3 guitar effect pedals I like right now
As of right now, July 2017, this is what I'm digging where guitar effect pedals are concerned.
This is an analog compressor. One of the coolest looking pedals I've ever seen, but even if it were just a straight color with no flair, it's the sound that makes this thing worth having. Basically put, it will make any Strat sound like a million bucks when played clean - even if it's a super cheap squier bullet Squier Bullet Strat. Would also work fantastic for Telecasters too.
This thing, simply put, will blow your mind. You plug any regular electric guitar into it, like a Stratocaster or a Telecaster, stomp the pedal, and whammo, sounds like an acoustic. Yes, this really works.
It is perfect? No, but using one of these is as close as you can possibly get to the sound of an acoustic without an actual real acoustic guitar.
BOSS DS-1-4A 40th Anniversary Limited Edition
What's the difference between the DS-1-4A and a regular orange DS-1? Function and sound-wise, nothing. The DS-1-4A is just an appearance package, but oh, what an appearance package it is. Blackout pedal with gold accents. This thing just looks cool. And shockingly, it only costs 10 bucks more than the regular DS-1. Why is this shocking? Because BOSS is not known for lower-cost special edition pedals, yet this one is.
I don't need one, but if I did, I would buy this just for the look and use it normally, collector's value be damned. I love the simple look of the DS-1-4A. It has that retro late '70s Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am look to it. I know BOSS didn't intend for a look like that, but that's what it reminds me of. And that's not a bad thing!
Which should you get?
The Tone Corset is actually the most usable of the three. The Acoustic Simulator is cool but you may not use it that often. The DS-1-4A is just like any other DS-1 you've ever used but it looks really, really cool.
So it's up to you. Usable compression, usable acoustic simulator, or a black-and-gold beauty pedal? Your choice.
Danelectro D84
Danelectro's take on the Stratocaster guitar is the D84.
Is this guitar worth getting being it's the same price as the Fender Standard Stratocaster? The answer to that depends on how much the Fender annoys you.
I'll explain.
The first thing to note about the Danelectro is that it has 2 control knobs instead of 3. There are many Fender Strat players that think having 1 master volume and 2 tone controls is just stupid, and that it should be condensed to master volume and master tone. You get that with the '84.
The second thing to note is the 2-point Wilkinson tremolo system, which many believe to be far superior to the 6-screw Strat bridge (which is what you get on the MIM Strat). To get the 2-point with a Fender Strat, you have to buy a USA model which costs double that of the MIM. You get it for the same price as the MIM on the Danelectro.
The third thing to notice is vintage style slotted tuners. You don't get this on the Fender MIM. You do get them on the Squier Vintage Modified Strat, but then you go back to a 3-knob and a 6-screw bridge.
In other words, Danelectro pretty much addresses everything Strat players don't like about Strats with a guitar you can have for less than half the price of a Fender American Professional Stratocaster.
My only nitpick about the guitar is the headstock design. Looks a bit cheap, but then again it has a race car look to it which some people like.
Summed up: If you like Strats but hate the standard wiring and knob layout Fender offers, then you want a Danelectro D84 instead.
The most collectible Squier of all time
There is a particular old Squier guitar model that commands the most money...
...and that guitar is the Squier JV Stratocaster made in Japan from the early 1980s.
The reasons the Squier JV Strat is so desirable is because it's one of the best vintage Stratocaster reissues without it being an actual Fender reissue.
But - and this is a big but - the guitar is only worth something to you as a player if you like vintage Strats.
Some JV Strats have nitro finishes (others have a thin poly finish) which is cool, but many have 3-way pickup selector switches which sucks. Some do have the 5-way but the most desirable of the lot have the 3-way.
All the JV guitars as far as I'm aware were marketed as '52 Vintage for Telecasters, '57 Vintage for Stratocasters and also '62 Vintage for Stratocasters. They were made to play like real-deal vintage Fender guitars.
Did they have Fullterton California Fender pickups? Yes, and that's part of what makes them so desirable. But again, the JVs were specifically built and marketed as vintage Fender spec.
While true the JV from Fender Japan is the most collectible Squier ever, with some available for reasonable prices, I think the money is honestly better spent on a new Fender Standard Stratocaster, as in a Mexico made model. For around the same money as a JV, you get a guitar where you can change around the hardware if you want to and not have to freak out about it. You also get a warranty, which you obviously don't with the JV.
Or if you want to save a buck and get a seriously good maple-board Strat, see the Squier Deluxe Stratocaster. It's one of the few Squier Strats that has a satin urethane coated neck just like the Mexico and American Fender models do. It also has the two-point bridge with full-block brushed saddles. That guitar has some seriously good woods and hardware in it.
And of course there is the Squier Vintage Modified Stratocaster. There's a gloss urethane coating on that neck, but the price is nice, it has the vintage slotted tuners and the Duncan Designed pickups actually sound really good.
Real vintage Squier JV might be nice to have, but it's not really all that good of a player's guitar. And there's no guarantee it will get more valuable over time at any appreciable rate (meaning it might take 20 years before the value you buy it for now doubles... do you really want to wait that long?)
Is a pau ferro fretboard any good?
You may start seeing more of these.
Take the Fender Duo-Sonic HS with pau ferro fingerboard. Is it one of several guitars Fender just released with that specific wood species for the fretboard material.
Personally, I don't like pau ferro unless it's matched up with a body color that complements it.
The Duo-Sonic in Surf Green works with pau ferro. That's a guitar where the brown works nicely with the body color.
An example of where it does not work is when the body is black. What that does is make the brown of the fretboard stick out like a sore thumb and just look stupid.
Another example of where pau ferro doesn't work is on bright finish colors like Olympic White. Doesn't work there either.
As you have probably guessed, pau ferro works best with "middle hue" finishes. Sunburst? Yes. Candy Apple Red? Yes. Ghost Silver? Also a yes.
It's when you go extreme-dark or extreme-light that pau ferro looks real ugly real quick.
Is pau ferro ever used for a guitar body?
Yes. Some guitar makers produce acoustic guitars where the body (back and sides, specifically) is made from pau ferro. And in that instance, you really understand why it's called "leopard tree" as you see some very pronounced grain lines.
What makes pau ferro desirable as a fingerboard wood?
Other than the visual look of it, nothing. I presume Fender is using it because it's rosewood-like.
From a corporate point of view, it should be easier for Fender to transport these guitars. You'll notice that the instruments linked above are made in Mexico. Because of CITES regulations, it is probably altogether more convenient for Fender to have any guitar built in their Ensenada factory to have no rosewood, making for easier shipping from MX into the US.
Now to be clear, it's not that I don't like pau ferro wood. It's just that it doesn't work with every body color out there. I really don't care if MIM Fender electrics use rosewood or pau ferro fretboards because it doesn't affect the tonal character of the guitar at all.
However, I do care how it looks. If Fender sticks to middle hue body colors, then sure, pau ferro works just fine. But they really need to ditch putting a pau ferro fretboard against a Black or Olympic White body because that just doesn't work.
Lightweight electric guitars
If solid-body electric guitars are too heavy for you, these are some alternatives you should consider.
Before showing the alternatives, the regular weight of a new Fender Stratocaster is usually about 8 pounds, and the weight of a Squier Stratocaster is slightly less at about 7 pounds, 14 ounces, give or take an ounce. Even for models where both the Fender and the Squier use the same wood species for the body, the Squier has a slim profile Strat body which is what takes off a few ounces.
However, when it comes to truly lightweight electrics that aren't acoustic-electric, certain semi-hollow body guitars are noticeably lighter.
You could spend a ton of cash for a semi-hollow, but here are 3 semi-hollow lightweights that are priced nice that won't break the bank.
The Gretsch weighs in at about 6lbs 10oz. Gorgeous guitar. 5-ply arched maple body and loaded with Broad'Tron pickups. The center block is spruce. And that V-shape tailpiece always catches my eye.
The Epiphone weighs in at 7lbs 6oz. This is a guitar I've mentioned a few times before as it's one of the best that Epiphone makes. It has advanced electronics with two coil-tapped humbuckers, but the best part is that this is a semi-hollow that is almost the same size as a Les Paul. This is not the larger ES-335 body style of the Epiphone Dot. Many players appreciate the smaller ES-339 size. If you want a lightweight Les Paul without major modifications or ridiculous amounts of weight reduction, you want the ES-339.
Squier Vintage Modified '72 Tele Thinline
This Squier is the same weight as the Gretsch at 6lbs 10oz. This is a very cool Telecaster from Squier that sounds as good as it looks. Truly, it does. Yes, the strings do install through the body, so you can truly feel all that wonderful semi-hollow vibration when playing this axe. This Tele projects acoustically just as well as the two other guitars above and that's no joke.
Compared to the other two guitars above, this is the simplest of the lot. One 3-way switch, 2 knobs and nothing else, which is how a Telecaster should be.
Which has the best sound?
If you want twang and snap, you get the Squier. If you want something good for blues, jazz and rock, get the Epiphone. If you want something that's good for '50s and '60s tones, get the Gretsch.
Out of the three, the one that covers the most range of sounds is the Epiphone mainly because of its coil-tapped humbuckers. But I'd personally get the Squier instead.