The Guitar Thread

[Shakalu M.D.]

I know we've got some players on here. What kind of guitars do you have? Do you have a certain style of music you like to play? How long have you been playing?

I'm going to get myself an acoustic guitar as a birthday present to myself. Any tips on guitars I should look at?

Right now I have one that I spent like $200 on a decade ago. It's the guitar center brand and kind of a POS. Looking to replace that with something better. I also have a really nice epiphone.

When it comes to an acoustic, I play a lot of folk rock stuff. Lots of finger picking. Also I think I could use a skinnier neck than I have now, maybe less action on the strings. I still will occasionally struggle playing F.

If any of you have tips on brands or models I should look at, I'd love to hear them. I'm planning on going to a store Sunday to try some out.

 

[The Oi]

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

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

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

Didn't you quit after like a week of playing?

 

[The Oi]

Didn't you quit after like a week of playing?

Nope.

Still play.

 

[killerkev369]

Go for a Martin, Epiphone, or Yamaha. Those are my three personal favorite acoustic brands.

 

[Man Called X]

Shak, if you're really into finger picking, it's all about the strings man.

 

[brownindian]

 

[Kbiz]

Go with a classical guitar if you're into finger-picking. The nylon strings are easier to play, create a fuller sound, and will allow for you to develop calluses with less pain then a standard steel stringer.

FWIW, i've played for about 14 years in some variation...currently playing in a cover band in Columbus about once a month that mostly dabbles in classic rock: The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Band, Allman Bro's, etc.

Fenders are my guitar of choice b/c i am more of a blues man but i used to own a Gibson SG and LOVED it...that was during my Metallica / G n' R days.

And here is a little shameless self promotion of my band from my HS glory days. I am the non-singing player. We achieved some decent local success in the Cbus market...placed third in a statewide BOTB...got to play on Newport and LC Pavilions stage a couple times....missin' those days

 

[killerkev369]

Go with a classical guitar if you're into finger-picking. The nylon strings are easier to play, create a fuller sound, and will allow for you to develop calluses with less pain then a standard steel stringer.

FWIW, i've played for about 14 years in some variation...currently playing in a cover band in Columbus about once a month that mostly dabbles in classic rock: The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Band, Allman Bro's, etc.

Fenders are my guitar of choice b/c i am more of a blues man but i used to own a Gibson SG and LOVED it...that was during my Metallica / G n' R days.

And here is a little shameless self promotion of my band from my HS glory days. I am the non-singing player. We achieved some decent local success in the Cbus market...placed third in a statewide BOTB...got to play on Newport and LC Pavilions stage a couple times....missin' those days

The SG is my go-to electric right now (in fact if he were asking what electric guitar to get I'd recommend an SG in a heartbeat), with my Telecaster being my current stage backup. I want to purchase a G&L ASAT Deluxe Carved Top sometime soon, because I played one in a store one day and I was blown away by it.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gl-tribute-asat-deluxe-carved-top-electric-guitar/h88845

 

[BelieveIt]

I agree that a classical guitar would be better suited for finger-picking type styles, but if you want something that can do both I'd consider a standard acoustic. I'm not really that experienced with different acoustic brands, but a few of the nicer acoustics I've played are are Taylor (mid-range), Gibson/Martin (mid-high range), and Collings (high end).

As for electrics, I LOVE my Paul Reed Smith guitars. I was a Gibson Les Paul freak for the longest time but finally got fed up with my aching back after shows and switched to PRS Tremonti. It's essentially a lighter version of the Les Paul. They're definitely made for higher gain type music, but they're smooth, play great, and look fantastic.

 

[Jordan]

I'm rocking an Epiphone Firebird (Pelham blue) that I just installed burstbuckers in and an American Standard Telecaster that I put locking tuners on. I am currently using a Boss Super Overdrive, Boss Digital Delay-7, Boss Harmonist, Dunlop Kirk Hammett Wah, and a EH-Big Muff pi. Definitely looking to upgrade my amp like yesterday (Orange Crush 12w). I was thinking we could all post pics in the thread!?!

 

[Ohdang]

Has anyone ever used the video game Rocksmith to learn guitar? I've never played a second in my life but I wanted to give learning a shot.

 

[Jordan]

Has anyone ever used the video game Rocksmith to learn guitar? I've never played a second in my life but I wanted to give learning a shot.

I've heard it is fantastic for learning songs and getting some basic aspects down. What I've also read, and seems relatively clear to me, is that it does not teach things like posture -- which, believe it or not, takes some work in guitar and is very important -- or music theory. I would say, if you are really wanting to give it a shot, give Rocksmith a try. If it does not work there are a bevy of available music teachers both in person and online.

 

[Ohdang]

My girlfriend used to play in an orchestra and still does play several instruments for fun, though guitar is not one of them. She was really enthusiastic about teaching me to read music when I told her my plan to learn the guitar, so I've got that going for me at least. And also, my step dad is a pretty good guitar player but he can't read music, he plays by ear. I've got 2 people to give me help in different areas, so I'm going to use those resources as much as I can. That should be helpful to me while I'm learning the basics.

He did try to teach me when I was in high school and it just ended in frustration for both of us as we didn't get along very well back then, so I'm not sure how much help he's going to be this time. We get along a lot better now so hopefully we'll have a more positive experience this time, lol. One of the problems we had was he's right handed and I'm left handed, and I just could not comfortably play his guitar and it became frustrating when I wasn't picking up anything he was trying to show me because I just felt so awkward strumming with my right hand. With a left handed guitar I'm hoping that awkwardness barrier will be gone.

I decided to go ahead and buy Rocksmith 2014 because Best Buy had it (with the cable) for $40 for PS4, and I found this guitar that had good reviews and was a decent price (they're running a $20 off $100 coupon this weekend too, which was nice):

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=115&cp_id=11501&cs_id=1150101&p_id=610133&seq=1&format=2

I plan to use Rocksmith 2014 as my primary method of learning, and I've been told http://www.justinguitar.com/ is a good resource as well. Hopefully with Rachel teaching me to read music and my step dad able to show me how to string, tune, correct my form, etc, I have enough to turn into a decent player. I should be getting the guitar some time this week; kind of excited now

 

[Marcus]

Has anyone ever used the video game Rocksmith to learn guitar? I've never played a second in my life but I wanted to give learning a shot.

I've got it even though I taught myself how to play a long time ago. It's a lot of fun and it is excellent in building up your fundamentals and learning how to play without having to look at the fret board. That's about as far as it goes though - there are other things that go into it, such as hand placement and posture, that are very important.

If you're looking for online guitar/song lessons, I would recommend looking up the following on YouTube:

Marty Schwartz (martzsongs is his username, I think)
Justin Guitar
Guitar Lessons 365

They all should have links to their websites in their videos, as well. Marty is probably the most beginner-friendly. His lessons are slow and in depth and easy for anyone of any skill level to follow.

On to the original post, I have four guitars at present, two electric and two acoustic. My main electric is my Gibson Les Paul Studio II Deluxe, and my main acoustic is my Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat. I used to have a Gibson SG Custom and a Schecter Hellraiser (Diamond Series), but sadly, a dude's gotta eat, so I had to sell them.

Here's the Gibson LP:

Here's the Fender Armstrong Hellcat:

I'm mainly into playing classic rock, acoustic, and blues, although I do play some modern rock stuff (such as Foo Fighters) and country.

If you're looking for an acoustic guitar to start with, I'd recommend going with Epiphone, Yamaha, Takamine, or Fender. All are relatively cheap and sound good.

The best piece of advice I can give any aspiring guitarist is to make sure you play every day - even if you can only play for ten minutes or so, you are still putting in the work. If you don't, you are eventually going to fall into bad habits and not play consistently, and you won't be able to get any better. Don't give up! Just be patient and work at it and you will get better and better.