When forums die
The forum you know and love may be gone tomorrow. Years ago when I first moved to Florida in the mid-2000s, I landed a job writing articles for a tech site. And over time that turned into creating...
View ArticleGuitar amp watts needed for smaller gigs
This one is written by request. A reader on Facebook asked: I'm just curious how many watts do I need for small gigs and band rehearsals? And cheap because I'm just starting out. Pictured above is one...
View ArticleThe 24-fret Strat exists, and it's a Charvel
"Gee, I wish Fender would make a 24-fret Strat..." If you've ever wished that, your wish has come true in that you can get it with the Charvel DK24 seen above (also available in Satin Orange Crush and...
View ArticleTube-type guitar amps are not louder than solid-state
There is a common misconception that since tube-type amps don't require as many watts to output the same volume as a solid-state amp with double or more the watts, tube-type must be "louder." Not...
View ArticleFender waterslide decal replica - is it wrong?
In my possession I do I have a replica Fender waterslide decal. I do intend to use it at some point. I have not used it yet because I still have to source a neck that is good enough to my liking,...
View ArticleGuitar gear that is not worth saving
Sometimes when old guitar gear breaks, it has to be thrown out. While I understand that some older guitar gear is valuable, when something starts falling apart so badly that there's simply no way to...
View ArticleTagima TG-530, the next great cheap Strat?
Squier Strats are great, but the Tagima TG-530 is also pretty darned good too. Tagima is a company out of Brazil, and it just so happens they make a Strat that's under $200 you can buy right now....
View ArticleThe film that almost killed Disney
I finally got to re-watch this movie after seeing it more than 30 years ago. It's October as I write this, which means Halloween is coming, so this is a good film to write about. In the mid-2000s, I...
View ArticleRevstar with dual P-90 pickups is cool
This is a lesser-known guitar to begin with, and this particular model with the dual P-90 pickups is even more rare. The Yamaha Revstar has been around since 2015, so at the time I write this in late...
View Articlegoodbye, florida
I'm heading west... ...to Texas. Those of you that receive the newsletter got this info early, but now I'm making the official announcement here - I'm moving to Texas. I'll be moving near the Plano...
View Articletravel from florida to texas (road trip)
This is the second longest road trip I've ever driven, so of course I'm going to talk about it. The longest distance I've ever driven was from New England to Florida back in 2006; that had a total...
View ArticleFender Limited Edition 60th Anniversary Triple Jazzmaster
I'm having a difficult time deciding whether this is cool or not. This guitar is not cheap. But then again, it's a 60th anniversary model and does come with a brown hardshell case. However, it's a...
View ArticleSome guys like a Stratocaster with gold hardware
Is gold on a Fender Strat a bit kitschy? Yes. But there are some guys that like it. Seen above is a Fender Special Run '50s Stratocaster with the full gold treatment. And by full treatment, I mean that...
View ArticleThe ugliest Fender Strat made in 2018
Good guitar. Bad color. The Deluxe Strat is a modern offering from Fender with three "vintage noiseless" pickups, push/push mini switch to add in the bridge pickup for positions 4 and 5, modern...
View Article11 days in texas
For the past 11 days, my life has been mostly unpacking and filling out forms. This one is about transferring a car to Texas from another state. Pictured above are two license plates I have. My old...
View ArticleMidnight Telecaster from Japan
It came from Japan... ...but I don't like it. However, you may like it. You can make that decision for yourself after reading my thoughts on this guitar. Above is the Fender Made in Japan Traditional...
View ArticleIs the Fender Standard Stratocaster going away?
This guitar will probably be gone very soon. I noticed something on the Fender.com web site recently. Although the Standard Stratocaster is still listed there, it's not listed as a main category of...
View ArticleThe Black Friday 2018 guitars
It's time to list off my personal picks for guitars to get this holiday season. Black Friday lands on November 23 in 2018, so to get the jump on what's good out there, I'm listing what I think are the...
View ArticleThe BOSS DS-1 is an awful guitar pedal
Yes, I think this pedal sucks... ...but at the same time it has a reliable sound that never does you wrong and it is worth owning. I'll explain. Guitar players buy a BOSS DS-1 for basically one reason....
View ArticlePrint editions coming soon, Audacity book started
Some updates on my books and info on a future book I'm going to write. One of my best-selling books is The Better DigiTech JamMan Solo XT Manual. I routinely receive emails asking if there's a print...
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