Unless you are a rock star with a guitar tech stringing your guitars for you, chances are you’ll want to do some work on your guitar from time to time – whether it’s just changing strings, fiddling with the setup, or doing bigger modifications. This also means that you need […]
It’s been three years since I’ve done one of these, time for an update. As usual, I’ll try to list them from least to most expensive. Only regular production, no Custom Shop. I’ve omitted the Japanese models, as their availability outside of Japan is somewhat inconsistent. US-made (“MIA”) These are […]
I’ve taken a brief look at the PRS guitar range in the post about my CE 24, but here’s a closer look at the various models. The PRS model range is divided into four ranges: SE are the entry-level models built in Indonesia, including hardware and pickups built there. Non-locking […]
Looking for a guitar strap? There’s a huge selection out there, here are some manufacturers with a decent amount of options. There are in fact so many options that it’s almost impossible to view them all, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to find something you like. Fender If you […]
I recently got to visit Guitarking in Boekel, the store where I got my Les Paul. It’s a really nice guitar store with a good assortment of higher-priced gear. As I’ve developed an interest in Superstrats, that’s what I wanted to try. I started out with an Ibanez AZ 2402 […]
To me, the neck is the most important thing about a guitar. It’s the part that’s always in your hand and governs how a guitar feels to play. A neck that is warped or bent will make a guitar unusable. Neck shapes In the early days of guitar building, the […]
Lately I’ve been learning and playing several songs that use high gain and the vibrato – not ideal for single coils and blocked vibratos. This has gotten me interested in Superstrats. While there’s no formal definition of what a Superstrat is, I’d consider the following points to be pretty much […]
Fender has just announced the American Vintage II series, including of course Stratocaster models. The American Vintage was Fender’s vintage-spec range from the 1980s until early 2018, when it was replaced by the American Original range – a somewhat controversial move, as the American Originals eschewed strict vintage specs, going […]
Blue is my favorite color, the Stratocaster my favorite guitar, so it’s time to take a look at blue Stratocasters. The original custom colors Upon the Stratocaster’s introduction, the standard color was what is now known as Two-Tone Sunburst (black and yellow). In 1959, this was changed to three-tone sunburst […]
US-made (“MIA”) US-made Stratocasters are built in Fender’s factory in Corona, California. The finish is generally polyurethane, except on the Originals, which are finished in nitrocellulose lacquer. With the exception of the American Performer, they all come with cases. American Performer The American Performer Stratocaster is Fender’s entry-level US-made Stratocaster, […]
When learning new songs, especially solos, it is very useful when you can slow down playback and repeatedly loop certain parts of a song. YouTube can slow down playback, but has no looping feature. There are commercial programs available that can do this, but they cost money. In the past […]
Nothing beats the sound of a tube amplifier, but the truth is that, even at bedroom level, they can be too loud – for example when the children have just gone to bed, or someone is watching tv next door. I was considering the Boss Waza Craft headphones when Fender […]
