I'm a G-SHOCK guy
It took me a long time to figure something out...
...and that something is that I've been a G-SHOCK guy all along and didn't know it.
With guitars, I found out that my true calling was Fender and Squier offset models. The Jazzmaster, specifically. If someone had told me back in my teens that one day I would simply stop playing Strats completely and switch over to this weird-ass shaped, buzzy, trebly-extreme guitar with a gaggle of controls, I would have called you insane. But that's exactly what happened. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Similarly, if someone had told me that the perfect wristwatch for me is a Casio G-SHOCK, I would have called you insane on that one too. But now I own a G-SHOCK. Just as the Jazzmaster is the guitar that totally says "me", a G-SHOCK says the same and that's what I wear on my wrist daily. But it took me a few years to realize this.
If you go back through my older posts here, there are more than a few things I've written about Casio watches as well as other brands. It started in 2011, and it wasn't until January 2017 that I finally bought a a used Casio G-SHOCK DW-9052. I wasn't even planning on buying one, but I was scanning around eBay, found one in great shape, placed 1 bid on it not thinking I'd actually win, and won it for just 29 bucks.
In the short time I've owned a G-SHOCK, I now understand why these things are so great. It has been said in YouTube videos, forums and other places that "those who know get a G-SHOCK". They just handle life better than any other watch you could get.
An example of "handling life"
Recently I had to drag a lawnmower out of the shed and get the thing running to do some mowing with it (yes, Floridians do start mowing in late February and early March). I got it running and mowed the grass. While doing that I glanced at my watch a few times because there were some errands I needed to run later that day at a certain time.
Not once did I worry about whether the watch could handle grass and dirt thrown at it. And oh yeah, it got dirty. But it was nothing to worry about. After I was done mowing, I went inside and just washed it off in the kitchen sink.
Had this been a smartphone, the dirt thrown around would have scratched up the screen like crazy, and you don't exactly hold a phone under running water to clean it. Even if I kept the phone in the pocket, I wouldn't have been able to pull it out anyway because I was wearing work gloves. But let's say I could have magically pulled the phone out. My work gloves would have scratched up the screen along with the dirt flying around.
It is the tough-built nature of the G-SHOCK that makes it worth owning. Knock it around, get it dirty, get it wet, whatever... it can handle just about anything.
One more G-SHOCK to get...
On my wish list is the second G-SHOCK I want to get, the G9100 Gulfman. And I have a very specific reason for wanting it.
I love the DW-9052, but there is only one thing it doesn't have that I wish it did. Multiple alarms. I do use those almost every day. Right now I use two watches to get that task done. I wear the DW-9052 and keep a cheap AE1200 at my desk for a second alarm.
Aside from the DW-9052, there are only two G-SHOCK models with multiple alarms and a countdown timer with auto-repeat (which I also require) that fit my wrist. The G9000 Mudman and the G9100.
What keeps me from getting a G9000 Mudman is the fact the buttons on that model require a very firm press to work. This is by design. The reason it's called a Mudman is because it has extra protection over all the buttons to keep mud and dirt out of the case.
The G9100 Gulfman's buttons can be pressed much more easily. Function-wise it's much different than the Mudman as it has things like moon phase and tide prediction. It also has a titanium case back, hence the reason it says "RUST RESIST" right on the strap, as the titanium resists rust and corrosion better than a stainless steel case back would.
I don't necessarily need the moon phase and tide prediction, but I do need G-SHOCK toughness in a watch that has multiple alarms and timer with auto-repeat.
When I do get that G9100 in one way or another, if it fits right (and I think it will), I believe it will pretty much the best watch I could possibly own. There is nothing better out there for what I need a wristwatch for. And believe me, I've looked. The G9100 ticks all the right boxes, so hopefully I will be getting one at some point.
Guitar of the week #98 - Guild T-Bird ST P90
This bird sings.
There may be some of you who already know of the Guild S-200 T-Bird. The ST P90 version is based off the S-200 but is more simplified. There are fewer switches and no vibrato. While I do like the S-200, I find the simplicity of the ST P90 to be the better player's guitar.
If you're wondering whether or not this guitar has neck dive, I already know it doesn't because of the top horn. You'll notice how it goes over the 12th fret; that is the sign the guitar body was designed right and will not dive.
The pickups in this guitar are a pair of Franz P90s, described by Guild as "perfect for the player looking for that crisp, vintage, single-coil sound, offering plenty of mid-range output that can be driven to a soaring classic rock tone".
What does that mean? It means an above-average P90 pickup with good output that is voiced properly for what it is.
Is this guitar a reissue? Yes and no. The S-200 is absolutely a reissue of the same Guild guitar built between 1964 and 1968. The ST P90 has the shape but is not the reissue like the S-200 is. However, as I noted above, I believe the ST P90 is the better player's guitar.
The best guitar effect is delay
This is the guitar effect worth putting money into.
Out of every guitar effect that exists, delay is the only one that works everywhere. But before I get into that, I'm specifically talking about digital delay. The cheap way to do digital delay is the Behringer DD600. The mid-priced way is the BOSS DD-3. The most expensive and absolute best is the BOSS DD-7.
The DD-7 has never been cheap and never will be. When you buy that pedal (and you will at some point), it's going to hurt spending that much on just a delay effect. But once you use it, you'll quickly realize why it's the king of delay pedals. Perfect sonic clarity, rock-solid build and every option you would ever want or need out of a delay effect. The DD-7 is missing nothing. That's the one you want.
5 reasons why digital delay is the best guitar effect
1. Works in any amp
Whether you have a small practice amp, a combo or a full stack, delay always works exactly how you would expect.
With any overdrive or distortion pedal, you must "tune" that to the amplifier you're using. And if you switch amps, you must "tune" it again. Digital delay doesn't require that at all. The only thing you have to adjust is the level of the effect and nothing more.
2. Works in any mixing board even when used direct
Digital delay is one of the few guitar effects that requires nothing "in front" or "behind" it to sound right. No special amp modeling is required nor any ultra-specific EQ settings. Just plug in, tweak to your liking and go.
3. Works the best with other effects
Delay works with anything. Whether it's distortion, overdrive, phaser, flanger, fuzz or even other delay effects, digital delay just works.
4. It's (almost) always better than reverb
Reverb is a very finicky effect. With surf guitar (which I play), yes, reverb is very desirable for what's known as a surf "drip" sound such as from using a BOSS FRV-1. But for pretty much every other music style, delay is always better. For country, you set the delay to a short "slap back". For soaring solos, sweeping long delays are used. For rock rhythm guitar, a light delay in the background adds more fullness to the guitar tone.
5. It works with any guitar you own
This is the biggest reason why digital delay is the best effect to have.
Take the very famous distortion pedal, the BOSS DS-1. You've probably seen this pedal before and may even own one now. Thousands of guitar players use it. Thousands of modders mod the pedal routinely. This is a very well-known pedal...
...and it sounds like absolute ass when pushing a Stratocaster through it, or any other trebly single-coil guitar for that matter. If you send a Les Paul or SG with its twin humbuckers through a DS-1, that pedal will sound great. But for the single-coil guitars, nope. Buzzy, nasty mess.
Digital delay however works with any electric guitar, any electric-acoustic guitar and even sounds good when an electric-acoustic 12 string is fed through it.
There is simply no guitar effect that is as versatile as digital delay.
Why not analog delay?
Arguably, the most famous analog delay is, again, made by BOSS, the DM-2. It was made in the early '80s and ones in good shape command high dollars. Certain models of the DM-2 have a very specific "spacey" sound to them; that's what makes it desirable...
...and at the same time makes it not the most versatile delay. On some amps it sounds great while on others it sounds awful.
When you want ultra-predictable, ultra-reliable performance and versatility out of your delay, digital is the only way to go. Sure, the DM-2 and other boutique analog delay effects may be "cool", but when you want a delay that delivers every time, digital is it.
Delay is not "cheating"
There are some guitar purists who, quite stupidly, believe that the only way to play "real" guitar is to have one amp (combo, half-stack or full stack), one cable, one guitar and nothing else.
Ridiculous. This is not the 1950s. And even if it were, there was this crazy thing called the EchoSonic, the first portable guitar amp with a built-in tape echo effect used for that oh-so cool slapback sound. Look it up. It was used a lot. Chet Atkins himself bought the second one ever made in 1954. If that's not an endorsement that the delay effect is cool, I don't know what is.
Use delay. Get a DD-7. It's worth it.
No bent notes, no vibrato
What happens when you compose music on guitar that has absolutely no bent notes or vibrato?
Before I answer that, take the Fender Deluxe Stratocaster. That guitar in particular is very bend-friendly because it has a 12-inch fingerboard radius instead of the typical 9.5, which means less fretting out when bending notes. If you want a Strat where you can bend notes real easy with no "squeak", the Deluxe is the Strat to get. It's a Mexico build. If you want something USA-made, see the Fender American Elite Stratocaster that has a compound radius fingerboard from 9.5" to 14". And of course there is Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster with its scalloped fingerboard for the ultimate in note bending...
...but this is about guitar riffing using no bent notes and no vibrato at all.
Painful truths about note bending on the guitar
Something that unfortunately happens with a lot of guitar players is that they feel they must bend notes and must use note vibrato because they feel that shows skill.
There a few painful truths to know here.
- Bending notes and vibrato doesn't show guitar skill and never did.
- The vast majority of guitar players don't bend notes correctly where the note will be slightly sharp or flat.
- The vast majority of guitar players cannot perform vibrato correctly. The sound is either too slow and sounds like a warble similar to a warped record, or too fast and sounds like a chitter. Most players chitter.
- Most people hate bent guitar notes. And I'll tell you exactly why.
The "perfect" guitar note vibrato is supposed to sound like a human voice. But the only way to really do that is with 100% clean, non-distorted guitar, and to use it sparingly. This is part of the reason Chet Atkins was such a genius on the guitar. It's not only what he did but what he didn't do that mattered.
Now when it comes to bent notes, an absolute perfect bend is like the one heard on the clarinet in the beginning of the song Rhapsody in Blue.
Clarinetists who do that opening note slide correct get a perfect arc with a vibrato at the tail end of the note, which very few guitar players do. Instead, what you hear is a poorly executed two-semitone bend that's flat on the end with no vibrato to speak of. It's downright awful. And that's why people hate hearing notes bent on guitar. It just sounds bad.
How to write a song using no note bending and no vibrato
Rule 1: STOP SOLOING
I've said this before and will say it again. Stop soloing. Concentrate on the riffing and songwriting instead.
Rule 2: Stop treating the guitar as a lead instrument
Every guitar player thinks the guitar is the only instrument that matters. Obviously, that's not true. Scale it back and make it part of the song rather than The Thing Over The Song Everyone MUST HEAR NOW NOW NOW.
Rule 3: Stop overcomplicating your songs
The guitar player mentality is to make things complicated on purpose, which is the exact opposite of what you should do. People prefer simple songs over complicated ones. Simpler songs are also easier to remember and easier to play. Why punish yourself?
Huge guitar player advantage to a no-bend/no-vibrato approach
Guitar players like a guitar where the action is low to make playing the instrument easier. But if you're the type who bends notes often, you know that the lower the string action is set, the more difficult it is to bend notes...
...unless you stop bending entirely, or let the vibrato system perform that duty if your guitar has one.
Stop bending notes, or only bend to apply light vibrato sparingly on occasion, and you can then set your string action lower. Possibly a lot lower.
If the only reason you have your strings set higher than you'd like is for easier note bending, imagine how much better your guitar will play and feel if you stop bending notes.
There is no rule that states you must bend notes on guitar. You never had to.
My personal experience with no-bend/no-vibrato
I'm bending notes a lot less these days, but there's still that "must bend note" guitar player mentality that's tough to let go of.
When I do let go of it and concentrate more on riffing and songwriting, it's a very cool thing. Songs come together a lot easier, I can play for longer because I'm not constantly straining my fret hand with note bends, and the music I make just sounds better overall.
I highly recommend trying the no-bend/no-vibrato approach.
Guitar of the week #97 - Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder
This is a lean, mean, shredding machine.
Schecter sometimes does things that are both cool and funny at the same time. The Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder, also known as the Schecter Sun Valley SS, makes absolutely no apologies for what it is just from model name alone. The name says, "This is a rock guitar meant to do a very specific thing. Deal with it."
And when I say "deal with it", I'm not kidding, especially when one of those colors offered is Lambo Orange. Like I said, no apologies are given here. I, of course, prefer the Sea Foam Green finish.
What we have here is a mahogany body, maple neck with "thin C" profile and 14" fingerboard radius, offset/reverse dot inlays (a nice touch), 24 X-Jumbo frets, Floyd-Rose Special "Hot Rod" tremolo system exclusive to Schecter, and a pair of EMG Retro Active Hot 70 pickups (yes, this guitar is active and has the 9V battery).
The only weak point of the guitar is the Floyd-Rose. "Special" means it's the cheaper version of the tremolo system. Floyd-Rose Original is the one that is made from the best stuff, but the Special was used to keep the price of the guitar reasonable (otherwise it would be several hundred dollars more).
Even though the FR Special is the weak spot, for a South Korean made guitar, this one definitely delivers the goods in all the right places.
My kind of guitar? Nope. But like I said very recently, shredder guitars are popping up all over the place in 2017 and this is one of them.
The hardware is good, but what's also good is the reserved styling. Schecter went with an "elegant super Strat" look here, and it works greatly in its favor. The guitar totally looks like something that easily costs 4 figures, but is actually well below that price point.
The Sun Valley is a good offering from Schecter and priced just right for what it is. I understand the cost-cutting choice to use the FR Special instead of Original, and that was a correct decision to make the guitar more affordable. With this axe, you totally do get what you pay for, and I say that in a positive way.