Fender does it again - another Short List entry

The Blacktop Strat.

I've always been a Fender guy. Maybe that's why I've owned three of them (two of which I still have). The company has really done a good job of making quality, affordable guitars with the Fender name - quite the opposite of Gibson, who have really gone downhill, at least in my opinion.

But that's another post. This one is about the latest from Fender that is also the latest on the Short List - the Fender Blacktop Stratocaster.

I have a profound weakness for Strats. If I could, I'd probably have about 50 of them. They are, as I've written in other posts, my guitars. My signature guitar would be a Strat - hence the Johncaster. The Blacktop Strat is probably the nicest Stratocaster I've seen in a while. I especially love it in black with a rosewood fretboard. That's the one that's made it onto the Short List. What amazes me even more is that it's the least expensive Fender-branded Stratocaster on the market, cheaper than even the run-of-the-mill Standard Stratocaster.

And run-of-the-mill, the Blacktop Strat is not. Two powerful AlNiCo humbuckers, a coil-splitting five-way switch, tone controls for each pickup, and 22 frets make the Blacktop not your ordinary Strat. The only thing that's missing a better tremolo system - it's got the typical Mexican vintage tremolo that's on my Strat, and will probably have to be upgraded or blocked off. Still, it ticks off enough boxes - not to mention the all-important "gotta-have-it" box - to easily make it onto the Short List.

I have to give Fender credit for the entire Blacktop line. The Blacktop Tele looks almost exactly the same as my Tele HH, the Blacktop Jaguar is Short List-worthy (and will be re-visited in the near future), and the Blacktop Jazzmaster is a unique take on the classic Jazzmaster. The fact that they're all affordable just makes them even more remarkable.

Here's an updated Short List:

Guitars I've played:

Epiphone Les Paul Studio ($349)
Schecter Omen 6 ($299)

Guitars I haven't played:

Dean Cadillac Select ($479)
Dean Vendetta 1000 ($275)
Epiphone Les Paul Nightfall ($499)
ESP LTD EC-50 ($249)
(NEW) Fender Blacktop Stratocaster ($450)
Ibanez ART100 ($299)
Ibanez GRGA32T ($299)
Ibanez RG350DX ($400)
Ibanez RG5EX1 ($400)
Ibanez S420 ($499)
Schecter Damien FR ($450)
Sterling JP50 ($499)
Sterling SILO20 ($399)

Guitars I can't play:

Agile AL-2000 with Floyd Rose ($279)
Chapman Guitars ML1 ($490)
Chapman Guitars ML2 ($525)
DWG Contender ($299)

The Strat debacle, saving lost (guitar) souls and other random musings

The Johncaster

When I built my signature Stratocaster - a.k.a. the Johncaster - I did it as purely a theoretical exercise, a "what if" scenario. Of course, it turned out so well that I couldn't help but give serious thought to making the theory a reality. I just don't know whether or not I want to modify my Strat.

The reason for this is my ever-wavering stance on the tone of my nearly-stock Strat. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I don't. Lately, again, I've been loving it. I think it goes back to what I wrote about mood guitars - if I'm in the mood for a certain tone, I better have the guitar that will give me that tone. Since I tend to be in a Strat mood pretty regularly, does it really make sense to completely change it? Not really.

Plus there are other factors. Like, for instance, my Johncaster concept is tuned decidedly for metal, but the guitar itself isn't really a metal guitar. It has a fairly standard 9.5" radius, a relatively thick (by metal guitar standards) C-profile neck and only 21 frets. Metal guitars, in contrast, typically have flatter fretboards (a 12" or 15" radius is common), thin necks and 24 frets. It's like putting a Ferrari V12 in a pickup truck. It'll sound like a Ferrari, but it sure won't drive like one.

It's pretty clear to me that my Strat will stay a Strat for the duration of its existence with me. I would still like to get one of those BladeRunner tremolos and possibly some better (but still Strat-like) pickups, but it'll always be a Strat.

So now the focus turns back to the short list, or at least the concept behind the short list. It's no question that I have a soft spot for things that may have been cast off that need a home. It's the reason why two of my dogs are rescue dogs - one from a small dog rescue and another from the local shelter. It's also why I'm drawn to places like pawn shops and used guitar Web stores like Daddy's Junky Music.

There are so many guitars - great guitars - that are out there just waiting for a new home. I remember last year I found a pretty rare 1983 Ibanez Roadstar II on Music Go Round's Web site that was at their Aurora, CO store. It was an RS335, a model so rare it never even appeared in any of their catalogs. The RS335 model was released in the second half of 1983, missing the catalog for that year, and discontinued that December, thus not appearing in the 1984 catalog. Anyway, Music Go Round obviously didn't know what they had, because they were selling it for a very low price ($179, if memory serves). I remember I wanted to go look at it so bad, but for one reason or another I never got around to it and it ended up being sold. It looked just like the guitar in the ad above but it was white and had a locking nut, another rarity. I've seen other RS335s for sale since and they've all been more expensive than the white one at Music Go Round and none of them have had a locking nut.

To get to the point (finally), as nice as a new guitar would be, it would be even better to have something older that is more unique, more rare - a guitar that was abandoned by its owner and needs a new home. (Feel that? That's me tugging on your heart strings.) I really like the old Japanese-made Ibanez guitars like the Roadstar II series and the Pro Line series. It definitely convolutes the whole short list thing. Just looking at that picture of the RS335 as I'm writing this post makes me want to find another one. I don't get that same feeling with a new guitar.

In other random news, I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell my Line 6 amp. Now that I have my DigiTech RP90, all I use the Line 6 for is a glorified speaker. The amp is a modeling amp and the pedal is a modeling pedal, so why do I need both? What I really need is a nice amp that I can run the RP90 through that also has a tone of its own. I'm thinking of the Bugera V5 again despite my lukewarm initial impression. I like that it's a small tube amp and I know more about it now so I'd be able to better test it out given the chance. I also like that it's dirt cheap, especially for a tube amp. I could easily sell my Line 6 to someone just starting out (it's perfect for that) and put the money toward a new amp. For the time being I could just use the headphone jack in the RP90 until I get enough to buy a V5 (or whatever amp I end up choosing - there are a few inexpensive 5-watt tube combos out there). The Line 6 served me well and was a great choice for me when I was starting over again on guitar, but now I've outgrown it.

So that's it, pretty much. Kind of a rambling post but, you know, I haven't had a post for a few days and I had these thoughts rattling around my brain for a while that had to get out. After a while, all that rattling gives me a headache.

Behold, the Johncaster

I was wrong. I still want to upgrade my Strat. I love playing it, but the pickups are just not that good. It's too nice of a guitar and it means too much to me to have it sit because of inadequate tone-age. But far from taking this as a negative, I view it as an opportunity to mold this guitar into something special and uniquely my own.

I have a vision for this upgrade. I envision a dual humbucker setup, but with a single-coil-sized blade pickup in the neck to compensate for the H-S-S pickup routing. I see two control knobs - a master volume and a master tone - placed where the standard tone controls are on a regular Strat, with a gap where the volume knob traditionally lives to give me more room for my picking hand and a three-way blade switch. I also see a drop-in tremolo replacement that sounds and works better than stock without having to permanently alter the body. And I see all of this with a black-and-white color scheme - a black pickguard with white controls and pickup covers.

To fulfill this vision, I'll have to compile parts from a few different sources. For pickups, I'll get them from Guitar Center. For the custom pickguard I'll need to get the configuration I want, I'll go to Warmoth.com. For the tremolo, I'll go to Super-Vee.com. And last, for the electronics (potentiometers and switches) I'll go to GuitarFetish.com. Here's a list of parts I'll need, with prices:

Pickups

Bridge: DiMarzio Mo'Joe. I've heard so much about these (and heard a lot of sound samples) that I know a Mo'Joe, Joe Satriani's signature pickup, will be the perfect bridge pickup. Of course, I'd get a white F-spaced model. Price: $69.95 from Guitar Center.

Neck: DiMarzio Pro Track. Interesting story about this pickup. I was researching blade humbuckers to see which one would work the best with the Mo'Joe based on specifications like resistance and output. I chose the Pro Track over a few others, only to find out a few days later that Satch's own Ibanez JS2400 comes with a Pro Track pickup in the neck to match the Mo'Joe in the bridge. I guess I was onto something. Price: $64.95 from Guitar Center.

Pickguard

Warmoth.com is a great site for guitar builders and customizers. On this site, you can build whatever pickguard, neck or body you want and see it take shape before your eyes. I did this for my custom pickguard. As you can see in the picture on the right, it's a gloss black Strat pickguard but with an H-S pickup configuration and a missing volume pot hole. As much as I love my Strat, I don't like where the volume knob is located. I don't do volume swells and it just gets in the way. I like my Tele and my Les Paul because the knobs are out of the way. With this configuration, I'll have more room for my picking hand and I'll have a master tone control, which I always wanted on my Strat. Price: $25 from Warmoth.com.

Tremolo

I don't use tremolos often and the Short List is full of Floyd Rose-equipped guitars, but it would be nice if my Strat had at least the option of a working tremolo. The stock one is crap and I have it locked down like a hardtail. I think the Super-Vee tremolo is an amazing piece of engineering, but I still think it's a little too much for what I need. Luckily, the folks at Super-Vee now make a drop-in, non-locking tremolo called the BladeRunner that uses the same technology as the original Super-Vee but in a really easy to install package. I knew as soon as I saw it that one day one of them would make its way into my Strat. Price: $139 from Super-Vee.com.

Electronics

GuitarFetish.com is a great place to go for cheap, quality parts. And I say that as a customer, not as a paid endorser. I bought a prewired pickguard from them for my Hondo and although it's not made with high-end pickups it does the job, and I paid less than 40 bucks for it. For this upgrade, I'm going to need a blade-style three way switch (technically a Telecaster switch, but with a Strat-style tip), two 500K potentiometers, a .022uf tone cap and some new white knobs. I should be able to wire it together myself, especially since I re-wired the current switch on my Strat and the setup I want is a simple three-way switch - no complicated coil splitting or anything fancy like that. In fact, I'm looking forward to the challenge. Price: $20.74 from GuitarFetish.com (see, I told you they sold good, cheap stuff).

So for the total cost of $319.64 (sans shipping), I can turn my standard Stratocaster into something special - the Johncaster. Here is a very amateur, hacked-together illustration of what I envision my Strat will look like. Remember, I'm no graphic artist, so this is really the best you're going to get from me.

Yet another Short List addition, this time a Les Paul

Back when I played the Epiphone Les Paul Studio at Guitar Center that made its way onto the Short List, I noticed another Epiphone Les Paul model I never saw before. It was all black and had EMG pickups and a Floyd Rose. At the time I wasn't looking for a guitar with a locking tremolo, but I kept the image in the back of my mind for future reference.

Since I'm looking at tremolo-equipped shredders again, I decided to look into this mystery Les Paul and figure out if it warrants a place on the Short List. In a word, hell yeah. Wait, that's two words. Anyway, I watched another Rob Chappers video series where he just abuses locking-tremolo-equipped guitars and one of them was an Epiphone, which reminded me of the black Les Paul I saw that day at Guitar Center.

Epiphone sells two versions of this guitar - the Nightfall, which is the one I saw, and the Plustop Pro F/X, which was in the Chappers video. The only difference I can see is the color - the Nightfall is all black (including hardware) whereas the Plustop is a more traditional Les Paul with a sunburst top and chrome hardware. Oh, and there's the price - the Plustop is $200 more for all that woody-chromey goodness. Personally, I don't know if it's worth the extra dough, because the black one looks really cool. But all my guitars are some type of black, so it might be nice to get something different.

I hope they still have the Nightfall Les Paul at Guitar Center because I'd love to play it. On paper, it ticks off a lot of boxes - Les Paul style, dual humbuckers (with coil tap, no less), locking tremolo, thin neck. The only thing it doesn't have is 24 frets, but 22 frets are good for me. It makes it on the Short List, but only in Nightfall guise as it rings in at $499, which blows the budget a little but not enough to be a deal breaker. The $699 Plustop is a little too expensive, even if it does look exactly like the Gibson Les Paul Alex Lifeson used on tour with Rush this year.

Here's the updated list, now in alphabetical order:

Guitars I've played:

Epiphone Les Paul Studio ($349)

Schecter Omen 6 ($299)

Guitars I haven't played:

Dean Cadillac Select ($479)

Dean Vendetta 1000 ($275)

(NEW) Epiphone Les Paul Nightfall ($499)

ESP LTD EC-50 ($249)

Ibanez ART100 ($299)

Ibanez GRGA32T ($299)

Ibanez RG350DX ($400)

Ibanez RG5EX1 ($400)

Ibanez S420 ($499)

Schecter Damien FR ($450)

Sterling JP50 ($499)

Sterling SILO20 ($399)

Guitars I can't play:

Agile AL-2000 with Floyd Rose ($279)

Chapman Guitars ML1 ($490)

Chapman Guitars ML2 ($525)

DWG Contender ($299)

Just when I thought I may have figured it all out...

...here comes another guitar I'd love to have. It's currently the only offering from a company called Durango Guitar Works called the Contender. Corny name, to be sure, but the guitar it's attached to is anything but. What really caught my eye about this guitar is the fact that it's a short-scale guitar, 24" to be exact.

So what's the big deal about that? Well, as I've blogged about in the past, I sometimes have issues with DeQuervain's tenosynovitis and the shorter 24.75" scale of my Les Paul Special often makes it feel better. I also have crooked pinkies that bend inward at the top joint, making some scale and chord stretches difficult, especially on my Fenders with their 25.5" scale. There aren't too many short scale guitars made, especially ones that are intended for hard rock or metal, so until I found the Contender I pretty much gave up on trying to find anything like it. I saw a few videos on YouTube and I think it sounds pretty good, especially since it has Wilkinson humbuckers with AlNiCo magnets.

I wish I could play one of these, or any guitar with a 24" scale. There aren't too many out there - the Fender Jaguar and Squier Duo-Sonic come to mind, but they're hard to find - but if I know what a 24" scale feels like, I may be more inclined to bump it up the Short List. As it stands now, the $299 guitar (a bargain if you ask me) is on the list under the "Guitars I can't play" heading.

Here's another updated list:

Guitars I've played:

Epiphone Les Paul Studio ($349)
Schecter Omen 6 ($299)

Guitars I haven't played:

Dean Cadillac Select ($479)
Sterling SILO20 ($399)
Sterling JP50 ($499)
Ibanez ART100 ($299)
Dean Vendetta 1000 ($275)
Ibanez GRGA32T ($299)
Ibanez RG5EX1 ($400)
Ibanez RG350DX ($400)
Schecter Damien FR ($450)
ESP LTD EC-50 ($249)
Ibanez S420 ($499)

Guitars I can't play:

Chapman Guitars ML2 ($525)
Chapman Guitars ML1 ($490)
Agile AL-2000 with Floyd Rose ($279)
(NEW) DWG Contender ($299)

John's guide to lyric writing

These are some basic guidelines I plan to use when I try to write lyrics.These are also things I look for in a good lyricist.

1. Write about what you know. Most good writers, whether lyricists, fiction writers, or poets, write about personal experiences, or at least use things they know. Ever wonder why almost all of Stephen King's novels take place in Maine? That's where he's from. Use what you know. You could also use experiences of people you know, friends, family members, etc. 

2. Write about things that you're passionate about. Personal experiences only go so far, especially if you've had a rather ordinary life. So pick something you have strong feelings about and write. If you don't care for something, you're not going to write good lyrics about it. Neil Peart of Rush wrote a lot about freedom of personal expression and used a many of Ayn Rand's theories and novels as inspiration. Which leads me to...

3. Read a lot. Get inspiration from what you read. At the very least, reading will improve your vocabulary so you don't use the same words over and over again. Which also leads to...

4. Show, don't tell. This is the MOST IMPORTANT tip I could give. Use metaphor, allegory and even hyperbole in your lyrics. Unless you want to become the next Jon Bon Jovi - the absolute master of trite lyrics - or *shudder* write lyrics for country songs you want to avoid obvious lyrics. Sure, they may work for the great unwashed masses in the good ol' American Say-outh but no one will confuse them with good lyrics. Try to evoke feelings and emotions instead of just describing the scene.

5. When you get inspiration for lyrics, stop what you're doing, grab a pen, and write them down. I've lost too many lyrics this way. As Gord Downie wrote in the song "Music at Work" by The Tragically Hip, "When the sunlight hits the olive oil, don't hesitate."

Some of the best lyrics I've ever heard are from the song "Nautical Disaster" by The Tragically Hip. The song eschews traditional structure and reads like prose. Notice, too, how there's no traditional verse/chorus arrangement. Gord Downie uses historical references to evoke the emotions of the song's protagonist. Any time there are entire Web sites dedicated to figuring out the meanings of someone's lyrics, you know you've found something special.

Here are the lyrics to "Nautical Disaster":

I had this dream where I relished the fray 
and the screaming filled my head all day. 
It was as though I'd been spit here, settled 
in, into the pocket of a lighthouse on some 
rocky socket, off the coast of France, dear.

One afternoon, four thousand men died in
the water here, and five hundred more were
thrashing madly, as parasites might in your 
blood. Now I was in a lifeboat designed for 
ten and ten only, anything that systematic 
would get you hated. It's not a deal nor a 
test nor a love of something fated. The 
selection was quick, the crew was picked in order 
and those left in the water got kicked off our 
pantleg and we headed for home.

Then the dream ends when the phone rings,
you doing alright he said it's out there most
days and nights, but only a fool would 
complain. Anyway Susan, if you like, our 
conversation is as faint a sound in my
memory, as those fingernails scratching on my hull.

And here's the Web page that tries to explain all the references.

I hope this helps anyone who's looking to start writing their own lyrics to their songs.

A drool-worthy addition to the short list

I found another guitar worthy of the short list. In fact, it just might be a favorite. The Ibanez S420. Look at it - it's stunning. It's a little over budget at $499, but wow. It has everything I'd want in a tremolo-equipped shredder - 24 frets, dual humbuckers with coil tapping, thin neck, and a good locking tremolo.

In fact, the tremolo itself is worthy of special consideration. It's Ibanez's zero-return tremolo, meaning that it always returns to zero position when used. It also stays in that position if a string breaks, so no more horrendous cacophony after a break (it's happened to me, so I know how bad it sounds).

I must play one of these. Although, I'm afraid that after I play one, I won't be able to put it back. There's a real good chance that the short list will end here. I hope it lives up to the hype I'm giving it.

Mood guitars

Most people, especially non-guitarists, can't understand why anyone who isn't a gigging professional musician would need more than one electric guitar. All guitars are the same, right? They have strings, pickups, knobby things, and are usually made of wood. Why have more than one?

As I sift through the plethora of guitars on the market to find what will be my next (and most likely last) guitar purchase, I too have wondered why I even need another guitar when I already have four. I found the answer last night when I picked up my Strat for the first time since I got back from Vegas: mood.

You need to be in the mood to play a particular guitar. If you're in the mood to play heavy classic rock, you need a guitar to fit that mood. If you're in the mood to play metal, you need a guitar to fit that mood. If you don't have a guitar to fit your mood, you won't play, and you won't get any better. Playing is the key to improving.

A little while ago I pleaded to save my Strat, because I didn't like the way it sounded. Last night, though, I played it for the first time in a while and I absolutely loved the way it sounded. So why would it sound so good last night, but so horrible a few weeks ago? Easy - it was my mood.

A few weeks ago I was in a high gain metal mood. My Telecaster is pretty good for that kind of tone, but my Strat is not. That's also why I shifted my short list shopping to metal guitars and contemplated a pickup overhaul for the Strat and LP Special. I've been playing my LP a lot recently, and its P100s put out a tone somewhere between a humbucker and a single coil and it's a great guitar for a heavy rock tone. That was the mood I was in, and the LP fit it perfectly. Last night, my mood changed slightly. I still wanted a heavy rock tone, but I wanted a little more top end and more shimmering clean tones, which the Strat pulls off expertly - in fact, that kind of tone is synonymous with Stratocasters.

So what does this mean? Well for one thing, my Strat doesn't need saving. I still may someday upgrade the pickups to a more vintage AlNiCo set, but I want it to maintain that signature Strat sound, which it does pretty well already. I'm also not going to touch the LP. It sounds great for what it is. It also reinforces my decision that my short list needs to include guitars that can handle metal, because that's the only kind of mood guitar I'm missing in my collection. The only question is whether to Floyd or not to Floyd.

Any advice?

More short list changes

Another short one today, this time another addition to the short list. The catalyst for this change was a series of two videos I watched on YouTube from Rob Chappers in which he compares a handful of affordable guitars, giving some brief tone examples and general comments. He also gave an overall winner, which has found its way onto the short list.

Spoiler alert: If you want to watch the videos first and learn which one was the winner the right way, click on the link above, watch the videos, and come back. I'll wait.

Good videos, huh? I like his comments on the Ibanez and I think I'll be revisiting the RG series again before this is all said and done. Anyway, the winner of the video competition was the ESP LTD EC-50. I had the EC-100 (basically an EC-50 with a nicer top) on the list before, but I took it off as I thought it wouldn't match up to the Ibanez ART100. After watching the videos and hearing how it sounded, I decided to put it on the list. That, and the fact that the EC-50 has 24 frets while the ART100 only has 22.

On a related note, lately I've been playing my Les Paul Special a lot. I'm starting to really like the shorter 24.75" scale and I may want to get another guitar like that, which makes this latest addition to the short list all the more important. It's also a bargain at $249.

So here's an updated short list:

Guitars I've played:

Epiphone Les Paul Studio ($349)
Schecter Omen 6 ($299)

Guitars I haven't played:

Dean Cadillac Select ($479)
Sterling SILO20 ($399)
Sterling JP50 ($499)
Ibanez ART100 ($299)
Dean Vendetta 1000 ($275)
Ibanez GRGA32T ($299)
Ibanez RG5EX1 ($400)
Ibanez RG350DX ($400)
Schecter Damien FR ($450)
(NEW) ESP LTD EC-50 ($249)

Guitars I can't play:

Chapman Guitars ML2 ($525)
Chapman Guitars ML1 ($490)
Agile AL-2000 with Floyd Rose ($279)