Review: B.C. Rich Beast V

Heads up metalheads! Heres a metal-as-hell axe: the B.C. Rich Beast V. That's right, a real beauty this one. Well, without further ado, lets get started!

Features: - CONSTRUCTION: Bolt-On
- BODY WOOD: Nato
- TOP STYLE: Beveled
- HEADSTOCK STYLE: Beast
- HEADSTOCK COLOR: Black
- TUNERS: B.C. Rich Diecast
- NECK WOOD: Maple
- FRETBOARD: Rosewood
- INLAY: Dots
- FRETS: 24 jumbo
- SCALE: 25.5"
- BRIDGE TYPE: Tune o matic
- PICKUPS: B.C. Rich B.S.D.M.
- CONTROLS: 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 three-way toggle
- HARDWARE: Chrome // 8

Sound: The guitar suits Metal more than anything, but is good for Rock and okay for blues. The sound is pretty deep, and sounds heavy as hell. The guitar, as mentioned before, is very good for Metal. It could do with being a bit less metallic-sounding, though. It really shines through with distortion on.  // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was out of tune, but this was to be expected as it came from Germany. The action was a bit high when arrived, but everything from the hardware, the bridge, the pickups, tuners, nut, fretboard etc. Was fine. The guitar wasn't flawed, minus the high action. // 7

Reliability & Durability: The guitar is built pretty well, and I think it will last. I don't know if it will be suitable for live situations as I haven't tried it yet. The hardware is very good. The finish is also good quality and is set to last, I believe. // 8

Impression: If you play Metal, obviously a B.C. Rich is made for Metal and is a good match. The Beast sounds very good, if slightly metallic-sounding. A better alternative would be a B.C. Rich Virgo as that is also a very nice guitar and is about the same price range. I love how heavy it sounds. I wish it had a tremolo system, though. // 8

Review: Rickenbacker 360/6

Here's a Rickenbacker 360/6. Enjoy!

Features: This is a 2000 Rickenbacker 360. It has 24 frets, and an extremely small delicate scale. It's made out of maple, is a semi hollow body and has dead sexy grover tuners. My favorite feature is its blender knob. You can get very bassy tones, or the signature jangle with it, it sounds like nothing else. And finally it was made in America by skilled workers // 8

Sound: Lovely sound. It is also a ska machine. You can get full chunky upstrummed chords or cool jangly minor progressions. The pickguard actually aids in this, upstrokes are really easy. This would be a crappy guitar to have for metal or an other kind of mindless angry white boy music, the single coil pickups didn't distort in an unhonest metal type way, although the idea of not being able to solo on a rickebacker is poo, the action makes them great for that. So its a 4 for lack of variety, although it should be a 5 if you buy it for the right type of stuff. They sucked anyways. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The pickups seem fine, it doesn't need any adjustments. A far as the finish goes, don't believe any of those stunning pictures y'all see online. They don't do it justice. The finish is a few millimeters thick, and is really reflective. That means it reflects whatever in the room with the picture and doesn't look quite so stunning as it really is. The action is godly. It is the main reason to buy this guitar. It's simply amazing beyond explanation. I should debunk the myth of the small scale. Unless you're an absolute beast it shouldn't be a problem. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This thing will definitely survive live playing. Think of everyone who used these. Google pictures of against me, and see tom getting yanked down by the audience and the like, and yet the Rickenbacker is still there and working, shining and triumphant. The strap buttons have only failed me once, but I was trying to play with my teeth and its a long story, I trust them more than the straplocks on my warlock. I would gig without a backup, and also without fresh underwear, if any at all. As far as the finish goes, I wouldn't be so worried if it weren't so beautiful, but I am. The manual has a few pages on protecting the finish, it shoud last a while as long as you're not an idiot. For a semi-hollowed this is a beast. // 9

Impression: One warning, do not buy this if you have a crappy amp. It will not do it justice and you will be disappointed. It's all a matter of taste and preference, but if you look at a Les Paul, or a fancier American Strat, the worksmanship and finish of the Rickenbacker just blows you minds to how could they make it so inexpensive. It feels like a $5k+ guitar. For its price, it's definetly worth it, if you're looking for a good, solid guitar. But if you do a lot of faster single-note stuff, make sure you have another guitar, sand down the gloss on the neck, or get used to the "squeakiness" of the fretboard. // 9

I'm back

Just a short post to let you know that I'm back. I'm a little busy now but there will be a post later on. Thanks for hanging on!

Blog update

Okay people, here's the deal. I'll be out for a week and probably wont be able to update my blog. You see, I'm currently not in a fixed routine. Its hard to explain but I can say that its somewhat like a holiday. So during this few months I'll be doing a lot of travelling. Also the main reason of this post is to introduce you guys to an awesome blog by a friend of mine. Well, two friends actually. Its a comic blog and one of them draws the comics while another uploads it. They work hard and I believe that they need the support. So please guys, check em' out, although I'm aware that some of you already have.

                           http://formsixlife.blogspot.com/

     Well, their blog is about the authors life as a form six student (that's equivalent to A-levels in the UK). The thing is where I live, we do it in school. After graduating, this dude decide to compile his experiences throughout his two years and put it into a comic series. The English there may not be 100% accurate but its understandable despite its occasional usage of local language. I think you guys would enjoy having a scope to what life is like being a student in a foreign country. Well, that's about it I guess. I'm still open to suggestions on extra material for my blog.  And, please guys, be patient. I'll be back next week.

What do YOU want?

 This blog has been doing great and has received tremendous support from you guys. And I'm really thankful for that. But now, we have come to a turning point. Am I to carry on solely on reviews or should I blog about a wider scope of issues? If so, what about? What do you, followers, want from this blog? Let me know because I have the feeling that its really time for change!

Review: Paul Reed Smith Tremonti SE

Well guys, I've been busy lately and was out of town so I couldn't come on yesterday but here's an awesome post to make it up for it!

Features: Specs:

- Frets: 22
- Inlays: Birds
- Neck: Wide Fat
- Neck Scale: 25"
- Wood: Mahogany (Body and Neck)
- Finish: V12
- Body Style: Singlecut
- Bridge Style: Stoptail
- Pickups: 2 PRS SE Humbuckers
- 2 Tone and Volume Knobs
- 3 Way Pickup selector
- PRS Tuners
- Gig Bag Included
- Truss Rod Adjustor Included

I wish a trem had been included so I knocked off 2 points. // 8

Sound: Now that specs are over we can get on with the review. Personally the stock pickups sounded great, which I did not expect at all. The instrument was very well made, which surprised me.  It has suits most styles of music. I haven't found anything it couldn't tackle. .

If you play the guitar through a clean channel, it sounds like a higher being has putTremonti's actual clean tone in your hands (In Loving Memory, One Last Breath, etc). I love the clean tone on that guitar.

If you enjoy hard rock or metal, this guitar can handle any sort of hi gain settings you throw at it without sacrificing tone. I didn't expect anything less. If you haven't heard the hi gain riffs Mark plays, listen to White Knuckles or Ties That Bind. It can easily reproduce those sounds without sacrificing clarity. I know a lot of your tone comes from your amp, settings, etc, but I really think in Tremonti's case, his guitar has a hell of a lot to do with it. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I had an issue with this part. There were a lot of muted frets. It has seriously pissed me off . Also, the nut is awful. If you get this guitar, buy a PRS graphite nut. When tuned down to lower tunings, the nut creaks. For example, say you do a bend on the higher strings, you'll hear creaking sound due to the nut and you'll have to replace it right away. If not, it keeps creaking and eventually the guitar will not stay in tune.

The pickups were perfectly adjusted. I was surprised they sounded as good as they did for SE humbuckers. There were literally no flaws in setup, wood, anything, except the damn nut. That nut and muted frets (Musicians Friend caused that sh*t) are knocking off 3 points. Other than that, it's amazing.

Musicians Friend even sent a little piece of paper saying that the guitar most likely had a warped neck due to shipping. I don't know if this is always the case and they ship that with every guitar, but it certainly was warped and no amount of truss rod adjusting did the job.// 7

Reliability & Durability: The guitar is rock solid. The hardware is fine. I hate that the chrome does start to fade. My palm rests on the stoptail and it has started to fade. I would definitely use this guitar without a back up. No need for another. I think the finish will last a very long time. // 9

Impression:  It fits perfectly for  hard rock. But if you play anything hard, don't let that stop you. It will be able to handle it. Honestly this has everything I wanted in a guitar (minus the tremolo) so it fits my needs as a musician. But if you had the cash, you should get the full Tremonti model, because I honestly cannot fathom how PRS can sell such excellent instruments at such low prices (SE Line). I've played a lot of high end guitars and this SE has easily trumped those. I can't imagine how the actual Tremonti sounds and feels.

I really liked how smooth the neck was. The headstock has always looked really cool. My favorite feature isn't a big deal, but the bird inlays are sick. I really wish it had a tremolo with a locking nut. If you've been holding off, don't. It's f***ing awesome. // 9

Review: Fender Jag-Stang

Here is a another cool guitar. Kurt Cobain's brainchild: the Fender Jag-Stang. Yeap, designed by the man himself, this guitar is somewhat a combination of the Fender Jaguar and the Fender Mustang (as the name clearly shows..)

Features: It's a 2004 Japanese reissue, in sonic blue. It has 22 frets, a rosewood fretboard and a maple neck. It has a solid basswood body, with a body type. The basswood makes it a lot lighter than other guitars, and the pickup controls (two on-off-phase switches, one for each pickup) are easy to use. It also has master volume and tone controls, for the single coil and humbucker pickups. The Stratocaster style headstock is laminated, and has the "designed by Kurt Cobain" mark on the back. The only bad feature is the floating tremolo, which makes the whole thing go out of tune if it is so much as breathed on. Also, the body has no contours, which is annoying, but scarcely a serious problem. // 7

Sound: Don't let most of the other people fool you, the play of this guitar is great. The neck pickup is pretty good, giving a nice full sound (kind of surprised me coming from a single), but the humbucker is merely pleh. The single actually generates more sound than the humbucker. As you might expect, it's good for distortion, however the stock pickups are not particularly high quality, and so hamper its sound. The single coil does give a fairly good low-level distortion, but I would still recommend changing the pickups. It is primarily a guitar for rhythm playing, as it is very difficult to bend the strings a lot, has a shorter scale neck and the basswood body gives it very little sustain. But chords played on it sound wonderful, and you can Switch from powerful and meaty, to gentle and resounding with relative ease. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar, is almost perfectly set up; the only problem I encountered was that the action was too low, causing a sizable amount of string buzz. Other than that it was completely fine, though as mentioned earlier the floating tremolo bridge winds me up endlessly. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definitely withstand live playing. Don't let anybody tell you differently. Over a long period of time you may have to replace the selector switches, but that's just because plastic will eventually wear down. Same thing happens with a car's standard gearbox. Wears down over time. The strap buttons are nice and solid, though I know that a lot of people will never trust buttons. It does have an annoying tendency to suddenly drop out of tune, but as long as the bridge is left alone, I have found it not to be a problem. // 8

Impression: I think this is a good all round guitar, though as I said, not for lead playing. The wonderful tone you can get from it quickly cancels out any of the flaws. The only thing I wish was different, is a Tune-O-Matic bridge instead of the God awful floating trem. // 8

Review: Epiphone Dot

Ok, here's another copypasted review. A semi hollow this time. An Epiphone Dot. Enjoy!

Features: Made in Korea, Semi Hollow Body. Double cutaway. 3 Way Switch etc...Light, and comfortable to play.

Deffinatley not a Gibson USA 335, But it Holds its Own. This is the Only Epiphone I own. Had it over 10 years, Still has original pups and Hardware. Sounds good and plays good. Its deffinatley not a Custom Shop guitar, but for the price its a great guitar

No complaints, ITs not a Gibson but the build quality is pretty good on this one. // 7

Sound: I play Old 1980's HardcorePunk Rock, Thrash, Oi! and some Rock'A'Billy. I have alot of Highend guitars and this one deffinatley holds its own.Sounds good in all my amps. I use No effects with it. Plugged straight in. Has a Full Variety of tones. Very Versatile for what I play. I've owned ALOT of Guitars. This is a Cheap one and still one of my favorites. Sounds great Distorted or clean. It can be noisy but its a Semi Hollow Body with Gibson USA pups Its to be expected. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: Nice action for a cheap guitar. I haveit set up with the Action low and fast.I bought mine used, but it was still in very good condition when I got it. Stays in tune and takes a beating. The finish is nice for a Cheap guitar, Fret is smooth. Stays in tune. Hardware seems to be decent. I've had this for 10 years at least, and had no problems at all with it. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I've used this playing out ALOT. It stays in tune. Hardware has no problems keeping up with me. Replaced the strap buttons with strap locks. I can depend on this without a back up. I play really hard and aggressive. This thing keeps up and takes a hell of a beating. Always does great and never lets me down. // 8

Impression: Over all this is one of my favorite guitars. Only Epiphone I've owned but I like it. I have or have had Gibson USA's, Fender USA's. Gretsch's, Rickenbackers, Vintage Fenders, Vintage Peaveys etc...

It keeps up with them all as far as Playability goes. Stays in tune, Sounds good out of the Box with a few minor adjustments and really takes a beating. I keep this one around because its comfortable to play. If it were any nicer I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it to Live Hardcore Punk shows. Cheap enough to not care if it gets a ding, Nice enough to be the first one I grab when going to a gig. // 8

Review: Jackson JS1 Dinky

Here's another beginner guitar for you to ave a look at! The next review will be on a higher end one. And oh, Bersercules, this one has a whammy bar. ;) 

Features: Not sure of the year, just know it's newer. Believe it was made in Indonesia. Super Strat style, 24 jumbo frets, 25.5" scale. 2 piece maple neck with a scarf joint and a rosewood fretboard. The neck is overall pretty thin. The bodies used to be made of Indian Cedro(Indian Ceder), but they're now made of basswood. Mine is white, and the colour is beautiful. 3 way Switch and 2 stock Jackson humbuckers. 1 volume, 1 tone. Basic Jackson tuners. Also has a trem! I use it for metal and hard rock. // 7

Sound: The guitars stock pickups are pretty muddy. I can see them being used for rock, though it seems to be more of a metal guitar. I didn't leave mine stock very long as I bought it to build it up, but the stock pots and Switch are alright. The cheap Chinese stuff you'd find in most cheap to moderate guitars. It's not very noisey at all which helps with high gain amps. The trem is actually a lot better than people give it credit for, though the stock nut doesn't do it justice. It says on the site that it's graphite, but it's obviously plastic. The site specs are off as they don't update it enough, hence the wood difference.// 6

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is great for a cheaper guitar. It was already set up well, but any guitar should be set up to the players likings. That's all preference. The colour is great, but the finish is very thin. For this price, there's no use in complaining. The hardware is what you'd expect from this price range. Like I said, the trem is better than people say. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is fine for live play. Unlike the older versions, these JS1's are pretty strong. The hardware hasn't rusted or anything, so it's got a thumb up for me. It will scratch easily but it wont show on the white. I assume the black ones will show easier.// 7

Impression: A starter metal and hard rock guitar. I've been playing for over 10 years and am actually surprised at this guitar. I found it much easier to play than Squiers and other guitars in this price range. It's a great feel for metal, but the stock electronics are cheap like I said. I've changed the pots to DiMarzio 250k, though it comes stock with 500k's. I also changed out the nut for a nicer one, and the Bridge pickup for a DiMarzio Super 3. I also blocked off the trem. After these upgrades, it sounds GREAT! If anything ever happened to the neck I'd easily replace it, though it's much sturdier than the earlier versions of this model. I'd easily pick another one of these up if I wanted another guitar. I'm glad the tuners really do their job, unlike a lot of stock ones. It could use a thicker finish, but at this price, oh well. It's a little more than you think you'll be getting from the price. For beginners or anyone looking to build up you own guitar, I highly recommend it. Because I am rating it stock, I can't give it a huge rating, but with some small upgrades this thing can be great. // 7

Review: Cort M200

Here's another decent beginner guitar. The Cort M200. For those who still don't know it, I don't own any of these guitars, these are all reviews from other people. Enjoy!

 

Features: I am not sure of the year, but it was made in Indonesia. It is a PRS copy and it has a mahogany body, a maple neck, 22 frets jumbo frets, a rosewood fingerboard, tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece, 2 passive humbuckers, 1 tone, 1 volume control and a 3 way switch.

I'll give it a 7, because it doesn't have a whammy bar and a coil tap and I personally prefer maple fingerboards. // 7

Sound: I play mostly neoclassical instrumental rock and metal, but I am also familiar with blues, jazz, heavy and thrash metal... overly, a good pack of different music styles, so when I bought that guitar I was looking for something cheap that suits them all. I use this Cort with my Marshall MG15CDR and a chain of a Fender chromatic tuner, Boss DD3 Delay and a DigiTech GRUNDGE Distortion. It sounds pretty good for its price, the neck pickup is really nice on clean channel, it has deep jazzy warm sound with lots of bass. The middle position is sharper with more highs and with the proper settings, it could sound bright, Fender-like. The bridge position pickup is rather thin and weak, but with the height adjustments, I gave it more sustain and it sounded just as loud as the neck. It is meant to be used with distortion as it sounds awful on clean channel, but even with my chain, it still doesn't sound as heavy as I want. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came with pretty high action, so I had to set it up and now it has amazing super low action without buzz. The other problem was that the neck wasn't bolted on properly and there were some weird sheets of paper between the body and the neck, so I had to get the removed as well. The pickups were adjusted pretty well, the bridge was okay as well. The finish was flawless, but the pickup selector clicks when you switch. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I've played this guitar for a year, everyday, at least 7 hours a day and the finish doesn't wear off, but I've dropped it once and the fingerboard came off the neck a little bit, some of the finish in the area of the place where the fingerboard is glued to the neck fell off, the guitar's intonation was horrible, because of its super low action, is started to buzz horribly and when I changed the strings, the nut fell off, so I don't find the guitar durable at all. The strap buttons were pretty loose when I got it, but after the set up, I find them reliable. I gig pretty often... like once a month, and I have no choice but to gig without backup, since I have no money for a backup guitar, but it hasn't betrayed me, not even once, so I guess I'll keep giging with it until I get money for a better one. // 5

Impression: Well, as I said, I play different styles of music, but mostly neoclassical metal and rock, mainly Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker, and it does pretty well for its price, I've been playing for 5 years, and this is my only electric guitar, I also own a shitty classical Stagg that I absolutely hate. If lost/stolen, I guess I would buy it again since it is the best choice for these money, and my budget is thin. What I love about it is its clean tone and looks and what I hate is the intonation, but when I have time I'll fix it. My favorite feature has to be its cool bolt on - gives access to the high frets and makes it easily to bend there.

When I bought it, I compared it to the G260, but it had a problem with the whammy bar, so it went out of the picture. I also compared it to the cheaper models of the RX series of Washburn and some Washburns with dark, metal-style artwork, and it defiantly won me. Cheaper, prettier, with better sound and with better wood. I just wish it had a whammy bar and a maple fingerboard. Maybe I'll buy it a DiMarzio D-activator Bridge for the bridge position. // 8

Review: LTD F-50

Well guys, this is one pretty guitar. But, that just about it. This guitar caught my eye back in 2009 and I was looking it up and stuff. I used to dream about owning this beauty until finally I tested it in a shop. I can assure you the looks are the only thing going here. It had rubbish sustain, muddy pickups and an irritating buzz going on. Well, here's a review from a sad sap who actually bought it. Read it, but keep in mind, stay away from this POS.

Features: Bolt-on construction; 25.5" scale; agathis body; maple neck; rosewood fingerboard; dot inlays w/model name at 12th fret; ESP LH-100 pickups; volume & tone controls w/3-way toggle; black hardware; Tune-O-Matic bridge w/string-thru-body; 24 XJ frets. // 8

Sound: I play metalcore and hardcore. I'm playing through a Crate FXT 120. It's pretty noisy with gain turned up all the way, noisy enough to make me turn it into the clean channel until I'm ready to Jam again. The guitar sounds alright. It's tone isnt good, it sounds full, and metalish, but the pickups just arent good at all. It's good for the price though. The guitar can play clean well, but sounds much better with distortion. The low tones are great with this guitar, awesome for chugging away on breakdowns. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: It came to me out of tune and with fret buzz. It also doesn't have a lock in the jack, so it spins around and the wires broke off (only costed me $5 to get it fixed). This can be fixed at a store or by yourself if you have good soldering skills, unfortunatly my soldering skills aren't that great. The volume knob also fell off, this is an easy fix, just put it back on and screw the allen key back in. Too bad I dont have allen keys and am too lazy to buy them, it works fine without it. The body itself came in okay condition. I had a few scrathes in the back, but nothing big enough to worry about. There is no oxidation on my pickups. // 5

Reliability & Durability: Once you put a lock in the jack it should be pretty dependable. The hardware hasn't worn out at all, I've had it for about 6 months. I would not use this in a gig without a back up, this would probably be my backup's backup. The finish is weak and wears off quick. // 5

Impression: I play metalcore and hardcore, it works okay. I have a feeling if I ever played a live gig with it, I would probably break it. I wish I had played it more before I bought it. If this guitar was stolen I would not buy a new one, I would probably get an Ibanez of some sort. I love the way it looks, I hate ESP's crappy quality control. The best feature would definatly be the looks. I wish this guitar had better sounds pickups and perhaps better quality control. // 5

Review: Epiphone Explorer GT

Well, this guitar is Epiphone's take on Gibson's Explorer. Enjoy!

Features: Made Indonesia, 2010 - these have just been released.
22 jumbo frets - rosewood f/b, bolt-on neck
Worn black matt finish.
Reduced size Explorer shape (but still full scale length) with V style headstock.
Tune-o-matic bridge; Epi neck & bridge humbuckers
1 x vol, 1 x tone (with built-in Shadow killswitch); 3-way switch. Stock Epi sealed tuners. Came with a cable & that's it! I'd give it a 5 (neither here nor there) but the inclusion of the awesome killswith on a sub-£140 guitar = 9. A licensed Floyd would be nice, but there isn't enough depth to the body to fit one...or maybe there is...anyone up for it? // 9

Sound: Pickups are pretty good, acutally. A bit 'soulless' and noisy on high gain as you would expect from a stock guitar at this price - sound very good distorted, and more than passable clean. Vol and tone are fairly useable to get a range of tones. Would be improved with better pups of course. The bridge can be pretty quacky, and the neck warm and bluesy, actually - you could use this for a great variety of styles, but rock and METAL will sneak in your back door and abuse it while you aren't looking...beware! Playing through myAshton BlueTongue 50 tube amp with a range of pedals - Danelectro Cool Cat metal II,Fuzz and Transparent overdrive; Korg Pitchblack; Crybaby upfront (not in that order!) and delay/chorus/MXR 6-band EQ in FX loop. Sounds great for the price! // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Needed tuning out of the box; came with factory 10-46's which aren't too bad (and at least they're not shitty 9's which I HATE). Truss rod needed a half turn to reduce a little bow, and bridge needed lowering a shade as action was high - now plays sweet with a medium-low action, very little fret buzz - I've heard bad things aboutEpiphone, this is my first, and I have to say it's actually very well made and finished. No dodgy frets, finish is spotless, everything works. The killswith is activated by pressing down on the tone pot - GREAT FUN and works as well as a 'normal' killswith, in fact a bit easier to use as you just have to tap it - this feature is pretty unique and makes this guitar a great choice for beginners/intermediate/advanced (although more experienced players will possibly think it feels 'cheap' - the body is really light, but that makes it really comfy for long playing sessions and jumpin aroond on stage!!). // 7

Reliability & Durability: Seems like it would withstand gigging, and seems like it will last - but time will tell on the killswitch (which is the obvious choice to wear out first). If it did go it would more than likely be as a consequence of use and so I wouldn't knock it down for that - I'm sure that such a Switch must be made to withstand constant use/abuse anyway...we'll see. Finish is great. I'll give it an 8 but consider I don't yet know! // 8

Impression: I play rock/blues/metal/thrash - anything. It suits all those styles apart from light rock & jazzy stuff really well (although it could do them at a push). Sounds great distorted; killswitch is top fun. My only reservation is that due to the reduced size it doesn't feel like a 'proper' Explorer - although I think this will turn out to be an advantage in the long run. I've had loads of guitars from Squiers to PRS and have been playing 25 years, occasional gigs but mostly home/bedroom. For the price this is a great guitar and it even feels like it should cost much more. Free delivery from Anderton's music - next day when ordered online - get in there while they last! It's great for me, and I'm sure it'll be thrashing away in my room for some time to come... I'm pretty chuffed with it. I'll give it an 8 to avoid offending the gearsnobs out there who rubbish any high review not for equipment that costs enough to require the sale of body parts to buy it...although for value etc., I'd give it a 10. // 8

Blogging tip

   Okay, lately there are loads of new bloggers around. So much of new and awesome talent in blogging (these guys are way better than me in most cases). However, in certain posts where I feel  the urge to comment and proceed to do so, I'm faced with a short yet annoying procedure. That's right, its the captcha. As many of you guys realise, this step can be a real pain in the eyes. Literally. I mean like some captchas just look like a load of noodles. 

How the heck do you read that?

  Well, in order to, err, help these bloggers, I'm gonna show you guys how to remove the captcha from your comments field. Seriously, do us all a favour will ya?

 Okay, the first step is to open up the dashboard. Simple right? Then click on the "settings" tab. Like this:

 Next, click on this.

 Scroll down till you see this an select 'no'. 

There! Enjoy your captcha free blog!

Review: Squier Standard Fat Strat

  Well guys, here's a quick plagarised review of another low-cost favourite: The Squier Standard Fat Strat.  Enjoy!

Features: 22 frets, Rosewood fretboard. Strat sytle body, String-thru body. Chrome hardware. Large 60's style headstock. Master Volume one, 2 tone, 5 way pick up selector. Polyurethane Finish. Available in Red/Black, Black. I got a gig bag, and a strap when I brought it, I also got a lead with it. // 8

Sound: I play some Metallica/Megadeth style metal, and also some classic rock (Led Zep, GNR). I'm using a Roland Cube 15X with it, with no effects apart form the built in ones on the amp. With the humbucker, you can get a nice full rich sound, and with the single coils, you can get a very bright sound. Very versatile. I am quite happy with the sound of this, I've played it through a Peavey Valveking, and I got some really nice tones using a better amp. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was VERY poorly set up. I went back to the shop, told them that it was set up terribly, and they gave me a free set up. The pick ups were fine. In fact I really like the sound of these pups. It didn't contain any major flaws apart from the set up, and a small chip in the wood. Hardly any fret buzz, very good for a £200 guitar. // 6

Reliability & Durability: Yes, this guitar is very well built, it has suffered a few major knocks, and it still plays just as it did before. I've had the guitar for about a year and a half now, and the hardware looks like it is going to last. Yes, I would use it on a gig with no backup. The finish is very good, I'm pretty sure it will not wear away. // 10

Impression: I play mainly Metal, and the bridge position suit's the genre very well. The neck position is great for clean stuff, sounds very nice and bright. I've been playing for about 3 years (including 1 year classical) I own a Vintage V100 guitar, a Roland Cube 15X, and a Crafter Acoustic. If it was stolen/lost, I wouldn't buy it again, mainly because I'm saving up for a new amp, and I can't afford a new one.

I love the Strat look, that was probably the main reason I brought it, I also love the headstock, as it is a 60's one. I don't like the neck, it's quite slow, and doesn't allow upper fret access. Compared to my Vintage, It's nearly as good, although I do prefer my Vintage for playing metal. When I'm playing lighter stuff, I use the squire.

I would recommend this for players who are starting guitar, it's very good value for money.// 9

Review: Squier Jagmaster

Well, yesterday I was surfing around in youtube and stumbled upon a guy playing his Fender Jaguar. I thought of doing a review of it but decided against it mainly because this blog deals with beginner to mid-tier guitars. So, here's Squier's take on the Fender Jaguar: the Squier Jagmaster. Enjoy!

Features: This is a 2006 Squier Jagmaster, Made in China. Its got your basic 2 humbuckers, toggle switch, single volume and tone controls. It is built out of alder, with a maple neck and a rosewood fretboard with 21 frets. It has an offset style of body similar to the Fender Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars. I'm giving it a 7, not because its lacking in features but because you can get more features for the price if you so desire. // 7

Sound: I play mainly pop punk, with some blues and classic rock and the twin humbuckers suit it very well. I am using it with a Crate V5 amp and currently a Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal. despite it having "humbucker pickups" it is fairly noisy on both clean and with overdrive, and I have played it though several amps so I'm sure its the guitar. It is a jack of all trades type of guitar, it can handle almost anything to ask it to do, from blues to heavy metal, however it's better at stuff like blues and classic rock than metal. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: I purchased this guitar used off of Ebay so I do not know how the factory setup was however when I recieved it it was very well set up. It didn't have any major problems besides many nicks in the finish from being thrown around by the pervious owner but the hardware and neck were all in tune and I havn't needed to adjust it in the 2 years that I've had it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is pretty durable. I have played it in several band practices but no gigs yet. One of the things that would be a problem once I start giging is that it doesn't hold its tuning for very long. In paticular the G string comes untuned after about half an hour of playing without using the whammy bar. With the whammy bar all of the strings stay in tune as along as you don't use the bar very often or very hard. I would not gig without a back guitar because strings break and other stuff happens and its just stupid to go without a backup. // 7

Impression: my overall impression is that for $155 this is a very good guitar. It isn't the best out there but it can hold its own against any that retail for under $450-500(it retails for $280). When I bought this guitar I didn't know what I was looking for and I got it because it was cheaper than the Fender Jaguar while still being somewhat similar. I ended up getting a diamod in the rough. If it was lost of stolen I'd probably save for a few more months and get a higher end guitar like a Gibson faded SG. I would not reccomdend getting this if you have been playing guitar for a few years unless money is really tight or you are looking for a project guitar. However if you have a beginner guitarist looking for your first electric I say get it or another member of Squiers classic vibe/vintage modified series its well worth it.// 8