GuitArcher

In the ebb and flow of life, there are times when we find ourselves straying from the harmonious pursuits that once fueled our passions. The lingering shame of walking away from something we once held dear can cast a formidable shadow over our return. Yet, here I am, rekindling my connection with an old flame – my guitar. Admittedly, the pandemic played its part, introducing a discordant note into the symphony of my routine. However, the primary catalyst for my hiatus was the all-consuming allure of a newfound hobby that captured my unwavering attention. It lured me away from the strings of my guitar, steering me down an uncharted creative path. Recently, however, the familiar chords have begun to resonate once more. Intrigued by the realization that there are genuine readers, hailing from towns unknown to me – some entirely unheard of – I find myself drawn back to writing, if only to fill the hours. Venturing into the heart of my renewed musical enthusiasm, I've made a deliberate

Despite the fact that apparently I can't be bothered to write anything here, I haven't let the GLOBAL PANDEMIC OF DOOM AND ENDTIMES  put a damper on my desire to own as much gear as I possibly can. In fact, 2020 may represent the most significant run of gear acquisition, at least in terms of transactions. Here's a brief rundown of the gear I've acquired in 2020 so far, with my quick take on why I bought it and what I think of it. American Professional Jazzmaster - $1,200 Everyone has a price. Everyone. For anything. Really. Apparently mine is $1,200 and a few (too many?) drinks on a Friday night. For a Jazzmaster anyway. Truth be told, I'd been thinking about a Jazzmaster for awhile - it's the hole in my modest Fender collection, though I suppose a Squier Jaguar doesn't really count (or does it?).  I was browsing Kijiji on a Friday night while visiting with friends. I'm either a terrible guest or there was a lull in the preceedings. We both know it wa

The most powerful kind of advertising is most definitely the kind that doesn't seem like advertising... Case in point: That Pedal Show. I'm a huge fan of Dan and Mick, and I have a hard time not watching their videos as soon as they are posted. They manage to walk that fine line of being laid back and affable while being structured and informative in their presentation. What I didn't realize was how much impact they were having on my GAS ( gear acquisition syndrome).  I mostly thought it was limited to focusing more on pedals generally, but my recent acquisition and love of the Blues Driver had me thinking about how my drive section was basically Dan's choice in the $300 pedal board challenge. It doesn't stop there though. I bought an Ibanez JEM Jr. awhile ago, having decided that I wanted to have a guitar that was a little more 80s, with a locking tremolo and a crazy color.  I was looking at Jacksons and Charvels initially, but when the Yellow Jem Jr. p

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the coolest thing I've seen recently is a pedal display shelf on Instagram.  I liked it so much that I sent it to my wife.  Maybe she'll learn carpentry and make it for me? Point is, I think there's a big part of pedal acquisition that is about the aesthetic quality of pedals.  Basically, I want them to look cool so I can decorate with them.  Doesn't matter how they sound? 1982 Greco Super Real ec500 - $800 I've never had much luck with Les Pauls, but maybe I'm just looking for the wrong kind of Les Paul. This Greco apparently has a long neck tenon, which is a more difficult set-neck construction method apparently.  I say apparently because Gibson charges more when this is the case, so... At any rate, while this is Les Paul Studio money, don't be surprised if Greco and Burny Les Pauls (which were Made in Japan) start gaining popularity as reasonably priced quality vintage instruments. Although the Fender A

I sold the Les Paul Studio for the princely sum of $800, exactly what I paid a few years ago. I could  do the responsible thing and bank the money, seeing how I just paid $300 on a barely used Ibanez JEM Jr., but I think we both know that isn't how this is going to work. I've had my eye on a Pink Jackson for quite some time, but now that I have the JEM Jr., and given that the absence of the Studio is not being felt, I can't help but wonder if I'd be better served with another amp or something else, to say nothing of my aversion to buying new (which the Jackson purchase would require). Eight hundred bucks goes a long way in the amp world.  On the other hand, there are a ton of other really good options on the market right now, and the sale of the Studio reminds me that if I play my cards right, I will experience zero depreciation on my money if I buy used. Here's a quick list of what I'm considering: Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb - $900 I&#

The other day, as I was watching Mr. Tom Quayle demonstrate guitars for Dawson's Music on a seemingly endless playlist, my two-and-a-half year old daughter walked past the relatively giant screen, pointed, and said "Pwetty. Pwetty eh-tar". "Huh," I thought to myself. "That's a first." Fast forward a few days and wouldn't you know that someone posts an Ibanez JEM Jr. for the princely sum of $350. Feeling that the universe was speaking to me, I offered $300, thinking that the seller would reject my offer. Nope. Happily accepted.  The universe had spoken. A slight drive out of the way, and $300 later, I was the proud owner of an Ibanez JEM Jr. So why did the owner sell a near new guitar for less than half of retail? When I went to pick up the guitar, I noticed that the bridge was pulled slightly forward.  The owner noted that he had put heavy bottom strings on it, and hadn't bothered to set it up.  A few strums quickly revea

I've been GASing for a Gretsch Electromatic pretty hard lately, but my inability to move some equipment to justify the purchase has left me resigned to being patient.  No need to jump the gun here, FMIC isn't going to cancel the line anytime soon, and I'm actually a bit hopeful that we'll see a few more FSR runs with some new colours that might light the fuse of a purchase. But something else is tickling the back of my brain... Super Strats. Neck through, locking tremolo, flat fingerboard.  The opposite of Gretsch.  Could I end up going in a completely different direction? YES: Half the price, twice the pink? What's not to love? Some thoughts on recent items: Ibanez RGA Lagoon Burst - $350 I don't remember when the original RGAs came out, with their Gibraltar bridges and such, but I remember wanting one something fierce, and being devastated by the price - after all, these were Prestige guitars. Fast forward a decade (or two?)

I'm pretty content with my new board, but...

Trading is always better than selling.

Is there an echo in here? Why yes, yes there is... ( terrible)... After taking note of this pedal locally listed for $65 and hearing it mentioned on That Pedal Show's $350 challenge, I decided to throw an offer of $60 to the seller.  The response was... interesting... " Sure, you can have it for $60, but only if you're prompt in picking it up." Prompt? What, pray tell, does that mean? So I asked. Apparently, the seller had multiple buyers not show up over the course of a couple of days. That sucks, but I'm not sure being shitty to the next guy is going to help your cause there bud.  We're all entitled to a bad day though, so I was extra nice in explaining my schedule and when I would be available to pick it up, including being clear that I needed a window of 15-20 minutes to account for traffic - the pedal was local to me, but I was commuting back from work. In any case, transaction complete.  not the friendliest fellow, but they can't all

I've been a bit pedal board obsessed lately, so this round up focuses almost exclusively on pedals. Boss CS3 Compression Sustainer - $60 I'm starting to get interested in the idea of compression, and combined with my desire to have a buffer on my board*, this is a pretty reasonably priced two-birds-one-stone type of pedal. I'm currently running that Boss Metal Zone at the front of my chain to act as the buffer, and that seems silly. Ibanez Mini AD-9 - $65 Despite attempts to move my mini-Marshall, there have been a bunch of tire-kickers and not any ready to pull the trigger. As a result, I'm thinking about picking up another mini-delay for the loop of the Marshall, as it sounded MUCH better with the delay there. ( Delay in the front sounds terrible with this amp... ) This AD9 mini seems like the perfect low cost solution.  I could buy another Quick Draw through Amazon, but I'm interested to hear how this might be different.  Whichever I like better w

Last week was spent in Boston, which is a great city (especially for the Fourth of July).  I was disappointed to find that the Guitar Center near Berkley College of Music was pretty small, but pleased to discover that there was a larger one in the vicinity of Fenway Park. I managed to snap a few pics of guitars that caught the eye. Ibanez Artcore Ibanez's Artcore series has always struck me as a bit off - the not-quite-traditional shapes are just off enough to leave me disinterested.  Maybe it's because they've tried to match the slightly different shapes with traditional colors.  Not here, which is probably why it caught my eye.  Once again and Sonic Blue with a Tort pickguard...  I really need to swap out that Blacktop guard. Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster This particular Stratocaster sports a Surf Green finish over a pink paisley.  Though it's hard to see here, it's definitely got a great vibe.  Too bad it costs about as much as a small Korean autom

Another Monday, another collection of cool gear from the weekend.

I just came across this as a result of a video posted on Facebook.  Didn't realize that Ibanez was launching a Standard line of Talmans along with the Prestige stuff that hit the stores awhile ago. The Prestige stuff is stupid money if you ask me.  At around $1500 retail, there are so many options for Fender like instruments.  The Standards however, are listed on Musicians Friend for sub-$600 CAD, so I'm interested to see what Long and McQuade will carry them for.  I suspect these are going to be Indonesian made, and while that isn't a deal breaker, and Indonesian guitar for that kind of money gives me pause. The sparkle blue, on a hybrid of a Telecaster (pickups and Bridge), Stratocaster (controls) and Jaguar (body shape) has me developing a serious case of GAS regardless.

I've written previously about how I believe the Blacktop Stratocaster represented great value, but the universe seems to be taking my opinion a little too seriously.  In the past few days, I've noticed a handful get posted, some with that ubiquitous "hard to find/rare" description. This one is mine, there are many like it...

Here's the problem with buying a "new" guitar, under the premise that you are going to sell others to make up the difference: You inadvertently start "guitar shopping" again, looking for trade opportunities which might yield better sales results. If you're not sure what I'm on about, think about this: If you're having trouble selling your guitar, look for a trade opportunity that might benefit both of you.  I've found that one-for-one trades, or even those involving cash going one way or the other,  can often result in better luck - certain guitars just need a change of geography to get sold... so it goes without saying that you shouldn't look to swap with someone in the same geographic area, and you should look for older postings. This is pretty much the situation I'm in.  Not sold on selling the Les Paul Studio, but not committed to keeping it either, I began looking for interesting trades.  Basically, search outside your area fo

Nothing quite like picking up a new guitar to get you shopping for more guitars. I didn't say it made any sense... Get more, want more? More guitars, more problems? That Buddha guy may have been onto something… Ibanez SA160 - $250 If you're looking for a good all around guitar for not a lot of money, I think you'd be hard pressed to do better than this these days. Although the same $250 got me an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with some negotiating and travel, you could do a lot worse if you're looking for something to cover the maximum number of bases. I almost jumped on this one, before jumping at the Squier 51 - Call me crazy, but not that crazy. In one of the more recent Anderton's videos, Rob Chapman passed on this in favour of a Yamaha Pacifica. No doubt that this looks better than that, but it does make you wonder... Actually, no it doesn't. Pass. 1986 Fender Contemporary Stratocaster - $350 I've developed a soft spot for Contempora