Guitar of the week #78 - ESP LGL200SBT (George Lynch Signature)
This guitar is so stupid...
...so why am I featuring it? I'll tell you why in a moment. What you need to know right now is that I'm talking about the LGL200SBT model, also known as the ESP LTD GL-200 SBT George Lynch Signature.
It's totally possible that some who read this have no idea who George Lynch is, so here's a quick rundown:
George Lynch was in an '80s hair metal band called Dokken and then in his own band called Lynch Mob which to the best of my knowledge still performs regularly.
I personally take no influence from George for my personal playing style because that's just not my thing.
There are two main reasons why this guitar is stupid.
First, it just looks stupid. I remember when I first saw one of these in a guitar store a long time ago and honestly thought it was a joke. But it's not. The infamous tiger stripe is what George likes, supposedly. And that reverse "hockey stick" headstock... yuck.
Second, the guitar represents everything about guitar playing I wish would die and go away forever. Shredding, glam metal, a refusal to let the '80s go... all of that is represented by the Lynch guitar. I just hate it.
So anyway, some quick specs for you. The guitar is obviously designed to be a hard rockin', fast playin' beast. Basswood body, 3-piece neck with a thin U-shape, extra-flat 14" fretboard radius, 22 extra-jumbo size frets for easy soloing, ESP-designed pickups, Floyd-Rose Special tremolo system.
This axe is definitely designed as a soloist guitar. One knob, two pickups. How do you switch between the pickups? The lone knob is a push/pull.
I will admit that this guitar looks very nice in person. The tiger stripe finish definitely turns heads, that's for sure.
Why am I featuring this stupid guitar?
One reason. Price.
For as long as I've been playing guitar, I've seen ESP Lynch models in guitar stores, and they've always been expensive. I can remember them commanding a hefty price tag back in the day.
This one, however, sells for a very reasonable price. Dare I say, it's almost cheap.
Some guitar players have always wanted a Lynch guitar but could never afford one. Well, you can afford this one.
BONUS: "Kamikaze" model
This is the other style of guitar fans of Lynch signature models like, and it's called the GL200K model.
Same price as the Tiger Stripe version? Yes. Same price, same specs.
Which do I like better? I actually think the Kamikaze model has a cooler look to it. Not as famous (infamous?) as the Tiger Stripe, but not a bad look... not that I'd ever own one.
But hey, if you like these Lynch models, get yourself one. These are the best prices I've ever seen for these specific models. It's LTD-branded so it doesn't have the super-duper high-grade luthier quality of the ESP custom shop, but you can't expect that for the low prices these models sell for. You will however get the real deal metal machine that a Lynch signature guitar is supposed to be.
My cheap Casio watch collection
So this is where things are five-and-a-half years later.
In 2011, I unintentionally started a Casio digital watch collection. I say unintentionally because I wasn't intending on collecting watches at all. But here it is almost 5.5 years later, and now I own a bunch of them.
The one that started it all is model F-28W. This model is no longer made, but I still own the watch and will get a replacement strap for it someday.
The rest are models AE1200WH-1A (with modified insert), W93H, F-91W, A158W, A158WEA, B640WD-1A and A500WA.
Cost
Cheapest of the bunch is the F-91W bought for about $10 and the most expensive was the A500WA bought for about $29. The rest of them were between $15 and $25.
The daily wearer
The watch I wear daily is the AE1200 because I do have legitimate need for its specific features. The AE1200 has 5 alarms, and there have been days where I've used all 5. It also has a countdown timer, and I do use that regularly.
I use the W93H only as a timer for when I do my workouts. It has a countdown timer with auto-repeat. The AE1200 has a timer also, but doesn't the have auto-repeat feature.
Resin strap only
I don't wear any watch with a steel bracelet these days because Florida heat + steel bracelet is a bad combination. The bracelet sticks, marks up my skin and just looks bad even with the slightest sweat.
I've learned the hard way that leather, canvas and nylon watch straps don't work well with Florida heat either. None of them stick from sweat, but do periodically stink from it. Remember, it's fabric, and fabric soaks up liquid, which includes sweat.
The resin strap is the best for Florida heat. If the strap starts to stick to the skin from sweat, loosen one notch and you're good to go. If a lot of sweat gets on the strap, find a sink and wash the strap off. Very easy.
For a super duper cleaning, use Windex or dish soap on the strap. Works great.
What do I do with all the Casio watches I don't wear?
They stay boxed for those where I saved the boxes. The others are in a little plastic container I have. I can't sell the watches because they're really not worth anything. I haven't thrown any of them out because they all still work just fine and they hardly take up any space.
This is usually how most people end up with cheap Casio digital watch collections. It's normal to go through a bunch of different models before you find one that really works for you. For me, I decided on the AE1200 model (unless something else comes along that I like better that's cheap).
Again, I did not intend to have a Casio watch collection. It just kinda happened.
Guitar of the week #77 - Jackson Pro Series Rhoads RRT-3
The best looking V style guitar ever to exist? Yes.
Take the Jackson Pro Series Rhoads RRT-3 model; it's priced below that of a Fender American Standard Stratocaster.
I don't claim for one second that this guitar has the best sound, the best action, the best vibrato system or the best stability...
...but it is the best looking V guitar ever made.
The interesting thing about this particular look is that on any other guitar it would look terrible. White + black pinstripe + gold hardware doesn't work on any guitar except this one. I can't even tell you why it works other than it just does.
Some guitars are very age-specific. For example, a big hollow body electric like the Gretsch G2420 looks stupid in the hands on a teenager the same as any Ibanez JEM looks stupid in the hands of old guys...
...but for some strange reason, this Rhoads V dressed up as seen above escapes being tied to a specific age group.
Would I ever own one? If I had the disposable cash to spend on it, yes I would. It's just a cool guitar with a rock-and-roll attitude dressed up in a tuxedo. A weird combo, to be sure, but again, the look just works.
Also, on a final note, I have owned a Rhoads style V shape guitar before, and it is without question the best-balanced out of all the V shapes. It's lightweight and there is no neck dive. That's as good as it gets with a V shape guitar.
What is the right way to adjust a truss rod at the heel?
This is not that big of a deal once you know how to do it.
I recently performed a truss rod adjustment on my Yamaha RBX170 electric bass, which does have the truss rod adjustment hole at the heel. However, I'm going to explain one step beyond that for Fender guitars, such as the Fender '60s Jaguar, where the neck physically comes off the body in order to adjust neck relief.
Which way does what?
Assuming a right-handed instrument in the seated position, a clockwise turn a.k.a. "turning right" a.k.a. "turning down" tightens the truss rod.
Assuming a right-handed instrument in the seated position, a counterclockwise turn a.k.a. "turning left" a.k.a. "turning up" loosens the truss rod.
On the RBX170 bass, the neck is not required to be removed to adjust relief. Yamaha put a slot at the heel that can fit a wrench in there to make adjustments.
If holding a right-handed RBX170 bass in the seated position, "turning down" is a clockwise turn, which tightens the truss rod and would bring the strings closer to the fretboard. "Turning up" is a counterclockwise turn that would loosen the truss rod and would bring the strings away from the fretboard. Easy enough to understand.
How to adjust a vintage style Fender truss rod
This style of truss rod adjustment, be it on a vintage style Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Precision Bass or Jazz Bass freaks people out because the neck has to come off in order to make a truss rod adjustment.
There's no reason to freak out, but I do admit it is a tedious process.
This is the process:
Step 1. Loosen the strings.
How much should you loosen? To the point where almost all tension is lost where the strings are about to come off the tuning posts. I'll explain why in a moment.
Step 2. Put a capo on the first fret.
You have to do this. If you don't, your strings are going to come right out of the nut and possibly scratch up your neck once you move it out of the neck pocket.
Step 3. (Assuming a 4-bolt neck plate) Loosen the two screws furthest away from the headstock almost all the way out.
By "almost" mean about 80% of the way out.
Step 4. (Assuming a 4-bolt neck plate) Loosen the two screws closest to the headstock between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way out.
These two screws don't need to come out as far. Just enough so we can do the "scary" part next.
Step 5. Tilt the neck out of the neck pocket.
This is the part that freaks people out.
I recommend loosening the strings and then putting a capo on the 1st fret. I also recommend loosening the screws more than you would for a bass. I doubt what works for a Fender bass would provide enough tilt to fully expose the adjustment screw for adjustment on a 6-string guitar.
It's at this point where you realize why I said to loosen the strings. On a 6-string guitar, when you tilt the neck out of the pocket, if your strings are still at pitch you won't get enough tilt angle to get to the adjustment screw. When the strings are loosened, you do.
What I do agree with however is that you do not have to remove the strings nor the entire neck off the body just to make a relief adjustment. You can keep the strings on and the neck semi-installed in the pocket and still get the job done.
The thing to know about taking a neck out of the pocket for relief adjustment is that there really is no civilized way to do it. Once the screws are loosened, you do have to push to get that neck out of the pocket where "putting a little English on it" is required. The first time you do it, you will probably freak out a little because you are physically taking apart the guitar.
Step 6. Adjust relief.
Again, clockwise a.k.a. "turning right" will tighten the rod and bring the strings closer to the fretboard, and counterclockwise a.k.a. "turning left" will bring the strings away from the fretboard.
There's no way to know if you have adjusted the relief correctly or not until you get the neck installed again and all strings tuned to pitch at which point you can test relief distance. This means yes, you will have to guess how much adjust.
Step 6a. How much should you turn?
The general advice is to give a 1/8 turn. A 1/4 turn is only necessary if you've got some major string buzz issues going on even with the string saddles set correctly, or if the strings sit really high off the fretboard even with properly set string saddles.
Obviously, you need to check the relief before you take off the neck.
Quick-and-dirty method to check relief: Tune your strings to pitch. Put a capo on the 1st fret. Hold the last fret with your picking hand. Tap the 6 string at the 12th fret. Listen for a tapping/clicking sound, and examine how much room there is between the string and the fret. If there is no tapping/clicking sound and the string is resting flush on the fret, the truss rod needs loosening to bring the strings away from the fretboard. If there is a ton of room, the truss rod needs tightening to bring the strings closer to the fretboard. Optimal spacing is generally considered to be about the thickness of a credit card or American quarter coin.
Step 7. Reattach the neck.
Self-explanatory.
Step 8. Remove the capo and tighten strings to pitch.
Self-explanatory.
Step 9. Wait.
I give the neck 24 hours to settle after making an adjustment before attempting another adjustment if need be.
Why do I do this? Because I have made the mistake before of making a truss rod adjustment, checking relief, adjusting again, being satisfied with the relief only to find it not set right when I check it the next day. In that instance, what happened is that the wood settled over the night and the relief changed slightly from where I had it set.
On a Fender neck with vintage style heel adjust for the truss rod, believe me, it is worth it to give the neck wood time to settle else you'll have to take the neck off again for another adjustment.
How often are truss rod adjustments necessary on a Fender maple neck?
If you don't bounce around with different string size sets, and neither the ambient temperature nor the RH (relative humidity) level changes drastically, you should not have to adjust the neck relief that often.
For those of you who gig, yes you will have to adjust neck relief more often. But if the guitar stays mainly at home, I seriously doubt you would have to adjust neck relief more than just a few times per year, if that.
Remember, hard maple is an excellent neck wood. Once you have the relief set to your liking, it will stay put and you shouldn't have to be constantly adjusting it.
Guitar of the week #76 - Gibson SG Special T
Ordinarily I don't feature two same-brand guitars in a row, but I had a good reason to feature this one.
In my article all about nitro finishes, I talked about satin urethane and mentioned that Gibson has a few guitars in that particular finish. The 2017 Gibson USA SG Special T is one of them.
Where satin finishes on the body are concerned, I admit that Gibson really knows how to do it right - and do it at a reasonable price for a USA model as you'll see on the link.
The satin finish is naturally not a high gloss but a duller, diffused gloss. But in the way Gibson does it, it works. I personally think the "Vintage Sunburst" is the best of the three (the other two are Cherry and Ebony).
This SG guitar is a really nice blend of vintage designs in a modern instrument. The entire guitar has a very cool look, almost like something you'd see in a guitar store in the early 1960s.
Does the guitar look better than the more expensive Gibson USA SG Standard with its nitro finish? To that I say there's only one thing I like better about the Standard, and that's the trapezoid neck inlays. The Special T uses blocks.
Do I mind the blocks? Not at all, but I totally admit I'm a sucker for trapezoid inlays on Gibson Les Paul and SG guitars.
However, I will say the Special T is the much better buy. You're getting a kickass guitar with the SlimTaper neck profile (typical for SG models), it totally has the right vintage look on a modern axe and it's actually more gig-ready than the Standard would be. Why? Because the satin finish can take far more punishment than nitro can and cleaning a satin finish is stupidly easy.
I do sincerely appreciate the fact the SG Special T purposely looks different from other SG models. The white pick guard treatment, gold knobs and nickel hardware all just work so well. This is a cool guitar.
And once again, the price is right here. For a USA-made Gibson, this is pretty darned good.