I love guitar but just never have the time to practice. I have had loads of different ones but the only one I have left now is my first guitar that I kept for sentimental reasons. Its some wierd asian brand, Korean I think called Encore. It has a neck that looks more like an achoustic neck (thick and clunky) and a single humbucker pickup but I have never played a heavier sounding guitar. I have it tuned down to D, not drop d though, and I rip out a riff once in a while. About the most complicated thing I can play is Kids aren't alright by Ofspring lol.
No amp atm, just hooked up to my PC with a roland programable multi FX pedal.
Guitars I have owned
Fender Strat
Fender Music Master
Loads of strat clones
Gibson Les Paul (still my favorite)
Ibanez flying v
And I borrowed my cousin's Ibanez JEM90HAM for a year or so and loved that
I have had others but mostly no name or cheap brand that I got at bargain prices. I used to have my livinng room decked out with guitars all over the walls
I have a PRS Hollowbody II with the Piezo pick up and a Les Paul Studio.
Woo, spendy
I wouldn't mind a PRS Hollowbody, they're very nice. Then again I also want John Petrucci's signature MusicMan...
Agree that while Les Pauls are nice, they do become uncomfortable after a while (the body shape is just ... so basic). A friend of mine has a PRS Custom 22 singlecut, it's just like a Les Paul "done right". Same kind of sound, but just looks nicer, better hardware, and more comfortable. I think it might even be a bit cheaper too.
By uncomfortable do u mean heavy? I suppose they are a bit heavy but i love the way they play.. SouL, as for that G string going out of tune u should get some Grover tuners and u wont have that problem, the ones that come stock on Gibsons are shit imo.
If u like les pauls my roomate just got a Heritage, apparently theyre made by one of the founders of Gibson who left the company a long time ago, super nice guitar.
the idea of spending $1,200-6,000 on a guitar and still needing new tuners is maddening. Price aside though I've never been a fan of how thick the neck is on LP's along with the weight and terrible neck dive. Every gibson I've ever played has also had the action five feet off the fretboard for some reason...
Kind of a similar gripe I have with ESP, you can spend $2,000 and not even get a real ESP, what's the deal with that? Why should I have to spend 2,500-4,000+ to get above the LTD brand? Even then I have yet to play one that feels better than a cheaper Jackson.
Yeah. It's heavy. Solid! But heavy.
I have to make a conscious effort to not let the body sag while I play sitting down.
The frets also have a more square edge to them. It's noticeable that when I slide up and down my fingers are grazing over the frets. It's worse when my fingers get a bit raw from playing too much.
The PRS is light. Mainly 'cause it has less wood, obviously... but it's balanced very well. And the frets are more rounded. My fingers easily glide across them.
The Les Paul still sounds nice, though, when everything is working.
I'll look into the tuners. I was thinking of bringing it to a guy to clean and re-set up. I could have him put in the tuners, too. I'm thinking of putting on heavier gauge strings to try out and get used to. Mop, beartraps, what gauge strings are you guys playing with?
The PRS i'm keeping to the factory set up. I'm not at the point yet where I want to mess with it.
I use D'Addario but haven't tried the chromes. Any good? I use the .009 super light gauge on my Ibanez.
My friend with the PRS uses .008 gauge on his, I thought he was crazy but it actually works really well.
Chromes have the teeth sanded down. So all the strings are smooth to the touch. I want to say they feel a bit more thick and stiff compared to regular strings. But I've only tried them on my co workers guitar. And he has 13 chromes put on his guitar.
I'm on 11s myself for both guitars.
far and away the nicest neck/fret/fingerboard feel I have ever felt on an instrument was on a friend's rickenbacker bass. I've never palyed their guitars but holy cow did that bass play amazingly.
I bought an ebony Epiphone Les Paul Standard earlier on in the year and its pretty sweet. Love the warm tone and sustain.
Yes, they are a little heavy and awkward to hold when sat down, but they're still cool.
Also got a DigitechRP90 multi-effects pedal to go with it. Still getting the hang of it, but I'm liking it alot.
I've been playing for like 12 years, used to work in a guitar shop which turned me into a bit of a tone whore. Put together a pretty nice rig over the years and have been playing this setup for the last 2 years or so.
Here's my LP, Standard with Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro's;
My main guitar and favourite, completely stock US Strat, I know rosewood looks better on a sunburst but I much prefer the feel/sound of maple;
When I got the Strat I had to get a Fender amp . My live amp is a JCM900 so didn't want to get another huge one, I got this Blues Junior. It's amaaaaazing, sounds so incredible and insanely loud for such a little package! Tube amps ftw
Here's my effects setup. Home made board lol, it does the job and has stood up to a fair few stage beatings! Effects are Boss TU2, Boss EQ, DD3 Delay, EHX Chorus, Tubescreamer (pure awesome), EHX English Muffin (tube overdrive), and the oligatory CryBaby.
And here's a shot of me playing another of my favourite guitars. The guitar shop I worked in had this pretty beat up Squier Fat Tele kicking around which was new, but had a lot of scratches/dents. It's a nice red/black burst and it sounds / plays surprisingly well. My girlfriend bought it me for my Birthday, and it's probably the best £80 guitar ever made That's my JCM900 behind me too, on top of the cab I use, a 4x12 1960.
No idea there were so many PC musicians :O ... I've been playing bass for about 13 years and acoustic guitar for about 2. If any bassists out there haven't paid much attention to Mic Todd from Coheed and Cambria I would suggest you check out some of their newer stuff. He's definitely underrated.
If any bassists out there haven't paid much attention to Mic Todd from Coheed and Cambria I would suggest you check out some of their newer stuff. He's definitely underrated.
+1, in fact the whole band are pretty damn talented.
Both the guitarists are very good, and some of their riffs are pretty technical.
Nice bass too Progg, Music Mans are awesome.
I forgot to mention strings in my post, I use Ernie's too on my electrics. Usually 10's... a bit of a strain on the fingers compared to 8s/9s but pack a lot more punch! Ernie Ball also do some amazing sounding acoustic strings, Earthwood or Earthwound or something, they are hard to get hold of in my local stores and I usually get D'Addario's for my acoustics, but anyone who sees the ones I'm talking about above, grab a set and try them. Real nice fat warm tone, none of that bright choppy crap you hear in some acoustic strings.
Yeah, big Co&Ca fan here too, they have some very catchy riffs and solos with plenty of feeling, while still coming up with technically interesting and challenging stuff - often difficult things to combine!
so everytime i plug a jack to the hole, i have to be careful ....
it has great warm humbucker sound tho ...
but i really miss 24th fret so badly, also tremolo arm ....
so im thinking to fix this guitar then sell it ...
that's cos i don't rate vai. everything he writes reeks of satriani influence.
sure, he's a great player, and has some pretty cool stuff. but honestly, he sounds too much like his influences, and not enough of himself to BE an influence.
I got two guitars but no clue how to play them and no idea where to start, I know a couple of chords but I think I'm just instrument stupid.
Ovation CC44 Celebrity Cutaway Acoustic Electric and a Fender Squire Strat and a Fender G-Dec Amp.. so much wasted money... Thats over a grand in guitar stuff...
that's cos i don't rate vai. everything he writes reeks of satriani influence.
sure, he's a great player, and has some pretty cool stuff. but honestly, he sounds too much like his influences, and not enough of himself to BE an influence.
Didn't Satriani teach Steve Vai? I'm sure I read that somewhere. I agree though, technically incredible, but I just find his albums like a 'musical tech-demo'.
Love Satriani's music though!
Jeremy - have you tried playing songs you like? Even if you just strum out some basic chords, I found when I was learning (which was admittedly about 15 years ago when I was like 11) that playing songs I was familiar with and liked helped me a lot more than playing stuff I didn't know just because it was in songbooks etc. Also, practice strictly on a daily basis, even if it's just for 10 minutes, play slow and sure and your muscle memory will naturally develop. I used to teach guitar for about 5 years and playing slowly but surely and to a regular schedule was often students biggest help towards gradual improvement.
EDIT: Lonewolf... you nailed that Vai track, sounds great! Is that Vai tattoo on your arm real?!
Anyone have any tips for how to learn? I'm really short on time so getting proper lessons is on hold for the moment. I've got a book that I've been working through, but progress has been painfully slow. Any tips?
that's cos i don't rate vai. everything he writes reeks of satriani influence.
sure, he's a great player, and has some pretty cool stuff. but honestly, he sounds too much like his influences, and not enough of himself to BE an influence.
i dont think vai have even 1 song thats even close to what satriani's has
Mmmm... man I have had my eyes set on a Marashal for sooo long, absolutely would DIE for that kinda distortion... but man, now I'm kinda leaning towards Peavy right now, the Classic series is nice, and I'm falling in love the versatility of the Fox series too.
Either way no money, so I can only dream and drool for now
London has a pretty huge young musician scene, if you check out kijiji and some other local sites there is always tones of gear for sale. You might just find the amp of your dreams on the cheap....or at least cheaper.
Is that a JS Chrome Boy? Damn. I want your guitars.
Also, I agree about Vai, he sounds nothing like Satriani most of the time, and is certainly way more experimental and less "straightforward" as Satch is.
However I have to say while I used to be a big Satch and Vai fan, I've really not been very impressed with either of them in the last few years. They seem to have stagnated somewhat, especially Satriani.
yup thats my chromeboy and a js1000 i bought in san fransisco and got it signed by joe before the show in the meet and greet package... ah good times..
and yea both of their music has changed but they are still the best imo
yup thats my chromeboy and a js1000 i bought in san fransisco and got it signed by joe before the show in the meet and greet package... ah good times..
and yea both of their music has changed but they are still the best imo
those are awesome instruments man... I remember trying the JS1000 some years ago...and sayin holy shit!, I want one.....but never happen in the end,... urs its even sign by satriani himself! thats epic...
I was a lot into satriani/vai. some years ago, really inspiring stuff...at the same time I remember myself tryin to pull out the solos of marty friedman when he used to play in cacophony.....
I play an ibanez rg3120 flammed blue/green. And thats the only electric guit I need in life.
nowadays I still play metal solos from time to time, but I sort of left my electric guit aside for a quite a while....and I am playing nylon acoustic uniquely, trying to play django reinhardt, rosenberg trio, birelli lagrene gypsy stuff.... and makes me feel like a noob.... trying to get the right rhythm when soloing......
^Eurgh, Gibson through a Fender amp... cardinal sin. A Gibson should only ever go through a tube Marshall or some obscenely overpriced boutique amp. Only Fenders should be played through Fender amps in my experienced opinion
Glad to hear you're liking your Gibson man, there are few things more pleasant than the warm tone of a genuine Les Paul!
Replies
No amp atm, just hooked up to my PC with a roland programable multi FX pedal.
Guitars I have owned
Fender Strat
Fender Music Master
Loads of strat clones
Gibson Les Paul (still my favorite)
Ibanez flying v
And I borrowed my cousin's Ibanez JEM90HAM for a year or so and loved that
I have had others but mostly no name or cheap brand that I got at bargain prices. I used to have my livinng room decked out with guitars all over the walls
Woo, spendy
I wouldn't mind a PRS Hollowbody, they're very nice. Then again I also want John Petrucci's signature MusicMan...
Agree that while Les Pauls are nice, they do become uncomfortable after a while (the body shape is just ... so basic). A friend of mine has a PRS Custom 22 singlecut, it's just like a Les Paul "done right". Same kind of sound, but just looks nicer, better hardware, and more comfortable. I think it might even be a bit cheaper too.
If u like les pauls my roomate just got a Heritage, apparently theyre made by one of the founders of Gibson who left the company a long time ago, super nice guitar.
Kind of a similar gripe I have with ESP, you can spend $2,000 and not even get a real ESP, what's the deal with that? Why should I have to spend 2,500-4,000+ to get above the LTD brand? Even then I have yet to play one that feels better than a cheaper Jackson.
I have to make a conscious effort to not let the body sag while I play sitting down.
The frets also have a more square edge to them. It's noticeable that when I slide up and down my fingers are grazing over the frets. It's worse when my fingers get a bit raw from playing too much.
The PRS is light. Mainly 'cause it has less wood, obviously... but it's balanced very well. And the frets are more rounded. My fingers easily glide across them.
The Les Paul still sounds nice, though, when everything is working.
I'll look into the tuners. I was thinking of bringing it to a guy to clean and re-set up. I could have him put in the tuners, too. I'm thinking of putting on heavier gauge strings to try out and get used to. Mop, beartraps, what gauge strings are you guys playing with?
The PRS i'm keeping to the factory set up. I'm not at the point yet where I want to mess with it.
Oh! Any of you tried the d'addario chromes?
My friend with the PRS uses .008 gauge on his, I thought he was crazy but it actually works really well.
I'm on 11s myself for both guitars.
Oh. And this is cool:
[ame]
paul gilbert is my hero!
[ame]
Additionally, he makes his own website, which is hilarious:
http://www.paulgilbert.com/menu.html
Check out "Sombrero Grande"
Yes, they are a little heavy and awkward to hold when sat down, but they're still cool.
Also got a DigitechRP90 multi-effects pedal to go with it. Still getting the hang of it, but I'm liking it alot.
Love the Rickenbacker Marr uses in this clip...
[ame]
"no, but I might be pete willis."
Wait...it's gone? Aww..well it had a picture of him in high school next to a picture of pete willis and they were like identical.
[ame]
[ame]
Mop, that looks hard to play :O!
[ame]
http://www.soft.com.sg/albums/album47/Ibanez_SAS36fm.jpg
http://www.mydukkan.com/media/zoom.zoomg71uttubeguitarmulti-effectspedal.jpg
I was planning to get the Jackson DXMK (or DKMG) but since I quit that hobby I just play once in a while on my old guitar.
my true love ^
I've been playing for like 12 years, used to work in a guitar shop which turned me into a bit of a tone whore. Put together a pretty nice rig over the years and have been playing this setup for the last 2 years or so.
Here's my LP, Standard with Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro's;
My main guitar and favourite, completely stock US Strat, I know rosewood looks better on a sunburst but I much prefer the feel/sound of maple;
When I got the Strat I had to get a Fender amp
Here's my effects setup. Home made board lol, it does the job and has stood up to a fair few stage beatings! Effects are Boss TU2, Boss EQ, DD3 Delay, EHX Chorus, Tubescreamer (pure awesome), EHX English Muffin (tube overdrive), and the oligatory CryBaby.
And here's a shot of me playing another of my favourite guitars. The guitar shop I worked in had this pretty beat up Squier Fat Tele kicking around which was new, but had a lot of scratches/dents. It's a nice red/black burst and it sounds / plays surprisingly well. My girlfriend bought it me for my Birthday, and it's probably the best £80 guitar ever made
[ame]
[ame]
My bass. Musicman Bongo 5 string ( Left handed though) and a custom built 5 string fretless.
I usually use Round Wound Ernie Ball power's
Hartke kickback for around the house
+1, in fact the whole band are pretty damn talented.
Both the guitarists are very good, and some of their riffs are pretty technical.
Nice bass too Progg, Music Mans are awesome.
I forgot to mention strings in my post, I use Ernie's too on my electrics. Usually 10's... a bit of a strain on the fingers compared to 8s/9s but pack a lot more punch! Ernie Ball also do some amazing sounding acoustic strings, Earthwood or Earthwound or something, they are hard to get hold of in my local stores and I usually get D'Addario's for my acoustics, but anyone who sees the ones I'm talking about above, grab a set and try them. Real nice fat warm tone, none of that bright choppy crap you hear in some acoustic strings.
the jack plug is loose ...
so everytime i plug a jack to the hole, i have to be careful ....
it has great warm humbucker sound tho ...
but i really miss 24th fret so badly, also tremolo arm ....
so im thinking to fix this guitar then sell it ...
oh this is my effect , im lovin it
^ me playing steve vai's song
xD
sure, he's a great player, and has some pretty cool stuff. but honestly, he sounds too much like his influences, and not enough of himself to BE an influence.
Ovation CC44 Celebrity Cutaway Acoustic Electric and a Fender Squire Strat and a Fender G-Dec Amp.. so much wasted money...
Didn't Satriani teach Steve Vai? I'm sure I read that somewhere. I agree though, technically incredible, but I just find his albums like a 'musical tech-demo'.
Love Satriani's music though!
Jeremy - have you tried playing songs you like? Even if you just strum out some basic chords, I found when I was learning (which was admittedly about 15 years ago when I was like 11) that playing songs I was familiar with and liked helped me a lot more than playing stuff I didn't know just because it was in songbooks etc. Also, practice strictly on a daily basis, even if it's just for 10 minutes, play slow and sure and your muscle memory will naturally develop. I used to teach guitar for about 5 years and playing slowly but surely and to a regular schedule was often students biggest help towards gradual improvement.
EDIT: Lonewolf... you nailed that Vai track, sounds great! Is that Vai tattoo on your arm real?!
Bass is a silverburst Ray34 Sterling Music Man
Guitar is a '84 silverburst Les Paul Custom
Also got a bad pedal addiction
I've got more that aren't in the pictures. I think I've finally relaxed on the gear acquisition syndrome though.
i dont think vai have even 1 song thats even close to what satriani's has
donno what the hell youre talking about
London has a pretty huge young musician scene, if you check out kijiji and some other local sites there is always tones of gear for sale. You might just find the amp of your dreams on the cheap....or at least cheaper.
Also, I agree about Vai, he sounds nothing like Satriani most of the time, and is certainly way more experimental and less "straightforward" as Satch is.
However I have to say while I used to be a big Satch and Vai fan, I've really not been very impressed with either of them in the last few years. They seem to have stagnated somewhat, especially Satriani.
and yea both of their music has changed but they are still the best imo
poor quality video
I've seen him live twice and those are my best concert memories.
[ame="
legend
and ma guitar Ibanez SA2020FM Prestige
those are awesome instruments man... I remember trying the JS1000 some years ago...and sayin holy shit!, I want one.....but never happen in the end,... urs its even sign by satriani himself! thats epic...
I was a lot into satriani/vai. some years ago, really inspiring stuff...at the same time I remember myself tryin to pull out the solos of marty friedman when he used to play in cacophony.....
I play an ibanez rg3120 flammed blue/green. And thats the only electric guit I need in life.
nowadays I still play metal solos from time to time, but I sort of left my electric guit aside for a quite a while....and I am playing nylon acoustic uniquely, trying to play django reinhardt, rosenberg trio, birelli lagrene gypsy stuff.... and makes me feel like a noob.... trying to get the right rhythm when soloing......
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i didn´t shot the picture, but it´s the same model, Les Paul Studio.
Next thing i need is a line 6 M9 stompbox
Glad to hear you're liking your Gibson man, there are few things more pleasant than the warm tone of a genuine Les Paul!
I know! Otherwise I wouldn't have been so rude!