the guitar players megathread

chatative thanks bro...that is an AWESOME strat you got there...right now for my main axe i just have a mexican fender telecaster,and i have an old american strat(96)that i use on occasion,but nothing as nice as you posted there,weird we kinda have similar gear..i also have a line 6 flextone 2 amp,an older model,haven't tried the new spider amps,but i heard they are alot of bang for the buck,and very diverse..i love the finish on your strat by the way..:) very nice..
 
Agreed, amazing strat, love the strap as well

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ColtDan said:
Agreed, amazing strat, love the strap as well
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euphoria445 said:
chatative thanks bro...that is an AWESOME strat you got there...
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Thanks guys.

My friend, who is very wise once said "Why do you spend so much money getting slightly better Epiphones, or upgrading the pickups when you could just buy an American Strat or Gibson LP & be done."... it's so true, if you can make the sacrifices / save up enough to spend extra an a really good guitar now, why not instead of paying the same price for 3 other guitars before finally buying the one you always dreamed of...

I loved the Sienna Sunburst the second I saw it & knew it was what I wanted... apparently it's been around since the end of the 70s but I think it's only been a standard colour since around 2005. Before I saw that, it would have been either Black or 3-Colour Sunburst with Rosewood. I'm not really a fan of Maple necks.

Epi LP, Squire Strat & an Ibanez Dan? Not a finish I'd chose myself, but the blue is quite nice! There is also something rather sexy about a white Strat.

There's nothing wrong with an old Strat euphoria. Of course, it's really the 60s & 70s Strats that had the best build quality, I do think things went downhill a bit in the 80s & 90s. Still, it's a Strat all the same! My Dad always wanted me to get a second hand guitar & I never wanted to but I realise now that he was right. You can get some real gems on eBay if you look right.

You know Dan, I've got this funny feeling that your Strat sounds fairly similar to mine through my Spider II.I read somewhere that a reasonable guitar through a good amp sounds better than a good guitar through a bad amp.

I'm quite sure that my Strat will sound quite different through my new amp, which is due to arrive tomorrow! I'm pretty much skint for a while but my purchases should keep me happy for a long time. :)

Geesh, I don't mean to keep typing such long posts but I seem to be living up to my name :p
 
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Cliff notes / tl;dr:
- I restrung my guitar.
- Fix for vibrating Tremolo Springs in Strat.
- What strings do you use?

I was hoping my posts would draw some folk out the woodwork... it'd be nice to see some regulars, new or old in here! I know there are plenty of guitar players lurking out there so get your ass in here now!

I've just been re-stringing my guitar. I've owned LP style guitars up until a couple of years ago, which I was able to re-string perfectly. However, I hadn't yet picked up the knack of re-stringing on a Strat since I've only re-strung it once or twice since I bought it. Not sure why I usually re-string every 3 months but had got lazy. Anyway, I came across a great video:



I bought 2 pairs of strings & used 1 set to practice... I'd got the locking part right previously but I was ending up with the string at the top of the peg instead of the bottom. Turns out I'd forgotten about putting my finger over the string & holding it down beside the peg whilst keeping tension. On an LP you can do that just up by the nut but you need to do it beside the peg on a Strat. If it wasn't for the fact I got the 3rd & 4th strings muddled, it's have been perfection almost! Guess I'll be buying a 3rd set tomorrow but at least I'll have some spares then. My handy work:

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I thought my 1st & 2nd strings weren't sounding right because it was old strings but my last re-string hadn't changed it. This time, having the string going to the bottom of the peg, it made the difference... something that video had mentioned. I guess I always knew it was preferable to have them that way but never realised it could make so much difference to your sound.

Another thing, I'd mentioned that build quality of Fender American Standard Strats wasn't as good as back in the 60s & 70s, well it seems one reasonably common problem is with the tremolo springs vibrating. When I first heard it I thought it was a string but it didn't quite sound like it & I realised on damping the strings it was elsewhere. Soon sourced it to the tremolo springs... found a great piece of advice that you could put a thin bit of foam on top of them & screw the back plate back on. As such:

TremoloSprings.jpg


I'm not sure if this is something that affects just American Standards or the Mexican ones as well, or even Squier's too but there's your fix if you have that problem!

I really want to play guitar but can't until I replace the 3rd & 4th strings... will have to wait for tomorrow but I'm waiting for a delivery so can't go out until that comes. It's a good delivery though, will tell all tomorrow ;)

So, what type/weight of strings do you guys use? I'm using D'Addario EXL 9s on the Stratocaster... they seem roughly equivalent to using 10s on my old Epi LP. I used to use Ernie Ball's, varying between Regular & Super Slinky (9s/10s) years ago, which were really great for bending but I found they seem to lack in tone a bit.
 
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ColtDan said:
Wicked, record some stuff i wanna see you play
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As promised Dan, here is something for you to listen to:

Radiohead Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Cover

Just a test recording really. I don't like being videoed, never have, so I tend to make a lot of mistakes when recording, which makes it hard to record a full song... easier playing in front of friends :D I need to practice more though, only been playing a couple of weeks after a bit of a break!

Question - how do you guys record your playing?

I'm just using my iPhone which isn't ideal... it doesn't seem to like anything with too much bass. I tried recording my acoustic but it was too loud for my iPhone. I guess I could put it further away & use zoom, that might work but it's a lot of hassle. I was thinking of purchasing a microphone for recording but the decent ones aren't cheap.
 
ColtDan said:
Improvised Guitar Riff Idea - Vox Wah pedal
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Cheers. I'll probably make a longer cover that is up to speed & closer sounding to the song when I've been practicing regularly for a few weeks. I used to play this song quite often whilst tweaking... I find that if I'm not too fucked, it distracts me enough that I play without thinking & my playing improves. Happens without drugs too, just depends on my mindset.

Yeah I'd spotted that recording- very nice! I'd love to play around with a Wah Wah Pedal but I think a Tube Screamer, then perhaps a Chorus pedal are at the top of my to buy list. Strangely enough, my new amp has a "Touch Wah" effect. Not as good but still fun playing around with it.

I was meaning to looking through your channel & see what recordings you have... you're clearly better than me =D

How long have you been playing?
 
Very nice.

Clearly more on than off ;) or you're just one of those naturals.... this guy at our school was playing like that within like 2 years. All he did was play guitar though... he's a session guitarist now, or so I heard.

The strange thing is, when I got lessons I improved very quickly. In fact I was playing Street Spirit easily within a few months of starting having never touched a guitar before. But it took me a good year or two to really suss out the best way to teach myself after stopping lessons. Even now I know I'd benefit from a few lessons but they are expensive.

I've probably only really played regularly for a total for 2-3 years despite having started 9 years ago... I know I'll probably improve extremely fast if I practice regularly. I mean I can play the Snow (Hey Oh) riff very well if my heads screwed on & that's far from easy...
 
Great post -- thanks. Always had this weird, tinny buzzing on my #3 string on one of my Strats, and couldn't figure out what was causing it. Seemed like it was coming from the saddles. When I get the guitar back from extended borrow, I'm going to check the springs. Kudos for finding that Youtube instruction.
 
Glad I could help... It's terrible to pay that much for a guitar & have a fault like that. I think the tremolo arm won't work quite right with foam in the back plate but it's not something I use, yet.

And Yay! Someone new in the thread... Hoping to resurrect this thread, although it's nothing major we had 3-4 regulars & visitors,.., a few years ago. That's enough to keep it up & running.

Questions guys ... How do you get good clear distortion/overdrive/sustain effect? I don't have a 'clear' heavy channel on my amp. Got some good blues, crunch & metal but not the super clear overdrive you hear folk using for things like solos.,., always been put off them because I can't get a good sound. I'm assuming a pedal would be the answer?

My Spider II had a good 'Insane' channel but it was a bit buzzy. Is that just my playing style or the overdrive?

I'm not looking to emulate anyone in particular but if you think Metallica & Hendrix they played on a setting that was clear for single notes with lots of sustain yet crunchy doing chords etc. Obv they have different pedals for Solos but what would be best suited for that effect?

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9DX would be Gucci but very expensive. I heard the Digitech Bad Monkey is quite good & much cheaper than the tube screamer but apparently it doesn't give as much overdrive. What would you guys recommend? (Got an American Strat & Fender Champion 40)

Cheers, it's amazing how naive I can be having played for so long.... Aware me! %)
 
euphoria445 said:
my black paisley mexican telecaster that i have
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Nice.

I once tried a Highway One Tele in a guitar shop... didn't really rate them until I tried that, pretty decent.

6strings said:
PS: so sorry, just re-read your thread. For some reason missed the Metallica and Hendrix part. Two completely different tones, but I think what you're looking for is a lot grittier than the BD-2 and Bad Monkey. Maybe something fuzzy (Hendrix). Check out Youtube on the Rat or one of the Muffs (big or little - can't recall). I definitely cannot get anything close to Metallica from my Bad Monkey -- I run my DS-1 distortion pedal after the Bad Monkey to get crunch -- but it's not pretty. Fender amps don't seem to help for anything Metallica. Stay away from the Boss DS-1, but do look up the reviews for it on Amazon -- there's a reviewer who recommends much better options.
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Cheers!

I've managed to get a pretty decent cleanish metallica-esque tone by using the SuperSonic model on the amp, cutting down the bass & putting the treble up a bit with some chorus on neck pick up. Was quite surprised... Really you need an LP for that sort of stuff so happy to get something I like.

Still searching for a Hendrix type sound but I think you are right... Some sort of fuzz would be the obvious choice. I actually used to own a BD-2 & although it was nice I didn't feel it added anything significant to my tone. Gave it away to the guy I sold my old Epi LP to.

I've only had my amp a month & to be honest, I'm getting better sounds every week as I learn how to tweak it properly...lot more complex than the Spider II! Thought I'd miss the mid control but hasn't been an issue.
 
Hey dudes! I havent posted here in a bit,but I wanted to share.
I`m mostly a bass player but I do have a few guitars left to me by my dad. Also I`m mostly self taught,so sometimes my bass playing sounds a bit guitarish and some times my guitar playing style is a bit bass-esque.
So I`ve always a Fender Bass VI. Thought it`d be perfect for me,seeing as how it`s a 6 string bass,tuned E-E(like a guitar but a octave lower),30inch short scale,narrow string spacing,using string gauges lighter than standard bass strings but heavier than guitar strings and it has a tremolo.
Only problem is that up until the past 2 years they`ve been either $2,000 for a japanese reissue or $6,000+ for a vintage 60`s or 70`s Fender. Money I don`t have.

And then Fender released the Pawn Shop Bass VI for $750.
I bought one asap and it is awesome! Candy apple red with matching headstock,2 single coil Jaguar pick ups in the neck and middle and a humbucker at the bridge.
I love it! I can play simple bass lines on it or play cords or play lead. My only limit is my imagination. Plus having a trem is a bunch of fun!

This year Squier released their "vintage modified" Bass VI for under $400! So I snapped up one in Olympic White. Blocked and bound neck and 3 Jag pick ups,this is a beast!
I use either of these,run the signal into a Fuzzrocious OCDemon(OCD clone distortion)-> Fuzzrocious Rat Tail(Rat clone distortion) and into either my SVT350 and 215 stack or my 300Pro Fender tube head and 810 stack.
And then I lay down some thick ass,sludgy,doomed out riffs.
It`s a lot of fun.

I highly recommend checking them out!
Plus if you tune them to A-a they make excellent baritone guitars if bass playing isnt your thing!
 
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Well after all that talk, I recently acquired a Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9DX cheaply on eBay. Cost me half of what it would new & I was pleased to find it was in immaculate condition too.

Amazing pedal & contrary to what people say about it "sucking their tone out", I couldn't agree less... on a clean channel it adds to your tone with the original & + mode. It's only really when using it through a channel with gain or on the other two settings that it leeches a little tone, but you can compensate by adjusting your tone controls on the amp.

Overall, very happy bunny. :)
 
new album


my 2nd album /compilation of guitar stuff is now distributed,my last album "shades of the now till yesteryear " had the concept of linking the past with now,this particular album was still a guitar oriented album,but focuses on a continuing runaround of styles ..everything from surf,to jazz,to rock,classical,hawaiin,blues,bits of fusion etc....i tried to maintain a flow and still tell a story with each sample,but again the overall theme is a revolving door of different styles from top to bottom while still conveying the overall message of the title of the album overall....thank you for listening..these are both links to amazon and itunes for the samples
http://amzn.to/1iPEmdl


http://bit.ly/1fQd6FT


also here's a metal solo on a strat i did a few years back.. when i was in kind of a shredding phase...not so much now since i rounded out my attack..so to speak..:)
http://youtu.be/1Dug3mu5fkA
...AND the audio track to that...http://youtu.be/rj3RYqQsK1w
 
This was my first ever post in this thread... just over 3 years ago:

Chatative said:
I had a play around with my friends 300 series Taylor at New Years... it just seemed like, literally, the perfect electro-acoustic. I'm going to save some money this summer and go see if the entry level 100 series have even a fraction of that perfection.

Playing acoustic seems to be helping my playing come along a lot more than my electric at the moment, so probably worth it :)
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Well, I'm happy to say I have saved my pennies & have bought myself a Taylor GS Mini Mahogany.

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Words can't even describe how amazing this 3/4 size acoustic is. It sounds just as good, if not better, than many full scale acoustics. The Phosphor Bronze strings really add a lot of tone... they came with some Nanowebs but I have always found them lacking in tone, so replaced the 13s with some D'Addario 12s.

As I said in that original post, playing acoustic really seems to do wonders for my playing on the whole. I'm usually doing a bit of both these days but it's proving it's use as I took it away with me on holiday this week. The first time I've ever done so with a guitar!

I'll try & get around my mental block of playing in front of a camera & get another recording up with this bad boy.
 
iamthesuck said:
Hey guys! new on the thread, I was wondering if any of you guys have some exercises that could improve speed? that's my main issue. Trying to get a little group together this fall and I wanna be on top of my game
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my sincere advice is to read, and then re-read, this book: effortless mastery by kenny werner

its one of the best texts on playing music that i've ever read. in one part, the author has some great advice about improving playing speed:

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this technique can of course be adapted to the guitar, or any other instrument for that matter.

if you really take all the advice presented in that book to heart, your playing will improve and you'll have more fun with your playing too. i honestly can't speak highly enough about it. reading it was somewhat of an epiphany for me.
 
^ I agree part of it is psychological but it takes practice. I don't think there is any benefit to playing fast but not (reasonably) accurately... You need to start slow & just speed up whilst making sure you are hitting all the notes accurately. If you aren't, you are playing too fast.

Watch your favourite guitar players playing fast... you'll notice how relaxed their style is. That helped me... got to have loose hands & play as light as you can.

I'm sure you do but make sure to warm up. (I use the four finger exercise or g major in thirds below to warm up usually)

I use these exercises at the moment. I need to find more though. I can't find the website that I found them off anymore so took uploaded pictures of them:

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Also I find the likes of Snow (Hey Oh) riff & Master of Puppets Intro to be good for the purpose. I need to find some song that is solo based for speed now... suggestions anyone?

Also I find doing my scales/skills or speed work on acoustic once in a while is good for finger strength.
 
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