GuitArcher

I just sold a guitar to the Cornish Game Hen .  I can't believe it. I've been posting the Squier 51 on and off since acquiring the Eric Johnson Rosewood.  A few predictably sad offers had come through over the course of a few weeks, including an offer to trade for an Epiphone Hummingbird from none other than Hen-Man himself. Another one bites the dust As a quick recap, Hen-man is a guy who seems to never want to deal.  His communication is bizarre and he regularly demonstrates he knows nothing about guitars.  I don't think I've posted one low value guitar that he hasn't responded to with some insulting offer. The guitar was posted for $225. Hen-man offered $200 and demanded to see a picture of the headstock.  I sent the pic, but responded that I would absolutely not move on price.  He asked what kind of pickups were in it. I lost my mind - he's done this before, convinced that his Squier Affinity Telecaster has "Duncans" in it.  Truth be to...

Time for Modifications? Despite not being convinced that the Squier 51 is a keeper, the charm and general good looks of the thing, combined with the happy accident of a pair of  GFS Nashville pickups being available locally for $20, meant I was was committed to modifying it. The presence of the chrome control plate and bridge made the all black pickups an odd, if financially understandable choice. How much better though, would this look with a chrome covered humbucker in the bridge and a lipstick single in the neck? A couple of things were standing in the way though. First, I was without a workspace, having sacrificed it to the needs of a certain 4 year old and her lego. Second, while I wanted to make the mods, I couldn't be bothered. Not sure why, but there it is. This weekend though, both kids sleeping with nothing to do meant there was a window open, and I was going to take it. There are a couple of things worth noting before I get into how I'm a moron. The...

My first electric guitar was an MIK Squier Stratocaster, with a rosewood fretboard, in an aged Olymipic White with a black guard and white plastic.  I traded that guitar towards a Yamaha Pacifica, thinking that I was taking a big leap forward. Aside: I wasn't, but that doesn't mean the Pacifica was a mistake.  It was, and still is, a solid beginner guitar.  Don't believe me?  Check out Rob Chapman's latest video here .  When I finally purchased a USA Fender though, it was a Telecaster.  I'm not sure if it was Pete Anderson, Jimmy Page at MSG, or a combination, but I wanted a Tele, not a Strat. Years later, it was because of the Squier that when I had the opportunity to buy my Eric Johnson Stratocaster in White Blonde, I jumped.  The first thing I did was put a black pickguard on it. When I came across a "like new" Squier 51 in Vintage Blond, a Frankenstein of a Stratocaster, Telecaster, and early Fender bass, I knew it was time for a n...

I'm a sucker for Fender.  It's annoying. Super Annoying I had been been looking for a new guitar to write about - something surprisingly inexpensive, but with reasonable quality.  As fun as it would be the review another $1000+ guitar, I'm not independently wealthy. I had a problem though: Prices across Kijiji were (and still are) somewhere between ridiculous and insane, and I wasn't having much luck finding a $250 Made in Mexico Stratocaster and Telecasters, or even a reasonably priced Classic Vibe, to say nothing of $250 Epi Les Pauls. My target list was pretty sparse - a couple of Ibanez (an RG350 and a SA160) around the $250 mark was pretty much about as good as it was getting - and frankly neither of those at that price is "good enough". I decided to wait and continue to keep an eye out, throwing out a few low ball offers on some pieces just in case there was some desperation out there. I eventually came across the above pictured Sq...