Short List Smackdown: Ibanez vs. Schecter

My wife and I were in Fort Collins over the weekend and, as usual, I ended up at my favorite place, Guitar Center. Since I posted my short list of guitars from which I will choose my next axe, I planned on playing as many as I could and telling you, faithful reader, my thoughts on them and adjusting the short list as necessary.

I didn't have a ton of time to play guitars, so I ended up playing two - one that's on the short list and one that's sort-of on the short list - a Schecter Omen 6 and an Ibanez RG3EXFM1, which is very similar to the purple Ibanez I played at Spotlight Music and is the current top choice for a shredder, should it still be available. Well, kinda. I'll explain.

But first, the comparison. I played both through a Line 6 Spider IV 75, only because I have a Line 6 and I didn't want a steep learning curve trying to figure out how to use the amp. I played each for about 10-15 minutes using clean, crunch and metal settings. Since I played the Omen first, I'll start with that one.

Review: Paul Cusick - Focal Point

British musician Paul Cusick is employing a novel way to promote his album, Focal Point. He is using social media to target progressive rock fans through Facebook advertisements, even once offering the album for free for a limited time. This is a grand experiment that probably points to the future of music promotion as social media and electronic publishing slowly replace current industry standards and the CD goes the way of the dodo, or at least the cassette tape.

Cusick's ads say that fans of Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd would like the album, as it should - the album wears its influences on its sleeve and the comparisons to Porcupine Tree are evident. The album has that dark, melancholy sound that is a hallmark of both Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd, and the overall production is very similar to Porcupine Tree's latest album, The Incident.

Not to say that Focal Point is a bad album - it's not. In fact, for a one-man self-release it's quite strong. The album is more song oriented than those of its influences and is a combination of heavier songs and ballads, including a few instrumentals. The album starts off well with the title track, a sub-3 minute instrumental in 7/8 time that sets the tone for the record. The musicianship is strong, and even though Cusick played all the instruments, it sounds like a band, which is a testament to his multi-instrumental skills.

My Telecaster's Specs

My Telecaster HH is no longer made by Fender so they don't have the specifications on their Web site anymore. But, thanks to the miracle that is Google, I found them on another site. I'm posting them here for myself more than anything, just so I know where they are in case I need them for any reason. Here they are:

MODEL: Fender American Series Telecaster HH
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple, Modern “C” Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish)
MACHINE HEADS: Fender/Schaller Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
NO. OF FRETS: 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
PICKUPS: 2 Enforcer Humbucking Pickups (Neck and Bridge)
CONTROLS: Master Volume (with S-1 Switch), Master Tone
BRIDGE: American Tele with 6 Stainless Steel Saddles
PICKUP SWITCHING: 3-Position Blade and 2-Position Push/Push S-1:
S-1 Switch Up:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup with Both Coils in Series
Position 2. Bridge Pickup in Parallel with Neck Pickup
Position 3. Neck Pickup with Both Coils in Series
S-1 Switch Down:
Position 1. Inside Coil of Bridge Pickup in Parallel with Special Tone Capacitor and then in Series with the Outer Coil of Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Outer Coil of Bridge Pickup in Parallel with the Outer Coil of Neck Pickup
Position 3. Inside Coil of Neck Pickup in Parallel with Special Tone Capacitor and then in Series with the Outer Coil of Neck Pickup
HARDWARE: Chrome
STRINGS: Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-003
CASE: Standard Molded Case
PICKGUARD: 1-Ply Beveled Black Vinyl
SCALE LENGTH: 25.5” (648 mm)
UNIQUE FEATURES: S-1 Switching, Rolled Fingerboard Edges, Sharp ‘52 Style Body Radius
WIDTH AT NUT: 1.6875” (43 mm)
ACCESSORIES: Standard Molded Case