Vintage guitar of the week #10 - 2008 Gibson SG '61 Reissue
Yes, I know this is not technically vintage, but it's still better than the real thing.
The 2008 Gibson SG '61 reissue is now 7 years old. The price? Pretty darned low, and I'll tell you exactly why.
The '08 reissue is not a bad guitar, nor did it have any quality issues. In fact, owners of the '61 RI say nothing but glowing things about it.
So why is the selling price of the '61 SG RI so low for what it is? Two reasons.
First, it's a reissue, and reissues typically don't hold all that much resale value because it's a copy of a classic and not the actual classic itself. (Note: Perfect condition '61 SG guitars are usually north of $10,000 as the time I write this.)
Second, it's an SG, and I'll talk about that a little more.
The SG in Gibson's lineup pretty much sits where the Jaguar sits in Fender's lineup in the respect it's absolutely not the most popular guitar made by the brand, but it does have a smaller, very dedicated following.
Incredibly, Gibson prices a new USA Standard SG far below the price of a USA Les Paul Standard (the SG is literally less than half the price of the Paul!) In fact, the 2008 '61 RI mentioned above is only about $200 less than a new one.
However, the 2008 RI is the more traditional of the two. The '08 doesn't have that seriously dopey "Les Paul 100" logo on the headstock, nor does it have the dopey robot tuners either. For some, that alone makes the RI the better guitar.
Better than a real '61?
Easy answer: Yes.
A '61 SG is over half-a-century old, and the SG is not exactly known for being stable as it ages. What that means is that even if you were able to get your hands on an absolutely mint condition '61, the guitar will barely be able to hold its tune because the neck will be weak and the tuners will probably be showing major signs of disintegration due to age.
As a player's instrument, a real-deal '61 SG is an awful guitar because you have to treat it so gingerly.
The 2008 '61 SG RI on the other hand has at least 25 years to go before it starts to develop age-related issues that the real '61 does now.
Simply put, the '61 reissue is a great player's SG. It's built right, it's a bargain and it's a totally "correct" SG. A cherry red SG with the "half" black guard on the bottom is absolutely the proper look, and is a straightforward, no-nonsense electric.
I'll say it another way. The 2008 '61 SG RI is what should be the USA Standard SG now. This is the SG that fans of the guitar want more than anything else. This is the SG that gets everything right.
Does Epiphone make anything like the 2008 '61 reissue?
Yes. From time to time, Epiphone does release new SG guitars that absolutely capture the look, feel and most importantly tone of what a vintage SG is supposed to be. See what they're currently offering, and you might find a winner.
Cheap guitar of the week #26 - VOX SDC22
Very cool, cheap, collectible, and most importantly - sounds awesome.
The VOX SDC22 is one seriously cool guitar.
For most guitar players, VOX is best known for their amps, such as the AC30 and AC15. But yeah, they make guitars too. Every now and then they come out with something really good for a nice price, and the SDC22 is one of them.
You can think of the SDC22 as an SG with screaming Les Paul tone to it, which is one fine combination. The best way to describe the sound of this guitar is "all humbucker, all the time".
The pickups are called XLMTM ("Xtra Loud Mini"). They are mini-humbuckers, but wow do they pack a punch. For passive electronics, this thing screams.
It's been reported that the guitar has a thin neck to it, so for you chunky neck fans, sorry. But for those of you that like them thin (as in close to Gibson slim taper thin), that's what the neck feels like.
If you like "hot" Les Paul tone, yes. And if you want an easy collectible guitar, that's another yes. The SDC22 looks good, sounds good, has the VOX name, is well-appointed and the price is right.
Squier Vintage Modified '70s Stratocaster Review
This is going to be a roundabout sort of review because my purchase of this guitar has a bit of a story to it. Well... more than just a bit.
Okay, so.. the Squier Affinity Telecaster I bought is gone. Not traded out. Returned, and replaced with a new '70s VM Strat instead.
Was there anything particularly wrong with the Tele? No. My fret hand didn't agree with the neck, and I'll tell you exactly why.
Out of every Squier solid-body electric guitar (as in 6-string guitar and not a bass) made, the Affinity and only the Affinity series has a very skinny nut width of 1.60in/~40mm. Every other Squier solid-body electric has a nut width of 1.65in/~42mm. Being the vast majority of my chording is at the first 3 frets, I pay attention to nut width specifically.
Does just 2 millimeters really make a difference in the way a neck feels? You bet it does. I'll talk about that later.
Did I know the Affinity has a skinnier neck compared to other Squier solid-body electrics before buying one? Yes. I figured I could get along with it. I didn't. My fret hand did not like that skinny width at all. The profile thickness of the neck was just fine; I had no complaints there. But that skinny width... nope. That was not working for me, so back it went.
Why a Squier VM '70s Strat?
What I wanted this time around was a Squier Stratocaster guitar with a maple fretboard that had the 1.65in/~42mm nut width. I was done with the Telecaster because this is the second Squier Tele I've owned and returned in less than a week because I just couldn't get along with it.
Side note: There is nothing wrong with a Telecaster, be it by Squier or Fender. But for whatever reason, whenever I get one, it just doesn't work out. The guitar gods in the heavens above just don't want me playing a Telecaster. So be it.
This is every Squier Strat with a maple fretboard option:
My decision was to go with the '70s Strat. I almost considered the Deluxe because that is one seriously fine guitar, especially considering it has a satin finish on the neck just like the Mexico and American Strat models. But the '70s Strat was cheaper, I really dig the look of the large headstock, and black Strats are just cool guitars in general. At some point I may swap out the pick guard, knobs and plastics to white so I can have an Eric Clapton-esque "blackie" Strat, but for now, I'm keeping it as-is.
Is the '70s VM Strat "truly '70s?"
Answer: Mostly in appearance only.
A true '70s Strat is the Classic Series model made by Fender right now (which I have played personally.) That one is very true to the '70s original in every sense of the term. It has the 3-bolt neck plate, the SSS configuration where the middle pickup is not reverse wound by design, "F" tuners specific to the 1970s, a large-and-in-charge "U" shape neck with tall/skinny frets, "bullet" truss rod cover, the works. It's all there.
The Squier '70s Strat is mostly just an appearance package, and that is a-okay because it's really easy to deal with and a very easy player.
"Mostly?"
The slotted six-in-a-row tuners are vintage style, the 6-screw bridge is vintage-style and the 21-fret neck is vintage-style. Everything else is modern, which for me is very agreeable. The neck has a 9.5-inch fretboard radius, Modern C shape and medium jumbo frets. The pickups are the modern Duncan Designed. The electronics are what I describe as "classic 5-way." Bridge-only pickup setting has no tone control wired to it, all other pickup positions do.
The big deal with the appearance is the large pegboard/headstock with the "swoop" STRATOCASTER logo on it, and it looks cool. It just does. Some don't like it. I really like it.
This is in fact my second Squier VM Strat
The first VM Strat I had was one in Vintage Blonde with a rosewood board. Fantastic looking guitar, but it came from the factory screwed up. And I didn't notice the screw-ups until owning it for about a week, so back it went. Bear in mind this was in 2012.
This VM Strat I have now is a 2015 build (the serial number states so,) and it appears all the issues that my previous 2012 model had are gone now. Tuners are improved, bridge is more solidly installed, screws used are slightly larger, tremolo springs used seem to be just a tad larger, the "wing" string trees used appear to be slightly wider and thicker. Or maybe those are the same, but they do appear to use larger screws now.
"Screw size make a difference?"
Yes, and for a very specific reason. The body is basswood, and basswood is soft, meaning it's easy to strip a screw hole (and that includes more expensive guitars that use basswood as the body material.) Larger screws with larger thread not only more solidly connect things to the wood, but also decreases the chance of stripping screw holes. Maybe not by a great deal, but hey, any little bit helps.
Said another way in plainer English: The Indonesian factory that is building the Squier VM Strats is doing a better job and making better guitars now in 2015 compared to 2012; it is noticeable.
That thing about the 2mm of nut width...
I mentioned above the Affinity series Squier 6-string guitars use a ~40mm nut width while all the others use ~42mm as far as I know, and that I'd talk about it more, so I will now.
Two millimeters sounds like nothing, but it actually counts for a lot.
Imagine for a moment if every single key on your computer keyboard or every menu button on your smartphone was slightly shifted towards or away from each other by 1mm. What would happen? It would drive you nuts. You would feel major frustration to the point of making you want to smash something. Not only that, but it would cause hand strain from having to retrain your hand to figure out where everything is, even with just a 1mm shift in position. That seemingly insignificant shift of just a single millimeter is not only mentally painful, but also physically painful as well.
This is not to say 42mm is "good" and 40mm is "bad." Neither is good nor bad. What I am saying is that 42mm is good for me. My fret hand absolutely did not like the 40mm width...
...but there are some players who in fact greatly prefer the skinny 40mm because it feels the most comfortable for them. For some, only the Affinity feels like "the right Strat." It might be dirt cheap, but it's all about the feel. Sometimes it's just better overall to go with the correct-to-your-hand neck and just upgrade everything else around that neck.
What does the Squier '70s Strat sound like?
Pretty darned good.
The Duncan Designed pickups in the VM Strat have what I call a very "civilized" tonal character to them. They're not overly screechy and have good output without being too overbearing.
In other words, a good overall sound. Not "hot." Just good. If you want hot, there are aftermarket pickups that can do that. I don't typically switch out pickups, but if you want to, be my guest.
I'm fine with the stock pickups that came with my VM Strat. When I say "civilized," that doesn't mean "boring." It means "not barn-burning hot, not screechy as hell, works well with your existing guitar effects." That's the kind of Strat tonal character I like, and I got it.
Conclusion
Very predictable in a good way. No awful surprises (always a plus.) The Squier VM Strat is just a genuinely good Strat guitar and it looks cool. And for me, my fret hand very much agrees with the neck, so I'm a happy guy.
Vintage guitar of the week #9 - 1968 Fender Coronado II in Antigua
This is what the Antigua finish is supposed to look like.
Whether Fender's Antigua finish works or not greatly depends on what body shape it's applied to. Where it's applied best is on a body with some "real estate" to it, so to speak. Such an example is the '68 Coronado II.
You can find two other guitars (at the time I write this), a Strat and a Jazzmaster, in Antigua. Both look awful because the finish just doesn't work with either of those two body shapes. But the larger, rounder shape of the Coronado II totally does work with it.
Now, to note, the Fender Coronado is made new right now and comes in several different finishes, all of which look good. But an Antigua Coronado has a super-classy look to it. Very upscale. Notice that even the pick guard has the look carried over.
What does a Coronado sound like? Well, the Coronado was originally Fender's answer to the Gibson ES-330 and Epiphone Casino. While the Coronado doesn't necessarily sound like either of those two guitars, it does have proper semi-hollow body tone, but in a Fender flavor which is brighter. Not crazy-bright like a Strat (obviously), but bright for a semi-hollow.
For the look however, the only way to get Antigua is to buy the real-deal '68. But the other finishes on the newer releases look great, too.
On a final note, the '68 is a super-lightweight at under 6.5 pounds. That makes it a very easy player.
Alice A506 guitar strings review (China)
I was nicely surprised by these.
Why did I buy Alice A506 guitar strings? Price. Buying guitar strings gets expensive, and I was able to score 5 packs of these at $10 shipped.
Now before even getting into whether this string is good or not, notice that there's a circle on the left side of the package. This is a a scratch-off portion (kind of a like a scratch-off lotto ticket) where you can verify the authenticity of the guitar string. When you scratch off the bottom portion, you're presented with a number.
After that, you to go china-alice.com, punch in the number, and if the number is good, it will validate.
This is the first time I have ever seen anything like this for a guitar string product.
Was any personal information required to validate the product? No. The system did not ask for my name or email address or anything like that; it is simply a system to verify that what you bought is the genuine article.
Why does Guangzhou Romance Musical Instrument do this? It's because counterfeiting in the musical instrument world happens a lot in China, and this company cares enough to the point provide you, the customer, with a way to absolutely verify that what you bought is genuine...
...and I can understand why, because in all honesty, the A506 is a pretty darned good guitar string.
The review
There have been more than a few times I've bought strings only to open the package and find a few that are rusted right out of the package. That wasn't the case here. Every string in the pack was in pristine condition and very shiny with not a single hint of rust anywhere.
The strings installed easily, and, surprisingly, were stretched properly in a short period of time.
The feel of the strings surprised me. It's good. I'm pretty sure these are round-core construction, which is ordinarily something you pay more for. Thankfully, these do not feel like Ernie Ball Slinky strings (I can't stand the feel of those,) have a smooth touch and didn't hurt my fingers at all.
The tone is bright, but not over-bright. For Strat and Tele guitars, oh yes, these are good.
My only complaint about the strings is that there is a bit of pronounced fret drag noise when moving fret-to-fret. Other than that, yeah I actually like these.
How long will they last? I don't know that yet. I change out strings every 3 to 4 weeks, so if they last that long without any weird stuff going on or snapping, I'll be happy with that.
I have to say that the overall impression I get is that this is a premium quality string. While the packaging is a bit amusing in a good way, what matters is whether the string is good or not. And I can say yes, the string is good.