letter because of bad eyesight, you can go by color from the red and green LEDs), the clip tension is just right, clipping on/off is really easy when going from guitar to guitar, and the one-button operation is stupidly easy to use.
Korg did this tuner right, no question. I'm glad I bought it.
How to record like a pro for college dorm dwellers who have no space
Most college dorm rooms are really cramped. So cramped that it's sometimes tough to get anything done in them - especially when you want to record a song.
Below, I'll show you some ultra-compact stuff that gets the job done in fine style and won't hit the wallet too hard - and why you should get them.
What to record with? ZOOM R8
Why use this multi-track recorder and not a laptop?
Several reasons. Several good reasons.
It has its own drum kit built-in, meaning you can use pre-programmed beats or create your own. No need for drum samples from the computer.
It can run off 4 AA batteries or via USB power or adapter. The battery option is nice because that's one less cable to worry about.
It has the audio ports your PC or Mac does not have. Namely, not one but two XLR inputs.
The R8's XLR inputs are actually combo inputs that can accept XLR or 1/4-inch male connector. Very trick and very cool because the unit can accept anything from a guitar to a pro-grade condenser microphone and everything in between.
What you've got with the R8 is a multi-track recorder that can handle whatever you want to plug into it without the need for a mixer (if it's just you recording), a fantastic built-in drum kit (meaning no drum/metronome sync necessary since it's built-in), a ton of effects including amp modeling and many vocal effects as well. The R8 is a total powerhouse of a recorder. And yes, it can fully connect to PCs and Macs easily for use as a controller too. It doesn't get much better than the R8.
You'll be shocked at how inexpensive it is. Get one.
Which electric guitar to use? Fender Modern Player Stratocaster HSS
In your dorm room you can most likely only fit one guitar in there, and it has to be something good that's not too expensive that can handle any music style you want to play.
No guitar is better for that than the Fender Stratocaster Modern Player HSS.
Why this specific guitar? Because it's the Swiss Army knife of Strats.
While it may look like an ordinary Strat, it's not. There's the dual-coil humbucker on the bridge, a single-coil in the middle and another single-coil in the neck. But there's an added feature not mentioned. The humbucker can be split to a single coil by pulling up on the bottom tone knob, giving you 7 different tones instead of just 5. Yes, that means the bottom tone knob is in fact a toggle between humbucker and single. And it works perfectly.
What does this mean? It means this Strat can handle any kind of music. Metal, rock, country, jazz, reggae, grunge, funk... you name it, it can do it.
And, fortunately enough, it's the least expensive Fender Strat you can buy while at the same time being a rock-solid, well constructed instrument. Great guitar all around and a very comfortable player. Get one.
Which guitar effects to use? DigiTech RP255
There is no room in a college dorm for a bunch of pedals. You need just one, and you need it to do it all.
The RP255 is the multi-effects pedal you want.
This multi-effects pedal, simply put, does everything. Two foot switches on the left and one rocker pedal on the right. The foot switches are for toggling on/off settings while playing, and the rocker is for things like wah-wah effect.
In addition, the RP255 is loaded with amp modeling settings so it is very friendly with multi-track recorders or software recorders. This unit is so good that you could even use a microphone through it if you wanted.
For any guitar effect and any style of music you'd want to play, the RP255 is all you need.
Which microphone to use? Blue Microphones Spark
There are a lot of microphones out there, but you need one that can record even when singing very quietly. For that, you need a condenser microphone, and Blue Microphones fits the bill here.
It might look a little weird (that's just Blue's style), but this microphone really has the goods where it counts. In particular, it has a "Focus" button which allows it to not "just be a microphone for singing only". With a press of a button you can from a full-range response to a more tightly focused field, meaning this microphone can record a lot of different stuff other than vocals very well. And versatility is a must for a microphone used in a dorm room.
What to use for proper headphones? Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Headphones
Good headphones are the kind where the response is "flat", meaning it's not "enhanced" at all because that makes for better sound monitoring. In other words, your recorded songs you hear through your headset should sound good on an iPhone or Android phone, in a car, on small desktop players and so on. Using studio headphones is the easiest way to know you have a "sounds good everywhere" recording.
Note: Gamer headphones are out. Don't use those for recording, because those are all "enhanced" and you can't "un-enhance" them. You need a proper headset.
The first thing you're probably thinking upon seeing the Sennheiser set is, "Wow, those are big." There's a reason for that. When recording anything in the room where the sound is coming in through a microphone, you absolutely need a set of closed-back headphones with proper sound isolation yet still deliver a true "flat" sound. And the 280 PRO set totally delivers that.
In addition, you need a headset you can wear for a very long time without getting "cauliflower ear". The 280 PRO set is insanely comfortable to wear. Much better than any ear bud you've ever worn. Besides which, recording music isn't a beauty contest, so who cares how big they are as long as they wear comfortable and sound right?
What do you use to quiet down the dorm room when recording? sE Electronics Reflexion Filter X
Dorm rooms have noise rules. Everyone hates them, but, well, that's the way it is.
Sometimes you will even get yelled at when playing an electric guitar with headphones on, because even though you're not playing through an amp, the acoustics of the electric can still be heard.
There are many ways to keep the sound down in a dorm room, but this way is arguably the best way to go about it/
There are several reasons why this thing is so great for a dorm room.
First, it's portable and does come with its own case. This is good because it does not have to be a permanent setup. Just use it whenever you need it.
Second, it's easy to position because it's so light. You can "huddle in" to it easily where sound is reflected back at you rather than towards the dorm room door.
Third is the best part. It is one of the cheapest ways to soundproof. Soundproofing by nature is really expensive. Even if you bought a 12-pack of studiofoam wedges, that will run you 200 bucks. The Reflexion Filter X is a lot less, much easier to handle and easily stores away so it's not bothering anyone, such as your roommate.
The Reflexion Filter X is not as big as it looks when you go to look at it, and that's a good thing, but wow does it work well. It is the just-right size that can fit in a dorm room easily (and be stored away easily as well). Also, one other note - it does not break any dorm room rules, whereas sticking regular studio foam on the door probably would.
What to use to jot ideas down? Music Journal
Sometimes when in the dorm you'll be suddenly struck by inspiration and you need something to write that idea down right now. Well, there's no better thing for than a music journal.
No, this is not just a notebook with a treble clef on the front. This is an actual real music journal with regular lined pages on the left for lyrics, and staffed right-side pages for music writing. Also, the paper is the acid-free archival type (meaning it takes pen or pencil properly) and it's also a hardcover. Very cool thing to have.
Go to school and record happy! :-)