Cheap guitar of the week #43 - ESP LTD M-50FR
LTD continues to hit home runs with cool, new guitars that are cheap, and this is one of them.
The ESP LTD M-50FR is a guitar you may have to hunt around a little to find, but once you do, you'll see it in its glorious neon green or neon orange color. This is a cool axe because it's a cheap rocker/metal/shredder axe that actually looks good.
I applaud LTD for having the balls to release this guitar in neon colors, and do it for a low price. In a sea of guitars all with muted "safe" colors, it's nice to see the super-bright stuff to change things up a bit.
Specs
Basswood body. Bolt-on 25.5-inch maple neck with "Extra Thin Flat" contour, rosewood fingerboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, 350mm (13.78-inch) fingerboard radius, 42mm (1.65-inch) nut width.
Tuners are standard LTD, bridge is "LTD by Floyd Rose". Neck pickup is "ESP Designed LH-150N" and bridge pickup is "ESP Designed LH-150B". Passive electronics all around. Switchgear is volume, tone and a 3-way blade selector. Nice and easy.
The good
It's cheap, easy-to-use, looks awesome and has a very fast-playing neck.
The bad
Basswood body that while light will dent easy.
The FR system will probably break in 2 to 3 years. But then again, for the price you really can't complain.
Pickups are spaced very close together, possibly making neck pickup useless since it has been shoved back because of the 24-fret neck.
Verdict
This is a great "beater" guitar. Looks cool, the electronics are simple, the layout is easy to get along with and the guitar was made to play and beat the crap out of.
Don't buy this guitar only to sell it later. Buy it to play the thing, play it loud and play it often.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro Review
This is a reader requested review.
Fredrico writes:
Can you please review the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro (Plus Top)? I would love to know your opinion about that guitar :)
The Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro is a guitar I give the award for unnecessarily and stupidly long model name, as it is SEVEN WORDS LONG. Not even Squier was dumb enough to do that, although they got real close with six words, Squier Black and Chrome Stratocaster HSS.
I also give Epiphone the award for stupidly made-up word in a model name, "PlusTop". Yes, that is how Epiphone spells it and not as the two separate words "plus" and "top" like it should be.
What does PLUS mean in an Epiphone model?
"Better" wood. Usually a fancy looking veneer for the body top.
What does PRO mean in an Epiphone model?
"Better" electronics. Usually the addition of coil-splitting for Telecaster-like tones on a guitar that features two humbuckers.
How can this be a STANDARD when it's both PLUS and PRO?
Answer: Epiphone logic. This is a Standard yet not a Standard because of the extra stuff in it but called a Standard anyway.
Yes, this means the model name of the guitar directly contradicts itself.
Epiphone, has anyone ever said that you really suck with model names? If not, let me be the first. YOU SUCK WITH MODEL NAMES.
Is this guitar good?
Yes, however, this is really, really close to the price of a Mexico-made Fender Standard Stratocaster, and that's... not good. You're paying a lot of cash here for a Les Paul copy. Yes, it is Epiphone, and Epiphone is fully licensed to copy Gibson Les Paul design by Gibson themselves, but at the end of the day, this is still a copy of a Les Paul.
But is it a good guitar?
Yes. It does have the SlimTaper "fast" neck. It does have the upscale pearloid trapezoid inlays on the fingerboard. The pickups are ProBuckers (Epiphone branded, not Gibson.) The tuners are premium Grovers.
As far as how it looks, yes it hits all the right marks.
As far as how it sounds, yes it also hits all the right marks.
But that price... just sucks. And bear in mind the price doesn't even include a case or a gig bag. Yeah.
If the price of this guitar was in the high $400s, I'd say go for it. But at the price it sells for, sorry, no. I can't recommend buying this.
You simply get way more for the money with an Epiphone G-400 PRO. True, it's an SG and not a Les Paul, but it is priced correct for what it is.
(Would you like to request a review? Email me.)
Saving the Casio F-28W
This is something I had on the backburner for a long while and finally got around to doing it.
The F-28W is a watch that Casio does not make anymore, although sometimes in rare instances they can be found.
I originally bought mine a little over four-and-a-half years ago in April 2011. Yes, I've had the watch that long. The reason mine still looks good is because I've barely worn it.
There were four reasons I bought the F-28W. First, it just screamed "Retro '80s Casio Watch". Second, it was cheap. Third, it is one of the few Casio digital models that shows weekday, month and day all on the face all at once. Fourth, I love how unbelievably basic the watch is.
The F-28W only has two recessed buttons on the left side of the case. The first is to switch between 12-hour and 24-hour time. The second is to adjust the time. This watch has no backlight, no alarms, no stopwatch, no timer, and no other screen modes. All the F-28W does is tell time and date. That's it.
Also, the F-28W is a featherweight. More on that in a moment.
The one problem with the F-28W...
...is the strap. This watch originally came with the absolute cheapest possible strap Casio ever manufactured, which is the one made out of what they call "resin".
What is Casio's resin made out of? I've no idea. All I do know is that it's a synthetic compound of some kind.
The problem with the resin strap is that it will crumble apart. Yes, will and not might. One day the watch will just fall right off your wrist.
My F-28W's strap didn't fall off my wrist, but one day I picked it up to put it on and the strap just crumbled right apart, almost like a really stale cupcake.
This is not to say that all resin straps by Casio are bad, but we're talking about the cheapest of the cheap watches here that sold new for under 15 dollars USD. Quality of strap was not exactly a major concern with the manufacturing of these things.
Replacing the strap...
...is annoying, because the watch does not use traditional spring bars that can be popped out using a spring bar tool. Nope. These spring bars have to be physically slid out of the case. And there's no civilized way to do it.
You can maybe remove the bars 3 or 4 times before the case cracks or the spring bars bend out of shape, at which point you have to throw the watch in the trash.
When my original resin strap crumbled, I knew this, so I opted to instead buy an 18mm fabric NATO strap.
Problems and solutions with replacing the strap
A common problem with installing a NATO style strap on a small Casio watch is that there is almost no room under the spring bars for adjustment, and the F-28W is no different.
The solution to this is to remove the bars first, then install the strap, then put back the bars over the strap.
When I took out the bars on mine, did they bend a little? Yep. But I knew they would do that. I tried removing the bars the "civilized" way using a proper spring bar tool, but nope, that casing did not want to let the bars slide through. I then had to resort to using a small vise-grip pliers. That worked. I got one bar out, then the other.
Could I have replaced the bars with new ones? Sure. But the cost of getting them just isn't worth it on a watch this cheap.
The strap was installed, and since I've no intention of ever removing it, the watch is pretty much all set until the battery dies (which will probably happen in about 3 years).
Is there any room to slide the strap under the bars? Yes, but just barely.
Too light to wear?
So the strap has been replaced with one that will never crumble. But I can't wear it for the reason the watch is too small and too light to wear.
For all intents and purposes, the F-28W is kid's size/women's size watch. It measures 31.5mm long x 32.5mm wide x 8mm thick. That's frickin' small.
Also, the watch is so light that it doesn't even feel like it's there. Ordinarily, most watch-wearers would consider that a good thing. I don't since I started wearing proper men's size timepieces. I like knowing my watch is there just by feel, and I don't get that feeling with the F-28W.
The weight of the F-28W with its original strap is just 14 grams. That's insanely light.
The weight with the NATO strap is 22g.
In comparison, this is the weight of a Timex Weekender 38mm size watch with NATO strap is 49g.
Bear in mind the Weekender is considered a lightweight watch, and it's more than double the weight of the F-28W with a NATO on it.
Was it worth it to save this watch?
Yes. At the time I write this, Casio no longer makes a super-basic digital like the F-28W. This is sad because there's a nice charm to basic technology that just works.
I like my analog watches, but I also like my totally retro, totally basic F-28W. While it's doubtful I'll wear it with any regularity, I was happy to re-strap it so it can now be used again.
Like 1980's Casio style? You have alternatives
The F-28W is a cool watch, but since it's not made anymore, they're tough to come by.
Fortunately, there are others that are still made, totally have that 1980's vibe to them and are very easy to come by.
Here are a few you would be interested in.
The three I own personally aside from the F-28W:
I bought the AE1200 originally because I wanted something with a countdown timer that had a nylon strap option. I bought the B640WD because it's basically like a F-28W that's been upgraded and has a great look to it. I bought the A500WA because it is the best dress digital watch that exists (and that's no joke), and also has a feature set identical to the AE1200.
Others that have decidedly '80s styling to them:
- Casio F91W (yes, they incredibly still make this)
- Casio A158 (metal case/strap version of the F91W)
- Casio A168 (like the A158 but slightly larger with better backlight)
- Casio W215H (retro styling but with larger case that's really easy to read)
- Casio F108 (like the W215H but with thicker case)
- Casio F201WA (the auto-repeat timer function is the best feature of this one)
- Casio W201
- Casio W59 (just like the F91W except it has true 50M water resist)
- Casio F105W (just like the F91W except it has superior EL backlight)
Last but not least...
Casio CA53W - This is the calculator watch. The same one seen in Back to the Future that Marty wears. If there is any cheap '80s-styled Casio watch you should buy right freakin' now, it's this one.
Why buy it? Casio doesn't list it in its catalog anymore on their web site, meaning it's threatening to go extinct, just like the F-28W. If you like it, get it before it disappears.
Epiphone "Union Jack" Sheraton Outfit Review
Note up front: Some sellers may mistakenly list this as an Epiphone Casino, so examine those too and you might find they're actually selling a Sheraton.
(This is a reader requested review. If you would like me to review a specific guitar, piece of gear or talk about a certain topic, email me.)
I am a fan of "true" Epiphone guitars, but am not a fan of something so garish in appearance.
With that said, let's talk about the Epiphone "Union Jack" Sheraton Outfit.
It's not that I don't like the Union Jack, a.k.a. "flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". I like the flag just fine and it has a very nice appearance to it. However, slapping that on a guitar is the same as slapping the stars and stripes, a.k.a. "flag of the United States", on a guitar. This look is just kitsch, as in tacky.
Aside from the appearance, this is one of those guitars from Epiphone that while a "true" Epiphone model, is hit-or-miss concerning whether you get a good one or not.
On paper, this guitar sounds awesome. It has 5-layer laminated maple body and top, mahogany neck, fast-and-easy 24.75-inch scale "SlimTaper" neck with set-neck joint, 12" fingerboard radius, pearloid/abalone inlays, 22 medium jumbo frets and a pair of Gibson USA mini-humbuckers. The tuners are also Grover Rotomatic 18:1 style (very smooth), HOWEVER...
...it's like I said, getting a good one is luck of the draw.
My suggestion to anyone intending to buy this guitar is to make sure and buy it from somewhere that has a good return policy (like Amazon) in case it arrives with defects. This is a specialty semi-hollow body guitar, therefore it's more expensive, therefore you should be mighty careful where you purchase this from. This guitar is not like a Strat or a Tele where it can be banged around during shipment and handle it fairly easily.
If all goes well and you do get a good one of these, then yes, you will love this guitar and I have no doubt of that. Some guys and gals really like the "British Invasion" look of a loud-and-proud Union Jack on the body, and when you get a good one of these models with all the fancy hardware bits, oh yes, this is a killer of a guitar.
Cheap guitar of the week #42 - Yamaha APX500
Ordinarily I would never recommend a thin-body acoustic, but this is a rare exception.
The Yamaha APX500 acoustic-electric is one of the very few thin-bodied acoustics that I would actually recommend buying.
A thin-body acoustic is not like a parlor guitar. This guitar actually has the same dimensions as a full-size acoustic, save for that the body is thinner.
It's usually the case that full-size acoustics with a thin body have an awful acoustic sound to them, best described as very "boxy" with barely any projection. The APX500 however actually as a full-bodied sound. I don't know how Yamaha is able to do it, but they somehow manage to get a full sound out of a thin body.
Is the sound as big as a full-size with the same projection? No. But it's pretty darned close.
The APX500 is actually a nice guitar to have because it serves well both in studio and on stage. It has the electric bits to handle mixers and so on, and also has a full-size look to it, which to some is important. Yamaha also knows how to build an acoustic guitar correctly that can take a knock or two.
It's a good guitar overall. Easy to play, easy to plug in, predictable, and won't break the bank.