another reason i'll never own a vintage guitar
When finding out why the PRS McCarty 594 guitars have 594 in the model name, that started me down a rabbit hole.
According to Paul Reed Smith himself, the 594 comes from a 1959 four-knob guitar where the scale length was measured at 24 and 19/32". If you divide 19 by 32, that's 0.59375. When you round that number up, it's 0.594, hence the scale length of a McCarty 594 model is 24.594".
Okay, great. Good to know. But as I kept reading on from place to place across the internet about scale lengths and such, those vintage electrics are just... ugh.
The way scale length is supposed to be determined is by measuring distance from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret, then multiply that result by 2.
An Epiphone Les Paul obviously has a 24.75" scale length, and if measure it yourself to be sure, it will be exactly that. No question about it. Both octaves (from fret 1-to-12 then 12 to the end) will intonate with no problems. Scale length is a true 24.75", and fret spacing was measured using the twelfth root of two method. Yep, all good.
For old stuff, that used the dreaded Rule of 18 measurement method. Rule of 18 means calculating fret spacing by dividing the scale length minus the distance from the nut to the previous fret by 18.
Why is Rule of 18 dreaded? Intonation gets all wonky the further up the fingerboard you go. On an acoustic guitar, almost nobody notices this because most don't play beyond the 5th fret. But on an electric, oh yeah, you will hear those slightly-off notes higher up the fretboard. It absolutely does not matter how perfect you set your intonation. That fret spacing will never be right. It is an unfixable problem on many vintage electrics.
Fender never did the Rule of 18 fret spacing thing as far as I'm aware. Gibson, however, did. And so did a lot of other guitar manufacturers from decades ago.
I have heard (but can't confirm) that Gibson guitars from 2019 onward all now use the twelfth root of two measurement method for fret spacing, so that's good.
I understand better now why some guys like PRS so much
This isn't about tone, but rather modern guitar construction that fixes a very old (to the point of almost ancient) problem.
If you want that vintage Gibson Les Paul feel WITHOUT the intonation weirdness, a even in import SE flavor fits the bill very nicely. You will get that vintage Gibson 24 and 19/32" scale length of a '59, but with frets that have none of that Rule of 18 impossible-to-intonate-correctly spaced crap going on.
I'm not saying the McCarty will sound exactly like a vintage '59 LP. Not at all. But as I've said many times before, the #1 thing that matters on a electric guitar is the neck. If that's not right, the guitar is junk. PRS gets necks right where shape, feel and intonation are concerned.
Even if you were to go with the lowest priced PRS, the SE CE24 bolt-on with 25" scale (arguably more "Fendery" than "Gibsony"), that neck will still be correct.
What about actual modern-vintage Gibson?
The LP which Gibson makes that fits this description is the Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Faded. The faded appearance is actually a benefit because it's not overly shiny, so don't be put off by that.
Yeah, it's good. Looks right and definitely sounds right. But Gibson describes the neck as "rounded 50s-style". That does not tell me much. LP fans know there's a distinct feel difference between the '58 and '59 profile.
In other words, the only way to know what the neck feels like for sure is to go try one. And that's assuming there's one within a reasonable distance of your location where you can go and do that.
If there isn't, that's where the PRS presents an easier buying decision - and I'm not talking about price. The McCarty 594 is more likely to have the better-feeling neck for your hands.
Can I guarantee that? No. What I am saying is that if you're specifically chasing after a comfortable '59 feel, the McCarty is probably the safer purchase.
Modern electrics are better - if you can skirt around modern QC problems
I've heard others spin long yarns about how vintage electric guitars are "so much better", but I've just given you a very solid reason not to go vintage, at least on the Gibson or Gibson-like side of things.
The trick of it all with modern electrics is finding something that doesn't suffer from crippling QC issues that so many guitar makers have.
From what I understand, PRS does well both for American and import models. And as I said recently, ESP LTD also does well, and Epiphone has also greatly improved with pretty much everything they make.
As for the vintage stuff - and I mean any vintage electric even for ones without intonation issues - nope, not touching that. The oldest guitar I've ever bought is an '89 Squier II Stratocaster, and that's only because that's my first guitar (which I still own). At the time I write this, that guitar is 35 years old. Before purchase, I knew every possible issue it would have, so I was okay buying it. That is the only exception I've ever made for buying an old electric.
Modern isn't bad. You just have to find the right one. For a lot of players that want the right blend of old + new with the correct feel, PRS McCarty 594 or SE CE24 would absolutely work for them.
I might even get one myself at some point.
so sam ash closed all their stores
I didn't see this coming, but it happened.
Sam Ash is a musical instrument retailer that had 42 stores in the USA across 16 states, 9 of which were in Florida. I did shop at the Tampa store several times. In fact, that's where I first saw the then-new Squier Vintage Modified series back in the early 2010s. They had all the models, and it's where I got to play my first Squier Jazzmaster. It was amazing.
So when did this happen?
Back in May of this year (2024).
Yeah, I was a little late to find out about this, but it's only because I wasn't looking for it.
Aside from the Tampa FL store, I've only been to one other, and that one wasn't anywhere near as good as the one in Florida, because the Tampa store had everything. In addition to all the cool Squier stuff, that store was also the first where I saw a Rickenbacker in person.
The craziest thing about Sam Ash closing all their stores is that they had been operating physical storefronts since 1924. Yes, a century. The first store was in Brooklyn NY.
Is Guitar Center the last man standing now?
Yes and no.
Guitar Center (and subsidiary Music & Arts) is the last man standing on a national level.
All other musical instrument retailers with physical storefronts operate on a local level only.
Take Sweetwater, for example. They do in fact have a physical storefront. The address is 5501 US-30, Fort Wayne Indiana. Most guitar buyers don't even know that store actually exists because Sweetwater is better known for their online sales. But yes, it's there and open 9am to 9pm most days of the week...
...but they're not national. They're a local business, albeit one with a large online presence in the guitar retail space.
After that, there are sprinklings of guitar stores scattered across the USA. Some are boutique high-end stuff only, while others carry more reasonably priced guitars.
I'm getting more comfortable with buying online
Buying an electric guitar online is always a risk, but I'm more comfortable with it now simply due to the fact I know how to fix common issues. The misaligned neck fix I just talked about is a good example of that.
Also, wow can I get decent stuff cheap online. I see Donner electric guitars, and I'm thinking yeah, not bad. Not bad at all. Good selection, good colors, awesome pricing. HOWEVER... having knowledge is what makes buying one of those worth going for. Knowledge as in knowing how to do a proper setup, knowing how to address common issues that happen from shipping (again, like a misaligned neck), and so on.
I mention the online stuff because if it ever gets to the point where the only guitars sold locally is boutique crap that's out of my price range, I have the online option so I can get what I want and keep on playing.
fixing a misaligned fender guitar neck
What I will describe to you in a moment actually works for almost any bolt-on neck, but it's the Fender and Squier guitars where people notice this the most.
Misaligned guitar neck defined: This is when the high-E string or low-E string is too close to the edge of the neck, causing it to buzz out like crazy and/or "jump" off the fretboard during guitar play.
On my Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster, when I first bought this guitar, the high-E string was way too close to the edge of the fretboard, so I had to fix this.
How to fix a misaligned bolt-on neck:
With the guitar fully tuned to pitch, loosen the rear screws about a half-turn each.
If the high-E string is too close to the fretboard, have the fretboard facing you, grab the neck at the first fret and push to the left. While pushing, look at the high-E string 21st or 22nd fret position, and you should see things start to straighten out. Once it's to your liking, tighten the rear screws on the high-E side first, then the low-E side afterward.
If the low-E string is too close to the fretboard, do the reverse. Loosen rear screws a half-turn, have the fretboard facing you, grab the neck at 1st fret position and push to the right while looking at the low-E string 21st/22nd fret position. Once things are straightened out, tighten the screws on the low-E side first, then high-E side afterward.
"I can get it aligned, but I can't get the neck to hold position while tightening the rear screws."
Get a friend to help. With the rear screws loosened that half-turn, have your friend grab the neck and push into the aligned position while you watch the fretboard. When the desired alignment is achieved, you tighten the rear screws while the neck is being held by your friend.
"That didn't work either. What now?"
Use a side shim in the neck pocket. This is a desperation maneuver and will most likely result in showing a neck pocket gap afterward, but when you want that neck aligned and you've tried everything else, this is what you do.
If for example the high-E is too close to the edge of the fretboard and that's the side you need to align, you detune the strings, put a capo on the first fret, unscrew the neck, take it out of the neck pocket, then put a business card on the treble side of the neck pocket. After that, neck goes back in, reinstall screws, tune up strings a little, take off capo, tune the strings up to pitch and see if it worked.
You may have to do this a few times depending on how bad the misalignment is, but more often than not, it should work on the first try.
On my Jazzmaster, I fortunately did not need to use a side shim.
Why does this happen in the first place? Bad QC?
It's not a lack of quality control that causes this, it's shipping.
Yes, really.
Long time Fender guitar players jokingly call what I just described the "UPS fix". During transit, the guitar gets jostled around and sometimes the neck gets knocked out of alignment. This is why you will sometimes see brand new Fender and Squier guitars with a misaligned neck (including very high-end models as no bolt-on guitar is immune to this). This is a very well known thing with bolt-on guitar necks.
And yes, this means YOU can cause a neck misalignment just from transporting your guitar in the trunk of a car to a gig, or from accidentally knocking the guitar off a stand to the floor.
How bad was my Jazzmaster neck misalignment?
Look at the photo again and imagine the high-E string almost touching the edge of the fretboard. That's how bad it was. All it took to fix it was loosening the rear screws, a push to the left, tighten back up and then it played properly.
Again, it wasn't a QC issue that caused this. The guitar got banged around a bit before it got to the guitar store and knocked the neck out of alignment. I realigned it, and then it was good.
never trust a fart
Some news about my current guitar "stable" and what I plan on doing in the future.
I'll first list off what I have and why I've not gone ahead and bought another guitar recently.
What I have: Two 1989 Squier II Stratocasters, Squier Affinity Stratocaster, Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster, 1993 Fender American Stratocaster (currently in pieces, nonfunctional).
What I've been wanting to do for my next guitar is get something slightly more upscale. However, there are a few problems I keep encountering.
The purchase of a good guitar is the same as having a good loud fart.
With a fart, all anybody wants to happen is a loud ass rip with no complications. You feel the fart building up, lift a leg and... release! BRAAAPPPPP. Okay, that went well. You feel great!
However, you should never trust a fart. No matter how confident you feel that your toot to the world will be just a toot, there's that risk you will crap your pants. Yes, you want to commit to that fart and let 'er rip. But again, the risk is there.
Purchasing a guitar is the same way. Even when you go to the guitar store, find something you like, check everything twice, all is okay, you commit and make the buy... there's always the risk something will go wrong with it after getting it home. You get it home, set it up the way you like, and... yep, there's the crap-your-pants moment. You found something wrong. Now the guitar has to go back. Bleah.
Over time, you learn to fart cautiously. Oh yes, you will continue to fart. But you will absolutely not throw caution to the wind and rip ass the moment you feel one brewing.
Similarly, over time you learn to buy guitars cautiously. When you encounter enough crap-your-pants moments, you become super-extra-careful when buying any axe regardless of cost.
Some problems with buying an electric guitar these days:
QC is abysmal across the board.
QC means Quality Control, and ever since the start of this decade, it's gotten worse.
I can't even point to one specific guitar brand as the guilty party as this problem exists everywhere.
If you commit to spending over a grand for a guitar, there is absolutely no guarantee you will get something good, even if bought from a shop that does "point inspections".
You would think that spending four large would result in getting something perfect. Wrong. What you get is no better than a $500 guitar.
Not all is bad, however.
One brand that seems to have escaped the QC nightmare (for the most part) is Epiphone guitars. Try out a Firebird, and yeah, it's built well.
Another brand that's been getting better is ESP LTD. That is a brand where even their cheap stuff has some fairly good build quality to them.
As for other brands - especially for any model selling for over the $1K mark - it's been bad for years now and that problem has not been fixed yet.
Bad nuts
This is an issue you'd think only applies to really cheap guitars, but it's spread across a lot of upper end stuff.
No guitar over a grand should have an improperly cut nut and/or sharp ends anywhere. But oh yes, you will encounter bad nuts routinely.
A bad nut ruins how a guitar plays. The next time you're in a guitar store, run your fingers over the sides of the nut. Feel sharpness? Don't even take the guitar off the rack. Just leave it there, because it's bad.
Guitar nuts are dirt cheap, and sure, you can easily replace one. But you absolutely should NOT have to deal with that for an over-$1K guitar or even a $500 guitar for that matter. A sub-$300 guitar? Sure. But for anything over that, you should never have to replace that when buying new.
Skinny ass necks
This is an issue specific to me that I've talked about before.
I genuinely have a difficult time finding an electric guitar with a neck that has decent thickness and shoulder to it.
No, I don't need a neck that is "baseball bat" thick, but at the same time it is ridiculous how many electrics out there have paper-thin necks to them.
It's fortunate that my Squier CV '60s Jazzmaster does in fact have a decent neck on it. If it didn't, it would have been returned a while ago.
I might have to BUILD my next guitar?
There have been many before me who got fed up with mass produced options, said to hell with it and sourced their own parts to build a guitar.
It's like the old saying goes. If you want something done right, do it yourself.
I might go ahead and get one of those cheap DIY electric guitar kits just to learn everything.
Getting one of those doesn't mean I'll be able to build something good, but it will allow me to learn how everything goes together. It's specifically the electronics (soldering and grounding, mostly) that I'd need to learn the most.
And once I actually know how to put a guitar together, then I can put some real money into the most important thing, the neck. There are thicker necks with real shoulder to them from Warmoth and AllParts that would fit the bill nicely.
I'm not saying I will build a guitar, but if all the other options suck, then yes, I'll buy a cheap DIY kit, go for it, and see what happens.
AITONE Phrase Loop AT07 guitar looper review and tutorial
Transparency notice: AITONE emailed and offered to send a looper pedal to me for free to review, which I accepted. Consider this a sponsored review.
Any time I accept a pedal for review, it has to offer something good that separates it from other like pedals. With the AT07, it offers are few good things I really like.
At the tail of this is my full video review, but here's a quick rundown of how it works and my thoughts on the AT07.
Transparency notice: Consider this a sponsored review since AITONE sent the pedal to me for free. I was not paid, but did actually get something (the pedal itself), so yes that technically counts as sponsored.
For what this is, it is priced reasonably.
Before getting into the features, operation of the AT07 is thankfully easy.
Recording a loop: Pick a record slot with the center knob, stomp once to start recording, stomp again to stop. Any slot with a recorded loop is indicated by the LED light blinking blue. For any slot that's free, the light stays out.
Playing back a loop: Pick a slot with a recorded loop on it, stomp once to play back, stomp twice to stop playback.
Overdubbing: Pick a slot with a recorded loop on it, stomp once to play back, light illuminates blue. Stomp once during playback, light changes to red indicating overdub recording has begun, record, double stomp to stop.
Undo: Record overdub first. Play back loop. A long press of the footswitch is undo.
Redo: Undo first. Play back loop. A long press of the footswitch is redo.
Using the bank toggle switch: This is what the top toggle switch is for. You have bank 1 slots 1-16, bank 2 slots 1-16 and bank 3 slots 1-16. This is how you get 48 record slots out of the AT07.
Adjusting volume: Use the Level small knob at top left.
Using the threshold function when auto-recording: See the video below for instruction, as it's better to see and hear that in action to understand how it works.
Good things that the AT07 brings to the table:
Being able to set an audio threshold is a very welcome feature, and every looper pedal should have this. This feature defeats a common annoyance with loopers where you can manually set the auto-record audio level so it doesn't start recording accidentally. Very nice to have.
What I like best however is the fact the AT07 operates using no screen whatsoever. You get 100% access to all the functions it has without having to read a screen, and that's great.
In addition, you get to your loops faster than if you were using a pedal with a screen on it.
Take the BOSS Loop Station RC-5, for example. Yes, it has 99 slots. But if you're in a situation where you want to go from loop 3 to loop 47, that requires looking directly at the screen, turning the knob and finding the number you want. You have to read the screen.
An example of the same situation with the AT07. You want to go from bank 1 loop 1 to bank 3 loop 5. Flick of the bank switch to bank 3, turn the big knob so it points left to 5, done. The only reading you have to do is to look at the number printed on the pedal, and that's optional. You can almost operate the AT07 100% by feel alone.
Also, you don't have to think of numbered loops in the AT07 as 1-16, 17-32, 33-48. Bank 3 slot 1 is not "loop #33". It's just bank 3 slot 1, which is easier to remember where you are in the pedal when locating loops you recorded before.
If you couldn't tell, I am a bit anti-screen when it comes to pedals. It's always better whenever something can be done on a pedal the no-screen way, and the AT07 absolutely gets it right.
My only complaint is that it's a mini pedal. Great for pedalboards to save space, but it would be nice if a full-size version of this was offered. Other than that, this pedal ticks all the right boxes. It's easy and it offers other genuinely useful features that other loopers don't have.