The easiest Bigsby? Gretsch G2655T Streamliner
When you want a Bigsby vibrato on a genuinely well-built guitar for not a lot of money, you go Gretsch.
Take the Gretsch G2655T Streamliner Center Block Jr., and typical to Gretsch goodness, the first thing you see is a great looking guitar that looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. Nearly all Gretsch guitar designs have a very upscale look to them, and the Streamliner Center Block Jr. is no exception.
However, the big deal is the Bigsby virbato system. While true there are other guitars that have this system on it (like a Telecaster Bigsby or Murphy Lab Les Paul), the Gretsch is the most approachable for basically one reason:
It's not a boat anchor.
This Gretsch is - get ready for this - typically under 7 pounds in weight. This is unheard of for any electric guitar with a Bigsby system. So not only can you get a Gretsch at a very nice price and looks great and has the Bigsby system, you also get something that won't break your back. Pretty sweet deal if you asked me.
Why would anybody want a Bigsby in the first place?
Where vibrato systems are concerned, choices that are generally available are the Stratocaster tremolo system, Floyd-Rose tremolo system and the Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar vibrato system. Lesser-known systems are the Fender Mustang vibrato (which is sort of a "mini Jazzmaster" type of system) and Gibson's Maestro Vibrola as seen on the Gibson SG Standard '61.
A Bigsby vibrato is for the type of player that likes a vibrato system with more precise note bending; this is mainly due to the wider vibrato arm (it sort of looks like a butter knife) that stays put.
Some say it's difficult to keep strings in tune with a Bigsby system. Not true. It's no more or less difficult than a Jazzmaster/Jaguar vibrato. When your strings are properly stretched, it will work as intended for "slower" bends.
Spanky vibe without the hum, but with atypical controls
Gretsch humbucker pickups are bright in responsiveness by design, which gives the G2655T a sound Gretsch guitars are known for. It can rock, to be sure, but sounds better with cleaner tones.
A typical-to-Gretsch thing is the master volume control near the front of the guitar. I'll admit I'm totally not used to it, but it's not difficult to figure out. That front knob is master volume, then the other 3 are individual volume controls per pickup, and one master tone control.
This type of control setup lets you get any volume blend of the two pickups that you want, and then you can use the master volume control to set how much output you want; that's the advantage of Gretsch controls.
With this Bigsby-equipped guitar, you get a lot for the money
When you want to dive into the realm of a guitar with a Bigsby vibrato system on it, you really can't do much better than this. The key thing, other than the nice price, is its light weight. You're not going to be dealing with some monster-weight 11+ pound electric guitar with the Gretsch. Instead, you get something light that looks great and has good tonal character to it.
I'd argue the Gretsch G2655T Streamliner Center Block Jr. is the best "gateway to Bigsby" electric guitar there is.
Almost perfect, Epiphone Les Paul Standard '60s Bourbon Burst
There is a whole lot of wow to this Les Paul.
In this particular generation of Epiphone Les Paul, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard '60s really nails it.
The price of one put me off slightly at first. But when I played it, that's when I realized other Les Paul style guitars in this price bracket are inferior compared to the Epiphone.
Let's talk about that burst first
For years, Epiphone could not get a burst finish correct. With flat finishes, yes, they were good at that. Gold Top and Wine Red are good examples of decent flat finishes. But the burst was lacking and just did not look right...
...but this does. The burst on the '60s LP Standard is, dare I say, scary-close to a nitro look. Yes, it's that good. Epiphone finally figured out how to make a poly finish get that liquid-like look of lacquer.
Is this finish as good as the Epiphone "1959" Les Paul? Yes, it is. The '60s LP Standard bursts have browns instead of reds like on the '59, but still an amazing looker.
What keeps it out of the perfect category?
Two things.
First, it's heavy. And bear in mind this guitar is billed as a Standard and not a Traditional. Were it a Traditional, I could understand it being heavy because Traditional typically means "no weight relief". But this is a Standard.
Is the guitar boat anchor heavy? No, but it's got some weight to it. Also, it could have been that the one I played just happened to be a heavier one; the guitar felt to be at or a little over 9 pounds.
The second thing is a nitpick. The tuners, while great, are not as good as what's used on the Epiphone 1961 Les Paul SG Standard. To be fair, that SG has godlike tuners on it (I'm not kidding), so it's a hard act to follow. I don't know what tuning machines are being used on that SG but they're insanely good. Again, the tuners on the '60s LP Standard are great, because yes, they are Grover Rotomatics (a fine upgrade for any guitar in general), but staying within the same brand, the SG edges out the LP.
Voice
This guitar has a ProBucker 2 neck side and ProBucker 3 bridge side in it, with CTS potentiometers for controls. Epiphone put the good stuff in this Les Paul, and it sings.
I am not a Les Paul guy nor a humbucker guy, and I like the sound this guitar. A lot. You want bite? It's there. You want spank? It's there. You want "smooth"? It's there.
In other words, no upgrades are required whatsoever for the electronics. I think it would be nuts for anybody to swap out the pickups in this guitar.
Neck
First I'll mention the Graph Tech nut comes standard, ensuring proper string travel and better tuning stability.
This Les Paul again surprised me because it does have the SlimTaper 60s neck. I typically don't like this neck, but I liked this one. Why? It's a C and not a D shape, and my fret hand liked that. The fret size is also a proper medium jumbo, my favorite type. Not too big, not too small, not too wide.
Some guys complain about Indian Laurel fretboards, which is what this guitar has. I don't know why, because at this point it's been proven to be a good fingerboard material across many guitar brands. The only thing you could possibly complain about is fingerboard appearance. Rosewood has subtle color variations to it that Indian Laurel doesn't - but - as far as the "Does it look '60s?" question is concerned, Epiphone totally got it right. The LP Standard '60s absolutely has that new-vintage look to it and it absolutely works.
Worth it?
As said above, the price put me off at first. But then I consider what else is out there in the Les Paul shape that would match up to this guitar in its price bracket.
Schecter Solo II Custom, perhaps? That's more expensive by several hundred dollars. Maybe a Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet? Priced slightly less, but totally different tonal character. PRS SE Starla? Again, good, but more expensive than the Epiphone.
When you examine other LP style guitars, that's when you realize, "Oh, I guess this Epiphone really is priced as it should be." Yes.
The only thing keeping the LP '60s from being an $800+ guitar is that '59 model Epiphone has.
This LP '60s Standard from Epiphone is a no-compromises Les Paul, and while I am a penny pincher, I have to admit the price is fair for what it is.
I liked this guitar a lot, and again, remember this is coming from somebody who isn't a Les Paul guy.
Classic or tacky? Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster Gold Edition
Is this a classic, or is it tacky? Let's talk about that.
The Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster Gold Edition is available in Lake Placid Blue and Olympic White. The one I tried out was in blue.
Before getting into the appearance, some guitar stuff first.
The weight is good and not too heavy. Pickups sound great and there are no issues there. The neck felt good, tuners were decent, the traditional Jazzmaster electronics all worked fine. Basically put, this is a proper Jazzmaster guitar.
Is the pick guard a true anodized gold type? Yes, it is. It's not a "pretending to be anodized gold" guard. You get the real deal here.
Does the vibrato system have a locking switch? Typical to Squier, it does not. If you want that vibrato lock, you will have to step up to the Fender Vintera '60s Jazzmaster or Fender American Original '60s Jazzmaster.
Now as for the appearance of the Squier...
I honestly can't decide whether this guitar looks good or not. Blue does work with gold, and that anodized pick guard does in fact help out with eliminating some of the single-coil hum. But my brain flip-flops whenever I look at this guitar. Sometimes I think it's beautiful, and other times not.
To my eye, where the tacky happens is at the vibrato plate. I have no issue with the rest of the guitar's appearance except right there. That gold is not the same color as the pick guard gold and I just can't un-see that. Also, the guard has a brushed look while the vibrato plate is polished smooth, further mismatching them.
The guitar is great, but staying within the same brand, the Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster is a much better looking guitar - which by the way is also offered in a lefty, something not offered for the 40th anniversary model.
A baritone Telecaster actually makes sense
A baritone in this flavor is "more baritone" than others and I'll tell you why.
The Squier Classic Vibe Custom Telecaster is something where at first glance you may ask, "Why?", but it does actually make sense as a baritone guitar.
When I first picked up this guitar, I did not know it was a baritone because it looks just like any other Telecaster. But then I felt the thicker strings, noticed the neck was longer, read the tag and then thought, "Oh, cool, a baritone, let's try this out."
Is it difficult to play?
Not at all. Bear in mind I normally play .008 to .038 gauge strings on my guitars, and this baritone Squier which uses .014 to .068 gauge was truly easy-to-play.
You may be thinking, "Whoa, those strings are way too thick for me!" That would be true if using standard tuning, but this is baritone tuning, which typically starts with the lowest note as B and not E, meaning two-and-a-half steps below E.
In other words, believe me, you can totally play this. Again, I normally play 8-38, this guitar is 14-68, and I wasn't straining at all.
Another thing I can say about this baritone - and believe me, it's a huge compliment when I say this - is that it feels exactly like a regular Telecaster except for thicker strings and a longer 27" scale neck. There is no learning curve whatsoever with this guitar. Plays like a Tele, feels like a Tele, and is absolutely not something where you have to relearn how to play just to get used to it. You can pick this up just like any other guitar, strum away and have a good time with a lower tuning.
The Telecaster makes sense as a baritone
Lower tuning is typically attributed to metal players that want something lower and "meaner" sounding.
That is not what this Telecaster is about, thankfully.
The best use of this guitar is for clean, spanky tone in a low tuning.
If you want that Duane Eddy Rebel Rouser sound, or maybe a B-52's Rock Lobster tone, or any sound that's low, clean and punchy, that's why you get a baritone Telecaster.
The stock set of Tele pickups this guitar comes with really lends well to a baritone configuration, and that's why a baritone Telecaster actually makes sense.
If you love that low-and-clean tone, then yes, pick up one of these.
Garmin nuvi 1100LM, a diamond in the rough
This little guy is an unexpected gem.
Garmin bounced around a lot with the UI from model to model of nuvi. All of them work, but the best models have the least annoyances in general use. The 1100LM is one that is surprisingly very good and has only two annoyances.
I'll talk about those annoyances first.
POI search has what I call a stutter. Type a letter, it pauses, then you can continue. This is due to the dynamic search not being programmed properly. Every character you enter is searched instantly rather than after you type first and then search. Every other search (Favorites, Cities, Address, etc.) is fine. It's only the POI search that has the stutter.
The screen does require firm presses to make it respond.
And that's it.
The 1100LM was Garmin's base model for 2010. No speed limit display, no Junction View, no TTS (prerecorded voice only), no advanced features whatsoever - except for traffic, which I'll talk about in a moment.
In addition, the 1100 has the second best legibility. It is only bested by the older nuvi 265T because the 265 has bigger fonts in a few areas, but the 1100 is notably faster. Also, the top left arrow during navigation on the 1100 is identical to the 265. Big and thick with black outline. It's the best there is for a 3.5" model.
A completely undocumented feature of the 1100 is that it has traffic support when connected to a GTM35 traffic/charger cord. It absolutely works, and there is the option to avoid traffic in the Avoidances settings.
Brilliance of the 1100
#1: A battery that actually holds a charge for several hours
The 1100 is rated to hold a charge for 4 hours, but it can easily go beyond that.
It used to be normal for smaller, simple 3.5" models to hold a charge for a good long while, and you get that with the 1100.
#2: What it does not do is the best part
The only warning an 1100 gives of anything is traffic, and only when the GTM35 is connected. It's a polite warning that doesn't distract you from driving.
When the traffic antenna is not connected or traffic is disabled, the 1100 has absolutely no nags whatsoever; it is a fantastic example of what Garmin can make when all the garbage is taken out of the UI.
#3: Small and legible
Only when you use something like the 1100 do you realize that bigger doesn't mean better.
The 1100 has a bright matte screen, but also has a map with bright colors and proper contrast, and also fonts with proper contrast; it is more readable and legible that any smartphone nav app with a 6" screen and I am not kidding.
Because the 1100 has a compact size (3.7" width x 2.9" height x 0.6" deep), you can mount it almost anywhere.
It's even possible to use the 1100 with no mount whatsoever. Just take a piece of anti slip pad, put it on the dashboard under the lower left corner of the windshield, put the 1100 on the pad and lean against the windshield. Done. And you don't need to worry about the power cable since you can run the thing for 4 hours before it needs a charge.
The 1100 serves as a shining example of back when Garmin really knew how to build a great simple small car navigator.