When should you get rid of a guitar?
This is a tough question that is not easy to answer.
I'll start this one off by saying that if you still own your first guitar, such as I do, don't get rid of it. I don't care if the guitar is a complete piece of crap, barely plays anymore or is even broken. Don't part with it. That's your first guitar and you'll never have another.
When it comes to every guitar after that however, the answer on when to get rid of it depends on whether it represents a significant part of your life or not.
An example of a guitar worth keeping other than your first is, "Yeah, that's the guitar I had when I was in school". If the guitar has been with you a while, traveled around and reminds you of good stories that involved it, then yes, it's significant and you keep it.
Another example would be a guitar given to your child that later gave up the instrument, but you kept it anyway. That instrument probably won't be played regularly ever again, but it doesn't matter because it was part of your kid's life, so you keep it (preferably away from the kid so he doesn't go and sell it).
Aside from those examples, if you have a guitar that is used only as a tool to make music with, it doesn't hold significance in your life nor anyone close to you, and you barely play it, get rid of it and get another different guitar.
Since the late 2000s I've bought and parted with several guitars. Mostly Squiers. I buy one, play it for a while, and if I lose interest in that particular instrument, I get rid of it and get something else.
Right now I'm all about the Jazzmaster. But I may get a Telecaster at some point. It might be a Squier. Or maybe a Fender. Or maybe something totally different like a Schecter PT (which looks awesome in gold, by the way.) And I may purposely get a Tele with humbuckers in it. I love my single-coil pickups, but there are times I like the blare of the dual-coil.
I don't plan on parting with my Jazzmaster. But I do plan on getting some kind of Tele in the future. If that Tele proves to be so awesome that it becomes my #1 guitar, then yes, I would part with the Jazzmaster. That's a very unlikely scenario, but it is possible.
The point is that I'm willing to try different stuff, because let's face it, it's easy to get good guitars cheap these days. However, I'm also a believer that one should not own too many guitars, because then you're hoarding.
There have been times when I've parted with a guitar, only to buy another of the same model later because I missed it so much. An example is the bass guitar I own now, the Yamaha RBX170EW. I used to own a RBX170 non-EW version, and I realized how dumb of a mistake it was when I traded it out and tried my hand with a short scale bass guitar. A few months after owning that short scale, one day I saw the new EW version of the RBX170, it looked great and it was the bass I wanted again, so I quickly ran to Guitar Center, traded out the short scale and got my bass back, this time in a better looking version. Everything worked out well there and the price was definitely right...
...but for all I know I might get rid of it and pick up a Jazz Bass in the future. That could happen. Again, an unlikely scenario, but hey, I play whatever works that's priced right, feels right, looks good to my eye and sounds good to my ears. That's all that matters.
6 different types of electric guitar strings you might not have heard of
All electric guitar strings are not the same. Personally, I am a huge fan of Dunlop strings, specific model DEN0942. But there are plenty of others to choose from. Here are a few you might not have known about (with some from brands you already know.)
First thing to note about these? Not cheap. Why so much? Because it's a pure nickel flatwound. Flats are more expensive to make compared to roundwound, and to construct them so they have proper tension at pitch isn't easy. The pure nickel content allows for easier bending, while still having an 'off-treble' tone that flats are known for.
If you have a semi-hollow or hollow-body guitar, Thomastik-Infeld will feel (and sound) right at home on them.
If the price of Thomastik-Infled is too off-putting, these are flats at a much nicer price. I've no idea how these strings perform as far as flatwounds go, but if you're looking to save a buck on flats for your semi-hollow or hollow-body, this is the one to go with. They do in fact cost less than D'Addario Chromes.
I used these for a long time. The reason they're called bullets is because the ends are bullet-shaped instead of ball-shaped.
Back when I played nothing but Strats, Super Bullets really had a nice, "ballsy" tone to them. They also work quite well with humbuckers, too.
This is a string that loses brightness quick, but that's exactly what some players want out of a roundwound.
This was another string I used for a long time (even longer than I used Super Bullets.) Great string that can handle bends easily and has the just-right tension. If you like D'Addario strings but they feel too stiff for your fingers, the Dean Markley NickelSteel is a great alternative.
These strings are specifically designed for drop tuning, but not for the drop you're thinking of. Curt Mangan strings were originally introduced in the late 1960s for guys that liked to tune and play low. Specifically, if you like that "James Bond" or low-pitch country twang, this is a darned fine string to go with.
This is, in fact, a Dunlop string. But it's still cool.
Billy Gibbons himself (of ZZ Top fame) helped design these strings, and it's made in several thicknesses, including one you hardly ever see, .007 to .038.
True to what it says on the package, these strings are kept fairly cheap. And that's good, because if you're trying to save a buck on strings, this is a good option.
I've never tried these, but I do use Dunlop strings as noted above, and that is the main brand I use. If they're built like the DEN0942 is, oh yes, it's good.
Cheap import guitar of the week #11 - SX Furrian Maple Neck Ash NA
While I am a fan of the Squier CV Tele, this is the next best thing if you're really stretched for cash.
The best under-$400 Telecaster that exists right now is the Squier Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster in Butterscotch Blonde; it's a guitar so good that many believe it is the best guitar Squier makes - and that's no joke. The CV 50's is a no-brainer purchase, and I can even recommend buying it without trying it first. Yes, it's that good.
What's the next best thing after the Squier CV 50's? The SX Furrian MN Ash NA. It's under $150 new and is a darned good guitar.
Better than the Squier Affinity Tele? Yes. Not only it is cheaper than the Affinity, it has better hardware and better wood selection and a belly cut in the back of the body, which is a big deal. Some guys don't like the Tele body because of the lack of a belly cut. The SX has it, just like a Strat would.
Now to note, what I mean by "better wood selection" is that in a natural finish, that ash body just looks really good on the SX. It's a nice hunk of wood that will look good on your guitar stand, and you'll also like it when playing it.
As far as a well-built Telecasters go that are south of $500, Squier is the king with the CV 50's. You can't get a better Telecaster for that kind of money.
SX takes up the lower price point with its Furrian MN Ash NA. For a well-built Telecaster south of $150 new, nothing can touch the Furrian.
Furrians sell out quick and routinely go out-of-stock because they sell so fast. If you want a good, cheap Tele, get one now.
Double Take, and how my bass playing has improved
Above is a new song I released, Double Take (because there are two camera shots in the video), and I have a few words about how my bass playing is better now along with how it got better.
Video: Double Take
I'm no stranger to bass guitars and bought my first one back when I was a teenager for $368. It's long gone now and that's fine because I neglected that bass big time.
I currently own a Yamaha RBX170EW, and I take care of my bass a whole lot better these days. :)
The difference between the way I play bass then compared to now is that I'm 100% about the finger style. Playing bass with a pick is something I used to do all the time, and now I don't do that at all and play using only fingers.
My preferred style of bass play is Bernard Edwards. You probably have no idea who that is, and that's okay. He was the bass player for Chic (pronounced like "sheek".) If you listen to Le Freak by that band, you can hear where the inspiration for my present bass tone comes from. Instead of a ballsy, in-your-face punchy sound, I now prefer short-attack notes with "honk" to them. With the P/J pickup layout, I purposely turn down the P pickup slightly so the J comes through, then roll the tone off. In addition, I also employ the use of ghost notes (percussive mutes) and spacing out my notes to get more flavor in the mix, so to speak.
I, obviously, am not that great of a bass player. But I was really happy to get at least a somewhat-Bernard sound going on with what I have.
My Bernard-style of play works really well with the less-distorted sound for guitar I'm using these days.
When I get bored of the guitar, I pick up a bass
Although the RBX170 is my bass of choice, I'd probably just be as happy with a Squier Affinity P/J or a Squier Precision Bass. Heck, I'd probably even be happy with a really cheap SX bass.
I'd be lying if I said I don't get bored with the guitar from time to time. I do. When I do, I grab the bass.
What I learned a while ago is that the cure for guitar boredom is not more guitars. When guitar boredom happens, a different guitar doesn't help. What I need is something different, and a bass certainly qualifies. It's bigger in every way, has a very different sound and requires (for me, anyway,) a very different playing style. That's different, which is good.
If you get bored with the guitar sometimes, get a bass of your own. That, and real bass guitar always sounds better for your recordings compared to keyboard bass.
Cheap import guitar of the week #10 - Chibson B.B. King "Lucille" guitar
This one is being posted by request.
Someone emailed me and mentioned that there are China copies of the Gibson B.B. King "Lucille" guitar. This guitar, like many (if not all) of the other ones I've posted so far, is cheap to buy..
For comparison on price, check out the cost of one of these in an Epiphone flavor. The China copy Chibson is, of course, significantly less in price. As for the real-deal Gibson price, yeah, it's up there.
Personally, I don't like "Lucille" because it is a bit of an electronics nightmare, and you really have to know what this guitar does before buying one, no matter whether it's a Chibson, Epiphone or Gibson.
Now while I won't get into the super-nitty-gritty details of what this guitar does, what it does have (or at least is supposed to have), is stereophonic output. That's not the problem. The problem is the Vari-Tone knob. Most guitar players have no clue what this does.
"Lucille" has electronics that are, as far as I know, based off a Gibson ES-345. What Vari-Tone electronics do is allow you to have selectable capacitors that "color" the sound differently. The differences in sound are subtle, and it's nothing like a Stratocaster's 5-way blade selector. On a Strat, when you use the blade, you are physically changing which pickup you're using. With a Vari-Tone, you're not doing that and instead letting a different capacitor change the sound of the guitar.
I cannot describe in words what the change in tone sounds like when you have selectable capacitors. You have to have a bit of a trained ear to really know what to listen for.
On the Jazzmaster and Jaguar, for example, both those guitars do in fact have a selectable capacitor, but only one for one setting, that being the rhythm circuit controls on the top horn. When you switch to that circuit, there is in fact a separate capacitor there that cuts off some treble, and the change in tone (at least to my ears) is very obvious. But again, that's just one separate setting. "Lucille" has 6.
If you like "Lucille," then by all means, go ahead and get one. I personally wouldn't in any flavor just because of the ridiculous amount of electronics it takes to make one work (meaning if one ever needed electronics repair, that would suck).
What I would suggest as an alternative that's relatively cheap and has way simpler electronics is the Epiphone Dot. If you like the larger archtop style but want something a whole lot simpler that can actually be worked on, the Dot is the guitar you want. Far easier to swap out/repair electronics and has a standard monophonic output jack.
If you want a "real" Lucille...
...you have to go Epiphone or Gibson since only those two brands do the electronics correctly as intended.