Why I don't play vintage guitars
There are some uncomfortable truths about true vintage electrics most people don't take into consideration.
But before I get into that, take the Fender American Original '50s Telecaster. I would take this guitar any day of the week over any vintage Tele for one very simple reason. I know it will work. More on that in a moment.
Uncomfortable truth #1: There is no such thing as a mojo in a vintage guitar
Mojo literally means magical, so to say a guitar "has the mojo" is supposed to indicate it has some sort of magical presence about it that makes it sound wonderful. Total nonsense.
Where does the real mojo come from? The player, not the guitar. A good guitar player can take the crappiest guitar and make it sound wonderful. Similarly, a crappy guitar player can take the best guitar ever crafted and make it sound terrible.
Guitar mojo doesn't exist. Never has and never will. Vintage guitars are not old and magical. Just old.
Uncomfortable truth #2: Vintage electrics are for collectors, not musicians
Vintage electrics are fragile, so they can only be played very lightly. You can't even rock out with a guitar that's over 30 years old, never mind 50 or older.
The only thing you can really do with a vintage electric is take it out once a month to play it for a few minutes, then put it back in its case for preservation. That's it. Does that sound like fun to you? Didn't think so.
Collectors are totally okay with guitars that are valuable but not playable. Guitar players on the other hand who actually use their guitars are not.
Uncomfortable truth #3: As of now they DO build 'em like they used to
In previous articles I wrote, I said there really wasn't any way for guitar companies to build guitars exactly like they used to back in the '50s and '60s.
Well, now I stand corrected, because they do.
Fender in particular with its new (as of this writing in January 2018) American Original Series guitars are almost exactly like they made them decades ago. The only real difference is that the fingerboard radius is 9.5" instead of the rounder 7.25" - but that's totally okay because it's what most guitar players prefer.
Want to know the best part about American Original Series from Fender? They're not "relic" jobs. They are all new all around. Freshly finished, non-cracked nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, no wear-and-tear marks, no "make it look old" crapola. These are USA-made guitars that have all the good stuff in them made just like they were years ago (and better as far as I'm concerned.)
Fender even brought back an Aztec Gold Strat for one of the AO series models. Frickin' gorgeous.
While I wouldn't own one personally due to the fact I'm fine with Squier, AO is what Fender fans have been waiting a long time for and Fender delivered...
...which is ultimately why I don't bother with vintage electric guitars.
If it were true that there was nothing new out there built to '50s and '60s specifications, then yes I could understand guitar players fawning over the vintage axes. But that's not the case. You can, right now, for far less than the vintage item, get the exact same thing brand new.
Collectors will collect, players will play
There's always going to be a market for guys with really deep pockets to spend tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on vintage electric guitars...
...but none of those vintage electrics are player's instruments. They're old and creaky with unstable woods, deteriorating electronics, crumbling plastics and other things that make them collector-only pieces.
The next time you look at a really expensive vintage electric, don't feel bad about not being able to afford it. It's not like you could actually play the thing regularly anyway.
Stick to the new stuff. It works. And you get a warranty.
Are the Mustang and Duo-Sonic the same guitar?
These guitars appear to be nearly identical, but however there is one rather major difference between the two that's not readily seen at first glance.
I'm talking about the Fender Duo-Sonic and the Fender Mustang. I got asked on my Facebook page that aside from the cosmetic differences, what is it about these two guitars that's actually different from each other? After all, they look almost exactly the same.
Here are the cosmetic differences:
Duo-Sonic has a one-piece pick guard and a traditional smaller Fender headstock. When loaded with two single-coil pickups, one leans and one is straight. The knobs and switch tip are metal.
Mustang has a two-piece guard (one pearloid plastic, one steel) and has a larger 1970s-era headstock. When loaded with two single-coil pickups, both are leaned forward. The knobs are switch tip are plastic.
All this stuff doesn't affect playability of the guitar at all...
...but there's something else that definitely does.
Examine the bottom of the body under the pickups. You'll notice the Duo-Sonic's middle curve has a position that is more forward compared to the Mustang. On the Duo-Sonic, the highest point of the curve is between the pickups. On the Mustang, the highest point is directly under the rear (bridge) pickup.
When playing in a standing position, you will notice no difference between the two guitars.
When playing in a seated position with the guitar resting on the leg however, there's a huge difference.
In the seated position with the guitar on the leg, the Duo-Sonic's neck is closer to the player compared to the Mustang because of that middle curve position on the bottom of the guitar body. You will definitely notice that the headstock feels a lot closer to your face with the Duo-Sonic. That's not your imagination, because it definitely is closer.
My take on Duo-Sonic vs. Mustang
Both these guitars are 24.0-inch short scale, but in the seated position with the guitar on the leg, I prefer the Mustang.
When I play the Duo-Sonic, the physical distance of the neck for my fret hand is too short and I genuinely have a difficult time getting along with the guitar.
When I play the Mustang however, the neck distance when playing in the seated position feels much better. It's somewhat similar to the Jaguar (also a 24.0-inch short scale), and that's not a bad thing.
For playing in the standing position however, the Duo-Sonic might actually be the better short scale to get along with. But then again I've never played one standing, so I can't really comment any further on that.
Which is the better of the two?
This directly depends on how the neck position feels to your fret hand, particularly when playing in the seated position. You will need to play both to figure out which feels best.
If you don't have access to these guitars, find a Jaguar and try that. If you find yourself thinking you want something where the neck is just a little bit closer to the player, then get a Duo-Sonic. If the neck feels fine where it is, then you will most likely get along better with the Mustang.
Diet update January 2018 - Fasting, sardines and such
Time for a weight check-in.
In February 2015 I decided to lose weight. And about 6 months later I had dropped almost 50 pounds, going from 196 to 150. For my height, that's going from a BMI of 29 to 22.
It's now January 2018 as I write this. I still weigh 150, so that's close to 2.5 years of losing the weight and keeping it off.
It's usually true most people who lose weight will gain it all back in a year. I stayed the course and kept the weight off. Only once did I slip up a little and started putting pounds back on, but I caught it and got right back down to 150.
How do I keep my weight where it is?
Vigilance, awareness, fasting and cooking for myself.
Vigilance
Some believe that routinely weighing yourself is bad practice and that you shouldn't do it. I disagree with that and believe it's necessary.
Do I weigh myself every day? No. But I do weigh myself a few times a week to make sure I'm not weighing too much or too little.
Awareness
Recently I was in the grocery store buying some food and had the thought that I wanted some chocolate. But the next thought right after that is that I really don't want chocolate but rather just a snack, so I bought two tins of sardines instead. Each tin is just 100 Calories each and obviously better for me than a chocolate bar.
This is an example of not "going on automatic" when it comes to my food choices. If I were on automatic, I would have grabbed the chocolate bar without thinking. Instead, I bought the sardines. The taste agrees with me, I actually get more food out of it compared to the the chocolate bar, and the only three ingredients are sardines, water and a small amount of salt.
Having awareness like this and being more conscious of what I eat does help keep my weight in check.
Fasting
There are times when I'll eat some filth food (like pizza,) and the easiest way to get it out of my system without doing anything crazy is to simply fast.
When I was in the process of losing weight, the longest fast I ever did was three days. But after losing weight, the longest fast I do now is 24 hours, and only when necessary.
The main benefit of fasting for me is that it helps keep me regular. Filth food doesn't go through the system quickly, so more time needs to be given for it to digest and then get out. Fasting is the easiest and most natural way to do that.
Cooking for myself
I believe this is the thing that keeps my weight in check more than anything else. Whether it's eating eggs, potatoes, beans, peas, rice or whatever I make, preparing my own food is much better than takeout filth.
In addition, the only thing that qualifies as processed food in my place are canned goods. Things like boxed snack cakes, potato chips or anything like that aren't in my cupboards. I also don't keep bread in my kitchen either because it's almost too easy to pack on pounds eating that.
Where to go from here?
I don't require losing any more weight and haven't needed to for some time, so what I do now is just maintain where I am.
The way I maintain is that I pay attention to what goes in, get on the scale every so often to check the numbers, still do light exercise 6 days a week and fast when I need to.
Do I still pay attention to labels? Yes, but just for Calories. I keep my daily intake well under 2,000. On most days I don't consume more than 1,400 at most, and only periodically will I bust over 2,000.
Now if you just said to yourself, "that's insane," no it's not. When you take out the filth and concentrate on veg and rice and so on, you can pile the food high on the plate and still keep Calories down significantly.
This is why I say cooking for myself keeps my weight in check more than anything else. I know and understand where the Calories are. I found ways to eat big when I want to without putting excess Calories into the body.
So far, so good.
The best color for a Fender Duo-Sonic
The little guitar that could comes in one of the best yellows from Fender.
The Fender Duo-Sonic HS in the specific color Canary Diamond is awesome.
I have a thing for yellow guitars even though I don't own one at the time I write this but have in the past. Some yellows I like, some I don't like. This is one I definitely like.
The first time I saw the Canary Diamond finish was on a special run of Stratocasters in that color and others like Rangoon Red and Jetstream Blue. I even said back when I wrote that article that the Canary Diamond color was my favorite. Still is.
Now to note, this yellow is not the same as Vintage White on the Malmsteen Stratocaster firstly because that's technically a white and not a yellow, and secondly because even on a computer screen you can see that Canary Diamond is a few shades darker. Definitely not the same color when you compare side-by-side.
Duo-Sonic is a 24.0" short scale guitar, so you have to like a shorter neck to get along with this axe. And you also have to like the humbucker/single configuration because the regular Duo-Sonic single/single doesn't have a yellow color option. The closest the single/single has to a yellow is Capri Orange.
So if you like short scale and are okay with H/S electronics, the Duo-Sonic in Canary Diamond is a cool little guitar to get. Certain guitars just make me happy when I see them, and this guitar evokes that from me. The yellow really fits the shape, and even though the guitar is dirt simple, in this color I just love staring at it.
On a final note, at the time I write this in January 2018, yes, Canary Diamond is a standard production color for the Duo-Sonic HS, meaning it's not a special run. However, Fender seems to treat guitars in this color like special run models and doesn't make too many. In other words, if you like this yellow, get one.
Casio SGW100 - best budget bug out watch?
I unintentionally discovered this is the best budget "bug out" watch there is.
What does "bug out" mean?
This is a term used by those who believe strongly in disaster preparation, whether for natural disaster, economic disaster, financial disaster, disaster brought by war, etc. People of this ilk are called survivalists or "preppers", depending on whom you talk to.
Every survivalist has a "bug out" bag ready-to-use. This bag is a backpack full of stuff, and the intended use is that in the event of disaster, this is the bag you grab before you leave quickly, i.e. bug out. The SGW100 would be appropriate to have in the bag.
I did not buy the Casio SGW100 (mine is the SGW100B-3V model) for bug out purposes, but the more I examined it, the more I realized that this timepiece really is the best budget bug out watch one could buy.
Examples of typical bug out watches
Before I get into the particulars of the SGW100, the timepieces of choice survivalists go for depends on the specific functionality he's looking for.
For analog quartz timepieces, the go-to brands are Luminox and Victorinox. For all-mechanical, Glycine has a few offerings with the most survivalist-friendly being the black PVD coated variety.
For quartz digital, the best-of-the-best survivalist timepiece is a Casio G-SHOCK that is solar powered and has atomic timekeeping. Such an example is the GW5000. Or if you're the type that wants ABC functionality (altimeter, barometer, compass), then you want a Casio Pro Trek, of which there are several.
Enter the SGW100
The SGW100 is a twin sensor, so it's not ABC. The two sensors are thermometer and compass and I'll get into more detail on those in a moment.
This watch is powered by a CR2025, no solar. Battery life is estimated to be 3 years. It has the ability to do world time with 29 time zones and 48 cities supported, supports DST, has 4 alarms + 1 snooze alarm, has a countdown timer (24 hours maximum) with auto-repeat and has a 1-hour maximum stopwatch.
Weight of the watch is 53 to 55 grams depending on model and strap type.
Size is stated to be 51.5mm lug-to-lug, 47.6 case size, 13.2mm thick. However, the canvas strap version that I have has a slightly shorter lug-to-lug at around 49mm, meaning the watch is smaller-wrist-friendly.
The digit display is huge, but done right. Very easy to read.
How to use the thermometer and compass correctly
The two biggest complaint reviews about the watch is that the compass and thermometer are inaccurate. They're not if adjusted correctly.
Adjusting magnetic north vs. geographic north
A compass will always point to magnetic north, which is not the same as geographic north. Out of the box, the SGW100 points to the same place a regular compass would, magnetic north.
To adjust for geographic north, the watch needs to have its magnetic declination set. This is simply a degree number.
Where do you get this number? From the Magnetic Field Calculator site. You can go to the section "Lookup Latitude / Longitude", enter your location information, get the coordinates, then hit the calculate button. For where I am, Tampa Florida, the declination at the time I write this is currently 5 degrees west, with emphasis on currently. To keep the compass accurate in the watch, I would need to revisit the calculator once a year to get the adjusted declination value.
Sound too difficult? It isn't. The SGW100 makes it stupidly easy to adjust magnetic declination.
Once the declination is set correctly for where you are in the world, it will always be correct, provided you calibrated the compass correctly per the manual's instructions (which is also stupidly easy.)
Getting an accurate temperature reading
Take the watch off the wrist. Wait 20 minutes, then take a temperature reading. If it's off by a few degrees, you can adjust +/- however many degrees until it's correct...
...and that's it. The watch will then always display the correct temperature when not on the wrist.
The temperature sensor is inside the case of the watch. What this means is that body heat will always make the temperature reading not match what the actual ambient temperature is. To get an accurate reading, the watch must be taken off the wrist and let to stand for 20 minutes so there is no body heat left in the case.
Think of this the same way as using a regular oral glass thermometer. When used in the mouth, the temperature changes because it's touching the body. When left to sit in a jar, in about 20 minutes it will show the room's ambient temperature.
What makes the SGW100 the best budget bug out watch?
The SGW100, while not G-SHOCK tough, is definitely tough enough to handle whatever you throw at it. It also has the stuff that's genuinely useful to a survivalist. Namely, the big digit display, compass, 200M water resistance, multiple alarms, countdown timer with auto-repeat and grooved buttons that are easy to press while designed right so they don't get knocked accidentally.
True, it's not solar nor does it have atomic timekeeping. The watch has +/- 30 seconds a month for accuracy, so if you assume 1 second gained or lost per day, at worst you will only see the time off by 6 minutes after 1 year of not adjusting the time at all. And that's truly not bad. Certainly better than any mechanical watch.
So why did I buy the SGW100?
As noted above, I didn't get it for bug out purposes, but rather because it has every single thing I want out of a digital timepiece.
This is my new daily wearer. I thought I could get away with wearing a simpler Casio digital, but as it turns out I really appreciate a watch that shows weekday/month/day on the face, has multiple alarms, countdown timer with auto-repeat and stopwatch. And I'm really liking the larger display as well. I thought it might be too large but it's not. The design is right.
I have a smaller 6.75" wrist. This watch has all that I want and fits me. That's why I bought it. I'm very happy with my SGW100. Great as a bug out watch, but also really good for daily use.