Guitar of the week #60 - Schecter E-1 Custom Special Edition
Just as cool as an Explorer, more affordable, and more available.
The Schecter E-1 Custom Special Edition is obviously, "heavily inspired" by the Gibson Explorer. If you like Explorers, you'll like the E-1.
Is the E-1 better than the Explorer? Yes, no question about that. The strings are straight after the nut (better tuning stability,) the nut itself is a Graph Tech TUSQ XL, the inlays are real-deal mother of pearl blocks, the tuners are the locking type, the neck scale is 24.75-inch with 12-to-16-inch compound radius fingerboard, both pickups are Schecter USA made, with push/pull control on the knobs...
...and the guitar is basically awesome. Again, it is better than the Explorer in basically every way unless you're the type of person that's just "gotta have that Explorer".
Aside from the E-1 being a true player's guitar, I'm predicting this one is going to have some high resale value in the future, should you care about that sort of thing (and some do).
Mistakes Were Made
A new song made really, really fast. And I'll tell you how to make a song really fast too.
Last Friday I published and article that said I was going to release more music soon, and over the weekend I crafted one.
The entire song was recorded, mixed, mastered and published in under 2 hours. How was I able to get it done so fast? By purposely keeping the song simple.
Simple songwriting 101 for guitar
All you have to follow are 3 rules when you want to write a song really, really fast.
Rule #1: Simplify your songwriting
If your riffs get too complicated, you'll never complete the song.
With guitar, that basically means to chord a lot and make your chord structure simple. While Mistakes Were Made sounds complicated, it really isn't as it's just a fast delta style blues refrain.
Rule #2: Have your recording rig 100% ready-to-use
I use a ZOOM R8 multitrack recorder that has a drum machine in it, a guitar and a bass guitar. I also have a microphone for singing but didn't use it for Mistakes Were Made because it's an instrumental.
In the way my recording rig is set up, I can power on and be ready to record very quickly.
Rule #3: Be willing to make mistakes
The reason the song is called Mistakes Were Made is because mistakes are present in the song, but I left them in anyway. I'd record a track where I would mess up but just powered through until the end, then laid down the next track, then the next one, mixed, mastered, publish, done.
I record this way because a) getting the song done is important, and b) sometimes what seems like a big mistake can actually be "fixed in the mix" once other instruments are added in. Besides which, I have punch in/out editing on the R8 as does any other multitrack recorder, so it's not like it's difficult to fix a screw-up these days.
Done
Getting a song finished, published and DONE is a very satisfying thing. I waited far too long to release something new, so it felt good to finally do it.
Does this mean more music will be coming soon on a more regular basis? Hopefully, yes. :)
Oh, one final note: The guitar used for this song was the Squier Jazzmaster.
Casio Japan market A158 on the way
Some new songs are coming soon, but for now, a few words about a gold-tone Casio.
The Casio A158 has a gold tone face, sometimes known as a camel face. I already own an A158, but not in this colorway. I spent a few bucks more (literally, it was just around 4 bucks more) and ordered model A-158WEA-9JF.
Why did I do this? First, because the F-91W is great and the A158 is the F-91W in a steel version. Second, I didn't want an exact copy of my existing A158 since I already have one, so I figured I'd go for a gold tone. Third, I wanted a true JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Casio. The one I have on the way is direct from Japan, hence the JF at the end of the model name.
Does this mean the watch is made in Japan? No. All A158 models are China-made as far as I know. But what I'm hoping is that I get the JDM-specific packaging which is distinctively different than North American packaging. If I don't, oh well, I lost 4 bucks. But I'm hoping I do get it.
Casio watches with North American packaging for lower tier models are nothing but decidedly cheap blue and white boring boxes.
Casio watches with Japanese packaging, while just as cheap, are made hangtag style.
It is interesting that the Japan packaging does have English on the right side, possibly because this is meant for both Japan and certain English-speaking markets.
We used to get watch product packaging like this in America, but haven't for years because this style of packaging is supposed to be displayed in the open. As anyone who lives in America knows, you can't leave stuff in the open in a store because it will get stolen quickly.
Will I actually wear my gold-tone A158 once I get it? Absolutely. To date, I've never seen anyone around here wear one. I have seen the all-gold A159 version being worn, but that's too much gold for my taste. I like the metal color bracelet with the gold face. It works nicely for a little digital timepiece and has the right balance of gold and metal color without looking too garish. Works for me.
more music coming soon
I'm writing this one not just as an announcement but also as a reminder to actually do it.
The last time I released a song was in June 2015, almost a full year ago. Yeah, it's been a while. Totally my fault...
...and I intend to rectify that fault by releasing out some new songs soon.
I find that sometimes it's necessary to put pressure on myself to get songs done, and posting this article is my way of doing that.
Setting deadlines
Setting deadlines is a thing I sometimes do, and it's something I recommend to any guitar player just looking to get songs done.
The process is this: Get the song written and recorded, no matter how bad it turns out, by X date. X is whatever date you set.
So anyway, yes, new songs are coming soon. Kind of a short announcement, but not much needs to be said. It just needs to get done and will be done.
Guitar of the week #59 - Fender FSR Jaguar HH
Note: This is an FSR (Fender Special Run) Fender guitar, meaning very limited quantity, meaning if you like it, get it now or you'll never see it again.
The Fender FSR Jaguar HH is a cool guitar. The finish is Sea Foam Pearl, and compared to the Blacktop Series guitars Fender released prior where the skirted knobs didn't work with the design at all, on this guitar they work perfectly since the original Jag had "witch hat" knobs on it. The only difference is that these are black to match the pick guard, and yes, it absolutely and totally works.
What is this guitar best characterized as? A rocker guitar. As in not a surf guitar. It's also a ridiculously easy-to-play guitar with its 24" short scale length.
Basically, what we've got here is an offset waist short scale hardtail axe with a pair of hot humbuckers in it. Stupidly easy to operate, stupidly easy to play and looks cool.
While I don't like the hardtail version of the Jazzmaster, this hardtail Jag hits all the right marks. Right color, right style, right design, right everything.
My only nitpick? I wish it used the traditional curvy "JAGUAR" logo on the headstock. Other than that, this one is a winner.
It's also a stupidly easy collectible for those of you out there that collect guitars.
Like I said above, if you like it, grab it now before it's gone.