Active Band Man Chats - Small but Delightful Features

So, what’s the topic for today?

Details!

Details? Like... spinning tops? You’re as festive as ever! You do know New Year’s isn’t here yet, right?

No, I mean small details!

Oh? Such as?

You know, gear often has these small but delightful features, right? That’s what I want to talk about.

I see... This conversation is already pretty niche, and now we’re going even deeper?

Exactly!

Alright then, give me some examples.

Got it! Small but delightful features—let’s start with guitars.

Alright, go ahead.

When tuning pegs are made of plastic or wood, I find it oddly satisfying.

Really? Do you now?

Personal opinion!

Well, fair enough... This whole theme is just personal preferences anyway, right?

I do have a reason for it.

Oh? Let’s hear it.

I’m from the Tohoku region.

I know that—Yamagata, right?

Yeah. Winters there are brutally cold, and metal parts get freezing!

Freezing, you say? And?

So, when the tuning pegs are metal, they feel icy to the touch.

It’s that bad? Interesting. That’s not something I’d ever thought about.

Even the frets and strings feel icy!

You can’t even play the instrument then!

Exactly! It makes playing guitar feel like some sort of punishment—it’s just too cold!

Fair point, that does sound tough.

And because of that, I hardly get any songwriting done in winter!

That’s unfortunate.

Speaking of pegs, I also really like it when they’re locking tuners.

Makes sense—keeps the tuning stable, right?

Yeah! They’re easier to restring too. For example, something like this is my favorite:
Gotoh / SG381-P7-L6-Chrome

Makes sense, totally your style!

By the way, are there locking tuner options for basses?

Oh, absolutely. Something like this:
Sperzel / Trim-Lok 2x2 Locking Bass Tuners Satin Chrome

Got it, Sperzel.

That said, this is all just my personal preference, of course. Got any specs you like?

Body contouring!

Ah, yeah. It’s such a lifesaver—like where your arm rests on the body or the contouring on the back.

Totally. Most of the guitars I’ve used over the years have had some kind of contouring.

Yeah, that’s the case for me too, for the most part.

But at the same time, I kind of love the straightforward, no-frills vibe of a Telecaster—it’s like, “Here’s a plank of wood, shaped like a guitar. Boom. What, you got a problem with the sharp edges?”

I get that. Speaking of which, Gibson models don’t seem to have much contouring, do they? Or at least that’s the impression.

More than contouring, Les Pauls have their arched tops, I guess. Speaking of unique specs, my Teisco Spectrum 5 has a ton of quirky features.

That guitar definitely has a strong personality!

First off, the zero fret.

Yeah, it seems... practical? Maybe? As an instrument?

Probably! Having a zero fret just feels nice somehow, like it gives off a vibe of being extra precise about pitch or something.

‘Vibe’ isn’t exactly a strong argument. But hey, Ted’s Mosrite bass has one too, doesn’t it?

And then there’s the dual outputs!

Like having a built-in splitter, right? But... do you actually use it?

Not really. But hey, if one output has issues, the other’s still there! Probably.

That’s true, but... how often does that happen? And let’s be real, that’s not the reason for having dual outputs!

Oh, and I like when the fretboard position markers aren’t just plain dots, but some kind of special design.

Hmm, special designs must be more expensive to make, though.

Like the block inlays on a Les Paul Custom!

Ah, or the 70s Jazz Bass inlays too. But yeah, at that point, it’s just personal preference.

By the way, here’s what the Teisco Spectrum 5 has:

What... is that?

No idea. A folding fan, maybe?

Why’s that? Got any others?

The Jazzmaster has some unique features too.

You really like collecting quirky gear, don’t you?

Look who’s talking! So, the Jazzmaster’s switch here—it instantly switches to the pre-set volume and tone on the neck pickup!

Do you use it? (second time asking)

Not really. (second time admitting)

So you don’t use it!

And then! The anodized aluminum pickguard.

Doesn’t it give off a kind of metallic shimmer?

Yeah, that’s how it feels to me. Oh, but actually, I’d avoid aluminum pickguards.

Why?

Because winters in Tohoku are cold!

Right, you mentioned earlier—touching metal parts gives you that cold shock.

Heh heh... Well, that about sums it up for me. How about you, Horry?

Fine details that make you happy, huh?

Yeah!

To be more specific, it’s the kind of feature that doesn’t really affect the price much, but it’s nice to have, right?

So detailed!

What about something like a jack with an anti-pull-out feature?

What’s that? Sounds useful!

Ibanez’s headless 5-string bass has this feature.
Ibanez EHB1505MS-PLF Headless Bass

Oh, you’re right. It has a red part for unlocking (?).

Definitely wouldn’t pull out easily, which is handy during live shows, but it does take a bit of force to unplug, so in an emergency, it might be a hassle.

I see. Well, better tight than loose.

And then there’s... the leg rest on Steinberger-type guitars and basses. That’s probably more costly.

All this talk about headless instruments. You sure have a strong preference!

Is this payback for earlier? Fair enough!

I have a Steinberger guitar too, so I totally get it—the leg rest is essential.

Without it, you’d need a strap even when sitting down to play.

Exactly. Oh, I just remembered!

?

I also wish the Flying V had a leg rest for sitting down to play.

I can imagine! Actually, some models do have it, I think.

And then?

How about the locking mechanism on power cables for multi-effects units? You know, to prevent them from coming loose... Do you know what I mean?

Not for the output? Can you show me with an image?

Well, I was going to, but the one I have right now doesn’t have it... Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen one in a while. It’s that little part that wraps around the power cable, something like that. I think keyboards have them too...

Hmm, I think I know what you mean. It’s the part that hooks onto the power cable.

When you’re gigging, preventing cables from coming loose is pretty important. And then there’s the hex wrench that comes attached to the back of the headstock. It’s impossible to have this on a headless guitar though.

It’s all turning into headless guitar talk!

Tools tend to be bulky and easy to lose, so if you can store them in the neck, it’s definitely ideal. But... I think this is a feature for guitars with locking tremolos, right? It might be annoying on a non-locking tremolo guitar... but I still think it’d be useful.

It would be handy, yeah! Probably.

Is there anything else? How about the knob lock that came as a bonus with the BOSS BB-1X?

Ah, that’s a good one! I want it!

It’s a bonus, so it seems like you can’t buy it separately, but I’d love for it to be a standard feature on effects pedals.

Here’s a product like that!
List of lok knob Products

Yeah, you know, during a soundcheck at a live show, you want to keep the settings the same, but if you accidentally touch a knob, the sound changes a lot.

Exactly. I think there was an Ibanez effect pedal that had a type where the knob would retract?

Yes! The type where you push the knob in and it sinks into the body!

Sinks in! That idea never became mainstream, but I think it was a good one.

Yeah! Like a fleeting flower! I like it!

Fleeting flower! You really like that idea, huh?

Who’s the prince born from the fleeting flower!?

I didn’t say that!

Those fleeting flower-like pieces of gear, I sometimes want them when I see them secondhand!

And then... when I tried an Xotic bass before, the low string side of the pickup was slightly shaved down, making it easier to rest your fingers there. That little touch was really nice.

Wow! That’s such a thoughtful detail.

It wasn’t Xotic, but I’ve seen basses where the body was shaved down like a finger rest. It might be nice for people who play fingerstyle.

I see.

Also, on active instruments, the ones where the battery box is separate, and you can open the back panel with one touch without having to remove screws to change the battery.

Yeah, if it’s combined with the volume and tone circuits, it’s a hassle to open the panel.

That’s convenient, but I do worry about aging over time. Since it’s plastic, the tabs might crack, and then you end up using duct tape to hold it in place... Oh, and my Mike Lull neck...

You mean Mikey, right?

Yes. The strap pin receptacles are embedded into the body.

You embedded them? Pushed them in tight?

Of course not!

But that’s good because you don’t have to worry about them coming loose.

Exactly. Strap pins can come off or, worst case, the screws can snap. But with this, there’s no worry about that. The downside is that you can’t use other types of locking pins, though.

Yeah, that’s true.

I think that’s all.

Oh, there’s one more thing! Besides the neck and the effects...

Anything else?

Shielded cables with fabric covering. Personally, I find that a bit nice.

You like those, don’t you, Kizuhiko? I’m not so fond of them.

They feel like the power cord of a kotatsu! Gives you a warm feeling...

Is this another preference from being from the Tohoku region?

It might actually be! For shield cables and patch cables, it’s not just about the sound quality, but also the feel of the covering and plugs that people have different tastes in.

True.

And then! D’Addario strings have color-coded ball ends, which is a really nice touch.

Definitely! That’s exactly the kind of small, thoughtful detail we’re talking about. Is that all?

Yeah! A lot of nice, small features!

These little details might not be the deciding factors when choosing an instrument, but they’re the things that make you happy when they’re there. I don’t know if any manufacturers are reading this column, but I’d be happy if they found it useful!

Right, because everything is?

For love!