Hey! Guitar players, let's chat.

[VirtuAlex]

Eh that wasn't really my point. Im saying too many people want to play guitar just so they can say they can play guitar, not to learn about musicianship or the instrument.

Well, I agree it is quite stupid to call oneself a musician having learned couple of chords, but not so many actually claim that. It's just that stupid ones make most of noise making them annoing.
Actually I had an offer to join a band once. I responded that I could barely allign my fingers at Hm and that only after couple of beers to relax my muscles. They told me "c'mon, you look cool, besides anybody can play bass..." I think they're still playing somewhere some crazy stuff like trash metal.
But most of my friends do own inexpensive guitars and play just for each other, because it's so hard not to sing, and nobody pretends to be musicians or make a band out of nothing. It feels good when you can do something. Of course when you can sudo it feels even better, but not everybody have talent.

[IYY]

I play folkish stuff, Bob Dylan being my main influence. My guitar is nothing fancy, though; just your average everyday Yamaha. Solid, clean sounding, but without much character.

One day I want to buy a used spanish/classical guitar. I've played some in music stores and they have such a beautiful dull wooden sound.

[drucer]

I play many different styles of music. Current gear:

Amps + effects:
Vox Valvetronix AD60VTX
Line6 Echo Pro studio delay modeler

Guitars:
Gretsch 6136 White Falcon
Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary
Yamaha F-310 Acoustic guitar

Picture of my home studio & Gretsch White Falcon:
http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ameandthefire/

[paul cooke]

Actually I had an offer to join a band once. I responded that I could barely allign my fingers at Hm and that only after couple of beers to relax my muscles. They told me c'mon, you look cool, besides anybody can play bass... I think they're still playing somewhere some crazy stuff like trash metal.

isn't that where they deliberately tune the guitars to some weird mode so that holding down all the strings against the same fret gives them a chord???

And what do you mean "anybody can play bass"... hah... most guitarists I know are "one trick ponies"... they know just enough to look good... give them a bass and they couldn't hold a rythm at all...

the bass makes you want to groove... the guitars just fill in with flash licks.

Most people don't notice when the guitar misses a lick... but they really notice when the bass can't stay in the pocket or hits the wrong root.

[halfvolle melk]

@brunellus, do you have any idea how many of us it takes to screw in a light bulb??? It takes a special breed ...

*cough* click *cough* needs a lot of work, I know.

[matthew]

hey matthew, did you make that stand out of PVC pipe and foam insulation? if so i did the same thing this summer.

Actually it's welded steel, but now that I think about it, PVC would have been a lot easier. I actually have two guitars that aren't in that picture, but you can see my mandolin case to the left of the stand.

matthew
i hope bass players and bass chat are welcome in this thread too

Absolutely.

Gretsch 6136 White Falcon

Oh, man, I drooled all over my keyboard. Nice!

@brunellus, do you have any idea how many of us it takes to screw in a light bulb???

100. 1 to screw it in and 99 to say, "Jimi would have done it better."

...or 99 to sit back and watch his hands trying to figure out how he did it.

...or 99 to complain that the light bulbs they make today aren't nearly as good as the vintage ones we used to be able to buy.

[ComplexNumber]

They told me c'mon, you look cool, besides anybody can play bass

that is total rubbish . i can't believe anyone can be so naive as to believe that. its usually said by people who haven't even played a single note on a bass. the bass is actually a really difficult instrument to master, not least because its the glue that keeps the rest of the band together. as paul cooke says, if the guitar stops playing or makes a mistake, nobody notices and it doesn't affect the rest of the band much because nobody depends upon him or her. when the bass stops playing or makes a mistake, everyone notices or the music will grind to a halt because what the guitar player and the drummer play depend upon what the bass player does.
the person that told you that "anyone can play bass" should just remember that the bass is the backbone of the music. there are virtually no effective bands that don't have a bass, and those that don't(eg the whitestripes) have guitar and amp with extra bass to compensate.

[Brunellus]

Go to a college dorm, and almost every guy seems to have an acoustic guitar.. They seem to think thats all college girls need to be convinced..
It always sucks when image takes precedence. Most guys buy their guitar only to learn a few hit songs, and when they play them, they appear to be accomplished and "talented". The worst thing is a lot of girls fall for it and are totally wooed by the BS!

I'm not one to judge a player on what scales and techniques he/she has mastered (those people **** me off too ). Guitar "skill" is a redundant thing to judge, but you can usually tell quickly what their musical intentions are.

I really like the idea of this thread, when I get my camera back (hopefully by tomorrow), I will post pics of my equipment. Lets keep uploading the guitarpRon people!

I think there's a pretty low standard of musical literacy, generally (at least in North America).

I play piano/keyboard, and I do it, by my own admission, pretty poorly. I have a hard time reading sheet music, and my technique leaves much to be desired.

Yet, I have never ceased to be amazed at the number of people who are amazed when I can sit down and bang out enough chords to accompany a song.

Just for the hell of it, I played the open mic night once down at my local. I tried three numbers, flubbed all of them, was a total wreck, and I had three guitarists come up asking "dude! are you looking for a band?!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry....

[GarethMB]

http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0000136ji8.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0000137hw4.jpg

I've been playing for 3 3/4 years now, and now I finally feel pretty competent. I can play some pretty technical stuff providing I have the time to learn it. I generally play heavy rock / metal.

[matthew]

the bass is actually a really difficult instrument to master

I agree. I'm a pretty good guitarist (blues, classic rock, hard rock, even country), but I'm just an adequate bass player. You can kind of kick back sometimes while playing the guitar--you mess up and almost no one notices as long as you recover well. With the bass you have to pay attention to the groove and really be immersed in the music, you are the foundation.

I think there's a pretty low standard of musical literacy, generally (at least in North America).

Ouch. It's true. I once heard someone joke that Rock and Roll required the knowledge of 3 chords and the ability to spit.

I've been playing for 3 3/4 years now, and now I finally feel pretty competent. I can play some pretty technical stuff providing I have the time to learn it. I generally play heavy rock / metal.

Dude, nice Dean--mahogany, right? I have found that most true metal players have a real respect for learning the foundations and technical aspects of music, often rivaling classical players.

Here's my problem: I'm entirely self-taught. I can play some things extremely well, but occasionally I discover glaring holes in my musical foundations that someone who had even one year of lessons would understand. I've read a lot of books, but most of what I play I learned by watching others and playing with really good musicians.