Possibly the perfect guitar (for some)
Have you ever come across a guitar that answered ALL the requests guitar players have been making for years? This guitar is one of them.
Take the Squier Contemporary Jaguar HH ST.
"Oh. Another Squier..", you may say.
Before you push this one aside, don't. This is absolutely not just an appearance package. What you're getting here is Fender Aerodyne level features and build quality here.
Yes, this is one of those guitars where if it said "Fender" on the headstock, the price would be well north of $1,000, but it's nowhere near that.
This Jag is Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster and Les Paul together into one guitar.
Pickups are hot "Atomic" humbuckers which can be split and which can be used in series OR parallel at the flick of a switch.
The neck is close to a "Modern C" shape Fender style, but with 24.0" scale length and 12" fingerboard radius - and it's roasted maple on the back.
Tremolo? None. Vibrato? Also none. This means maximum tuning stability from the Gibson-esque bridge and tailpiece.
And speaking of which, this is all top-loader, making it not only ridiculously easy-to-play but ready for thicker strings as well.
Tuners are vintage on top with the open slot (old school) but sealed in the back (new school). Best of both worlds.
The control knobs are proper metal instead of those awful plastic pointy knobs that are typical to Jaguar guitars.
The headstock logo is silver and raised - just like on the Fender Aerodyne guitars.
You'll see two colors from the listing. Skyburst Metallic and Shoreline Gold.
I almost bought this.
Yeah, I was really close to going for this one.
I didn't go for it because I prefer the Jazzmaster 25.5" scale over the Jag 24.0". That's literally the only reason I passed on this. Everything else is spot-on.
If there ever were a modern Squier Aerodyne, this Jag is absolutely it.
Why I haven't bought a guitar in a while
This mainly has to do with price, lack of information and going custom since nobody builds exactly what I like - that I know of.
While true I can get dirt new cheap guitars easily, I'm at that point in my guitar playing life where to get what I want, I have to build it. And by that I mean part together a guitar.
The main issue I have is getting a good neck that doesn't break the bank. Yes, you can get cheap guitar necks all frickin' day as well, but the thing I run into often are two pieces of information NOT listed. The first is neck shape and the second is neck depth.
Shape is easy enough to understand. For electrics, it's C, D, U or V. Unfortunately, this bit of info which is rather important isn't stated on a ton of guitar neck listings.
Neck depth information is just 2 numbers, but again, rather important ones. The 1st fret depth measurement and the same for the 12th fret. An example of this would be 0.82" 1st fret neck depth and 0.96" 12th fret neck depth. Sometimes you'll see these measurements in millimeters.
On the vast majority of listings for guitar necks, you'll either get no info on shape or depth, just the shape info, or just the depth info.
What would the IDEAL guitar neck listing be?
That's an easy answer. Type (so you know what body type it will attach to), neck shape, 1st fret and 12th fret depth, fret type/shape (e.g. medium jumbo, narrow/tall, etc.)
Example: Fender USA/Mexico Stratocaster compatible neck, C shape, 0.82" 1st fret, 0.96" 12th fret, 6105 Medium Jumbo Narrow frets (which is .095" x .047" for those interested for nickel/silver or stainless steel).
Yes, I have considered custom ordering a neck...
...but I can't justify spending $300+ on such a thing. That's for just the neck with frets. No tuners and no nut.
Furthermore, this creates a bit of a rabbit hole. If I spend that kind of scratch on a neck, then of course I'd have to spend a mint on a decent guitar body, electronics, and... whoops now I spent over a grand.
Nope, not doing that.
I have another problem in that...
...I'd like to go Jazzmaster again. And WOW is it difficult finding a low-cost Jazzmaster body with both the upper and lower bout routs.
I'll explain.
Jazzmaster/Jaguar bodies can be bought, obviously. The problem is that most of them only have the lower bout rout, which is the body cavity under the pickups. A proper Jazzmaster also has another cavity over the pickups where a separate toggle switch and two thumb controls go.
If I'm going to go Jazzmaster again, I want the full two-circuit pickup system and not single circuit. For that, I need a body with both the upper and lower bout routs and there's no way around that. Finding one of those for a low price however... yeah, I haven't found one yet.
Oh, and there's another problem. A lot of sellers who have Jazzmaster bodies don't have the posts drilled for the bridge either nor have the screw holes drilled for the vibrato system at the rear.
"You're asking a lot...", you may say. No, I'm not. You can find Strat bodies all day long with all the holes predrilled, even for the pick guard. If I want a vintage-style Strat body with the 6 screw holes predrilled for the bridge, two predrilled holes for the tremolo claw in the back, thru-body hole predrilled for the ground wire and pick guard holes predrilled, yep, no problem. I could buy one of those right now. If you're in Strat/Tele town, you're all set. If you're in Jazz/Jag town, no you're not.
The search continues (or maybe not?)
I'd like to put together my own guitar using a neck that has the measurements I prefer, so right now I'm still on the hunt for all the right parts at the right price.
HOWEVER... if it ends up being that all the pieces put together blows over a grand in cost, then it's actually cheaper to buy a new Squier or Fender. It might be a Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster. Yes, an artist model. That's a darned good guitar. I don't like the Adjust-O-Matic bridge, but that can easily be swapped out.
Unless a miracle happens, I'll keep playing the Strats I have for the rest of '23 and then make my choice for what to get next in '24.
Playing electric guitars unplugged is necessary
You can tell a lot about an electric guitar by not plugging it in.
While true the whole point of an electric guitar is to have its sound amplified, it's actually a very good idea to play these things unplugged first for two main reasons:
1. It's much easier to hear weird sounds (if any).
2. It's much easier to know if the guitar feels right or not.
"Weird sounds" defined
Buzzing, rattling, creaking, squeaking, unintended ringing and so on. Anything non-musical, as in non-musical noises.
A few examples:
If you bend a string and hear a creaking noise, that's not good. You'd most likely never hear that when plugged in, but it really sticks out when unplugged.
If you play a hard chord, stop it with your picking hand and hear ringing, where's that coming from? Is that string ring after the nut in the headstock area? Under the pick guard (if the guitar has one)? Behind the bridge if there is string travel there? If the guitar makes noises like this, you'll hear them when playing unplugged.
The electric sound works against you when testing for feel
I've said this before and will say it again - what makes or breaks a guitar is the neck, and that has everything to do with your fret hand and not your ears. If you have an amplified sound blaring out while testing out a guitar, that's a distraction. You should play unplugged first, and if you don't hear weird noises and the feel agrees with you, then plug in afterward.
Some guitars I tried out recently
I have a video of me playing 100% unplugged. The guitars seen in the video are the following:
- Squier Sonic Telecaster (new)
- Squier Affinity Telecaster (new)
- Squier Paranormal Super-Sonic (new)
- Squier Sonic Stratocaster HT (new)
- Squier Affinity Telecaster (used)
- Squier Affinity Stratocaster (used)
Because some guys are interested in this info, the guitar with the best vibration and projection was the Sonic Strat HT. For some reason, that guitar really rings out in the right ways. And it's fortunately dirt cheap.
When new is cheaper than used for a project guitar
If you want the lowest possible price for a project guitar, this is it.
Sixty bucks for a guitar kit. And I'm sure that price won't last, so be sure to it check out. You'll see Strat shapes, Tele shapes, Flying V, Les Paul, Explorer, and there's even a Jazzmaster-Tele thing (same as the Squier Paranormal Offset Telecaster, more or less).
The crazy thing these days is that it's literally not possible to find cheap used guitars for what the new cheap guitar kits sell for - even when you account for tax and shipping. If you want the absolute no-question-about-it lowest price for a project guitar, you have to get a kit.
Are these guitars any good? That actually depends on you.
Putting a guitar together from a kit does require basic woodworking skills, possibly some tools if you don't have any (yes, there are low priced kits for that too), and maybe some basic finishing skills. And by finishing I mean painting - although you could just wing it...
...and for something this cheap, yeah, I'd argue you should wing it and just give it a go, because why not.
Art guitars are cool, but again I wanted to put something there for those that truly want a clean slate for experimentation.
What's the best part about a kit like this (other than price) compared to a used guitar? Easy answer. You don't have to sand off the old finish first, which can be very tedious, especially near the neck pocket. This means you can get to your art experimentation much quicker.
It is crazy you can build a complete new working electric guitar for just 60 bucks. But even if you spend a little more for one of the other kits, it's still the best deal going.
Ana-digi G-SHOCK watches would be great if you could read them
Illegibility is the main reason I don't own a G-SHOCK ana-digi.
Quick definition first: Ana-digi means a watch dial that has both analog and digital display, meaning you'll see the hour and minute hands along with some LCD digital panels.
Before I get into the G-SHOCK ana-digi stuff, Casio does in fact know how to do an ana-digi correctly when it's not a G-SHOCK, such as the Waveceptor WVA M630D-9AJF. That is the way to do it right. It's part of the Casio WVA Waveceptor series (all of which look great, and yes they have atomic timekeeping).
When Casio wants to, they sure know how to build an ana-digi correctly.
Heck, even the cheap HDC-700 model has a proper legible ana-digi design.
But G-SHOCK ana-digi? Awful.
Take the G-SHOCK GM-S2100CH-1A. You might look at that and think hey, that's an interesting blend of silver, red and gold... what's the problem?
The problem is the tiny negative display panels on the dial. Those are absolutely and totally unreadable. Sure, you can read the analog hands, but those tiny panels? Forget about it.
It is NOT EASY finding a G-SHOCK ana-digi where everything is properly legible for both hands and LCD panels...
...but I found one (yes, just one), the GA-700MG model, and I can't wear it.
Why? Too big. 57.5mm lug-to-lug, 53.4mm diameter and a whopping 18.4mm thick. There's no way I could wear that thing and have it look proper on my wrist.
However, yes, it does go to prove a legible ana-digi G-SHOCK does exist.
But obviously, I'd take the Waveceptor instead.
Or, I'd pass on the digital altogether and get the Casio Edifice EFS-S570YDB-2AJF, because that thing is gorgeous - with sapphire crystal and solar power. Good stuff.