Guitar of the week #49 - Epiphone ES-175 Premium
Some fancy digs here. Is it worth the asking price?
The Epiphone ES-175 Premium is not cheap. Some would say, "Well, it's cheap compared to a Gibson ES-175!" I don't agree with that either. When you see the price tag of the Epiphone, you'll understand what I mean.
Now before continuing, the Epiphone Casino, Epiphone Sheraton II, Epiphone Riviera and of course the Epiphone Dot are all far less in asking price compared to the ES-175.
So what makes the ES-175 Premium by Epiphone worth so much?
It basically comes down to electronics, the finish and the fact it's an ES-175.
The pickups are Gibson USA '57 Classic models, the finish is "aged" lacquer (meaning fake-aged and not true aging), and then there's the ES-175 thing. It's the same style of guitar Joe Pass, Scotty Moore and Wes Montgomery played. And yeah, that means model name alone inflates the price.
Make no mistake, however, this is a fancy dan guitar. This is an Epiphone model where "premium" truly means upscale, from the "zig-zag" trapeze tailpiece to the parallelogram inlays to the deluxe tuners and so on. You truly do get an upscale instrument for what you pay for it.
Another reason Epiphone can price the guitar high is because Gibson and Epiphone basically own a big chunk of the electric hollow body niche market. What I mean by that is when you're shopping for a hollow body, there are basically only 3 names. Gibson, Epiphone and Gretsch. Yes, there are others. But the go-to brands are those three.
On the Gretsch side of things, a similar (and cheaper) option would be the G5422TDC Electromatic. But as you will notice, the guitar has an upper mid-tier price tag. When you get into hollow body territory, prices start going up and that's just the way it is. These guitars are more difficult to build and don't sell as well as solid-body guitars do.
Is the Epiphone ES-175 Premium worth its asking price?
I have to give conditional answers on this one.
For an import hollow body, no, it's not worth it. Epiphone has other hollow body models that are almost half the price.
For the fact it is an ES-175, yes it is worth it solely for the reason it's the only model of its kind at the price it's selling for that's built like an ES-175 is supposed to be built.
I have to explain that one a bit further.
There are some guitar players out there who have been seeking out an ES-175 all their lives but have never been able to find one they could afford. These players believe the ES-175 has that sound that only an ES-175 can make (which is probably the reason the Premium has Gibson USA pickups in it.)
In the end, guys who know hollow body electrics know what the ES-175 is and what it can do. The Epiphone Premium model, even with its high price tag, does deliver the goods.
Does the DigiTech Nexus software for the RP360 really work?
It's time for some software goodness.
If you have a DigiTech RP360 like I do (the DigiTech RP360XP will also work), you can download the free Nexus software from the DigiTech web site and edit the user presets with software instead of from the unit itself.
Does it work?
If you connect it properly, yes.
The first thing I recommend is installing the Nexus software first BEFORE connecting the RP360. Why? Drivers.
Second, connect the RP360 using a direct connection, as in unit-to-computer. DO NOT use a USB hub.
Third, backup all your user presets even if you've never modified any.
Fourth, if the software states your RP360 or RP360XP needs a firmware update, do it. It will make editing presets easier. While updating the firmware, LET IT FINISH. Don't do other stuff on your computer while it's taking place.
An example of a preset I made.
I was able to get a pretty cool Zeppelin-type sound for my Squier Strat using a minimal setup.
Which Casio keeps the best time?
5 watches, all with different personalities. The day this gets posted this is when Daylight Savings Time will go into effect, so yeah, it's appropriate to talk about watches and time. :)
Five Casio wristwatches I own, the F-91W, A158, B640WD, A500, and a modified AE1200 (two ladder bars have been cut from the face so I can read the display easier).
My F-28W is not shown because I forgot to include that one in the photo.
Worst time keeper
The B640WD keeps the worst time, as it loses about 1 to 1.5 seconds a day. Over the course of a month, the watch will be off from anywhere to 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Now of course, any watch that loses a minute a month isn't bad, but it is bad for a Casio digital.
Best time keeper
A tie between the F-91W and the AE1200. Both of these will only lose half-a-second to 1 second per week which is as good as it gets for a non-atomic/non-smart watch.
I wear the A158 the most often
The A158 is an F-91W in a metal case with metal bracelet. Both watches use the exact same module, but the F-91W has slightly better timekeeping to it. So why wear the A158? Because I like a watch with a metal case and bracelet.
Which would I choose if I could only have one?
The AE1200. My version has a nylon strap that won't break, the backlight is great, it has superb timekeeping accuracy, the auto calendar is programmed with all the leap years until 2099, you can turn off/on DST with it, it has 5 alarms, countdown timer, chronograph, and the battery lasts for 10 years. The AE1200 is just a great all-around workhorse digital.
I'm glad to have the Casio digitals that I do. Yeah, I have too many, to be sure. But they're small, easy to keep in a box, and cheap. :)
Have I found the right analog yet?
Nope. I sent the V003 I bought back after receiving it. Tried it for a day, and it just didn't fit correct on my wrist no matter what adjustment I made.
I might be trying a square or rectangle shaped analog in the near future. That's a possibility. Obviously, I like angular watches given that all of my digitals have angled shapes to them.
Guitar of the week #48 - Danelectro "The 64"
Weird, wacky and cool. But not cheap.
The last time I saw a Mosrite clone was the Jay Turser Mosman, which evidently is now called the Venture Mach 1. That guitar has a mid-tier price.
The Danelectro The 64 has an upper-mid-tier price tag, currently sitting between the price of a Mexico Strat and and an American Strat.
So the question is basically this: Is the Danelectro made better than the Jay Turser?
I don't know for sure - but I can tell you this: The Danelectro does use better parts. Right up front you can see a true Bigsby vibrato on the Dan. It might be a "licensed" Bigsby (meaning imported), but still, it's a Bigsby. That's a step in the right direction.
The color choices are also better with Danelectro and do look more period correct.
My only knock against the Dan is the pickup covers. The rear is a double-lipstick tube and the front is a P90-style. Personally, I would prefer it if both pickups were the P90 style.
Why is the double-lipstick humbucker in the rear? That's a Danelectro thing as they use lipstick tubes often in their electric guitars.
Other than the rear pickup styling, the Dan looks real nice for what it is. The guitar appears to have been designed with care, and I even like the "64" circled number on the headstock. Nice touch. (It's right after the "o" in "Danelectro").
In photos, it would appear the Danelectro The 64 has the edge in several places over the Jay Turser Mosman. When you compare them side by side, you'll start to see things that warrant the Dan's higher price tag.
I think for a Mosrite clone, Danelectro appears to have done a fine job.
The quest for the right day-date watch continues
You would not believe the crapola I've been through in trying to find an analog wristwatch I can get along with. This is the latest on my search.
Recently, I bought a Casio F-91W. Two of them, actually. (I liked it so much I bought a second as a backup shortly after buying the first, since it was cheap enough to do.)
Now although the F-91W has an alarm, stopwatch and hourly chime, it's the main timekeeping screen that matters most. On that screen is a digital version of a traditional day-date watch. Hour, minute, second, weekday, day of month. Yes, there are a few other things besides that, but it's the traditional day-date stuff that matters.
Something I've come to learn from wearing the F-91W is that I really, really like a watch that tells me the day of the month and what day or the week it is in addition to the time. I'd like to have that in an analog, so I ordered something (which I'll talk about in a moment) in my latest attempt to find one I actually like.
Guitar player wrists
It is true that many, many guitar players have small wrists. I think my wrist is about 6.75 inches around on the left wrist. Maybe slightly larger. I am left-handed but the left wrist is in fact the traditional watch wearer's wrist for right-handed folk. In comparison, the "standard" men's size wrist is usually between 7 to 7.25-inch.
You don't have to look far to find guitar players with really "bony" wrists. The hands and wrists obviously get a good workout fairly often, so seeing a guitar player with skinny little wrists isn't uncommon. This is not to say that all guitar players have skinny wrists, but many do.
What I've learned so far
Since wearing the F-91W regularly, I not only know I really like a day-date, but I also like a small watch, and the F-91W is quite small. 38.2mm length x 35.2mm width (including pushers) x 8.5mm thick.
I tried a larger watch, the Casio MTP-1314. Very nice timepiece, but way too large for my wrist. That has a measurement of 50mm x 44.9mm x 9.4mm. It did not fit and had to be sent back. But even if it did fit correct, there was another problem. The 1314 is a date and not a day-date watch. And I want that day-date, damn it.
Another one I tried in Walmart was the Casio MRW-200H. That is a day-date, and believe it or not, the bezel actually turns like a proper diver's watch should. What I didn't like about that one however was the strap. Too long. True, I could have cut it to size myself since it is resin, but ultimately I passed on this because I wanted an analog that would go nicely with a button-down shirt. I will give the MRW-200H credit however in that it felt quite solid, meaning it feels more expensive than its price.
Yet another I bought and had to send back was the Casio MTP-1370. That watch was so frickin' close to being the right one, but it had two problems. First, the hands were absolutely unreadable even with the slightest glare, and second, I could not get used to a watch with no numbers on the face. Some guys can read watches with no numbers easily, but not me. It's not that I can't read a watch without numbers on the face (I could tell time with a Movado watch if I had to, as many of those have almost no hour nor minute markers at all,) but I just have to look at it longer to figure it out. That's annoying.
There are not many day-date analog watches under $50 that actually look good
When shopping for an analog watch that just tells time or has basic time and date, there are plenty under $50 that look nice.
But finding one under $50 that is a day-date, fits a 6.75-inch wrist and looks nice? Yeah, that's a bit of a challenge.
All the Timex brand options are out because they all tick too loud. That's a Timex thing. I wish it wasn't, because otherwise there are actually several day-date models they make that I would buy in heartbeat.
I have searched, searched, and searched again to find an analog that will suit. In the end, Casio is pretty much the only brand that makes an analog day-date that is affordable and isn't giant-sized...
...which leads me to the watch pictured at top, the Casio MTP-V003L. The "L" means it has a leather strap. And to note, there are several V003 models. Some have numbers on the face, some have sticks, some have a white face, some a black face, some a silver face, some are steel colored, some are gold-tone, etc. The one I have on order is the one pictured at top.
The V003 is not a watch I could find at Walmart, so it had to be yet another one of those buy-it-to-try-it things.
I do not know if the V003 will have the same sun glare problem the 1370 did. I am also hoping there is enough contrast between the hands and the dial.
If I felt like spending over $100...
...nobody does a smaller easy-read day-date better than Seiko.
Namely, the SGG711 titanium model.
I don't have $100 to blow on a watch, but if I did, the SGG711 is what I consider to be a perfect day-date. It's easy to read, it's lightweight thanks to the use of titanium, the hands are just the right thickness, and there's plenty of contrast between the hands and the dial.
Some listings state the case diameter is 37.5mm while others state it's 37mm. And that would fit my wrist just fine...
...but like I said, I don't have $100 to blow on it.
While the Casio V003 doesn't look anywhere near as good as the Seiko does, I'll be happy if the V003 actually fits and functions correctly. That will be a step in the right direction.
If the V003 works out and I keep it, does that mean I'll stop wearing the F-91W? Heck no. It just means I'll have an analog day-date watch that I can finally feel comfortable wearing. Sometimes it's just nice to wear an analog watch on the wrist, what can I say.