Fender American Shortboard Mustang is cool
When Fender introduced the limited edition Longboard Stratocaster, I really wasn't liking that. For the Shortboard Mustang, however, this one I like much better.
The Fender American Shortboard Mustang is a cool guitar as far as limited editions from Fender are concerned.
What really makes this design work is the ash body with walnut competition stripes. That gives the guitar a very cool vibe all around because the stripes are not paint but rather real wood.
As for the pickups, Fender calls them "Black Dove" pickups, which have made appearances in Telecasters. They basically have a P90-like sound to them, and have height adjustment like a P90.
No vibrato system is present on this Mustang, as Fender decided to put a "hardtail bridge" (Fender's words, not mine) on it.
I only have two complaints about the Shortboard Mustang.
First, it has two string trees. Granted, they are the nicer T-roller style and not the wing style, but still, it would have been nicer were there just one and not two.
Second, I don't like the knobs. Yeah, I know the Fender Mustang traditionally has those black plastic knobs with line indicator, but the Shortboard would have looked so much better with black knurled Telecaster knobs on it. I know Mustang knobs, and they just feel so cheap even on expensive collectible models like the Shortboard. If you know the Telecaster metal knob, you know how much better those things look and feel.
In the end...
...this is probably one of the most easy-playing Mustangs you'd ever put your hands on; it is a collectible that out-of-the-box is a very easy player with a tone that's also just as easy to get along with.
Yeah, I can safely say this is a winner of a guitar. Pricey? Of course it is, as it's an American model. But it is a great guitar.
On a final note, is this modern or retro? Definitely modern. 9.5-inch radius fingerboard, sealed tuners, bi-flex truss rod. And I agree that this is best suited as a modern guitar. Fender already has a '65 Mustang reissue, so they didn't need to reinvent the wheel there.
Cheap guitar of the week #37 - ESP LTD H-101
Looks expensive, but it's not.
ESP LTD is one of those guitar brands that's easy to miss, mainly because most players don't go looking for them. When you do look at them however, you quickly find out they make some pretty good stuff.
I think what the H-101 model suffers from more than anything else is Looks-Too-Expensive Syndrome. There are guitar buyers who will - and I kid you not - pass on a guitar and not even try it just because it looks expensive. Will they examine the price tag? Nope. They'll see the fancy flame top, instantly make a judgment that it costs too much and move on to something else.
Their loss is your gain, because this guitar is really affordable.
My favorite part of the guitar, other than the burst finish, is the fact it has black nickel hardware. I actually really like that specific dark-color hardware because it doesn't pit and chip over time like regular black hardware does. Sure, it will fade and discolor as the guitar gets used, but will do so in a desirable way that looks good.
And as for the rest of the guitar, I can tell just from looking at it that it will age well. Black nickel ages well as does cream color pickup rings along with the dark-but-not-too-dark rosewood fingerboard. This particular cheap axe was definitely built to be truly played.
PRS is now a better deal than a Fender
What PRS is offering right now is great and a better deal than Fender...
...if the price doesn't change.
The Fender Standard Stratocaster was the king of the hill concerning mid-priced guitar value until Fender decided to raise the price of it by 100 bucks. Because of that price hike, a PRS SE ST24 is now the better deal. The version of the guitar without the vibrato system, the SE ST22, has several models for the same price (as in without a "guitar pack" and just guitar alone, although the guitar packs are also really good values as you'll see from the links.)
Long-time readers of my writings know I don't like PRS. However, I do recognize a good deal when I see one, and both the ST22 and ST24 for the moment are better values than the Standard Stratocaster from Fender. You simply get more guitar for the money.
Note however that I said for the moment. PRS could hike their prices for the ST24 and ST22 to match Fender's price for the Standard Strat just as easily and get away with it. And they probably will.
In other words, the time to get a PRS SE, if that's a guitar you like, is now.
Is the Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro worth the money?
Certain guitars released by Epiphone, even while copies, are really damned good.
I can't list this one as a cheap guitar of the week for one reason. It's not cheap. The Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro is a mid-priced guitar.
The Big Question is this: Is this guitar worth the money?
Or more specifically: Is it worth paying more for this particular Epiphone Les Paul?
The first way I can answer that is that this guitar is not just a pretty face (and it is pretty). She's loaded with the good stuff. Slim taper D neck profile, glued-in neck, ProBucker pickups with coil tap on each volume knob, and since it's a "Custom" there's the big diamond inlay work on the headstock. Oh, and gold-tone hardware all around. Everything metal on this pickup - including the pickup switch - is gold.
The second way I can answer the question is that this is one seriously classy Les Paul. It has a total luxury look to it, as if it's all dressed up for a night on the town. The white, black, gold and proper large block inlays really work well here.
The third way I'll answer the question is that this is a true needs-nothing guitar. What that means is absolutely nothing on it needs upgrading. After setup and installing your string of choice, you're ready to go - and that alone for some people is worth paying a little extra for. Guitars that need nothing save you money compared to cheaper models that require changes to make them sound right.
How does the neck feel? If you've played the Epiphone G-400 PRO, then you already know what the neck feels like. If you haven't, get your hands on one to try it out.
If you can't get your hands on either guitar before buying, all I can say is that the Slim Taper "D" is Gibson's famous "fast neck" design that is slim and comfortable for most players.
There is something else that makes this Paul worth buying that just happened recently. It's now cheaper than a Fender Standard Stratocaster (Fender raised their prices). For an Epiphone Les Paul, yes, it's priced fairly for what it is. Don't sit on the fence concerning this guitar if you're considering it, as the price will go up soon.
Finally, is the Custom Pro the best Epiphone Les Paul you could buy? Yes, it is.
5 cheap luxury wristwatches for under $100
Watches are cool, and getting a luxury watch that's cheap, looks good and makes you feel good is even better.
Note: Every watch listed here is under $100 at the time I write this. Prices may go up in the future.
Since I started getting into watches, I've been studying them and learning more about what's good, what isn't, what qualifies as luxury, what doesn't, and so on.
What does "luxury wristwatch" mean?
This term has absolutely nothing to do with features and everything to do with style. Basically put, if it fits a certain look and functions well, it is good regardless of who made it or what you paid.
What does "cheap luxury" mean concerning a wristwatch?
Technically, anything under $2,000 would be considered cheap as far as timepieces are concerned.
However, you can get something really nice for under $100 when you know what to look for.
5 good, cheap luxury watches
This is a solid daily wearer with a simple display with day-of-month at the 6 position, luminous accents, quartz movement and rock-solid reliability.
This watch is unintentionally a super-easy-reader. Time only, no date, and it has thick hands with arrow tips that make it ridiculously easy to tell the time at just a glance.
Granted, the polyurethane band on this watch isn't to everyone's liking, but it's nothing you or a local jeweler can't switch out quickly for something else. Maybe a two-tone gold/stainless bracelet?
This is a super cool looking retro-styled chronograph watch from Seiko. I like how the outer numbers turn with the bezel, and the red band around the crown is a nice touch. The black band with stitching also fits this style very nicely.
Holy crap, did Timex nail it with this watch. Whoever designed it should be given an award because it is the best looking Timex I've ever seen, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.
The Timex T2N700 flyback chronograph is a near-perfect blend of form + function. It has the just-right blend of a busy-but-not-too-busy face and an overall non-shiny look that gets it so right.
This is the cheapest watch on the list, and it's basically Casio's version of a cheap Rolex Submariner.
Why own this? Simple answer: It's pretty much the only cheap diver's watch that you can actually dive with that will work like it's supposed to.
Other watches under $100 claim to be diver's watches. They're not, because when they get wet, the underside of the lens fogs right up and the watch becomes useless in short order. This Casio on the other hand, which does have a true screw-down crown, one-way rotating bezel and screw-lock back truly does act like a diver's watch is supposed to act.
What's the only thing bad about the Casio? It has a cheap resin band. The watch itself is stainless steel all around, so no worries there, but the band is awful. However, that's nothing you can't swap out for a metal bracelet you can buy separately for cheap.
When you want a cheap, fully functional true diver's watch, Casio really does deliver with the MDV106-A. And while the band is cheap, so what? Change it. Problem solved.