I keep going back to the Casio 593 (F-91W and A158)
Try as I might, I can't stay away from this thing. And I'm okay with that.
At 40 I decided to start getting into watches. Never did I buy anything expensive. In fact, the most "expensive" purchase I ever made to date was for a Seiko SNK803 back in 2016 for $56.11 total (which is now significantly more). I returned that watch because I couldn't get used to the busy dial it has.
There are only two watches I wear now. My Casio A158 gold tone and gray/black F-91W. These are both the exact same watch that use module 593. It's the A158 that gets the lion's share of wrist time.
It used to be that I wanted a watch that did everything, but now I value comfort and legibility over features. The A158 is basically the lightest, thinnest, easiest-to-read and most comfortable watch that exists that has a stainless steel bracelet on it. The only other watch that is lighter and even more easier-to-read is the F-91W.
Legibility is a big reason I keep going back to module 593 Casio watches. Out of every digital watch that exists, the module 593 watches have virtually zero display washout. I'm surprised people don't talk about this more. That display is so clear and viewable from any angle. You do not have to look at the display head-on to read it. It can be tilted way back and still be read with total ease.
The only watch I know of that has greater legibility than the A158/F-91W where lower priced timepieces are concerned is the analog Timex T20041 "Easy Reader".
And the only way after that to go even more legible is just about anything by Mondaine. It's more expensive but most models have crazy-good legibility with several sizes available to fit all wrist sizes from skinny to large.
One of these days I will buy myself a Mondaine. I just recently added it to my wish list. I do want one because I love the ultra-high contrast of the dial.
However, until that day comes, I'm fine wearing my nicked up A158.
ZOOM R8 sending audio with effects over USB while in AUDIO I/F mode
A not-so well documented feature that's actually really nice to have... once you know how to use it.
I wrote a book about the ZOOM R8 because it has so much stuff packed into it. There's a ton of info in that book, but I found out something recently about the R8 that I discovered completely by accident.
Before continuing, this might be documented somewhere in the R8 original manual or the supplemental USB interface manual. Maybe. If it is, I honestly don't know where. What I'm about to describe is something I found out about just by chance from experimentation.
The R8 of course has very nice built-in effects. Reverb, delay, flanger, phase, distortion, overdrive, amp modeling, tremolo, pitch shifting and so on.
The R8 also has the ability to, of course, act as an audio interface over USB to a computer.
BUT...
I thought, incorrectly, that you could only use the built-in effects when recording direct to the R8 and not to the computer when the USB audio interface mode is active. Not true. You can.
And fortunately the process is really easy.
On the R8, press the USB button. Select AUDIO /IF and press ENTER. Select EXECUTE and press ENTER.
And here's the magic part: Now press EFFECT, then use the jog wheel to enable it. Whammo, now you have all the effects available for audio-over-USB. Everything.
You may be thinking, "Well.. um.. that sounds easy." Yeah, it is once you know how to do it. Again, if this is in the manual provided by Zoom, I didn't see it in there.
Why is this awesome to know?
What this does is allow the R8 to truly act as an all-in-one recording solution.
If, for example, you wanted to plug in a guitar and send the audio from the R8 to the PC with effects enabled to record with different software (such as Audacity), you can totally do it.
Prior to finding this out, I only thought you could send audio from the R8 to the PC totally dry. But now I can enable effects for use whenever I want. For guitar in particular this is especially useful because the R8 effects are good enough to where I don't even need to plug in a pedal or any other external effects. Just use the R8. Works real nice.
Believe me, this little tidbit of info is good to know.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s (and 50s) is a game changer
Epiphone was already doing it right, but now they're doing it really right.
Of all the NAMM product introductions that happened this year, Epiphone is what stuck out to me the most with their Original series guitars - mainly for the Les Paul Standard 50s and Les Paul Standard 60s models. The model pictured above is the 60s, but the 50s is also awesome.
Now of course the big deal with this guitar aside from its awesome hardware (with USA pickups, by the way) is that Epiphone finally addressed the elephant in the room with these guitars, the headstock.
Yes, the headstock.
It's different now. In a better way? Yes. It's now more Gibson-shaped. The wings are a little more flared out and the top "points" rounded out.
For years, guitar players have been complaining that the Epiphone headstock shape just outright sucks. It's now been fixed, and it's better.
Or to be more specific, I think it's better. There are still, incredibly, some out there who think the new shape is "ugly". These people need a smack across the face, because much like the new Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster has the best Strat look Squier has ever had, these new Original Les Paul models is the best Epiphone has ever had.
Right now is a great time to be an Epiphone fan. I predict these guitars are going to sell very well.
Fender HM Strat is not a Stratocaster
But it does have a ridiculously flat fretboard.
The HM Strat by Fender isn't a new guitar but rather one that's been brought back from the late 1980s as a limited run.
"HM" literally means "Heavy Metal". This guitar was designed to be a shredding machine, and the new limited run version has a few things about it that are unique to the model.
This guitar was never called a Stratocaster by Fender and still isn't with the new one. It's "Strat", or to be more specific, "Strat by Fender".
The things unique to this model is an ever-so slightly shorter 25.1" scale length, an ever-so slightly skinnier 1.66" nut width (when compared to the American Stratocaster), and a ridiculously flat 17" fingerboard radius.
Originally, the HM Strat ran from 1988 to 1992. I remember these back when they were new. Nobody wanted them, especially after glam rock died when grunge music became the popular rock music of choice. Had this guitar been introduced just two years earlier, it would have sold much better, but the HM Strat was a little late to the game.
Is there anything cool about this guitar? Not really, save for one thing. Fender grew some balls to even make this again, even as a limited run model. This guitar absolutely does not have any classic Fender style to it whatsoever, and it's more or less the anti-Fender Fender guitar. That is its best selling point. Anyone can buy a Stratocaster. But it takes a special kind of guy with some rebelliousness in his blood to buy an HM Strat.
Squier raises the price on Classic Vibe Stratocasters
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
One of the best things about the new second generation Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster was that the price was actually lower than the previous generation...
...but not anymore. As of January 2020, the price went right back to the old, higher price.
Yeah, that's sad.
One of the big reasons I even bought a new Squier CV Strat was because of the lower price tag. I personally felt that at $349.99, you were legitimately getting what you paid for. But at $399.99, that's just a hard sell. It was that higher price that kept me from buying one originally.
Learning how to fix your guitar is becoming more important
All guitars wear out with normal play, and that's normal.
With Squier, it used to be that you played one for a while, and when it wore out, you just traded it out and got another one because they were affordable.
But $400 is not affordable. That is right on the edge of lower mid-tier territory, pricewise.
This being true, if you don't know how to repair your guitar, my advice is you'd better start learning if you want to avoid re-buying guitars in the future.
Working on the bridge hardware and electronics is easy. It's the neck where things can get tricky.
I recommend looking up YouTube videos on the following subjects:
- Leveling frets
- Crowning frets
- Installing a shim in a guitar neck (to adjust pitch angle)
- Installing a guitar nut
I may at some point release my own videos or a book on these topics, because I can assure you that it is totally worth spending 50 to 100 bucks on basic tools to save yourself from spending hundreds on replacement guitars later.
In fact, what I would recommend is buying yourself a dirt cheap Strat clone to practice basic guitar repair skills on. Learn how to install a nut, level frets, smooth edges, install a nut, and so on. Take the whole guitar apart and learn it all.
This will be a very good way to spend your time, because in the long run it will save you a lot of cash. You'll be able to fix your existing guitars and be able to extend the life of them by years if not decades.