Hey! Guitar players, let's chat. [Archive] - Page 2

maniacmusician

October 25th, 2006, 05:50 PM

I don't care about ugly colors either; my favorite guitar is my blue baby. But, I can't really get down to GC that often, as it's far away. Even SamAsh (the closest music retailer to me) is far enough away to keep me from visiting too much.

Getting bargains really isn't that easy...you have to know your hardware, and brand names, and what's what. people like me have no clue. ](*,) there should be some kind of guide to this lol.

Do you think i'll really get a good deal on that mic package (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-MXL-990MXL-991-Recording-Microphone-Package?sku=273166 ) online? $99 seems to be the standard for it, and clearance sales don't always extend to online purchases.

Also, for a soundcard (that's linux-compatible), I was thinking the Delta 1010LT (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Delta1010LT-main.html) from M-Audio. It seems decent enough that with some editing skills, music produced should be more than listenable. After that, my basic minimum for recording should be satisfied. I have a decent mixer and instruments.

Henry Rayker

October 25th, 2006, 06:03 PM

First, matthew, what is that bass all the way back on the first page...in your rack?

my basses:
I recently got an old Ibanez Blazer bass I'm restoring. I have an Ibanez Soundgear bass (collecting dust)...

guitar:
Right now I'm saving my money to build mostly from parts a Fender Jazzmaster (slightly modified electronics and different pickups). Aside from that, I have a crappy Fender Squier Strat that I stripped and painted pink. I'll try to post a pic later, but it's a sort of Pink Caddy pink...if you know what I mean.

drums:
I have a set of transparent red Pearl drums (they were my brother's, but he doesn't play them).

matthew

October 26th, 2006, 04:29 AM

First, matthew, what is that bass all the way back on the first page...in your rack?It's a Washburn that I picked up from a pawn shop when I needed something to record a bass line on a demo I was making. For $100 I have been very impressed with it. The headstock says "Washburn Force 8" but that's all I know about the model. I can tell you it has a mahogany body with a flame maple top under that cherry sunburst finish and (relatively unique for a bass) a maple fretboard/neck. Oh, and original bridge was replaced before I bought it with a BadAss II.

The cigarette burn mark on the headstock is also from a pervious owner. :)

Henry Rayker

October 26th, 2006, 10:12 AM

Excellent. My reason for asking is that the decal on the headstock looked similar to the one on my Blazer.

I got the monster for free (it has some writing on the body and the like) and it's missing a tuning machine. It turns out that these particular machines are pretty rare, so I'm having a heck of a time finding one. (The handle is a heart shape...the tuning posts are 12mm instead of 14mm)

paul cooke

October 26th, 2006, 05:34 PM

CAUTION! Do not click this link if you have a heart condition, a mouth full of hot liquids or are prone to fainting fits! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

[Ahem!] A drumroll please, for...my scary new drums... (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/7/2/8/452728.jpg)

Arrgghhh... how long's the warranty?? cos if I had just bought them I'd be itching to respray them.

The warranty'll be up on my Bass soon and then I can re-wire the electrics in it...

I want to replace the pickups and get some better pots

matthew

October 26th, 2006, 05:53 PM

Arrgghhh... how long's the warranty?? cos if I had just bought them I'd be itching to respray them.

The warranty'll be up on my Bass soon and then I can re-wire the electrics in it...Oh. You're supposed to wait? I never have. :)

Bezmotivnik

October 26th, 2006, 08:27 PM

After wasting all night futilely trying to get wireless -- ANY wireless -- working on the new v6.10 (looks like Ubuntu's going to be down for the count here again until v7.04 ](*,) ), those scary drums show up this afternoon.

Unfortunately, they only shipped me the first of two cartons that make up the set. They just never sent 2/2. It'll be next week before they can find out of there are any 2/2s in the warehouse left to send.

Unreal, huh? [-(

smithveg

October 27th, 2006, 07:53 AM

halfvolle melk

October 27th, 2006, 08:11 AM

Here are some look-alikes of my stuff:
http://www.elton.com.ua/images/epiphone_lp_std.JPG (minus the pick-guard, it's ugly)
http://www.geocities.com/xcvxcv65z/ibanez/2k-rg3120.jpg
http://www.acidpit.org/albums/Mockingbird/Namm_Mbird.sized.jpg
I think red + 'tiger stripes' is nice 8)

paul cooke

October 27th, 2006, 08:16 AM

I'm using 'Guitar Pro 4' in windows platform before i moved into ubuntu, after i use ubuntu, i can not install this software anymore. Can anyone tell me how to do it. Do i need some extra configuration. Of you may have an alternative software introduce to me. As long as i can open the gp3, and gp4. data file.

Any suggestion would appreciated, I need it as soon as possible.

the following thread gives instructions on getting Guitar Pro working on Ubuntu:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=247869

alternatively, you can try Tuxguitar

http://www.tuxguitar.com.ar/

bit rough in places (it's come on in leaps and bound this year though) and you need to install Java

The main thing is it reads and writes gp3 & 4 tabs as well as imports from midi.

in the meantime guys and gals... have you seen these paintjobs???

http://www.schenkguitars.com/special-edition-trufire.html
bit out of my price range though...

can you imagine those scary drums done in that flame blue finish?

Smaug067

October 27th, 2006, 12:38 PM

Got a Squire beginner's dreadnought for Christmas. Decent acoustic. I really enjoy playing even though I am just learnig how. I find it very relaxing/soothing. I am drooloing over a Fender Deluxe Player's Strat. Hafta do a lotta handy work to convince the wife to shell out the cash for this one, though;) !!!

18315

Henry Rayker

October 27th, 2006, 12:44 PM

Smaug067, that's a nice looking guitar. Here's to hoping you can get it.

I never liked gold hardware before I got my Blazer bass...there's just soemthing about visible woodgrain and gold hardware....

paul cooke

October 27th, 2006, 04:22 PM

I am drooloing over a Fender Deluxe Player's Strat. Hafta do a lotta handy work to convince the wife to shell out the cash for this one, though;) !!!

ha ha... my teenage daughter successfully talked me out of splashing out for a Fender Jazz Bass today that I'd found half price in the local debenhams music department...

Couldn't stop me from getting a new diatonic harmonica to increase the number of keys I can cope with though... :)

Bezmotivnik

October 27th, 2006, 05:42 PM

I am drooloing over a Fender Deluxe Player's Strat.
This one? (http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0133000367)

Do you like those pickups? Most guys don't for some reason. My advice on this model is not to buy sight unseen, and do a hard examination for problems before buying. Particularly look for fret flaws such as gaps between the fret shoulders and the fingerboard. These are Mexican Fenders and QC is usually very loose at the Ensenada plant. One will be fine, the next a lemon. Caveat emptor!

"Always buy in cold blood." ;)

Bezmotivnik

October 27th, 2006, 05:50 PM

can you imagine those scary drums done in that flame blue finish?
At this point I'm having a hard time imagining a whole set of them in any finish. The nitwits at the warehouse -- apparently the same lower apes who lost my returned Magicstomp -- are still looking for the #2 carton they neglected to send.

In the meantime, carton #1 obstructs my main hallway.

maniacmusician

October 27th, 2006, 06:01 PM

Bezmotivnik

October 27th, 2006, 06:16 PM

i've been thinking about buying this as a budget soundcard, recommended to me by a friend who uses and likes it: M-Audio Delta 1010LT (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-Delta-1010-LT-PCI-Digital-Audio-System?sku=701376)

what do you guys think?

1: M-Audio usually has good equipment.

2: In general, recording front-ends (or whatever you want to call them) that are on PCI cards are noisier than outboard/rack units. Don't know about this specific unit. You should ask around on the forums, like on homerecording.com and elsewhere.

3: You should look for a little longer price on that one if you decide to go for it. Maybe you can get a few more bucks off this everyday price.

4: I would never try to do recording in Linux, so that might influence my choice of hardware.

Also, bezmotivnik, do you think i'll really get a good deal online on that mic package you suggested (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...age?sku=273166 )? $99 seems to be the standard for it, and clearance sales don't always extend to online purchases.
GC now has their own website and does online sales. For a whole month this summer, they had this set AND an M-Audio preamp for $99, which is a pretty good deal. I just had no use for the preamp, otherwise I would have bought it.

You just have to keep hitting the sites and shopping the sales.

Remember, bargain hunting is hunting. If you've ever hunted, you'll get it. ;) You wait, you watch...and when you get your shot you take it without hesitation. It's exactly the same thing.

Bezmotivnik

October 29th, 2006, 06:06 PM

Hmmm...MIGHTY QUIET IN HERE!

Well, let's see... My soap opera is going pretty well, maybe. They supposedly found the remaining 2/3 of the scary drum set and will be sending them to me Monday. I frightened a friend with the smallest rail tom yesterday at a chichi restaurant where we were having lunch. He was semi speechless (he understands these things -- he once bought a new pickup truck from the factory at a very long price in a discontinued "Berry Blue" paintjob only to discover upon delivery that it was actually a vomitous metallic purple).

The Gretsch is back in the picture. Having taken my same position (however belatedly), lots of people are returning them due to the "vintage" inconveniences, thus MF is selling the returns for $849 (MSRP about $2800). For that price, I'll put a modern bridge on at my own expense. It should ship Monday.

I ordered a rack tuner today along with four more boom stands. MF had 'em for $9.99. You always need more boom stands. [shrug!] :neutral:

I went to the killin' Asian buffet near GC and afterwards went and spent a while beating stuff in their soundproof cymbal showroom. I quit when the tinnitus started up. Lots of nice cymbals, though!

It's a gorgeous day in California, so the cat and I went out in the back yard and caught some rays -- and picked the last of this year's tomatoes.

Oh, and I finally got wireless up in v6.06, so I'm doing this in Ubuntu! :shock:

maniacmusician

October 30th, 2006, 08:02 PM

If I used an outbard/rack "unit", how would I line in to the computer? Ultimately, it has to end up in a digital form...

Bezmotivnik

October 30th, 2006, 09:48 PM

If I used an outbard/rack "unit", how would I line in to the computer? Ultimately, it has to end up in a digital form...
Yes, but the processing is done in a separate, outboard unit; the resulting digital data is input to the computer through a simple I/O PCI card, firewire or USB.

Units that were inboard PCI devices have tended to pick up various noise/interference generated from the computer during the conversion process.

As I said, the significance of the problem varies a lot between devices (and computers), so you should check on the various recording fora and see what experienced owners of the device in which you're interested have to say about this. It may not be an issue. There have been some of these cards that were pretty objectionable, such as some of the Emu models, I understand.

Good luck!

Bezmotivnik

November 2nd, 2006, 02:29 PM

...by "Stupid Deal of the Day." :confused:

Hey, them scary drums I got from Musician's Friend on their "Stupid Deal of
the Day" a couple of weeks ago? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1660141&postcount=240) The ones that arrived without the
second box with the rest of the drums and the hardware?

Well, for the past week, MF has been telling me that the rest of the
parts were going to be sent "today," but never were. Totally
exasperated, I called again today and finally got to the bottom of the
problem. Check it out:

Mapex sent Musician's Friend the entire load of drums with only one of
the two boxes. Everyone (hundreds of people?) who ordered this set got
"Carton 1/2" but no "Carton 2/2"! Where in the round world all those
"Carton 2/2" boxes are, nobody knows.

Freakin' amazing, huh?

So...they're sending me a no-cost FedEx label and will have this set
picked up, plus I get a full refund and an $80 credit for my trouble.

So...I didn't get the drumset, but it looks like I made $80 on the deal.

Weird. :-k

The Gretsch arrives Saturday. Let's hope that's a smoother deal.

Bezmotivnik

November 2nd, 2006, 04:12 PM

Speaking of blindingly-hideous-but-great axes, when this monstrosity (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/0/229430.jpg) drops another hundred bucks or two, I'm buying. :biggrin: I played one the other day. This is a third-generation Toronado (Cor-Tek contract). The pickups are US Duncan '59 Vintage (reverse-coil option) at the neck and a Duncan Pearly Gates bridge. Neck's a Jazzmaster C pattern.
Well, true to my prediction, it just did (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Toronado-GT-HH-Electric-Guitar?sku=511942). :mrgreen:

maniacmusician

November 2nd, 2006, 10:29 PM

still too expensive for me, lol. But that's just because I'm not looking to buy a guitar at the moment.

Bezmotivnik

November 5th, 2006, 07:55 PM

That Gretsch (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?cpd=0OEY&doc_id=99371&g=guitar&base_pid=517766&index=0) came yesterday. Interesting, though I can't imagine who ever put a $2775 MSRP on the thing with a straight face.

Needs corrective work right out of the box. Nice sound, though. :neutral:

HW_Hack

November 5th, 2006, 09:18 PM

I'm just a geek who wants to play music --- no fantasy about being a musician here ---- If I can play a few chords and a progession or two (while staying in time) I'm freakin happy -- Now trying to keep learning and use GarageBand on the Mac for both backing tracks and laying down a track -- maybe someday we'll have some decent recording SW on linux

Got a Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow body - a sh*t-box Martin acoustic (cheapest model you can buy) - Marshall 30w amp

long live jazz-blues & rock-n-roll

matthew

November 6th, 2006, 04:30 AM

maybe someday we'll have some decent recording SW on linuxI'm all for that. Have you seen what the
Ubuntu Studio (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=128) guys are doing? It's still in the early stages, but they have put a lot of work into this idea.

EDIT: the link above is their forum link. Here's a link to their wiki (http://wiki.ubuntustudio.org), which is a better place to start.

Bezmotivnik

November 6th, 2006, 04:17 PM

EDIT: the link above is their forum link. Here's a link to their wiki (http://wiki.ubuntustudio.org), which is a better place to start.

"NOTICE: This site is no longer active, and is no longer valid." :-k

Frankly, with the best will in the world, I don't see this project ever being viable competion to the industry-standard stuff, if for no other resason than it wouldn't be able to use the standard plugins from Waves, Antares, Steinberg, etc. Never mind the drivers issue. :(

matthew

November 6th, 2006, 05:07 PM

"NOTICE: This site is no longer active, and is no longer valid." :-k Bummer. I hadn't noticed that.

Frankly, with the best will in the world, I don't see this project ever being viable competion to the industry-standard stuff, if for no other resason than it wouldn't be able to use the standard plugins from Waves, Antares, Steinberg, etc. Never mind the drivers issue. :(Unfortunately, I agree...at least for the forseeable future. This is one area where "buy a Mac" really makes sense to me for anything resembling professional usage. Now, for someone like me who might want to record some fun little track in my spare bedroom to only be heard by me and maybe my immediate family, "buy a Mac" would be overkill.

Bezmotivnik

November 6th, 2006, 07:18 PM

This is one area where "buy a Mac" really makes sense to me for anything resembling professional usage.
You know, for years I've been trying to get a coherent answer from people as to why Mac would be significantly preferable to a PC for pro recording and I've never gotten anything that made the least amount of sense from anyone yet. It sounds like a fashion statement more than anything else. Mac had the inside track on graphics and sound processing ages ago and it seems to me that it sort of became the default choice for some pros long after there was little objective reason for it.

Can you explain the case for me?

Some pro ("money is no object") digital studios run Mac, and I think a small majority run PC. I can't see that happening if there was really any substantive difference. Running Cubase and Waves on PC and running Cubase and Waves on Mac has to be pretty much the same isn't it? :-k

School me, brother.

Of course, if budget did matter, it's PC hands down. The amount of raw power per dollar always favors generic PC clones over Mac.

matthew

November 6th, 2006, 07:33 PM

Can you explain the case for me?

School me, brother.I don't have experience using either...the last bit of home studio equipment I bought was a Tascam 424 MkII (http://www.harmony-central.com/Events/WNAMM96/Tascam/424.html) and a couple of Shure SM57/58's. It just seems that everytime I read something about home recording in a guitar mag the author leans toward a mac and the few friends I know who do digital recording on their computers all use macs...I wasn't trying to be controversial, but was just going along with what I see/hear in my small sphere of experience. I absolutely do not have enough experience with using computers in recording to make an intelligent recommendation.

That said, I would choose a mac over windows hardware for other reasons...but they don't directly apply to the issue of which is better for this application.

Bezmotivnik

November 7th, 2006, 12:18 AM

It just seems that everytime I read something about home recording in a guitar mag the author leans toward a mac and the few friends I know who do digital recording on their computers all use macs...I wasn't trying to be controversial,
As I said, I don't know. There may be perfectly good reasons, I just haven't heard them yet. I've come in on discussions of this elsewhere and all it was was content-free fanboy flamewars among people with no apparent intellectual qualifications to discuss anything with anyone.

People don't understand that "because it's awesome and it rules" is not a persuasive argument to a thinking person. :rolleyes:

There may be an element of monkey-see/monkey-do based on the Mac's early dominance in these fields or simple prejudice.

Who knows? :confused:

maniacmusician

November 7th, 2006, 12:37 AM

I personally have a bit of a bias against macs; I just don't like Apple. And I got rid of windows a little while ago, so I can't use that either. So I'm really kind of banking on Ubuntu Studio to work well for me...I'll just get a linux-supported card, and learn how to edit audio. I do most of my effects with pedals if I need to so all I'd need to do with the computer is lay down the tracks and do a bit of clean up; don't really know how to, but time shall teach, I suppose.

by the way, the wiki that you linked to is defunct...this is because that wiki was simply a guide to getting audio stuff set up in linux. That wiki has been moved to the official help docs, and the domain name given up to be used for the new distro...The actual Ubuntu Studio project is located at http://ubuntustudio.org/ and they have an active wiki linked there. As far as I know the project is still alive and kicking.

Bezmotivnik

November 7th, 2006, 12:50 AM

I personally have a bit of a bias against macs; I just don't like Apple.
I hate Apple and Intel purely because of my unpleasant personal history with their corporate cultures and people.

That said, if I saved two bucks by somehow using their stuff over a competitor's to get a job done, I'd go for it.

Fortunately, they're overpriced and overrated, so I can afford to indulge my biases and save money too.

Does it get any better than that? :mrgreen:

matthew

November 7th, 2006, 04:55 AM

by the way, the wiki that you linked to is defunct...this is because that wiki was simply a guide to getting audio stuff set up in linux. That wiki has been moved to the official help docs, and the domain name given up to be used for the new distro...The actual Ubuntu Studio project is located at http://ubuntustudio.org/ and they have an active wiki linked there. As far as I know the project is still alive and kicking.Great! I'm glad to know this. I would love to see a foss solution for recording.

Bezmotivnik

November 9th, 2006, 10:02 PM

Seems they got the rest of those scary drums (http://usa.mapexdrums.com/drums/vxplasma/finishviewer/VYplasmayellowviewer.jpg) in from Mapex after all and will be shipping them tomorrow. I felt this might happen, so I delayed sending box #1 back to them.

I still get the $80 pain & suffering credit. ;)

Weird, but OK, I guess. :-k

raublekick

November 9th, 2006, 11:01 PM

matthew, i just noticed the smiley in your sig! what song is he playing?

matthew

November 10th, 2006, 04:46 AM

matthew, i just noticed the smiley in your sig! what song is he playing?Surfing with the Alien (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing_with_the_Alien)

baldy1324

November 12th, 2006, 01:38 PM

since i have been saving up my money, i have been thinking about upgrading my squire strat to a sg. my guitar teacher said that i should get a PODxt Live Line 6 multi effects panel and that will be better than a guitar. i just dont know how well my squire would sound w/ that and i also know most people get a good guitar before they get effects panels or a package.
any thoughts...

maniacmusician

November 12th, 2006, 01:42 PM

yeah I would say get a good guitar first. Effects pedals can be fun, but they don't hold a candle to cradling your beatiful new guitar in your arms.

matthew

November 12th, 2006, 03:52 PM

yeah I would say get a good guitar first. Effects pedals can be fun, but they don't hold a candle to cradling your beautiful new guitar in your arms.I agree.

A good guitar is like a good woman. Effects are more like jewelry or clothes...they can help enhance or hide things, but when you get right down to it they are not what is most important. Start with a good foundation and the rest of the things are taken care of.

(I admit, the analogy breaks down when you try to figure out where a good amplifier fits into the equation...I'm not going there.)

ComplexNumber

November 12th, 2006, 04:03 PM

A good guitar is like a good woman. Effects are more like jewelry or clothes.nice analogy :D.....and probably quite true.

(I admit, the analogy breaks down when you try to figure out where a good amplifier fits into the equation...I'm not going there.)to use the same analogy, an amplifier is a womans physical appearance and how she projects herself to the world.

Bezmotivnik

November 12th, 2006, 07:40 PM

Buying pedals is a great way of spending a lot of money and never realizing where it all went. ;)

I rarely use pedals, but I have a wad of them I bought out of curiosity about the circuit designs. I don't consider the money well-spent. Like a lot of gear, most stomps are overpriced for what they are, and production costs seem to have nothing to do with retail price, even within the same line.

I do use modelers and multi-effects for recording, but frankly they are usually too complex for me to employ to their fullest. The plain truth is that they are so complex that only a tiny percentage of the people who buy them are smart and/or determined enough to get anything like the proper use out of them. They've been outsmarted by their equipment. These people are immediately recognizable by the way they inarticulately rant against the equipment as being junk after having it for two days and never having installed the computer editing software. :mrgreen:

Bezmotivnik

November 12th, 2006, 07:48 PM

A good guitar is like a good woman.
Well, not in terms of scarcity! ;)

Every day I notice how more and more really nice guitars are available at lower and lower prices.

I also notice how rare a good women is at any price. :(

This may explain why I have thirty-six guitars and basses and no girlfriend. Y'think?

saphil

November 12th, 2006, 07:52 PM

My main guitar is a Peavey Mystic - made some time in the 80s. I sold my Sigma A/E (took a beating over that) and kept the peavey because it sounds so good and the set-up is so tight. (Had the frets planed down to half their original height and it is wicked fast to play with 0 fret noise.

I also play an Ibanez bass with frets only to the fifth, all planed down above that. Sounds like a stand-up bass up there.

Also play a Deering banjo

Also play bowed psaltery, tin whistles, flute, sax, oboe, Irish harp.

Used to have one of the first Roland synth-guitars.. can't remember the model. It was essentially awful. In the 80s, synth was pretty raw.

Also had a Peavey T-1, bought in '78. Now that was an awesome franken-guitar. Peewee and I set up onboard amps and a useless but essentially functional VU meter on it.

My current wish list includes a 12-string bass I played once, a seven-string guitar that I can use a violin bow on and reach all the strings, a bass flute (4' long, about, and folded in half)

saphil

November 12th, 2006, 08:05 PM

Pedals are interesting, however, I play like .. 23 or 40 instruments, sorta, kinda, so if I want a sax sound, I don't look to get it out of a guitar. My favourite pedal effects are a distortion box and a sort of stereo imaging thing that does reverb that sounds like you are playing in an empty cathedral at midnight on halloween. It does other sounds too, but that one is the only one I really like.

I would also be interested in a studio app for Ubuntu. My PC was developed with music in mind. THe front panel has 2 low impedance jacks, rca-source sound input and several inputs I cannot identify. This is a SoundBlaster-Live card with enhancements and alsa seems to recognize all of it.

Bezmotivnik

November 12th, 2006, 10:25 PM

My main guitar is a Peavey Mystic
One of these (http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?images=25998618,25998620,25998623,2 5998628,25998630,25998632,25998634,25998636&image=25998618&gid=201697&formats=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0&format=0)?

8-[

Bezmotivnik

November 12th, 2006, 10:29 PM

The thread makes it to #300.

=D> [cue sound of one person slowly clapping in the back of a dark, empty theatre]

I did...what?...265 of them? :rolleyes:

dbbolton

November 13th, 2006, 01:42 AM

matthew

November 13th, 2006, 04:02 AM

Well, not in terms of scarcity! ;)

Every day I notice how more and more really nice guitars are available at lower and lower prices.

I also notice how rare a good women is at any price. :(Excellent point.

Bezmotivnik

November 13th, 2006, 11:22 PM

Excellent point.
Yeah, that $129 Höfner had better build alignment than the $2775 Gretsch.

Oh, you meant about the women... :redface:

Bezmotivnik

November 15th, 2006, 06:59 AM

Some time back, I said that when these (http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0260700599) got cheaper, I was going to get one.

Well, with my $80 pain & suffering credit from the ugly drum fiasco (the missing half arrives today, contrary to all expectation), a $25 bonus discount and MF's desperate "blem" discounting of the most two most unpopular hideous colors (http://fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0260700599_xl.jpg), I just managed to get one of these $899.99 monstrosities for $234.99, delivered. Should be here Monday.

Am I The Man, or what? =D>

Ugly as a bag of guts, yes -- uh, the axe, not me -- but check the specs (http://fender.com/products/view_specs.php?full_partno=0260700599&name=Toronado%26reg%3B+GT+HH). These are Cor-Tek contract Fenders, some of the best-built there are, and that's $230 worth of US aftermarket Duncans alone. I've played these and they're seriously rockin'. I can cover up the racing stripe with Hello Kitty stickers.

Gustav

November 15th, 2006, 08:31 AM

matthew

November 15th, 2006, 08:40 AM

I can cover up the racing stripe with Hello Kitty stickers.Sweet. I want to see pictures with the Hello Kitty stickers! :D

Bezmotivnik

November 15th, 2006, 08:59 AM

I was thinking of buying one of those when I bought my Jaguar (I was also considering a Jaguar HH) but blue metallic and without the stripe and (much prettier). They seem really nice. (I haven't regretted my choice, my Jaguar is great!)
Yeah, the Jaguar is a classic.

I originally wanted one of the pre-racing-stripe original Corona Toronados, but they seemed to have come and gone pretty quickly, to be replaced by the Mexican ones, which left me cold, mainly due to the build quality. These Cor-Tek ones are very well-built and have superb pickups, probably the best of the Toronados. It's a dang shame about that racing stripe, but there was this nutty "hotrod" motif obsession with the recent batches of these "Special Edition" Cor-Tek contract guitars, such as the "So-Cal Speed Shop" axe. (http://fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0265200550_xl.jpg) :-k

saphil

November 15th, 2006, 09:05 AM

Why don't you just have it refinished, if you don't like the stripe. That would be me, pull all the hardware and refinish it, maybe a light maple finish... :-)

23meg

November 15th, 2006, 09:05 AM

Maybe you can get a luthier to give it a repaint.

(edit: too slow..)

Bezmotivnik

November 15th, 2006, 09:18 AM

Sweet. I want to see pictures with the Hello Kitty stickers! :D
Either that or leaping trout camper-shell decals. Maybe a big, honkin' pheasant.

I'm having a hard time making up my mind on this. :-k

Some psychobilly guy has camper shell outdoorsman decals all over his Gretsch, if I remember correctly. Can't remember who, offhand.

BTW, I'm getting used to that Gretsch I got last week or whenever it was. It's OK, but at last I know I've found a brand even more insanely overpriced than Gibson. That was also Mark's take after doing this photo spread for GC (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/gretschtr). Nice, but not that nice. This is a G6119 and mine's the slightly more expensive "vintage" version G6119-1962HT (http://www.gretschguitars.com/repository/gretsch/images/G6119-1962HT_xl.jpg).

Bezmotivnik

November 15th, 2006, 09:22 AM

Why don't you just have it refinished.
I never irrevocably mod an instrument.

Never.

It's the one law that over forty years of buying and selling guitars has taught me in spades.

saphil

November 15th, 2006, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by Bezmotivnik Quote:
Originally Posted by saphil http://ubuntuforums.org/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1760982#post1760982)
Why don't you just have it refinished.

I never irrevocably mod an instrument.

Never.

It's the one law that over forty years of buying and selling guitars has taught me in spades.I really appreciate that statement. I hate to even get a nick in the paint, or a ding on a case. My sax was involved in a motorcycle accident and got a bent bell. I was pretty sad about that, but it still plays, and I haven't replaced it. Worse yet, I have not found an instrument repairer I want to work on it, so the bell is still bent.
This being said, I am a player, and not a collector. I regularly modify instruments to get the look or sound I want. This is not undertaken lightly, as there is a cost involved, and I certainly wouldn't want to do something that would irretrevably ruin the sound. I imagine it makes you cringe, but I have been known to have extra pieces routed out to make way for 18v onboard preamps.

Presumably, when I am famous, you will be able to get my old instruments and they will be worth more, rather than less, because of my permanent mods. You know the Les Paul was a mod built specifically to Les Paul's specs, right? 8):D:-D8) Maybe Peavey will put a permanent "factory custom model" of my slicked-up Mystic (http://vancouver.craigslist.org/msg/234188903.html). (ok, this is not mine. Mine is black and has some invisible but important mods)

Bezmotivnik

November 15th, 2006, 09:24 PM

Ugliness update:

Incredibly, after nearly a month of being lost, the remainder of the hideous drums arrived today.

The hideous guitar shipped this morning.

Re drums, despite the frightful ugliness of this particular color scheme (http://usa.mapexdrums.com/drums/vxplasma/finishviewer/VYplasmayellowviewer.jpg), I have to be amazed at how much progress there has been in the design and manufacture of drums and kit hardware in the past thirty years, and how well this has trickled down into less expensive sets (the tom mounts were upgraded on this set). Though only a Mapex semi-pro kit, the gear is better -- and infinitely better engineered -- than the real pro stuff back in the old days. And cheaper.

Given the fact that I got this set for about 86% off due to the hideousness of the closeout color option, I may splurge on a set of Aquarian Studio-X heads or perhaps an Evans Hydraulic set, then get serious about cymbals and a steel snare. I should be doing some decent drum loop recording soon.

halfvolle melk

November 17th, 2006, 01:11 PM

Gnome
http://www.philbrodieband.com/1966fender_telecaster_butterscotch-b.jpg

KDE
http://www.beatstreetmusic.com/612db_2.jpg

Windows (http://www.guitarplayer.ru/ronthal/img/ron_thal_03.jpg)
Sorry :mrgreen: :p

ComplexNumber

November 17th, 2006, 01:15 PM

halfvolle melk
that kde one sure is difficult to use ;)

matthew

November 17th, 2006, 01:23 PM

Gnome

KDE
Windows (http://www.guitarplayer.ru/ronthal/img/ron_thal_03.jpg)
Sorry :mrgreen: :pDon't be sorry...that was hysterical.:D

CPtAJ

November 17th, 2006, 07:42 PM

Now I have a huge urge to install KDE](*,)

Bezmotivnik

November 19th, 2006, 12:45 PM

Now I have a huge urge to install KDE](*,)
Now I have a huge urge to burn down B. C. Rich.

Speaking of ugly, The Bronze Bombshell (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg) arrives tomorrow! :cool:

Bezmotivnik

November 21st, 2006, 09:36 AM

Speaking of ugly, The Bronze Bombshell (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg) arrives tomorrow! :cool:
It came.

It's junk.

It's going back. :(

To start with, the pickup selector switch was broken completely off, and the piece wasn't even in the box!

Secondly, there were a lot of really bad factory QC problems. This is the worst Cor-Tek Fender I've ever seen. Multiple fatal, irreparable defects.

Aside from the fact that this was a rare lemon that was severely battered, it's an interesting piece. Hope they can set me up with a good replacement.

fuscia

November 21st, 2006, 10:24 AM

Gnome

KDE

hilarious.

thisllub

November 21st, 2006, 04:17 PM

Now I have a huge urge to burn down B. C. Rich.

Speaking of ugly, The Bronze Bombshell (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg) arrives tomorrow! :cool:

I suddenly feel a little ill after seeing that.

InsomniacUK

November 21st, 2006, 05:18 PM

Okay, since this is a guitar players thread, might I ask to take advantage of some of your collective expertise? I am planning on buying a guitar when I get paid, with the intention to start learning to play. It's the old cliche, I went to a concert, saw someone really good at guitar and it's inspired me to try and learn, so I can play some of their songs at home.

Now, what would be the best way of going about learning to play? What's the best sort of guitar to get? What should I look out for? What should I avoid?

How easy is guitar to learn? Is it better to pay for tuition, or is it better to teach yourself? The guitar player who inspired me, Jason Mraz, I believe is self-taught, and he's pretty good.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

One side-note, I took guitar lessons when I was a kid (i'm 22 now) but can't remember anything about them really. Except one thing, the guitar I used at first had nylon strings, and when I used to school's guitar with metal strings, I found them very awkard to use. They made me shudder in a fingers-down-a-chalkboard kind of way (if that makes sense) when I ran my fingers down them. Anyway to get over that? I would imagine such an aversion to metal strings would prove quite an obstacle to learning.

matthew

November 21st, 2006, 05:42 PM

Now, what would be the best way of going about learning to play? What's the best sort of guitar to get? What should I look out for? What should I avoid?Step 1: find a friend who plays...preferably one who plays well. Take him/her with you when you go shopping.

Step 2: when you get to the store, pick up every single guitar you like the looks of. Have your friend play each one and tell you that guitar's good and bad points. Learn to discern quality from garbage. Don't buy anything that day if you can help it. Have your friend show you the difference between steel string acoustics and nylon string guitars. If you're interested in an electric spend some time learning the basics there as well.

Step 3: do your research on prices, etc., once you have an idea of the type of guitar you want to play. Get your money together. Start searching for a deal you will be happy with. Don't get ripped off, but don't get discouraged if you discover someone else got a slightly better deal than you did...find something you like that you are comfortable with for a price you think is reasonable...then be happy. :)

How easy is guitar to learn? Is it better to pay for tuition, or is it better to teach yourself?A lot of this depends on the student. I'm entirely self-taught and some say I'm pretty good. I know I have some knowledge/skill gaps that I try to fill when I can. I've read 40-50 different books, worked through hundreds of lessons on my own from magazines, books, videos, etc, and (most importantly) I have played regularly with people who are better than me and learned by watching/listening to them and occasionally convincing them to show me things.

One side-note, I took guitar lessons when I was a kid (i'm 22 now) but can't remember anything about them really. Except one thing, the guitar I used at first had nylon strings, and when I used to school's guitar with metal strings, I found them very awkard to use. They made me shudder in a fingers-down-a-chalkboard kind of way (if that makes sense) when I ran my fingers down them. Anyway to get over that? I would imagine such an aversion to metal strings would prove quite an obstacle to learning.See my initial comments above for finding the guitar that's right for you. The finger squeak sound isn't something you are likely to get rid of immediately, but your fretting technique and skill/experience level can have a large affect on it as can your specific guitar gear--you can even get certain types of strings that minimize the problem. Again, I recommend making friends with someone near you who plays well and also it helps to read a lot...guitar magazines, books, etc.

Bottom line for me: have fun!! Remember, you play the guitar.

Bezmotivnik

November 22nd, 2006, 02:42 AM

What's the best sort of guitar to get? What should I look out for? What should I avoid?
Do you want an electric or acoustic guitar?

Narrow it down for me that far and I can start giving you meaningful advice.

steven8

November 22nd, 2006, 02:52 AM

I am very excited to say that we have purchased my son Paul his first guitar for this Christmas. It is a First Act. Not a Paul Westerberg edition, as I had wished to get, but I am so excited just the same. I have not taught anyone to play guitar in almost 20 years, but I can't wait!!

Surprisingly enough, the action is very low and very soft. Not what I expected from a 'bargain' beginner's guitar. I have no idea why guitar manufacturers feel that beginners need to have high, stiff action. That is part of why I sat my beginner's guitar down after 3 months, wanting to quit. My fingers hurt so bad I couldn't play.

Bezmotivnik

November 22nd, 2006, 03:39 AM

Surprisingly enough, the action is very low and very soft. Not what I expected from a 'bargain' beginner's guitar. I have no idea why guitar manufacturers feel that beginners need to have high, stiff action.
It has nothing to do with "beginners."

Guitars were intentionally shipped with high actions for one single reason: To cover up neck and fretboard faults, period.

Back in the old days, a "beginner" guitar was usually junk. It was poorly made and poorly set up. For that reason, it had to have a high action so as not to fret-out when playing.

Now that guitars are largely robotically made, there is much more consistency in the product and the actions can be lower.

Because of automated construction and the progressive removal of the human element in guitar manufacture, it is much harder to get a really bad guitar these days at any price. It is also much harder to get a truly well-built guitar at any price.

Guitarists, usually being stupid romantics, have an incredibly difficult time accepting this. Build quality is almost totally detatched from price. Parts and materials quality will be noticeably better, but the construction and finish rarely will reflect the price differential. Add to this the really amazing propensity of buyers to totally suspend technical criticism of high-priced guitars. As a consequence, there are a lot of garbage $4000 axes. :rolleyes:

steven8

November 22nd, 2006, 03:42 AM

Hmmm. That makes sense, in a sad sort of way. I have been out of the market for a LONG time!!

It's a good thing we wrapped his guitar, though. I'm DYING to play it!! :-)

InsomniacUK

November 22nd, 2006, 05:02 AM

Do you want an electric or acoustic guitar?

Narrow it down for me that far and I can start giving you meaningful advice.

Acoustic. I'd like to move on to electric at some point, but i'm going to start with acoustic.

steven8

November 22nd, 2006, 05:04 AM

Takamine:

http://www.takamine.com/

Bezmotivnik

November 22nd, 2006, 01:05 PM

Acoustic.
I'm largely out of the conversation, then.

Buying, selling, researching, playing, preparing and writing about electric guitars and analyzing the electric guitar industry has been my "life" and frequently my sole source of income off and on for forty years.

I don't have much interest in acoustics. I own a few, and some are quite nice.

Why? In essence, they are more primitive, traditional devices -- like, say, a violin. That means They are hugely more at the mercy of vicissitudes in manufacturing and materials inconsistencies. They have very little room for non-destructive adjustment of routine things such as action and intonation. They are far more tempermental than electrics. There's far more difference between good ones and bad ones within the same production run and little or nothing you can do to predict or remedy it. They typically have more limited longevity and are rarely worth repairing, which tends to be extremely difficult and expensive.

What I said about robotic production goes double for acoustics.

The upside is that there are very few really bad guitars at any price in the lower- to mid-range instruments. No matter what name is on the instrument, they are usually products of huge, state-of-the-art factories across Asia that turn out staggering numbers of contract product, much of which is identical except for the name and headstock shape. The output is as consistent as modern computer-controlled industry can make it -- but with acoustics, the sound will vary quite a bit still, particularly if made from solid woods. Most less-expensive acoustics are made from laminates ("plywood"), though marketing never uses the term, preferring something exciting like "Sitka spruce top" -- which may be the truth, but only for the top layer. The next grade up is "solid" woods, conventional non-laminates. These, at least potentially, have finer tone. Laminates can still sound OK. Some individual laminate guitars may sound nicer than some individual solid-wood guitars.

With an acoustic, what you see (and hear) is what you get. I you do not like the way it plays, feels or sounds, you're pretty much stuck with it -- relative to your typical options with an electric.

23meg

November 24th, 2006, 05:09 AM

you're pretty much stuck with it I agree, and that fact is what fuels the enormous, yet modest creativity in some acoustic playing. Your options are so limited that you have to push really hard to break from the standards, and you have "no distortion to cover your back". "Necessity is the mother of invention", as is often said.

Also needless to say, acoustic playing is a whole different paradigm. Whenever the electric guitar steps in, you're dealing with electrons flowing along a wire and pushing a speaker cone to make sound, thus it's electronic music by definition; whereas with an acoustic, it's the vibration of the very string you hit with your finger or pick that's making the sound.

Bezmotivnik

November 24th, 2006, 02:14 PM

Also needless to say, acoustic playing is a whole different paradigm.
Yep.

it's the vibration of the very string you hit with your finger or pick that's making the sound.
It's still the same thing making the sound with electric, but the sound is processed more obviously -- and I stress "obviously," not "more." Acoustic guitar is still very heavily processed in the studio by the various engineers through whose hands the original signal passes, and the sound is very dependent on the sophistication of the original recording environment and hardware. The effects are just more subtle to the naive listener, because reducing comb filtering caused by microphone placement, say, is less apparent than adding ring modulation. They're both still equally electronic processing, though the latter is much more obvious.

matthew

November 24th, 2006, 03:11 PM

Acoustic. I'd like to move on to electric at some point, but i'm going to start with acoustic.I'm going to repeat my recommendation to take a friend with you who plays to help you choose a good one (especially someone who plays in a style similar to what you intend to learn). I've owned good quality acoustics that sounded nice and cost in the $250 range, but that is unusual. You will find many nice looking and easy playing instruments now days in just about any price range--it's a lot easier than when I started learning. I still say the first step is to decide what you want to spend (or how much you can afford) then look at what is offered in that price range and below.

The following are personal preferences for acoustic guitars: they are not absolutes, but it's what I would want.
I want one that plays smoothly with a low action but no string/fret buzzing. I test every single note on the fretboard and make sure it rings clearly. If it doesn't and I love the guitar otherwise I make sure the salesman knows I am truly serious and ask for the guitar to be set up properly or adjusted before I give the final "okay" to purchasing it.
I have to like how it looks. For me that means not too gaudy--I like plain and simple. For some that means fancy inlays, etc...my preference is ultimately about the sound, but I still have to see it and think, "I want to pick that up." My main acoustic has almost no ornamentation and a matte finish and I love it. Totally personal taste.
Quality woodwork and craftsmanship. I check absolutely every glue joint, seam, etc. for cracks or sloppiness. Once we go over $400 I will even take a dental mirror and look inside the guitar and inspect every glue joint there--not expecting perfection, but wanting to make sure there is no wanton sloppiness.
The guitar has to have a nice, even tone when played as I intend to use it. For me this means primarily when played with a pick, but I do some fingerstyle stuff occasionally so it has to sound decent that way as well. Some guitars seem to have a strong preference for being played one way and sound terrible when played the other way. Others sound adequate both ways.
I prefer solid woods to be used throughout, but I'll make an occasional exception for the back or sides of the guitar, never for the top soundboard. I like mahogany or cedar for the back and sides, although rosewood is quite nice as well and some other woods have impressed me. I like rosewood fretboards, but some prefer ebony. For the soundboard I prefer spruce or cedar. Again, this can vary widely even within the same production run of the exact same model guitar from the same company, so you really have to have someone with you to help you, someone who can play the guitar well enough for you to listen to it and say, "that's nice" or "that's bad." Oh, I'm not a big fan of "we're not sure what this wood is" although for a first guitar it might not be a big deal.
Don't look at the name on the headstock if you can help it. I've played everything from $129 Yamahas to $15,000 Martins and the name is generally not a good indicator of how the guitar is going to sound. It can be a good indicator of resale value, though, so if that is a possibility then keep it in mind.
Make sure the tuners work smoothly and don't slip.Finally, my current main guitar (for 10 years now) is a Guild D4 that I bought in a pawn shop. It has a solid spruce top, solid mahogany sides, and a arched mahogany plywood back. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fretboard and it has grover tuners. It sounds fabulous, was made in the USA before Fender bought Guild, I can restring it and once the strings settle in it will stay in tune for weeks...one of the best things, the list price at the time was in the $700 range because it has no real ornamentation (personal preference anyway) but I got it with a hard case for $300. The person I feel bad for is whoever sold it to the pawn shop in the first place. At the time the pickguard didn't have any scratches at all, in fact the guitar seemed like it had never been played. I have since installed a quality pickup and preamp in the guitar as well as a bone nut and bridge and ebony bridge pins...the guitar sounded good to begin with so the additions were mainly for convenience (not needing to mic the guitar to play live with a large group) or just to enhance what was already there (materials upgrades).

Happy hunting!

Bezmotivnik

November 24th, 2006, 04:16 PM

I'm going to repeat my recommendation to take a friend with you who plays to help you choose a good one (especially someone who plays in a style similar to what you intend to learn).
With an acoustic, I'd agree.

With an electric, I'd consider this a waste of time. Being extremely generous, I doubt that one guitarist in a hundred has the slightest knowledge of what makes a well-built guitar. If they did, a couple of major American makers would be out of business in six months.

As many electric guitars as I have bought, I can recall none (0) that I played before purchasing. Again, I regard it as a waste of time.

I do, however, INSPECT them far more rigorously than the factory did, and I can tell a lot more about an electric guitar from visual and tactile inspection than I ever could from playing it.

Why would I play an acoustic and not an electric? Because (1) you can't readily fix most problems with acoustics and (2) native sound is not as much of an issue with electrics (I do not "play" acoustic stock either, but I inspect it tonally), and any action faults will be remedied in my initial setup of the instrument, which is extensive. I can tell by touch if the neck and fretboard are to my liking. I don't have to crank up some Marshall and play "Smoke on the Water" six times with my eyes closed and my mouth hanging open to find this out. After this many decades, it's immediately apparent to me. Anything short of a dead pickup I can handle on the bench, and I've never had a dead pickup on a new guitar yet.

I inspect for fatal fret flaws, particularly poor seating, which is becoming extremely common as the fretting process becomes automated, fatal misalignments and for less-common fatal neck flaws. Not one guitarist in a thousand is aware of these issues, which is why the manufacturers are getting away with shipping instruments they know to have these problems.

I do a close check for materials, build and finish quality and note what is remediable and what isn't. I work fast and I don't miss anything. If I can get my price and there are no deal-killing problems with the product, I bag it and move on. If I don't get my price, I blow it off and move on. There's always another deal.

Buyers go into guitar stores looking for some magical hippy moment with some axe. That's nonsense. The guitar is just light industrial product, like a radio or a pair of shoes or a toilet valve. That's all it will ever be. If you inspect it as product -- knowledgeably -- you will be way ahead of the chump who wanders around looking for a cosmic bonding experience to guide his choice.

Bezmotivnik

November 24th, 2006, 04:29 PM

my current main guitar...is a Guild D4
Hey, offhand do you know what the difference is between a D4 and a D-40?

I have an extremely low-mileage '73 D-40 here that I've been using a bit lately. It's a remarkably plain instrument. I'm not a Guild acoustic authority, but it seems to be very much like the D4, within the year-to-year variations. :-k

happy-and-lost

November 24th, 2006, 04:45 PM

Mmm... I want a *proper* Les Paul bass, like the one the bassist in Blur has, but they're £2000!

My Hybrid pickup Squier will just have to do!

matthew

November 25th, 2006, 03:37 AM

Hey, offhand do you know what the difference is between a D4 and a D-40?

I have an extremely low-mileage '73 D-40 here that I've been using a bit lately. It's a remarkably plain instrument. I'm not a Guild acoustic authority, but it seems to be very much like the D4, within the year-to-year variations. :-kOff the top of my head, they didn't start making the D-4 until the early 1990s while the D-40 was in the line for at least 30 some years...hmm, what else...really there isn't much difference between the two. The D-40 was available in black and an antique burst finish as well as natural and I've only ever seen natural on the D-4...that's all I can think of.

Bezmotivnik

November 25th, 2006, 01:06 PM

hmm, what else...really there isn't much difference between the two.
Yeah, I didn't think so. The D4 seems to be out of production, along with most or all of the electrics.

I'm not sure who's making the D-40 now, Fender Ensenada I believe was for a while, and I heard it was going to be made up at the Tacoma Guitars plant after FMIC bought them out...but I dunno. Some models were farmed out to Asia. Traditional Guild took quite a blow in that buyout. Westerly was closed and everyone was scattered to the four winds.

I'm not in as close contact with the FMIC nabobs as I once was, and stuff changes there week to week.

For some reason, I never warmed up to this D-40 when I first bought it from a friend in around '83, and I wasn't selling axes then, so it wound up in storage for twenty years. I got it out and re-strung it a year or two ago and decided I liked it OK. It hasn't developed any age-related problems, though I would like to drop the action a little. I'm just too lazy to mess with fitting a saddle. The geometry is still perfectly OK, no warped top, it just had a high action to begin with, like most acoustics of that era.

paul cooke

November 25th, 2006, 02:25 PM

Mmm... I want a *proper* Les Paul bass, like the one the bassist in Blur has, but they're £2000!

My Hybrid pickup Squier will just have to do!

I'm of two minds for what to get myself for my 50th birthday next year... one of these Ibanez SRX355NT (http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_image/product/59dbbd9d97aedf51901a815c875c6e97.jpg) at some £275, or one of these Zoom B2.1U (http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/13646) babies at £95 and upgrade the pickups and pots in my current bass (cheapo P-Bass clone)... hmm... think the Zoom box gets it... The Ibanez can wait till next Christmas :)

ps, my granddaughter thinks its real cool having a granddad playing bass... I'm starting her out on the long and winding guitar road... got her a 1/2 size acoustic for Christmas. Start 'em young I say :)

anyone else planning any splurging out this Christmas? I went a little mental last year... bought a yatch (little one, secondhand... 15ft 4 berth, a snip at £1000) !!!

Bezmotivnik

November 25th, 2006, 04:26 PM

anyone else planning any splurging out this Christmas?
Maybe one of these (http://www.gretschguitars.com/repository/gretsch/images/G6119B_xl.jpg)

Gretsch instruments are insanely overpriced, but I can get a long deal. [shrug]

raublekick

December 1st, 2006, 11:41 AM

Matthew, Guild guitars are quite nice! Sounds like someone got a 5-finger discount on yours and sold it to the pawn shop without knowing what they had :)

I might be buying a Mustang for $300 from a friend of mine. It was formerly owned by a former guitar player for one of my favorite bands.

ComplexNumber

December 1st, 2006, 12:27 PM

has anyone ever played, have any experience with, or knowledge of, Gorden Smith guitars?

fuscia

December 1st, 2006, 12:57 PM

I might be buying a Mustang for $300 from a friend of mine. It was formerly owned by a former guitar player for one of my favorite bands.

love mustangs. *desperately searches for ventures cd.*

matthew

December 1st, 2006, 01:28 PM

Matthew, Guild guitars are quite nice! Sounds like someone got a 5-finger discount on yours and sold it to the pawn shop without knowing what they had :)
Yeah, I've thought of that a couple of times over the last 10 years I've owned it. I did play it regularly in public in the same small town where I bought it and no one ever approached me, but that doesn't really mean anything.

On a different note, I almost bought a Mustang once. It didn't have the racing stripe so I walked away...I was 20 at the time, just before Kurt Cobain made them popular, and I could have bought it for $120. I wish I had and then sold it later. :)

raublekick

December 1st, 2006, 01:33 PM

Yeah, I've thought of that a couple of times over the last 10 years I've owned it. I did play it regularly in public in the same small town where I bought it and no one ever approached me, but that doesn't really mean anything.

On a different note, I almost bought a Mustang once. It didn't have the racing stripe so I walked away...I was 20 at the time, just before Kurt Cobain made them popular, and I could have bought it for $120. I wish I had and then sold it later. :)

Hehe I read something that Billy Corgan stopped playing a Mustang after someone made a comparison to Cobain.

This one doesn't have a stripe, but like I said, it was formerly owned by a former member of one of my favorite bands and my friend needs the money pretty bad.

ComplexNumber

December 1st, 2006, 01:36 PM

has anyone ever played, have any experience with, or knowledge of, Gorden Smith guitars?
no-one know? :confused:

Bezmotivnik

December 1st, 2006, 05:41 PM

Still trying to get over this bizarre attraction people have to Mustangs, which have never been particularly distinguished instruments qua guitars. Cheap pickups, dreadful vibrato, even for a low-end Fender.

You want a freakin' ugly racing stripe? I got yer ugly racing stripe right here (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg).

Bezmotivnik

December 1st, 2006, 05:56 PM

has anyone ever played, have any experience with, or knowledge of, Gorden Smith guitars?
Sorry, no.

matthew

December 1st, 2006, 05:59 PM

Still trying to get over this bizarre attraction people have to Mustangs, which have never been particularly distinguished instruments qua guitars. Dreadful vibrato, even for a low-end Fender.

You want a freakin' ugly racing stripe? I got yer ugly racing stripe right here (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg).The one I mentioned played and sounded terrible...hence my passing on it even though it was so cheap.

FWIW, I still like racing stripes, even on that ugly gold/black thing. It would be better in a nice Shelby Cobra royal blue/white combination, though.

halfvolle melk

December 1st, 2006, 06:36 PM

All this talk of Mustangs reminds me that I want a JazzMaster. And then ... Surf's up!

Bezmotivnik

December 1st, 2006, 07:17 PM

The [Mustang] I mentioned played and sounded terrible...hence my passing on it even though it was so cheap.

It was just a tarted-up Duo-Sonic beginner guitar with a goofy cheap vibrato.

FWIW, I still like racing stripes, even on that ugly gold/black thing.

[ahem!] Young man, I'll have you know that's bronze![-X

There's traditionally some special esoteric mojo attached to Fender bronze axes. What, I don't remember exactly, but I figure what the heck?

It would be better in a nice Shelby Cobra royal blue/white combination, though.

Like this (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/6/0/2/423602.jpg)?

I'd like to know what knucklehead at FMIC got such a febrile mania for those wretched stripes (I have a sneaking suspicion, but I don't want to risk a libel suit). They've been contracting with Cor-Tek for various such stripey models for several years now, and they all die dogs' deaths in the marketplace, despite being good instruments. Idiocy!

Here's what a basic Toronado look likes without the grotesque disfigurement (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/1/1/3/229113.jpg).

Unfortunately, that's a less-desirable - in terms of everything but looks - Mexican model that's out of production.

BTW, MF was so mortified by the condition and build quality of the Toronado I sent back that they hand-picked a new one for me and sent it out yesterday.

paul cooke

December 2nd, 2006, 03:40 AM

Like this (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/6/0/2/423602.jpg)?

I'd like to know what knucklehead at FMIC got such a febrile mania for those wretched stripes (I have a sneaking suspicion, but I don't want to risk a libel suit). They've been contracting with Cor-Tek for various such stripey models for several years now, and they all die dogs' deaths in the marketplace, despite being good instruments. Idiocy!

Here's what a basic Toronado look likes without the grotesque disfigurement (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/1/1/3/229113.jpg).

Unfortunately, that's a less-desirable - in terms of everything but looks - Mexican model that's out of production.

hey, I like the blue stripey one... :)

Bezmotivnik

December 2nd, 2006, 03:55 AM

hey, I like the blue stripey one... :)
Get 'em while they're cheap.

You and Matthew can start a club. :mrgreen:

matthew

December 2nd, 2006, 04:22 AM

Get 'em while they're cheap.

You and Matthew can start a club. :mrgreen:I'm with Paul...the blue striped one is awesome looking. :) Of course, I thought the same thing about the 1968 Ford Mustang GT500.
http://www.ford-mustang.wz.cz/images/months/02-02.jpg

steven8

December 2nd, 2006, 04:25 AM

1968 Ford Mustang GT500

I've never played one of those. What kind of action do they have? :rolleyes:

Bezmotivnik

December 2nd, 2006, 04:32 AM

I'm with Paul...the blue striped one is awesome looking.
Oh yeah, you both say that when you're safely on the other side of the Atlantic and are in no immediate danger of encountering one! Ha! :rolleyes:

I fiddled with a red (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/2/229432.jpg) one at GC the other day. It didn't look that bad. Amazingly, they sold it -- for over twice what I paid for mine.

If you don't look at them, they're surprisingly nice guitars. I especially like the Jazzmaster neck.

Bezmotivnik

December 2nd, 2006, 04:59 AM

Oh, BTW, remember that mislabeled Duncan Pro-Shop P-90 I had?

They finally got back to me and will replace it with the right one at no charge.

23meg

December 3rd, 2006, 05:37 PM

paul cooke

December 3rd, 2006, 06:04 PM

Some food for thought: Chandrasonic's Top Guitar Tips (http://www.asiandubfoundation.com/guitartips.html)

It's unfortunate how often I remember this mini-manifesto when listening to mediocre "guitar music". Some of what he says (should be obvious which) shouldn't be taken literally of course.

I find this one more relevant...

http://www.asiandubfoundation.com/basstips.html

but then again, I'm just an 'umble bassist... slightly biased you might say... :)

Bezmotivnik

December 5th, 2006, 07:49 AM

Exquisite ugliness hangs fire: For all those who have been breathlessly waiting for news of the hideous Bronze Bombshell (http://fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0260700599_xl.jpg) v2.0, it didn't arrive Monday as scheduled.

It's in the UPS depot here tonight and will be delivered Tuesday, hopefully not freeze-dried.

As a serious aside, shipping during the worst of summer or winter can and often does damage instruments.

Of course, an errant forklift can do that year-round, but you know what I mean, right? ;)

Bezmotivnik

December 5th, 2006, 08:03 AM

I find this one more relevant...

http://www.asiandubfoundation.com/basstips.html

but then again, I'm just an 'umble bassist... slightly biased you might say... :)
What's in those dead links at the top, I wonder? :confused:

Yeah, as a nominal bassist, I don't have any serious beefs with the suggestions on the page except for the assurance that "Eventually you must learn to pogo." :rolleyes: [ahem!]

I would also point out that if one downtunes to BEAD, he will probably have to do some serious setup.

paul cooke

December 5th, 2006, 12:58 PM

What's in those dead links at the top, I wonder? :confused:

Yeah, as a nominal bassist, I don't have any serious beefs with the suggestions on the page except for the assurance that "Eventually you must learn to pogo." :rolleyes: [ahem!]

I would also point out that if one downtunes to BEAD, he will probably have to do some serious setup.

get a set of strings meant for a low tuned 5 string... still might have to do a small adjustment to the relief. The one thing that's stopping me at the moment is the fact that you'd also have to file out the nut to take the thicker gauge strings. That's a little too permanent for me...

Think it's easier to get a low tuned 5 string for doing this dub stuff...

Pogoing... I've done my fair share in my youth... I was a punk back in the late seventies...

the dead links, they've lost a lot of graphics on their website, I've emailed them about it... plus the link is only to a sub-frame, there should be a side bar as well.

Bezmotivnik

December 5th, 2006, 06:49 PM

get a set of strings meant for a low tuned 5 string... still might have to do a small adjustment to the relief. The one thing that's stopping me at the moment is the fact that you'd also have to file out the nut to take the thicker gauge strings. That's a little too permanent for me...
You bet. That's a major problem, especially with high-tension strings. They'll blow chips right out of the nut. I've seen lots of basses where this happened, including cases where the nut cracks completely through and half or a quarter of it falls out of the bass. Horror! :shock:

String gauge can be a cascading mega-headache on basses, as you no doubt know. This is especially so on vintage and vintage-reproduction basses, which has been a big problem for me personally. Getting a modern G to intonate can be a nightmare because the old basses were built for larger-diameter strings than are commonly available.

My '63 Thunderbird II, which is a nice bass, simply won't intonate a G before running out of neckward adjustment unless I'd use a truly massive-diameter string that would produce more tension than I would feel is safe with this vintage instrument.

This picture (http://fender.com/products/prod_images/basses/0251902303_xl.jpg) demonstrates the problem well. The D-G saddle's adjustment screws are actually over the leading edge of the bridgeplate -- and that bass with those (terrible) strings is nowhere close to intonated on the G. I know, because I have one of these basses. The ONLY commonly-available flatwound strings I can find that will work on this bass are the massive Fender 9050M set. All others will be too small in diameter for the G to approach intonation and/or too short to the silk.

Fortunately, the massive neck is strong enough to handle these strings, which are alleged to be the highest-tension set currently made. I don't know if that's true, but they were enough to give me tendinitis. There was a set of Fender tapewounds with a very large G, but they are no longer listed on Fender's site.

the dead links, they've lost a lot of graphics on their website, I've emailed them about it...
It looks like the site and/or band is defunct, as I see no updates or anything indicative of activity for a very long time, and it appears that the site was extremely active until about a year ago. :confused:

Bezmotivnik

December 5th, 2006, 07:59 PM

the hideous Bronze Bombshell (http://fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0260700599_xl.jpg) v2.0, it didn't arrive Monday as scheduled.
It showed up a little while ago.

The cat and I gave it a pretty serious once-over.

All the problems on the previous one are gone on this one, which is nearly perfect, and has a much shreddier setup that I normally would have tried, yet it works -- lower action, straighter neck (less relief). The nut is as close to being done properly as I have seen on a new instrument in living memory. Flawless finish, perfect alignment, clean fretwork.

I'm thinking that they actually did an inspection and an in-house setup of this one after the dreadful monstrosity they shipped me before. Either that or this is just a case of blind luck. :confused:

This one's fine.

My only complaint is that this is a very bright, twangy instrument, which is probably intentional. Heavy on sustain and the fundamental at the expense of tonal complexity. I was expecting that with the Duncan '59 in the neck, it might be a bit mellower, but it's pretty bright.

Well, that's what the tone knob is for; you can take out some brightness much more easily than adding it. ;)

Nice axe, great bargain.

matthew

December 6th, 2006, 04:46 AM

My only complaint is that this is a very bright, twangy instrument, which is probably intentional. Congrats on finally getting a good one. With the sound you describe do you think it's more of a "cut through the mix while playing surf or country music" sort of tone or more of a "screaming monkeys running their fingernails on the blackboard" tone?

dbbolton

December 6th, 2006, 08:02 AM

Congrats on finally getting a good one. With the sound you describe do you think it's more of a "cut through the mix while playing surf or country music" sort of tone or more of a "screaming monkeys running their fingernails on the blackboard" tone?
sounds like a tele to me.

matthew

December 6th, 2006, 08:26 AM

sounds like a tele to me.Lol...like all of Led Zeppelin I? :)

Chinkostu

December 6th, 2006, 09:53 AM

I play bass. any root note jokes can get shoved in uncomfortable places :P

i have a Cort C4, and 2 vintage basses (vintage being the brand name, vietnamese made), a 5 string and a fretless. i put them into a small 65W laney combo, occasionally putting an ibanez PD7 in the mix just in case. i've been playing for just under 3 years now, playing anything from metal to jazzy stuff (a big fan of Jaco, hence the fretless)

equal

December 6th, 2006, 12:26 PM

Me playing my Fender Precision, and my guitarist playing his Les Paul Standard in the background. Sexay.

http://myspace-035.vo.llnwd.net/00954/53/00/954950035_l.jpg

matthew

December 6th, 2006, 12:53 PM

Me playing my Fender Precision, and my guitarist playing his Les Paul Standard in the background. Sexay.Nice. Man, I miss playing in a band.

ComplexNumber

December 6th, 2006, 02:07 PM

Nice. Man, I miss playing in a band.

is there anything stopping you at the moment?
btw if you pick up your bass, you can have your choice of bands to join.

matthew

December 6th, 2006, 02:44 PM

is there anything stopping you at the moment?
btw if you pick up your bass, you can have your choice of bands to join.Basically my obstacles at the moment are time (I have three kids and a wife) and other priorities. I like my life right now, too much to make a major change like that. Even so, at times I feel whimsically nostalgic. Who knows, it may happen again in the future. I am playing guitar for a classical Arabic music concert this weekend...I'm not singing, but playing with those Eastern scales and rhythms is a lot of fun.

Bezmotivnik

December 6th, 2006, 06:06 PM

is there anything stopping you at the moment?
Dewd...he's in, like, Morocco.

btw if you pick up your bass, you can have your choice of bands to join.
Y'know, I really used to believe that until I took up bass. :(

ComplexNumber

December 6th, 2006, 06:11 PM

Y'know, I really used to believe that until I took up bass.
what exactly do you mean?

Bezmotivnik

December 6th, 2006, 06:19 PM

sounds like a tele to me.
Hey, remember Barney Kessel did actual, convincing Jazz on a Telecaster in the early '50s.

I have a 2000 American Standard (one of the last ones) ash/rosewood that sounds remarkably rich and full-bodied, even with the tone control taken completely out of the circuit with the Delta-Tone switch. I can't get that harsh Telecaster sound from it even if I try. I have a 2001 American series Nashville B-Bender with the identical pickups (aside from the factory-added Texas Special Stratocaster pickup in the middle) and it can produce that icepick treble if needed and can't do the beautiful neck-position jazzy sound the other Telecaster does.

I have some hypotheses about this, but none are lab-provable. :-k

ComplexNumber

December 6th, 2006, 06:22 PM

Bezmotivnik
hey! don't forget to answer my question ;)

Bezmotivnik

December 6th, 2006, 06:25 PM

what exactly do you mean?
Maybe just that everyone seems to have gotten exactly the same idea at the same time. Now there seems to be an absolute plague of bass players around here. :(

I have all this shiny new bass gear and no gig. Of course, I'm an old geezer, which doesn't help.

"Oy, if it was rainin' gravy, I'd be runnin' around with a bloody fork," right?

ComplexNumber

December 6th, 2006, 06:29 PM

Now there seems to be an absolute plague of bass players around here.
hmmmmm must be just in your area. everywhere here and in every music mag, the 'Wanted' classified reads:
bass player wanted, bass player wanted, bass player wanted, bass player wanted, bass player wanted, drummer wanted, bass player wanted, bass player wanted, drummer wanted, alto sax player wanted, bass player wanted, bass player wanted, bass player wanted,........

Bezmotivnik

December 6th, 2006, 06:41 PM

hmmmmm must be just in your area.
Yeah, I know. But the CraigsList musician's page here seems to have nothing but bass players looking for gigs. I live in an exceptionally strange city, though. 75,000+ musicians and eight bands.

ComplexNumber

December 6th, 2006, 06:56 PM

But the CraigsList musician's page here seems to have nothing but bass players looking for gigs.i think its probably giving a wrong impression. maybe a temporary blip, as it seems to be out of step with other publications.

Bezmotivnik

December 6th, 2006, 07:17 PM

Congrats on finally getting a good one.
Thanks, but remember...it's still ugly! :mrgreen:

The funny thing is that the first one didn't have an inspection sticker on it. I've been wondering about that.

Everything that comes out of Cor-Tek has this "Inspected by H. K. Lee" sticker on it. There have been many joke threads about this single mysterious inspector who putatively inspects about a half-jillion guitars a day pouring out of Inchon. I'm assuming he's fictional.

But..."H. K. Lee" didn't inspect that lemon.

With the sound you describe do you think it's more of a "cut through the mix while playing surf or country music" sort of tone or more of a "screaming monkeys running their fingernails on the blackboard" tone?
I dunno. It sounds about like every other mahogany (or pseudo-mahogany, as most "mahogany" axes aren't) bodied HH axe I've ever heard, probably. Low tonal complexity, high-sustain.

I think it's finally starting to sink in that, contrary to all the relentless aftermarket pickup hype, where most of your tonal character comes from is the unique, native sound of the individual instrument itself, the way it more obviously is with acoustics. Fortunately, with electrics, you can doink around with signal processing until you can get anything to sound like anything else, or almost.

I was just being reminded of this when reassessng my DeArmond X-155 (http://www.dearmondguitars.com/x155.html), which to my mind is one of the worst-sounding jazz guitars on the planet, something most people attribute to the Fender/DeArmond "GoldTone" pickups. That's not the problem. The problem is that the guitar itself sounds like a banjo.

Bezmotivnik

December 6th, 2006, 09:14 PM

hmmmmm must be just in your area. everywhere here and in every music mag, the 'Wanted' classified reads:
Yeah, this place is weird.

Actually, though, what everyone's looking for are drummers. It's tough to be a drummer in an urban environment.

Chinkostu

December 7th, 2006, 07:05 AM

Everything that comes out of Cor-Tek has this "Inspected by H. K. Lee" sticker on it. There have been many joke threads about this single mysterious inspector who putatively inspects about a half-jillion guitars a day pouring out of Inchon. I'm assuming he's fictional.

out of about 20 or 30 cort guitars i've seen, a handful had that sticker on them :confused:

I'm sure its Cort atleast, its what i remember seeing them stuck to. correct me if im wrong!

Bezmotivnik

December 7th, 2006, 09:53 AM

I'm sure its Cort atleast, its what i remember seeing them stuck to. correct me if im wrong!
"Cort" is Cor-Tek's marketing name for their own line of instruments, so "H. K. Lee" probably gets a piece of that action, too. ;)

I'm guessing he doesn't get much rest. If it's a recent guitar that came out of Korea, it's probably a Cor-Tek product, now that Samick moved production elsewhere.

ComplexNumber

December 7th, 2006, 12:57 PM

out of about 20 or 30 cort guitars i've seen, a handful had that sticker on them :confused:

I'm sure its Cort atleast, its what i remember seeing them stuck to. correct me if im wrong!
talking about cort, i once trie out a cort before i bought my present one. it was thee lightest guitar ever.

Chinkostu

December 7th, 2006, 04:59 PM

"Cort" is Cor-Tek's marketing name for their own line of instruments, so "H. K. Lee" probably gets a piece of that action, too. ;)

I'm guessing he doesn't get much rest. If it's a recent guitar that came out of Korea, it's probably a Cor-Tek product, now that Samick moved production elsewhere.

ooh ok. you know alot about mundane things ;) haha.

samick aren't korean now? where are they made

please not indonesia

Bezmotivnik

December 7th, 2006, 06:11 PM

ooh ok. you know alot about mundane things ;) haha.
Actually, I know a great deal about important things, but they're so depressing and horrible I'd rather think about guitars.

Seriously. There's my motivation.

samick aren't korean now?

The company is still Korean, but Korean guitar production stopped a couple of years ago. There was some big corporate scandal and they totally reorganized the company from the top down. It was considered more profitable to move the factories to places with cheaper labor.

Cor-Tek, which had around 20% of the Korean guitar production as #2, suddenly became the #1 Korean producer.

where are they made

please not indonesia
They're made in numerous places, notably China. I believe that both Samick and Cor-Tek have manufacturing operations in Indonesia. I have seen some very nice FMIC instruments from Indonesia in terms of workmanship, though the design, parts and materials were weak.

Chinkostu

December 7th, 2006, 06:19 PM

Actually, I know a great deal about important things, but they're so depressing and horrible I'd rather think about guitars.

Seriously. There's my motivation.

haha, fair enough

The company is still Korean, but Korean guitar production stopped a couple of years ago. There was some big corporate scandal and they totally reorganized the company from the top down. It was considered more profitable to move the factories to places with cheaper labor.

Cor-Tek, which had around 20% of the Korean guitar production as #2, suddenly became the #1 Korean producer.

i never were fond of samick to be honest anyway, i played a 5 string samick bass and it was a bit mediocre and boomy.

They're made in numerous places, notably China. I believe that both Samick and Cor-Tek have manufacturing operations in Indonesia. I have seen some very nice FMIC instruments from Indonesia in terms of workmanship, though the design, parts and materials were weak.

china, the mass produce centre of the world. oh dear.

FMIC? fender? the squier range is indonesian as far as i know. they have some dreadful models, but you can get nice ones. its pot luck, wheras with other companies its not so bad.

ComplexNumber

December 7th, 2006, 06:25 PM

china, the mass produce centre of the world. oh dear.i would put considerably more trust in buying something from Cowboy Joe's down the road than anything made in china.

Bezmotivnik

December 8th, 2006, 06:19 AM

i would put considerably more trust in buying something from Cowboy Joe's down the road than anything made in china.
I dunno. Nearly everything in my house bought in the last ten years is made in China, except most of my gear and some of my clothes. One has little choice these days.

One thing I've noticed about Chinese production is that they adapt faster than I would have thought possible. Most Chinese guitars were terrible just a few years ago, and now they are competitive in terms of workmanship and finish. Those dirt-cheap Höfners I got a few months ago are very nicely built.

At this point, with guitars being machine-made and only assembled and finished with the minimum possible amount of semi-skilled and unskilled labor, there's very little quality difference any more, or none you can predict. If you want really serious hand detailing, you're pretty much stuck with China and Indonesia, because nobody else will do it for under $5000 it seems. Japanese and Korean production has been hugely outsourced to China in recent years, and what's left is declining in quality as they struggle to stay profitable with rising labor costs. I was underwhelmed by that $2800 Japanese Gretsch I just bought, and Gibsons are just appallingly built relative to price.

As I said before, it's hard to get a really badly-built or well-built guitar these days, irrespective of price.

I'm hearing a lot of praise for some more expensive, low-production, Chinese acoustics and classicals lately. Haven't seen them, but they're getting good reviews from players who are pretty picky.

Of course, nearly all effects and rack gear are Chinese made now. Seems to work, for the most part. :neutral:

Bezmotivnik

December 8th, 2006, 06:47 AM

FMIC? fender? the squier range is indonesian as far as i know.
FMIC=Fender Musical Instrument Corporation. Most of the Squier stuff I see here is Chinese, but I don't know about the rest of the world. FMIC is really strange about that. There are Chinese Fenders, but not in the US.

they have some dreadful models, but you can get nice ones.
The Chinese Squiers here are getting a lot better reviews here recently, but as you said...

its pot luck, wheras with other companies its not so bad.

QC these days -- and historically -- is set as low as the market will bear. I don't know any brand that you can really trust at any price. I no longer buy MIA Fenders, and I never bought MIMs. People always go on about the bad old days under CBS, but I see FMIC domestic product that would simply not have shipped in the CBS days. I'm surprised to see flaky contract stuff showing up from Japan and Korea lately. :(

While parts and materials quality are reflected in price (though not proportionately), build quality is getting eerily consistent these days. If it's nice it ships. If it's nasty but functional, it still ships.

lyceum

December 8th, 2006, 03:53 PM

Yeah, this place is weird.

Actually, though, what everyone's looking for are drummers. It's tough to be a drummer in an urban environment.

IT's funny you say that. I was the guitarist/singer in a band and we spent years looking for a drummer. Finally I found a drumer and everyone else quit. I went through 5 or 6 drummers and now the drummer I work with and I just make our music electronically adding in real guitar and bass and vocals (of course). The problem I have is I can't find many people that really want to jam. Most people I have worked with want to get stoned/drunk and talk about becoming a rock star.

ComplexNumber

December 8th, 2006, 05:03 PM

IT's funny you say that. I was the guitarist/singer in a band and we spent years looking for a drummer. Finally I found a drumer and everyone else quit. I went through 5 or 6 drummers and now the drummer I work with and I just make our music electronically adding in real guitar and bass and vocals (of course). The problem I have is I can't find many people that really want to jam. Most people I have worked with want to get stoned/drunk and talk about becoming a rock star.
i think thats really sad that people should be like that. if i had 1 wish to improve the world, it would be to make all the current so called 'recreational' drugs just disappear, together with peoples need for them.
i heard about some nationwide poll carried out amongst school leavers recenty where they were asked what they wanted to be. one of the most common replies was: "to be famous". they don't care how they become famous or what they're famous for, but they just want to be famous. this even includes being an absolute good-for-nothing on so called reality TV shows such as Big Brother, or a talentless one-hit-wonder pop 'artist' with no musical talent whatsoever.
end of rant, but i hope things work out for you with your band and your music.

Bezmotivnik

December 9th, 2006, 12:26 AM

IT's funny you say that. I was the guitarist/singer in a band and we spent years looking for a drummer. Finally I found a drumer and everyone else quit.

That's the way it always works! Where have you been? ;)

I went through 5 or 6 drummers and now the drummer I work with and I just make our music electronically adding in real guitar and bass and vocals (of course).
Given a band with decent material and concept, the drummer is the most important musician in the band. People don't believe me, but it's true, and always has been since the Big Band days, at least. "The drummer has to swing the band." It was true then and it's true now.

The drummer is the first guy to be replaced by a studio musician when the band signs big and goes into a real recording studio with a real producer. It works like this: The producer sets out a gentle feeler to the manager to see if there's any chance they could just fire the drummer and get one who plays better and is better-looking/smelling. Usually, they don't get far with this ("Joe? Fire JOE?!? But...but the Lactating Marmosets wouldn't be the Lactating Marmosets without JOE!"), so the producer blows it off and smooths down the manager and asks him not to ever bring it up with the band. It was "just a thought."

So...the recording begins. The band does their stuff more or less in scratch tracks and the drummer does his tracks, which are quietly re-recorded by a real studio drummer after the band leaves. He plays what the drummer thought he was doing. The rest of the band does more with their end over Joe's wonderful drum track that is so perfect ("Hey, guys, am I great or what? And people say I can't play! Just listen to that! One Shot! Perfect!") he can go home and do whatever drummers do when nobody's looking. That's the drum track and nobody's any the wiser. Joe's a freakin' star.

That scenario (or some complicated variation on it) happens in the big studios every...single... day. :rolleyes:

The weird part is that Joe frequently starts playing better after this, inspired by his wonderful recorded performance.

The problem I have is I can't find many people that really want to jam.

I never "jam." I detest it because it doesn't have any point. Frankly, I've never enjoyed playing music, per se. I like the challenge of executing an artistic concept, writing effective music, running a professional operation (or at least getting everyone to start and stop at the same spots in the song), making good product and getting the job done. Anything else is a joke, and I'm not in the comedy business.

Because musicians are usually such utter meatsticks they are an impediment to this. As a consequence, I found I could have a lot more power in the music business not by playing music myself, but determining which bands the public heard, which ones would chart nationally, which would be playlisted or have their careers sent on a barge to the Staten Island landfill with dumpster loads of their expensive promo packs and crummy music. Twenty-six years ago, I found myself in the right place and the right time to have that level of influence in American music and I made the most of it. I had my fifteen minutes and didn't waste much of it (Matthew's seen my CV). I could also be completely, pseudonymously private.

Most people I have worked with want to get stoned/drunk and talk about becoming a rock star.
There are two main kinds of time-wasters in music. Those are the obvious ones, the fantasists who think hanging out and going to Guitar Center together makes them a band. They just need to be put to sleep for the good of the species and quickly forgotten. The ones who are the real killers, the silent menace, are the earnest passive-aggressives, who are attracted to bands with an amazing predictability. They are the nice, smiling, quiet, apparently well-meaning guys who continually sandbag everything you do by being late, not showing, "forgetting" to do things, "misunderstanding" what's expected, creating problems between other band members, etc., etc., etc. You know 'em if you've been in music more than fifteen minutes. These people are more seriously mentally ill than the other ones and they suck the life out of bands like leeches. They are stunted, repressed personalities who exert their power over others by doing all this non-confrontive sabotage. That's their payoff. Recognizing them and getting rid of them instantly is the first thing you need to do to get a successful band together and keep it rolling. I'm not kidding about that, either.

paul cooke

December 9th, 2006, 03:40 AM

There are two main kinds of time-wasters in music. Those are the obvious ones, the fantasists who think hanging out and going to Guitar Center together makes them a band. They just need to be put to sleep for the good of the species and quickly forgotten.

hey if it wasn't for those guys, guitar shops would go under...

The ones who are the real killers, the silent menace, are the earnest passive-aggressives, who are attracted to bands with an amazing predictability. They are the nice, smiling, quiet, apparently well-meaning guys who continually sandbag everything you do by being late, not showing, "forgetting" to do things, "misunderstanding" what's expected, creating problems between other band members, etc., etc., etc. You know 'em if you've been in music more than fifteen minutes. These people are more seriously mentally ill than the other ones and they suck the life out of bands like leeches. They are stunted, repressed personalities who exert their power over others by doing all this non-confrontive sabotage. That's their payoff. Recognizing them and getting rid of them instantly is the first thing you need to do to get a successful band together and keep it rolling. I'm not kidding about that, either.

partly the reason I quit the band I was in so many years ago... two of the others just couldn't get it together long enough for us to get a demo cut or get a killer act down tight...

they were perfectly happy to cover punk "standards" badly, but hated the idea of actually working out in our own direction...

I'm convinced they never practiced our stuff at all, just played what they were hearing on the radio... cos every time we managed to get it on for a practice, they were crap with my stuff but always wanted to play what they'd just heard the previous week by whatever the flavour du jour was...

I just got really pissed off and went and got a real job... I joined the RAF (I was skint and about to be evicted anyway)

matthew

December 9th, 2006, 04:33 AM

I never "jam." I detest it because it doesn't have any point.LOL. That's probably why I enjoy it so much. I have so many things in my life that do have a point it's nice once in a while to just hang out with some talented people, tell them, "Let's do a blues shuffle in E," have the drummer and bassist get us rolling and just have fun exploring.

Then again, I'm only a musician for fun and relaxation, not for money, so my perspective is very different and I totally get your point. If I were doing this as my profession my approach would be very different...except when I was with some talented friends and we just wanted to blow off some steam. :)

Bezmotivnik

December 9th, 2006, 07:11 AM

"Let's do a blues shuffle in E," have the drummer and bassist get us rolling and just have fun exploring.
Well, you remember what I've said, "I love and respect the blues, which is why I never, ever want to hear the blues from anyone who hasn't been dead for at least twenty years." :mrgreen: [Link to a local "Pro Blues Jam" (???) page excised as just too darn cruel -- even though it's their page and their picture]

Then again, I'm only a musician for fun and relaxation
I think I find music about as fun and relaxing as childbirth, which is not a bad all-around analogy of the creative struggle and the toll it takes.:-k

I totally get your point. If I were doing this as my profession my approach would be very different.
Even if there's no money involved, the "joy" -- such as it is -- comes from accomplishing an end, even if that's just getting everyone to start and stop the song at the same place. What can I say? I'm an outcome-oriented guy.

matthew

December 9th, 2006, 07:44 AM

Well, you remember what I've said, "I love and respect the blues, which is why I never, ever want to hear the blues from anyone who hasn't been dead for at least twenty years." :mrgreen: [Link to a local "Pro Blues Jam" (???) page excised as just too darn cruel -- even though it's their page and their picture]LOL.

I think I find music about as fun and relaxing as childbirth, which is not a bad all-around analogy of the creative struggle and the toll it takes.:-k Eww. If I felt that way I'd stay far, far away...

Even if there's no money involved, the "joy" -- such as it is -- comes from accomplishing an end, even if that's just getting everyone to start and stop the song at the same place. What can I say? I'm an outcome-oriented guy.There's where we are opposites. I'm a process oriented person. The end result is kept in mind, but I always enjoy the journey. I like to "stop and smell the roses" and take "the road less traveled" and probably a ton of other cliches. Granted, one has to "keep his eyes on the prize" but to do so at the expense of savoring the experiences on the way...not my preference. This isn't solely a philosophical argument, though. It also is a direct result of one's personality and makeup, and that isn't something we choose.

Bezmotivnik

December 9th, 2006, 08:41 AM

partly the reason I quit the band I was in so many years ago... two of the others just couldn't get it together long enough for us to get a demo cut or get a killer act down tight...
Hey, you were the bass player. Nobody's ever as serious as the bass player.

You know that! :mrgreen:

ComplexNumber

December 9th, 2006, 11:36 AM

Hey, you were the bass player. Nobody's ever as serious as the bass player.

You know that! :mrgreen:
yeah, but we're also more likely to constitute the real musicians in the band rather than the pretenders and the egotists :mrgreen:

Bezmotivnik

December 9th, 2006, 04:09 PM

There's where we are opposites. I'm a process oriented person.

Well, this is a Linux board. :-\"
I like to "stop and smell the roses" and take "the road less traveled" and probably a ton of other cliches.
Like this one (http://www.overheardintheoffice.com/archives/003311.html)?

Bezmotivnik

December 10th, 2006, 12:37 AM

[Link to a local "Pro Blues Jam" (???) page excised as just too darn cruel -- even though it's their page and their picture]

However, www.rockandrollconfidential.com is back up with the fuctioning "hall."

Start anywhere (http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=625) and work out in either direction.

matthew

December 10th, 2006, 08:09 AM

Well, this is a Linux board. :-\"

Like this one (http://www.overheardintheoffice.com/archives/003311.html)?lol.

However, www.rockandrollconfidential.com (http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com) is back up with the fuctioning "hall."

Start anywhere (http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=625) and work out in either direction.You seriously owe me a new keyboard and monitor...I just spit coffee all over mine laughing.

paul cooke

December 10th, 2006, 02:03 PM

lol.

You seriously owe me a new keyboard and monitor...I just spit coffee all over mine laughing.

http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=683
pointless... do you think he's trying to compensate for some other inadequacy?

http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=662
least said the better...

ComplexNumber

December 10th, 2006, 06:17 PM

some of the strangest guitars that one will ever see......appparently. click here (http://www.brianeastwoodguitars.co.uk/gallery.html).

Bezmotivnik

December 10th, 2006, 09:27 PM

http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=683
pointless... do you think he's trying to compensate for some other inadequacy?

I dunno, but I got kicked off TalkBass.Com for linking to that picture. He's a moderator there.

No, I am not kidding.

Bezmotivnik

December 10th, 2006, 09:30 PM

some of the strangest guitars that one will ever see......appparently. click here (http://www.brianeastwoodguitars.co.uk/gallery.html).
Eew!

Eeeeeew!!

Eeeeewwwwwwwww!!! :shock:

matthew

December 11th, 2006, 04:53 AM

some of the strangest guitars that one will ever see......appparently. click here (http://www.brianeastwoodguitars.co.uk/gallery.html).I had the old 1980's commercial run through my mind...

This is your guitar. This is your guitar on drugs. Any questions?

His work looks like something out of an opium pipe dream or a Dali painting (same thing? lol).

I dunno, but I got kicked off TalkBass.Com for linking to that picture. He's a moderator there.

No, I am not kidding.I just laughed so hard I actually snorted.

Bezmotivnik

December 11th, 2006, 05:28 AM

I just laughed so hard I actually snorted.
The really strange thing is that he has apparently never tried to get R&RC.C to drop that picture.

Maybe once you put out a promotional photo for broad distribution, you have a hard time being selective about who actually publishes it. :-k

Bezmotivnik

December 14th, 2006, 06:12 PM

Update on the Toronado (http://fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0260700599_xl.jpg)...

Somewhat to my surprise, I'm finding that I like this instrument more and more. As it got over "shipping shock" (that strange malady that guitars have after being subjected to vibration and climatic extremes attendant to being drop-kicked halfway across a continent) and "settled" for a few days, everything stabilized nicely. Ergonomically, this axe works well for me, especially in terms of right hand placement for the way I play.

The Seymour Duncan pickups are fine quality, conservative units, and I do believe that the special reverse polarity of the "Vintage '59" pickup does indeed "open up" the sound of the neck pickup, as was suggested by one of the resident experts on the Duncan site in response to my question.

Tuning is stable and the Jazzmaster neck works well for my hand. Though I am not convinced that oiling a fingerboard is usually necessary (Martin, I believe, suggests that it never be done), it does improve the looks of dried-out rosewood if nothing else, so I gave it the once-over with olive oil. I do not believe that petroleum distillates really belong on wood, and most vegetable oils leave gummy residues. Extra-virgin olive does not, and it's already there in the kitchen. Virtually all "special" oils for guitar fingerboards are bunkum -- just cheap petroleum distillates with coloring and a few drops of some exotic vegetable oil to give it a fancy name and a ridiculous price. They should just label it "snake oil," because that's what it amounts to. Erlewine suggests raw linseed oil from the paint store, but I find it leaves a nasty residue and buildup that olive oil does not.

I was just using this guitar this morning with the Yamaha Magicstomp EB I got a couple of months ago, but have had little opportunity to experiment with yet. It is the standard Magicstomp, but with presets loaded for bass rather than guitar. Curiously, these presets are far more useful for guitar than either the presets in the MkII version specifically for guitar -- or for bass, for which they were made. There were many very useful and subtle effects when running the Toronado through it, giving a idea of where more customised settings might work.

Bezmotivnik

December 15th, 2006, 07:43 AM

some of the strangest guitars that one will ever see...
Gee, I almost forget!

Did I mention I had one of these (http://www.italiaguitars.com/images/GUITAR_23_front_big.jpg)?
:shock:

steevc

December 15th, 2006, 08:45 AM

I've got a Gordon Smith GS2 (Made in UK) that I've had for a very long time. When I feel the need it gets plugged into my Peavey Backstage. I've been playing on and off for a long time, but never been in a band or done much performing. I have managed to take part in a couple of jam sessions lately that have been fun, but highlighted my limitations. This might encourage me to learn some new stuff.

I plan to get an acoustic of some kind soon.

matthew

December 15th, 2006, 10:07 AM

Gee, I almost forget!

Did I mention I had one of these (http://www.italiaguitars.com/images/GUITAR_23_front_big.jpg)?
:shock:I like that...it reminds me of an old National.

ComplexNumber

December 15th, 2006, 11:02 AM

I've got a Gordon Smith GS2 (Made in UK) that I've had for a very long time.
they're made in partington (just outside of manchester, but in cheshire). i was asking earlier for opinions about gorden smith, but nobody seemed to know. they're meant to be superb!

can anyone play the guitar like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4&mode=related&search=)?

paul cooke

December 15th, 2006, 01:09 PM

Gee, I almost forget!

Did I mention I had one of these (http://www.italiaguitars.com/images/GUITAR_23_front_big.jpg)?
:shock:

what's the body made of? It looks like thin stamped sheet from that photo.

matthew

December 15th, 2006, 01:30 PM

what's the body made of? It looks like thin stamped sheet from that photo.It's fiberglass, isn't it?

Bezmotivnik

December 15th, 2006, 01:42 PM

what's the body made of? It looks like thin stamped sheet from that photo.
Poor-quality agathis with a plastic cover.

Bezmotivnik

December 15th, 2006, 11:56 PM

matthew

December 16th, 2006, 06:23 AM

I ran across this deal tonight. Guitar Trader is dumping the GREEN Toronado GTs (http://www.guitartrader.com/itm_img/EGFNSS-4TORGTGN-f.jpg) for $339. Nice photo spread of maximum hideousness per dollar!What's the scale length on that guitar? Is it more in the Strat/Tele range or shorter like an LP?

steevc

December 16th, 2006, 07:24 AM

they're made in partington (just outside of manchester, but in cheshire). i was asking earlier for opinions about gorden smith, but nobody seemed to know. they're meant to be superb!

Sorry, didn't read the whole thread. I've had mine for about 20 years, so I don't know what the current ones are like. It was their bottom of the range model, but is still nice. Others who have played it have said nice things about it. A couple of them also bought their own later.

Bezmotivnik

December 16th, 2006, 10:16 AM

What's the scale length on that guitar? Is it more in the Strat/Tele range or shorter like an LP?
24-3/4" supposedly. I'm too lazy to get out of bed and go look, but that's what the Fender spec page (http://fender.com/products/view_specs.php?full_partno=0260700&name=Toronado%26reg%3B+GT+HH) says.

Bezmotivnik

December 19th, 2006, 09:25 PM

Funny. You remember me mentioning the strange historic mojo thing that is associated with bronze Fender guitars? Well, MF has sold out of the bronze Toronados. Plenty of the others though.

Pretty amusing. :rolleyes:

23meg

December 19th, 2006, 11:02 PM

ComplexNumber

December 19th, 2006, 11:20 PM

Anyone got anything good to say about the Squier Jagmaster, which I'm eyeing at the moment? No need to go into details about Squier, how they suck in general, and how quality can vary from unit to unit; I'm aware of all that.
squier? anything good? hmmmm not really. that particular model i'm not acquainted with, i'm afraid. sorry. come to think of it, i'm not saying anything new here.

Bezmotivnik

December 20th, 2006, 01:37 AM

I'm more comfortable with the Squier part than the Jagmaster part.

Which is a more ridiculous abortion of a guitar? The Jagmaster (originally conceived as a gag) or the Courtney Love "Venus" (http://www.harmony-central.com/Events/SNAMM97/Fender/Venus.html)? Being a celebrity junkie isn't an adequate qualification for instrument design in either case. [-(

Bezmotivnik

December 24th, 2006, 03:11 AM

Hey, I'm the guy with the racing stripe on his guitar, so maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on them ugly weird Squiers.

I very nearly bought one of those insanely popular Squier '51s (http://www.squierguitars.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0325100507_xl.jpg), which have recently popped up online for as little as $69.99 (shipped), yesterday. Curiously, they're being bought hand over fist -- three or four at a time -- by serious guitarists as bases for experimental mods. Man, you wouldn't believe the stuff guys are doing with them!

Still, the Squier I want is right here (http://www.squierguitars.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0335005570_xl.jpg).

matthew

December 24th, 2006, 06:20 AM

WalmartSniperLX

December 24th, 2006, 05:13 PM

matthew

December 24th, 2006, 05:35 PM

HEY I know this is kinda outta nowhere but Im a noob at buying pickups and I have a question. Theres 2 options for me : Fender Spacing and Gibson Spacing.

My guitar is a Schecter Diamond Series with a Tune-o-matic like bridge (no tremelo). So what pickup would I need for this? ThanksWhile I don't know the specifics of your guitar and subsequently can't advise you which pickups you need, I can tell you what the spacing means.

Fender and Gibson space their strings out at different widths as the strings go over the pickups. Generally Fenders need a wider pickup to make sure that the high and low E strings are still over the pickup. Standard or Gibson spacing is about 1.90" or 48 mm from high to low E whereas Fender spacing is about 2.0" or 51 mm on most with a Tele often being wider yet.

EDIT: just found this page that explains more, I hope this helps you choose! Look about 40% of the way down the page for the info on string spacing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_(music) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_%28music%29)

WalmartSniperLX

December 24th, 2006, 06:33 PM

While I don't know the specifics of your guitar and subsequently can't advise you which pickups you need, I can tell you what the spacing means.

Fender and Gibson space their strings out at different widths as the strings go over the pickups. Generally Fenders need a wider pickup to make sure that the high and low E strings are still over the pickup. Standard or Gibson spacing is about 1.90" or 48 mm from high to low E whereas Fender spacing is about 2.0" or 51 mm on most with a Tele often being wider yet.

EDIT: just found this page that explains more, I hope this helps you choose! Look about 40% of the way down the page for the info on string spacing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_(music) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_%28music%29)

Thanks for the info. Ill find it very usefull :D

EDIT: WOAH Thats right Fenders DO have wider spacing... THATS WHY THEY FEEL THE WAY THEY DO OMG! HAHAHA wow I sound like a noob. I like the way strats feel actually :P

Bezmotivnik

December 24th, 2006, 07:05 PM

I really like the 51 with its nod to tradition, slightly twisted.
Oh, is that what you'd call it? :-k

Yeah, twisted: The only thing that's actually traditional is the '51 Precision control plate (which conceals a volume control and very untraditional six-way pickup switching (http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q302/texasb5/switching.jpg)) and the Telecaster head. Everything else is kind of uh...wildly interpretive, let's say.

If I get one, I want to work an angle to get about another $10 off. It's all about the deal for me, right? ;)

But yeah, this the first Squier "real" guitarists have gone bonkers for.

I am 100% certain you need that second one. It would go perfectly with your drum set.
Nothing goes perfectly with that drum set, which is why it's currently disassembled and the bare shells masked and prepped for repainting.

The entertainment value I've gotten out of that drum deal is one of the bright spots of 2006 for me; at this point, after CraigsList-selling the horrendous cymbals that were not supposed to be in the set anyway and the throne, I have my investment in this MSRP $1200+ set down to exactly $104.99, which is probably not much more than MF spent shipping them, after airfreighting the second "lost" crate. I'm working on an angle to get a better snare for free, and I worked a weird deal and got a $97.50 set of Evans Genera G2 pro heads (good heads are essential for a decent drum sound) for $33.99, delivered. I'll CraigsList the unused stock Remo UX heads for a few bucks and almost recoup that.

Now, I'm on the hunt for the longest cymbal deal in history. ;)

Bezmotivnik

December 25th, 2006, 08:58 PM

My guitar is a Schecter Diamond Series with a Tune-o-matic like bridge (no tremelo). So what pickup would I need for this? Thanks
There are numerous string-spacing options (Fender aftermarket "Atomic" humbuckers come in three, for example), but don't be surprised if they don't quite match up exactly with your strings in both neck & bridge positions. They usually don't, even with most stock pickups on expensive guitars.

If I remember correctly, these guitars came with the Korean "Duncan designed" humbuckers, which were at least adequate. For a number of perfectly valid reasons, I don't regard aftermarket pickups as an acceptable dollar value, but people love dropping dough on them.

Hey, you can do something for me! Next time you're in the control cavity, note what it says on the back of the pots. Not the values, but anything else. Thanks!

Bezmotivnik

December 26th, 2006, 08:22 PM

Oh, I ordered one of these (http://epiphone.com/news.asp?NewsID=282) last week. It's supposed to be here Friday. $107, delivered.

The original "buzz" on these (pun intended) was that they were a nice idea, but that they were very noisy, a situation that's been corrected by the introduction of better filtering and DC filament voltage into the original 2005 circuit. Now, people are wack crazy for them.

The simple truth is that a very large majority of guitarists are so badly overamped that they will never be able to really hear the sound their tube amps are capable of producing due to volume constraints in the typical home. Even the various 15W 2xEL84 amps available are extraordinarily loud when cranked.

The schematic (http://www.leftee.net/images/linked/Epi_VJH_Leftee_mods.jpg)reveals that these are exceptionally simple, pure tube circuits (aside from the solid-state rectification) something more along the lines of the classic small tube amps like the old Fender "Champ" which now command fairly ridiculous prices. There are lots of modification sites filled with circuit tweaks of varying practicality for these and the head version of the combo.

I look forward to using this amp to experiment with various 12AX7*/ECC83 tubes in the collection around here along with comparing the EL84 stock. The signal path being uncolored by tone stack circuitry, the sound of the instrument and tubes can be evaluated with much more accuracy.

23meg

December 26th, 2006, 08:30 PM

Looks very nice, especially for the price. a very large majority of guitarists are so badly overamped Agreed. A great resource on low-wattage tube sound is amptone.com (http://amptone.com); even though the author is a bit obsessive about certain things.

Bezmotivnik

December 26th, 2006, 08:40 PM

Looks very nice, especially for the price.
They start adding a lot of extraneous junk -- including digital effects -- to the circuitry in the more expensive models, which is somewhat self-defeating. The purity of this circuit is refreshing, compared to something like the Blues Junior's (http://www.fender.com/support/amp_schematics/pdfs/Blues_Junior_Schematic.pdf).

though the author is a bit obsessive about certain things.
It happens. ;) I try to avoid it myself. I'm only obsessively curious. I think I know the guy who does that site from other fora, but I'm not sure.

matthew

December 27th, 2006, 04:24 AM

Oh, I ordered one of these (http://epiphone.com/news.asp?NewsID=282) last week. It's supposed to be here Friday. $107, delivered.

The schematic (http://www.leftee.net/images/linked/Epi_VJH_Leftee_mods.jpg)reveals that these are exceptionally simple, pure tube circuits (aside from the solid-state rectification) something more along the lines of the classic small tube amps like the old Fender "Champ" which now command fairly ridiculous prices.Nice. That's quite straightforward. Except for the tube choice and solid state rectifier it reminds me a little bit of an old National amp I rebuilt a few years ago. Cool find. Let us know what you think once it arrives.

Bezmotivnik

December 27th, 2006, 05:50 AM

Nice. That's quite straightforward. Except for the tube choice and solid state rectifier it reminds me a little bit of an old National amp I rebuilt a few years ago.

You can punch a bigger hole in the chassis and run a 6V6 instead of an EL84, if that floats your boat. A number of guys have done that mod.

Cool find. Let us know what you think once it arrives.
What I've found somewhat odd is that I can't find the size specs on it anywhere. I am hoping that it will fit inside the nightstand next to my bed here so I can use it without getting out of bed. I have the Vox VR30R in a bookcase near the bed and I may drag the Princeton Stereo Chorus out of the studio amp pile and stick it in an adjoining shelf, but having this little amp about four feet closer would be a great labor-saver. :rolleyes:

I was playing that Hofner Colorama Custom (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/0/3/8/403038.jpg) again tonight and was astonished all over again at how amazingly fine that thing sounds & plays. Fantastic bargain!

Lots of wonderful cheap gear out there!

Bezmotivnik

December 28th, 2006, 08:09 PM

Hey! Who's saving up for one of THESE (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/product/images/page=1/base_pid=517695)?

[Click on thumbs for larger pictures -- IF you can take it!]

Kind of puts that Toronado, the drums and the Courtney Love Venus in perspective.

ComplexNumber

December 28th, 2006, 08:41 PM

guy playing his interpretation of pachelbel's canon on his eelctric guitar here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8). its like a hard rock version of it, but very good :D

matthew

December 29th, 2006, 04:26 AM

Hey! Who's saving up for one of THESE (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/product/images/page=1/base_pid=517695)?Aaahh! My eyes! That was truly frightening.

guy playing his interpretation of pachelbel's canon on his eelctric guitar here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8). its like a hard rock version of it, but very good :DImpressive!

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 05:06 AM

Aaahh! My eyes! That was truly frightening.
Is it just me or is there a special something there that is really creepy, beyond the merely hideous and tasteless? :shock:

bazzer

December 29th, 2006, 05:56 AM

Hi there
Well after stumbling across this thread yesterday I must say I'm extremely happy to post here and I hope I'll be accepted! You guys seem to be a friendly bunch and there's a hell of a lot of knowledge here...

I've been playing since childhood, nothing serious - classical guitar lessons first, then blues. Then I got myself an electric and an amp and have been in a few nonsense bands, but nothing where I get money from it. I was in a 'group' called TenSing and I did a mini tour of Norway in 93, and that was cool but it was a little to religion- motivated for me really.

Gear- wise I have a Washburn MG74 which I find is a fantastic guitar for the money. I bought it for £400 in '91 and I don't think I'd chop it in ever! I've still got my Spanish guitar too, but it's not used a lot so I couldn't tell you the name! I've got a Sessionette amp which was a complete bargain and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone for almost any purpose! I've recently stuck two of my effects pedals on eBay and am left with a Zoom multi effect thing, a Boss Heavy Metal and a Dean Markley Overlord (which seriously is the best thing EVER!!). PC is a homebuilt AMD Athlon 2800 jobber with about 1 3/4Gb ram and a couple of cheap sound cards in it.

So on to the question... I was thinking of setting up my PC to use as a recording studio type effort. I've a mate who has a Mac and a MIDI controller and makes some pretty excellent tunes on it, but he's more a keyboard player than a guitarist. I've installed the 'standard set' of apps on my computer (rosegarden, audacity, lmms and hydrogen) and I'm kinda stuck on how to approach making tunes. I can create a 'backing track' without any guitar or bass in it, but I'm at the stage where I want to add guitar to it. I'm guessing I can record my noodlings in Audacity then export the ogg to one of the sequencing apps, but it feels a little odd doing that.

What do you guys do? Is there a 'normal' way for us axemen to make music or is it 'anyway you can'? Would you recommend getting a fourtrack (or whatever) to do it analog style, or could I get it all on the PC somehow?

TIA

matthew

December 29th, 2006, 06:33 AM

Is it just me or is there a special something there that is really creepy, beyond the merely hideous and tasteless? :shock:Definitely not just you.

What do you guys do? Is there a 'normal' way for us axemen to make music or is it 'anyway you can'? Would you recommend getting a fourtrack (or whatever) to do it analog style, or could I get it all on the PC somehow?

TIAHi, bazzer. Welcome! The Ubuntu Studio Project (http://ubuntustudio.com/) is working to make recording under Linux more practical, but this is one area where we are way behind Windows and MacOS. At the moment I find it a lot easier to use a simple 4 track.

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 07:15 AM

Definitely not just you.
Note their other fine products (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitar/navigation/hallmark?N=100001+203107).

I have a hard time making sense of these. :-k

They just look psycho...and not in a good way.:confused:

They do make stuff like the Emily the Strange SG (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/5/9/9/410599.jpg) look positively wholesome.

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 07:27 AM

I was thinking of setting up my PC to use as a recording studio type effort. ..What do you guys do?
I can't even discuss this without getting ill. I've been painted into a corner so badly by my studio setup that I still can't believe what a nightmare it turned out to be, like the entire enterprise was utterly cursed from the first day, nothing but cascading bad luck of jaw-dropping improbability. Years, money and enthusiasm utterly wasted.

I'm waiting for RAM to go down and will rebuild a recording box from scratch and start all over with a new machine and new software. [sigh!] :(

No, Linux will have no place in this setup.

bazzer

December 29th, 2006, 07:30 AM

Wow - that's not exactly the first couple of answers I expected! Why does it seem so difficult to do then?
I've toyed with recording in Audacity and using that as a multi track, but as you probably all know there's a latency issue and the track always needs ferretting back into time before you play it back. Is that the issue?
I'm even looking now at stuff like Ardour, Broadcast2000 and Agnula to see if they'll help...

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 07:52 AM

Why does it seem so difficult to do then?

Well, try this for a start:

Between the time I left home to pick up the recording front-end and the time I got back with it an hour later, Tom Oberheim went broke and announced on their website the dissolution of the company whose $1000 product I just walked in with, leaving it 100% unsupported and its long overdue W2000/XP drivers incomplete and held hostage by the unpaid programming contractors. I had to undertake this adventure in (wait for it!) WINDOWS 98SE! This worked every bit as well as you'd imagine.

I struggled for six heartbreaking months with making MIDI operable in Cubase only to discover that I'd been sold a defective MIDI controller that appeared to work perfectly.

Never mind the absolutely staggering complexity of recording in state-of-the-art recording programs with the industry standard plugins.

The Oberheim front end rack unit eventually got XP drivers done by a third party, but now the expensive dedicated computer I built is utterly obsolete after four years. I have to build a completely new box with more memory (about 4G) to run a totally non-back-compatible XP version of Cubase.

Never mind that all of this is being done without a shred of help from anyone, anywhere, about anything, except for my intrusive cat.

I never recorded a single song.

Not one.

matthew

December 29th, 2006, 07:53 AM

Note their other fine products (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitar/navigation/hallmark?N=100001+203107).

I have a hard time making sense of these. :-k

They just look psycho...and not in a good way.:confused: Agreed.

They do make stuff like the Emily the Strange SG (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/5/9/9/410599.jpg) look positively wholesome.Actually, I think that's kind of cool looking, but then I like psychedelic art.

Wow - that's not exactly the first couple of answers I expected! Why does it seem so difficult to do then?
I've toyed with recording in Audacity and using that as a multi track, but as you probably all know there's a latency issue and the track always needs ferretting back into time before you play it back. Is that the issue?
I'm even looking now at stuff like Ardour, Broadcast2000 and Agnula to see if they'll help...There hasn't been any corporate interest in developing recording solutions for Linux like there have been for Windows and MacOS. I think that's a big part of it. What we have is getting better all the time as it is in active development, but it's being worked on by people like you and me in their spare time so it's taking a long time. To be honest, I'm still quite partial to a quality guitar and a good tube amp and have never used much technology with my musical endeavors. I bet the Ubuntu Studio guys could give you a more balanced perspective than I can on what can be done currently with Ubuntu and recording and how well.

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 08:05 AM

Actually, I think that's kind of cool looking, but then I like psychedelic art.

Retro-psychedelic Goth product tie-in with a concept character that's still in development.

That's nearly as weird as that first guitar, but naturally on a completely different level. :rolleyes:

bazzer

December 29th, 2006, 08:07 AM

@Bezmotivnik - er... I don't know what product you're talking about there. I can sense some kind of hostile feelings and an out of pocket expense and I really don't want to make you feel any worse about your experience that you already do - but I really don't understand your reply!

@matthew - I see the project is kinda at the stage where it's starting to branch beyond the ubuntu forum, but I don't see a clear community developing like this one (yet) and also the finished product seems like it may be slanted a little towards video rather than sound.

What I think I'm after could be Ardour - I've got it on a machine next to me atm, and I'm dying to try it on my home machine! I'm not a professional musician and tbh my playing probably sucks(!) but I'm keen to know how to layer tracks and so on... With some schoolboy experience using a Yamaha MTsomethingorother I kinda know how music gets bounced around and so on, and I wanted to be able to create stuff without resorting to purchasing an analogue device to record onto...

matthew

December 29th, 2006, 08:14 AM

What I think I'm after could be Ardour - I've got it on a machine next to me atm, and I'm dying to try it on my home machine! I'm not a professional musician and tbh my playing probably sucks(!) but I'm keen to know how to layer tracks and so on... With some schoolboy experience using a Yamaha MTsomethingorother I kinda know how music gets bounced around and so on, and I wanted to be able to create stuff without resorting to purchasing an analogue device to record onto...Give it a shot and see how it goes. I would be very interested in hearing your experiences.

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 08:38 AM

but I really don't understand your reply!
Well then, I hope for your sake you never do.

Maybe this will make sense. I can't put it any plainer:

Digital home-studio recording -- at the current professional level accessible to computer users -- is extremely complicated to do well. Not only is the software demanding to learn, but so is the the hardware and basic studio recording practice. There's enough there to fully occupy a half-dozen full-time pros. The more you learn, the more you realize you are still clueless about.

The large majority of people who set up home studios get burned out and quit long before they achieve the sort of recordings they had hoped to produce and which (at least in theory) their equipment and software are capable of giving them.

At this point, any kid with a decent computer, a few hundred dollars of peripheral hardware, some cheap condenser microphones and an internet connection with which to download about $10,000 worth of industry-standard recording studio warez technically has all he needs to produce recordings that are not that far from state-of-the-art...IF he knew what to do with it.

It's that "IF" that's a killer. Owning a chess set doesn't make you Kasparov.

And this is just if you have all the breaks going with you, instead of against you, as I did.

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 04:18 PM

Speaking of the breaks going with me or not, FedEx appears to have lost that amp (see above) that was supposed to have been delivered today.:rolleyes:

Bezmotivnik

December 29th, 2006, 10:17 PM

[Later] They've found it. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow.

happy-and-lost

December 30th, 2006, 07:21 AM

matthew

December 30th, 2006, 08:42 AM

I need the help of some experts!

I've just bought a new pickguard for my strat, how do I remove the volume/tone knobs without causing any damage?

[10 minutes later...]
Ah. Right. The knobs are attached and wired into the pickguard... how on earth do I replace it?
I don't have a Strat in front of me or even here in the country so I'm doing this from memory. If I miss something, hopefully I will get you close enough to figure out the missing bits yourself.

First of all, there is nothing in a strat that you are likely to break by doing this, and in the unusual event that you do break something it can all be fixed or replaced easily by a tech. That said, I really don't think you will need a tech.

1. Remove the guitar's strings.

2. Pull up on the tone and volume knobs until they come off. They will be tight, but they will come off. Go slow and use your hands so you don't scratch the pickguard or bend/break the plastic knobs. If you think you will forget which one goes where take a photo with a digital camera (in fact, that's a great idea all the way through). Once the knobs are off you will notice the pots are held to the pickguard using nuts. Leave them on for now.

3. Take the plastic thing off the end of the pickup selector.

4. Remove all the screws holding the pickguard to the body. When you remove the last one lift the pickguard off the body carefully so you don't pull any of the wires holding the pots.

5. Use a small wrench to take the nuts off of the pots and remove them from the pickguard. Use a small screwdriver to remove the pickup selector and the pickups. Pay attention to what goes where before you take it apart--maybe put pieces of colored tape or masking tape with labels on each piece for reference.

6. The pickguard should now be free. Reverse the process to install the new one.

Good luck!

(BTW, I have taken every electric guitar I have ever owned all the way apart, some multiple times. It's intimidating at first, but you can do this.)

happy-and-lost

December 30th, 2006, 11:22 AM

matthew

December 30th, 2006, 11:31 AM

@matthew

THANK YOU! I am eternally grateful! Small hitch... the things which cover the pickups are about 1 mm too big for the new pickguard! Arrgh! I'll just go without unitl I find some which fit!

Thank you :D :KSYou're welcome and bummer...I've cut pickguards to fit before, but unless you have the right tools and a bit of experience it's pretty tough to get that right.

Well, at least you had some fun, right?

Bezmotivnik

December 30th, 2006, 03:43 PM

!!!

How in the round world could they manage to not get the pickup holes right? That's amazing. A Fender Stratocaster pickup hole is about the most standard thing there is. :-k

Bezmotivnik

December 30th, 2006, 08:28 PM

Well, the "Valve Junior" amp (see above) arrived.

Much to my amazement, it was in perfect cosmetic condition though it was obviously a return, judging from the box. I completely disassembled the amp to have a look, and I was impressed by the work. Everything was done well, which is not always the case with the amps I use and work on, unfortunately.

The volume pot is noisy, but that may clean up.

No hum, some hiss, though this probably could be eliminated with the right tube. The preamp tube is the ubiquitous Sovtek 7025/12AX7WA, no surprise there. These are the #1 OEM 12AX7 tube not because they are cheap but because they work, they're long-lived and absorb a lot of abuse. An engineer I know in NYC prepares the road amps for the biggest names in the business and they all go on tour with those "lowly" tubes in them -- carefully selected, of course.

Maybe I'll do some tube-swapping tonight, just out of curiosity. We'll see.

I was also pleased to find a cover on the preamp tube and a clamp on the EL84. I wish all amps with inverted tubes had them.

Man, that thing is loud! I had resolved to avoid modding it, but I may have to add the lightbulb attenuator dealie after all.

I got this thing in hopes of fitting it into a nightstand next to my bed. There were no size specs anywhere, so I didn't know what to expect. I thought it might work. Looking at it I still couldn't tell. Well, it will fit -- but only if I remove the side screws from the end corners! 8-)

Hilarious! Plenty of vertical clearance for covection cooling, though.

Overall, I'm very pleased and surprised.

Bezmotivnik

December 31st, 2006, 12:16 AM

Maybe I'll do some tube-swapping tonight, just out of curiosity. We'll see.
I fooled around with it a bit. Eventually, I put an RCA Blackplate (http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~loarie/12AX7/page16.html) in, just because I had one here.

This is the "holy grail" guitar 12AX7/ECC83, if you listen to people with extreme views about tubes. I dunno, I've never found them to be all that, but it's a slightly lower-gain variant, which kills idle hiss and it sounds OK, plus it gives me that all-important extra mojo. :rolleyes:

happy-and-lost

December 31st, 2006, 12:59 PM

!!!

How in the round world could they manage to not get the pickup holes right? That's amazing. A Fender Stratocaster pickup hole is about the most standard thing there is. :-k

A bit of sandpaper cured that. The problem was probably with my guitar; it's a really unusual model. It's a bog standard Squier Strat Affinity, but according to Fender, it doesn't exist; the serial number starts with CYXXXXXXX, and has only 8 screws holding the pickguard on (as opposed to 11). Oh well, I like being unusual!

Thanks for your help again :D

Bezmotivnik

December 31st, 2006, 05:29 PM

according to Fender, it doesn't exist; the serial number starts with CYXXXXXXX,
I was just reading about CYs yesterday. It's just from a different contractor. There are also very wide production variations with Squiers of the same model. Different parts, different factories, different methods.

bazzer

January 2nd, 2007, 05:57 AM

Well last week I made the decision to try to use my Ubuntu PC as a multitrack recorder and I will see if I can make some sense of it here for your amusement! The apps I use are Ardour, Hydrogen and JACK, and I updated to Edgy before I got all them installed, simply cos I like the flashier graphics over Dapper LTS!

First impressions I've got for these apps are pretty good. I have managed to make some recordings that sound pretty reasonable, even if I realise now my playing sucks!

Hydrogen seems nice and easy to use, and the drums sound very 'real' to me especially after you much about with the 'randomise velocity' feature. I like the default jazz kits and the 'Yamaha Vintage' one from the website but I think I'll do some digging into some more 'rock' sounding samples soon.

So after importing the drums to Ardour (I might yet find a better way to do this, something like combining all the transports in with JACK to enable the drum track to play 'live' while I record it all), I turned my attention to getting a guitar sound recorded.

At this point I found an area quite frustrating and that is ALSA. Specifically, how poorly labelled my sound card's features are within ALSA... Basically, I couldn't get a signal to Ardour to record. After trying everything inside the gnome mixer, I resorted to looking at the JACK patchbay to no avail. Then afterwards I went back to another forum (not this one, it was courtesy of a Googleing...) where it was suggested to use ALSAmixer (not gnome mixer). After a small eureka moment when I nudged the [tab] key and saw the 'Capture' screen I was more or less away. I don't think labelling the function 'capture' is all that helpful though, but it's only a minor point and I can't think of a word or phrase that would encompass all of it's being right now - but I digress... I later found ALSAmixergui which makes the job a little more tolerable.

As soon as I'd got a guitar signal into Ardour, I could import a drum track from Hydrogen and play against it and muck about with time and looping etc. I've still quite a bit to learn in Ardour, it looks like a completely professional tool for studio recording. If you run it on a quick PC I can imagine you'd get better results too, and the latency did creep in a little on mine (AMD 2400 1.7Gb RAM) but not so much that I care about yet. I happened upon a SB Live 1024 card that was buried under a load of junk on my desk and after fiddling with ALSAmixer again to get it going, I realised how crap the onboard sound is on my mobo (Asus A7V600x).

It quickly became apparent to me that I'd need to get some kind of other instrument to help me out a little, so I popped down to my local music shop and satisfied my GAS with a Yamaha RBX270 Bass. :) When drums from Hydrogen are mixed sensibly with this new found lowness, I get a really good feeling that I actually can make music and not just mindless noodling as I have been doing for the past 10 or so years!

So my 'use' of all these tools is pretty much going to be limited by my imagination and creativity, which I imagine over time will also increase. I can safely say I'm not going to be creating full songs for a while but as a tool to improve my playing ability (and to help me learn the bass too) I think my PC is now a pretty valuable tool...
And when I chat to my mate with the MAC recording studio, I'll show him what I've been up to and see how it compares with my setup.

matthew

January 2nd, 2007, 06:03 AM

bazzer: thanks for sharing that, bro! I'm encouraged to hear of someone having good recording experiences with Ubuntu. I've played around a little bit with the apps you mention, but I really haven't had time to sit down and learn how to use them effectively. Obviously things are improving and that is great to hear. Please keep us updated on your experiences with this, both successes and frustrations. I'm interested.

Bezmotivnik

January 2nd, 2007, 07:46 PM

I have managed to make some recordings that sound pretty reasonable, even if I realise now my playing sucks!
Don't you just hate that? :rolleyes:

I was kind of surprised in that my guitar work was better than I expected ("Where did that come from?"), but bass still needs work.

Of coure all this crashed and burned into a Win98SE nightmare.

Glad to hear that this is working out for you.

thisllub

January 3rd, 2007, 03:21 AM

Well then, I hope for your sake you never do.

At this point, any kid with a decent computer, a few hundred dollars of peripheral hardware, some cheap condenser microphones and an internet connection with which to download about $10,000 worth of industry-standard recording studio warez technically has all he needs to produce recordings that are not that far from state-of-the-art...IF he knew what to do with it.

It's that "IF" that's a killer. Owning a chess set doesn't make you Kasparov.

Time to butt in here](*,)

I agree with that but for the one critical factor that can't be replaced and that is the room. A good room to record in costs money.

My PC recordings started out with an ISIS 8 in 4 out card on a WIN98 machine. Unfortunately that card will never work on anything else. I still use that machine for that purpose only but that will change soon.

I have tried Ardour on Ubuntu but found it fairly unstable and the manipulation of Jack unnatural compared with the better Win / Mac products.

Somehow I think that if I had an RME card that might be a whole lot different.

Since this is a guitar player thread I should show my guitars.

The red one is a Casio MG510 midi guitar (Ibanez Fuji Gen) the others are all mid 70s relics.

http://users.tpg.com.au/thisllub/electrics.jpg

My main acoustic is a Jim Williams handmade cedar / mahogany. The perfect fingerstyle guitar. The "grande bouche" is an Aria Pro. The 12 is a 1980 Takamine F400 and the nylon is a pos.

http://users.tpg.com.au/thisllub/acoustics.jpg

Bezmotivnik

January 3rd, 2007, 03:40 AM

the one critical factor that can't be replaced and that is the room. A good room to record in costs money.
It certainly can, but if you're not doing something like trying to record amped bass, it doesn't always have to. To acoustically record bass is a nightmare, which is why it is still generally done direct, even today in big-budget recording. Drums are also tough, though not as bad.

For vocal and guitar, the accepted cheap way is to record in a dead booth (which may be nothing more than a heavily-packed clothes closet) or isolation cab and add room ambiance in the mix with something like True Verb (http://www.waves.com/content.asp?id=157). The more acoustic instrument recording you're doing, the more the room matters, of course.

thisllub

January 3rd, 2007, 03:53 AM

The Waves plugins are excellent. I have used both the True Verb and C3 compressor on a project. I would love to try the guitar processor they developed with PRS.

The hardest good sound to get is voice.

I have a dream of building a new house in the next few years and a studio will be part of it. It , like everything else, depends on having the money.

bazzer

January 3rd, 2007, 10:27 AM

Don't you just hate that? :rolleyes:
I was kind of surprised in that my guitar work was better than I expected ("Where did that come from?"), but bass still needs work.

Well after last nights hour at learning to slap-and-pop on the bass I think my bass playing will soon outstrip my guitar playing! Why did I leave it so long to buy one!! I think the problem for me is that I'm always used to just playing stuff and not really listening to it. Tidying up my technique will be my goal with this. I plan to start out slow with Ardour though, maybe try to record some 'simple' songs first and work up to more complex stuff. I was listening to '500 miles' by The Proclaimers last night and the quality of the recording is really good - I think I'll see how that turns out!

Patrick-Ruff

January 3rd, 2007, 02:06 PM

well, for people who hate the process of getting good like I, playing other players songs helps a lot towards getting better. I've found that after learning a whole bunch of stuff from other bands (I mainly stick to 60's stuff like Pink Floyd) I get better and better. any of you guys ever play Wish You Were Here? it's soo fun. I don't go out and play songs like that at my school, or do it for publicity or to get ***** or something like that.

I play for my self, it's so much better to play the music that you listened to for years, it's just an amazing feeling. and as you know, a lot if not all of the famous musicians today got where they were by playing other people's songs, eventually you gain the ability (if it isn't already there) to make up your own stuff, all it takes is just being able to pick out particular riffs and precisely what someone is playing just by listening to it.

I often have songs consistently playing in my head, and I've found that my mind will actually generate it's own songs out of nothing, so once I get good at being able to pick out what exactly would make it sound like that I'll be playing a lot of my own stuff soon enough. I just started playing guitar this year, my fingers already being very fast from typing, it's helped quite a bit.

not all players go for the publicity stunt, new ones anyways. I'm definately not one of them, I mean I'll play a guitar at school if it's handy but I don't need it to get chicks ;).

though, it has been a bit slow since I've been trying to balance out guitar and learning programming . . . it's a challenge but it's starting to benefit me over all.

anyways, being new in my guitar playing hobby, I only have one acoustic guitar, probably wont get an electric for a while but hey, it's all good. I'm having a great time regardless.

Patrick-Ruff

January 4th, 2007, 03:46 AM

hah wow, I obviously have no life. I just read all 47 pages of this thread . . . my head hurts. lol you guys should keep posting and keep it interesting and Bezmotivnik, if ubuntu cafe actually counted posts, you'd be in the thousands by now, lol.

so lets get the discussions back up shall we?

I'm considering purchasing my first electric guitar . . . soon. I'm starting to get pretty good with the acoustics, but I'd like to hear some recommendations of good not too expensive guitars that I'm going to enjoy and play for years, I'd like to keep it within the $350 and under (though, I probably can't really afford 300, but you never know :P.)

matthew

January 4th, 2007, 04:05 AM

I'm considering purchasing my first electric guitar . . . soon. I'm starting to get pretty good with the acoustics, but I'd like to hear some recommendations of good not too expensive guitars that I'm going to enjoy and play for years, I'd like to keep it within the $350 and under (though, I probably can't really afford 300, but you never know :P.)
Hey, Patrick, welcome to the guitar discussion!

You will appreciate this other thread (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=274015) where RAV TUX asked something similar. Take a look. If you have more questions or want more input please feel free to ask!

Patrick-Ruff

January 4th, 2007, 04:25 AM

right on thanks for the link. as a beginner the only issue I've actually had is with strumming (believe it or not.) my right arm is permenantly messed up in the joint, making it so I can't bend my wrist certain ways nor straighten or fully move my elbow for that matter, so I'm thinking that could contribute to my lack of skill there. that and I am left handed, but I'm playing right handed and so far it's doing well, my strumming ability is slowly getting better.

my fingers were already ridiculously fast so chords and notes came pretty easy for me, the only problem I had with that was my fingers adjusting (ouch.)

thoughts ?

lets start a discussion on what it was like for you guys when you first started playing ;).

matthew

January 4th, 2007, 04:43 AM

20-30 minutes a day for a week will build up your callouses and your fingertips won't hurt much anymore, other than when you go on a playing binge. I remember once in college staying in the dorms for a holiday weekend and everyone I knew went out of town. I played guitar one day for something like 8 hours straight and my fingers actually bled (well, okay, just one of them, but it hurt!) because I wasn't used to playing more than 30 minutes or so at a time and my callouses weren't up to it. I couldn't play for almost two weeks after that.

lets start a discussion on what it was like for you guys when you first started playing ;).My first guitar was a cheap, no-name acoustic in the 1980's. The action (space between the fretboard and the strings) was well over 1/4 inch (5 mm). Every chord I played buzzed horribly for a long time, but it did cause me to build up strength in my hand. Thankfully I upgraded to a better guitar before it gave me tendonitis or something. Oh, it was the same guitar as the day I mentioned above...

Early on I dedicated myself to learning all to open chord forms I could with a goal of at least one new chord form each week. I also tried to play with people who were better than me as often as possible. Another good thing I was taught by a friend early on is never to stop a song when I make a mistake, but instead learn how to keep singing and pick up my playing where ever the song has gone...this is a vital skill if you want to play with other people, that and having a good, consistent rhythm.

Other thoughts:
It's better to play something simple and well than complicated but poor. This is true of rhythm/strumming patterns, chord shapes, and scales/lead lines. Learn new things at a slow pace until you get it right, and then speed it up gradually as you become more proficient.

Acquiring a good sense of rhythm and a healthy vocabulary of basic chords in all the most common keys will enable you to play with anyone at any time, even if you don't know the song. After you do that, then you can begin to learn scales and how to play lead and you will be better at it when you do...at least that's what I think.

Patrick-Ruff

January 4th, 2007, 05:15 AM

yeah that's some awesome advice. so far I almost have Susie Q tackled except one solo, but that's only because I didn't really understand the taberature. I've almost got the first part of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, and I also practiced the chords a lot before I got into that.

so far I've been doing an hour a day for over 2 weeks, my fingers still hurt but they're getting much much tougher. I find that playing songs you love gives a instant gratification feeling that makes you want to keep playing, rather then playing the same chords over and over, for me it didn't really get a lot of interest at first, but those pink floyd songs . . . and the beatles :). good stuff.

my only issue at the moment is strumming, I can't strum up as evenly as I strummed down, but I think that will go away in time. anyways, it is time that I sleep, I will be posting tomorrow,

good night

Bezmotivnik

January 4th, 2007, 05:21 AM

my right arm is permenantly messed up in the joint, making it so I can't bend my wrist certain ways nor straighten or fully move my elbow for that matter,
Don't sweat it. This guy (http://www.lespaulonline.com/) has the identical problem, only worse, and he didn't get really famous until afterwards.

Django's fretting had was utterly destroyed by fire. He just got better.

Jimmy Bryant (http://www.jimmybryant.us/), the true ur-shredder, didn't even start guitar until a hand grenade ended his ability to play violin.

Garcia was missing a finger, but only on the right hand -- in his finger-picking days.

One of the hottest local guitarists here when I was growing up was missing his right arm below the elbow. He stuck a pick in the bone spur and shredded bigtime. He went to LA and did studio work.

My hands are messed up from childhood polio and geezer arthritis. I've adapted the way I play so it doesn't hurt and I'm still getting better.

Is this starting to sink in yet?

matthew

January 4th, 2007, 05:25 AM

I find that playing songs you love gives a instant gratification feeling that makes you want to keep playing, rather then playing the same chords over and over, for me it didn't really get a lot of interest at first, but those pink floyd songs . . . and the beatles :). good stuff. I agree. Find songs that have lots of chords you know and only one or maybe two new ones and can build your vocabulary that way. :)

I agree with Bezmotivnik, the history of the guitar is replete with people who have overcome physical limitations to excel at the instrument. It just takes practice, desire and a love for it.

Bezmotivnik

January 4th, 2007, 05:40 AM

I agree. Find songs that have lots of chords you know and only one or maybe two new ones and can build your vocabulary that way. :)
If you don't mind goofing around with the corniest collection of material on the planet, The Guitar Guy's site (http://www.theguitarguy.com/) is an amazing education in chord progressions.

the history of the guitar is replete with people who have overcome physical limitations to excel at the instrument.
Sometimes it almost seems like a requirement for greatness.

On the subject of mangled guitarists, it's a shame most people are unaware of Jimmy Bryant. Check some of the quotes from other famous guitarists on that link. Someone asked me what sort of music he played, and I answered, "Jazz, rock and country -- simultaneously." And he was doing it on a primitive Telecaster with old heavy-gauge strings. Check this out (http://www.myspace.com/jimmybryant) (and don't miss the Voxmobile!).

Patrick-Ruff

January 4th, 2007, 09:11 PM

heh, yeah I knew about garcia, he was missing a huge chunk out of his middle finger, pretty crazy. I'm slowly getting better and better, and my desire to excel my skill is strong.

wow, that's soo crazy; I had no idea les paul had a messed up right arm lol.

well thanks for the advice.

I'd still like to hear more of how it was for everyone when they first started playing.

Bezmotivnik

January 4th, 2007, 11:18 PM

I had no idea les paul had a messed up right arm lol.
Elbow fused solid at a ninety-degree angle. I'd say that was pretty messed up! It's been that way since 1948 or so, I think, too.

Les did a Grammy-nominated album in 2005 at age NINETY (90)! Tough old bird and he still rocks.

I'd still like to hear more of how it was for everyone when they first started playing.
My fretting hand hurt all the time. Beyond that, I don't remember much about it. Really. :-k

Patrick-Ruff

January 5th, 2007, 02:39 AM

hmm, yeah, my right arm can only move about . . . I'd say I have 35% movement. but straight up 90 degrees . .. that's tough. the furthest I can bend mine is at the 90 degree mark, the furthest I can straighten it is .. .probably at the 120 degree mark.

thefirehead

January 5th, 2007, 03:58 PM

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/9/7/269497.jpg

I got it because of this guy

http://myspace-282.vo.llnwd.net/00481/28/20/481270282_l.jpg
http://myspace-021.vo.llnwd.net/01191/12/08/1191498021_l.jpg

the lead guitarist for As Cities Burn

although his only has one humbucker. I hate single coil, so I got the one with two humbuckers.

- sean

Ripfox

January 5th, 2007, 06:58 PM

I will post pix of my guitars tomorrow :)

Bezmotivnik

January 7th, 2007, 08:36 AM

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/9/7/269497.jpg
I got the one with two humbuckers.
I've always meant to get one, but every time I see a good deal, it's a lemon. :( My GC had a long closeout sale on them a year or so ago, and had four of 'em -- all bad in different ways, though one or two were store-damaged and I didn't look further at them.

Eventually I'll probably wind up with one...though, incredibly, I've never owned a Mexican Fender yet. :-k

Patrick-Ruff

January 7th, 2007, 05:35 PM

hmm, I've ran into an issue with reading tabs, on this solo on http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/creedence_clearwater_revival/susie_q_tab.htm

I don't know what they mean by 'r', I've read several tuturials on reading taberature and I never anywhere found what 'r' meant, so if one of you could please clarify that for me I'd greatly appriciate it :).

matthew

January 7th, 2007, 06:30 PM

hmm, I've ran into an issue with reading tabs, on this solo
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G--9b11~-11r9p7---7~--7-9-7-9b11-9b11|-11r9p7---7-9b10-------------------|
D---------------9--------------------|--------9--------------------------|
A------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

I don't know what they mean by 'r', I've read several tuturials on reading taberature and I never anywhere found what 'r' meant, so if one of you could please clarify that for me I'd greatly appriciate it :).I don't recall having seen it notated like this before but I would guess it's for "release."

This isn't a "pull off" as in the opposite of a "hammer on" but more of a note that the string was bent up to before being plucked and now you are moving from a bent string (higher pitch) position to a standard fretting position.

This is just a guess but it makes sense with the "11r9p7" notated above...Fret using the ring finger at the 9th fret, bend it to where it will sound like the note at the 11th fret, pluck and release/relax the bend, then pull the finger off with your index finger at the 7th fret.

Try that and see if it sounds right to you when you play the phrase.

Bezmotivnik

January 7th, 2007, 07:09 PM

"This tab was created with the help of an Amiga computer "

Wow. :-s

ComplexNumber

January 7th, 2007, 08:11 PM

Patrick-Ruff
watch you don't get sued by the RIAA for printing out those tabs :p. the RIAA have started taking down websites that publish tabs because they say its "violating copyright".
that reminds me......i still need to pay the fine that i received last week from the RIAA for humming a tune whilst walking down the street.

Patrick-Ruff

January 7th, 2007, 08:15 PM

yeah that kind of sounds like it, I have to take a break for now, just superglued my callas :P

Patrick-Ruff

January 7th, 2007, 08:16 PM

holy . . . no way . . . ok I'll like . . . edit it.

that's pretty ridiculous though. they wont sue me for keeping the link there though, right? lmao

Bezmotivnik

January 9th, 2007, 02:24 AM

MF has a long deal on the remaining Toronado 2005s in Caramel for $299.99, shipped (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-2005-Toronado-Electric-Guitar?sku=511320).

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/1/1/2/229112.jpg

These are better than I first thought, though they are still Mexican Fenders, with all the QC uncertainty that involves. They have the US Fender aftermarket "Atomic" (http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992125000) humbuckers, which are pretty nice and the Schaller machine heads ("tuners").

I'm not pleased that this is a satin (CHEAP) finish, but the color is nice. I may bag one. It's a long deal and probably the nicest looking of the now-discontinued Toronado line.

Cosu

January 9th, 2007, 05:30 AM

Hey everyone! Just wanted to say hi to other fellow guitarist and linux users.
I've been playing guitar for four years and since then i'm into GAS more than i'm into buying computer hardware :(.
Current gear:
ADA MP1 -> HUSH Systems IICX -> Ibanez SDR1000 (stere reverb unit) -> ADA Microcab -> Ampeg VT22 (a vintage tube amp from the 70's).
Guitars:
Squier Stratocaster with Dimarzio YJM in the neck and bridge
Cheap Strat Copy with a Grover Jackson JC90 in the bridge and Seymour Duncan SSL1 in the neck
Music Man Axxis Copy with a Seymour Duncan JB in the brigde and a Peavy Wolfgang USA pickup in the neck.
The above rig is conrolled by a Rocktron Midie Xchange and i sometimes use a Boss DS1 or a Seymour Duncan Pickupbooster in front of the preamp for smoother solo tones.
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/8353/gearfn6.jpg

I'm also running a website for Romanian speaking guitarists (Romanian Guitarist Community (http://forums.rgc.ro/index.php?act=idx) ).
The site is running on Debian GNU/Linux.
Cheers!