Hey! Guitar players, let's chat. [Archive] - Page 3

Bezmotivnik

January 9th, 2007, 11:55 PM

I've never been able to adapt to thumb or finger picks. I've tried since I was a kid.

I've also never gotten over dropping picks or have them slip in my hands. When I was playing professionally back in the early Bronze Age, I used the then-new nylon picks with the serrated gripping area. It helped some.

A few years ago, I bought a gross (144) of Fender picks in the shape of a Reauleaux Triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuleaux_triangle). While the pick still rotates in my fingers, it's never far from a good point. They're big, so I don't drop them as much.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 12:08 AM

Anyone got anything good or bad to say about the Vox AC30CC2X, the new AC30 reissue that has two Celestion AlNiCo (blue) speakers?
I very nearly impulse-bought one of the last British-built ones with the non-blue speakers for US$999 when they were closed out last year, but was talked out of it.

I haven't paid much attention to them since. The current consensus seems to be that they are overpriced and have QC problems, I gather, but that could be said of a lot of high-end amps these days...accurately or not.

Patrick-Ruff

January 10th, 2007, 12:14 AM

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 12:30 AM

you ever try one of these (http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/National-Picks-Plastic-Thumb-Pick-1-Dozen?full_sku=100041608)?
Yeah, that's a thumb pick. I felt like I was in thumbscrews.

Guys -- especially bluegrass players -- get used to them. I can't imagine how, personally.

See what you think. You may like them.

CPtAJ

January 10th, 2007, 03:38 AM

Yknow, you could always grow your nails a bit. They dont have to be that long, just long enough to get a good sound going (depends on the person but really isnt that much)

Even without growing them, I rarely use picks. I figure, whats the use of knowing how to play if it all goes out the window the minute you lose the pick?

matthew

January 10th, 2007, 04:45 AM

is it possible to strum well with finger picks or what? because I really can't use regular guitar picks, did I mention I'm left handed playing right handed? I can't play left because my right arm will not allow my wrist to bend to play the frets, it's physically impossible. so, the best way it seems is for me to get some finger picks or something . . . Since they aren't expensive I think the best suggestion would be to buy some finger picks and try them out. Some (most?) that use them just use one on the thumb and use the fleshy part of the other four fingers or their fingernails. Definitely not my thing. If you were nearby I'd gladly give you mine. Oh, make sure you get the right size. The person at the music store should be able to help you with that.

Hi You all any more acoustic players/fingerpickers around?? ( Didn check the entire thread, sorry ...)

I 'm a Dutch guy trying to master the old blues guys, pfffffff....that timing of those guys..
To learn Tommy Emmanuesl is quite a bit easier, I think....What makes blues so hard isn't the specific scales or the idea, but the application of them and the emotion that they can produce with such simple structure. That's why these guys are so highly respected. It's like they can make the guitar reproduce all the subtle nuances of the human voice in a mournful wail and rip your heart out with it. My two favs in this genre are Rev Gary Davis and Blind Willie Johnson.

Yknow, you could always grow your nails a bit. They dont have to be that long, just long enough to get a good sound going (depends on the person but really isnt that much)

Even without growing them, I rarely use picks. I figure, whats the use of knowing how to play if it all goes out the window the minute you lose the pick?You have a good point. I greatly prefer flatpicking (Dunlop Tortex 73's, the yellow ones) but I have worked at it to become proficient enough with my fingers to play reasonably well with them if needed. Sometimes I move the pick from playing position to the palm of my right hand and hold it there with my little finger while using my fingertips for a different dynamic in the middle of a song.

I tried growing out my nails once, but it just wasn't for me.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 07:34 AM

Oh, make sure you get the right size. The person at the music store should be able to help you with that.
I'm sure that was at least part of my problem. Back in those days, they didn't come in sizes and you had to go through this rigmarole of putting them in hot/boiling water water to soften them and then stretch them out to fit, etc., blah...a grand nuisance.

What makes blues so hard isn't the specific scales or the idea, but the application of them and the emotion that they can produce with such simple structure.

Important message alert!:

THAT APPLIES TO ALL OTHER POP MUSIC AS WELL!

Your job as a guitarist is not to make a lot of nit-notes and snazzy moves to impress a bunch of other layabout musicians. Your job as a band or songwriter or performer or engineer or producer is to sucessfully communicate with your audience and evoke the mood and emotional message you wish to convey.

Period.

Take care of that, and you have it made. Neglect it and you're finished. From the first time you pick up an instrument, this should be your goal. All technique must serve this end.

I ended the career paths of literally hundreds of acts that didn't understand that, and was constantly amazed by how few performers trying to make the bigtime grasped such a simple, glaringly obvious point.

As I told my people back then, "Guitar gods don't chart." The few who have did so only after forgetting about the guitar part and focusing on being complete, sincere performers with unique offerings for their audiences.

Pop music is not about technique. Nobody cares if you can shred. There's always someone with more technique, and he's probably working the night shift at 7-11. Shredders don't matter, and they wreck any band that doesn't allow them to be the centerpiece of a useless exercise. Normal audiences will be impressed for five minutes and then be sick of it.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 09:00 AM

Someone here was recommending these to buyers:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/7/6/4/274764.jpg

"Epiphone G-400 SG"

If you want to go that way, MF has them one day only, 10 January, for US$199.99, shipped, (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid) in black only. MSRP is $499. These are "B-stock," which means that they've been opened or returned or are just overstock MF is calling B-stock to circumvent Gibson,Inc. ad price requirements. If there's anything substantive wrong with the instrument you get, they'll replace it at their cost, including shipping both ways.

I'm not recommending this guitar one way or the other, but it's a long deal on a popular item.

matthew

January 10th, 2007, 09:27 AM

Someone here was recommending these to buyers:
"Epiphone G-400 SG"

If you want to go that way, MF has them one day only, 10 January, for US$199.99, shipped, (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid) in black only. MSRP is $499. These are "B-stock," which means that they've been opened or returned or are just overstock MF is calling B-stock to circumvent Gibson,Inc. ad price requirements. If there's anything substantive wrong with the instrument you get, they'll replace it at their cost, including shipping both ways.

I'm not recommending this guitar one way or the other, but it's a long deal on a popular item.Wow! If I was stateside I would snatch one.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 09:40 AM

Wow! If I was stateside I would snatch one.
To get that price, you have to "add to cart" where it shows up, or else order by phone.

There's supposedly an interesting way to hack the order process to get the one-day-only price at a later date or backorder at the price, but it involves keeping site cookies, which most people don't do.

maniacmusician

January 10th, 2007, 09:41 AM

seanUSXIII

January 10th, 2007, 09:50 AM

http://thecodesource.solarbotics.net/my schecter.jpg

Schecter C-1+ FTW!!!

Also a fender 12-string acoustic

http://www.fender.com/products/prod_images/acoustics/0961012021_md.jpg

matthew

January 10th, 2007, 09:55 AM

*cries* this is torture.

How do you guys have enough money to do this? I feel like I'm flat broke all the time, haha.

That's a really good deal, but I'm currently trying to scrounge up money to upgrade my computer....[sigh] torture, I'm tellin ya.I almost never buy anything. I still have birthday money from last May just sitting there. I like stuff and it's cool, but usually things aren't important to me...then when a screaming deal comes around I have cash lying around to snatch it up.

Oh, and giving up or cutting back on a few indulgences helps with the pocketbook. I make my own coffee about 95% of the time instead of going to shops, I don't smoke, etc.

@seanUSXIII nice guitars, esp. the Schecter!

Patrick-Ruff

January 10th, 2007, 10:29 AM

hmm, my picking skill seems to slowly be improving, I think I'll wait on those tumb picks untill I'm really sure I can't get past this. so far it seems promising.

though, I assume it'll be much easier to play on an electric rather then a big acoustic. I don't even know what kind it is, if I had a digital camera I'd take a picture.

you can tell I'm really interested in guitars, I've read all 50 pages of this thread :P

Patrick-Ruff

January 10th, 2007, 10:39 AM

*idea* how bout we all post our favorite riff's? sound's like an awesome idea to me, and it'll also give everyone a chance to try some new things. personally I don't really have one yet, nothing that isn't copyrighted anyways lol.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 11:04 AM

How do you guys have enough money to do this? I feel like I'm flat broke all the time, haha.
.You probably make more money than I do. Virtually everyone in the US does. If you have any full-time job in the US, you make more than I do.

I'm a disabled guy who retired early and my sole source of income is my SSA pension, which comes to way less than a thousand bucks a month. That's it! That's all I get. How far below the official poverty line is that? Quite a ways. My late father's illness completely wiped me out financially and professionally. When he died, I was broke and worn out. I did inheirit a home on which there are low taxes and insurance costs, so my housing expenses are low.

I've lived on that for years now and I buy gear constantly. I always buy cheap and know that I can quickly re-sell it for what I have in it -- and sometimes a lot more -- if I get bored with it or I get in a money bind.

I don't smoke, drink or do drugs.

I have no family, which means no dependents except for my beloved kitty. Children are infinitely more expensive. If I had kids, I'm sure I would spend every penny on them and go back into the workforce and fight like the vicious monster I am to get every cent I could by fair means or foul, so that they would never want for anything, ever. But I have no progeny. For that reason alone, my doctors told me the smart move would be to pack it in and retire. They were right (I think).

I don't have a glamorous social life to maintain. I don't have a girlfriend to nag me into spending money on stuff I don't want to.

I cook, which means that I always have lots of good, healthy, interesting food at a fraction of the cost of that squandered by the lazy and stupid who live on overpriced, nutritionally dreadful junk food and fast food.

I don't insist on a perfectly climate-controlled existence -- in the summer, my house is pretty hot and in the winter it is pretty cold. It's no big thing and I only heat or cool the rooms in which I live. Keeping this entire house at seventy degrees F year round would cost a fortune, and for what?

I never buy anything that's not on sale. I shop hard -- ferociously hard! -- for everything. It's not a burden, it's a quest and an exciting hunt. Despite my loss of short-term memory for a lot of things (like song lyrics and progressions, etc.), I still manage a photographic recall of prices and their fluctuations of virtually every product or commodity in which I have any direct interest. I can immediately notice a deal, and can usually know if it means that the price may go lower still or not, and what the sale "means" in terms of the commodity.

I never waste money, yet I never appear cheap.

This is how come I always seem to buy an axe or an amp every month and still have plenty of extra money.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 11:09 AM

Schecter C-1+ FTW!!!
Hey, the next time you peek into the control cavity, will you tell me what you see on the backs of the pots? Not the values, but any other markings.

Thanks. I'm trying to see if I'm correct about something.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 11:17 AM

I make my own coffee about 95% of the time instead of going to shops,
Don't laugh! There are probably a million people (or more) in the US who spend in excess of $1000 a year at Starbuck's...just on coffee.

RaZoR-x11

January 10th, 2007, 11:41 AM

Well i have to say about 75% off you are Guitar snob's as in you have to either have a gibson or epiph,
Great guitar can come at low price tags to you know, like the Yamaha pasifca, or the yamaha sgb200 , Both guitar are lovly in the warm tone's and very nice action, now if you like the PRS, aka santana sig guitar, Stage have make a copy maybe it is not a PSR but my god dose it sound like one and it is a beauti to play, it has the nice sweet tone, and that bridge pick-up and do some serious damage, all in all you dont need a $3000, guitar to play like a god, it's the guitarist that make's
the Guitar.

RaZoR

matthew

January 10th, 2007, 11:51 AM

Well i have to say about 75% off you are Guitar snob's as in you have to either have a gibson or epiph,
Wow. Did you read the whole thread? Several of us have said many times that the name on the headstock doesn't matter at all. I've owned well known brands and unknown branded guitars, each that played well and sounded good. The only big reason to have a big name is resale value.

Patrick-Ruff

January 10th, 2007, 12:23 PM

eh, we're snobs because we may own a gibson or epiph? I don't own either, I don't own an electric guitar but I don't despise those who do. in fact, I can't wait till I can afford one :)

ComplexNumber

January 10th, 2007, 12:26 PM

Wow. Did you read the whole thread? Several of us have said many times that the name on the headstock doesn't matter at all. I've owned well known brands and unknown branded guitars, each that played well and sounded good. The only big reason to have a big name is resale value.
and the resale value depends upon where the seller is selling it. i don't think a gibson will sell for the same in china as it would in america, for example.
personally, i agree. the name usually means very little at all. names on guitars usually have the same indication of quality as names on clothes(its been shown that 'designer labels' are often exactly the same as a MUCH cheaper item of clothing, but with a designer label attached which often quadruples the price).

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 12:36 PM

Wow. Did you read the whole thread?
Yeah, I dunno what that's all about, if anything. :rolleyes:

Somewhere in this I seem to have recommended bargain Yamahas, and have mentioned that I've never owned an Epiphone axe -- which is hardly a "snob" guitar in any event. You can spend nearly $3000 on a Yamaha and get an Epiphone for $99 if you're so inclined in either direction.

I think our friend may have also missed the part where I've said that my most-played guitar is the $129 Höfner I recently got...that's about 1% -- 1/100 -- of the value of my all-original pre-CBS L-Series Stratocaster that I don't play at all.

And I'm usually playing it through my $107 Epiphone Valve Junior combo (which I love), not my high-end pro gear that sits in the studio under wraps.

If anyone here has expressed the need for high-end gear to make great sound, it cetainly hasn't been me. I have both and I know.

maniacmusician

January 10th, 2007, 01:06 PM

Bezmotivnik; I find it really interesting that you can buy all this gear on such a low cash flow and still be alive :) that's pretty cool. I do many of the same things you do in terms of saving money, but I'm also spending money on school and things like that. I really only care about having a nice computer and having nice music equipment (nice = stuff that I can play)...I do sometimes indulge in electronics, but I usually see those as extensions of the computer. i dunno, I don't spend that much, but when I do spend, it's usually pretty big.

I also don't drink or do drugs or anything. I can't cook though; I've tried to learn, just never really enjoyed it at all.

I'm trying to develop an eye for good deals; it really is a lot harder than it looks. I guess you're good at it because of the knowledge you gained as a guitar tech and whatnot

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 01:34 PM

I'm also spending money on school and things like that.
It's hard for me to imagine how expensive school is nowadays. I lucked out and got my degree back when college was virtually free in California. The first two years were free if you went to community college and after that you could transfer to UC or CSU for as little as $124 a semester for full-time. Books weren't the racket they are now, either. I got my honors degree from CSU for a grand total of about $600.

How did I support myself in the meantime?

[wait for it!]

Buying and selling guitars and amps. Really.

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 02:16 PM

Well, those SGs are already sold out.

You have to move fast on those one-day deals.

ComplexNumber

January 10th, 2007, 04:55 PM

hey guys! feeling flush? this (http://www.gruhn.com/features/D45/AA6071.html) guitar costs $100,000.

jocheem67

January 10th, 2007, 05:45 PM

Well, I've been trying fingerpicks and/or a thumbpick. Now in the end it's just me and my fingers, not even using my nails. They've grown hard ( what's it calles in English...caucasous or something..in Dutch it's "eelt" which is a better word I think for that stuff. You English speakin' should use it too...;) )

I'm studying on some Stephen Grossman lesson's . I love the guy for making country blues sound easy and he's a great teacher, even on just a record/dvd/cd...
Working on Mississippi J. Hurt now, with my dear martin D-15 which is a good guitar for the sound...

My heroes though are indeed Gary Davis ( he could re-tune his gibson while playing ) and the not so well known but intruiging Skip James. The latter can produce such tension in his guitar-playing, it 's amazing:)
Haunting stuff!

ComplexNumber

January 10th, 2007, 06:01 PM

They've grown hard ( what's it calles in English...caucasous or something..in Dutch it's "eelt" which is a better word I think for that stuff.
the word is "calluses".

Bezmotivnik

January 10th, 2007, 06:11 PM

My heroes though are indeed Gary Davis ( he could re-tune his gibson while playing ) and the not so well known but intruiging Skip James.
Ever listen to Ry Cooder's boyhood hero, Joseph Spence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Spence)?

paul cooke

January 11th, 2007, 02:59 AM

Don't laugh! There are probably a million people (or more) in the US who spend in excess of $1000 a year at Starbuck's...just on coffee.

I buy my beans in the green state and wholesale. Then I roast them myself as I need them. Hmmm really fresh coffee... and cheap.

The money spent in places like Starbucks is known as the "Latte Factor"... you could save yourself a pretty penny just by cutting down on it and reserving trips to places like Starbucks as treats instead of a routine...

jocheem67

January 11th, 2007, 06:18 AM

Joseph Spence, checkin' him out in a minute...thanks.

Patrick-Ruff

January 11th, 2007, 09:38 AM

hey Bezmotivnik, me my mom and my brother live on 500 dollars a month :P. so I feel your pain. thankfully my mom is very very /very/good at managing money.

Patrick-Ruff

January 12th, 2007, 02:25 AM

what was that exercise that increased the movement in your pinky's?

Bezmotivnik

January 12th, 2007, 10:20 PM

what was that exercise that increased the movement in your pinky's?
I dunno, you got me. Mine really don't have much strength because they're sort of messed up, but they work well enough.

If you're young you can strengthen your hands, but if you're a geezer, you just semi-permanently mess up your connective tissue by trying. :( I just about crippled myself when I took up bass seriously a few years ago. I now use the left ring & little finger together as one finger now to prevent re-injury.

Bezmotivnik

January 12th, 2007, 10:28 PM

So, I just picked up a couple of sale straps...

A Planet Waves "Morocco," (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/9/6/3/224963.jpg)in honor of Matthew...

...and one of these, (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/2/7/7/248277.jpg) from a watercolor by Jerry Garcia.

The weird thing is that I can't really get a "good" strap, because they're all too short, 54"; only "cheap" straps like these are long enough (60"+). :-k

Weird, huh?

ComplexNumber

January 12th, 2007, 11:16 PM

what was that exercise that increased the movement in your pinky's?
i've seen quite a few over the years, but i don't think i've stuck with any long enough or given them the dedication they require to manifest any results.
ideally, i want each of my fingers to be totally independent from each other so that they have a mind of the own. yeah, i wish! unfortunately, no matter how hard i try, there are certain things i just can't overcome. for example, i can't for the life of me seem to stop my middle finger from raising up high over the fretboard when i'm using my little finger(ie americans call this a pinky), index finger, and ring finger predominantly. although i've been working on making my little finger to work independently from my ring finger, they still mostly follow each other around the fretboard like sort sort of lapdog. they are only now beginning to separate slightly.
ahhhhh well, i guess i'll get there in the end [-o<

matthew

January 13th, 2007, 04:41 AM

A Planet Waves "Morocco," (http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/9/6/3/224963.jpg)in honor of Matthew...:)

The weird thing is that I can't really get a "good" strap, because they're all too short, 54"; only "cheap" straps like these are long enough (60"+). :-k

Weird, huh?I've noticed that. It's odd.

Bezmotivnik

January 13th, 2007, 02:42 PM

:)

I've noticed that. It's odd.
They're just being cheap and won't part with about $2 more leather, on the outside.

For a $60 strap, that's pretty annoying.

Also I think a lot of that might be due to the limited adjustment available on most leather strap designs.

Just guessing here. I remember getting a bass a long time ago from a guy and there was a really nice leather strap in the case that he'd cut down to about 42" or so, a total waste. :(

I guess he wanted to play that bass up around his ears like a fusion geek. Sad.

Patrick-Ruff

January 14th, 2007, 10:55 PM

seems like this thread's conversation is slowing down.

could it be because of the 54 pages? (I've read all of them)

if so, perhaps we could start another guitar players thread? :)

also, on another note, I'm overcoming that picking problem I mentioned earlier :D.

ComplexNumber

January 14th, 2007, 11:00 PM

I'm overcoming that picking problem I mentioned earlier
how did you overcome it?

Bezmotivnik

January 14th, 2007, 11:08 PM

seems like this thread's conversation is slowing down.

could it be because of the 54 pages? (I've read all of them)

if so, perhaps we could start another guitar players thread? :)
It's been slower than this. There have been points I had to give it CPR to keep it going.

I wouldn't start a new thread because there is some useful information here that will be lost if the thread croaks. To the extent that any of it is mine, I don't want to have to repeat it all again.

Patrick-Ruff

January 15th, 2007, 05:13 AM

how did you overcome it?

I was holding the pick wrong, now that I'm holding it correctly it's much easier :)

matthew

January 15th, 2007, 04:31 PM

It's been slower than this. There have been points I had to give it CPR to keep it going.

I wouldn't start a new thread because there is some useful information here that will be lost if the thread croaks. To the extent that any of it is mine, I don't want to have to repeat it all again.I agree. Even if it's semi-dead for a week or two things always seem to pick back up. I think it's better to keep the guitar related conversation in one place.

Patrick-Ruff

January 15th, 2007, 05:16 PM

hey Matthew, I just listened to the album Surfing With The Alien, oh man I love that ****.

I'm downloading the Joe Satriani discography now :D. I already had The Extremist, I just love the affect that kind of music has. It's perfect for doing homework :), no lyrics to concentrate on, nothing to particularly distract you, just perfect background music.

as far as the guitar, I just love how I'm getting pretty good pretty fast :D. it's over all had a very positive affect on me. I'm just struggling to learn C++ with all these distractions though :P

matthew

January 15th, 2007, 05:26 PM

hey Matthew, I just listened to the album Surfing With The Alien, oh man I love that ****.
The first time I bought that album it was on vinyl! I've seen Satch live and he is amazing. He is one of a very small number of seriously technically gifted artists who are capable of capturing and keeping my attention due to his added skills of songwriting, composition, and writing songs that are melodic and "singable."

He's really one of a kind...and I seriously want to support that sort of artist with my wallet too. He's earned it!

ComplexNumber

January 15th, 2007, 05:33 PM

I just listened to the album Surfing With The Alien, oh man I love that ****even though i bought it (in a "3 for the price of 1" sale at HMV. all 3 of them were in a box, so thats the only reason why i own that album), i don't think much of that one. i prefer the extremist and his self titled album much nore.
its not surprising why he rarely sings except through a filter.
i love songs such as the slow and bluesy "down down down", the fast and foot-tappable "summer song", and the rhythmic "morrocan sunset"

Bezmotivnik

January 15th, 2007, 06:06 PM

I agree...I think it's better to keep the guitar related conversation in one place.
It's hard to keep compulsive forking down in a Linux forum, I'm sure. ;)

Redache

January 15th, 2007, 07:39 PM

Hey, I play the geetar
Currently I have a Laney VC30 2-12, Fender Mexican '72 Telecaster Custom, Squier Telecaster and a Yamaha RGX 121s .

Head over to Rid of Me (http://www.myspace.com/ridofmeuk) to hear some sounds involving guitars and drums and so on.

victorbrca

January 15th, 2007, 08:02 PM

Used to teach guitar back home... Until I got tendinitis.... can't play anymore :(

I was mainly into progressive:
- Satch
- Vai
- Dream Theater (my preferred)
- Van Halen
- Malmsteen
- Metallica (old stuff)

I still have my gears.... Play once every 6 months or so
- Old Aria Pro
- Ibanez S470DXQMCN
- Acoustic Yamaha with a electric body like
- Boss GT-6
- Boss DS-1

Me and my Yamaha about 4 years ago
http://wazem.dyndns.org/pics/misc/7s.jpg (http://wazem.dyndns.org/pics/misc/7.jpg)

Vic.

Patrick-Ruff

January 15th, 2007, 08:40 PM

tendinitis, omg, that sucks man. well, keep rockin' teh best you can ;)

Patrick-Ruff

January 15th, 2007, 08:50 PM

even though i bought it (in a "3 for the price of 1" sale at HMV. all 3 of them were in a box, so thats the only reason why i own that album), i don't think much of that one. i prefer the extremist and his self titled album much nore.
its not surprising why he rarely sings except through a filter.
i love songs such as the slow and bluesy "down down down", the fast and foot-tappable "summer song", and the rhythmic "morrocan sunset"

yeah I'm addicted to the extremist :D

Bezmotivnik

January 15th, 2007, 11:55 PM

Tendinitis is comparatively rare in young people, compared to over-fortys.

You have my sympathy on that. Past a certain age, it never seems to cure completely, and takes several years to cure much at all. There's little warning when it hits you in middle age; you just notice a little discomfort and then it's too late.

One thing I did notice that helped some, and that was rubbing in 1% hydrocortisone creme to the affected area. Eventually, the transdermal absorbtion into the area starts to cut down the inflammation, and seems to help recovery somewhere between a little and quite a bit. It's OTC medication, but it can be expensive. I've found that the various "dollar stores" usually have it for a buck. I got several 1 Oz. tubes for $1 apiece a couple of months back.

Good luck on that.

wert613

January 15th, 2007, 11:58 PM

i play guitar learned in grade school so im not so good but i can do like 3 songs:P
mostly kid songs...

Bezmotivnik

January 16th, 2007, 12:36 AM

i play guitar learned in grade school so im not so good but i can do like 3 songs:P
mostly kid songs...
Well, look at it this way: It should be easy to radically expand your repertoire! :mrgreen:

Think of some songs you like, then find the chords on a tab site and learn the tunes. If you have trouble with the chords, transpose them to another key that's easier for you until you develop more proficiency.

Get your guitarist friends to help you.

Patrick-Ruff

January 16th, 2007, 10:37 AM

ah yes, the ammount of self satisfaction it brings to be able to play songs you've always loved.

I'm just working on my strumming :D.

victorbrca

January 16th, 2007, 11:30 AM

toddr

January 16th, 2007, 11:33 AM

Do any of you record with Ubuntu? I am trying out Audacity.

lukew

January 16th, 2007, 12:51 PM

I have a couple of Martin acoustics. D16 and DM12 (12 string ) :)

Patrick-Ruff

January 17th, 2007, 02:32 AM

Do any of you record with Ubuntu? I am trying out Audacity.

we alredy had a discussion on that earlier, at the moment recording sucks on ubuntu.

Patrick-Ruff

January 17th, 2007, 11:11 AM

Patrick-Ruff

January 17th, 2007, 11:17 AM

have we discussed every guitar in existence? lol

ComplexNumber

January 17th, 2007, 11:24 AM

wow, strengthing my pinky's and making them move is a lot harder then I thought it would be!

bu it is a really awesome feeling, my picking is down (I think) now I"m just working on my fretting hand :P.
it takes a while (a few months of dedication).

have we discussed every guitar in existence? lol
probably :mrgreen:

Patrick-Ruff

January 17th, 2007, 12:01 PM

haha, I can already feel them getting better :D.

see, I don't type with my pinkey's, I type 130 wpm with only my first 3 fingers, which is probably why guitar at first was pretty easy for me (despite fighting off bad habbits.)

anyone wanna discuss some bad habbits to avoid for a beginner?

or have a website that lists such things? :)

Bezmotivnik

January 17th, 2007, 01:55 PM

have we discussed every guitar in existence?
No, not even close! ;)

23meg

January 17th, 2007, 05:25 PM

The AC30CC2X (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AC30CC2X/) shipment has arrived at a store two minutes from my home and studio. I'll go and test them tomorrow, and a purchase is very probable. I've been dreaming of having a Twin or an AC30 for years... probably tomorrow is the day.

matthew

January 17th, 2007, 05:42 PM

The AC30CC2X (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AC30CC2X/) shipment has arrived to a store two minutes from my home and studio. I'll go and test them tomorrow, and a purchase is very probable. I've been dreaming of having a Twin or an AC30 for years... probably tomorrow is the day.I hope it's everything you have dreamed about. Good luck!

Bezmotivnik

January 17th, 2007, 09:16 PM

The AC30CC2X (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AC30CC2X/)I've been dreaming of having a Twin or an AC30 for years...
I'm sure you'll be happier with an AC30 than you could ever be with a Twin.

I know relatively few people who have Twin-Amps who don't regret getting them, myself included. I impulse-bought a new one a few years ago on long sale, brought it home, hurt my back, played it for about a half-hour and then put it in storage, where it's been ever since.

The Twin-Amp is an inherently flawed concept as an amp in several different ways, and a back-breaker with its notoriously poor haulage ergonomics.

A 100W-125W open back tube combo is a ridiculous idea in 2007, especially when it weighs ninety pounds and has a single, badly-positioned handle.:rolleyes:

23meg

January 17th, 2007, 10:25 PM

That handle is ridiculous; it could just as well have been omitted. At least the AC30 has two strudy side handles plus a central one. I can't imagine carrying it alone, so the side handles will definitely mean something.

After reading this (http://www.guitaramplifiermagazine.com/pub/2005/april/vox/vox-custom-classic6.htm) informative review, along with mostly positive user experiences on the Voxtalks and Plexi Palace forums, as well as in Harmony Central gear reviews where people are very nit picky, paranoid and whining usually, I'm just hoping my credit card limit will not spoil things at the last minute.

Bezmotivnik

January 17th, 2007, 11:12 PM

That handle is ridiculous; it could just as well have been omitted.
Of the five Twin-Amps like mine that I've seen, mine is the only one without a broken cabinet. Guitar Center managed to break three of them in the store.

The amp is so heavy in relation to the structural integrity of the cabinet that bumping it against something while you're stumbling around with it hanging onto that handle (and painfully wondering if you're going to get a ruptured disc or a hernia) will result in it coming apart at the corners.

It's an absolutely asinine amp.

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 01:10 AM

Well, I got that second Toronado...

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

...this afternoon. Strange. Finish is nice (after I got no less than four different kinds of industrial gunk and compounds off it), neck's OK, pickups are a mystery (not what they're supposed to be), very nice gigbag (if you like gigbags), but it has the worst nut I have ever seen on a delivered instrument in over forty years of buying, selling, playing and repairing axes. It's actually just the big sharp-cornered nut blank with some preliminary scoring for the strings, so the strings are sitting up way off the frets like it's set up to play steel. Dumbest thing you ever saw. :rolleyes:

It's unplayable as it is. It may work out to be a decent axe, but it's ridiculous that it would be shipped like this and I have to do this much benchwork on a brand new instrument. [-(

[Later:] I disassembled, repaired and lubricated the bad pickup selector switch, which now works perfectly, but have discovered there's an open ground that's causing a lot of noise. I'm pretty certain I know where it is and if so, it's a trival fix. After this, all that's left is the nut.

Searching through old OEM Fender Parts lists, I've located the pickups, which are still somewhat mysterious in this application. They're from the US pickup shop in Corona, but that's about all I can make out -- DCR of 14.5K on the (very hot, very bright) bridge pickup and 7.4K on the #65290 neck pickup, which was last seen on the discontinued American Stratocaster HH. :-k

This is shaping up into a pretty nifty guitar, though more of a project than I signed on for.

Patrick-Ruff

January 19th, 2007, 10:38 AM

it's all good though, it's what you enjoy. I absolutly adore electric guitars (of almost all sorts.) I seriously have a very strong want to get one. I'm still really debating what I should get though, I've really been considering an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, but I'm still not very sure.

I should probably get my hands on one and try it out. I've also considered fenders, but I'm not sure I like the look so much. just too many of them and they all have the same baseline look. and I just see way too many guitarists with them and it's just like I don't really like the look so much as I do the epiphone. but then again, I think my wants will change as I actually play one.

too bad there isn't a guitarcenter for 70 miles.

acoustic progression:

I find my self getting much better, after correcting SOO many bad habbits I have already developed (I'm not sure how many more I have left) I'm finally starting to feel right about it. I wasn't using my pinkey a lot before and now that I am I've had to change the way my fretting hand plays almost completely (I'm so glad I got this figured out early.)

but what also amazes me (and kind of messed with my mind when I was trying to learn how to hold the pick correctly) is how many people at my school I see playing guitars and holding the pick wrong, I almost thought that the way I was holding it (the presumably correct way) was wrong.

kind of entertaining don't you think?

ComplexNumber

January 19th, 2007, 10:49 AM

Bezmotivnik
regarding that guitar in your last post, is that that ugly thing that you were mentioning about the other day? the one that plays nice but is as ugly as sin.

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 01:31 PM

Bezmotivnik
regarding that guitar in your last post, is that that ugly thing that you were mentioning about the other day? the one that plays nice but is as ugly as sin.
No, that's this one:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg

This is its Mexican cousin.

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

You know those puzzles with the two pictures, "Can you find the eight differences?" There y'go! ;)

I'm going to see Mark Wong in a few minutes and he asked to get some of my stranger guitars to photograph for his 2008 calendar. I'm going to bring him the JetStar, for sure (Matthew loves 'em!), and maybe my 1969 Dan Armstrong and probably the racing striped monster.

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 01:39 PM

I've also considered fenders, but I'm not sure I like the look so much. just too many of them and they all have the same baseline look. and I just see way too many guitarists with them and it's just like I don't really like the look so much

I kind of feel that if I never see another Stratocaster as long as I live, it'll be too soon.

I think my wants will change as I actually play one.

Probably.

too bad there isn't a guitarcenter for 70 miles.

Look on the bright side, if there was, you'd probably live down there. I'm about two miles from a big one, and it's surounded by about five, fiercely competitive, Asian seafood buffets. Eat yourself stupid on shrimp, clams, mussels, etc. for $6.

It's a real problem. :mrgreen:

ComplexNumber

January 19th, 2007, 01:52 PM

No, that's this one:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/4/3/3/229433.jpg

This is its Mexican cousin.

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

You know those puzzles with the two pictures, "Can you find the eight differences?" There y'go! ;)

I'm going to see Mark Wong in a few minutes and he asked to get some of my stranger guitars to photograph for his 2008 calendar. I'm going to bring him the JetStar, for sure (Matthew loves 'em!), and maybe my 1969 Dan Armstrong and probably the racing striped monster.
i could've sworn that you were referring to both of them. hmmm maybe i misinterpreted. 8 differences:
1) go faster stripes
2) pick guard
3) "fender" on headstock
4) curvature at the bottom of the neck
5) type of wood used for the neck
6) those thingies to keep the strings aligned properly on the headstock
7) type of wood used for the body
8 ) one is dirty and the other's clean

whats the prize? :mrgreen:

geek_Man

January 19th, 2007, 03:48 PM

(Going back a little bit...)

<snip />anyone wanna discuss some bad habbits to avoid for a beginner?

or have a website that lists such things? :)

My pinky does this horrible curling when I press down with my ring finger while doing like a pentatonic scale. I GET SO MAD AT MY PINKY!!! But anyway, I gotta break that habit.

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 05:08 PM

i could've sworn that you were referring to both of them. hmmm maybe i misinterpreted. 8 differences:
1) go faster stripes
2) pick guard
3) "fender" on headstock
4) curvature at the bottom of the neck
5) type of wood used for the neck
6) those thingies to keep the strings aligned properly on the headstock
7) type of wood used for the body
8 ) one is dirty and the other's clean

whats the prize? :mrgreen:
Ha! I was just joking about the "eight" differences -- I'm pretty sure there are more. Let's see:

The finish is different -- note the painted headstock (a high-Mojo Fender "vintage" feature) and the stripes on the HH.

The pickups are different -- the HH has Seymour Duncans and the Deluxe has Bill Turner Corona shop customs.

Yes, not only are the body woods different (mahogany and alder), but...

...the MIM Deluxe has a Stratocaster-like upper bout contour.

The MIM has compensated Schallers, which means that it doesn't have...

...the second string tree, as you astutely noticed.

Different headstock graphics -- the unadorned "Fender" script on the HH is the marking on all Cor-Tek contract builds.

The pickup switches are completely different.

The bridges are different.

The HH has abalone fingerboard inlays (both fingerboards are rosewood, though).

The pickguard.

[A bunch of differences on the back you can't see -- and different fretboard radii]

That's just off the top of my head. They're actually very different.

ComplexNumber

January 19th, 2007, 05:14 PM

The pickups are differentits funny you should say that because, at first glance, i had convinced myself that there was something different about them, but no matter how close i looked, i couldn't see the actual difference (the number of screws gives it away that they're different, i guess).

ahhh well, i did pretty well, i think. as a prize, i'll award myself a few pints tomorrow night.

hey! just noticed a new smilie :guitar:. it looks abit like victor wooton on the bass. i reckon matthew is behind the introduction of that smilie :p

matthew

January 19th, 2007, 05:24 PM

ihey! just noticed a new smilie :guitar:. it looks abit like victor wooton on the bass. i reckon matthew is behind the introduction of that smilie :pI'd love to take credit, but actually ubuntu-geek added it...pretty cool of him I think.

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 05:28 PM

at first glance, i had convinced myself that there was something different about them, but no matter how close i looked, i couldn't see the actual difference the number of screws gives it away that they're different, i guess).
You were seeing the "Seymour Duncan" printed across the bottom coil of each pickup, I'm sure.

hey! just noticed a new smilie :guitar:. it looks abit like victor wooton on the bass. i reckon matthew is behind the introduction of that smilie :p
Maybe, you never know what he's up to.

I just gave a few guitars to Mark Wong (http://photoweborama.com/guitarframeset.html) to photograph, so Matthew wiill have some first class JetStar guitar porn this weekend. I also gave Mark my '69 Dan Armstrong to shoot, so that should be interesting. He also has my B-Bender, which should be unusual and photograph nicely.

ComplexNumber

January 19th, 2007, 06:12 PM

I'd love to take credit, but actually ubuntu-geek added it...pretty cool of him I think.
oh was it!? i didn't know ubuntu-geek was into guitars/basses. i would've thought that it was your decision.
and yes, it is cool of him to do so.......so thank you, ubuntu-geek :)

You were seeing the "Seymour Duncan" printed across the bottom coil of each pickup, I'm sure.no, i missed that. duh! must go for an eye test soon, i'm sure :p.
btw on reading back the part that you quoted, it looks like goggledegook. the reason why is that i forgot the opening bracket. this is what it should have said:
at first glance, i had convinced myself that there was something different about them, but no matter how close i looked, i couldn't see the actual difference (the number of screws gives it away that they're different, i guess).

matthew

January 19th, 2007, 06:29 PM

oh was it!? i didn't know ubuntu-geek was into guitars/basses. i would've thought that it was your decision.
and yes, it is cool of him to do so.......so thank you, ubuntu-geek :)
I don't think he plays an instrument of any kind. He introduced it in a staff forum post specifically commenting on something I had done. It seems to be a sort of "you rock!" tribute/thank you...now where's that blushing smiley????:redface:

ComplexNumber

January 19th, 2007, 06:36 PM

hehe well, he inadvertently introduced a much needed smilie in the process..

Patrick-Ruff

January 19th, 2007, 07:04 PM

heh, nice. yeah I tired some different picks today, some with some major grips (I've already got through my picking woes . . . ) and I actually found them less affective then the other ones. too much grip = inability to adjust it as you play lol.

Patrick-Ruff

January 19th, 2007, 07:37 PM

what do you guys think of jacksons (http://jacksonguitars.com)?

matthew

January 19th, 2007, 07:49 PM

what do you guys think of jacksons (http://jacksonguitars.com)?I've played some really nice ones. They tend to have thin, fast necks and some flashy looks.

I imagine Bezmotivnik would know for sure, but I thought I heard they were bought out a while back...I'm pretty sure Grover Jackson doesn't own the company anymore. Are they part of the "Fender family?"

Patrick-Ruff

January 19th, 2007, 07:54 PM

well based on their site it doesn't look like it :S. but I don't know.

matthew

January 19th, 2007, 08:08 PM

well based on their site it doesn't look like it :S. but I don't know.Yeah, as I look I'm inclined to agree. Still, something rings in my memory about them being under different ownership...maybe I dreamed it.

Anyway, I love the Rhodes V. My wife isn't much of a fan of the really flashy old or new school metal styles, musically or in terms of the guitar's looks. The Jackson's I've played have had a nice feel, though, but I haven't spent much time with them.

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 09:28 PM

what do you guys think of jacksons (http://jacksonguitars.com)?
Too pointy.

Yes, Jackson was bought out by FMIC quite a while back. Fender went through a period of frantic buyouts to run up their corporate value preparatory to offering the corporation for sale two or three years ago. Though it was reported in the financial papers, Fender denied it (typical of this sort of monkey business) and in the event FMIC wasn't sold. Nobody seems to know what all that was about.

Of all the other guitar companies bought up by FMIC, only Benedetto (http://benedetto-guitars.com/index.php) got back out again, last year.

23meg

January 19th, 2007, 09:28 PM

what do you guys think of jacksons (http://jacksonguitars.com)?The pointed headstock turns me off.

Judge me as superficial if you like, but for me to feel a connection with an instrument, its appearance (which at the same time means its actual build) has to fall within my range of acceptable aesthetics. I feel I just can't take in my hands something that has a sharp headstock and make sounds with it; it just feels out of place. Maybe partly because Jacksons are associated mainly with metal, and the pointed headstock complements that image, and metal isn't what I do, and isn't my cup of tea.

23meg

January 19th, 2007, 09:47 PM

By the way, I got the AC30.

It is very heavy, but as I predicted, thanks to the side handles, we had no problems even taking it up a narrow set of stairs. Taking it to gigs will mean finding a cab with a big trunk though. I'll also get a soft case sometime, to protect it from bumps.

The overall build quality is very nice, not affected one bit by the fact that it's made in China. I have yet to spot a compromise. The sound is almost exactly what I expected: by using the channel link option, it's easy to get the "classic" AC30 sound, especially with the volume cranked.

The only downside it seems is the preamp tubes; with the master volume reduced and channel volume turned up, the kind of preamp distortion you get is a gritty, thin one. That may have something to do with my general dislike of tube preamp distortion as well though, and I'll get round to changing those preamp tubes sometime anyway.

I'll write more once I spend more time with it; I've only played it for 45 minutes or so yet.

ComplexNumber

January 19th, 2007, 10:27 PM

The pointed headstock turns me off.

Judge me as superficial if you like, but for me to feel a connection with an instrument, its appearance (which at the same time means its actual build) has to fall within my range of acceptable aesthetics. I feel I just can't take in my hands something that has a sharp headstock and make sounds with it; it just feels out of place. Maybe partly because Jacksons are associated mainly with metal, and the pointed headstock complements that image, and metal isn't what I do, and isn't my cup of tea.
you should see some of the BC Rich range (eg beast, warlock, etc).
http://www.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/B.C.RICH+BEAST+FR+PLATINUM+PRO+BK.JPG

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 10:47 PM

By the way, I got the AC30.
I was going to ask.

The only downside it seems is the preamp tubes.
OEM preamp tubes aren't the greatest for sound, but they usually are great for durability.

Most OEM preamp tubes seem to be Sovtek 12AX7WA stock that has been sorted and culled by Groove Tubes or someone else. Also popular in the past and coming back are Shangung 12AX7As.

These tubes may not be the greatest out there, but they work and will stand up to the abuse that a gigging combo inflicts on tubes. The Sovtek 12AX7WA is the road tube.

Most people don't realize that amp builders don't buy tubes for low cost or for sound but for the ability to survive shipping and abuse during the pre-sale period.

I'll write more once I spend more time with it; I've only played it for 45 minutes or so yet.
What do the neighbors think? :biggrin:

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 10:51 PM

you should see some of the BC Rich range (eg beast, warlock, etc).
You have to wonder, who buys these things?

I guess all those provincial loser-metal bands everyone goofs on at rockandrollconfidential.com. :-k

Bezmotivnik

January 19th, 2007, 10:56 PM

Are they part of the "Fender family?"
Here's a partial list (http://fender.com/products/otherbrands/).

geek_Man

January 19th, 2007, 11:56 PM

(Going back even MORE...)
I listen to Satch all time. I. Love. Him. He is the man.

P.S. Sorry, I just kinda found this thread so I'm commenting on stuff that's a couple pages back.

ComplexNumber

January 20th, 2007, 12:20 AM

You have to wonder, who buys these things?

I guess all those provincial loser-metal bands everyone goofs on at rockandrollconfidential.com. :-k
i would hazard at a guess that they are under the age of 15, into hard rock and/or thrash metal, love to be the centre of attention, and see themselves on stage doing wicked guitar solos in a band in front of adoring fans after spending 2 years trying to play the guitar. oh, and they want everyone to look at their guitar and go "wow, man! that is soooo cool!". oh version 2, and they are much more interesting in the shape and image of the guitar than they are about its quality and its sound.

oh, and i nearly forgot this: :guitar:

Patrick-Ruff

January 20th, 2007, 02:36 AM

http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/buy_epiphone_les_paul_custom_electric_guitar?full_ sku=100176337&src=4NL6L8

I am drooling.

epiphone les paul custom, removed the only thing I didn't like about the standard, the white pick guard . . . my god.

23meg

January 20th, 2007, 04:41 AM

you should see some of the BC Rich range (eg beast, warlock, etc). I mentioned pointed headstocks; that's got pointed everything. What a horror.You have to wonder, who buys these things?The reason metal people in general gravitate towards sharp lines, pointed-everything, black color etc. in guitar design is perhaps similar to why they grow hair, wear tight trousers, so on: with that kind of general aesthetics, they feel they rock harder.
they are much more interesting in the shape and image of the guitar than they are about its quality and its sound.In connection with the above, and this post (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=2037813&postcount=592) of mine, I'll say that the design and sound go hand in hand. Quality may be a separate point, but if a player isn't convinced by the design and reputation, they most likely won't buy a guitar just on terms of high build quality. I wouldn't buy a Jackson even if it was very good quality (and I know they are in general) at a good price, because that kind of guitar just doesn't make sense to me. I wouldn't buy a flying V design, no matter what brand or how high quality or how cheap it is.

I'm not sure if this information is ingrained guitar music culture, or exists completely separate from it, but there's a connection between the looks of a Telecaster and its sound. There's a connection between how that B.C. Rich looks, and how you'd expect it to sound, even though it's a much less established guitar than a Telecaster. Once you're familiar with the kind of sounds artists you like prefer, and thus the guitar designs, you build a kind of indirect association with those kinds of designs, as a result of your association with the music.

That may explain my particular case as well.
loser-metal bandsLoser metal, now that's a genre!

23meg

January 20th, 2007, 05:27 AM

Most people don't realize that amp builders don't buy tubes for low cost or for sound but for the ability to survive shipping and abuse during the pre-sale period.
From what I read, the AC30CCs come with crappy noname preamp tubes, while the power and rectifier tubes are somehow better (EHX or so). If that's the case with mine, they'll be going soon.What do the neighbors think? We were already getting complaints with the old amp setup; time to invest in more studio isolation.

Bezmotivnik

January 20th, 2007, 10:48 PM

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 01:21 AM

Wow, stunned silence!

OK, I was expecting that! :-\"

matthew

January 21st, 2007, 05:07 AM

OK! This is ESPECIALLY for Matthew...and anyone else with a taste for weird axes!

My 1999 Guild/DeArmond "Jet-Star" Guitar. (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/jetstar)

As wacky as you can get without pointyness!ooh! aah! There's not much else like blue melted chocolate bars...very Dali-esque. I don't know if I would own it and play it in public, but I'm still enamoured just like with the Jackson Rhodes V's and the BCRich Mockingbird. Maybe with a good tie-dye paint job. :lolflag:

paul cooke

January 21st, 2007, 07:46 AM

I mentioned pointed headstocks; that's got pointed everything. What a horror.The reason metal people in general gravitate towards sharp lines, pointed-everything, black color etc. in guitar design is perhaps similar to why they grow hair, wear tight trousers, so on: with that kind of general aesthetics, they feel they rock harder.

hair? what's that... When mine started going I went for the total number 1 buzz cut... now I'm looking at getting rid of it all... no hair (in my opinion) is far "harder" than long hair...

paul cooke

January 21st, 2007, 07:49 AM

Wow, stunned silence!

OK, I was expecting that! :-\"

woah... nothing wrong with that axe... nice blue... I'd like a Bass in that please... :)

halfvolle melk

January 21st, 2007, 11:39 AM

Sponsored by band-aid:
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/1289.JPG
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0559.jpg

Non-pointy wierdness:
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0606.jpg
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0796.jpg

ComplexNumber

January 21st, 2007, 12:11 PM

halfvolle melk
are they guitars or weapons?

halfvolle melk

January 21st, 2007, 12:27 PM

I'm not sure. What do you think?
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0447.jpg
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0718.jpg
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0915.jpg
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0916.jpg
http://130.89.163.175/~heras/fvgt/0975.jpg
:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

ComplexNumber

January 21st, 2007, 02:22 PM

definitely weapons :mrgreen: :guitar:

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 02:58 PM

nice blue... I'd like a Bass in that please... :)
I very nearly got a blue Jet-Star bass from the same source, but I got into an argument with the moronic secretary at the place that had them and didn't. :(

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 05:01 PM

As a bassist, I've been ragging on bass geeks and geek basses for years [what is it about bass that attracts the severe geek personality? -- This is one of music's lingering mysteries!], and have managed to only buy a single geeky bass myself.

However...I've been feeling bad that for all the guitars I've gotten in recent months I haven't caught a persuasve bass deal in about two years.

So, I'm considering -- only considering, mind you! -- bagging this geek-bass deal (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Traben-Traben-Tribal-Sun-4-Electric-Bass-?sku=511805), solely because it's a long deal on an instrument with some interesting technical possibilities.

I wonder if I need my head examined.

ComplexNumber

January 21st, 2007, 05:08 PM

I wonder if I need my head examined.not at all. go for it - try it out in a shop before you buy it, though.

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 05:42 PM

not at all. go for it - try it out in a shop before you buy it, though.
I'm sure no one around here has these things.

I may have to pass on this -- it's just too geeky for me. :-k All it needs is three more knobs, two more strings and a MOTO inlay of Darth Vader riding a unicorn.

There's a certain obvious irony and historical reference with something fugly like the Jet-Star, but geek basses are just what they are. :frown:

I mean...here, just look at the thing. (http://www.trabenbass.com/basses/tribalsun_secondary.html)

matthew

January 21st, 2007, 05:57 PM

All it needs is three more knobs, two more strings and a MOTO inlay of Darth Vader riding a unicorn.You say that as if it was a bad thing...

<snickering>

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 06:07 PM

You say that as if it was a bad thing...

<snickering>
That line was met with great consternation by some on TalkBass a year or so ago, when I got booted off for goofing on that picture of the moderator which had turned up on rockandrollconfidential.com (http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=683). It was the great sorter of bassists from bass geeks.

matthew

January 21st, 2007, 06:13 PM

That line was met with great consternation by some on TalkBass a year or so ago, when I got booted off for goofing on that picture of the moderator which had turned up on rockandrollconfidential.com (http://rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=683). It was the great sorter of bassists from bass geeks.That 12 string bass cracks me up every time...

paul cooke

January 21st, 2007, 06:22 PM

That 12 string bass cracks me up every time...

here's another stupid concept...

http://www.microphoneheaven.com/guitarbass/

and look up 6 and 8 string Basses here...

http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Bass

and this guy is really confused...

http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Image:Bass_player.JPG

Why play Bass:
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Bassist

Choad

January 21st, 2007, 06:41 PM

been playing guitar for a while... well its my birthday soon so that would make it nearly... 3 or 4 years i dont know if i started when i was 15 or 16. i cant believe i only discovered tool about 4 months ago. they are such an awesome band. really enjoying learning their stuff at the moment.

muse, however, have been and probably always will be my all-time favourite band. they kick so much *** its unreal. (and they come from a place very near me too (teignmouth, devon) :D)

just thought i'd post in here coz i am a guitar playing ubuntu geek so i pretty much have to say something lol

Patrick-Ruff

January 21st, 2007, 08:04 PM

anyone ever try to balance learning C++ and getting better at guitar? (well, learning guitar too)

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 08:15 PM

That 12 string bass cracks me up every time...
The bass geek thing is real.

My first tip-off came with my first steady bass player, a fabulously anal-retentive character with the most other-worldly, chess-club intensity, demeanor and wardrobe. He was a great (if totally oblivious) bassist with fastidious attention to all gear details, a compulsive knob-fiddler, and this was before there were basses with eleven knobs. He had to make do with a stack-knob Jazz, and he must have worn out the pots with his seven million little three-degree adjustments which were accompanied by expressions of excruciating concentration.

I remember asking him what his plans were for college, and he said, "I've decided to go into accounting because I think it's exciting."

I very nearly swallowed my tongue.

The funny part was the rest of the band had a tremendous affection for this guy, who was actually very exasperating to work with.

In the following decades, I ran into SO many bass geeks like him, like they all came from the same factory. I really don't know what it is about bass that draws this personality.

Patrick-Ruff

January 21st, 2007, 08:29 PM

lol, they want to try to feel superior to everyone because they are playing the harder instrument . . .

the instrument that gets no attention whatsoever. so, if their character brings them attention, that makes up for their lack of attention on stage ;).

Choad

January 21st, 2007, 08:39 PM

anyone ever try to balance learning C++ and getting better at guitar? (well, learning guitar too)
constantly

Choad

January 21st, 2007, 08:41 PM

The bass geek thing is real.

My first tip-off came with my first steady bass player, a fabulously anal-retentive character with the most other-worldly, chess-club intensity, demeanor and wardrobe. He was a great (if totally oblivious) bassist with fastidious attention to all gear details, a compulsive knob-fiddler, and this was before there were basses with eleven knobs. He had to make do with a stack-knob Jazz, and he must have worn out the pots with his seven million little three-degree adjustments which were accompanied by expressions of excruciating concentration.

I remember asking him what his plans were for college, and he said, "I've decided to go into accounting because I think it's exciting."

I very nearly swallowed my tongue.

The funny part was the rest of the band had a tremendous affection for this guy, who was actually very exasperating to work with.

In the following decades, I ran into SO many bass geeks like him, like they all came from the same factory. I really don't know what it is about bass that draws this personality.
hahahaha!

Bezmotivnik

January 21st, 2007, 09:24 PM

hahahaha!
You think that's funny, I just looked in Google's directory and he's here in town still.

I'm so tempted to look this guy up. I've always wondered what happened to people like that.

Patrick-Ruff

January 21st, 2007, 10:55 PM

do it then. I'd love to hear the story :D.

Patrick-Ruff

January 22nd, 2007, 02:09 PM

Choad

January 22nd, 2007, 02:16 PM

You think that's funny, I just looked in Google's directory and he's here in town still.

I'm so tempted to look this guy up. I've always wondered what happened to people like that.
do it! do it!

matthew

January 22nd, 2007, 03:48 PM

so what do you guys think of that epiphone les paul custom? anyone here ever play one or could give me any feedback?

I just want a guitar I will enjoy playing and charishing. based on the online pictures it looks like the guitar for me, I can be very anal-retentive towards the slight imperfections in all things, but 600 bucks for a guitar like that I just can't see it being terrible you know? lol.

well, I'll be looking foward to hearing some opinions on that.I have a friend that played in a band with me that has one. It was quite nice.

also, we have a Crate amp, I forgot the series (I'll get it if needed) but the capacitor died on it, and we talked to a pro and he said he could fix it for 200 bucks, he said finding the part was the hardest part and the reason it would be so expensive.

so, I'd just like to know how credible this guy really is. and I know a good chunk of you have built amps and know about this kind of stuff so I'd like to hear some thoughts.Hmm...that sounds off to me. Now the price might not be bad considering bench time, but his explanation sounds odd. I would need a lot more detail on the actual amp, the part in question, and so on. Capacitors aren't generally difficult to find. If you can't get the exact value you can often get a reasonable substitute value without much problem. I would recommend a second opinion if possible.

BTW, I once had a Crate, one of the old Vintage Club series, that sounded awesome! It also visited the shop several times for cold solder joints and broken connections--all while under warranty. When the warranty expired I sold it. I've since built my own amp, so it's no longer an issue. :)

Patrick-Ruff

January 22nd, 2007, 05:35 PM

matthew, I'll get you the specs later.

matthew

January 22nd, 2007, 05:40 PM

matthew, I'll get you the specs later.No stress.

Patrick-Ruff

January 22nd, 2007, 05:55 PM

I have a friend that played in a band with me that has one. It was quite nice.

Hmm...that sounds off to me. Now the price might not be bad considering bench time, but his explanation sounds odd. I would need a lot more detail on the actual amp, the part in question, and so on. Capacitors aren't generally difficult to find. If you can't get the exact value you can often get a reasonable substitute value without much problem. I would recommend a second opinion if possible.

BTW, I once had a Crate, one of the old Vintage Club series, that sounded awesome! It also visited the shop several times for cold solder joints and broken connections--all while under warranty. When the warranty expired I sold it. I've since built my own amp, so it's no longer an issue. :)

ok it is a Crate MX65R

serial number : BQUDO20348

Bezmotivnik

January 22nd, 2007, 10:01 PM

Hmm...that sounds off to me. Now the price might not be bad considering bench time, but his explanation sounds odd. I would need a lot more detail on the actual amp, the part in question, and so on. Capacitors aren't generally difficult to find. If you can't get the exact value you can often get a reasonable substitute value without much problem. I would recommend a second opinion if possible.
Seems fishy to me.

What Matthew said.

If it were some semicondictor, I could see it, as they can be obscure, hard to find and expensive, but capacitors aren't.

Depending on the model, putting $200 into a Crate probably isn't a slick move either.

seanUSXIII

January 22nd, 2007, 10:32 PM

Hey, the next time you peek into the control cavity, will you tell me what you see on the backs of the pots? Not the values, but any other markings.

Thanks. I'm trying to see if I'm correct about something.

I'll let you know next time I see the guitar. Maybe in about a week. I'm currently at my dorm and don't have my schecter. acoustics are great for dorms

Bezmotivnik

January 22nd, 2007, 10:52 PM

do it then. I'd love to hear the story :D.
I dunno. I can't find an e-mail address for him and I'm not going to call him cold. All I have is a phone number.

You go looking under rocks, y'never quite know what might crawl out. :shock:

As to the Epiphone Les Paul Custom, I don't know how you feel about gold-tone hardware, but it'll look ragged in six months of hard use anyway. I'm also not that big on the idea of spending that much money on an Epiphone. If you could get a long deal on it somehow, It'd be OK I guess -- all axes are OK at the right price.

I've never owned an Epiphone, but I've had a ton of Gibson Les Pauls over the years, (mostly original vintage stuff back when it wasn't insanely overpriced) and I find them just too heavy, almost always. As much gear as I have, I haven't had a Les Paul in almost twenty years. The last one was a beautiful tobacco-burst Standard back when I was living in San Francisco. It was the most astoundingly heavy Les Paul in history. I think every guitarist in San Francisco had that guitar for about six days until he could unload it on someone who had admired it without actually playing it. Reach down to pick up the case and you'd think it was bolted to the floor.

That was the last Standard I had. A couple of years ago, I had a lot of money to throw around and I went down to buy a new Standard or Standard+ at GC when they had a sale. I went through seventeen (17) of them and not one single one was defect-free enough to take home, and these were instruments with MSRPs of $3875.00. Gibson has to have the highest defect/price ratio in the world, I swear.

GuitarHero

January 22nd, 2007, 11:51 PM

I just 2 weeks ago bought a new guitar - Epiphone Emperor Regent:
http://img.2dehands.nl/f/normal/14082953.jpg

Any jazz guitarists here?

Bezmotivnik

January 23rd, 2007, 12:03 AM

Epiphone Emperor Regent
If ever I was to buy an Epiphone, that'd probably be the one.

Lose the goldtone hardware and that'd be about exactly what I'd want. Single neck-mounted pickup, non-ugly tailpiece, no weird colors.

I've been looking for "my" jazz axe for a few years now.

I have a DeArmond X-155 (http://www.dearmondguitars.com/x155.html), but find it unsatisfactory.

Any jazz guitarists here?
Not really, though my stuff becomes jazzier and jazzier as I become more orchestral/chord-oriented.

Patrick-Ruff

January 23rd, 2007, 12:35 AM

well, I hope matthew has some input on this, I don't know enough to straight up tell the guy he's full of **** lol. there aren't very many guitar centers around and that was the closest one (40 miles away) the next one is 60-70 miles away.

Bezmotivnik

January 23rd, 2007, 02:37 AM

The really annoying thing about Crate/SLM/LOUD is that you can't get a schematic online or elsewhere to try to troubleshoot Crate or Ampeg amps. No matter who owns the name at the moment, this policy has always been the same, and it's disgusting.

I once tried to get a simple schematic for one of my Ampegs. I tried all over the net. I contacted SLM and they said they'd send me one -- for SEVENTEEN DOLLARS!

As much criticism as I have of FMIC, at least they're good enough to put .PDFs on the web of all their schematics and wiring diagrams for whoever wants them and will e-mail them to anyone who needs any that aren't posted.

matthew

January 23rd, 2007, 09:04 AM

Seems fishy to me.

Depending on the model, putting $200 into a Crate probably isn't a slick move either.
ok it is a Crate MX65R
serial number : BQUDO20348
well, I hope matthew has some input on this, I don't know enough to straight up tell the guy he's full of **** lol. there aren't very many guitar centers around and that was the closest one (40 miles away) the next one is 60-70 miles away.
I've done some looking. The amp itself is worth about $200 so paying that much to repair it seems extreme to me and I am definitely NOT convinced that the repairman knows what he's talking about. I couldn't find a schematic for the amp to confirm/deny though. My advice is try to find someone who will fix it for $50 plus parts (maybe an additional $10-20) or scrap it. Sorry.

The really annoying thing about Crate/SLM/LOUD is that you can't get a schematic online or elsewhere to try to troubleshoot Crate or Ampeg amps. No matter who owns the name at the moment, this policy has always been the same, and it's disgusting.

I once tried to get a simple schematic for one of my Ampegs. I tried all over the net. I contacted SLM and they said they'd send me one -- for SEVENTEEN DOLLARS!

As much criticism as I have of FMIC, at least they're good enough to put .PDFs on the web of all their schematics and wiring diagrams for whoever wants them and will e-mail them to anyone who needs any that aren't posted.I agree wholeheartedly. I was able to get a schemo for the Crate VC2112 I used to have, but it was a major pain to do it. Basically they said at the time (1999) that only sell them (not give!) to licensed technicians and I had to prove over the phone that I knew what I was talking about with the gear and why I needed the schemo as well as promise multiple times I would not copy or sell it. I gave it away with the amp when I sold the amp. :)

Ben Sprinkle

January 23rd, 2007, 10:33 AM

Some of my others and one of my amps...it's an old 1940's National I bought off of eBay. It was broken and I took it apart, repaired/restored it, and it works great. Maybe later I'll post a shot of an amp I built from scratch. Click on the pic for a large version.
http://static.flickr.com/31/52797334_e31912255e.jpg (http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=52797334&size=l)

Yeah! Go beards! :)
I used to have a guitar, but sold it after a year, computers got me. ;)

Bezmotivnik

January 23rd, 2007, 03:36 PM

Basically they said at the time (1999) that only sell them (not give!) to licensed technicians

What in the world is a "licensed" technician, I wonder?

I had to prove over the phone that I knew what I was talking about with the gear and why I needed the schemo as well as promise multiple times I would not copy or sell it. I gave it away with the amp when I sold the amp. :)
LOUD has announced that they are closing down warranty repair on Crate/Ampeg for replacement-only warranty. I'm assuming that the busted ones are being shipped out to somewhere in Asia to be refurbed and eventually exchanged for more dead units.

A guy I know (not locally, unfortunately) did authorized warranty repair on their stuff and is pretty steamed at this policy. He supposedly has all their schematics on CD they issued to authorized warranty stations.

As far as getting repairs done locally, prices are high because of the arrangement techs have with the stores in which they operate -- typically a 50/50 split of labor and store markup on all parts. This isn't inherently unreasonable, but can nearly double the cost of repairs for the customer over the guy -- and there are many -- who does repair work on his own purely by word-of-mouth. Some of these guys are good, some aren't, but that goes for the guys working in the shops, too.

It has been my observation that going into full retail repair tends to ruin good techs; they get more business than they can handle as they lose the option to pick and choose their work, they become increasingly occupied with dealing with the customers rather than doing repairs, the work they do becomes rushed and incessantly interrupted, and their attitudes suffer -- as does the quality of their work.

I do guitar work of the sorts I enjoy doing to a very high level of competence and likewise do excellent electronic repair (within my limited diagnostic abilities). I would last about two weeks in a store setting, and that would be if someone else were dealing with the customers. If I had to do that, I'd last two hours, tops.

Patrick-Ruff

January 23rd, 2007, 08:07 PM

I've done some looking. The amp itself is worth about $200 so paying that much to repair it seems extreme to me and I am definitely NOT convinced that the repairman knows what he's talking about. I couldn't find a schematic for the amp to confirm/deny though. My advice is try to find someone who will fix it for $50 plus parts (maybe an additional $10-20) or scrap it. Sorry.

I agree wholeheartedly. I was able to get a schemo for the Crate VC2112 I used to have, but it was a major pain to do it. Basically they said at the time (1999) that only sell them (not give!) to licensed technicians and I had to prove over the phone that I knew what I was talking about with the gear and why I needed the schemo as well as promise multiple times I would not copy or sell it. I gave it away with the amp when I sold the amp. :)

thanks I'm so glad I came to this forum with this, thanks for the info.

matthew

January 24th, 2007, 02:12 AM

Yeah! Go beards! :)
I used to have a guitar, but sold it after a year, computers got me. ;)I have at least two instruments that aren't in that photo. :)

I have to travel today. When I get back I'll try to get some pictures of the amp I built up somewhere...it may take a few days, but I'll post here when I do.

Patrick-Ruff

January 25th, 2007, 01:56 AM

I tried a thumb-pick, pretty weird. I suppose it'll come in handy for double picking :D

Bezmotivnik

January 25th, 2007, 03:30 AM

I tried a thumb-pick, pretty weird.
Yeah, that's how I felt about it. :???:

matthew

January 25th, 2007, 09:51 AM

I put some shots up in the gallery on my website of when I made my tube amp. It started as a kit from Allen Amps (http://www.allenamps.com/)...then I modified it several places in and out.

Link to my gallery: *sorry, I had to remove it* Maybe I can post a shot or two here soon.

And, finally a shot of my main guitar (it links to a larger version...). I bought it new in 1995. I've changed the wiring a little, added Graph-Tec saddles, engraved the pickguard, added straplocks. You know, just little stuff. Any wear is from me. The back of the neck has some cool wear patterns, the fretboard still looks pretty good.

http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1149&g2_serialNumber=2&g2_GALLERYSID=97e732cc3c5e8eaab72255c44dd0e2d5 (http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1147&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=97e732cc3c5e8eaab72255c44dd0e2d5)

Patrick-Ruff

January 25th, 2007, 10:14 AM

good morning matthew, checking out your gallery now.

23meg

January 25th, 2007, 06:01 PM

Matthew (and others with some Telecaster experience), do you have hiss and hum problems? My main guitar is a 1991 USA Telecaster with stock everything; it's very well built (as opposed to most recent USA standard Telecasters), and the pickups sound just as I like, except one thing: at high gain levels, there's a lot of unwanted noise, which becomes disturbing when especially when a sustained chord or note is fading (I guess you know what I mean).

Before buying a Tele, I kept hearing that Teles are notorious for this. Now that I bought a Vox AC30, which is an all valve amp that brings out every nuance in the guitar signal, and which I typically play louder than my old Vox Cambridge, this began to be more of a problem. I can get new pickups if they'll solve the problem; it seems the Seymour Duncan line of replacement Telecaster pickups are widely available around here, but I don't know if they'll help with the noise problem, or just introduce their own tone. I can use any advice on this, including advice on pickups.

ComplexNumber

January 25th, 2007, 06:41 PM

Matthew (and others with some Telecaster experience), do you have hiss and hum problems?
i'm probably stating the obvious here, but does it usually happen when you are near flourescent light etc? :D
just one of the drawbacks of single coils.

23meg

January 25th, 2007, 06:54 PM

does it usually happen when you are near flourescent light etc? No, happens at any setting. Part of it is due to lack of grounding in my studio, I'm aware of that and will get that fixed, but there still remains a lot of noise even when I'm touching the strings (thus grounding the circuit).

Bezmotivnik

January 25th, 2007, 07:14 PM

Single coils are notoriously noisy, which is why humbuckers were invented, but if you want single-coil sound, you have to have single-coil pickups. The various noise-canceling substitute pickups which use humbucking or dummy coils do not seem to sound really like the real thing, plus they only address one type of noise.

About all you can do is change the environment, which may be as simple as changing the angle of the guitar neck when playing.

Shielding can only help with some sources and types of noise, and may have drawbacks of its own.

Here is an excellent and ongoing thread (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.audio.pro/browse_thread/thread/996f2152962c0456/a192d1707fa65584#a192d1707fa65584) on single-coil noise and shielding on Usenet's rec.audio.pro. Scott Dorsey is a well-known equipment expert in the US recording industry.

23meg

January 25th, 2007, 08:54 PM

Bezmotivnik

January 25th, 2007, 09:33 PM

I had come across this guide for shielding the control cavities in a Telecaster (http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/tele.php) before, only to forget about it later; that thread was a good heads up, thanks. Time to find some copper tape.
You can disregard much of that page as nonsense, particularly his gross misunderstandings of shielding and especially his obsession with imaginary ground loop problems, which do not occur in low-voltage situations -- according to every accredited electronics expert I know. There have been numerous GuitarNuts debunkings on the Seymour Duncan forums.

I'm assuming you didn't read the rec.audio.pro thread I linked.
.

Patrick-Ruff

January 25th, 2007, 09:47 PM

hah, nowhere can I find how much an epiphone les paul custom weighs, lmao

Patrick-Ruff

January 25th, 2007, 09:54 PM

also I was wondering something else, when I go to a guitar center and look at the epiphone les pauls, what should I look for that would instantly disqualify it as buyable?

it'd be cool if pics could be provided to help me understand precisely what to look for (I don't want to buy a guitar that has dents I didn't put there ;) )

23meg

January 25th, 2007, 10:07 PM

You can disregard much of that page as nonsense, particularly his gross misunderstandings of shielding and especially his obsession with imaginary ground loop problems, which do not occur in low-voltage situations -- according to every accredited electronics expert I know. There have been numerous GuitarNuts debunkings on the Seymour Duncan forums.

I'm assuming you didn't read the rec.audio.pro thread I linked.
.
Not yet; I just read the first post which reminded me of the GuitarNuts guide.

I'm not sure about the ground loops part, but he suggests the shielding as a means of protection from surrounding electromagnetic interference, doesn't he? The mod doesn't seem difficult, and many people report success with it so I'll give it a chance if I can find that copper tape and some time to work on it.

Having heard too many guitar tech theories that debunk each other while at the same time working and getting the job done when applied to practice, I tend to try things out before ruling them out.

Bezmotivnik

January 25th, 2007, 10:38 PM

I'm not sure about the ground loops part, but he suggests the shielding as a means of protection from surrounding electromagnetic interference, doesn't he?
If he does, he's technically wrong, according to Dorsey. Shielding will limit some electrostatic interference, but not EMI. You may be getting a lot of both, though.
I'll give it a chance if I can find that copper tape and some time to work on it.
Aside from being able to solder it, copper tape is no better than aluminium tape, which is cheaper and far more easily available, if you want to go the shielding route. I have a device made for electrically joining foil pieces, so if I'm ever convinced that foil shielding will produce a net gain for me, that's the route I'll go, as I already have that tape.

Having heard too many guitar tech theories that debunk each other while at the same time working and getting the job done when applied to practice, I tend to try things out before ruling them out.
I tend to disregard all "guitar techs" in these matters, as not a single one of them can back up what he says with valid physics or repeatable, predictable results in a controlled test. At the very least, I expect assertions of "improvement" to be consistent with known electronic engineering.

What I NEVER disregard is the placebo effect, which the one and only thing you can absolutely rely on in any guitar "improvement" discussion.:wink:

Read the Usenet thread I supplied and ask questions there if you want, as it's at a little higher level of competence than what you'll find among guitarists..

matthew

January 26th, 2007, 05:48 AM

Matthew (and others with some Telecaster experience), do you have hiss and hum problems?To a degree this is unavoidable with single coil pickups. It is more noticeable if you are plugged into an ungrounded circuit or one with florescent lights (or dimmer switches as well). As Bezmotivnik has noted changing to the pickups that advertise "no hum" will also alter the tone substantially. If you've ever played a guitar with P-90's you know how much more hissy and hummy they are! Nothing else sounds like them, though. Shielding can help, but not usually as much as is advertised. For me, I only notice during moments when I'm not playing, when it's otherwise silent. You can get a noise gate and set it with a very low threshold so that it isn't active except when you are not playing...is it worth it? I have one that sits in a box unused 99% of the time so for me, no. I just turn the volume knob down between songs...

If you like the sound when you're playing a guitar with single coils the trade off is a bit of hiss and hum. It's a bummer, really, but there you are. :)

hah, nowhere can I find how much an epiphone les paul custom weighs, lmaoGenerally from 7-9 pounds. It's hard to be more precise because wood is gloriously inconsistent.

Patrick-Ruff

January 26th, 2007, 10:28 AM

oh well that's not that bad. my bloody laptop weighs 8 pounds ( no joke, it's a beast.)

anyone wanna answer the whole scratch/blemishes thing?

chocolatemintmocha

January 26th, 2007, 10:34 AM

Wes Montgomery Rules!

ghowells

January 26th, 2007, 11:28 AM

Hey everybody, apologies if this has been covered before (didn't quite have the energy to read all 600+ posts!) but I have got my Line6 Toneport UX2 running under Ubuntu using VMWare Server (free as in beer) with Winblows installed in a VM. Astonishingly VMWare detects and supports my Toneport even though it is plugged into a bus controlled by an OS that has no real knowledge of what the device is or how to control it. lsusb returns the following:

Bus 003 Device 002: ID 0e41:4142 Line6, Inc.

The only hiccup I got was a constant distorted/popping sound when I first started playing (not as cool as it may sound!) but that was easily cured by turning the buffer size up for the Toneport driver. Extending the VM memory from 256MB to 512MB went a long way to helping curb the occasional bit of lag also.

Obviously i would far prefer that Line6 produced a Linux native driver and version of Gearbox (amp modeling software) but in the mean time it's a good way of preventing my Toneport from becoming furniture and keeping me playing!

Bezmotivnik

January 26th, 2007, 07:59 PM

To a degree this is unavoidable with single coil pickups. It is more noticeable if you are plugged into an ungrounded circuit or one with florescent lights (or dimmer switches as well). As Bezmotivnik has noted changing to the pickups that advertise "no hum" will also alter the tone substantially.
Yes, and the large bulk of the noise is coming from the pickups themselves, which you can't bury under shielding without defeating their purpose.

I'm increasingly believing that cavity shielding is a placebo. I hope that Usenet thread reaches some conclusions.
If you like the sound when you're playing a guitar with single coils the trade off is a bit of hiss and hum. It's a bummer, really, but there you are. :)
Yes, and humbuckers aren't totally quiet, either -- they are only a countermeasure against a particular type of noise anyway.

Generally from 7-9 pounds. It's hard to be more precise because wood is gloriously inconsistent.
I'd say that's a bit on the light side, but yes, weight is totally unpredictable within a surprisingly broad range.

Bezmotivnik

January 26th, 2007, 08:00 PM

[Brain error]

23meg

January 26th, 2007, 08:14 PM

I tried the mod today; no improvement.

Actually, I may be having even more hum than before, but that may be due to the fact that I messed things up at some stage, maybe something that shouldn't be touching something is touching it, or vice versa, or maybe it's an inverse placebo effect caused by my pessimism. In any case, the result isn't better. I used 0.5mm foil copper sold in rolls instead of adhesive copper tape, and that made it harder to apply, though it must bring better protection in theory. In practice, obviously, it doesn't.

I'm looking for other clues, but I'll start with the essentials: hire an electrician to get those outlets grounded.

Bezmotivnik

January 26th, 2007, 08:17 PM

also I was wondering something else, when I go to a guitar center and look at the epiphone les pauls, what should I look for that would instantly disqualify it as buyable?
A non-long-sale price. Seriously.

Bezmotivnik

January 26th, 2007, 08:18 PM

I tried the mod today; no improvement.

I may be having even more hum than before,
This is not an uncommon outcome.

Bezmotivnik

January 26th, 2007, 08:40 PM

anyone wanna answer the whole scratch/blemishes thing?
I must have missed that part. I don't see it. :confused:

Patrick-Ruff

January 27th, 2007, 02:32 PM

bezmotivnik, what I was initially asking was what would a n00b look out for when buying a guitar (particularly the epiphone les paul custom). you said you noticed a lot of imperfections that would not be worthy of taking home, I'd like to know what to watch out for.

I don't want to buy a guitar with dents I didn't put there in other words ;).

Bezmotivnik

January 27th, 2007, 06:39 PM

I don't want to buy a guitar with dents I didn't put there in other words ;).
So, you're not a fan of the "relic" concept? ;)

One thing I want to know before I start -- what's the difference between a Standard and a Custom in Epiphones? A black Standard is $400 a black Custom is $600. The Epiphone page is really uninformative, but I can't see why it's 50% more in everyday street price. It appears to be only a matter of pimp-tone trim features, and nothing substantive, like better pickups, wood or hardware. I'd personally eat worms before I'd take a hit like that for $11.83 worth of ugly fake inlay and self-destructing goldtone top-plating.

Patrick-Ruff

January 27th, 2007, 07:02 PM

difference is the custom has gold hardware (the humbuckers are gold-plated) the pickguard is black, and probably more subtle differences but all I know is that it fits my taste better and I know someone who is very content with his.

lol damn, well based on that reply it makes me not want one at all :P

Patrick-Ruff

January 27th, 2007, 07:13 PM

holy ****. I think I just found another guitar that I would get over the epiphone . . .

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Schecter-C1-Classic-Electric-Guitar?sku=513072

Bezmotivnik

January 27th, 2007, 07:36 PM

I think I just found another guitar...
The trick with guitars in general and Schecters in particular is to get the best guitar with the least excessive, tasteless pimp features, which do absolutely nothing but raise price. There's a very basic C-1, I believe, that has the US Duncans and all the actual features you want without all the trash you don't. This is relatively rare, as it's considered bad marketing.

I'm still trying to confirm who actually makes Schecter. That's important.

Patrick-Ruff

January 27th, 2007, 07:49 PM

hmm, your statement seemed a bit ambigious towards that guitar . . . . do you think it's good or what?

Bezmotivnik

January 27th, 2007, 08:19 PM

hmm, your statement seemed a bit ambigious towards that guitar . . . . do you think it's good or what?
If it is, there's probably an equal or better simpler version for less money. There are a lot of Schecter C-1 variants.

Pimp trim is never worth the price differential, contributes nothing to (and usually detracts from) the instrumental virtue of the guitar and makes you look ridiculous -- unless you're Bootsy Collins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootsy_Collins) and making a career of self-parodying excess. \\:D/

Patrick-Ruff

January 27th, 2007, 08:27 PM

lol alright, well if you find it please link me to it ;).

Patrick-Ruff

January 27th, 2007, 11:03 PM

also, I really like the look of it, it doesn't look like it's going overboard, I think it looks quite awesome.

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 12:16 AM

also, I really like the look of it, it doesn't look like it's going overboard, I think it looks quite awesome.
Is pimp trim worth about $150-$200 more to you?

That's the question. I can think of a lot more musically useful things to do with $200 than buy pimp trim at inflated option prices. Nuts, I've bought nice amps for less than that.

I would also point out again that goldtone doesn't hold up, so long before you wear out the axe (like maybe in as little as a few months, it depends), you'll have nickle underplating showing through, which looks pretty nasty -- and that's assuming you like goldtone in the first place, which most players don't, maybe for its lack of durability alone. The only thing I like less than goldtone is two-tone, which is simply gruesome.

Personally for me, all non-essential ornamentation is something to be tolerated on a guitar, not paid extra for, and rarely does it improve on a guitar's aesthetics for me.

Like that fine racing stripe!!! :D Boy, does that stretch my limits of toleration!

I find most players feel pretty much the same way. The pimp trim, bookmatched laminates, geeky inlays, racing stripes, skull graphics, etc., etc., etc. don't do a single good thing for the way the guitar sounds or plays. I'd rather put my money where it matters, because I don't have an unlimited amount of it.

Of course, it's your money, your life...

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 12:32 AM

Mark just called, and he has another one of my axes done.

Here it is: A near-mint 1999 Guild/DeArmond M-75T. (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/m75t?page=1)

Very nice axe, and it appears I'm going to have to pry it loose from Mark as he's become attached to it. Great 2K pickups from the Fender pickup shop, Bigsby, super sound, great action. Punchline: I got it for $199.99 at GC one afternoon because some fool spilled a bunch of something down the front of it. Cleaned it up and you see the rest.

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 01:25 AM

the only issue I have is that I can't find another one that I like more. :S

I'd greatly appricaite it if you would take a gander and help me find one ;).

this one looks alright-ish.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Schecter-C1-Plus-Electric-Guitar?sku=513010

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 01:54 AM

this one looks alright-ish.
It has much less-desirable pickups. There is a great deal of difference between actual US Duncans and the so-called "Duncan designed" imports.

The other thing is that you really should take a look at some actual Schecters in a shop and see if you like the basic necks, action, etc. They may not be the sort of guitar you really want to play, or they may be perfect. I think they tend to have thin necks, shallow radius and large frets.Some people like that arrangement, others don't. Don't just go by looks and features. You'll eventually have to play what you buy. :)

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 02:03 AM

yeah, damn I wish I lived closer to some guitar shops. it seems like that earlier one is perfect except the gold hardware. if I ordered the blue one it would be chrome I think (but I prefer vintage)

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 02:25 AM

yeah, damn I wish I lived closer to some guitar shops. it seems like that earlier one is perfect except the gold hardware. if I ordered the blue one it would be chrome I think (but I prefer vintage)
Please, no blue guitars unless you're getting a great deal on them! :D If you like blue (or green) guitars, you can usually get them really cheap as closeout items because most people find them butt-ugly.

I just dug out one of the ugliest guitars I own, a really nice one, but it's blue with two-tone metal (!) and it's just atrocious looking. Oh, and it has clear knobs and pickguard. Phew... I got it dirt cheap and it's a beautiful-sounding axe, but it's so revolting to look at that I probably haven't played it ninety minutes since getting it. That Jet-Star is also blue, but it's so crazy looking that it doesn't matter much; you can't hurt the looks of that monstrosity.

kevCast

January 28th, 2007, 02:29 AM

A screwy Ibanez, but I'm upgrading to an ESP hollowbody when I get the money.

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 03:30 AM

have you read all 69 pages kevcast? lol.

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 04:38 AM

Ha! Speaking of the Curse of the Blue Guitar, I just saw this, as a perfect example (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/-GRX40Z-2001-Electric-Guitar?sku=519418): The blue guitar is about half as much as the other color!

Pretty funny... No recommendation about this axe one way or the other, but it's a classic case of what I was talking about.

23meg

January 28th, 2007, 04:45 AM

I'm looking into replacing the pickups in my Telecaster as a way to counter hum and hiss from the amp. The Fender Vintage Noiseless Tele pickups (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992116000) look like what I want, on paper that is. In actualty they're just humbuckers in a single coil disguise, and I'm very satisfied with the sound of the stock pickups on my Tele aside from the noise. Ideally I'd want "classic Tele sound minus the noise", just like many newcomers to Ubuntu want "Windows minus the spyware and viruses"; I guess that would be wanting to have my cake and eat it too. So the question is: does anyone have any experience with these pickups? How close to the single coil Tele sound are they? Especially the bridge pickup, since I absolutely need its "twang" to be in place.

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 05:01 AM

Ideally I'd want "classic Tele sound minus the noise", just like many newcomers to Ubuntu want "Windows minus the spyware and viruses"; I guess that would be wanting to have my cake and eat it too. So the question is: does anyone have any experience with these pickups? How close to the single coil Tele sound are they? Especially the bridge pickup, since I absolutely need its "twang" to be in place.
I have no direct experience with these (which is kind of funny as I have a brand new Duncan "Vintage Rails" right here next to me that I've had for years, but haven't used in anything). As I mentioned earlier, the general opinion that I've picked up is that they're not that hot -- but I suggest you go to the Seymour Duncan forums (http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3) and ask. They are surprisingly open about their opinions of Duncan and other brands of pickups. There are a few people there with a lot of experience with aftermarket pickups. If you can find an answer anywhere I imagine it would be there.

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 01:34 PM

schecters look very nice though. that one I was looking at seems like its perfect other then the gold hardware. I'm still going to be doing a lot more searching it seems :P.

it appears I have more to learn about pickups, anyone care to offer a recourse on differences between pickups? (beyond the obvious humbucker vs single coil lol.)

best part about guitars is that they don't go obsolete in 5 mins (computers. . . . )

halfvolle melk

January 28th, 2007, 01:51 PM

23meg, personally I don't know but have a look at this:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Guitar+Pickup/product/Fender/Vintage+Noiseless+Tele/10/1
Offcourse you'll have to take the 'reviews' with plenty of salt.

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 02:03 PM

wow, Joe Satriani's Crystal Planet album is amazing.

paul cooke

January 28th, 2007, 02:09 PM

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 02:37 PM

obviously. I'm not sure what bezmotivniks exact reasons are but I prefer the whole vintage/sunburst/red looks. I think they fit guitars better (oh don't forget black and white ;) )

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 03:16 PM

so is gold hardware REALLY that bad? I've been looking at guitars for the past 3 hours and all the guitars that have really stuck out to me had gold hardware (even though I don't really want it, it seems to be all there is. . . . )

matthew

January 28th, 2007, 04:32 PM

Sorry. My website just went "login only" so the gallery link I gave earlier for my amplifier project won't work anymore. Here are a few pictures for anyone interested. If anyone is longing for a link to a larger version let me know...the first two were taken in December 1999. The last one was taken just a few days ago.

http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1118&g2_serialNumber=2&g2_GALLERYSID=89c8421fe45c6ab3dcc7d25bb5575ce0

http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1108&g2_serialNumber=2&g2_GALLERYSID=89c8421fe45c6ab3dcc7d25bb5575ce0

http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1140&g2_serialNumber=2&g2_GALLERYSID=89c8421fe45c6ab3dcc7d25bb5575ce0

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 04:33 PM

what is wrong with blue guitars???
They're hideously ugly...at least in the minds of the large majority of people who buy guitars. Likewise most other blue things except clothing. Green can't even get that far.

the notes come out the same.
If that's your position, you can get some great bargains! See the above example.

I remember some closeout Les Paul Studios...$799.99 w/OHSC. Green and blue were $599.99 w/OHSC. They really were ghastly, though.

Routinely, people want woodgrain or burst, then red, black and white. Other trademark exceptions like Gretsch orange or Les Paul goldtop are OK or occasionally weird ironic colors like pink or purple.

I tried to play my M-77 last night. It's a beautiful-sounding guitar, but it's so incredibly ugly that it startles me every time I look at it, to the point of actually throwing off my playing.

I would have to take antiemetics and play it for hours a day until I finally got over it. Then it would still scare others.

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 04:35 PM

lmao. bezmotivnik, I'd like to know if gold plating is really as bad as you portray it to be . . . there's just way too many high-rated guitars with it for me to think it's actually /that/ bad lol.

Bezmotivnik

January 28th, 2007, 05:19 PM

lmao. bezmotivnik, I'd like to know if gold plating is really as bad as you portray it to be . . . there's just way too many high-rated guitars with it for me to think it's actually /that/ bad lol.
Here, look at this. (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/albums/cslp/cslp5584.sized.jpg)

That's a two-month-old Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul in the picture. The plating is already wearing off the bridge.

Here's an older Les Paul Custom (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/albums/rslp/lp10.sized.jpg). The goldtone plating is all but gone, and where it remains it's a dull yellow. The reason the bridge is shiny is because it's a new bridge installed for the shoot. The original was too corroded and ratty to photograph. The other goldtone stuff -- knobs and screws -- that's still shiny is also fresh replacement for the shoot.

paul cooke

January 28th, 2007, 05:47 PM

If that's your position, you can get some great bargains! See the above example.

Routinely, people want woodgrain or burst, then red, black and white. Other trademark exceptions like Gretsch orange or Les Paul goldtop are OK or occasionally weird ironic colors like pink or purple.

they go for woodgrain cos the manufacturers slap a premium on any fancy finish... getting a coloured stain finish is an extra £170 on the £1549 cost of a Warwick Katana NT... over %10 extra... little wonder most basses are natural finish...

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/katana-nt-5---thru-neck/67326

personally, I think I'll go for one of these in blue...

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/streamer-std-5---2-picku/9238

despite lusting after the 5 string Katana NT in high polish Ocean Blue Stain... I can't afford it...

Patrick-Ruff

January 28th, 2007, 11:45 PM

whoa, I just found a song that will /really/ work out your fingers for a newbie ;).

Z.Z.'s Song - Joe Satriani (I could only find a guitar pro tab, but I have guitar pro so tis' all good)

Bezmotivnik

January 29th, 2007, 12:02 AM

More unusual stuff -- my American Fender B-Bender Nashville Telecaster. (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/bbender?page=1)

Unfortunately, the Ampeg isn't going to be done in this shoot as his wife's nagging him to get to some of their eBay stuff instead. :(

Maybe later...

manmower

January 29th, 2007, 05:44 AM

More unusual stuff -- my American Fender B-Bender Nashville Telecaster. (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/bbender?page=1)

What does that B-Bender do, exactly?

Also, my reason for posting here: does anyone have hands-on experience / informed opinions on the new Hagstrom guitars? In particular I'm finding the Super Swede (http://www.hagstromguitars.com/superswede.html) quite irresistible.

I hear great things about the vintage guitars but not much on the new line. I have my doubts on stuff like "Resinator" fretboard and the weird truss rod. Also I hear the coil taps are hit and miss. Otherwise this looks like the perfect fit for me.

Bezmotivnik

January 29th, 2007, 06:02 AM

What does that B-Bender do, exactly?
It raises/lowers the B string by two half-steps to C by actuating the strap lever by pressing downward on the neck and letting it back up. Sounds like a pedal steel somewhat, and can accomplish more with that than you might at first imagine.

does anyone have hands-on experience / informed opinions on the new Hagstrom guitars?
I have no experience with them at all. From what I gather, someone just bought the name and the guitars are just another Asian contract-built import. I could be mistaken about that, but it'swhat I've been told. If you find out differently, let me know.

Patrick-Ruff

January 29th, 2007, 10:15 AM

Hagstrom's remind me of a really nice les paul remake. looks interesting.

Patrick-Ruff

January 29th, 2007, 10:35 AM

23meg

January 29th, 2007, 07:58 PM

but I suggest you go to the Seymour Duncan forums and ask.I didn't even have to ask; a few searches quickly revealed that the general consensus there (and in the Plexi Palace forums) seems to be "if you want single coil sound, use single coils and learn to live with the noise".

23meg

January 29th, 2007, 08:01 PM

I wonder if I could get that gold hardware replaced for chrome on that C-1 . . . I've seriously been looking for the past 3 days and I haven't found one that much better (that is actually reasonably in my taste and price range)You can get pretty much everything on any guitar replaced with an alternative by a luthier who knows what they're doing. Good luthiers do charge you serious money though.

Bezmotivnik

January 29th, 2007, 10:13 PM

I wonder if I could get that gold hardware replaced for chrome on that C-1...

Probably for the price of a new one.

Look, if the guitar you want has goldtone hardware and you like the look of it, get it -- just be aware that it's not going to last. For some reason, people still want it, though they know it's impermanent.

For me personally, it's a virtual deal-killer on anything, but I got such a great deal on my Gretsch G3100 (http://www.guitare-village.com/akous_matos_93.php), a guitar I absolutely love, that I tolerate the goldtone and try to preserve it as best I can -- though that's hard when it's on the machine knobs. [and, boy, doesn't that photography look weak after Mark's!]

Patrick-Ruff

January 29th, 2007, 10:18 PM

lol, why do the /really/ beautiful guitars /HAVE/ to have goldtone hardware . . . . why would it cost 700 bucks to replace the hardware for chrome? that just makes no sense to me.

Bezmotivnik

January 29th, 2007, 10:23 PM

I didn't even have to ask; a few searches quickly revealed that the general consensus there (and in the Plexi Palace forums) seems to be "if you want single coil sound, use single coils and learn to live with the noise".
The other thing is that there's a basic problem with the entire concept of "shielding" a passive guitar circuit. It simply makes not a lick of sense to me:

A passive guitar circuit is a low AC voltage, high-impedance, two-conductor system.

There IS no "ground." There are only two AC conductors that are essentially equal. Your "shielding" is in-circuit with one of the legs of the AC. If anything, you're just creating an antenna with all that metal stuck to one leg of the AC circuit, it seems to me.

If this was a two-conductor AC system with a truly grounded, third-conductor shield (as on the typical microphone), that could make some sense -- but it's not.

So much of the confusion about guitar wiring seems to stem from the fact that few "techs" realize that they're confusing rules that apply to grounded DC circuits and higher voltages.

Bezmotivnik

January 29th, 2007, 10:28 PM

why would it cost 700 bucks to replace the hardware for chrome?
It makes more sense than costing $200 to replace a capacitor in an amp, and the same mechanism applies.

I counsel patience and looking at more guitars.

"Act in haste/Repent in leisure." [-X

Patrick-Ruff

January 29th, 2007, 10:56 PM

lol don't worry I'm probably not going to be able to buy a guitar for at least 5-6 months.

so trust me, I have /plenty/ of time to keep searching ;). I would appreciate some suggestion though :D.

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 10:28 AM

I love playing beatles songs, they're soo awesome :).

I've also decided to master my chords too, seems like a good idea. I'm just dreading learning how to read music again.

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 10:41 AM

oh BTW, does anyone know if there are any guitar accessories made to restore/sustain gold-tone hardware? (I'm sure there is but I haven't been able to find it)

Bezmotivnik

January 30th, 2007, 06:00 PM

oh BTW, does anyone know if there are any guitar accessories made to restore/sustain gold-tone hardware?
No. When it's gone, it's gone.

It's typically a very thin plating over nickle and then covered with clear lacquer of some sort. You can't really tell when it's going until it's essentially too late. A little nick in the lacquer and the process starts. In some cases, it's just the plating, which begins wearing off almost immediately.

Nothing you can do about it.

Bezmotivnik

January 30th, 2007, 06:05 PM

I've also decided to master my chords too, seems like a good idea. I'm just dreading learning how to read music again.
It's really all about chords.

I'm amazed and ashamed it took me so long to figure this out.

I don't read music well and have somewhat limited theory, but "back-engineering" what sounds interesting in arpeggiated, improvised chording is remarkably educational.

Choad

January 30th, 2007, 06:37 PM

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/28/photo0186sc2.th.jpg (http://img75.imageshack.us/my.php?image=photo0186sc2.jpg)

my geetaars

i have a gorgeous jackson at home but its (technically) my brothers and so its not up here with me.

original cream poster from the 60s too. (my uncle was the owner of "the ricky tick club" if any of you have heard of that?)

edit: jill (the electric) is much bluer in real life... photo messed up the colours

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 08:56 PM

Bezmotivnik, do you think you could recommend some guitars for me to try out? (something that is relative to my tast, like that C-1 I was looking at and all that) I know there have been a lot of suggestions throughout this thread but I've been looking for a while and it's still a bit tricky for me. and I don't want to spend more then $700(I could do 750 if it was a huge difference)

thanks a billion if you recommend some ;).

GuitarHero

January 30th, 2007, 10:00 PM

I just recently bought one of these:
http://img.2dehands.nl/f/normal/14082953.jpg
I dig it

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 10:15 PM

that's pretty nice, not quite my taste but I recognise the awesomeness ;).

GuitarHero

January 30th, 2007, 10:25 PM

Well thats a jazz guitar, so unless you're playing jazz i wouldn't recommend it.

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 10:33 PM

lol yeah.

Bezmotivnik

January 30th, 2007, 10:35 PM

I dig it
I think I saw one in GC a while back. It's close to what I'd like to get for what I'm doing, which is not precisely Jazz but not far from orchestral. I just can't find a jazz guitar that's really right for me. One problem is that they usually have fat necks, which I can't handle for guitar -- though I do OK with the biggest available necks on bass, but that's different.

I thought that Gretsch "Tennessee Rose" might cut it as a Jazz axe, but I don't think so now. Nice enough guitar (at the price it'd better be!), but it's just not jazzy-sounding.

Bezmotivnik

January 30th, 2007, 10:50 PM

Bezmotivnik, do you think you could recommend some guitars for me to try out? (something that is relative to my tast, like that C-1 I was looking at and all that) .
What you are going to have to do eventually is go and hang out at some guitar retailers and see what they have and how it feels to you.

$750??? I could outfit a band for $750! Well, not exactly...but that's a lot of dough for an axe, if you're a hard shopper. I only spent that much money on an axe once in my entire life before buying that Gretsch a couple of months ago -- and I have a lot of nice instruments.

A suggestion: Check the various "Special Edition" Fenders, which are very, very Schecter-like. As a matter of fact, I think they are made on the same floor at Cor-Tek. They are so close to Schecters it's not funny in technical terms and they are usually more heavily discounted if you catch the timing right. I got a Showmaster Scorpion for $299 a couple of years ago (MSRP $1000). It looks more like a Schecter than a Fender, except for the headstock. Both the Fenders and the better Schecters currently have the US Duncans (not the "Duncan Designed" which are OK but cheaper licensed imports) and have the same type neck/fingerboard dimensions. I am not a pimp-trim fan, as you know. I like stuff like the Schecter "Blackjack" -- all killer, no filler in a metal-style guitar.

Get the sale catalogues from Guitar Center sent to you and the ones from Musician's Friend. There is a lot of self-education to be done with catalogues. You can also keep up with price and sale trends.

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 10:54 PM

I signed up for musicians friend magazine over 3-4 weeks ago. I still haven't got one yet, but I'm still waiting :P.

and as long as they come with humbuckers then sweet. almost every guitarist I know has told me to never get single-coil. and I hear some (if not all) humbuckers are capable of turning off one of the coils to get that single coil sound . . . does this apply to all humbuckers or just some?

Bezmotivnik

January 30th, 2007, 11:14 PM

I signed up for musicians friend magazine over 3-4 weeks ago. I still haven't got one yet, but I'm still waiting :P.
Good. Get the GC catalogs sent to you or download them from their website.

and as long as they come with humbuckers then sweet. almost every guitarist I know has told me to never get single-coil. and I hear some (if not all) humbuckers are capable of turning off one of the coils to get that single coil sound . . . does this apply to all humbuckers or just some?
Most of the Schecters have what's called a "5-Way" switch that does splitting and recombining of the coils in different combinations. You can usually have bridge, neck, both, reverse-phase single coil from one in the bridge and one in the neck and a single coil neck. Here's the .PDF from Schecter. (http://schecterguitars.com/schematic/schecter_BLACKJACKS.pdf) It's different on my Showmaster, which is wired as described. There are LOTS of combinations, as you see.

Not all humbuckers are wired for splitting, and even if they are, that doesn't mean the guitar has them split from the factory.

Single coils usually have a more disctictive tone than humbuckers (think P-90ed Gibsons, Telecasters and Stratocasters), but they are noisy in an environment that has a lot of electrical "trash" in the vicinity. You can see in previous threads what I'm talking about.

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 11:17 PM

yeah I've read all over the place about that. and that would definately NOT work for me ;). I often play my acoustic around 2 computers, 2 flourecent lights, etc. that would mean a ridiculous ammount of electrical interfearance.

anyways, I'm still searching ;).

EDIT: also I can't find GC's catalogs anywhere on their site, any chance you could link me to it if you know where it is?

Bezmotivnik

January 30th, 2007, 11:46 PM

EDIT: also I can't find GC's catalogs anywhere on their site, any chance you could link me to it if you know where it is?
Go here (http://www.guitarcenter.com/buyersguide/index.cfm?a)...
And click the download flyer option and also hit the sign up for postal delivery option.

They'll send them to you until you're eighty, at least.

Patrick-Ruff

January 30th, 2007, 11:55 PM

awesome, thanks :)

L2wis

January 31st, 2007, 06:11 AM

tehhaxorr

January 31st, 2007, 08:36 AM

Hi everyone, just found this thread.

Been playing about 4 years on and off, recently full on againafter a year of nothing. I'm completely self taught ;) At the moment I'm looking into recording in linux, i just bought myself a 5 channel mixing desk so i can run guitars straight into an effects processor then down onto a multitrack, but i'm struggling to find decent software for linux. I'm spending most of my time on the PC now recording with Guitar Rig 2 and Adobe audition. I need to find some decent alternatives for these apps.

Sofar i have played around with Audacity, which is simply substandard, i'm using Hydrogen for drums, no complaint there and i still need to find a decent effects processor.

I currently have the following gear.

Ibanez Prestige 7 string (since i bought it i have honestly cured my GAS, i used to do nothing but save up for guitars)
A crap 60watt crate amp (if i'd known about crate when i went amp shopping i never would have bought it)
A vintage ZOOM effects pedal (By vintage i mean 10 years old, crap and barely working)

I'm running my recording rig as follows:

Guitar > Mixing desk > snd card 1 line in > Guitar Rig > snd card 1 line out > snd card 2 line in > Adobe audition > speakers.

It allows me to direct record into audition with effects in one swoop.

One problem with linux recording is that sound card 1 (soundmax card) does not work AT ALL in any linux distro, i am thinking about buying a second Cmedia based card so i can still run my sound chain in linux. Does linux support ASISO drivers for low latency, and what are some reccommended apps for linux.

I'm downloading 6.10 as i type this, i got sick of opensuse 10.2 (dependancy hell... bloody RPMs) so i will be setting it up clean install and then get this recording setup working.

Any help appreciated.

:guitar:

matthew

January 31st, 2007, 08:43 AM

Hey all, i've only just found this thread. I've been playing almost a year soon :) I've got a epiphone LP and looking for a new'un soon. I'm thinking about a Strat or Tele, i wanna try them out first though. If you goto guitar shops do they mind you trying them and stuff? Cos doesn't it kinda make the guitar second hand?As long as you don't get too crazy or abuse the guitar most shops are more than happy to let you try out the guitars they have. Many musicians wouldn't buy an instrument without playing it first so it's in the store's interest to allow this...and if you get one of the rare knowledgeable salesmen he can show you the different features of each and help you learn/discover what you prefer in terms of feel and tone.

Bezmotivnik

January 31st, 2007, 09:45 AM

If you goto guitar shops do they mind you trying them and stuff? Cos doesn't it kinda make the guitar second hand?
The only dings on my gear came at the hands of floor trolls at Guitar Center!

Patrick-Ruff

January 31st, 2007, 10:07 AM

lol that's lame, I assume you could find one w/o any dings right? though, I don't think it matters that much to you lol. I can be very anal-retentive towards small imperfections and such so I'd prefer to get a guitar close-to flawless lol.

paul cooke

January 31st, 2007, 03:26 PM

At the moment I'm looking into recording in linux, i just bought myself a 5 channel mixing desk so i can run guitars straight into an effects processor then down onto a multitrack, but i'm struggling to find decent software for linux. I'm spending most of my time on the PC now recording with Guitar Rig 2 and Adobe audition. I need to find some decent alternatives for these apps.

Sofar i have played around with Audacity, which is simply substandard, i'm using Hydrogen for drums, no complaint there and i still need to find a decent effects processor.

Audacity supports VST plugins using the optional VST Enabler

http://audacityteam.org/vst/

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/plugins

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features

I'm currently looking into this myself... but am having trouble finding the time... and Jack really hacks me off... I set Jack control to automatically launch the daemon... argh... the server starts then promptly shuts itself down again... I had it working once maybe twice perhaps...

Hmmm I've now got the server staying up... but can't get sound out... oh well... off the RTFM :(

One of these days... it'll just work... automagically...

tehhaxorr

January 31st, 2007, 08:27 PM

Audacity supports VST plugins using the optional VST Enabler

http://audacityteam.org/vst/

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/plugins

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features

I'm currently looking into this myself... but am having trouble finding the time... and Jack really hacks me off... I set Jack control to automatically launch the daemon... argh... the server starts then promptly shuts itself down again... I had it working once maybe twice perhaps...

Hmmm I've now got the server staying up... but can't get sound out... oh well... off the RTFM :(

One of these days... it'll just work... automagically...

Hopefully.

I'm getting really frustrated with the lack of good aps. I have been checking out Adour, far more powerfull than Audacity