Guitar |OT| If you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded

zbarron · Dec 8, 2017

Shabadoo_69 said:
Hey Guitar Era, I need some help. I know absolutely nothing about guitars or music for that. My wife over the years has mentioned she would love to learn to play the guitar and take lessons. I was thinking of getting her that this year for Christmas. I don't know what to get her though. I don't want to spend a lot just in case she doesn't like it. I found this on Amazon which seems to be ok for a beginner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CA89IAI/?tag=era0f0-20
Is this complete crap? Would that be ok for a starter and if she likes it and keeps going maybe get her something nicer? Any input would be appreciated.

Fender isn't known for it's great acoustic, more their electrics. That said it's not a bad guitar by any means, just that you could do better.

For just $50 more you could get a similar pack but with a solid spruce top vs laminate spruce which makes a big difference with sound. It also has scalloped bracing. It's a nicer instrument which will last her longer in her journey.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CYJR9Y4/?tag=era0f0-20

Great gift idea by the way. Sure beats what I'm getting my wife lol.

ProbablyRobbie · Dec 8, 2017

zbarron said:
Fender isn't known for it's great acoustic, more their electrics. That said it's not a bad guitar by any means, just that you could do better.

For just $50 more you could get a similar pack but with a solid spruce top vs laminate spruce which makes a big difference with sound. It also has scalloped bracing. It's a nicer instrument which will last her longer in her journey.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CYJR9Y4/?tag=era0f0-20

Great gift idea by the way. Sure beats what I'm getting my wife lol.

Awesome. Thanks you that is super helpful!!! I'll for sure get the nicer one if it makes that much of a difference. I'm going to get her lessons too but I just need to find a local place here that she can go to.
My wife always gives the best gifts and is always super thoughtful which is good but also sucks at the same time because I feel bad when she puts all this thought and effort into her gifts and I get her something lame. It makes it a challenge every year.

zbarron · Dec 8, 2017

Shabadoo_69 said:
Awesome. Thanks you that is super helpful!!! I'll for sure get the nicer one if it makes that much of a difference. I'm going to get her lessons too but I just need to find a local place here that she can go to.
My wife always gives the best gifts and is always super thoughtful which is good but also sucks at the same time because I feel bad when she puts all this thought and effort into her gifts and I get her something lame. It makes it a challenge every year.

It does make a noticeable difference. I upgraded from a laminate top to a solid top a month or so ago and the difference is noticeable.

This was my first guitar which sounds great for it's price, but is definitely a step down from a solid top.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002F58TG/?tag=era0f0-20

Just another option to consider, depending on your budget.

https://www.justinguitar.com
These are free online lessons that are really good if she may like that. If not an actual teacher is always best.

Edit: Another thing to consider is your wife's comfort. I don't know how tall she is but dreadnought guitars are pretty big. You could go with the Yamaha FS800 instead which is the same guitar with a slightly small body size that might be more comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E4QT1PA/?tag=era0f0-20
Difference in sound is it won't be quite as loud and won't have as much bass, but some find dreadnoughts to be too bassy and prefer smaller sizes so I'd worry more about comfort than tone.

ProbablyRobbie · Dec 8, 2017

zbarron said:
It does make a noticeable difference. I upgraded from a laminate top to a solid top a month or so ago and the difference is noticeable.

This was my first guitar which sounds great for it's price, but is definitely a step down from a solid top.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002F58TG/?tag=era0f0-20

Just another option to consider, depending on your budget.

https://www.justinguitar.com
These are free online lessons that are really good if she may like that. If not an actual teacher is always best.

Edit: Another thing to consider is your wife's comfort. I don't know how tall she is but dreadnought guitars are pretty big. You could go with the Yamaha FS800 instead which is the same guitar with a slightly small body size that might be more comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E4QT1PA/?tag=era0f0-20
Difference in sound is it won't be quite as loud and won't have as much bass, but some find dreadnoughts to be too bassy and prefer smaller sizes so I'd worry more about comfort than tone.

Thanks again. I am kind of leaning towards the cheaper on just because I don't know how serious she is going to take it. I have no problem spending the money to get a nice one I just don't want to spend the money and have the guitar sit in the closet. Maybe this way I can spend more on lessons and still get her a few other things. Seriously thank you so much for the input.

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 8, 2017

Cryptosporidium said:
I swear by Paradigm strings.

They feel and sound amazing, buy them people

They don't come in .011s with a wound third. Will stick with Daddario and GHS.

Shabadoo_69 said:
Thanks again. I am kind of leaning towards the cheaper on just because I don't know how serious she is going to take it.

I would buy a used solid top guitar for the same money as the new laminate one. If it does not stick with her, it can be sold for what you bought it for.

Cryptosporidium · Dec 8, 2017

Going through Reverbs most popular pedal products. This ones cool. This or bit commander for videogame tone

Cryptosporidium · Dec 8, 2017

Any foreigner here buy off of Reverb? How is it?

They got good prices for used products like the Mel9 i want to buy. I live in canada

Jeff6851 · Dec 8, 2017

Shabadoo_69 said:
Hey Guitar Era, I need some help. I know absolutely nothing about guitars or music for that. My wife over the years has mentioned she would love to learn to play the guitar and take lessons. I was thinking of getting her that this year for Christmas. I don't know what to get her though. I don't want to spend a lot just in case she doesn't like it. I found this on Amazon which seems to be ok for a beginner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CA89IAI/?tag=era0f0-20
Is this complete crap? Would that be ok for a starter and if she likes it and keeps going maybe get her something nicer? Any input would be appreciated.

I'd go up to around $200 at the least personally. If she doesn't stick with it guitars don't lose value like cars. If she does then she has a good guitar and doesn't have to buy a better one. Also, when learning theory beyond chord shapes I recommend looking at a piano, even if it's just on a screen, it helped me so much when trying to learn music theory.

Also, bad news, our gig got postponed to next year about 10 hours beforehand. Sucks but it's ok because I don't think we were ready, didn't get to practice together very much.

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 9, 2017

Cryptosporidium said:
Any foreigner here buy off of Reverb? How is it?

I live in canada

Fine? Only limited experience though. There are Canadian sellers on it too.

Cryptosporidium · Dec 9, 2017

CrudeDiatribe said:
Fine? Only limited experience though. There are Canadian sellers on it too.

cool, i might buy off them then.

------------------------

mfw im a bedroom warrior/full time student and all my friends are out touring

cant wait to finish my BA, ill go take 2 years maybe of music theory at a music university we have in alberta. Ive been taught theory but i want to dive deeper

Cryptosporidium · Dec 9, 2017

New marty mv, his new record is amazing. He did a good interview on it with Beato on yt

Cryptosporidium · Dec 10, 2017

https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpeda...s_a_key_peele_joke_inside_the_ehx_pitch_fork/

Theres a key n peele joke inside EHX Pitchforks lol

Cryptosporidium · Dec 13, 2017

Bought my Mel9, absolutely love it

beatles sounds galore, really fun to do 50s rock shuffles. I recommend it.

Now im looking at the EHX Epitome, Boss MD-500, Tone City Model M, and so on..

Wag · Dec 15, 2017

I'm looking to buy a new acoustic, because as I've mentioned my current Alvarez steel string is too difficult to play (gave me tendonitis when I tried to learn bar chords).

Any suggestions for an easier acoustic to play in the $200-$300 range? I'm tempted to try nylon but I'm into blues, so I'm not sure that would be a good fit for me.

VideoGameShowcase · Dec 15, 2017

Wag said:
I'm looking to buy a new acoustic, because as I've mentioned my current Alvarez steel string is too difficult to play (gave me tendonitis when I tried to learn bar chords).

Any suggestions for an easier acoustic to play in the $200-$300 range? I'm tempted to try nylon but I'm into blues, so I'm not sure that would be a good fit for me.

A nylon one will be way easier on your fingers / wrist. You can also look for short scale guitars, those are lighter to play.

I don't know what to suggest in the price range though since I'm not in the US.

zbarron · Dec 15, 2017

Have you tried any Segulls yet? They have shorter scale lengths, which should make it easier.

I think I have my LP set up exactly like I want it. I got two Alnico 2 PAF styles in it. They should be comparable to the Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro, or the Pearly Gates. I have D'addario 12-52 chrome flatwounds on it, and I just changed up the wiring.

I kept the Bridge in Series by putting North Start to hot, South Start to ground, and North Finish and South Finish connected.

The Neck was a little saturated and muddy sounding, and much louder than the Bridge, so I tried wiring it in Parallel. I wired North Start and South Finish to hot, and North Finish and South Start to ground. I think that's how they're supposed to be for Parallel, but please correct me if I have it set wrong. For all I know I could be splitting or tapping. I'm still a little confused on how to get each sound.

I'm considering added push push pots or the Seymour Duncan Triple Shot so I can change it on the fly.

Wag · Dec 15, 2017

BRKsEDU said:
A nylon one will be way easier on your fingers / wrist. You can also look for short scale guitars, those are lighter to play.

I don't know what to suggest in the price range though since I'm not in the US.

My current Alavarez Yari cost around $400 15yrs ago or so. Unfortunately I wrecked the finish by the pick-guard so I really can't get much if I try to sell it.

I played a friend's Takamine steel string which I liked. Much easier to play than my Yari.

I don't have much experience with guitars. I think I'll go to Guitar Center and sit down with a few of them and then buy one used. Craigslist or something.

Cryptosporidium · Dec 16, 2017

Man im starting to look at the Japanese lawsuit era guitars on reverb, some really good deals

Greco, orville, and tokai got really nice looking stuff

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 16, 2017

Cryptosporidium said:
Man im starting to look at the Japanese lawsuit era guitars on reverb, some really good deals

Greco, orville, and tokai got really nice looking stuff

Yeah. I would read lots before buying— prior to the late '70s there were some weird choices made in the construction sometimes.

Have an '82 Greco Mint Collection EG59-450Les Paul and '05 Fender Japan ST54-80AM Stratocaster.

Cryptosporidium · Dec 16, 2017

CrudeDiatribe said:
Yeah. I would read lots before buying— prior to the late '70s there were some weird choices made in the construction sometimes.

Have an '82 Greco Mint Collection EG59-450Les Paul and '05 Fender Japan ST54-80AM Stratocaster.

Yeah I was looking specificically for 80s, more so early 80s. Its seems they hit theyre collective peak around then, especially Tokai. That ~~gibson~~ greco of yours looks great btw!

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 16, 2017

My Greco is pretty bottom of the barrel for the line, with a three piece plain top, heavy body, and thick poly finish. The pickups were basically PAF-like winds on ceramic magnets, so put some AlNiCo bars in as well as a phase switch and it sounds fairly nice.

Tokai still makes great guitars; my Strat was made by them (Fender Japan contracts out manufacturing).

Jeff6851 · Dec 17, 2017

Has anyone done financing through Guitar Center before? I've had my eye onthisand $9 a month (no interest) for two years isn't a big deal for me at all but $400 at once is quite a bit for me. I really am in need of a new electric guitar because my current one is 7 years old and a cheap Laguna guitar.

Edit: four years, I can't math

Hero_of_the_Day · Dec 18, 2017

Jeff6851 said:
Has anyone done financing through Guitar Center before? I've had my eye onthisand $9 a month (no interest) for two years isn't a big deal for me at all but $400 at once is quite a bit for me. I really am in need of a new electric guitar because my current one is 7 years old and a cheap Laguna guitar.

Edit: four years, I can't math

Most of my current gear was through their financing. PRS Singlecut, Line 6 Helix LT, and Yamaha FRFR speaker. You really can't beat it. It is equal payments, so there is no option to not pay enough to avoid interest charges, as long as you don't blatantly not pay the bill. Like you said, it's $9 a month, really can't beat that.

It fucking sucks they don't extend that to their used stuff. I really wonder why that is. I got my PRS used from them with no interest a couple of years ago, and haven't seen 0% interest extended to used gear since (outside of their usual 6 months). I would be grabbing another PRS right now if I could get 48 months no interest on used gear. I will never pay new prices for PRS, though. Shit is crazy expensive.

Jombie · Dec 18, 2017

I've got back into playing after a decade or so. I've been playing a few weeks but it seems like I'm still just fucking around and haven't made much progress. Is Justinguitar the best way to learn online? I'm finding it hard to find something concrete, and I really don't want to just watch random videos on youtube all the time to try and progress.

Supa Necta · Dec 18, 2017

First post in this thread. Adorama has 2 Fender Paramounts (dreadnought or parlor) for $349. It's on the front page of slickdeals so they might go fast. I grabbed the parlor.

zbarron · Dec 19, 2017

Anyone here have much experience with Tube amps? I got the Monoprice 15W one today and it unfortunately came broken. On some notes it makes a weird garbly static sound. You can hear it here most of the time on notes played between 0:10-0:22 if you turn your volume up. It's a lot louder in person.
https://soundcloud.com/zachary-barron-903233151/amp

I contacted Monoprice about it and they set up a replacement but it's going to take several weeks. I asked if there was an easy fix, and he said no. He said:
"Israel R.: Unfortunately, not. I was originally thinking the issue was related to the tubes, but defective tubes would not sound like this and it would be an issue with the internals of the amp that need to be fixed. "

I'm hoping someone here knows what the issue is and it's a simple enough fix I can avoid all this inconvenience.

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 19, 2017

Supa Necta said:
First post in this thread. Adorama has 2 Fender Paramounts (dreadnought or parlor) for $349. It's on the front page of slickdeals so they might go fast. I grabbed the parlor.

Pretty good deal— don't need one though.

zbarron said:
Anyone here have much experience with Tube amps? I got the Monoprice 15W one today and it unfortunately came broken. On some notes it makes a weird garbly static sound. You can hear it here most of the time on notes played between 0:10-0:22 if you turn your volume up. It's a lot louder in person.
https://soundcloud.com/zachary-barron-903233151/amp

Does it do it in other power outlets (in other rooms) and with other guitars?

zbarron · Dec 19, 2017

CrudeDiatribe said:
Does it do it in other power outlets (in other rooms) and with other guitars?

Yeah it happens in the living room plugged into a power strip and in the kid's bedroom plugged right into the wall. It happens with my LP and Strat, I tried two different cables and I adjusted every knob and both inputs. I tried every variable I could. Speaking of kids, is it even safe to have an open back tube combo around kids? If one of my little ones put his hands in the back could he kill himself? Sorry to sound cold, but I'm fine with a minor burn from the tubes, we aren't giving up our oven or stove, but not ok with them getting electrocuted. This is a surprisingly hard answer to find on Google. Are the really dangerous parts contained and only out when doing repairs?

I tested it out and I love the sound, minus that weird background sound. I'm getting the RMA set up and will send it back ASAP so I can get a hopefully working one soon. I'll keep the Orange Crush 20RT. This is such a different sound and I like both.

Edit: Just tried it with my keyboard. Notes D, D#, and E get that response on the lower-mid two octaves on my 61 key keyboard. The same notes as the guitar that's giving me trouble. Could I be hitting the resonant frequency of something? If I had to describe the sound it'd be like gas escaping. Kinda a whishing sound.

Edit 2: I tried hooking it up to a cab. Good news is no rattling sound through the cab's speaker. Bad news is now its rattling on more notes on the low strings (though it could just be I have the volume louder.) I tried tightening all screws I could find and no dice. I'll probably just send it back in for a new one. It's possible the speaker is the problem so a swap would fix it, but if I'm swapping speakers I want to sell a working Celestion Seventy 80 to recoup some cost.

Edit 3: I fixed it. Turns out it was a rattling power tube. I swapped the two power tubes so I know it's the tube not the chassis. I shoved the head of a silicone spatula between the tube and it's holder. I also ordered some JJ EL84s which should be an upgrade to the sound over the stock Rubys anyway. The spatula has it working flawlessly until my new tubes arrive. It sucks Monoprice wouldn't cover the cost of the tubes or give me a discount and instead wanted me to sent the whole thing in. It's worth $23 to me to not have to wait the 3 weeks, deal with an RMA and get brand new (possibly) better tubes out of it.

itchy tasty · Dec 21, 2017

Any folks in here have experience with Positive Grid products?

Was gonna pull the trigger on the BIAS AMP PRO software, but would love to hear some views first.

https://www.positivegrid.com

MrLuchador · Dec 21, 2017

I found my first guitar the other day. A 16 year old (at least) Tanglewood electric. This dirt cheap beginner guitar that came with a small 10w Amp. Despite that I can get sounds out of that thing that I can't get out of the Peavy Wolfgang or the Ibanez JS1000. I think it's the cheapness that gives it it's 'edge' haha

There was a time where I could pick up German radio on it at 7:34pm every night. I live in the North-East of England!

Wag · Dec 21, 2017

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015SXNW30/?tag=era0f0-20

Not a guitar but I bought one of these to fool around with. Quality little instrument for $25.

Hard to get used to the different chord figures. The E chord is a killer.

zbarron · Dec 21, 2017

Nice. I love playing Ukulele. Try the E7 chord and see if it works in the song. If not you can try an alternate chord shape.

Barre chords are nice and easy on the uke.

Wag · Dec 21, 2017

I was working on the 2nd one, which is the most difficult but sounds the best.

This Uke for $25 is a steal. It's pretty much all plastic but sounds really good. No case but since it's plastic it doesn't matter if it gets wet.

If I get good enough I'll probably pick up a better/bigger one.

Sir Guts · Dec 21, 2017

I've been wanting to be a guitarist who can play badass heavy riffs since I was a kid. Never made it happen, never actually tried unfortunately. I still want to but do you think its too late now? Im 26

Wag · Dec 21, 2017

Sir Guts said:
I've been wanting to be a guitarist who can play badass heavy riffs since I was a kid. Never made it happen, never actually tried unfortunately. I still want to but do you think its too late now? Im 26

You're 26, your life is over.:P

Seriously, it's never too late to learn. You're a young guy, if you invest some time into it you should be able to pick up some basic riffs pretty quickly.

I'm 49 even though I've been playing since I was 18 I just now started getting more serious about it.

Sir Guts · Dec 21, 2017

Wag said:
You're 26, your life is over.:P

Seriously, it's never too late to learn. You're a young guy, if you invest some time into it you should be able to pick up some basic riffs pretty quickly.

I'm 49 even though I've been playing since I was 18 I just now started getting more serious about it.

Thats good to hear. I really want to learn and start heavy riffing and do some badass solos later on. But first, I need to buy a good guitar!

zbarron · Dec 21, 2017

Wag said:
I was working on the 2nd one, which is the most difficult but sounds the best.

This Uke for $25 is a steal. It's pretty much all plastic but sounds really good. No case but since it's plastic it doesn't matter if it gets wet.

If I get good enough I'll probably pick up a better/bigger one.

I'm glad you like it. I've been playing ukulele longer than guitar and am better at it than I am at guitar. It helps that it's far easier to play. Biggest downside to ukulele is it's not as popular as guitar. This means it can be harder to find tabs for it, harder to find lessons, and it's harder to find ukulele accessories or even good strings locally.

If you have any questions about anything ukulele feel free to ask.

Sir Guts said:
I've been wanting to be a guitarist who can play badass heavy riffs since I was a kid. Never made it happen, never actually tried unfortunately. I still want to but do you think its too late now? Im 26

I got my first instrument (a ukulele) at 28 and my first guitar later that year. I'm turning 30 in less than two weeks and I'm way better than when I started. By starting later than most we might have missed out on the experience of being a young guitarist and all that entails, but it's still a great hobby to pick up. It's definitely not too late.

Plus it's good for you, and you know us old folks are always worried about our health.
https://www.livescience.com/40597-playing-musical-instrument-good-health.html

demosthenes · Dec 21, 2017

Friend is playing some random songs on guitar on twitch and taking requests. First time he's ever done this on twitch if anyone wants to just listen to music and request some stuff:
https://www.twitch.tv/aaronbradleymusic

ExMachina · Dec 21, 2017

zbarron said:
I'm glad you like it. I've been playing ukulele longer than guitar and am better at it than I am at guitar. It helps that it's far easier to play. Biggest downside to ukulele is it's not as popular as guitar. This means it can be harder to find tabs for it, harder to find lessons, and it's harder to find ukulele accessories or even good strings locally.

Ukuleles are awesome! I'm also way better at uke than guitar, but it served as a good gateway instrument to learn the fundamentals of fretting, picking, etc. Yea, it's unfortunate that it's not as widespread but the ukulele community (online and locally) is super friendly.

My most expensive stringed instrument is actually a Pono tenor from Hawaii, lol.

I'm currently trying to learn more percussive stuff on the instrument (on a beater electric-acoustic, not the Pono :P) which is super fun - goal example below:

Nappuccino · Dec 21, 2017

This weekend, I found myself at a Guitar Center, looking at Fender Telecasters. Dear Lord, those are some fun guitars to play. What's the base price for one with really good pickups (or I guess tonewood/build quality if that's what mostly affects the sound)? I played a 1100 dollar one and a 599 one, and thought the 599 one sounded a little lifeless in comparison. However, that's always hard to tell in less than ideal situations (i.e., with a bunch of christmas music playing instore over broken speakers, and the Vox amp on the floor).

I haven't owned a Fender since my old starter guitar--always seemed too expensive--but I do really like that Tele sound and feel.

zbarron · Dec 21, 2017

ExMachina said:
Ukuleles are awesome! I'm also way better at uke than guitar, but it served as a good gateway instrument to learn the fundamentals of fretting, picking, etc. Yea, it's unfortunate that it's not as widespread but the ukulele community (online and locally) is super friendly.

My most expensive stringed instrument is actually a Pono tenor from Hawaii, lol.

Pono ukuleles are really nice. Which one do you own?

While technically my Seagull acoustic retails for the most new, the instrument I paid the most for was also my ukulele.
http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc?productId=40&categoryId=3
If you email him you can get blemished models for 20% off if he has the kind you're looking for in stock blemished, and the blemishes are so minor most have a hard time noticing them. When I was researching this I was between this ukulele and a Pono.

Nappuccino said:
This weekend, I found myself at a Guitar Center, looking at Fender Telecasters. Dear Lord, those are some fun guitars to play. What's the base price for one with really good pickups? I played a 1100 dollar one and a 599 one, and thought the 599 one sounded a little lifeless in comparison. However, that's always hard to tell in less than ideal situations (i.e., with a bunch of christmas music playing instore over broken speakers, and the Vox amp on the floor).

I haven't owned a Fender since my old starter guitar--always seemed too expensive--but I do really like that Tele sound and feel.

I've heard really good things about the Classic Vibe series.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Classic-Vibe-Telecaster-50s-Electric-Guitar.gc

ExMachina · Dec 21, 2017

zbarron said:
Pono ukuleles are really nice. Which one do you own?

While technically my Seagull acoustic retails for the most new, the instrument I paid the most for was also my ukulele.
http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc?productId=40&categoryId=3
If you email him you can get blemished models for 20% off if he has the kind you're looking for in stock blemished, and the blemishes are so minor most have a hard time noticing them. When I was researching this I was between this ukulele and a Pono.

I've heard really good things about the Classic Vibe series.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Classic-Vibe-Telecaster-50s-Electric-Guitar.gc

This one right here:
https://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/brand/pono/pono-mango-deluxe-tenor-pineapple-mgtdp.html

Thanks for the tip, I've been wanting a Mainland for a while (they sound great and I love the classic style binding)... very tempted to try to grab one with that discount, hehe.

Also, high five for also going for solid mango. :)

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 21, 2017

Sir Guts said:
But first, I need to buy a good guitar!

Nah, just need one that makes you happy to pick up.

Nappuccino said:
What's the base price for one with really good pickups (or I guess tonewood/build quality if that's what mostly affects the sound)?

Pickups matter the most after how you play and the amp/effects you use.

You can more easily put nicer pickups in a cheaper guitar than the manufacturer since you don't have margins and you can get ones that suit your needs.

Nappuccino · Dec 21, 2017

CrudeDiatribe said:
Nah, just need one that makes you happy to pick up.

Pickups matter the most after how you play and the amp/effects you use.

You can more easily put nicer pickups in a cheaper guitar than the manufacturer since you don't have margins and you can get ones that suit your needs.

I've thought on and off about changing out some pickups, but I honestly don't know where to start looking. I only know a little about the sounds I want and much less about how the pickups get those sounds. I'm guessing Fender sells pickup sets, but would there be other pickups worth looking at for a good solid Tele sound?

My secondary pick-up replacement project would be an old P-bass with some stripped screws. I bought the guitar years ago, but never made any headway thanks to the stripped screws. Any suggestions there would also be helpful.

Wag · Dec 21, 2017

zbarron said:
I'm glad you like it. I've been playing ukulele longer than guitar and am better at it than I am at guitar. It helps that it's far easier to play. Biggest downside to ukulele is it's not as popular as guitar. This means it can be harder to find tabs for it, harder to find lessons, and it's harder to find ukulele accessories or even good strings locally.

If you have any questions about anything ukulele feel free to ask.

I'm a blues guy and blues is not traditionally played on the uke (although it can be done). This guy is awesome.

Neo0mj · Dec 22, 2017

Sir Guts said:
Thats good to hear. I really want to learn and start heavy riffing and do some badass solos later on. But first, I need to buy a good guitar!

As long as you're willing to put in the time you can learn. Picking up a guitar is not easy and a lot of the first few months will feel tough because you're not seeing much obvious progress so you might feel hopeless, but in reality you're still advancing a lot.
Are you planning on buying it soon or after a while?

blackhawk163 · Dec 22, 2017

Glad I found this section. Just picked up a new guitar an Ibanez GA35TCEDVS. An electric acoustic with a very narrow depth. Sure I sacrifice a deep sound, but it' very comfortable to hold. I signed up for a month's worth of lessons and thanks to Coco, I'm going to tap into my Spanish roots.

Subscribed.

zbarron · Dec 22, 2017

I just got a mystery 1x12 cab. It's the one in this ad.
https://akroncanton.craigslist.org/msd/d/vintage-speaker-enclosure/6342369909.html

It's not really a traditional cab since it has no back and the 12" speaker isn't even secured. It's held in by gravity. It also doesn't have an output jack. I had to solder the speaker wire to a spare cable I had.

I say mystery since despite having the information on the ad, I can't find a thing about this speaker online. These are the closest two I found and neither contain much information.

http://www.ebay.in/geb/ImportHubViewItem?itemid=222417781931

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sh...ustom-Handmade-Cabinets-Denmark-/122535088208

I'm comparing it with my stock Celestion Seventy 80. First impressions are as follows:

It's got great clarity, both clean and overdriven.
It's brighter than the celestion but without the harsh top end the celestion has.
It's very musical and transparent.
It has almost no bass to it, though I don't know how much of that is the speaker and how much of that is the "cab."

I don't know what to do. They are both incredibly different so it's hard to call one superior. I'd like to mount one inside the cab and sell the other.

Edit: Well that answers that. The Shield doesn't fit. So now my decision is keep the cab or give it to a friend.

Reven Wolf · Dec 22, 2017

So I've been practicing guitar for nearly two years now (fitting practice of roughly one hour a day was the best I could do with my work commute) and played in my second armature concert.

Played fear of the dark along with my own solo and overall aside from feeling like I was shaking like a leaf with nervousness it went pretty well. Decided to get a better guitar and found a crazy good deal for an ESP LTD M-50 FM, really excited!

Going to be learning Mjolnir Remix next, and should have longer practice time over the holidays which hopefywill help slot! Gotta get rid of my hand leaving on string habit because I'm not playing fast enough that it should be an issue.

CrudeDiatribe · Dec 23, 2017

zbarron said:
just got a mystery 1x12 cab. It's the one in this ad.

Looks more like a PA speaker from a church or something than a guitar cab.

Guitar |OT| If you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded

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