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Hey guys, bit of a long winded question here; basically Im home for the holidays and whilst rooting around in the garage I stumbled upon my old beginners Yamaha Pacifica back from my futile childish attempts at learning guitar (I bought it, stuck some stickers on it and stopped playing about after a month). The guitar itself looks in surprisingly decent shape bar some scratches, its been in a cloth case under some books for the last god knows how many years, I figure it doesn't need anything more than new strings, maybe a replacement set of pickups. I've recently seriously picked up the guitar again and while I've got a pretty great acoustic-electric I bought second hand a few months ago I do want an electric. Now my question is, is the Yamaha Pacifica a good enough instrument to justify the costs of: A- A new solidbody carrying case(figure i'll need to buy this sooner or later so not all that big a deal) B- New strings + whatever else it needs (probably not a huge cost) C - The cost of adding it to my already overloaded airplane allowance, probably end up being close to £40-£50( most likely the biggest cost) Or should I just shop around a bit more when I'm back in London, for what its worth I live about 5 minutes walking distance away from Denmark Street which has a good dozen shops each selling quality instruments, both brand new and second hand. Edit: Damnit new page, heres some guitar porn 
Nahdrav fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Jan 5, 2011 |
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Jan 5, 2011 00:52
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CaptainApathyUK posted:I know a bunch of scales, but only to the point where if you said "Play A natural minor" and I'd be able to. Similarly, if you played a chord progression that began with Am I'd happily use that scale to improvise a lead over it. If you have a computer available, https://musictheory.net has a number of interactive exercises, including fretboard identification.
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Jan 5, 2011 01:40
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CaptainApathyUK posted:
does not exist. You just gotta use the scales any way you can. Say the note names out loud, learn to sight read, start building chords, compose melodies, practice non-linear scale patterns, arpeggios... Just use them like you're trying to wear them out.
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Jan 5, 2011 02:27
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Zakalwe posted:Eminor C and G would be the next chords I recommend. You can easily play Aminor too by moving the E shape down one string. If you want some practice, I learned on the Bon Iver song 'Flume'. It contains a bunch of chords you'd find okay to learn, and a barre thrown in to mix things up! http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/bon_iver/flume_ver4_crd_787697id_05022009date.htm And if you're working on vocals, the chords sound just fine if you drop your singing down an octave. Carl Killer Miller fucked around with this message at 03:34 on Jan 5, 2011 |
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Jan 5, 2011 03:31
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Nahdrav: Yamaha Pacificas are pretty reasonable instruments, and I think you'd probably enjoy playing it a lot. The cost on the plane is the only thing that would give me some pause, but I'd vote that it's probably worth it. I don't have a good idea of what it'd cost, but it'd be worth looking into the cost of shipping it separately compared to the airline. Also if you weren't flying, I'd probably advise you that a hardshell case isn't probably critical for an inexpensive solidbody guitar. And c'mon--strings start at like $3.
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Jan 5, 2011 05:27
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Question about guitar repairs: I recently got my new guitar set-up and it played beautifully, there was pretty much no rattle when I played. Earlier tonight, I accidentally knocked over the hardshell case it was in and it fell down to the floor hard. Now when I play it, there's significant rattle again and I'm not sure what to do. I'm planning on taking it to get checked out again but this really sucks and I'm kicking myself for being so drat clumsy. What's the worst damage that could have happened? EDIT: I'm so loving dumb. unpurposed fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Jan 5, 2011 |
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Jan 5, 2011 09:32
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I have two questions; 1) I was poking around the local shop last night and I impulse bought an Orange CR20LDX amp to replace my crappy practice amp. Does anyone have any opinions on this? It sounds good to me but I'd appreciate an opinion from someone who has owned it for more than a day. I've had Orange recommended to me in the past as a fairly good/reliable brand but that was coming from someone who had only used their larger stuff. 2) I was told that I should add another spring or two to my strat because the bridge is lifting and the guitar keeps going out of tune. Is this something I'd be able to do myself or should I bring the guitar in and have a professional do it?
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Jan 5, 2011 15:45
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seigfox posted:2) I was told that I should add another spring or two to my strat because the bridge is lifting and the guitar keeps going out of tune. Is this something I'd be able to do myself or should I bring the guitar in and have a professional do it? It's not a difficult operation at all. Destring or detune the guitar, take off the back plate, add springs, tada. You might also try just screwing the strings that are in there in tighter.
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Jan 5, 2011 17:34
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I'm getting back in the habit. I used to play as a teenager, we had a really rollicking metal band, and some local gigs. There was a time that I had to ditch school so we could travel up to another city to play in a showcase. I was never very good but one of the best feelings I know is that awesome few seconds when people playing gel and it just swells to something more than the sum of the notes and beats played. So, my girlfriend nudged me in the right direction and told me to find a guitar I'd like. I'd been talking about playing for years, so I guess she had had enough. I ended up with a semi-sensible (on the wallet and on it not being entirely crap as far as I can tell) decision, an Epiphone Les Paul Standard (Limited Ed.)  Now, I know next to nothing about this guitar. I have no idea what the "limited" means since pictures of the supposed model turn up guitars with both covered and uncovered pickups. I do know that this is not merely a souped-up Les Paul Special, though - there's binding and the switch is in the right place. I figured I'd go for a £300 Epiphone instead of something insanely awesome like a really expensive Jackson Soloist even though she was paying since this'll let me get my chops back and figure out whether I actually want to pursue it. Also, I wanted something that would sound decent clean as well as distorted, and that had a fixed bridge. I'm never going to be a nutcase tremolo shredder, and the extra hassle in maintenance doesn't appeal.  The amp is a Fender Champion 30 DSP which I remember seeing mentioned in a gear review thread. I've always liked the sound of Fender amps, especially when played clean. It seems the drive channel packs a punch too, which is good because I do like to wail. And hot drat is it loud. I really like the fact that it has a good-size (12") speaker, it gets a fuller and louder tone than those boxy little cubes do.  I don't know what my opinion is on the potentiometers. I prefer the more conventional Les Paul ones, so I may change these at some point. They don't look bad from a distance, though. So yeah, I'm back in the game. This morning my fingers ached at the smallest touch, since the only playing in the last 10 years I'd done before last night had been at a friend's house or in the shop trying guitars out sheepishly. Sheepishly, because I seem to have forgotten most things except for the most rudimentary scales and chord changes. I couldn't take a guitar and do the confident bluesy lick with the occasional bent tones to signify I could "play".  . But I'll get there. I guess I'm partly in the enviable position that I don't have to start from absolute scratch but I'd like to lose any bad habits I had and catch up on what I missed the first time round when we learnt from each other by jamming. The Internet is crazily full of stuff for the beginning player now, I have a feeling it'll be easy getting into it. Now, has any one of you played this guitar? Please do give me your honest opinions if you have. It's weird, even the serial number search doesn't find anything for the model. Kaiho fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Jan 5, 2011 |
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Jan 5, 2011 18:09
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Hey goons, what do you all think of this guitar? It has "cracks in the clear coat", according to the description, but it's one of maybe two lefty Vs available that I like - the Jackson RR1 being the other, and this is 1/4 the price. I'm probably gonna order it anyways but a second opinion would be nice. The last picture shows the one crack that I'm particularly worried about - if it's caused there at the base of the neck, due to the neck being bent or warped, then the guitar is going to be hosed up. http://cgi.ebay.com/SCHECTER-HELLRA...742524041144993
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Jan 5, 2011 19:50
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vonbaron posted:Hey goons, what do you all think of this guitar? It has "cracks in the clear coat", according to the description, but it's one of maybe two lefty Vs available that I like - the Jackson RR1 being the other, and this is 1/4 the price. I'm probably gonna order it anyways but a second opinion would be nice. The last picture shows the one crack that I'm particularly worried about - if it's caused there at the base of the neck, due to the neck being bent or warped, then the guitar is going to be hosed up. As a lefty I know how hard it can be to get a guitar you want. If what the advert says is correct, that it's just finish cracks then I'd go for it. It's a gamble though as it has problems in two completely separate parts of the guitar and you get no guarantee. What do you think of this? EMG 81/85, Floyd, 24 fret thin neck etc. http://www.rondomusic.com/reapercustlh.html
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Jan 5, 2011 22:09
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Zakalwe posted:As a lefty I know how hard it can be to get a guitar you want. If what the advert says is correct, that it's just finish cracks then I'd go for it. It's a gamble though as it has problems in two completely separate parts of the guitar and you get no guarantee. I have to say, that's pretty attractive, love the fuckin inverted cross inlays too! Never heard of that manufacturer though. Schecter I know, have played a couple, and trust. Do you know where they're made? e: the schecter does have an original floyd, instead of licenced, which is I guess the only hardware difference. I can't tell if that's a bolt on neck on the Agile one. oh never mind it says set neck. vonbaron fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Jan 6, 2011 |
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Jan 6, 2011 01:38
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Agile guitars are very popular. Check out the RondoMusic appreciation thread on this forum. Other forums have similar. They're Korean built for an American shop and have an excellent rep. I myself own an Agile (AL3100) that I ordered from America to Ireland and it was a much better guitar even figuring shipping than other guitars in the same price range.
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Jan 6, 2011 01:47
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Kaiho posted:I have no idea what the "limited" means since pictures of the supposed model turn up guitars with both covered and uncovered pickups. I do know that this is not merely a souped-up Les Paul Special Since all Epi production moved to Gibson's own plant in China rather than being contracted out, quality can be hit and miss (just like a "real" Gibson!). If the fit and finish is there, you should end up very satisfied--just keep it away from gear elitists 
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Jan 6, 2011 02:30
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Zakalwe posted:Agile guitars are very popular. Check out the RondoMusic appreciation thread on this forum. Other forums have similar. They're Korean built for an American shop and have an excellent rep. I myself own an Agile (AL3100) that I ordered from America to Ireland and it was a much better guitar even figuring shipping than other guitars in the same price range. I might actually have to buy this beast. On a somewhat related note; what exactly do people mean when they say you have to "set up" a new guitar? My first (and currently only) electric I just took out of the box and have been playing ever since (2 years). Is this a fairly accurate description? http://www.icepoint.com/guitar/Setting%20up%20your%20electric%20guitar/
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Jan 6, 2011 03:02
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vonbaron posted:I might actually have to buy this beast. That's a setup, yes, but most guitars you won't have to touch the truss rod on. Tun up, check the action.
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Jan 6, 2011 03:35
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seigfox posted:1) I was poking around the local shop last night and I impulse bought an Orange CR20LDX amp to replace my crappy practice amp. Does anyone have any opinions on this? It sounds good to me but I'd appreciate an opinion from someone who has owned it for more than a day. I've had Orange recommended to me in the past as a fairly good/reliable brand but that was coming from someone who had only used their larger stuff. I've had a CR35LDX since last summer and really love it, hopefully it'll work out for you too. Mine's the 35W 1x10 version and has all the same features, plus line out and OD footswitch which I don't think are really neccesary for practice. Its pretty straightforward, it only took me a few minutes to start getting sounds I really liked to come out, and I haven't had any problems with it. It proved reliable for the month or so I used it to play out at a nearby spot too. If you're a beginner like me, the onboard effects are fun to play around with and get an idea of what tone/ sound/ whatever it is you want to play without wasting time and money on a bunch of pedals until you're actually ready to use them. I've picked up a few pedals so I don't really use the built in effects or OD much anymore, but I still use the aux-in and tuner all the time. I thought headphone out would be a neat feature since my old practice amp had it and I used it alot, but I don't think I've used it more than once or twice.
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Jan 6, 2011 03:41
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Zakalwe posted:That's a setup, yes, but most guitars you won't have to touch the truss rod on. Tun up, check the action. And on an electric, the intonation. loving with intonation on an acoustic is difficult work, but loving with the intonation on an electric guitar is easy enough for a player to do it, and it's worth it to have a properly intonated guitar.
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Jan 6, 2011 03:42
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I was pretty afraid to adjust my guitar for the longest time. I had it set up for about a year before I got the courage to finally adjust anything. I wish I had learned it right away. My intonation was off, my pickups were too low, my action was too high. Adjusting intonation is really easy, it just takes time with a tiny screw driver, but when you go from being a little off to spot on, you can hear it and you appreciate the fact you fixed your sound. I change the strings pretty often now and always check the intonation, very easy to do and keeps the guitar sounding great. Though with my initial set up, the guy did file some of my frets, and adjusted my nut. Haven't done that yet on my own, but those fret & nut files are expensive so I'll probably still defer to someone else if I get a new guitar that feels like that may be an issue. Philthy fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Jan 6, 2011 |
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Jan 6, 2011 05:16
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cpach posted:Nahdrav: Strings are cheap, but if it's been sitting a while he's probably going to want to get it set up properly, or at least have someone look at it to tell him what if anything is wrong. e: Here's a question: How do I check my intonation? BENGHAZI 2 fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Jan 6, 2011 |
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Jan 6, 2011 05:18
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Dickeye posted:
12th fret harmonic vs 12th fret fretted or open string. It can be difficult to discern narrow differences, so I suggest a very sensitive tuner. If you've never done this before (I've played for 15 years and have done it like twice) I'd suggest scheduling a basic setup and seeing what you can do in the mean time. It's very easy to get the intonation waaay out of whack, and it's pretty frustrating, too.
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Jan 6, 2011 05:43
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baka kaba posted:Bar chords might be a good step too, they're difficult at first but it's good to start early! Apologies about the late response. I'm on an electric and I'm looking to get into blues later on.
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Jan 6, 2011 16:16
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Rothgil posted:Apologies about the late response. I'm on an electric and I'm looking to get into blues later on. In that case, if you already know E A and D then I'd learn E7 A7 and B7 so you can start riffing on some blues progressions! http://www.torvund.net/guitar/index.php?page=Bl_12-bar-blues-in-e
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Jan 6, 2011 18:23
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CalvinDooglas posted:12th fret harmonic vs 12th fret fretted or open string. It can be difficult to discern narrow differences, so I suggest a very sensitive tuner. If you've never done this before (I've played for 15 years and have done it like twice) I'd suggest scheduling a basic setup and seeing what you can do in the mean time. It's very easy to get the intonation waaay out of whack, and it's pretty frustrating, too. This might sound obvious but when you're checking the intonation, do it with a fairly new set of strings on (once they've been sufficiently stretched out etc) My SG Raw Power was going out of tune on certain frets which naturally I assumed was the intonation. After loving with it I found that it was actually just the strings and when I put a fresh set on it goes back to being perfect again for a few months.
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Jan 6, 2011 22:06
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CaptainApathyUK posted:This might sound obvious but when you're checking the intonation, do it with a fairly new set of strings on (once they've been sufficiently stretched out etc) I recommend new strings every 3-4 weeks.
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Jan 7, 2011 03:06
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CalvinDooglas posted:I recommend new strings every 3-4 weeks. Playing with dead strings can certainly affect tone and intonation, but changing every 3-4 weeks is a bit excessive in my book. I like when my strings are a little less bright. I might change every 3 months and I play every day. I don't have oily or acidic sweat so my strings don't fall apart like some peoples.
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Jan 7, 2011 03:13
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I don't remember this happening to me when I used to play 10 years ago. Must be something that's changed in the equation between the guitar I had then and the one i have now. When I play my fretting hand fingers turn black. It seems like a reaction to the metal of the strings, not gunk rubbing off the strings. I do admit that I'm still playing with the strings the guitar came with and had been sitting on the store rack with, but any random players' handgunk should have been wiped off by the cleaning and playing I've done. So I'm thinking I used to use coated strings whereas these might not be, or something's changed in my body chemistry since then. As one is easier to change than the other, I guess I should look out for non-nickel strings...
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Jan 7, 2011 08:40
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I'm trying to learn the Rage version of Maggie's Farm. Annoyingly, I can't seem to find a tab which sounds right, I got together with my friends for a jam and my guitar parts sounded totally wrong. I was wondering if anyone knows how to play this song and can help me find an accurate tab? I was looking for a tab book to buy but I guess because it's a cover such a book does not exist.
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Jan 7, 2011 11:55
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Kaiho posted:I don't remember this happening to me when I used to play 10 years ago. Must be something that's changed in the equation between the guitar I had then and the one i have now. There's no way of knowing until you put new strings on.
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Jan 7, 2011 13:07
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baka kaba posted:In that case, if you already know E A and D then I'd learn E7 A7 and B7 so you can start riffing on some blues progressions! B7 is the worst thing in music.
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Jan 7, 2011 16:47
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crm posted:B7 is the worst thing in music. Wait till you discover jazz chords. dim7 and 7b5 are bitches.
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Jan 7, 2011 17:13
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^^ You love it! Personally I can appreciate a bar chord like B taking the effort to throw in an open chord version of itself, now that's classHanpan posted:I'm trying to learn the Rage version of Maggie's Farm. Annoyingly, I can't seem to find a tab which sounds right, I got together with my friends for a jam and my guitar parts sounded totally wrong. I was wondering if anyone knows how to play this song and can help me find an accurate tab? I was looking for a tab book to buy but I guess because it's a cover such a book does not exist. This seems mostly right: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/r/rage_against_the_machine/maggies_farm_ver2_tab.htm The bottom string's tuned down to B though, which might be why you don't sound right. (Ignore the 'tuning' part at the top where the entire guitar's tuned down, the tab only has the bottom string tuned down.) You could just play everything an octave up on a normally tuned guitar but it would sound a bit weaker. Anyway I'd change the D and B chords (x577xx and x244xx) that show up, they sound more like A and E to me (x022xx and 022xxx, although if you're in drop B that E power chord will be 522xxx) - try x0223x for the A in the parts where you just let it ring out, like the "scrubs the floors" bit. The part where it says solo should be a B I think, so 12th fret on the B string instead of the G string, and there's more palm muting in the 1:45 part: -0---0---x-x-0---x-x-0---x-x-x-x- The riff at the end is the usual one only it alternates the ascending/descending run with the A and E power chords. That's about it!
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Jan 7, 2011 17:19
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Thanks for the detailed reply. It seems like this part: B|--0-0-3p0--0-----0-3p0-5b---0-0--3p0 Is missing a note or something, I tried playing along with the song and it certainly seems to missing a note somewhere but I honestly can't figure out where 
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Jan 7, 2011 17:38
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I was going to get my guitar set up, but I'm just too low on funds at the moment, so I'm trying to make the best of it with the tools at hand: Does lower pickup height always amount to more sustain? It seems like it's far easier to get the guitar to feedback w/ the amp when I raise my (bridge) pickup(s) slightly. There is nothing about the tone change that I dislike, and the clean sustain seems to be no worse (if not better!) than before. I'm asking, since in the guitar setup Youtubes, they seem to talk about it as a rule: lower pickup height = less magnetic pull on the strings therefore longer string vibration time. Thanks! Great thread, by the way. It must be said
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Jan 7, 2011 17:51
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CalvinDooglas posted:I recommend new strings every 3-4 weeks. Back when I was using regular slinkys I was getting about 6 weeks out of a set of strings, but i since switched out to the new coated EXP strings by D'addario. Last set? 12 weeks before I swapped them out and they were still bright as hell when I did. If you shop around they're not that much more expensive than the likes of Slinkys or even regular D'addario's I highly recommend them
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Jan 7, 2011 18:51
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Hanpan posted:Thanks for the detailed reply. It seems like this part: Haha sorry, I totally glossed over that - honestly this would be better as a listening exercise for yourself, try humming the riff or going 'da naaa nana' so you know in your mind exactly what you're trying to play. You're right that it's missing a few notes on that tab, they're repetitions of the three notes that are there though, so really it's about pinning the rhythm down and working out which of the notes you're hitting. If you're having trouble try skipping to 5:00 (I'm going off this version) where it's a lot slower and easier to pick out. Try listening over and over and humming it until you think you've got it, then grab the guitar If you're stuck this is what I've got, but it's definitely worth doing yourself - it'll help you develop your ear  B|--0---0---3p0-0-0---0-3p0---5b----0---0---3p0-0-0 Actually to be more accurate it's more like B|--0.--0---3bp0-0-0.--0-3bp0-x-5b----0.--0---3p0-0-0.- The notes with the dot after them are cut short, like the one at the start of the riff is palm-muted slightly (it goes dn-daaah-deeenow na nw). The note on the third fret is bent up slightly before you pull it off, it gives it a kind of dirty bluesy sound, and that x is a percussive chuck you get by muting the string with your left hand and strumming it (or you could palm mute it) - you can hear this way better in the slow part at 5:00, it's covered up by a snare hit during the main song, but nobody would mind too much if you just played the string open. Really it's a simple riff, but it's all about the feel. As you get comfortable with the rhythm and the nuances of it it'll click, and you'll get naturally expressive with your playing, and it'll be fun as hell SSJ2 Goku Wilders posted:I'm asking, since in the guitar setup Youtubes, they seem to talk about it as a rule: lower pickup height = less magnetic pull on the strings therefore longer string vibration time. I dunno about how much this matters at normal guitar distances, but I'd guess that a string very far away from the pickup would have little pull but it would have a weak effect on the pickup as well. As you moved them closer together the signal (and sustain) would improve until you hit the sweet spot, and after that the magnetic pull would start to have a greater (negative) effect than the increase in sensitivity from a closer string. Otherwise it would always be best to have the pickup as far away from the string as possible! So if you're below that sweet spot it probably does help to raise your pups a little. This is all guesswork but it makes sense logically... right? 
baka kaba fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Jan 7, 2011 |
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Jan 7, 2011 21:41
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Where can I find some backing tracks? Specifically some basic, slower blues stuff
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Jan 8, 2011 23:43
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crm posted:Where can I find some backing tracks? Specifically some basic, slower blues stuff Record yourself playing a slow 12-bar? 12-bar starting with A7 is really easy.
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Jan 8, 2011 23:59
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The Fool posted:Record yourself playing a slow 12-bar? 12-bar starting with A7 is really easy. I actually found a few one Fender's Fuse site, just wanted a little more variation 
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Jan 9, 2011 00:09
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I'm really interested in learning how to take care of my guitar, specifically changing the action, making adjustments to the truss rod, etc. What's the best resource around for this?
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Jan 9, 2011 04:56
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