expiredTattyBear | Staff posted Jun 14, 2023 03:38 PM
Item 1 of 5
Item 1 of 5
expiredTattyBear | Staff posted Jun 14, 2023 03:38 PM
Indio by Monoprice Retro DLX Plus Solid Ash Electric Guitar with Gig Bag - (Blonde, Cherry, Natural) $159.99 + Free Ship
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank CaptainCadabra
If you don't like it, make it a wall hanging piece of art.
If ash isn't any more of a tonewood than plywood is with a solid-body electric guitar, then at least it makes good firewood. So there's that.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Arcoril
If ash isn't any more of a tonewood than plywood is with a solid-body electric guitar, then at least it makes good firewood. So there's that.
Also, if you were more familiar with the Squier lineup you'd know that it's only the Classic Vibe series that can share parts with Fenders. If you want to upgrade the bridge or pots on the cheaper Squiers with higher quality parts you're going to be drilling or reaming out holes. So yes, at this price it makes more sense to go with the Indio over any Squier other than a Classic Vibe which costs more than twice as much and doesn't even include a gig bag.
I used to think some scratchiness in my cheap strat Vol pot was inferior pots; until I simply blew out the dust. You can use a can of compressed air or even electronic tuner spray on old crusty guitars. But air will likely solve any issue; that just rolling the knob back and forth quickly will not fix. This on pricey guitar also.
Pot facts: 250 ohms is 250 ohm (within tolerance usually 5%+-) It's just resistance and the same. Humbucker (if warmer ones) pickups use 500 ohms to make them brighter, AKA retain higher frequencies to a point. Whereas Strats and Tele's need 250 ohms to tame the ice picky treble in balance.
Pickups: Original (old) Strat pups were a bit unbalanced toward the jangle; that they are so renown. It's a preference. Ceramic pickups today can be made well and are preferred for all types of tones. Like is a P90 (Bright warm balanced), also made with bar mag. Kinda between overly bright Alinco classics and warmer humbuckers. And note: Not all humbuckers are warm, nor all single coil pups that bright. Humbuckers can look just like classic strat single coils and still be on the bright treble side(almost, like Fender noiseless; which I do not like). Yes those are humbuckers; just not side by side. And side by side coil humbuckers can be bright or split coil to bright. Bucking the hum is one thing, warmth is another.
Don't forget the big picture with the pups. If you want warmer with bright pups or brighter with warm pups for certain songs then there are easy ways of compensating like bright switches, parametric EQ, and simple adjustments. And that's before today's modeling options; as a one button preset or with knobs. (I sometimes use a $40 amp/Cab IR FX pedal WITH an all tube combo, keeping the fast changing tech very inexpensive and my classic circuit all tube combo with its untainted resell value).
Back to POTS:
My so called cheap little pots are smooth as silk, not loose or to hard to turn. Their range is fine; with typical non-linier amounts. Meaning it changes a little from 1 to about 5 and more from 5 to 10.
So you don't even have to remove them(the pick guard), just the knobs to blow them out. Like any pot, eventually needs.
Think what you will; blow them out and listen. Replacing them with matching ohms resistance will not make any sound quality differences. Since they are so smooth then I say myth busted.
P.S. As far as parts fit differences the $55 guitars may have a different hole for the pick guard screws; but if you want a different holed pick guard then the simply make a hole for the screws where a couple are needed and then you have universal body that fits both. It looks perfect. Not something to FRET about. LOL.
The bigger picture is buying a prefinished (one solder joint) loaded scratch plate is not usually cost effective compared to buying the whole guitar cheaper, anyway. For the value buy, then only change parts that are around $10. Not a bunch of them. It's cheaper to buy what you already want; with minor exceptions non-existant. Build with your own parts; only if you can't find a whole guitar with them already. Save DIY for artistic stuff and rare combinations.
Practice over tinker. But when you can do your own setup then you save more time, gas, less waiting and money for practice.
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If ash isn't any more of a tonewood than plywood is with a solid-body electric guitar, then at least it makes good firewood. So there's that.
If ash isn't any more of a tonewood than plywood is with a solid-body electric guitar, then at least it makes good firewood. So there's that.
Oh and the tone wood debate... For thoes who don't know, it's littery makes no audiable difference. Check out the video where a guy only has strings attached to one end and no body of the guitar, vs with a body etc.. Littlery nada change
I strongly disagree about a hardtail instead of a Tremo (on Strats). Learn to fine adjust your Trem, in the balance and fix or replace your nut. A $10 matching TUSQ means you don't even have to amend an errant one. I doubt the nut is needing much on this model. $60 guitar MIGHT need a DIY touch. I recommend 9's so you can optimize your nut to those sizes. On the cheap, then some pencil lead(Graphite) in the slot works for smooth tune glide; but fix it right.
If you want to balance your trem later then simply tighten the springs until it is "locked down", no bending; but that's no fun. Do NOT get a Hardtail for supposed tune stability. Learn about new string, stretching-in.
$0: If you ever did get a bad nut; that you didn't want to spend $10 to replace then you could even build it up (as needed) with plastic shavings and super glue and then re-cut it properly(Get new strings first; like Ernie 9's). Set your nut height properly, on both sides (another fine balance) and DO NOT crack your guitar getting an old nut out. Use a razor blade and patience; where to much or just not one drop of plain wood glue was used under the nut.
When I was a young man, those 60's & early 70's guitars that were cheap enough to purchase with a summers worth of grass cutting money, were simply unplayable. The necks were funky, the strings so high, all they were good for is bottle neck axes. I had several of those guitars and always yearned for something more playable, something that the strings wouldn't cut the fingers to the bone. I bought a Fender starter pack for my grandson. It was marked down after Christmas at a grocery store. I paid $39 for the whole set-up. Right out of the box it played well. I was shocked! It didn't sound too bad either. I did a full set-up on it, never touched the frets, except to smooth sharp ends. That guitar plays well to this day. I always reminisce about my childhood and wonder how further advanced I'd be as a player, if I had a guitar I could play for hours and hours.
So, when I hear ya'll complain about a guitar that looks that good, likely plays pretty good right out of the box, I just gotta laugh out loud. Ya'll are spoiled.
When I was a young man, those 60's & early 70's guitars that were cheap enough to purchase with a summers worth of grass cutting money, were simply unplayable. The necks were funky, the strings so high, all they were good for is bottle neck axes. I had several of those guitars and always yearned for something more playable, something that the strings wouldn't cut the fingers to the bone. I bought a Fender starter pack for my grandson. It was marked down after Christmas at a grocery store. I paid $39 for the whole set-up. Right out of the box it played well. I was shocked! It didn't sound too bad either. I did a full set-up on it, never touched the frets, except to smooth sharp ends. That guitar plays well to this day. I always reminisce about my childhood and wonder how further advanced I'd be as a player, if I had a guitar I could play for hours and hours.
So, when I hear ya'll complain about a guitar that looks that good, likely plays pretty good right out of the box, I just gotta laugh out loud. Ya'll are spoiled.
If ash isn't any more of a tonewood than plywood is with a solid-body electric guitar, then at least it makes good firewood. So there's that.
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