5 good, cheap acoustic guitars
Acoustic guitars are fun. Buy the right one, and it's a great songwriting guitar. I'm going to state two things about this list up front. None of these acoustics are acoustic-electric. I will do an...
View ArticleRadioShack goes bankrupt
RadioShack filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Another one bites the dust. Yep, it's true. RS is basically going out of business. RS has gasped its last breath. Stick a fork in it, it's done. I have a unique...
View ArticleDo 3-pickup guitars suck?
Sometimes, yeah they do. Above is what's known as a "Black Beauty" Les Paul. Epiphone only makes this currently. If you want one in a Gibson flavor, you'll have to ring up their custom shop and shell...
View ArticlePlaying funk on the Squier Jazzmaster and Yamaha RBX170EW bass
The Jazzmaster is not the first guitar that comes to mind when wanting to play funk. I did it anyway. :) I decided to try an experiment to see if my Jazzmaster could actually get a funk sound out of...
View ArticleHow long does it take to break in a guitar pickup?
"Pickups can be broken in?" Yes. There are a lot of guitar players out there who don't realize that the sound of a guitar pickup changes over time. Sometimes the change is good while other times it's...
View ArticleWhat if Guitar Center goes out of business?
When you lose $11 million in investor cash, people take notice. Yeah, GC lost $11M in investor money. Oopsie. This is not the first time GC has been in financial trouble. Not at all. However, the...
View ArticleHow long can you not play guitar before you forget how to play?
There are times when you have to put down the guitar to do other things, because life happens. How long would it take before you totally forget how to play? Let's find out. Everyone's brain works...
View ArticleEvery guitar player needs a cheap keyboard
Fun fact: I was a synth player before I was a guitar player. Yes, really. I've literally spent thousands on synths over the years. Everything from the cheap stuff to the ritzy workstations. I was doing...
View ArticleShould you finance a guitar?
Some of you out there will get the idea of financing a guitar. Should you? I'll answer that in a moment. Above is an special edition Lzzy Hale Gibson Explorer. Not cheap. Not at all. It's these kind of...
View ArticleHow to save on the air conditioning bill in Florida
I've decided to get the jump on cutting down the electric bill for A/C use this year. Right now the weather where I live in Tampa Bay Florida is pleasant, but summer is coming, and with it the heat....
View ArticleDo fat guys get any respect as guitar players?
Short answer: Yes. But let's find out why. Above is Johnny Hiland; he is a monster guitar player, and I'm not talking about his size. The guy is an absolute wizard on the 6-string. Here he is playing:...
View ArticleConfessions of a documentary junkie
I probably watch more documentaries compared to most people. Or maybe I don't? If I remember correctly, the first documentary I ever watched was Super Size Me, which by the way is a FANTASTIC film. And...
View ArticleTravel guitars are stupid
There are some guitar designs that are just plain stupid. The travel guitar is one of them. Above is a Traveler Guitar. Even though it doesn't cost all that much, it's still too expensive for what it...
View ArticleCheap import guitar of the week #1 - LED light-up acrylic Stratocaster
I've decided to start a new feature. Cheap import guitar of the week. This is the first one. I don't know if I'll be doing this every week (it depends what's out there,) but I'll do my best to make...
View ArticleThings I've learned by not listening to heavy metal anymore
For the longest time, I listened to nothing but a diet of metal. Those days are gone. I turn 40 this month. Yep. Going by numbers alone, I step into middle age. My tastes in music have changed quite a...
View ArticleDiet adventures with a rice cooker and other things
If you're trying to lose weight, you need a rice cooker. Above is a small 8-cup rice cooker. If you want something that has enough size to cook for a whole family, you get a 20-cup. I, like many other...
View ArticleCheap import guitar of the week #2 - Chibson Les Paul
It's time for a Gibson, er... I mean, Chibson Les Paul. If you ever wanted to know whether or not Gibson was in real trouble concerning whether or not others can make what they make for real cheap,...
View Articlerich turns 40
Today I turn 40. Here are my thoughts on it and what I'm doing with my life currently. Not wrecked Put simply, at age 40 you're either in one of two states. Wrecked or not wrecked. I'm of the latter...
View ArticleWhy do signature guitars keep getting released if everyone hates them?
You can squarely place the blame on Fender for this one. Above is the Premium Steve Vai Signature Series 7-String. What's so "premium" about it? I've no idea. But it has Vai's name on it. This guitar...
View ArticleCheap import guitar of the week #3 - Chickenbacker (or Chinabacker) 4003 bass...
The Chickenbacker (or Chinabacker, if you prefer) is a Rickenbacker 4003 copy. For some, this is the only way to actually afford a bass of this design. If you want a real Rickenbacker 4003 bass guitar,...
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