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Anyone live in the UK? Anyone have a decent better-than-the-rest online music store? Need to order a few bits but was wondering if there's a recommended UK store, or should I just buy from wherever's cheapest? (I'm looking to buy guitar related stuff, strings, picks, a tuner, an amp... I know what the amp sounds like...!)
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Jan 14, 2013 09:52
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Quick question regarding hangers: A while ago I got a String Swing with the wooden base, since I was going to use it for my acoustic... well, now I need another one for my Tele, but the one with the little wooden base is a bit too "long" for it, the guitar is a good 2~3 inches from the wall. I was thinking about getting two of these instead. Reviews look good, has anyone used them?
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Jan 14, 2013 14:22
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syntaxfunction posted:Edit: Also, I often play my electric unamped as my acoustic or amp are sometimes too loud and annoying for the others in the house. It sounds fine to me but will this hide mistakes and form bad habits? baka kaba posted:It definitely hides a lot of your mistakes, plus you'll probably play differently (like a lot harder) to make the guitar audible, and that might be a hard habit to break..
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Jan 14, 2013 15:26
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Thirteenth Step posted:Anyone live in the UK? Anyone have a decent better-than-the-rest online music store? Need to order a few bits but was wondering if there's a recommended UK store, or should I just buy from wherever's cheapest? (I'm looking to buy guitar related stuff, strings, picks, a tuner, an amp... I know what the amp sounds like...!) GAK (http://gak.co.uk) have always served me well, but I have heard stories of orders 'disappearing' and ending up in purgatory. Andertons (http://www.andertons.co.uk/) are pretty web savvy and I've yet to hear anything bad about them, but I've yet to order anything myself. Price wise Thomann are usually the cheapest, but something about ordering stuff from Germany and having it shipped here puts me off.
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Jan 14, 2013 16:48
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Edmond Dantes posted:Quick question regarding hangers: I haven't used them but have handle one and the materials seem sturdy enough. I like the Hercules but they are kinda pricey. Remember to humidify your acoustic in a bag or case occasionally though! Do any of you guys post on other guitar related forums? Maybe with some good tips and lessons or lesson discussion?
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Jan 15, 2013 07:18
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JD posted:I haven't used them but have handle one and the materials seem sturdy enough. I like the Hercules but they are kinda pricey. Yes. No. Does that exist?
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Jan 15, 2013 08:33
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Cowboybot posted:After taking my guitar down to the barest of bares, I checked out all the wiring, and it all looked solid. Put it back together, restrung with some 11's and all the pickups work now... Well, I spoke too soon, it's gotta be the wiring, because after playing for a bit, the middle pickup died again. I like it's sounds too. I guess I have to take an ohm meter to it, and see where it's busted at.
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Jan 15, 2013 11:51
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I guess it's science...
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Alright, so I've got a Crate V18-112 which has been great, but I'm getting to a point where I need more versatility out of an amp. This Marshall half stack just popped up on CL, and I'm really tempted to bite the bullet. Any thoughts? Too much for noodling around in a bedroom? I mostly play 80s metal type stuff, on an Ibanez Gio and an EHX Metal Muff pedal.
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Jan 15, 2013 20:40
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Either save your money for a super champ/a 6505+ or try talking that guy down to 75 with the cabinet. It's a solid state Marshall and they honestly kinda suck. And by kinda suck I mean if he goes down to 75 see if you can bring it down to 50.
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Jan 15, 2013 20:51
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Blah, didn't even notice it was SS.
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Jan 15, 2013 20:59
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The knobs on top were a dead give away. It's not bad but I wouldn't pay 100 for it.
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Jan 15, 2013 21:02
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Over in the Steam thread, someone posted that Rocksmith is 50% off today, for $15. Too bad the "real tone cable" is still $30.
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Jan 15, 2013 21:29
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Get the X-Box version. Same cable, and you can play it two places! Target had it quite cheap.
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Jan 15, 2013 22:17
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Anyone want to help me out with some advice on buying an amp? I left Oz about 8 years ago now for a backpacking trip out here to Canada for what was meant to be 12 months, but uhh... I'm kind of still here. Being that my amp and guitar wouldn't fit in my backpack, I left them all at home with my muso friends who have since passed them all around and used them and who knows what or where any of it is now. Anyway, I've been playing acoustic for so long that everything I knew about electrifying/amping a guitar is pretty much forgotten (not that it was very much to start with) and now that I feel I'm in a position where I'd like to buy an amp again, I don't really have a clue what is good/not so good, or even really what I should be looking for. For the last 5 years or so I've been using amp modelling programs and VST's on the computer but it's a bit overwhelming with all the choices and options they have to narrow it down to what particular sound I want - especially when I'm usually playing on my own. So I guess I'm also after some advice on how to go about finding my "sound" even though that sounds like the stupidest question ever that really only I can actually answer... I've got a Les Paul Standard and an Xaviere XV-560 which is a semi hollow Les Paul copy with Alnico Soapbar P90's. (I know, rite, what sort of loser has $3k worth of guitars and no fuckin amp?! shutup, I know!) I play a range of mostly blues to heavy rock sort of stuff and I'm looking for something that I can play around the house, but I've been toying with the idea of going back to doing some solo cover gigs around town for a bit of extra money, so ultimately I'd want something that would be solid enough to work for that as well. The only real lovely thing about my situation is that I live in a ski town that has no music stores. I've been trying really hard to get down to the city where I can try out some amps and I know that's going to be 95% of the answer to my question, but I guess I'm after a bit of a shove in the right direction and some tips on how/what I should be looking for/paying attention to. Sorry for the super vague, wordy question, but I have faith in you, guitar thread. You're my only hope.
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Jan 15, 2013 22:51
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Meh. Whatcha gonna be playing with? I like the cheapy Vox modeling amps, my DA5, or the newer Mini-3, for practice. They're not perfect, but they're under a hundred bucks, run on batteries or mains, and portable. The DA5 is... well, it's _almost_ good enough for solo gigs, depending. I hear okay things about the new portable Fender modelling amp.
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Jan 15, 2013 22:56
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I don't know what you play, but if you get a 6505+/5150 II/5150 III, you'll start playing the right music real quick-like
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Jan 15, 2013 23:18
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Fender blues junior, or twin reverb if you can afford it. Maybe a Roland JC120 if you can find it. eBay is a good place to find cheap poo poo but musiciansfriend.com or sweetwater.com are decent online stores and the guys who work at sweetwater are super helpful if you need it.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:22
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Warcabbit posted:Meh. Whatcha gonna be playing with? I like the cheapy Vox modeling amps, my DA5, or the newer Mini-3, for practice. They're not perfect, but they're under a hundred bucks, run on batteries or mains, and portable. I was thinking something a bit more substantial than a $100 practice amp. Maybe as a loose guestimate ~ $500ish? Maybe more if it's for the right fit. I just got all my Christmas bonus type money and am looking to treat myself a bit. I heard some good things about the Fender Blues Junior a bit earlier in this thread and then looking at that half stack a couple of posts up kind of piqued my interest as well if I could find a non SS version 2nd hand for a decent price. My loose plan is to get some ideas/targets from you cool dueds, head down to try some of them out, hopefully narrow things down a bit and then start searching around on craigslist/ebay etc to pick something cool up for a decent price. CL is just such a mess, it's really hard to know what's a good deal/fit for me and what isn't right now. e: haha and what would "the right music" be, muike? Cheers Francostein, are those sites easy to buy from in Canada? nrr fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Jan 15, 2013 |
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Jan 15, 2013 23:29
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Pretty much we're all just naming big brand amps that are affordable because we don't know about your style or budget. I dont know if a thunderverb or like a black star ht1 is what you're after.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:30
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nrr posted:I was thinking something a bit more substantial than a $100 practice amp. Maybe as a loose guestimate ~ $500ish? Maybe more if it's for the right fit. I just got all my Christmas bonus type money and am looking to treat myself a bit. I heard some good things about the Fender Blues Junior a bit earlier in this thread and then looking at that half stack a couple of posts up kind of piqued my interest as well if I could find a non SS version 2nd hand for a decent price. My loose plan is to get some ideas/targets from you cool dueds, head down to try some of them out, hopefully narrow things down a bit and then start searching around on craigslist/ebay etc to pick something cool up for a decent price. Heavy As, m8 (personally I actually really like fender amps too and squeeze as much twang out of them whenever I can)
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Jan 15, 2013 23:33
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Francostein posted:Pretty much we're all just naming big brand amps that are affordable because we don't know about your style or budget. I dont know if a thunderverb or like a black star ht1 is what you're after. Well, I think I'm after the meat and potatoes of WHY you'd recommend those amps. Like I said, my amp knowledge has pretty much gone back to zero and I can't remember poo poo when it comes to tube/solid state/pre amp stuff, etc etc. I guess a breakdown on how I can work out what features/components/sound I'm looking for in an amp and then work out what amps that rules out and what it leaves me with.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:34
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Google says yes but I'd still send an email to them if you want to buy something so you can get a quote on the shipping costs.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:34
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There's a few Canada based stores with webshops, I think. Like long and mcquade? As far as tube vs solid state and all that, it's really up to preference. You can do anything with anything with the right attitude and technique. I personally prefer tube amps if only because all of my favorite sounds have been made by them, but good modelers and solid state amps also sound fantastic.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:37
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Cheers guys. Yeah, there's a Long and McQuade down in Vancouver that I was going to check out and test some stuff out at, as well as the huge Tom Lee store down there as well. I think online stores aren't going to be my main target because I'm going to want to try out something before I buy it - then the plan is to actually buy second hand so that I can maybe get something a step up from what I'd be able to get new for the same price. As far as my style goes, I played mostly acoustic on my own for years so to compensate for that I have a lot of stuff with ringing, droning bass strings to try and fill out the sound of one guy playing alone and as a result I've come to really like that big badass bottom end kind of sound. Having said that though, I'm pretty heavilly Hendrix influenced and probably lie a bit more and the Bluesdad side of things than I do on the Basement Metalvirgin side. My main influences are probably Hendrix/Zepplin/Pink Floyd/Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/Tool/Deftones to give you a bit of a spectrum. I guess roots solidly in blues with the option to rock the gently caress out and get Heavy As m8 when I feel like it. Thanks a lot for all your help so far guys. You've given me a good solid lead on some things to target and check out, which I think is a good first step.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:52
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You really can't go wrong with a Fender Blues Junior, provided you can commit to taking care of tubes, man.
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Jan 16, 2013 01:39
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Unlock your inner blues dad, get the Jr. It's a lot louder than you think it would be and you can always buy a good distortion pedal, you can't buy a good clean pedal.
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Jan 16, 2013 01:54
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Any of you cool dudes know a place I can check out that'll give me some insight into how to use this 30 band EQ I've got effectively? I notice adjustments making noticeable differences real quick, but I have no idea what I'm doing. Edit: Something that does an overview of frequencies as they apply to electric guitar, as opposed to other instruments or entire mixes would be nice. muike fucked around with this message at 08:18 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 16, 2013 02:46
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Francostein posted:Unlock your inner blues dad, get the Jr. It's a lot louder than you think it would be and you can always buy a good distortion pedal, you can't buy a good clean pedal. I was actually thinking about this before when you mentioned the JC120. I looked up some clips and it sounds like it's got a beautiful warm clean sound to it. From what I've said about the sort of stuff I play, do you guys think I'd be better off getting myself something like the JC120 or the Blues Jr sort of feel that's a really nice warm sounding clean amp with some bottom end to it and then getting some nasty distortion pedals to get a really badass heavy rock sound out of it, or do you think I'd be better off going for a straight up heavy rock amp (like the 6505+/5150iii like miuke suggested) straight up? Also, what's involved in tube upkeep? What am I getting myself into with getting a tube amp, because yeah I love that warm tube sound but I have no idea what I need to do to keep them healthy. I noticed someone saying that the Marshall half stack posted earlier was poo poo because it's solid state. What's the reason for the solid state hate? Is it just because of the sound not stacking up to that warm tube sound, or is there more to it? Also after having a bit of a look around for amps I've seen mentioned in this thread before, there's a guy selling a Vox AC30 CC1 locally(ish) for $680. Does that sound like a decent sort of deal?
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Jan 16, 2013 07:10
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It's not that solid states are poo poo, it's that solid state marshalls are poo poo. And from the sounds of what you want, I think you'd be pretty happy with a blues Jr. plus OD or distortion. In the same sense that the 5150 is a one trick pony, the Jazz Chorus is, but on the other end of the spectrum. I'd say try out the Blues Junior, see how you feel, maybe look at a hot rod deluxe. Try out a (100 watt) 5150 III too, just for kicks. They have surprisingly good cleans in addition to the crazy gain channels.
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Jan 16, 2013 07:14
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You can't go wrong with a Fender Blues junior, unless you're a metal boy. Also, forget about getting a Fender Twin Reverb (I saw someone talk about one earlier). When that thing is in the sweet spot it's so loud that it melts your ears.
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Jan 16, 2013 09:01
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nrr posted:Also after having a bit of a look around for amps I've seen mentioned in this thread before, there's a guy selling a Vox AC30 CC1 locally(ish) for $680. Does that sound like a decent sort of deal? I'm reading this book and it's been really informative and helpful so far. It's actually spurred on some ideas on how to make my MusicMan better for practicing at home and improved my sound a bit. It also makes me appreciate the drat thing more and more, whereas before I started reading it I assumed I was going to find the opposite to be true. Anyway, I think some serious research is going to net you what you want, if you take your time and look around you could probably even find a pretty good deal. The book I linked even has a DIY design at the end that I'm just dying to try out some time.
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Jan 16, 2013 11:34
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Dave Hunter's books are the _best_ poo poo.
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Jan 16, 2013 12:15
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I'm trying to design a glammy guitar based on the Ibanez RG. I'm pretty happy with how the body looks, but I'm not sure about the inlays on the fretboard. Does anyone have any cool ideas for this one?  The hardware is supposed to be chrome, but it doesn't really look that way in that V-RG-program. Also, I apparently shopped the tuners away.
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Jan 16, 2013 13:06
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I'd go with gold hardware instead on that and some inlays that are razorblades, pills, tits, hairspray, a tour bus falling on someone and other things like that.
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Jan 16, 2013 13:17
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Phew! Finally read the whole thread, took me a few days! I played some Bass like 8 years ago, never really studied it or practiced much, mostly just learned some songs and played like two terrible punk gigs where me sucking was completely ok, if not required. I haven't touched a string for about 3 years, ever since I moved countries away from my bass and two acoustic guitars. But just the other day I felt the immense urge to grab a guitar and actually learn properly. I figure I should stop playing videogames as my only hobby and do something more fulfilling, so here I am, completely obsessed! Sadly my budget is very tight, and I can't really excuse spending much money on a guitar, or a teacher, as much as I'd like to (full disclosure: I have a wife, and she won't let me spend our rent money so I can rock out homeless), so excuse me asking about crappy guitars, I know it's not optimal, but it's either that or nothing. Luckily justinguitar.com is pretty good so I won't miss the teacher that much early on (although I'd really like to donate to justinguitar later on). Hell, my budget is so low, I'm not even planning to get an amp yet. I don't mind spending a month practicing chords without amplification, I just want to get started and get a good practice schedule going! I've been checking out the second-hand stores and the only interesting thing I've found was a Yamaha Atlantica 112 for 110€ which was a fabulous price for a good guitar, but I don't have the money on me -just- yet so that'll probably be gone by the end of the month. And if it's not, what should I check on used guitars? I checked the action, the roughness of the frets, and will of course play it before buying it. Anything else? The yamaha had non-original volume and tune pegs (kinda ugly, too) but that's the only weird thing I saw. I've also been thinking about a Squire Bullet HSS. I'd really like a bridge hummbucker and the Bullet is pretty cheap (I can find a new one online for around 130€) so it seems like a good choice. Are they as terrible as everyone claims? I asked about it at a music store and the guy got all kinds of spergy about squires and insisted I save up for a REAL guitar. I know it's bad, but I WILL buy a cheap guitar, isn't the squire better than most at this level? Would you Goons recommend something else considering my situation? Keep in mind I live in Madrid so, for instance, Rondo Guitars are out of the question, as are most online stores. As far as sound goes, I have the biggest man-crush on Dave Grohl, so I'd like to get to the point of playing something that sounds like Foo Fighters, but also Artic Monkeys, Danko Jones, Queens Of the Stone Age, etc so, you know, "modern" rock mostly, although I don't really care about sounding close to anyone, I just want to learn in general. Another question I've got would be about the portable USB audio interfaces any decent, cheap one I could get? Since I have limited space I was thinking that one of those + amplitube would be a decent substitute of an amp for a while. I know I'll sound like a cheese grinder loving a screwdriver but that's ok for now. The conversation on this thread is pretty interesting and overwhelming to read for a total newbie! I've learned a few things just by trying to translate what you guys say, I can't wait to start asking more advanced stupid questions to you guys! To recap my questions in an easy-to-quote format: 1) what's the best I could do with the smallest budget possible, if located in Madrid? Squire? Epiphone? Mugging rich kids for a vintage telecaster? 2) what should I be on the lookout for when hunting wild second-hand guitars? 3) which USB interface/ connector could I get for playing around with amplitude? Thanks, goons!
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Jan 16, 2013 17:41
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I just moved back to the states from Seville and I was in your situation last year. For a guitar that squire isn't a bad starter, hell my first guitar was an HSS squire and that thing was a trooper. If you're in Madrid I'm guessing you live in a tiny apartment so loudness is a big thing. If you do decide to get an amp try to find one with a headphone out jack so you can play when people are having a siesta. I used to have a Yamaha USB interface that I purchased off guitarguitar.co.uk and they were really nice with respect to customer service and shipping. I don't recall the exact model number but Yamaha and m-audio make good single input USB interfaces. You can get one for about 90 euro including shipping and taxes. If you do go the interface route you can surely nail that grohl tone with all the options that modeling has to offer.
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Jan 16, 2013 17:51
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Francostein posted:I just moved back to the states from Seville and I was in your situation last year. For a guitar that squire isn't a bad starter, hell my first guitar was an HSS squire and that thing was a trooper. Man, you've got the loudness thing right, we're actually living in a rented room, so yeah, even the strings alone are probably going to annoy someone! That's why I didn't even consider an acoustic. Thanks for your reply! good to hear that someone didn't hate the squire, I'm pretty sure it's my best bet if I grab a new guitar. Awesome, I haven't checked that page, I'll hit it when I get home and drool a bit!
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Jan 16, 2013 18:16
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You play video games, you say? Rocksmith! Rocksmith is the answer for you. No amp needed, works with any guitar.
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Jan 16, 2013 19:01
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An injection post, if you will. Since I may start selling off some of my electric gear for space and fundage, I decided to dig up my acoustic so I'd still have a six-stringed friend around to love and cherish.   Man, did I ever take good care of this thing.This Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo was my first cedar top, a bargain buy that I ruined fairly quickly after taking it to a couple outings. The top because its rife with millimeter thick dents from people having dropped keys on it and all sorts of horrible poo poo, and the microbe-thin nitrocellulose finish does nothing to protect my precious softwood. Okay, the real reason why I felt I had to post. Dust and grime aside, LOOK AT THAT TUSQ. It's yellowed a LOT and its only been sitting in the case for a couple months. Not that I have a problem with it, it actually suits the rustic theme of the guitar. But, I feel like I'm going to have to figure out how to dress those frets or else replace them. So, does the yellowing of the nut and bridge indicate some need to replace them? Is it crucial to dress/replace these frets? And these god drat dents, am I stuck with them for life? (Probably) Jeff Goldblum fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 16, 2013 21:19
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I got some really expensive instruments. I still plan on getting a Squire tele or strat to round it all out.
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Jan 16, 2013 21:41
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