GuitArcher

I certainly don't. After buying the Maz 8, I think it's safe to say I won't be buying anything in the near future - I've got a fix that'll last me awhile. Good news though - My wife has almost decided on the colour for our second daughter's room.  She's down to something very similar to Daphne Blue and something very similar to Sea Foam Green. My first daughter's room was Sonic Blue, and I have a Sonic Blue Stratocaster.  What kind of father would I be if I didn't do the same for my second born? Fender Jim Adkins Telecaster - $500 I had no idea who Jim Adkins was until 3 minutes ago, when I bothered Googling him.  Apparently he's the guitarist for Jimmy Eat World.  Who knew? (The answer is "all the cool kids" obviously). This is a pretty cool guitar, with some unique features, at a very reasonable price.  A semi-hollow, set neck single cut with Duncan P90s and a Les Paul wiring scheme?  The only thing Telecaster

Everyone goes through ebbs and flows with their guitar obsession, and I'm not different.  After acquiring the rosewood Eric Johnson, and selling the Squier 51 to Henman, I went into a holding pattern on guitars.  No desire for anything new, and no desire to sell anything I own. Also video games.  I'll admit I'm rather taken with a few video games right now (Titanfall 2 is really that good IMHO), so... A digression - While I don't intended to turn this into a video game review site, I really have to say how impressed I am with that game.  I've been a pretty solid COD guy since COD4 (and played the original COD on by first Mac), but this is another level.  No surprise that it comes from the MW2 developers.  Everyone has been chasing their success for 10 years. Blame Video Games.  Parents blame everything on them anyway. Let's get back into it. Gibson Les Paul Classic - $1900 At some point last year one of these came up and I commented on how much I

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

I found some pictures of my first electric guitar the other day, one that I've mentioned in earlier posts. Behold, the late 80's/early 90's MIK Squier Stratocaster.  Photo is circa 1993 or 1994. Discreet Metallica/Evil Santa.  Also Golden Buds. Yum? Here's what I can remember about it: The intonation was a mile out, but I was too stupid to know how to fix it at the time. It weighed a ton.  I remember removing the guard and finding plywood under the finish. I don't recall it being that white, more yellowed.  Whether that's the flash on the pic (which was the scanned) or a faulty memory is beyond me at this point. The neck and middle pickups were reversed in the wiring. Wouldn't that look better with a white nut? The bridge saddles were stamped "Fender".  The guitar was bought used, so not sure if this was typical or modifications had been done (which explains the wiring) The back of the guitar had a big symbol painted on it. Think a

Since acquiring my Eric Johnson Rosewood Stratocaster, it's been pretty clear that I need to move an instrument or two.  This isn't so much a money thing, as it is a guilt thing. And no, it's not my wife making me guilty. With eleven guitars now in the collection, only a handful get played on a regular basis.  Given the limited amount of time I have to play everyday, making a point to play each one would restrict me to no more than 10 minutes or so with each instrument, and at that point it feels like you're just making sure  each one gets played on a given day to justify it. The result is obvious.  There are only 3 or 4 guitars that get played regularly.  The rest are ignored to varying degrees, or looked at as nice "wall pieces", and little else. My Gibson Les Paul Studio, sadly, falls into the later group. Why you no love Gibson? It's no secret, especially if you read previous posts, that my attention is firmly drawn by the Fender cam

After a weekend of deciding whether or not I could live with or without the rosewood version of the Eric Johnson Stratocaster, I went ahead and pulled the trigger.  What. A. Trigger. Buick Lucerne Aqua Firemist? Apologies for the pics. I'll get around to proper pictures this weekend, along with a review. This is probably the first time ever that the purchase of one guitar has made me appreciate another guitar more. Unsurprisingly, the subtle differences between this and my maple board version seem to compliment each other perfectly. One is not really an better than the other, but variations of the same excellent theme. I'll get into that more in a future review post, but suffice to say if you love one, have both. Decisions, Decisions Hindsight is 20/20.  I wasn't immediately sold on the purchase. With the posting of this guitar having caught my attention like few others have, I struggled with the idea of another major guitar purchase.  Buying bargain

A few weeks ago, I came across a 1989 Made in Korea Squier Stratocaster for sale or trade,  nearly identical to my first electric guitar.  Like so many other guitar stories you read on the internet, I sold it in pursuit of something more, and have regretted it ever since. It did get me thinking about why I sold it though, and it's something I need to remind myself of on a near constant basis - If your guitar is not agreeing with you, the problem is your maintenance of the guitar, not the guitar's relationship with the magical voodoo fairies. This one is listed at $425. Let Me Count the Reasons I really did love that Squier Stratocaster, right up until I started to get "good enough" to notice some problems.   First and foremost, the guitar wasn't in tune up the neck.  With new strings it was barely noticeable, but as they aged, it became maddening.  For a 13 year old playing "Nothing Else Matters" over and over again, it was unacceptabl

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 new g

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

I've been terrible at posting regularly, but that isn't to say I haven't been keeping an eye on listings (current watchlist at 36).  Something caught my eye the other day, and has me just about ready to jump. A Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster.  For $200. Did you just roll your eyes?  Then stand still, I'll get to you in a minute.  First, the guitar... What grabbed me immediately was the price.  As I noted in the last post, prices are creeping, and Squier isn't immune.  I've seen a few Classic Vibes listed north of $400, and while I'm not following actively, they don't seem to hang around too long.  That's concerning.  I have no problem with these guitars, but Blacktop Strats can still be had for that kind of money. Not the case here.  Location is playing a big part of this still being available - the seller is in a town that is between two centres that I wouldn't call major.  It also sits outside the default radius of most s