What would I do if my guitars are destroyed?

I've mentioned this plenty of times before, but if you're not aware, I am a Tampa Bay Florida resident. And it just so happens there is a gigantic hurricane headed my way.

I made a mention on my Facebook page that I was preparing for Hurricane Irma, and at the time I write this I am prepared as I can be. I have water, food, a battery powered radio (not as nice as the one I want but it'll do), and so on.

A comment came in on that post saying that I should protect my guitars.

My immediate reply to that was that protecting my guitars was very low on my priority list. As in so low it's not even a concern.

Let's say for the moment that the absolute worst happens. The home I live in is destroyed and with it all my possessions, including the guitars. They all get smashed and can never be played again.

My reaction? Better the guitars to get smashed than me.

A guitar is a few pieces of wood, plastic and steel. It is a thing. And things can be replaced.

The most protection I'll give a guitar is a gig bag or a hard case. If Mother Nature finds a way to destroy my guitars even with that protection in place, fine, let it happen. I would never risk life and limb to save a guitar. And neither should anyone else.

Can a Telecaster surf?

This is a question I got asked on YouTube that does need an article to answer it.

I was specifically asked if the Telecaster (like the the Squier FSR Tele I own) would work for surf rock music. My answer is that a Tele is a good choice for surf but not necessarily the best choice when trying to achieve "that surf sound".

A quick history of surf rock and Fender electric guitars

The original surf guitars are all Fenders. Stratocaster, Jazzmaster and Jaguar, in that order.

Dick Dale plays Strats and always has. He was the first guy to a surf rock hit with Let's Go Trippin'. The Stratocaster was originally introduced in 1954.

After the success of that song, other artists started playing surf and picked up the Jazzmaster guitar. Guitar players of the era totally rejected that guitar as a jazz instrument but found it worked very well for that bright, jangly surf tone. The Jazzmaster was originally introduced in 1958.

The Jaguar, introduced in 1962, was specifically built for surf rock, which is why original models included a flip-up foam mute to specifically get that surf rock "drip" tone.

If you really want that flip-up mute badly enough, yes you can still get it on the Fender American Vintage '65 Jaguar. Or if you already have a Jag, the 62 Jaguar guitar mute assembly kit is available on its own, and it's not expensive at all. But back to the AV '65 Jag, at the time of this writing, that Jag is the most expensive production electric Fender builds that isn't a special model. Why? Because there's a fair amount of stuff that only this Jag has which isn't shared with any other Fender electric. I'm honestly surprised Fender even has this as a production electric and not a Fender-Custom-Shop-only model given how very specific the build is...

...but do you actually need that foam mute for surf rock? Absolutely not. Whether you own an original Jag from the '60s or a new American Vintage build that has the same hardware, Jag players universally agree that the mute is pretty much worthless. It looks cool, but when in use it adds pressure to the strings that pitches up the tuning of the guitar, so you can't switch back and forth from song to song and keep the same tuning. Also, being the mute is foam, it will dent, get gummed up with gunk fairly quickly and will need to be replaced every few years.

Was the Telecaster ever used on a surf rock hit song?

Nobody ever recorded a surf rock hit using a Telecaster that I know of. While true from 1952 to 1967 there was "dark circuit" a.k.a. "blackguard" wiring in all Telecasters, you could still totally get surf tone out of the Tele.

My best guess as to why Telecasters weren't used in surf rock more is simply because Fender had intended to outright replace the Tele with newer guitar models at the time surf rock was popular. They were really pushing newer guitar models during surf rock's heyday. Also, the Strat, Jazz and Jags just had sexier, more modernized shapes compared to the Tele.

How do you make a Tele surf?

In my experience, this is how you get specific Fender or Squier guitar models to get a surf tone:

Needed for all models

An amp with real spring reverb, or a digital effect that does emulated spring verb well. My DigiTech RP360 does a very convincing spring reverb and even includes the "tank ping" noise. Another very good spring reverb emulator is the BOSS FRV-1 pedal.

I strongly recommend using a compressor to bring up the note attack that "pings" the reverb so you get that surf rock "drip" tone. Any compressor will work. I use my RP360's CS-3 emulation. You can use that, a real CS-3 or a cheap Behringer CS400.

Stratocaster

Pickup selector positions best used are 1, 3 and 5. The two most useful are 1 (rear/bridge) and 5 (front/neck). Volume on 10, tone on 10.

Jazzmaster

Lead circuit only, volume on 10, tone on 10. All 3 pickup selector positions work quite well for surf.

Jaguar

Lead circuit only, volume on 10, tone on 10. All lead circuit pickup selector positions work well just like the Jazzmaster, but in my experience, it is best to leave the "strangle switch" off for the best surf tone. You may find however that it sounds better with it enabled. Experimentation is required on your part to find out which sounds best.

Telecaster

Pickup selector positions 1 (rear/bridge) and 2 (rear+front/neck+bridge) work best here. Position 3 (front/neck) I find really does not work for surf.

In addition, there is that Telecaster twang thing going on. It is tradition that the Tele rear pickup is overwound like a lap steel electric which is a big part of what makes it twang so much. It's also a big reason why it sounds so different compared to a Stratocaster rear pickup.

I'll put it another way. When you strum a Jazzmaster or Jaguar plugged in with proper compression and a ton of spring reverb, you will instantly think, "Yep, that's a surf tone" the instant you hear it. When you do the same with a Strat, you'll think, "Yeah, sounds surfy but I'll need to tweak it a bit." When you do the same with a Telecaster, you'll think, "This sounds like country electric guitar tone with a lot of reverb in it."

If I can do it, so can you

Personally, I can get a Telecaster to surf, but I totally admit it's not as easy to get the drip tone compared to using other guitar models.

Surf tone for the most part can be done with any electric guitar provided you have, at bare minimum, a very trebly rear pickup, which the Telecaster has. After that it comes down to EQ, compression with tight attack and a proper sounding spring reverb.

In the end, yes, a Tele can surf. It just takes more effort to make it surf compared to Strats, Jazzes and Jags. But it is totally doable.

How to fix guitar buzz with a string change

Yes, you can in fact get rid of guitar buzz with a simple string change - if you pick the correct string.

GHS Guitar Boomers use a round core. Before I get into why that matters, changing strings does not guarantee fret buzz will go away. Not at all. But if you have:

1. Set your neck relief correctly and confirmed the neck is not twisted
2. Set your string saddle heights correctly
3. Set your pickup heights correctly (pickups too close to the strings can cause buzzing issues)
4. Confirmed that the nut is good where no sitar-like sound is present when plucking open strings
5. Confirmed (or at least are pretty sure) that your frets are level

...changing the strings is the next step before moving on to more expensive neck repairs.

Hex core and round core

The majority of electric guitar strings have one of two core types, hexagonal core or round core. The difference between the two is stiffness at tension. Hex core strings have greater stiffness compared to round, feel tighter when playing and you will most likely notice it takes a little more effort to bend hex core strings.

A brand that uses hex core in the majority (if not all?) of their electric guitar string offerings is D'Addario brand.

GHS's Guitar Boomers however use a round core. This makes them distinctively different with overall tension and feel.

If your fret buzz comes from a wound string...

If the fret buzzing you have is specifically from the wound strings, as in strings 4, 5 and 6 (or D, A and low E,) that's a very good reason to try switching core types.

Check to see which core type your guitar strings use. If you use hex, go round. If round, go hex. If you don't know, try D'Addario first. If the buzzing gets worse, switch to GHS Guitar Boomers.

It's worth it to try a string change first to cure a string buzz issue

If the string change cures your string buzz issue, you just saved a whole bunch of money on guitar neck repairs.

If the string change does not fix the string buzz, don't consider it wasted money. It's better to have spent a little on strings first just to confirm it's not the strings causing the buzz problem. You can imagine how mad you would be if you put a bunch of expensive, time consuming repairs into a guitar only to see it didn't fix the problem and it was the strings all along. So again, better to try a string change first with a different core type.

Also remember that you don't have to change string size when changing core types. In fact, I recommend staying with the same size so you don't have to readjust the neck relief.

The only time I recommend a string size change in an attempt to fix string buzz is to use one that's very slight. D'Addario as far as I know is the only brand you can do this with. Most guitar players use 9-42 or 10-46 string gauge sets. D'Addario does in fact offer a 9.5-44 size set, the EXL120+ Super Light Plus. That's a size just a tick above 9-42 and a tick below 10-46, so if you believe a string size change might help cure your string buzz, try that set.

Agile Renaissance 8X - the better multiscale guitar option?

This might be the better option for those thinking about getting a multiscale guitar.

Why? Easy answer: It's an electric-acoustic.

Take the Agile Renaissance 8X. It has 8 strings and fanned frets. The body and sides are mahogany and the top is spruce, meaning yes it will project properly.

My standard complaint with electric multiscale guitars is that the bass strings sound awful. The reason they sound bad is because multiscale pickups aren't voiced for bass strings, so you end up with this nasty, farty sound.

With acoustic however, that's a different story. Now we're in a territory where everything can sound right. Acoustic instruments are far better at handing more range. Both the treble and bass strings sound right in their "space", so to speak.

Go play one and you'll understand why an acoustic multiscale might be the better option over the all-electric. Every note can be heard on any string played. And that's important.

Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster in Surf Green

Yep, I bought one.

It's my tradition that whenever I get a guitar, one has to go. The one that went was the 2012 Squier Bullet HH. It was traded out. I pretty much never played that thing, so nothing was lost there.

This is my third attempt to get along with a Telecaster, and this time this just might be the one. Maybe. I've not decided just yet.

Why the Bullet Telecaster and not another Bullet Strat?

I hinted recently that I was considering getting another Bullet Strat. But the Bullet Telecaster was the better option.

Did I special order my FSR Bullet Telecaster? No. I got lucky, which I'll explain in a moment.

"FSR" is Fender Special Run. The reason this Telecaster is FSR is simply because of the color, Surf Green. While a nice color, that's actually not the reason I wanted it. I wanted it because it was a Bullet and not an Affinity series because there are distinctive differences between the two guitars.

Here's a quick list of the differences:

• Affinity requires pick guard to be removed to adjust height of the front pickup. Bullet has screws in the pick guard itself for front pickup height adjustment just like the Fender Standard Telecaster.
• Affinity has "top hat" pickup selector switch tip. Bullet has "barrel" switch tip, again just like the Fender Standard model.
• Affinity nut width is 1.60". Bullet nut width is 1.65".
• Affinity is a top-loader, Bullet is a thru-body.
• Affinity does not have a walnut "skunk" stripe on the back of the neck, the Bullet does (redundant since it has a rosewood fingerboard but whatever.)

Bullet Telecasters are rare birds

If you know Squier Telecasters at all, you've seen Classic Vibe, Vintage Modified and Affinity. But the Bullet Telecaster isn't seen that often. Heck, the Bullet series isn't even mentioned at all on Fender's own web site, yet it exists.

In addition, a longstanding complaint of mine is that even here in Tampa Bay Florida where there are several high-volume guitar stores, Squier Telecasters really don't have a presence. You can find Strats easily but with Teles you really have to hunt around to actually try out different Squier models.

How I bought my Bullet Telecaster

Just by chance I went to the Guitar Center web site and saw the rare bird. Bullet Telecaster. Brand new. Cheap. And the GC web site stated the guitar was in stock. I knew right then and there that if I didn't go try to get that guitar right now, I'd never be able to buy it since Squier Teles are only in GC infrequently at best.

I wrote down what I wanted for the Bullet HH trade-in and what I was willing to pay for the Bullet Telecaster, and off I went.

After arriving, I soon found out why nobody had bought the FSR Bullet Tele yet. It wasn't even on the showroom floor and was still in the back of the store, new in the box.

I played the guitar for a few minutes and it seemed okay. GC was able to match the price I wanted to pay with trade-in, so I bought the guitar and took it home...

...but will I keep it?

Too soon to tell. The guitar plays nice but it has a much different character compared to the Jazzmaster.

What I can say about it so far is this:

• Everything works and nothing appears broken or assembled improperly from the factory.
• The tuners are about average, which is to say they work. Not the best but not the worst.
• The rear pickup sounds great. The front pickup, not-so much, but that may be a blessing in disguise.
• Pickup selector switch is a bit stiff. Might need a shot of DeoxIT D5, which I do have (technically a cleaning solution but does lubricate, and I feel more comfortable spraying DeoxIT into a guitar instead of WD-40.)
• Weight of the guitar is just right. The combo of basswood body + maple neck works really nicely here.
• Surf green color is a bit on the light side but looks nice.
• Pick guard is parchment 3-ply white-black-white and definitely the right color.

And the most important thing:

• This is the first Telecaster I've ever played that "speaks" to me.

There are very few guitars where I play them and think to myself, "Oh yeah, this is good. This is real good." My sonic blue Jazzmaster is one of those guitars. I'll sit there, strum, play and when I put the guitar back on the stand I just have a moment of being wowed by just how good that guitar is.

This surf green Telecaster has the potential to be one of those guitars. I am already getting tones out of it that are "very Telecaster" that only a Telecaster can do. Spanky, twangy sounds in the rear, softer sounds in the front. It plays great, sounds good and reminds me why I love single-coil pickups so much.

I've been having a dry spell with songwriting lately, but this Telecaster cured that real quick. It's definitely the better songwriter's guitar simply for the fact there's no distractions. Single circuit, no whammy bar, two pickups, two knobs and that's it.

The guitar is great so far, so hopefully this one will stick around.