Gem guitar from the 90s: G&L ASAT III
It's not the Strat-style pickup configuration and electronics that really make this great but rather the bridge.
Take the G&L ASAT III from the late 1990s. It does not load strings from the rear but is rather a top loader, and things get better from there.
What G&L calls this is the saddle lock bridge, which is more than just a big ol' hunk of metal. Much more. That bridge makes for the most ridiculously easy palm muting and never feels uncomfortable to rest the palm on for regular picking.
Also, what makes this thing ring out like a beast is a hex screw adjustment that literally presses the bridge saddles together so everything connects and therefore vibrates as if it were a single piece.
And because this is a top loader, string bending is super easy even at full string tension.
Nice.
Is the switch a 5-way? Yes it is. Looks like a Tele but switches like a Strat does. Those G&L pickups aren't weak, either. You can see just by looking at it that it has the MFD (Magnetic Field Design) G&L pickups in it.
When it comes to '90s guitars that really tried to genuinely advance into the modern era, ASAT III was definitely one of them.
"I don't want a guitar that old. Is there an alternative that's new?"
Yes, see Godin Radium.
9 volt battery prices are stupid
The main reason people buy 9V batteries are for smoke alarms. This has been the way of things for what, 40 years now?
In guitar and bass player circles, the 9 volt is used for pedal effects (a lot of BOSS pedals use a 9V directly under the footswitch), acoustic-electric guitars with a preamp and active electric bass guitars.
Regardless of where you use the 9 volt battery, there's basically only one rule you need to follow so you don't get ripped off with these things.
Never buy them in a store.
Either get yourself some Amazon Basics 9V batteries, or industrial grade Duracell Procell or Energizer Industrial and call it a day.
Since I know people are going to ask, I'll answer this up front:
What is the difference between a regular 9 volt and industrial grade?
The answer is drain rate. Industrial grade doesn't last longer, but you will get a consistent drain rate. What that means is that every battery in an industrial pack will act the same from the beginning of useful life to end. With regular 9V batteries there may and probably will be inconsistent drain rates. One battery will last a long while, the next out of the pack may drain quicker and have a shorter life, and the next may be "so-so" with its drain rate.
Does that mean you should only buy industrial grade? Only if you feel it's worth it. I'm honestly okay with the Amazon Basics brand.
It should NOT cost 13 bucks for two 9V batteries at the grocery store...
...yet it does. You will spend $6.50 per 9V battery if fool enough to buy 9V batteries from a local grocery store.
The online price whittles that down to under $2 per 9V battery if going with the lowest price. Yes, that means it's literally 70% less buying packs of 9V batteries online instead of in-store, and you get a better, newer battery out of it, even if going with Amazon Basics.
How long do 9V batteries last unused in storage? Usually about 5 years.
Chances are likely however that the year printed on an industrial grade 9V is probably more accurate than that of a non-industrial. I can't prove that as I've never tested it, but it's most likely true.
Personally, for smoke alarms I would use industrial grade just to be on the safe side. For everything else, regular grade.
Fender JV Modified '50s Strat at almost $600 off!
This is an absolutely outstanding way to get into a very proper Fender Stratocaster HSS, no question about it. And yeah, I had to post this one because it's too good of a deal to pass up.
This guitar did cost 4 figures to get it, but at the moment, the Fender JV Modified '50s Stratocaster HSS can be had in the 3's.
Several things make this a very attractive buy. The neck is that sought-after "soft V" shape, but with a modern and preferred 9.5" fingerboard radius instead of 7.25". The middle and neck pickups are jangly and vintage-voiced, and the bridge side humbucker has the addition of a push-pull on Tone 2 to split to single coil. This is a tone monster.
As far as I can tell, this guitar only came in sunburst and that's it - but what a sunburst it is. The JV means Japan Vintage, meaning yes, it was made in Japan and they really know how to do a proper sunburst finish correct.
Was there ever anything wrong with this guitar? That's the crazy part. Not a thing. I think the only reason these didn't move more is because it's HSS and only came in sunburst...
...which is why I say this is a fantastic way to get into a very nice HSS Strat. I'm not ordinarily into HSS guitars at all, but I genuinely like this. It has the mods I'd personally put into one. And the zebra style humbucker plays with the dark part of the burst nicely. It looks very high-end, and to be honest, it is. Grab one if you've got the cash for it, as I'm sure they'll move quick with that giant discount - with free shipping, I might add.
How to prevent a Garmin GPS from overheating
The Garmin DriveSmart 65 is still a popular model at the time I write this. I use a 66 model personally, but the 65 is still really nice. People like the 7" screen (technically 6.95"), love the legibility as it's really easy to read, love the screen brightness, the voice control, the traffic reporting, and so on...
...but WOW, are people ridiculously stupid when it comes to the operation and care of this thing because they keep burning them up.
I'm going to list off the stupid things people do with this that cause overheating and how to prevent it from ever happening.
Using the wrong cable
This is the #1 reason why people burn up a DS65.
People will go and buy a cheap 12V car charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter port, use a USB COMPUTER CABLE instead of the Garmin charger, send TOO MUCH POWER over the wire and whammo, overheated from overcharging the battery.
In the idiot's mind, they think "Hurr-durr... the cable end looks the same as the Garmin cable, so durrr... I'm going to use this and it will totally work."
Wrong. So very wrong.
There are many, MANY Amazon reviews from mouth breathers stating their DS65 just "burned up" for no reason. Nope. They used the wrong cable.
A proper power-only USB cable will power and charge the DS65 properly if you cannot use the supplied Garmin charger for whatever reason.
How do I know? I own 3 of them. They work. And they don't overcharge.
Here's another reason I know it's true: I have burned up a Garmin GPS before. Not a DS65 but another older model I have. How? You guessed it, it was by using the WRONG TYPE OF CABLE.
Not understanding how the sun works
Take a wild guess how long it takes on a hot summer day for the interior of your car to bust over 100F degrees when sitting in a parking lot with the windows closed.
Under 15 minutes.
Stupid people routinely just leave their Garmins mounted to the car windshield while parked with the sun blasting away at them... then get oh-so confused as to why their GPS burns up afterward.
Any Garmin GPS has an operating temperature range of -4F to 131F on battery and 32F to 113F while plugged in. And since everybody uses a DS65 while plugged in, if the DS65 heats up above 113F, you're screwed.
Imagine this scenario: Mouth breather parks his car on a hot summer day in a parking lot. How hot do you think the interior of that car will get in 15 minutes? I'll answer that for you. Well above 113F.
Now imagine just hopping in the car, starting it and sending power over the wire to the DS65. What do you think will happen? DING! DING! DING! THAT'S RIGHT! IT OVERHEATS!
And for anybody that says, "Well, my phone doesn't do that!" You're wrong. If you put your phone on the dashboard of your parked car with the windows shut, did so on a hot summer day and left it there for 20 minutes, three things will happen. First, if you have a phone case on your phone, IT WILL MELT. Yes, literally. Second, assuming you could even touch your phone without burning yourself after it being cooked like that, it won't even turn on. Third, if you were stupid enough to plug in a cable and send power with the phone that hot, the battery could literally explode and buh-bye, dead phone.
What's the solution to this problem? You already know what it is. GET IT OUT OF THE SUN when parked. Take the DS65 off its mount and put it in a place where the sun isn't beating on it. And yes, WITH CABLE because that's not impervious to high heat either.
Where does a Garmin GPS get hottest, and how can you protect it?
The hottest part is at the USB port, because that's where the power is going in.
What can you cover that with?
You can't use anything that has adhesive (like a sticker) because that will melt and make a mess.
You can't use anything made of metal because that can interrupt the GPS signal.
Paper towel can work initially, but then becomes brittle from repeated sun exposure and could ignite later. Don't use a paper towel. Bad idea.
With most cloths, the same thing can happen.
However, what does work is nylon webbing strap. Now we're talking. Cut a piece of that, stuff it behind the GPS screen loose to cover the USB port and cable and you're good to go. That stuff won't even begin to melt until over 250F.
Yes, you can put the strap behind the screen loose and it will stay there. Attach the DS65 with cable plugged in to the mount as you normally would. After that, stuff the strap over the mounting clip behind the screen and just make sure it covers what it needs to. That's it. You're done.
And no, the strap won't trap heat because it doesn't act as an insulator, especially since you're just draping it over the mounting clip loose. It also won't interrupt the GPS signal at all since there isn't any metal in it.
To recap...
Don't use the wrong USB cable with a DS65. Either use the supplied charger or the correct USB power cable type.
Get the DS65 out of the sun when parked.
Optionally cover the USB port with loose nylon webbing strap for extra heat protection.
When you follow these simple rules, your Garmin GPS won't burn up and overheat.
i quit energy drinks
Nobody my age should be drinking this stuff.
My energy drink of choice was Monster Lo-Carb. I liked the taste, and it is truly low on Calories at under 50 per can.
I started drinking Lo-Carb years ago in my 30s and didn't stop until recently because I finally found a substitute that actually works for me.
This is not going to be one of those stories where an energy drink messed me up or anything like that, although I will say three things:
- I purposely limited myself to two cans a day because I learned the hard way that drinking more than that would make me dizzy.
- Sometimes it would taste great and other times just plain bad. This happened for the entire time I drank Lo-Carb. It was a total crapshoot whether I'd get a "good one" or not whenever I cracked open a can.
- Lo-Carb ruined the taste of other things. If I drank a Lo-Carb and chased that with a sandwich, I'd barely taste the sandwich. I'd have to wait a bit after drinking a can before eating or drinking anything else.
Did I experience any withdrawals quitting energy drinks?
No. None whatsoever.
I thought for sure I would feel some kind of withdrawal, depression or some other not-so good feelings. Nothing of the sort happened.
What happened instead is that my head cleared up. Whenever I drank a Lo-Carb, my mind would feel "busy". That's the best way I can describe it. That busy-mind feeling would sometimes make it difficult to concentrate.
And why didn't I notice this before? I was used to it. It was only after I quit energy drinks did I realize hey, my mind isn't periodically racing around for no reason.
What am I drinking now?
Three things for the most part:
I tried this stuff and found it really agrees with me. Some people hate the taste of this stuff, but I like it.
Powerade is leagues better than energy drinks because it has no carbonation and no caffeine.
I can count quitting energy drinks as also quitting soda, since Lo-Carb was carbonated. Nothing I drink has any carbonation in it now.
Coffee
I take my coffee weak and limit myself to two cups daily. And most of the time I just drink one cup a day.
Ice water
Generally speaking, I don't like the taste of straight water unless it's really cold. For example, I'll take a Powerade bottle, fill that all the way to the top with ice, then fill with water, and I'm good with that.
A Powerade bottle is nice to use for this since it has a wide-mouth top. Yeah, I know it's not as good as a proper water bottle, but it works for me.
What do I mean by "Nobody my age..."?
I'm a Gen X, and there's not a single one of us that's under 44 at the time I write this.
Nobody over 40 should be drinking energy drinks. Some would probably argue that it should be nobody over 30.
I was the idiot still knocking back energy drinks. Yeah. Me. This guy.
Again, energy drinks didn't mess me up while I was drinking them, but it's absolutely a good thing that I quit consuming that stuff.
I'm not saying everybody should go drink Powerade instead. I just happen to like it. Maybe you would like G Zero, who knows.
I however will say that nobody over 40 should be piling in massive amounts of caffeine and energy blends into their system. That's what I was doing, and that was dumb. I now know better.