Vintage guitar of the week #18 - 1979 Martin EM-18
An affordable vintage electric that's actually quite nice from a name you wouldn't expect.
Martin is obviously not the first brand name you think of when it comes to electrics, but yes, they did build them at one point, and the EM-18 from 1979 is one such example.
Being it's a Martin, concentration is placed on the woods. There is a solid layer of birdseye maple on both wings, plain maple center and what looks like walnut stripes. You can tell this is proper woodwork as those stripes do go all the way through the body, so there's definitely not any cheapo style crapola going on. The neck is (or should be) a one-piece Honduran mahogany with German-made Sperzel tuning keys at the headstock. Another staple of '70s design is on this Martin as well, a brass nut.
I believe the way the electronics work is really simple. Think of a Les Paul with two small toggle switches to split the humbuckers into single-coil mode, similar to how push/pull knobs work now.
Very nice looker overall and one of the better builds of the '70s.
As far as I'm aware, only 1,375 of the EM-18 model was ever made. However, it's important to note the serials start with the number 1000.
Is there a a modern equivalent to the EM-18?
Generally speaking, the closest you'll get to the EM-18 is a PRS SE CE 24. That guitar is obviously not an exact copy, but it's not too far off, either.
Casio A500WGA-1DF watch review
I actually received this watch by mistake.
A few posts ago I mentioned that I had a A500WA-1 model on order. I received a watch, but not the one I ordered. Instead, I received a A500WGA, with "G" for "Gold". Gold models typically sell for 33% higher to almost double the price of the chrome versions. The reason? Scarcity. Gold versions of their watches are far fewer in number compared to other models.
And no, there isn't any real gold on this. The band is stainless steel with adjustable clasp, and the case plating is... well, I don't know what it is, actually. Could be plastic, could be metal. I'm not exactly sure.
There are several variants of the A500WGA. There's the A500WGA-1, A500WGA-1D and A500WGA-1DF. In the way Casio makes watches, certain models are made for certain markets. Mine, according to its tag that came with it, is a 1DF model.
What makes a 1DF different from a 1 or 1D? I've no idea.
Too complicated for most people, but I genuinely find it useful
Being I already own an AE1200WHB-1BV, I already knew the A500WGA as the feature sets between the two are identical in every way. You get 5 alarms, countdown timer, chronograph, a bunch of time zone options, forward/reverse digit direction, ability to mute button press beeps if you want, etc. The watch is loaded with goodies.
I know my way around the A500W because of the AE1200W. But for most other people, yeah it can be difficult at first just because its packed with so much stuff.
I'll put it another way. Casio digital watches generally act mostly the same, with minor variations from model to model. If you know Casio G-SHOCK or have ever owned a Casio watch with an alarm or countdown timer feature, you can figure this one out.
At this point I've every feature on the watch memorized and know where everything is. If I want to jump between alarms, turn DST on or off, switch from 12-hour to 24-hour or do whatever, I can, and do it all from memory.
Borderline tacky, but gloriously retro
Now although I received a watch significantly more expensive than the chrome version, I did entertain the idea of sending it back. Why? Because in gold, it looks borderline tacky.
After mulling it over, I've decided to keep the watch. It is the first gold watch I've ever owned, and I figure that I must have been destined to own this timepiece since I received it by mistake.
I came to the realization that I'm just not used to wearing gold on my wrist. With metal/chrome, oh yes, I can wear that easily. But I am just not used to the gold. It's not a bad look. It's just different.
"I've seen this watch before..."
If you're a Casio digital watch fan, yes, you have seen this before. The original model from the 1980s is the A300U. The A500W is a reimagining of the old A300U, no question about it.
I personally would not seek out the older A300U. It commands way too high of a price on eBay, but even if money were no object, I wouldn't buy it anyway because of practical reasons. The time zones have changed since the A300U was made, and the recessed upper left button is annoying to use, whereas all the A500W's buttons protrude (that's a good thing).
Do I plan on wearing my gold Casio watch regularly?
Yes. And that does mean it will get nicked and scratched up. I know this and am willing to accept that.
I know I just horrified any Casio watch collector that read the above. To those collectors, let me put your mind at ease right now. In less than just one day of wearing this watch, and wearing the watch safely protected under a cotton long-sleeve shirt cuff, the bottom of the casing somehow got a hairline scratch. It's barely visible and can only be seen if the case is tilted at a specific angle.
Again, that's just from owning it one day. The casing on this particular Casio watch is a total scratch magnet. Scratches will happen and there's nothing I can do about it.
This doesn't mean I'm going to rough up the watch. I will do my best to keep it looking nice. But I don't think there is any way to wear this thing and keep it 100% scratch-free.
For collectors out there, what I'd say is that if this watch appeals to you and you want to collect it, buy this timepiece but never wear it.
Another Casio watch I own, which I may write a review on at some point, is the B640WD-1A. This is the one I'd wear and be less conscious about damaging it, given the case is frost-painted resin and has true water resist. The A500W does have water resist, but I think it's better described as splash resist. I wouldn't shower with the A500W. Not a chance. With the B640WD, I could shower with that and not care. And with my AE1200, oh yes, that one can absolutely be showered with.
Verdict: Capable, but scratch-prone
The A500WGA is, as said above, loaded with goodies. And I do use those goodies.
Looks-wise, either you like the gold or you don't. At this point, I'll say the gold is growing on me. I'm not totally in love with it, but yeah, it's classy, I admit. But I meant what I said in that it's borderline tacky. Not absolutely tacky, but just nipping at the heels of being that way. The only thing keeping it not tacky is a clean, uncluttered look.
My only complaint is that the casing is really scratch-prone. That's the one fatal flaw of this timepiece. It's a-okay otherwise.
And oh yeah, tons of '80s retro flavor.
On a final note, part of my reason for getting this originally was the low profile so I could specifically wear it with long-sleeve shirts where the cuff would slide over the watch easily. A Casio F-91W, which is as thin as a Casio watch can possibly get as far as I'm aware, has an 8mm thickness. The metal-bracelet version of that watch, the A158W-1, also has an 8mm thickness.
The A500W has a thickness of 10mm. Believe me, it's plenty thin enough to slide under the shirt cuff without a problem. If you want super-low-profile with the metal band, get the A158 (or A159 for a gold,) but I think the A500W looks better. That, and it has many more features.
Cheap guitar of the week #34 - Ibanez RG421
This is a traditional, no-nonsense electric.
I've seen a lot of Ibanez RG series guitars over the years. The RG421 is one I recommend.
The reason I've seen so many RGs is because there are so many variants of the RG model line. The RG655 for example sells for over a grand. The RG6005 is a mid-priced model. And if you do a generic search for Ibanez RG, you'll see prices all over the place. Ibanez does things weird. But then again, so does Fender with their million-different-Strats crapola as well, so... I suppose much studying of the model line is required.
RG421 is the lower priced model. Simple, easy, classic design, stays in tune because of the straight line from nut-to-tuning-post and because no vibrato system is present. It has a 24-fret neck, which I don't like, but many other players do like.
What's it sound like?
The RG421 is one of those "just works" guitars with a tone that's predictable. And by that I mean the guitar will work with just about any pedal and/or any amp you plug it into.
What you will get is something that's arguably the guitar's biggest selling point, reliability. From my experience, most Ibanez RG guitars don't have "off days". You can trust that the guitar will play and sound the same, day in and day out, practice after practice, gig after gig. It's like I said, this is a "just works" guitar. Plug in, tune up, go and don't worry about it.
If you go searching for sound demos of the RG421, you'll notice many owners of this guitar perform pickup "upgrades". And I suppose the fact this RG takes pickup replacement so easily is its second biggest selling point. Not only can the guitar be bought for cheap, but also have its electronics changed around for cheap as well.
Who is this guitar best for?
This guitar is best for players who like a guitar with a thin, 24-fret neck that's easy to mod and has an understated look to it.
The neck on this RG is the "Wizard III", so yes, it does have the Wizard neck even at the low price it sells for. It could even arguably be said that the neck is the guitar's second best selling point.
Don't expect this RG421 to be a tone monster if you buy one (you may need to swap out pickups with something that has more "flavor" to it). But do expect it to be a great player guitar, because it should be.
Vintage guitar of the week #17 - 1979 Music Man Sabre II
The Music Man Sabre II is, for all intents and purposes, a Fender guitar.
Music Man's Sabre is known as a bass guitar (and in fact, Music Man only uses the name Sabre on bass guitars now), but the model name was also used on a 6-string, the 1979 Sabre II model.
Why is this a Fender guitar? Because Leo Fender himself came up with the idea for it during his short tenure in the company. Fender was with the company until November 1979 (it started in 1974).
Is the Sabre II a Strat copy? No. It's distinctively different in several ways. The bridge is a big ol' chunk of metal, the pick guard is a bit of a hybrid between a Strat and Tele, and the bottom metal control plate borrows from the Jaguar. And, of course, dual humbucker pickups are found here.
Where things get a little nuts is with the active electronics.
There are three knobs, two toggle switches and a blade selector. Where does the 9-volt battery go? There is, thankfully, an easy-access control plate for that in the back.
How this guitar works is as follows as far I know (I've never played one personally, so if I'm wrong, feel free to email me and I'll post a correction):
The first toggle acts as a switch between humbucker and single-coil. The second toggle switches between active and passive (which should mean you can play the guitar even without a battery in it, if desired.) The volume control only controls volume. For the two tone controls, in passive they act as normal tone knobs for each pickup, and when switched to active, one acts as a treble boost while the other acts as a bass boost.
"I've never heard of this guitar before."
If before reading this you never heard of the Sabre II, that wouldn't surprise me at all as they did not sell well.
As for why they didn't sell well, I couldn't say because I'm not sure. Maybe it was poor marketing. Maybe Music Man didn't have enough presence in the guitar marketplace. Maybe the guitar was too complicated for most players. I'm just not sure.
What I do know is that it is a well-built instrument, and once educated how a Sabre II works, then oh yeah, it sounds all sorts of awesome when you know how to dial in the tone you want. Big, beefy humbucker tone along with snappy, twangy single-coil tone is all present in the Sabre II.
Worth it to buy?
It is if you appreciate "practical vintage" electrics.
The '79 Sabre II is a guitar you could in fact gig with. It's different-but-not-too-different, has the big humbucker sound along with great single-coil tone that's suitable for basically any amplifier setup and should have many years of life left in it.
Personally, I think the best part of the guitar is that it's different without being tacky. Nice design all around, lightweight (it's under 8lbs) and has that cool '70s era "woody" appearance going on.
Does Music Man still make the Sabre II?
Yes, but now it's just salled the Sabre.
Cheap guitar of the week #33 - Ibanez Talman TCM50
A different look for an electric-acoustic guitar that actually works.
Ordinarily, when a guitar company releases an acoustic with a non-traditional shape, it doesn't work. The Ibanez Talman TCM50, however, does work.
Even in a natural finish (same price as the dark finish), it looks pretty darned good.
Yes, there is a very-obvious pickup mounted in the front position. This is an acoustic-electric that leans more towards acting like an electric. The body style is thinner than a traditional dreadnought, but what really makes this act more electric-like is the way the electric sound is delivered.
When unplugged, the TCM50 has a traditional acoustic sound. When plugged in, you get more of a solid-body electric sound out of this guitar, which for many players is actually quite desirable because it's easier to record with.
The TCM50 might have "that acoustic-electric sound" you've been looking for, and if so, it doesn't cost a lot to get it.