The Guitar Thread

[Jordan]

Yeah, my step dad when I was a teenager. He said I'd get used to it, but I never enjoyed it enough playing that way to want to put any time into it. He chalked it up to me being a teenager without a work ethic but it was really that it felt like being told to write a book with my off hand. Could I do it? Yeah, probably. It wouldn't be an enjoyable experience and the end product would be shit, though. So I never learned until I just recently got the urge.

If you're planning on being a full-time, professional guitar player I think he has a modicum of a point. More of the really high-end guitars are only available at stores as a righty. So if you are touring and break a guitar and need a new one playing righty would be easier. Outside of that, though, playing lefty is 100% right and probably correct.

 

[Ohdang]

If you're planning on being a full-time, professional guitar player I think he has a modicum of a point. More of the really high-end guitars are only available at stores as a righty. So if you are touring and break a guitar and need a new one playing righty would be easier. Outside of that, though, playing lefty is 100% right and probably correct.

Yeah I'm just learning for fun. I'll probably never be in a position where I want/need to play without either being in my own home or knew ahead of time and brought it with me. Not like I'm gonna be gigging or anything where it matters if it breaks and I need a replacement ASAP.

 

[Jordan]

So I posted here a few days back about getting a new amp. I tried a bunch and none of them provided what I wanted. I was messing around on a new Tiny Terror Combo and it was perfect. I was talking about it with a retail guy who told me they just got a used one that I could have $500. I noticed a buckle chip on the corner and talked him down to $350. Nonetheless, here are pics! The amp sounds and plays amazing!

 

[Taiter]

Been out of the acoustic market for awhile, but 15-20 years ago Seagull was known to make a good but more budget-priced acoustic. Martin is "the" classic acoustic name and you can't go wrong with say a Martin D-28, but it used to be at least that some of their lower-price stuff was made overseas and the quality wasn't always the best. That's true of a lot of brands... Fender, Gibson, they've all been offenders in trading in on their names with "slap the name on it" stuff.

I'll tell you how I found several of my favorite guitars... Went to a lot of shops and played a lot of guitars, and occasionally there's one that stood out for its feel and sound... just kind of fell in love with it. Had a guitar guy verify no fundamental flaws and bought 'em... the shop set the action as needed and set the intonation. Sometimes on the cheaper models it's good to upgrade the tuners since they can be kind of junky. Sometimes you can play two of the same model and one would sound better, feel better, etc. than the others.

The guitars I bought were only a few hundred bucks at the time (25-30 years ago) but something about their warmth and feel stood out even against far more expensive ones (there were times I fell in love with a guitar and put it back after seeing a $2,500 price tag, but I've played plenty of $2,500 guitars that I didn't like too). Anyway, nothing beats trying out the guitar in a store. Don't be afraid of used ones either. Another tip if you're new is to have someone go along with you who is a good/expert player and have them help you.

 

[Taiter]

You guys are focusing on the tool rather than the artist and his composition.

My guitar is a joke and people pay me to play.

Over the years, 95% of the people I've known who've picked up a guitar never developed much skill with it, and so for a first guitar it doesn't make a lot of sense to go out and spend $2,000 on a guitar and gear. However, I've seen people really discouraged in their playing with awful guitars that wouldn't stay in tune (cheap tuners, old strings) or the action set too high. These things add to the frustration for beginners. That's why I think it's good when people start with a decent budget guitar and pay someone to get their action set appropriately, get the intonation set up, etc., and get a good set of strings on.

I always put Elixir coated strings (80/20 bronze light gauge) on my acoustic beater. They cost more than regular strings and never sounded as good as a day old set of regular non-coated strings, but they sure sounded a heck of a lot better after a month and I could usually get a couple of months out of one set which meant fewer string changes and lower cost. The coating also made it a little easier on the left hand when I was practicing fingerstyle pieces at home. Not sure what advances there has been in string "technology" in the past decade or so.

 

[Ohdang]

Guitar came in the mail yesterday. Sat down with it for about an hour and played Rocksmith 2014. I can tell this game will accelerate my learning process because I made leaps and bounds from minute 1 to the hour mark. I can also tell I have a LONG way to go though.

My fret hand/wrist got really sore when I tried to use my index finger. I found it much more comfortable to use my middle finger instead. I was only picking low E though, which my index finger doesn't quite reach the way I want to hold the guitar. Is this a bad habit already forming? Will I get used to it and stop being sore?

Some pics!

 

[Jordan]

Guitar came in the mail yesterday. Sat down with it for about an hour and played Rocksmith 2014. I can tell this game will accelerate my learning process because I made leaps and bounds from minute 1 to the hour mark. I can also tell I have a LONG way to go though.

My fret hand/wrist got really sore when I tried to use my index finger. I found it much more comfortable to use my middle finger instead. I was only picking low E though, which my index finger doesn't quite reach the way I want to hold the guitar. Is this a bad habit already forming? Will I get used to it and stop being sore?

Some pics!

That's a siiiiccck axe! Grats!

What I will tell you is using all of your fingers is really, really important. Not necessarily early on but there are songs, such as Alive by Pearl Jam or Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers where usage of the index finger is really important. Also, for soloing, being able to dexterously use all four fingers is a near necessity. What you can do, for help, is perform chromatics starting on the 1st fret all the way to the end of the fretboard. Essentially, hit the 1st fret low E with your index, 2nd low E with 2nd finger, 3rd low E with ring, and 4th low e with pinky. Repeat this patter on every string until the high E and go back up. Once you finish move onto the second fret, etc. When I have hurt my fingers/wrist in the past I use this exercise to build up muscle/strength. It sucks at first, but I promise, it will get better!

 

[Jordan]

So I just bought/put on some of the D'addario "Balanced Tension 10s" and holy shit they are amazing. They are really cheap (free with GC String Club) and sound fantastic. The noise level is balanced for each string so the A, D, and G strings don't have higher mids than the rest. I know a lot of people like the extra mids on those three strings, but for me, these are perfect.

 

[CPK]

Related, but a slight bit off topic. I've been playing guitar on and off for about 20 years. My main strength was writing songs for a band but I really don't do that anymore. I've never had a great ear either. After I got my current job I stopped practice, almost 10 years now, and I'm stupid rusty. Anyone have any recommendations for how to get back into playing shape? I've basically forgotten most of the theory I knew.

 

[Jordan]

Related, but a slight bit off topic. I've been playing guitar on and off for about 20 years. My main strength was writing songs for a band but I really don't do that anymore. I've never had a great ear either. After I got my current job I stopped practice, almost 10 years now, and I'm stupid rusty. Anyone have any recommendations for how to get back into playing shape? I've basically forgotten most of the theory I knew.

If you're just looking to learn new songs I cannot recommend Guitar Pro enough. If you are looking into learning theory/scales/modes there are some good books and good dvds that explain it as well as the "Guitar Chord Bible," which I think is vastly underrated. The other recommendation I have is, if you have time and money, finding a good guitar teacher. Bad guitar teachers are a waste but if you look at reviews I think finding a good one is doable and rewarding.

 

[Kbiz]

Thought this was worth digging up for Prince's sake:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y


Also, i am looking to purchase a back-up guitar and my colleague owns an Epiphone Les Paul. I know, it's not a Gibson, but as a back-up / fun practice alternative, i may bite. Anyone have experience with one?

 

[Jordan]

Thought this was worth digging up for Prince's sake:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y


Also, i am looking to purchase a back-up guitar and my colleague owns an Epiphone Les Paul. I know, it's not a Gibson, but as a back-up / fun practice alternative, i may bite. Anyone have experience with one?

What Epiphone Les Paul? The higher quality models (anything rom the epiphone custom shop or elitist series) are significantly better than the low quality Gibson's (studio series, mainly). I have an Epiphone Custom Shop Firebird... I had to replace the nut and pickups after a few years, but it is a great guitar, as long as you know what you are buying. It is not a Gibson, it's parts won't be as good as they are on medium/high-quality Gibsons, and it's build quality may be great or terrible. I would try it first, make sure you like the way it feels and plays (not necessarily the sound, you can always change the pickups, nut, tone pots, and various output/pickup jacks). But Epiphone is a good company and they can make some great guitars (see page 2 for mine).

EDIT:
Here is a picture of all my gear including the Epiphone Firebird that I've made changes too.

 

[Jordan]

EDIT: Duplicate

 

[Kbiz]

Caught the John Mayer show in Columbus last night. Dude jams more than anyone i've seen live recently. His John Mayer Trio set was all covers: Crossroads, Bold as Love, and Ain't No Sunshine. Some of his new tracks he's been releasing are also dripping with blues and sounded great. His guitar playing has matured since playing with Bob Weir. He plays with a lot more patience which, IMO, is always a good thing b/c it creates more impactful moments.

Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance in the encore to tribute Charlie Murphy. Apparently Chappelle and Mayer have been boys since the "white people dancing" skit way back when. It was a surreal moment.

I know he gets a bad rap for some of his earlier work (he even poked fun at himself before launching into "You're Body Is A Wonderland" claiming he had hated playing that song for the longest time but has recently accepted it due to fandom) but if you get a chance to see him, whether it's his tour or with the Dead & Co., i'd highly recommend it.

 

[Maximus]

I'm an expert in guitars, but I'll wait for @Maximus and @QuadrupleDouble to comment on my behalf before I jump in.

Idiot...you sold it after 6 weeks.