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 Hello and welcome to the guitar thread! Chances are you are familiar with the types of sounds that come out of guitars. Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6t829uDfo&ab_channel=GuitarSalonInternational or this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvo-4x3y9aU&ab_channel=CarterVintageGuitars or this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU-vvlFvzuk&ab_channel=ATOMICPUNK27 But you’re not here to read a wiki, you’re here to First, old business. Here's the original Guitar megathread: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3341553 Now, on with the show.  There are three broad categories of guitar: nylon-string acoustic, steel-string acoustic, and electric. I’ll give three very basic rules for buying your first guitar: 1. If it feels good to hold and sounds good, it’s a good instrument to start playing on. Do your best to sit down with an instrument before you buy it. Your hands will show you the way. 2. When you close your eyes and imagine yourself happily playing a guitar, what are you playing? That's the instrument you should start on. The “easiest” guitar to learn on is the one you’re most excited to pick up and practice. 3. When in doubt, decide your budget then go out and buy the best Yamaha you can afford. They make universally praised instruments at every price. A $300 Yamaha is going to be on-par with as good as you can do for $300. Same for $200 and $500. Nylon-string Acoustic Typically associated with classical music, they can also work well for simpler strumming. Warm and mellow, they are the naturally quietest of the guitar family and will most-often be amplified through a separate microphone. Looks like this:  Starting out, brands to look for are Yamaha and Cordoba (particularly the C5). You’ll see them in either Spruce-top or Cedar-top: Spruce is a little snappier, Cedar is a little warmer. Do not put steel strings on your nylon-string guitar, you will destroy your instrument. Steel-string Acoustic What most people will immediately picture when you say “acoustic,” the steel-string guitar took over the guitar world in the early 20th century, in large part to being much louder than its nylon cousin. Sometimes still amplified through a microphone, often now even inexpensive models will come with on-board systems for plugging into an amp. It’s played across all types of music and comes in several common body sizes. Looks like this:  Starting out, brands to look for are Yamaha, Epiphone, Alvarez, and Ibanez. The big, well-known step-up brands are Taylor and Martin. Examples of common sizes are Dreadnought (big and boomy), Orchestra or OM (slightly smaller and may be more comfortable, particularly seated), and Parlor (couch guitars, the quietest and smallest). If you are buying for a smaller learner, it’s important for them to sit with instruments. A giant Dread might look great on Johnny Cash standing on stage, but you may personally seriously struggle with one on your lap on the couch. Smaller guitars are not worse guitars. In general, it’s much more important when buying an acoustic guitar to put your hands on it first. You’d be amazed how different they can sound in person. If you can strum 2-3 chords, you can tell in 30 seconds whether an acoustic is going to work for you. Electric You’re most likely very familiar here. The fun thing is, modern production techniques have made inexpensive guitars pretty amazing. Ask yourself, “what shape guitar does my favorite guitar player play?” Then go play one that shape. Chances are you’ll be happy! Looks like this:   And sometimes like this:  Cool! Starting out, brands to look for are Squier, Epiphone, Ibanez, and Yamaha (particularly the Pacifica line). BUT WAIT! Your electric guitar will need an amplifier. There’s a LOT of ground to cover here, but as a pure starter I’ll just echo the thread advice. Buy a Boss Katana. There are plenty of other contenders at this price, but nothing as good. Buy a Katana. If that doesn’t suit you, come ask the thread what to do. Say out loud, “The OP told me to buy a Boss Katana but I don’t want to do that for some reason. What else should I buy?”  If you want an amp specifically for headphones, buy a Fender Mustang Micro.  If you want to plug directly into your computer and play through a multi-FX type system, see the FAQ below. If you want to spend big-person money on something with tubes, take a guitar you are intimately familiar with into a big box store and plug in. Again, your ears will lead your way.  The best way to learn quickly and properly is to get a teacher. Most studios will offer you a trial lesson off contract then ask you to commit for a semester. Find a teacher you vibe with and who listens when you tell them what you want play. If your dream is to play Metallica, don’t stick with a teacher who insists you run through the 1-2-3 Berklee Method first. A good teacher leads you on the path you WANT to be on. The next best way to start out is the internet, which has gotten pretty dang good at this. The biggest name in the beginning guitar YouTube game is Justin.  https://www.youtube.com/c/justinguitar There are plenty of others, but be wary as a beginner: guitar YouTube can be a slippery slope of gear lust. If the channel spends more time talking about the gear they’re playing than the music they’re playing, don’t get too wrapped up. There are plenty of great channels, and not every gear-head channel is specifically and directly guitar QVC, but be aware that many are. Then, there’s books! Books are great. I’ve done more learning from a properly put together book than I have a million YouTube pedal videos.   Every Hal Leonard method book I’ve ever picked up has been thoughtfully laid out, well written, and useful. They feature real music, tab notation, and steady but slow advancement. The aforementioned Berklee Modern Method 1-2-3 is great IF you can read music and IF you are more interested in getting good at playing than getting good at specific songs.  Here are the things you absolutely must be willing to learn to enjoy your guitar. 1. How to tune it (buy a proper tuner, not just your phone). 2. How and when to change strings (all 3 types use different strings and change them differently). 3. How and when to humidify your acoustic guitars (see FAQ below). Here are the things that are easier than you might imagine to do yourself if you are handy enough to turn a screwdriver the right direction. 1. Measure and adjust the height of your electric guitar strings (your “action”). 2. Measure and adjust your truss rod (your “relief”). 3. Measure and adjust your electric guitar pickup height. 4. Tune and adjust your intonation. Here are some thing that you may talk yourself into doing, and will probably be OK at. 1. Adjusting the action on your acoustic guitar. 2. Swapping around the pickups and wiring on your solid-body electric guitar. Here are some things nobody would ever blame you for going to a trusted luthier for. 1. Honestly, anything in the prior category. 2. Filing your frets. 3. Filing your nut. 4. Anything electrical inside a hollow-body electric guitar. 5. Properly repairing any type of serious damage.  You’ll hear around the internet the term “GAS” or “Gassing”. It’s an acronym that stands for Gear Acquisition Syndrome And it’s a slippery slope to unhappiness, particularly in adult high-beginner, low-intermediate players. You’ve got enough music in your fingers, money in the bank, and time on your hands to fall down a dozen different rabbit holes of what you “need” to get exactly the sound that’s in your head. You can’t get better sitting there at work bored, but maybe you can get better by shopping. The truth is, you almost certainly don’t need new gear. You don’t need new pickups. You don’t need a boutique pedal. You need to get off YouTube. All of that stuff has its place, but when you’re starting out you need an instrument that doesn’t fight against you and an amp that noise comes out of and has some effects built into it. You have to realize the difference between being unhappy with your gear and just being homesick for the gear you have. Upgrading your $50 Tube Screamer clone into some $400 discontinued JHS pedal isn’t going to make you a better (or happier) guitar player.  Wait, humidity? Yep. Guitars are made of wood and wood is essentially a sponge. It is constantly absorbing and letting off water from the environment, swelling and contracting, breathing with the seasons. If you live in a stable environment, humidity-wise, you may be OK. But many of us live in places that get cold (and dry) in the winter and hot (and humid) in the summer. This causes your guitar (specifically and particularly acoustic, both types) to shift, grow, and shrink. This can push you out of tune once or twice a season and mess with your neck relief, but those are small setup issues. The real problem is your guitar can AND WILL crack. Often lengthwise down the top or back. This is fixable by a professional luthier if your instrument is worth fixing, but it’s easier to care for your guitar properly. A guitar in a case is a sad guitar, but a hard-shell case is a much more stable environment than hanging on a wall. There are various types of solutions to humidifying your guitars, from special humidity packs to sponges you soak. If you have a VERY nice instrument and live in a VERY unstable climate, it’s not insane to keep a hygrometer in your case. Much like your house, 40%-60% humidity is good. Anything outside that you may need to take measures. Humidity control: It’s Not A Scam. Should I pay for a setup? In general … maybe. A setup is when you take your guitar to a professional luthier, and that person will go over it for about an hour doing things like lowering your string action at the nut, adjusting your intonation and relief, adjusting your action at the bridge, and potentially spot levelling a high fret or two and fixing any sharp frets poking out around your fingerboard. A setup will take a guitar you enjoy and dial it in and make it comfortable. It’s more akin to a day at the spa than a week in the hospital. Be prepared to answer the question, “What about your guitar bothers you?” In the course of this, your luthier may discover bigger problems (such as your guitar needing a complete fret overhaul or serious electronic issues) that require more time to fix. Prices fluctuate, of course, regionally and with time. But as of 2022, expect a professional setup to cost somewhere in the $80-120 range. Tell me about playing directly into my computer. Here are two really helpful posts on going straight to your computer: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4006663#post524703875 https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=1&threadid=4006663&pagenumber=1&perpage=40#post524704418 Huxley fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Feb 1, 2023 |
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Jul 8, 2022 16:14
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 09:36 |
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Also: FedEx will spiralbind your books for about $7 each. It's handy!
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Jul 8, 2022 16:18
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Howdy!
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Jul 8, 2022 16:20
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*Plays Stairway*
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Jul 8, 2022 16:26
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BgNhR9oisM
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Jul 8, 2022 16:31
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WKzrc2wcxA
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Jul 8, 2022 16:32
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Here's the strat pile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQANhRXDDt0
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Jul 8, 2022 16:34
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Don't forget there's a JEM7WVH in the Strat pile! I won't allow it.
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Jul 8, 2022 16:40
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new thread new rule no e/n that means you lg E: stairway is permitted
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Jul 8, 2022 16:42
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Boss Katana in the OP, voted 5
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Jul 8, 2022 16:43
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Thanks for the new OP, well written. For the "how to computer" you'll need an audio interface, this can be anything from the Rocksmith USB RealTone Cable, or more commonly a standalone interface like the Scarlett Solo (which would be a good initial recommend as it's pretty inexpensive: https://smile.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B07QR6Z1JB ) in conjunction with a software DAW like Reaper, which is free, Audacity, also free, which really isn't a DAW but will allow you to play into your computer, or my personal favorite and also not a DAW but a standalone effects emulator which can ALSO be run inside a DAW as a VST plugin, Bias FX. Bias offers a ton of modeling for pedals, amps, yadda yadda and is pretty cheap for the standalone/VST package. I can go further than that if you'd like deeper explanations for everything. Bias FX: Pedal/Amp Emulation with ability to modify signal chain, pedal placement, mic placement on cabinet, knobs, amp/cab models, just about anything you can do in reality. Also has metronomes and tuners.  Reaper: Standalone DAW with VST compatibility, etc. Here's Bias FX running as a VST inside Reaper!  Audacity: Free audio processor, will allow you to set your input as your interface and hear your guitar through your speakers/headphones, that's about it.  Frozen Pizza Party fucked around with this message at 17:37 on Jul 8, 2022 |
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Jul 8, 2022 17:24
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I'd also like to recommend a few Amp Sim VST plugins First- Freebies ML soundlab has 2 different sims that provide FREE amps with the ability to purchase the others in the bundle. Both are pretty brutal, but they both sound pretty awesome. https://ml-sound-lab.com/products/amped-stevie-t-free https://ml-sound-lab.com/products/amped-roots?variant=32886035513403 Top Tier: I personally like the Neural DSP line the best for playing through as they just feel the best, and they have a great variety of different suites that offer just about any tone you would want. They skew towards super heavy stuff, but the Corey Wong and ToneKing suites are some of the very best clean sounds I've ever heard from a sim. STL Tones offers ToneHub which is basically like a virtual Kemper, as well as their AMPHub which is more like the Neural model that has different virtual amps. I really like using STL Tones in mixes, but they feel pretty great as well. Mercuriall has several different amp sims that are absolutely top tier- their Euphoria and SPARK are dead nuts on models of the Bogner Ecstasy and Marshall Plexi/800/Jubilee respectively. Absolutely fantastic. Helix Native: It's a Helix, but in a plugin. Tier 2: Positive Grid Bias, IK Multimedia Amplitube, Peavey Revalver, NI Guitar Rig These are all decent sounding and offer a ton of different models, but they fall a little short of the stuff I would put in the top tier. Very usable even for pro level recordings, these just take a bit more work to get them where I want them compared to tier 1.
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Jul 8, 2022 17:45
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Dr. Faustus posted:new thread new rule no e/n that means you lg I'm bad at guitar and I cry whenever I play and my tears make the strings all rusty and I need a louder amp to block out the sound of my uncontrollable sobbing help me guitar thread
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Jul 8, 2022 19:15
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800peepee51doodoo posted:I'm bad at guitar and I cry whenever I play and my tears make the strings all rusty and I need a louder amp to block out the sound of my uncontrollable sobbing help me guitar thread that's a job for a peavey, for sure
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Jul 8, 2022 19:44
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Dr. Faustus posted:new thread new rule no e/n that means you lg YES
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Jul 8, 2022 19:59
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Hello guitar thread, I had a question about the BOSS KATANA sound patches (from the Boss Tone Studio application). They have some stock tones on there, and some are good, but most are not great. I basically want to download some tone cheat codes and wondered if there's a source where people share or upload their Katana settings for different distortions, chorus, delays, etc. 800peepee51doodoo posted:I'm bad at guitar and I cry whenever I play and my tears make the strings all rusty and I need a louder amp to block out the sound of my uncontrollable sobbing help me guitar thread Elixer strings should help with the rust problem at least
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Jul 8, 2022 20:59
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Dr. Faustus posted:new thread new rule no e/n that means you lg Hard disagree to both
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Jul 8, 2022 21:30
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Dr. Faustus posted:new thread new rule no e/n that means you lg I enjoy landgrabber posts in the guitar thread. Stairway to Heaven sounds cool but is a bad song to learn as a beginner, IMO. In the era of guitar tabs on the internet it promotes a bad habit of learning how to play notes but not teaching you anything about why they work together. It might be beneficial to put a note in the OP somewhere to say: "Don't order anything new online through Guitar Center. They will send you some bullshit open box/floor demo trash from a store location without the original box and blue painter's tape on it. If you have to order from there for some reason, call them and ask the salesperson to send it from distribution/warehouse."
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Jul 8, 2022 21:50
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I think LG has finally, mostly, figured out the thread vibe and should be allowed to e/n when they need to. I put in one of the no-solder Obsidian wiring things today and it was amazing. Luxurious. The only thing I had to do was ream the holes on the switchplate up a size and replace a lovely stock ground wire that didn't do anything, and the whole rewire took about 5 minutes with no heat. Huxley fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jul 8, 2022 |
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Jul 8, 2022 22:01
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Gaggins posted:Hello guitar thread, I had a question about the BOSS KATANA sound patches (from the Boss Tone Studio application). They have some stock tones on there, and some are good, but most are not great. Fill your boots, lad http://bosstonecentral.com/liveset/category/katana/ Also, I shall grant you the ultimate cheat code for TOANZ on modelers/amp sims/etc. 1- Start with the amp BY ITSELF, flat EQ, moderate gain 1a- choose your cab sim or load your impulse response. This may actually be the most important part. 1b- tweak gain and amp eq to taste. Try using less gain than you think you need, and make small eq moves. Do not go to step 2 until just the naked amp sounds good 2- add things like overdrive/distortions if you need to goose it a bit- for modern metal you're probably turning on an overdrive with the level maxed and the drive at zero with the tone set at 50% or higher pretty much all the time 3- Add your modulation FX (if needed) 4- Then add on your reverb/delay/other ambience (again, less is more) If you don't know where to start, STEAL. Find out what amp your favorite player uses and dial up the closest model to that you can. You're going to be starting close to where you want to be right from the get go.
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Jul 8, 2022 22:16
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A new thread, so it feels like a good time to post this. I've been playing on-off for the last couple of years but the last month I've really been bitten by the practice bug. I've started trying to find easy songs to play along with on Youtube. It's neat how even really simple songs can have you practice a bunch of different skills. Stuff I've done so far: - Hole: Celebrity Skin -> Fairly easy to follow power chords and power chord changes. - White Stripes: Feel in Love with a Girl -> B,A,D,E, major changes and a chance to practice changing from E to a F# bar chord. Great rhythm that I don't have to feel too precise about to get the right feel. - Jack White: 16 Saltines -> Fairly simple power chord changes, a section to practice hammer ons, and the 1st part of the solo is a series of triplets going down (I think the 1st position Pentatonic scale) - Twisted Sister: I Wanna Rock -> A major chord into power chords. Some variations in the rhythm at different parts in the song. Not too complicated but I feel pretty cool when I play along to it. - Green Day: Hitchin a Ride -> Power Chords, Palm Muting, Muting with your fretting hand, E major to F# major bar chord practice, I think some octave chords if you do the solo. - Pearl Jam - Corduroy: Multiple string picking for the intro, quicker power chords into a G major shape. A series of chords for the chorus based off of the G major shape. - Lick it Up - Kiss: Single string picking, palm muting, G, D, A major chord changes, simple bends for the bridge, couple of different bar chords. A neat thing I found is that this song just seems to be a practical lesson in hand movement conservation. Does anyone have any similar easy songs that I could maybe add to the list? Also thanks to the Goon that said you can get Fedex to spiral bound your books for $7. That's a game changer!
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Jul 8, 2022 22:23
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New boss katana thread. Tight.
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Jul 8, 2022 22:43
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Important guitar tips from Matt Berry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZDjWLwqAPY
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Jul 8, 2022 23:01
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I kid because I LOVE.  I made a patch this afternoon with a Friedman HBE and an ENGL Savage, panned hard L/R in stereo. Those two kids play exceptionally well together and I played for over an hour. Hadn't played my JB in awhile and boy does it make me happy. Also, Gramps is 100% right on about how to start making a toan. I'm in the modeler world for almost a year now and I do think IR choice is top priority.
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Jul 8, 2022 23:20
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Huxley posted:The truth is, you almost certainly don’t need new gear. You don’t need new pickups. You don’t need a boutique pedal. You need to get off YouTube. All of that stuff has its place, but when you’re starting out you need an instrument that doesn’t fight against you and an amp that noise comes out of and has some effects built into it.  gently caress THE POLICE BUY GEAR ITS NEW GEAR FRIDAY  Both recent purchases showed up today. The Dr. Robert is pretty darn amazing (it should be for the price). It's the Beatles in a box, and it makes sense why a lot of cover bands use it. I love that era of the Beatles, so it's a lot of fun to jam along and actually sound like the song. This is my first compressor, and I have no idea how to use it well yet, but it's really cool getting oodles of sustain in a way I've never been able to before. I'm thinking I'll treat the Dr. Robert almost like a fuzz into the compressor, then into a Klone, but I have no idea until I try a bunch of permutations. I have lots of goofing around to do this weekend.
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Jul 8, 2022 23:41
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cheers op! good poo poo! i like this section in particular:Huxley posted:
i went to the music store today to look at pianos, but of course i wanted to play a guitar. i grabbed the first one that looked decent - it was a squire tele. plugged it in and played around for a few minutes - nice guitar! i didn't see the price, it said "Used". i assumed 300-500, easily. i was wrong! the price was $150. you don't need to spend a lot of money on a guitar, nor do you need more guitars if you already have 1+ guitars. sorry!!
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Jul 9, 2022 00:13
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Huxley posted:Nylon-string Acoustic Thanks for the OP, OP! In addition to classical music, the nylon string guitar is also associated with flamenco music (though the guitars built for flamenco music are different from those built for classical music). One of my favorite all time guitarists is the flamenco player Paco de Lucia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmps3Cc-5_0
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Jul 9, 2022 03:47
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classic vid of SRV breaking a string, then changing guitars without missing a beat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn1pk8Lpelc
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Jul 9, 2022 03:51
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landgrabber posted:classic vid of SRV breaking a string, then changing guitars without missing a beat dude, i LOVE guitar swap vids like that
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Jul 9, 2022 04:06
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Huxley posted:I think LG has finally, mostly, figured out the thread vibe and should be allowed to e/n when they need to. i use she/her -- i'm a girl. taking hormones honestly kinda helped, partially because there's less self-loathing, but also because now i can just cry because of the constant emotional battering i receive, instead of depersonalizing so hard that the only way i can approximate feeling my feelings is by articulating them through forum posts
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Jul 9, 2022 07:46
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points to no e/n sign
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Jul 9, 2022 12:20
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Spanish Manlove posted:points to no e/n sign but it says "no e/n's", we're allowed one.
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Jul 9, 2022 12:32
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hou0lU8WMgo
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Jul 9, 2022 12:45
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been going wild with books again, picked up Noad Solo Guitar Playing Vol 1 yesterday. seems to have some nice etudes.
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Jul 9, 2022 13:06
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My Telecaster is currently in my local shop for its inaugural set-up. I'm going to get .10s put on it, which I think I'll prefer (and its what's on my other guitars, a Jaguar and Strat), but I do still have some packs of .9s around the flat. If I were to use those at some point, just because I hate waste, would there be any significant set-up required?
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Jul 9, 2022 13:52
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gently caress this loving instrument god loving damnit
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Jul 9, 2022 17:01
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landgrabber posted:gently caress this loving instrument god loving damnit Preach, sister.
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Jul 9, 2022 17:23
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landgrabber posted:gently caress this loving instrument god loving damnit 
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Jul 9, 2022 17:31
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E/N moment: I've had a pinched nerve in my neck for nearly a month that has caused a lot of pain in my left arm and shoulder, meaning I haven't been able to play guitar or bass  Meaningful thread contribution: The OP goes a bit into modelers with the Katana and Mustang Micro, but it's also worth mentioning that the mid-range modeling boxes (HX Stomp, Pod Go, GX-100, GT-1000 Core, I guess Headrush MX5 and the various Nux/Mooer models) are an excellent option, especially if you're an apartment dweller. Quality-wise, this generation of modelers is like 95% of the way there (or more!) for recreating real amp tones, with the bonus of including a ton of high quality effects and silent recording capabilities. I've been using the HX Stomp for over a year and it's pretty much the best gear purchase I've ever made, and I'm sure other goons can talk about other modelers. I'm by no means an expert on IRs, but I'm very happy with the ones I've bought from York Audio - they're basically drag and drop, with no need for EQing. Also, avoid guitar forums unless you have a specific question that has been answered/can be answered there, or you're posting in threads where manufacturers participate (i.e. Helix threads on The Gear Page) - it's a good way to avoid compulsive spending. This thread and I guess some subreddits are your best resource.
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Jul 9, 2022 17:44
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 09:36 |
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landgrabber posted:i use she/her -- i'm a girl. Thanks, happy to remember it for next time! I hosed up a public performance on the classical so bad last month I pulled back out the bass. Down bad.
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Jul 9, 2022 17:47
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