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

teruterubozu · Jan 5, 2020

ErichWK said:
Anyways.. Lately I have been curious exactly what the fuck it is. It has a fender headstock..so maybe post 2002? But the metal is kinda chewed up from living near the beach so I also feel like it could be older. The Kahler Trem bridge looks like the '86 model maybe..And also HSH EMG pups. I also can't seem to find a year or serial number on it. I wonder if it was custom for him or they just had a bunch of these models to give away to touring musicians in the 80s? Anyways! Any help is appreciated!
[/SPOILER]

Dude that's an awesome 80s guitar! A vintage shred machine! My guess is it's a Frankenstein of some sort. The neck definitely looks like a vintage '79-'80 "Pre-Pro" Charvel neck before they even put the "TM" or "Made in USA" around the logo. None of these early Charvel guitars or necks had serial numbers. The weird part is everything else is mid- to late-80s like the Kahler 2320 tremolo, which came out like in '85, and the EMG pickups, which really was a more of a later 80s thing. Especially the Humbucker-Single-Humbucker configuration you don't see on Super Strats until the late 80s and the EMG SA (single coil) pickup wasn't developed until like '87-'89. Tuners are also '80s - They are vintage '80s Schaller "Made In W. Germany" versions, from back when there was an East and a West Germany :)

That is a real beauty man. Every single piece on that guitar is vintage 80s hardware that can fetch a pretty penny. The neck is especially valuable if it is indeed a "prepro" Charvel neck. The brown wood(?) dot inlays are absolutely killer! If you remove the neck from the body there should be a factory date written on the bottom. The body is what I'm stumped on, but it's probably original Charvel. The pickguard is probably aftermarket to house the Hum-Single-Hum EMGs though.

ErichWK · Jan 5, 2020

teruterubozu said:
Dude that's an awesome 80s guitar! A vintage shred machine! My guess is it's a Frankenstein of some sort. The neck definitely looks like a vintage '79-'80 "Pre-Pro" Charvel neck before they even put the "TM" or "Made in USA" around the logo. None of these early Charvel guitars or necks had serial numbers. The weird part is everything else is mid- to late-80s like the Kahler 2320 tremolo, which came out like in '85, and the EMG pickups, which really was a more of a later 80s thing. Especially the Humbucker-Single-Humbucker configuration you don't see on Super Strats until the late 80s and the EMG SA (single coil) pickup wasn't developed until like '87-'89. Tuners are also '80s - They are vintage '80s Schaller "Made In W. Germany" versions, from back when there was an East and a West Germany :)

That is a real beauty man. Every single piece on that guitar is vintage 80s hardware that can fetch a pretty penny. The neck is especially valuable if it is indeed a "prepro" Charvel neck. The brown wood(?) dot inlays are absolutely killer! If you remove the neck from the body there should be a factory date written on the bottom. The body is what I'm stumped on, but it's probably original Charvel. The pickguard is probably aftermarket to house the Hum-Single-Hum EMGs though.

OH wow! Well I looked up a bunch of pre-pro Charvel shit and he did do a A few Koa wood guitars.. so the neck and the body and tuners (and maybe pots?) could be all stock. It also has a metal nut, which i've never seen before. What's interesting is the wood isn't lacquered heavily...or if at all..but you can actually feel all the wood grain/divets on the body. I looked online and the earliest active EMG pickups i can find is 81, so it could have been set up that early? I recorded a super 80s cover of one of the tunes from the Zillion SMS game (which is just the theme song). So if you wanna hear what it sounds like..here it is! (guitar solo is my friend playing a modern charvel, lol)

https://soundcloud.com/erichwk/erichwk-zillion-sms-pure-stone

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 6, 2020

Hero_of_the_Day said:
I noticed one of my tuning heads was slightly damaged. I figured it has probably been like that since I bought it. But, decided it was a good excuse to upgrade to the latest PRS locking tuners that I had been wanting for a while. They arrived today, but are missing half the pieces. Feels bad.

They are missing the bushings and locking screws:

Bought them on amazon from a third party seller. Found their number online and have been trying to call them all day to no avail, so set up a return and ordered from some place else. Now I gotta ship these off and do some more waiting. Maybe next week I'll have my fancy new tuners.

Hero_of_the_Day said:
Well, I accidentally bought from the EXACT same place the set I got today came from. I had bought from them on amazon, set up the return after they didn't answer their phones today. Went to ebay and saw two, one from them and one not. Accidentally clicked the wrong one. Soooooo, I guess I am giving them a second chance. LOL.

Update on my own shit. The second set from this place came the exact same way. Totally worthless. These motherfuckers...

Sent them a message on ebay. Hopefully they can just find the pieces and ship them to me. It isn't promising that they had two fucking sets they seemingly lost the pieces to.

bawjaws · Jan 6, 2020

Hero_of_the_Day said:
Update on my own shit. The second set from this place came the exact same way. Totally worthless. These motherfuckers...

Sent them a message on ebay. Hopefully they can just find the pieces and ship them to me. It isn't promising that they had two fucking sets they seemingly lost the pieces to.

Would have been hilarious if the second set only had the bushings and locking screws!

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 6, 2020

bawjaws said:
Would have been hilarious if the second set only had the bushings and locking screws!

I am just kicking myself that I bought from them a second time. I saw it was them and one other seller on ebay, and I clicked the wrong fucking one. I had to check my return tracking on the first one just to be sure they didn't send me the same set back. They didn't, as they just received my first order back today also.

I tried to call their store again like I did last time. Their online sales extension just goes to voicemail. So I tried calling the front of the store. And they transferred me to online sales... where I got their voice mail.

Fuck Arkansas Music Works!

OnkelC · Jan 8, 2020

Shopping Spree, cont'd, this time a pair of "boutique" Fuzz pedals from JDM. The Tonemaster is actually a Fuzz/Rangemaster hybrid.

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

MotiD · Jan 10, 2020

RickPresk said:
You could maybe try some contact cleaner on the solder joints but if it was me I'd just take it to a tech.

XenIneX said:
No idea what "a persistant kicking sound" is. Is that, like, a thumping or popping sound? Maybe stick a recording of it on YouTube or something and we'll have a better idea.

Having no idea what it is, I'm going to take a complete shot in the dark and guess "bad solder joint". I give it 50/50 odds that that's it.

As far as fixing it yourself... probably? That is, if you have even the remotest modicum of technical skill. I mean, guitar electronics are incredibly basic, and even the most ham-fisted soldering iron jockey can get the job done. There are literally nine electrical components in your guitar -- two pickups, four potentiometers, a couple tone capacitors, and an output jack. -- bodged together with solder as if it's hot-snot.

Just grab a screwdriver, open up the back cavity, and take a look. There's not much there. And the cost for (cheap) tools to replace any of it is probably about the same as actually getting it repaired. Much like learning to set up your own instrument, it's a skill that pays for itself in the end.

Sankt Ra said:
Could be that you receive some sort of transmission signal. In my old rehearsal place I used to get FM Radio occasionally :D
Or the lights in your room are somehow fucking with your pickups (happens with fluorescent lights), or in front of a computer (when I record in front of my Mac I have to hold my guitars in a certain direction to minimize interference).

Its analog stuff, it will never be really clean if you put it under the microscope (like turning the amp volume all the way up etc). Best bring it to a tech. Maybe some solder joints are gone bad...

Thanks guys.
I'm gonna take it to a tech when I'm free this week or the one after that.

Here's the sound it's making.. my previous description was probably very lame and didn't help but I still don't know how to describe it lol

https://voca.ro/mkhLPocvxOW

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 11, 2020

With NAMM starting next week, some cool new stuff coming out. Neural announced their rumored hardware with the Quad Cortex.

Sounds like it might be fucking awesome if it can capture amps like a Kemper, but they are claiming it then uses AI learning or whatever to make it tweak able after the fact like a real amp, like an axe fx. So, theoretically combining the strengths of the two.

Will be interesting to hear what people think when they get their hands on it. I'd probably regret buying a Kemper if it was coming in a head form, not just a pedal. I bought the Plini set from them, and it sounds fucking amazing. So, I am confident this will also. But, I want an amp sitting in my guitar room, not just a floor unit.

I am nervous about a new Kemper being announced since I just bought one last month. Lot of rumors going around that this is the year. Granted, I think they go around every year. And, seems like it would be a weird time to do it given the Kemper Stage is less than year old. I'd be pissed to have bought a Stage for a Kemper 2.0 to be announced 8 months later. So, I guess we'll see.

Deleted member 10612 · Jan 11, 2020

The neural plugins I have are off the charts amazing. If this thing is on the same level, fucking bought.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 11, 2020

Yeah, I have the Plini, and man, it sounds fucking awesome. They say this uses the same technology. So yeah, I am excited to see what comes from it.

It is a good chunk cheaper than an Axe FX III, so it'll be nice to have some more competition. And Kemper (the man) was recently on an Andertons video on youtube, and was kind of saying he didn't know what a Kemper 2.0 would be. Of course, he could be bullshitting and they are already developing such a thing. But, either way, if Neural's tech works like they claim, they might beat them to the punch of what a next gen Kemper should be. This shit excites me, even as someone who just bought a Kemper and loves it.

Deleted member 10612 · Jan 11, 2020

Only thing I dont really like is the Volume knob, hope its lockable.

Deleted member 15428 · Jan 11, 2020

Has anyone tried the BOSS Waza-Air? The concept seems appealing.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 12, 2020

Not tried it myself and really have no interest. But, here is a good 30 minute video Andertons did with them. Kind of an odd video since you the viewer can't hear it. But, they seemed impressed.

Granted, they are salesmen, and there is also a Boss rep sitting there showing it to them, so it probably isn't the most unbiased video ever. But, if you wanna see what all it can do, you might enjoy it.

The fact it is wireless is kinda the most intriguing thing to me.

OnkelC · Jan 13, 2020

PT Special arrived today and showed me the flaws of ordering instruments online:

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Came with a broken Pickup selector switch, which has to be replaced. Off to the local luthier it is.

Deleted member 10612 · Jan 13, 2020

Preordered the neural dsp qc.

ErichWK · Jan 13, 2020

https://www.gearnews.com/namm-2020-leak-fender-limited-edition-hm-strat-2020/

I want one SO BAD

Supa Necta · Jan 13, 2020

I actually have an original from '90 or '91. It has this crazy blue crackle finish. It's at my mom's place back in San Diego.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 13, 2020

OnkelC said:
PT Special arrived today and showed me the flaws of ordering instruments online:

Came with a broken Pickup selector switch, which has to be replaced. Off to the local luthier it is.

That sucks. In all my years of buying shit online, I have been lucky enough to not get anything broken. I was amazed my Mission Engineering speaker made it. The person who sold it to me packed it like shit, and the box looked like UPS had its way with it. But, the speaker was totally fine.

Not a shipping problem. But, I remember back when I was in highschool Epiphone put out their Elite series guitars. They were high(er) end Japanese (I think) made Epi's. They were pretty fucking awesome. My friend got the SG for his brithday. He knew he was getting it, so we were both excited for the day. Birthday finally comes, he picks up the guitar, and the finish and clear coat is just falling off in massive chunks from the back of the neck. It was fucking crazy. Place they ordered from said it must have been that some contaminate got into the finish at the factory, so it wouldn't bond to the guitar. I can still picture the inside of the case just covered in these giant flakes of guitar finish. Real fucking bummer of a birthday. But, the replacement he eventually got was fucking sweet!

Sankt Ra said:
Preordered the neural dsp qc.

Niiiice. I am excited to hear it. Didn't realize it wasn't out until September, though. They did a live stream today talking about it. No sound samples, though they said there should be videos from NAMM as they expect youtubers to go at it. Though, they said the software is still very far from complete, so what is at NAMM will be just a taste. Also said it has built in wifi for updates, and that they are looking into adding a looper as that wasn't something they thought of until people brought it up after it was announced. I didn't finish the whole video, so don't know what other details there are.

I can tell you I am part of a couple of facebook groups for Kemper and those mother fuckers are salty as fuuuuuck about this thing. I just don't get it. I love my Kemper, and will not be buying the Neural QC. But, I am still excited as fuck for it and hope it is fucking amazing. I don't know why you'd be against the tech getting pushed forward like it is somehow going to hurt what you own.

EDIT: Watching more of that video. They said they'll put up sound demos in the next couple of days.

Soi-Fong · Jan 14, 2020

I'm close to 29. Wanting to learn guitar all my life, but just now have the time to really put practice in after having my career in a good spot. I've started taking guitar lessons once every week.

Just took my 2nd lesson and I'm really loving it. We started with finger exercises and just now moving to chords.

It's a struggle, but really enjoying it. And my finger tips are hurting a lot. lol

I got a Seagull S6 as my first guitar to learn on.

Nappuccino · Jan 14, 2020

After 20 years of playing guitar, and making it through that whole time with essentially no guitar pedals to speak of (never playing live really helps keep the budget down but I did get a Big Muff back in high school), I'm finally venturing into that world. I got the Blackbox Overdrive for Christmas, and now I've got the bug, a bit.

I just ordered a weird lofi type overdrive and chorus pedal from Pinebox. I hope it lives up to what I want!

ErichWK · Jan 14, 2020

Siiiick. Chorus pedals are in vogue again. I put it on all my guitar leads now

Nappuccino · Jan 14, 2020

ErichWK said:
Siiiick. Chorus pedals are in vogue again. I put it on all my guitar leads now

Thanks! When it comes in, I might throw a little sample of it back here :)

RickPresk · Jan 14, 2020

Nappuccino said:
After 20 years of playing guitar, and making it through that whole time with essentially no guitar pedals to speak of (never playing live really helps keep the budget down but I did get a Big Muff back in high school), I'm finally venturing into that world. I got the Blackbox Overdrive for Christmas, and now I've got the bug, a bit.

I just ordered a weird lofi type overdrive and chorus pedal from Pinebox. I hope it lives up to what I want!

Be careful, it's an addiction, I've got yet another distortion pedal coming tomorrow for some death metal goodness!

Nappuccino · Jan 14, 2020

RickPresk said:
Be careful, it's an addiction, I've got yet another distortion pedal coming tomorrow for some death metal goodness!

I uh . . . might be researching looping pedals already.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 14, 2020

Soi-Fong said:
I'm close to 29. Wanting to learn guitar all my life, but just now have the time to really put practice in after having my career in a good spot. I've started taking guitar lessons once every week.

Just took my 2nd lesson and I'm really loving it. We started with finger exercises and just now moving to chords.

It's a struggle, but really enjoying it. And my finger tips are hurting a lot. lol

I got a Seagull S6 as my first guitar to learn on.

I have tried a couple of different teachers over the years and failed to find one I clicked with. About a year ago I realized that while I considered myself a guitarist, I really hadn't consistently played in years, and hadn't really practiced in years more than that. So, I started to get serious practicing every day. I really haven't missed many days since last March. But, I started tracking it about four months ago:

each 'X' is a day that I have done real fucking practice (not playing songs I already know, but an hour of exercises and learning new things). Haven't missed a day since I started, and am up to an hour a day (I don't intend to go higher). I got a teacher in October also that is fucking awesome. It is nice to have finally found one that shares a lot of the same musical interests as me and just clicks personality-wise.

I started realizing a few weeks ago that I am playing songs I couldn't before. Like, things I know I had tried to learn before and couldn't, and now can. And things that use to be hard for me, like say keeping up with Metallica's Four Horsemen without getting fatigued, are now rather easily doable.

So, yeah. A good teacher is fucking awesome. I think the hardest thing as a guitarist is finding that next step that is a struggle, but achievable. And my teacher has been great at that. Seeing real improvements in my abilities is just about the greatest thing ever.

Deleted member 8861 · Jan 14, 2020

Did anyone buy the subscription to Justin Guitar's Android app? I'm just looking for an easy way to access and record the things he recommends like chord changes, and I'm not particularly miffed about song selections and such. I just want an incentive to keep trying new things because for the last several weeks I've practically done nothing but play the four song snippets I know over and over to myself.

edit: I'll add that I'm already on his website and have used it a decent bit (most of the way through Level 2).

RickPresk · Jan 15, 2020

Nappuccino said:
I uh . . . might be researching looping pedals already.

Ha, when I did that it cost me a few quid, I got the boss rc-30 dual pedal and when I don't use it for ages and come back to it I have to watch a tutorial on it to remember how to use it again!

Soi-Fong · Jan 15, 2020

Hero_of_the_Day said:
I have tried a couple of different teachers over the years and failed to find one I clicked with. About a year ago I realized that while I considered myself a guitarist, I really hadn't consistently played in years, and hadn't really practiced in years more than that. So, I started to get serious practicing every day. I really haven't missed many days since last March. But, I started tracking it about four months ago:

each 'X' is a day that I have done real fucking practice (not playing songs I already know, but an hour of exercises and learning new things). Haven't missed a day since I started, and am up to an hour a day (I don't intend to go higher). I got a teacher in October also that is fucking awesome. It is nice to have finally found one that shares a lot of the same musical interests as me and just clicks personality-wise.

I started realizing a few weeks ago that I am playing songs I couldn't before. Like, things I know I had tried to learn before and couldn't, and now can. And things that use to be hard for me, like say keeping up with Metallica's Four Horsemen without getting fatigued, are now rather easily doable.

So, yeah. A good teacher is fucking awesome. I think the hardest thing as a guitarist is finding that next step that is a struggle, but achievable. And my teacher has been great at that. Seeing real improvements in my abilities is just about the greatest thing ever.

That's awesome to hear! I'm forcing myself to practice everyday myself. I'd say I'm getting about on average 40 minutes a day just from timeboxing myself.

Once my callouses build up a bit more, I want to start putting in at least an hour a day. Is there any exercises that you would recommend?

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 15, 2020

Soi-Fong said:
That's awesome to hear! I'm forcing myself to practice everyday myself. I'd say I'm getting about on average 40 minutes a day just from timeboxing myself.

Once my callouses build up a bit more, I want to start putting in at least an hour a day. Is there any exercises that you would recommend?

I started with just 15 minutes a day, and forced myself to quit after that. Then I did 45 minutes for a good while. A couple of weeks ago I added another 15 minutes because I was using so much of the time running exercises, and I wanted more time to actually learn songs (which I think is the most important part for me). Got the idea from some audio book I got for free from an amazon deal. The gist of it was to track yourself with a calendar like I posted a picture of. Be sure you are really practicing. Meaning you can play for a few minutes before, and play all you want after. But, I have a timer on my desk, and before I start it I have my guitar tuned and I know what I am going to be learning/practicing. Playing shit I already know doesn't count for time.

My teacher showed me some video last week that he use to own on VHS. It is essentially meant to be a 60 minute "workout". I found a place online where someone has tabbed it out and synced it to youtube. So, this is what I am currently practicing every day (I only have the first two "Rounds" down at the moment). It is probably pretty advanced for a new player, but it does have tempo controls so you could slow it down and give it a go if you wanted some challenging shit. I have never heard of this site before, maybe you can click around and find some exercises better suited for a beginner.

You can't go wrong with learning your pentatonic scale and running it to a metronome!

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 16, 2020

Rabea Massaad did a video with the Quad Cortex. Think he got some much better tones out of it than the short demo they put out the other day. Being a fucking beast of a guitarist probably helps.

ThorHammerstein · Jan 17, 2020

Hey guitarists~
I never have any pain or trouble with my arm in any facet of my life, including many kinds of sports.
But when I play guitar, it feels like I have tendinitis or something. (And winter makes it worse.)
Maybe I'm not built to play or is there something that could alleviate the pain?

Nappuccino · Jan 17, 2020

ThorHammerstein said:
Hey guitarists~
I never have any pain or trouble with my arm in any facet of my life, including many kinds of sports.
But when I play guitar, it feels like I have tendinitis or something. (And winter makes it worse.)
Maybe I'm not built to play or is there something that could alleviate the pain?

While the pain could be caused by something else, I'd wager that posture is the number one thing to make sure you're getting right. I think guitarists tend to play with the guitar strung too low. When the guitar is too low, we have to bend our wrists and a more intense angle and put more tension on or wrists in general.

So . . . if you haven't yet, perhaps try stringing the guitar higher up on your body when you practice. It might look or feel silly, but there's a reason why guitarists like Tom Morello have their guitars up so high.

edit: Oh, and I meant to ask, do any of you use headphone amps when you're playing? I'm curious about the Electro Harmonix Amp, because it seems to be the best of the budget amps . . . but I'm not sure if it would be worth it as a general purchase.

ThorHammerstein · Jan 17, 2020

Nappuccino said:
While the pain could be caused by something else, I'd wager that posture is the number one thing to make sure you're getting right. I think guitarists tend to play with the guitar strung too low. When the guitar is too low, we have to bend our wrists and a more intense angle and put more tension on or wrists in general.

So . . . if you haven't yet, perhaps try stringing the guitar higher up on your body when you practice. It might look or feel silly, but there's a reason why guitarists like Tom Morello have their guitars up so high.

edit: Oh, and I meant to ask, do any of you use headphone amps when you're playing? I'm curious about the Electro Harmonix Amp, because it seems to be the best of the budget amps . . . but I'm not sure if it would be worth it as a general purchase.

Thx. I'll have to check my strap length and perhaps shorten it.
Though, would it still hurt or be a bad position to play sitting down too?

Nappuccino · Jan 17, 2020

ThorHammerstein said:
Thx. I'll have to check my strap length and perhaps shorten it.
Though, would it still hurt or be a bad position to play sitting down too?

I think that'll depend on the shape of your guitar/height of your abdomen/arms etc. If it's hurting while sitting, I would think adjusting your posture should help (but again, no guarantee there). There are some guitarists who use a guitar strap even while sitting down just to ensure that their guitar is at a good level for them.

I think a few things that you can pay attention for while holding your guitar is just making sure that there isn't too much extra tension when your hand is on the neck. I try to keep my elbow at a more or less 90 degree angle and make sure my wrist doesn't need to bend too much to play common chords. I think the only chord that really feels tense is playing a barre-style A chord.

A video I found also mentioned the importance of warming up with stretches and taking regular breaks as means to treat/stave off tendonitis. Now, I'm certainly no doctor, so if a few small changes to your posture don't help much, it might be worth seeking out someone who specializes in joint pains like this.

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 17, 2020

My teacher started showing me sweep picking and arpeggios today. Getting into that real shit now.

ThorHammerstein · Jan 17, 2020

Nappuccino said:
I think that'll depend on the shape of your guitar/height of your abdomen/arms etc. If it's hurting while sitting, I would think adjusting your posture should help (but again, no guarantee there). There are some guitarists who use a guitar strap even while sitting down just to ensure that their guitar is at a good level for them.

I think a few things that you can pay attention for while holding your guitar is just making sure that there isn't too much extra tension when your hand is on the neck. I try to keep my elbow at a more or less 90 degree angle and make sure my wrist doesn't need to bend too much to play common chords. I think the only chord that really feels tense is playing a barre-style A chord.

A video I found also mentioned the importance of warming up with stretches and taking regular breaks as means to treat/stave off tendonitis. Now, I'm certainly no doctor, so if a few small changes to your posture don't help much, it might be worth seeking out someone who specializes in joint pains like this.

I'm gonna try watching my posture and try to keep my arm in a more relaxed position as well. I appreciate the tips.
Which stretching video did you watch?

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 17, 2020

I was getting numbness in my thumb and index finger on my left hand every time I played some months back. My wife (a physical therapist) gave me a bunch of stretches I have to do every day before I practice. I also have to do a few sets of light weightlifting once a day, to strengthen some muscles I have let get weak with shitty posture. It's kind of a pain, but it went from numbness every single day to never. So, I am grateful it works. I was really worried it was the beginning of the end for my guitar playing,. She kind of put the fear of God in me, essentially saying it would be if I don't do my exercises. I guess now that I think about it, it has probably been nearly a year since I started doing the stretches, and yeah, haven't had the numbness once. So, yeah, shit is important.

I also do use a strap, even when sitting. And I switched to a more classical style where the guitar sits on my left leg. And I have really focused on letting up on tension. Especially during faster parts, I have a bad habit of squeezing the fuck out of the neck.

III-V · Jan 17, 2020

This is all fine but it's different for everyone, especially when it come to age. I did not think anything of that when I was 17; but now I am 39, and it's different.
Do what feels good and naturals. When I was young I could play for 6 hours at a time, now I can't, but maybe less because of age and more because I dot have 6 hours of free time. :)

if your fingers hurt,dip them in rubbing alcohol. You willl quickly develop the calluses. Or just play acoustic guitar ;)

treble · Jan 18, 2020

Hero_of_the_Day said:
My teacher started showing me sweep picking and arpeggios today. Getting into that real shit now.

I've been practicing this a bit lately as well. Working on sweeping through some simple shapes and scales, but it can be tough. Practice makes perfect though :)

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 18, 2020

treble said:
I've been practicing this a bit lately as well. Working on sweeping through some simple shapes and scales, but it can be tough. Practice makes perfect though :)

I literally just finished my hour of practice for the day. I was ready to pull my hair out. I feel like a fucking newb picking up a guitar for the first time. It is some cool shit, though.

Nappuccino · Jan 18, 2020

ThorHammerstein said:
I'm gonna try watching my posture and try to keep my arm in a more relaxed position as well. I appreciate the tips.
Which stretching video did you watch?

There were two that I had seen, but I can't really vouch for the veracity of either.

https://youtu.be/Ok8JOY3QQWM

https://youtu.be/fHuISr6CSOI

CrudeDiatribe · Jan 19, 2020

Hero_of_the_Day said:
I have a bad habit of squeezing the fuck out of the neck.

Think it is a very common when learning to play as you have to overcome your lack of calluses to get a note to sound.

My first electric, an early '90s YamahA superstrat has a thin neck (front to back) and by my mid-20s, playing it for more than a minute would cause shooting pain up my arm. Thicker necks prevent this, so I assume it is from closing my hand too much.

bawjaws · Jan 19, 2020

CrudeDiatribe said:
Think it is a very common when learning to play as you have to overcome your lack of calluses to get a note to sound.

Yep, and it's also a side effect of lots of people learning to play on shitty guitars with horrifically high action and generally badly set up.

All of my guitar playing problems are actually my right arm not my left - I busted up my right collarbone really badly a few years ago and now I can't play without loads of discomfort in my right shoulder and elbow. It's worse on acoustic. I think it's because the bone set a bit funny and my right arm doesn't quite sit in a natural position, so I always feel like I'm reaching over and around. I was never any good, really, but it still sucks not being able to play without it being unpleasant.

Nappuccino · Jan 20, 2020

Found a Digitec Polara for a steal, so I guess I have one of those on the way too.

Gonna need a pedal board at this rate . . .

Soi-Fong · Jan 21, 2020

Just hit my second week yesterday, and starting to go over chord changes!

I can see some calluses starting to build up as well on my index, middle and ring finger. Been getting in at least 40 minutes of playing every night with the acoustic guitar I have. I'm glad I started with acoustic.

In regards to the posture and pain that I'm reading here, even some light weight lifting will help with strength.

I've been lifting more weights recently so that's helped a ton with strength and posture.

Nappuccino · Jan 22, 2020

Nappuccino said:
Found a Digitec Polara for a steal, so I guess I have one of those on the way too.

Gonna need a pedal board at this rate . . .

So, I showed my GF that Earthquaker Sunn O Life pedal, and was like "It's crazy expensive now, like 400 bucks."

"That's not so bad," she said. Who knew she'd be an enabler.

edit: (I don't have 400 dollars and can't imagine how I'd actually use that pedal, amazing though it may be.)

Nappuccino · Jan 24, 2020

So my two new pedals came in and I have one question and one realization:

Question: Those more experienced with pedals than I, the Sirens has a tiny bit of volume drop when I activate only the modulation channel. Apparently, this isn't uncommon in pedals, but Sirens doesn't have a level control for this channel. Are there any tips for dealing with volume drops in a pedal like this? Because Sirens has an overdrive channel in the same pedal, just in a second channel, I can activate both switches at once and keep things at more or less unity volume. But, in a live setting that would mean I a) can't use the second channel's overdrive to kick in a distortion when I've already got a clean boost there to keep the modulation going at unity level and b) I'd have to do some fancy footwork to hit both switches at once. I've read that some pedals can be adjusted to reach unity volume, but I'd have to bother the manufactuer for that . . . and I might, but only after I've done my due diligence.

Other than that, the Sirens is an awesome pedal and I'm loving playing with it.

Realization: I think I wanted a delay pedal instead of a reverb. The reverb is cool, and I'm making it work, but so far I'm missing the tones I wanted. I thought I could get a sound a little more precise instead of the wide reverb with at least one of the settings. Maybe I can, but no luck so far. So I guess I've got two pedal types on my "to get asap."

Hero_of_the_Day · Jan 24, 2020

Finally got my new tuners installed. Some weeks back I posted that I ordered a set and they came missing half the pieces. Ordered another set, came the same way. The store contacted PRS and got the missing pieces for me. There was one more issue, though. I had emailed PRS previously and asked if the Phase 3 tuners would fit into my 2002 Singlecut without having to drill new screw holes. They told me they would. But, didn't bother to mention that the actual holes for the tuners would be too small. So, I got to learn what a reamer is and expand the holes. Took a good amount of time to get the old pieces out, as PRS doesn't screw theirs in, they just fit tightly. Then of course the reaming. But, in the end, I now have my locking tuners.

Soi-Fong · Jan 30, 2020

I called Sweetwater and they said that the Martin SC-13E won't be available until May or June. I'm wanting an acoustic electric and this seems pretty cool.

The other I was looking at was a Martin D-18E 2020. This one is the same and they won't be available until May or June as well.

TheKid · Feb 4, 2020

Ooof y'all I traded some games I had to this person on let go for Pedals cause she was clearing out a bunch of stuff and she gave me
Boss - flanger bf2
Boss - chorus ensemble ce5
Ibanez - tube screamer ts9 (which I already have)
Boss - digital delay dd3
Baby boom - tri reverb rv 10
Boss - distortion ds1

The best part of it was all the games I traded were already given away on psn+ and I had already claimed them so they were practically freeeeee

omg I'm gonna be stuck on each pedal for months learning how to use them

And then I picked up a Ibanez gsa160 guitar at the pawn shop for 50 bucks so I could learn how to do a guitar setup without messing up my guitars. Will eventually try to sell it too or trade it with the distortion and the tube screamer for better gear

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

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