Schecter Traditional Custom Maple 3048
If you want a Strat not by Fender that really, really gets it right, this Schecter is it.
In the Schecter lineup there are two specific Strat style guitars that would please any Strat player. The 3048 and the 3047, which is the the rosewood version with white cover pickup covers.
How much? About the same price as Fender Standard Stratocaster...
...but when you know the specs of the Schecter, you might prefer it over the Fender.
The body is swamp ash. Scale is 25.5". Fretboard radius is 12" (like a Gibson). It has locking tuners (a feature not on the Standard Strat). Neck is bolt-on. Fret size is X-Jumbo (better for soloing). Nut is TUSQ. Nut width is 1.653". It does have push/pull controls in addition to the 5-way selector (which again the Fender does not have).
What's great about the Schecter is that it's a Strat that has what most guitarists wish Fender would make as a standard model. Flatter radius, a volume knob moved out of the way that won't get knocked while playing, a better nut for smoother string travel, and solid traditional construction.
In other words, Schecter made a modernized Strat without getting goofy about it. It has arguably just the right blend of traditional + modern, both for styling and electronics. And the price is great for what it is.
China build guitar? No. South Korea build. And those in the know understand there are some darned fine guitars that come from there, including this one.
Schecter is one of the few guitars I would openly buy without trying it first where it arrives near-perfect out of the box. Yes, they're that good.
10 ESP LTD guitars for under 300 bucks!
I have to hand it to LTD, as they sure offer a lot of choice for the budget guitar player. What you're about to see here is not the same model repeated 10 times in different colors. Nope. These are 10 distinctly different models.
Note that these guitars are all under $300 new at the time I write this. Prices of course will change later on.
This is the best of the lot. So if going through this list you're undecided about which to get, stop right here, look no further and get the EC100AT.
This is your basic SG clone, except with a slight lean in the body shape. There are actually some pro guitar players who use this decidedly cheap guitar because it's a solid performer and very easy to modify.
Strat style double cutaway body... with a Floyd system? Why yes, yes it does have one.
Dopey shape, but there are some metal bands that are into the "guitars that look like weapons" look. If that's you, this is your guitar.
LTD's take on the Gibson Explorer shape, except decidedly more pointy.
Another dopey shape, but again, it has that "looks like a weapon" thing to it. There is also another feature about this guitar that a lot of people miss. It actually balances quite well when being played standing. Note the top horn does extend out to the 12th fret. No neck dive here.
Like the MH-50 but in a hardtail version with a reverse headstock.
Just like the M-10, but in a 7-string version.
The venerable V-50 has been around for a while. It is the best bang for the buck where V shape guitars are concerned. It's priced as low as you can get a V guitar for that will actually last a while.
This is a less-fancy version of the EC100AT. The difference at the time I write this between the two guitars is about 50 bucks. The only reason to get this one is because it's slightly less in price, so it you're really being a penny pincher and like the EC shape, then get this one.
Cyber Monday guitar deals for 2017
For those not in the know, "Cyber Monday" is an actual real thing. It's the Monday after Black Friday where you can get the best deals specifically buying stuff online.
But this is about guitar deals, so let's get to that.
Squier by Fender Stratocaster Pack
This Strat pack is a "comes with everything" that includes an instructional DVD. Still a great price and still one of the best ways to gift a guitar to a beginner because everything needed is literally in the box.
If you want just the guitar, that's listed below.
Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Package
This is the same price as the Strat pack above but in a Les Paul flavor. While it does not come with a DVD, it does come with everything else. If you'd rather just get the guitar alone, it's specifically the Epiphone Les Paul Special II model.
Safstar Electric Bass Guitar Full Size
Glad to see a beginner bass package this year. It is a full size 34" scale bass (meaning not kid size,) comes with the gig bag, and yes it comes with an amp. Photo doesn't show one but it is provided.
If you want just a bass guitar without the extra stuff, I recommend the Ibanez GSR200. Good colors, solid build, good sound, good features, nice price.
Squier by Fender Affinity Telecaster
One of the best (if not the best) bang-for-the-buck Teles, this one looks right, plays right, and sounds right. The redo of the Squier logo on the headstock also gives this guitar a classy look. Lefty version available.
Squier by Fender Affinity Stratocaster
Good to see Squier offering a Strat in Surf Green this year, which is definitely one of the coolest Strat looks that has ever existed. If you're going to go for a low-cost Strat, this is a decent option and priced right. Lefty version available.
What's a really special guitar gift?
The Fender Classic Series '50s Stratocaster in Fiesta Red.
The specific combo of Fiesta Red with the one-piece maple neck is arguably the most recognizable Stratocaster look of all time. Since it is a Classic Series model, it's built to '50s specifications where the hardware matches the look. And since it's a Mexico build, it's well under $1,000 to buy.
For those that want a Strat that totally and absolutely captures the classic style and sound, that one is what to get. And believe me, it's a good one as it does have high ratings. It doesn't get much better than that.
The real reason arcade games were killed
Arcade video game machines were a thing at one point, and now they're all but extinct. There's a reason they were killed, and it's probably not what you think it is.
To begin, if you like arcade games and want one of your own, the only one worth buying is a cocktail table machine. Once of those machines comes typically comes with 60 games. All the classics. Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mr. Do, Space Invaders, Burger Time, Centipede, Gun Smoke, etc. They're all there.
There are 3 main reasons why that machine is the best to buy. First, it's new and has a warranty. Second, it ordinarily only weighs 60 pounds (very light compared to a full cabinet and easy to move around). Third, and most important, it's a table, meaning it can be used as actual functional furniture. In addition, it makes the vintage gaming experience much more enjoyable. Have a seat, put a drink on top of it, play and enjoy. Kids would also have fun playing this machine, and of course, cocktail table is the best for 2-player.
One more thing. The price for the machine is a steal compared to an actual real vintage arcade machine. Remember, it's new. No restoration required. No ancient half-working electronics.
Anyway, on to my thoughts on why video arcade games were killed.
On this Black Friday, the hot sellers are of course video game consoles. Nintendo Switch, Xbox One X and Sony PlayStation Pro are the big deals of the moment.
What are the hot video game titles? Pretty much anything Mario, Star Wars or LEGO. Yeah, it's basically the same stuff you saw 10 years ago just with new titles.
At the time I write this, arcade machines aren't dying. They are absolutely dead and have been dead for years. It used to be that you'd find at least one video arcade machine or pinball machine in every department store and diner in town. It also used to be that every mall in America had a dedicated video arcade room, usually also with pinball machines. All those are gone.
The heyday for video arcade machines was the early '80s. Being I was born in the mid-'70s, I only got to see the tail end of arcade machine popularity in the late '80s and early '90s. And I did get to experience some fairly large arcades. Riverside amusement park (now known as Six Flags New England) had a monster sized arcade with somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 or more machines. And that is not an exaggeration. Rows and rows and rows of them in one huge room. When I went to Disney World as a kid, they also had a rather large arcade section.
As a kid, I also got to experience the "perfect arcade room" a few times, which was a dimly lit room of about 20 to 30 machines that had galaxy carpeting everywhere. Weird but cool experience. Dark room, a haze of smoke in the air (everyone smoked cigarettes back then), flashing marquees and screens everywhere and a bunch of different noises from the machines all going off all at once in combination with people talking at the same time.
What made video arcade games truly start declining?
A lot of people blame home consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis for the decline of arcades.
That wasn't the reason.
There are three main reasons people stopped playing arcade games.
Reason 1: Disrepair
Given that most businesses knew absolutely nothing about arcade machine maintenance and wouldn't spend a penny on them for repairs since they were leased, once one fell into disrepair, it stayed that way.
It was very common to find machines with screen burn-in, loose joysticks, bad buttons, bad steering wheels and gear shift levers that didn't work right, coin boxes with bad springs that didn't register when a quarter was inserted, and so on.
Reason 2: Fights
Nobody ever mentions the fighting but this was a real thing.
I never got into a fight over a video arcade machine, but there were plenty of others that did. Kids would fight over the dumbest things with video games. It happened with adults too sometimes.
Fights happened often enough to where some arcades would actually employ a bouncer just to keep people in check. If you saw a musclehead big dude in a black t-shirt standing in the corner not playing games but just watching everywhere, that was the bouncer. And you knew right then and there that the room wasn't a good place to be and to get the hell out of there.
Reason 3: Greed
This is the main reason people stopped playing arcade machines.
People could deal with half-working machines and the occasional fight that broke out. But when the price-per-play started going up, that's when players said "screw this".
For a long time, the price per play was 25 cents. But then there were machines that appeared where it was 50 cents a play. Double the price. And it just wasn't worth it. No matter how fancy the game, 50 cents for 5 minutes or less of play was just too much.
But it didn't stop there. Machines appeared that were 75 cents a play, $1 a play, and at worst, $2 a play.
It was very common to see those high-priced machines in pristine condition. Why? Easy answer. Nobody played them...
...and that's what killed video game arcades. Instead of getting 20 minutes of play from a dollar, now that only lasted a few minutes. Total ripoff.
Are modern video games suffering the same fate?
Yes and no.
Where console gaming is concerned, yes it is. When greed happens and the price gets too high, people stop buying.
The majority of new console games no matter what the console is are all overpriced. Super Mario Odyssey for example is almost 60 bucks. That turns a lot of people off, myself included.
Where smartphone and tablet gaming is concerned, no it isn't.
Apps for phones and tablets are either free or sell for cheap. Whether iPhone, iPad or Android, there's tons of games out there.
Are they as advanced as console games? Not in the slightest. But the price is right, and that's why people play them more.
If you're a retro gamer...
...don't bother with the arcade machines other than the one listed at top. Seriously, don't. I owned a full size JAMMA style cabinet at one point. It was big, stupid, clunky, ate electricity for breakfast, it's just... no. Don't do it.
The better option is to use a new retro game system. Plug in and go. Easy. And cheap.
It really is all about price
If you're going to game, do it cheap. Or if you're going to spend some decent money on gaming, make very sure it's something that will last a while.
With the cocktail table machine, that will last a good long while and provide years of enjoyment. No question about it.
With modern new consoles, screw 'em. Not worth the money.
With retro consoles, I'd say just pick something where you can get at least a year of play out of it. You'll be spending $50 to $100 for retro stuff, and if that lasts a year, then yeah, you got your money's worth.
Should you buy a Nash guitar?
These are the Fender copy guitars that players both love and hate at the same time.
Nash guitars are all made in the USA, all made with premium woods, all have premium hardware installed, all are finished using nothing but nitro. The model that most who know about this brand are familiar with is the Nash S57.
Guitarists love Nash because you get premium grade guitars at around 40% less (sometimes even less than that) of what you would otherwise pay to get the same from the Fender Custom Shop.
Guitarists hate Nash because as far as I can tell, every one of them is a "relic" (meaning distressed-on-purpose when built), and the vast majority of the models they have are Fender copies...
...and if you're wondering how Nash is able to get away with such a close match of Fender guitars (especially the headstock) without being sued off the face of the planet by Fender, that I can't say. Maybe they have an agreement with Fender and are licensed to use their headstock designs. Maybe something else. I honestly don't know.
The other model Nash fans are most familiar with is the Nash T52. Aside from that, primary models of Nash are T (Telecaster), E (Esquire), S (Stratocaster) and JM (Jazzmaster). Nash's own model is the Wayfarer. They also have "non-traditional" where they'll take a design and do something special with it. An example of that is they sometimes make 12-string T models.
Are Nash guitars passé since so many people hate "relic" guitars?
Here's my take on that.
I do wish Nash would produce at least one guitar that is not distressed at all. They currently don't do this. The closest you can get to a not-distressed guitar is one with "light aging". I went through a bunch of their T models on their web site, and they all have that aging crapola going on.
And if you think you can contact them and request a custom order for a non-distressed model, think again, because they don't do that. Nash states outright that you cannot buy direct from them, so no custom orders. Not possible. The fact they even mention this means some buyers - possibly many - have asked this question before. Is it possible to request a custom order through an authorized Nash dealer? That's also an unknown. Maybe it's possible, but I doubt it.
What this means is that with all Nash guitars, what you see out there is what you get.
There is also something I take into consideration however. There is a niche market for distressed electric guitars. There are players who really like the distressed look but hate the high price of the Fender Custom Shop.
I'll put this in perspective for you. When you buy a relic model from Fender Custom Shop, you're spending some significant coin. When you want that FCS relic, you're going pay for it and pay big. But then there's Nash who has pretty much the same thing and it's almost half the price. In this respect, Nash guitars are a bargain. Remember, these aren't Asian guitars. These are American.
So in other words, a Nash is the closest you can get to a Fender Custom Shop relic model with a much nicer price while still buying an American guitar.
There is something else about Nash guitars that cannot be denied. They are good guitars. Really good, actually. So good that Nash warranties all their instruments for two years (which exceeds the standard Fender 1-year warranty, by the way). Nash is confident enough in their builds to take care of any issues that may happen for an entire 24 months. In this day and age, that's darned impressive.
Am I saying you can buy a Nash with confidence? Yes.
Whether you agree with the idea of distressed guitars or not, Nash does stand by their work. They do have a specific niche they cater to (guys who like distressed guitars without the FCS price tag), do it well, and what you get is truly good. There's just no arguing that point.
My only real complaint is what I said above. I really wish Nash would offer at least one non-distressed model. If they did a Mary Kay S-57 model with no distressing, that for some guitarists would be the perfect Strat look. (And yes I am saying the distressing ruins that guitar, take a look and see for yourself).