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 This is a picture of some of the most common styles of guitar. (All of these are knockoffs, but it's a good way to get all the body shapes together.) Do any of these turn you on? I see you like the Les Paul and the Telecaster. Now, these are very different feeling guitars. Personally, I favor the Telecaster and dislike the Les Paul, because of how they fit on my body when I'm sitting. It's easier to play a Tele sitting. As far as how they sound... well, Telecasters are weird. They're most famous in country music, but you'll find one anywhere from there to rock to metal (John 5 is a big Tele fan). It's often been said, if you can play a Tele well, you can play anything. Hendrix certainly recorded Fire on a Tele, possibly Hey Joe, and some say Purple Haze, but I doubt it. Other Tele players: Jeff Beck, Steve Cropper (You ever seen the Blues Brothers?) Bob Dylan, Dave Gilmour (more famous for a Strat, but he uses a Tele too), George Harrison, of course, Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Page's early work, including Stairway. Bruce Springsteen, of course, has that iconic Tele. Pete Townshend smashed a few. Muddy Waters. Eddie Vedder's famous Skateboarding Is Not A Crime. Keith Richard's infamous five string in open G. Les Pauls, on the other hand, rock. They've got big fat humbuckers and they have a big fat sound. Slash is your Les Paul standout, but there's others. Jimmy Page, for example. Paul McCartney. Pete Townshend again. Frank Zappa. Zakk Wylde. Billy Joe Armstrong. Bob Marley. Joe Perry. The Edge. Neil Young. James Hetfield. Sheryl Crow. You're going to get a slightly less sharp, more full noise with them, and they've got shorter necks. They're also slightly harder guitars to build. There's a number of good Tele clones, but I can't name a good LP clone offhand that's available in England. You can do pretty good with a Squier Classic Vibe. I've seen 'em used for $100. http://www.andertons.co.uk/solid-bo...-blackguard.asp Tele and Strat demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFTWdcovtw Les Paul demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZpxgz7Dwk The Squier Affinity Tele isn't... as bad as it used to be. Pretty decent, really. Brits? Chime in.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:33
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I've been attempting on and off to learn to play guitar for quite a while, and eventually I always get discouraged because my guitar is really hard to play. Usually I just told myself it was cause I suck but after having multiple friends over who are good at guitar they've confirmed it. It boils down to the strings being really hard to fret - also, the low E buzzes a bit but it's nowhere near as much of an issue and I'd gladly take a bit more buzzing for better action. So it seems to be something that could be fixed by getting it set up, right, and not a problem from it just being kind of old and moderately cheap? If setting it up is easy enough to do I'll try and do that on my own, but if I'm going to have to take it in and get it done I might as well put that towards a new guitar. Any suggestion video tutorials or anything?
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Sep 18, 2012 02:47
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Well, you'd probably need to take the new guitar in to get set up too. So... what kind of guitar do you have?
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Sep 18, 2012 02:56
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bomblol posted:Any suggestion video tutorials or anything?
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Sep 18, 2012 02:58
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How are strings "hard to fret"? Like they're super high for some reason?
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Sep 18, 2012 04:03
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appropriatemetaphor posted:How are strings "hard to fret"? Like they're super high for some reason? Yeah, essentially. Barre chords seem to nearly impossible even among my friends who know what they're doing. Warcabbit posted:Well, you'd probably need to take the new guitar in to get set up too. So... what kind of guitar do you have? bomblol fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Sep 18, 2012 04:58
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... Yeah, get a new nut, or the existing one recut, a fret job, a good setup, it'll be like a new guitar. You won't believe the difference.
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Sep 18, 2012 05:21
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stickyfngrdboy posted:I haven't been to any music shops yet, the thought terrifies me (probably). I've had a little look online and I prefer the look of the telecaster to the stratocaster. Gibson's Les Paul is probably my favourite as far as looks go. I honestly wouldn't be able to tell them apart by sound alone, I have no idea how they differ that way. You should check out Vintage Guitars (Vintage is the brand name of the company, I'm not advocating getting a 1960's era strat or something like that). They are designed by Trev Wilkinson using his hardware and pickups, so they're going to be nicely built instruments with pretty good sounding pickups. As for body styles, I think what a lot of people fail to realize is that guitars are really versatile instruments regardless of manufacturer. You can pretty much play whatever you want on any guitar and have it sound decent (and in this age of pedals nearly everything can even sound great). What is really important is finding one that speaks to you and you enjoy the feel of. Albert King played blues on a Flying V in a genre dominated by conservative hollow-body instruments; Ted Nugent plays a Byrdland (a fully-hollow really short scale guitar) to play rock and country; Jeff Beck has (or had) a signature metal-oriented Jackson Soloist to play blues-rock; the list goes on and on. Don't lock yourself into a certain type of guitar just because you think it looks the most "metal" or "indie" or whatever, just play around with a whole bunch and find the one that puts a smile on your face whenever you pick it up.
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Sep 18, 2012 05:30
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http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html This is Vintage Guitars? I really respect Mr. Wilkinson, his work makes my guitars better to play. Well, the versatility of any random guitar is one of the things I was getting at by pointing out all the varied uses of a Telecaster. Country to rock to psychedelia to metal. My Malden Subhuman is great for blues. So, basically, hit a music shop, and see how the two body shapes you like fit your body.
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Sep 18, 2012 06:00
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I've got a John Hornby Skewes 12-string acoustic and my first bass was also JHS - they make dependable beginner instruments. They're not going to win any awards, but they will definitely get you started and if you don't want to spend a lot of money on your first instrument then you can't really go wrong. I really would recommend going into a music shop though, or even, if there's one near you, a Cash Converters. I got my second bass (a Cort B4, it's lovely) from there and knocked a quarter off the marked price through haggling - they're really keen to get things out of the door so you can do a good deal. I knew as soon as I picked that bass up that I wanted it, it just felt right, so hopefully you'll find the same thing.
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Sep 18, 2012 09:38
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Warcabbit posted:So, basically, hit a music shop, and see how the two body shapes you like fit your body. Side Effects posted:Don't lock yourself into a certain type of guitar just because you think it looks the most "metal" or "indie" or whatever, just play around with a whole bunch and find the one that puts a smile on your face whenever you pick it up. Sadsack posted:Squiers are pretty good, and I would imagine a lot of the guitar players here started out on a Squier. Yamaha Pacifica's are good as well. It's also worth having a look at Vintage guitars. General opinion is that they are as good (or even better) than the equivalent Squiers and Epiphones. I've not played an Encore or Rockburn guitar, but to be honest they don't fill me with confidence. Thanks everyone. Warcabbit's first response was especially helpful, thanks man. I best get to a few music shops!
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Sep 18, 2012 13:27
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stickyfngrdboy posted:Thanks everyone. Warcabbit's first response was especially helpful, thanks man. I best get to a few music shops! I just want to echo that Squier makes some good stuff now, the Vintage Modified thinline tele is the best "cheap" guitar I've bought (not counting b-stock). It has a place of honor next to my dad's Fender Baja tele and our Dave Bunker-built PBC tele.
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Sep 18, 2012 15:22
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Wasn't someone bugging about GFS and their clearance sales? http://store.guitarfetish.com/Xaviere-Guitars_c_185.html Guess what got reloaded! Sadly, not the Gilmore tribute. But look what did! My personal #1, Trouble, an Alder body Telemaster  and a new one I've never seen before. Same guitar, blackguard, Ash body. 
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Sep 18, 2012 17:44
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Warcabbit posted:Wasn't someone bugging about GFS and their clearance sales? ahaha yeah, that was me. They're toying with me so damned hard. Put up the model that I want in the colour that I don't, damnit. And it's even cheaper than the other blem that I was gonna snatch up last time. 
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Sep 19, 2012 09:38
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bomblol posted:Yeah, essentially. Barre chords seem to nearly impossible even among my friends who know what they're doing. If you have some gauges you can check the action yourself, follow these instructions: http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/action.pdf That pdf also tells you how to adjust your saddle if you need to. I wouldn't mess around with your truss rod, but if you're curious take a straightedge and set it down lengthwise on the guitar's neck and check to make sure that the frets are relatively in line, with just a slight convex bow (the middle frets should be ever so slightly higher than the bottom and top frets). Here's Taylor's truss rod adjustment PDF: http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/truss_rod_adjustment.pdf If your action and neck check out it's your frets, and you can't do them yourself so take it to a luthier. Dolphin fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Sep 21, 2012 |
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Sep 21, 2012 16:18
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Oh no! Well recently my sound got incredibly rear end and muddy, so I attributed it initially to my amp. Turns out I was wrong! Amp works fine, POD works fine, cords are fine, it's the guitar itself that is making my sound muddy!  Right now I'm chillin on my backup guitar (a cool Squier Starcaster  ), but gently caress, I'm probably going to have to take my guitar into get looked at. What usually causes sound to just degrade in quality and crispness so suddenly? I suspect that the stock humbucker pickups might be having problems, but it might be a loose wire. Any anecdotal help the thread could possibly offer before I give up and go to a shop to get my Dean Vendetta looked at?
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Sep 23, 2012 02:04
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I reckon it's unlikely all your pickups developed problems simultaneously, it's probably more likely to be a common component or something. Is it just muddy and dark, or is the signal weak too? Could be a loose wire, or maybe a capacitor has degraded, but I'm just guessing here. Your volume and tone controls are turned up to full, right?
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Sep 23, 2012 03:09
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When I play chords it sounds pretty muddy, that just means I need new strings right? Stuff played on a single string is fine.
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Sep 23, 2012 19:03
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Depends, fresh strings will give you those higher harmonics that give you more definition in chords, but it shouldn't sound a lot better on a single string. It should sound basically the same, just easier to tell what's going on in there since it's one note instead of several If it's actually getting noticeably muddier you might want to look at things like your amp, the gain level, the pickups and their height, or maybe your cable. When you start playing a bunch of notes at once you get a complex signal, and distortion tends to complicate it even more, and your gear might not be the best at handling it - but you can definitely tweak things to get the best out of what you have. Try comparing simple chords (like power chords) with more complicated ones (like 7ths) to see if the extra tones are messing things up, try playing softer or harder, try turning your gain down - basically see if you can get any improvements that way first
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Sep 23, 2012 20:03
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Can someone tell me why my Jackson DXMG ( http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/jackson-dxmg-dinky-electric-guitar/520315 ) has a really, really bright full tone compared to every other guitar I have? I'm assuming it's the materials and the bolt on neck, maybe even the elixir strings, but I'd like someone more knowledgeable about the subject to chime in.
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Sep 24, 2012 12:33
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If you have an active pickup in your guitar you might just need a new battery. I had an old Washburn that poo poo itself one day and that was the cause.
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Sep 24, 2012 16:10
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So I want to learn a song that is in drop B standard. The problem is, with my current string gauge it sounds like wet rear end (I believe it's 11?). What's the minimum string gauge you dudes recommend for playing in that tuning? If it's something I'd need to have it specifically set up for I'm not going to bother, it's just one song. As a sidenote, this is on an acoustic guitar.
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Sep 26, 2012 03:50
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dissin department posted:So I want to learn a song that is in drop B standard. The problem is, with my current string gauge it sounds like wet rear end (I believe it's 11?). What's the minimum string gauge you dudes recommend for playing in that tuning? If it's something I'd need to have it specifically set up for I'm not going to bother, it's just one song. As a sidenote, this is on an acoustic guitar. I use 12-56 on a 25.5" scale and its getting close to what 9s in E standard feel like. As far as a setup goes you might need to have the nut filed. edit: drop B or B standard? These are two different tunings. BEADF#B and BF#BEG#C# Salt Fish fucked around with this message at 10:32 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 10:18
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Salt Fish posted:I use 12-56 on a 25.5" scale and its getting close to what 9s in E standard feel like. As far as a setup goes you might need to have the nut filed. Sorry, drop B standard. So BF#BEG#C#.I'm not exactly worried about it feeling exactly like E standard, just that the strings don't go all crazy if I strum too hard.
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Sep 26, 2012 15:17
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dissin department posted:Sorry, drop B standard. So BF#BEG#C#.I'm not exactly worried about it feeling exactly like E standard, just that the strings don't go all crazy if I strum too hard. What song are you learning to play? The only low tuning song with acoustic I can think of is Wither by Dream Theater?
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Sep 26, 2012 16:43
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NTT posted:What song are you learning to play? The only low tuning song with acoustic I can think of is Wither by Dream Theater? Sentry the Defiant, by Coheed and Cambria. I think he might actually have a baritone guitar.
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Sep 26, 2012 21:13
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Hey guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on my progress so far.I've been playing for almost three months and I practice usually at least an hour a day. I know the CAGED chords, the minors and some variations (Dsus2, Asus4, Em7, stuff like that) and a bit of theory. I'm finally starting to get chord changes happening quicker (Though not fast) and can force through some easy parts of songs like Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel and the intro/first verse of Exit Music (For a Film) by Radiohead. I haven't taken on barre chords purely out of cowardice though and I can kind of do power chords though they sound funny on my acoustic (I'm probably just not doing it right). So I've basically been following JustinGuitar and internet lessons 'cause I'm way too poor to afford a teacher. Oh and my upstrums suck. Is there a trick to getting a clean upstrum? I'm kind of happy with my progress myself because I'm not exactly aiming to be the next Marty Friedman or whoever, I just want to play and write some neat songs. But I didn't know whether I was kidding myself and I'm way behind the curve and should just give up 
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Sep 27, 2012 12:10
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Learn that F chord, learn to slide it around; you need to get your barre on at some point an it might as well be now.
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Sep 27, 2012 12:58
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syntaxfunction posted:I haven't taken on barre chords purely out of cowardice though and I can kind of do power chords though they sound funny on my acoustic (I'm probably just not doing it right). So I've basically been following JustinGuitar and internet lessons 'cause I'm way too poor to afford a teacher. The CAGED system uses barre chords! If you're just talking about the F and B shapes though (or E and A, whatever) then yeah, like duckfarts says you'll need 'em. They're hard for everyone though, and Justin says as much when you get to that point. If you're not following through the lessons in order you probably should, it's basically a progressive course. If you are and you've hit the barre chord lessons, get on them! Try his 'one minute changes' exercise as well Power chords are basically reaaaally pared down barres, especially if you're using the two-string version. They're just roots and 5ths, two neutral tones, which lets them take distortion very well - tight and punchy, without complicated harmonies muddying things up. They sound better cranked, basically, so playing them on an acoustic can sound a bit flat and bland. Fresh sparkly strings will add some brighter harmonics, so will playing with a pick, and a stronger attack and tighter rhythm will make it sound good too. Also make sure you're in tune or they'll sound like balls syntaxfunction posted:Oh and my upstrums suck. Is there a trick to getting a clean upstrum? Practice! Always the practice. Sit there doing them constantly, preferably to a metronone - this is something you can do while watching tv or cat videos or whatever, all you need to concentrate on is your timing and the sound. If you do down- and upstrums over and over, try to get a consistent feel and sound. They'll sound different because you hit the strings in a different order, but your upstrums should be as tight and loud and confident as the downs. Other than that, I think upstrums are just a harder motion, like banging your fist up on the underside of a table - it's harder than bringing it down on the top, or at least less controlled. When you're strumming you should be using your whole arm, not just your wrist, and it should be a smooth motion in both directions. Assuming you're using a pick, make sure your pick angle isn't awkward on the upstrum, and maybe experiment with different grips (like how much of the tip is showing) and pick thicknesses and styles. Personally I like the orange Tortexes (tortices?) because they don't fight the strings as much as the thicker ones, but it's down to personal preference.
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Sep 27, 2012 16:32
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I know my pentatonic scale shapes pretty well, but I'm no good at transitioning between them. When ascending, I pretty much just get to the top of one shape and slide along the high E string when I need to go higher. It's not very efficient. I assume it's easier to transition somewhere in the middle of one shape if you know you're going to need more room. Has any good patterns or drills for this?
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Sep 29, 2012 07:38
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Yeah, practice ascending on the other five strings instead of just the E. You can ascend up one shape, two shapes, three... Practice descending too.
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Sep 30, 2012 07:32
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Hate to barge in like this but I'm going to Guitar Center tomorrow with a $450 budget (think $400+), and have no clue how I will decide on an acoustic guitar (after my roommate's drunk friend ran off with my previous one). Last time, the choice was easy. I didn't know how to play yet, so I just went to zzsounds, saw a $200 Washburn at the top of the 'popular' list...and that was it. I only play in bursts lasting maybe a week every few months, and the extent of my skill is playing the chords for whatever song has been stuck in my head for the past few days, and then a ton of Jason Mraz. I can play barre chords, but wish to do more in the future (play from the heart, know what I mean?). Where can I find some reputable sources online (perhaps your own expertise?) to guide me towards a particular guitar?
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Oct 1, 2012 09:46
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RE90 posted:Hate to barge in like this but I'm going to Guitar Center tomorrow with a $450 budget (think $400+), and have no clue how I will decide on an acoustic guitar (after my roommate's drunk friend ran off with my previous one). The best thing to do is just grab a bunch and play them until you find something that feels and sounds like you want it to. Personally I'd recommend a Takamine, I love mine. Feels great to me, and has a nice bright tone to it which might appeal to you. Also if you're like me and are lazy/can't tune by ear, consider getting an electric/acoustic with an onboard tuner. Makes life way easier.
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Oct 1, 2012 16:03
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Has anyone else tried Taylor's mini acoustic? That's the most enjoyable acoustic guitar I've played, and it's right around the $450 price. http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/series/gs-mini
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Oct 1, 2012 17:13
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burritonegro posted:Has anyone else tried Taylor's mini acoustic? That's the most enjoyable acoustic guitar I've played, and it's right around the $450 price. I tried it last time I was at GC. For a tiny guitar I guess it was ok, but it didn't sound as nice as my silly $200 beater Mitchell. I'm sure that was due to the size. I think there are nicer sounding full size guitars at that price point, so I'd avoid it unless you're specifically looking for something small.
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Oct 1, 2012 17:37
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I'm a big fan of Breedloves. I tried some Passports (their budget series) the last time I was there and they rivaled Taylors that were twice the price point. I grabbed a cedar topped one for just under $500 and I'm loving it. If they have any in stock you should try them.
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Oct 1, 2012 17:57
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RE90 posted:Hate to barge in like this but I'm going to Guitar Center tomorrow with a $450 budget (think $400+), and have no clue how I will decide on an acoustic guitar (after my roommate's drunk friend ran off with my previous one). Echoing the "play it all man" sentiment. I just missed Martin dropping by my local Guitar Center and doing a big thing there  . Please do not leave GC without putting your hands on a DXK2AE. It is right in your budget and is a hell of a great Martin for that amount of money. They also offer a non-electric variant (or used to). Also check if your local Best Buy has a music department - I believe many of those carry this guitar as well and the BB music departments are separate from the rest of the store and will actually haggle with you on price. I actually bought mine (off the wall) at my local BB two years ago and paid just a bit under $400 IIRC. I've bought every one of my guitars off the wall at a Best Buy (even ones running over a grand) and they have all been superb instruments - the fact is that nobody plays guitars at Best Buy.
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Oct 1, 2012 19:19
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seigfox posted:I'm a big fan of Breedloves. A shop near me has about 50% of their acoustic humidor full of Breedloves. The ones I have tried were really well made and set up, but the shop has a rep for setting up their instruments well.
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Oct 1, 2012 22:42
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Incredulous Dylan posted:Also check if your local Best Buy has a music department - Is there any way to tell, by the way? I have yet to find one around me that does.
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Oct 2, 2012 01:05
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Thanks for the input, all....I went back and ended up bumping up my range to include a $650 seagull. Didn't snag it quite yet because I wanted to look it up online, and ask if anyone might have experience with this guitar?
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Oct 2, 2012 07:45
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