What are /r/Guitar's favorite Products & Services?

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If you're not comfortable buying used, something like this Blackstar ID Core amp will be a much better starter amp than what you get in the Squire pack. It's not great, but it sounds fine and has a lot of features for the price.

Strat - CHECK

Crazy-ass fashion top - CHECK

Crazy-ass hair - I'll get back to you in a few weeks, folks

I have no idea if this will work or if it is similar to the second skin you referred to but I found this on amazon Rock-Tips – Liquid Callus Formula

yea I haven't used Ultimate Guitar in a while. I thought the site was dead? It's like the 9Gag of tab sites...

It's a pathetic cycle. People stopped using it because of the shitty advertisements and so, as a response to losing ad revenue, they've gotten more hardcore with ads.

If anyone from Ultimate-Guitar reads this, here's some advice from a web developer: users don't like intrusive ads. Your product is your user base, which you sell to advertisers. No product, no sales. Of course, you also rely on your users being willing participants. Fortunately for us, unfortunately for you, we have tools like AdBlock Plus with which we can negate intrusive ads. That said, this is used as a mechanism to protect our computers and ourselves against the aggressive, and frankly offensive, methods by which you've chosen to advertise to us. Fortunately for you, though, AdBlock Plus offers a list of criteria that ads must meet to not be blocked by ABP. This isn't actually a difficult set of rules to meet, or unreasonable. You are welcome to sell my page hits to advertisers if you meet the above criteria with your ads. Otherwise, though, I do not consent to being sold and so your advertisements will not reach me in any manner you could legally undertake.

You're correct that it will take years. Djent is not an easy subgenre, especially if you're talking about playing stuff like Animals as Leaders or Periphery. You're talking ultra fast riffing with machine-like precision which is down to just persistent hard work.

Not sure what your budget is but I'll assume it's on the entry-level end of things. I'd recommend you get some kind of basic entry level superstrat - look at the $200 price range from brands like Ibanez, Jackson, and ESP. Whatever you get make sure it has humbuckers. Single coils are not going to get you the Djent sound.

I'd also recommend just getting a standard 6-string at first. There's so much to learn before you need to bother getting into more strings.

In terms of entry level amps, the Boss Katana 50 has solid metal tones.

Hope that helps

https://www.google.com/search?q=lime+green+guitar&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=QS5zxXkK3PCWEM:

https://www.amazon.com/Silvertone-Gordon-NASCAR-Signature-Electric/dp/B000BQOABI

These are top 2. Seen both in person. They are horrifying lol.

A big thing that took my playing to the next level was this website.

I had been trying to really get a handle on modes for years, but I'm too much of a do-it type learner to really pick it up from books. Seeing it all laid out like that made it all click.

Runnin' Down a Dream

A documentary on Netflix (US), that no Petty fan should miss. Set some time aside, its four hours long.

Knowing what key center(s) the chords create is a good start. It does not always tell you exactly what scales or notes to use because of stylistic variations.

E A F Em

There is no single key that fits all these chords. There are at least two keys.

First let's look at E and A. You can fit both into one key.

E and A can be the "I" and "IV" in the key of E major. E and A can also be the "V" and "I" in the key of A major.

Depending on the style you could start with either the E or A major scale or the E or A major pentatonic scale.

E major: E F# G# A B C# D# E major pentatonic: E F# G# B C#

A major: A B C# D E F# G# A major pentatonic: A B C# E F#

I like the second choice (A major or A major pentatonic) because the upcoming F chord does not fit as easily with an E tonal center, even though that's the first chord. E as the tonal center would require a modal approach in the next two bars, which is not the first thing you want to learn. (It'll be the second thing!)

Now to the chords F and Em.

These may be the "vi" and "V" chords in A minor.

So to get a really simple solid approach to playing in a non-jazzy way over the progression, try just playing:

A major or major pentatonic for the first two chords, then A minor or minor pentatonic for the second two chords.

There are many other ways to do it, but this is a good start that lets you concentrate on your phrasing rather than jumping through lots of scales in your head.

The source of this thinking is knowing how to find all the chords in a key center. This is done by harmonizing the scale.

You create the chords I-vii by stacking 3rds above each note.

If the scale is A major: A B C# D E F# G#

it produces these chords: I A C# E (A) ii B D F# (Bm) iii C# E G# (C#m) IV D F# A (D) V E G# B (E) vi F# A C# (F#m) vii G# B D (G#dim)

>soldering

Bro, learn how to do it. It's very simple. Buy this kit It has everything you'll need for soldering projects. Watch a couple youtube videos for "replacing an input jack on guitar" and you can figure it out.

Be extra careful not to burn yourself. It fucking hurts bad because those irons get hot.

If not, just go to ace hardware or any other hardware store and you can find a washer/nut. Guitar center or any other local shop will probably just give you them.

Martin literally makes a guitar called the backpacker

Also there's a company called Traveler Guitars that makes nothing but, well, traveler guitars. Their ultra light series is pretty cool if you're looking for a traveler electric.

You could also make a cigar box guitar with a proper neck and pickup if you're so inclined.

hijacking top comment to say if you want to play through PA speakers, then you'll want to look for a "modeler". a modeler will emulate an actual amp and also include some basic effects like distortion, delay, chorus, etc.

I haven't played in a while, so I can't make specific recommendations, but Line 6 used to have the POD which was reasonably inexpensive and pretty versatile. And obviously there are super expensive pro modelers too.

edit:

for example, if your budget is something along the lines of a distortion pedal ($100) maybe you'd want to try the pocket POD:

https://smile.amazon.com/Line-6-99-075-0105-Pocket-POD/dp/B000RN53LQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=line+6+pod+pocket&qid=1570465592&sr=8-1

Though I can't speak for how well it would hold up against a LOT of movement (i.e. please don't swing the guitar around you by the strap :p) I use these which have never let me down, and nicely keep the strap from coming loose without any drilling needed.

For the nut slots get some abrasive cord in appropriate diameters for the slots you'll be working on.

You want to be really gentle and go slow as you're removing material and don't want to go too far but it's really useful for polishing/smoothing out those slots so strings don't bind for better overall tuning stability.

I was probably one of the people encouraging you to do this in the first place - everyone should know how to take a screwdriver to their electric guitar and move the setup points around. As long as you pay attention to what you're doing there's very little risk of damaging anything.

I'm afraid you aren't nearly committed to the strat/super strat lifestyle. Please discard that mandolin and ukulele and replace them with these:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/folk-traditional-instruments/fender-mando-strat-solidbody-electric-mandolin

https://www.amazon.com/Vorson-FSUK1QM-Style-Electric-Ukulele/dp/B00GXMZ0CM

I did a drawing of this exact concept a while back, feel free to use it for your design. non-offset Jazzmaster

A friend of mine always used to play this opening riff and I still think it's pretty fucking rad:

Yellow Ledbetter

also;tabs

Making a habit of wiping down your strings after you finish playing helps a lot.

Also using something like Fast Fret seems to help me keep them going longer.

https://www.amazon.com/GHS-Fast-Fret-3-Pack/dp/B07LGDNHV4

Do a better job of polishing.

Get a set of wetdry sandpapers that go all the way up to crazy high grits and polish the frets from low up to high (alternate direction but sand mostly along the length of each fret so the scratches you introduce follow your bending path), then steel wool, then buff them with a dremel and a polishing tool until they look like flawless mirrors.

https://www.amazon.com/String-Swing-Guitar-Hanger-Accessories/dp/B074TMRGGY/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1534855930&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=guitar+hooks&dpPl=1&dpID=41zUBVebqqL&ref=plSrch

I use these. I'm not sure what material the hooks are made of, but they don't let the guitar slide, and they won't scratch it. It comes with regular screws, and sheetrock screws. That actually made me pretty happy, it saved me a trip to Lowes since it came with the sheetrock screws

You can get a 3 pack of D'addario XLs for $14. Get one of those each year and you can change your strings every four months.

You can also get the mini amps that basically convert the jack in the guitar to a headphone jack(Amazon link). It's far from perfect but I used it a lot when I was learning in a small house with my girlfriend.

0.6 mm Jazz 3 Tortex for life!

...

Except that I have to buy them in bulk because L&M doesn't carry them in Canada in meaningful quantities
Link

The equivalent to Bach’s Inventions are... Bach’s Inventions

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1562240412/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_xy-IDbDXB2S35

Great book! Designed for guitar! I studied at Eastman for a bit and this was the first book the guitar professor made me get

EDIT: “Bach’s Inventions” not “Bach’s Interventions.” I originally referenced a lesser known book, also written by Bach, about how to confront friends’ and loved ones’ behavioral issues in a loving yet persuasive way.

The other commenters saying to go to a music shop and play a few first are right, but a budget is a budget and I doubt you'll find one for less than $100.

This isn't black, but a friend bought this one and I was surprised at how well it was made for the price point. Definitely not a "prop" and it felt nice to play : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002F58TG/ref=sxr_sxwds-rbp_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3346373142&pd_rd_wg=HQ7US&pf_rd_r=6VHAPSDACBHY3QYGSCPE&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B0002F58TG&pd_rd_w=mZxOL&am...

Here's mine: https://soundcloud.com/weezy778/sets/redditjam-10

Solo starts at 16 seconds, I just soloed through the whole thing.

The first half sounds better than the second half, perhaps harvest from there... Hopefully you can d'load it etc. If not, I can fix it.

made w/ garageband on iPad, quick and dirty

Honestly, before purchasing a real sitar, do some research on the instrument. It's an entirely different beast than a guitar. I've known more than a few guys who bought sitars only to sell them at a loss after becoming frustrated.

Something like this is much more useful to a western "rock" musician.

Your neck will "move" a little with changes in heat and humidity, but not so much as to go from playable to unplayable.

Order this kit.. It has everything you need to do your own setups when you change your strings. There are lots of other tools out there that can help, but this is the basic set to get you started.

If you're interested in song writing I highly suggest taking this free course from Coursera:

https://www.coursera.org/course/songwriting

You'd be amazed at all the little tricks there are to song writing.

Yeah you're right. That thing has been 800 for a year. They actually knocked 5 bucks off the price in September so 800 is the highest price of the year.

Dude... this is the one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1988-Peavey-S-1-Generation-Telecaster-W-Case-/200652667556?pt=Guitar&hash=item2eb7d4baa4#ht_7492wt_1208

USA made, $400, hard case. This is a stunning guitar. If I had $400 and looking for a tele I wouldn't think twice. You could buy it and sell it tomorrow for $500 no probs.

honestly... this is ridiculous for the price.

Flame maple neck? Flame maple top? Damn....

I'm writing to Taylor now to protest this.

EDIT: Here's my letter. Feel free to edit this and send to any company on that list.

To whom it may concern,

I noticed on https://sites.google.com/site/boycottsopasponsors/home/list-of-supporters-and-sponsors that Taylor Guitars supports the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that has been going through the rounds in Congress recently.

I hope that Taylor Guitars realizes that this act is an affront to our internet liberties, and its ramifications go beyond simply prohibiting online piracy. With this act, copyright content holders can take down websites without due process or diligence. SOPA allows content holders to target the mediator--the websites, instead of the offenders--the users. Google, for example, will not be able to freely provide their search service for fear that the links may contain pirated content. In turn, this harms me, and millions of other users, as we will not have full utility of this essential service. I am sure that Taylor Guitars will be harmed as well. The SOPA bill must be stopped to ensure our basic internet freedom.

I hope that you can understand my extreme displeasure in your stance. I own three Taylor Guitars, and greatly appreciate your products. Please save our internet. Please reconsider your position.

Regards,

If I remember right, Eddie van Halen once said he'd sit in his room playing his guitar for hours every weekend, while his brother was out partying and getting laid.

edit: found it

You might consider the Second Strings Project. From the site:

"Singer/Songwriter, Darryl Purpose, and activist Kevin Deame announced the formation of The Second Strings Project, a campaign to collect and distribute used guitar strings to needy musicians throughout the world. This effort will help keep musical creativity alive in countries that might otherwise die."

I haven't contributed yet, but I have a batch of old strings about ready to pack up and ship.

There is a free online course from Berklee College of Music that helped me progress a lot. It's called Developing your Musicianship and it starts again this week:

https://www.coursera.org/course/musicianship

Almost any small practice amp will have a headphone jack. Some amplifiers still use the old style 1/4" jack for headphones. If you get an amp like that you will need to get an adapter to use modern headphones with a 3.5mm plug.

Beautiful! Just replace the pickguard with a single-ply black one and you're in full Gilmour territory.

Even with my own paper route money I'd saved for years, my dad did not understand why I would want to spend it on music equipment. He never mentioned what he thought I should be putting it towards, but he was kind of a dick when I bought an electric guitar then amp later. At some point in your life you're going to realize that what you want to do with your life is likely going to be different than what you parent envision for you, and that's ok. Learning to negotiate through the mine fields of people's different opinions is a good life skill. Do a little research on "how to persuade your parents."

> I would see if you can get in touch with some of the guys who run songsterr and see how they're able to get away with it.

They don't "get away with it". They pay, like they are legally required to.

http://www.songsterr.com/a/wa/terms

> Songsterr is backed by U.S.-based Guitar Tabs LLC and it is 100% legal. We have great relationships with music publishers, all of the content provided through our Service is licensed, and we pay a percentage of our revenue as royalties to support music creators.

Off the wall topic but he might want to take a stab (pun intended) at Gypsy/Manouche picks. They are used to play Jazz Manouche (sometimes called the slightly offensive name "Gypsy Jazz").

Here are the picks: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JDJVMZ7?

Here's what they are used for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGp2tjSbLcA

PS: as a metal head I'd say these guys could stand with any shredder on speed, especially once you realize they (Manouche players) use a less efficient picking style.

I made an Android app as a sort of jackknife do-it-all, welcome to check it out. It's free and has no ads.
Mozart's Friend

Yes, a thousand times.

Welcome to the concept of Flow:

> [F]low is completely focused motivation. It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing and learning. [....] The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task.

>Myth #2: Cheap cables sound the same as high-end cables. My Take: Fiction!

Fuck NO, that IS NOT a myth. Double My guess; premier guitar has advertisements from Monster Cable.

http://gizmodo.com/363154/audiophile-deathmatch-monster-cables-vs-a-coat-hanger

A cable has to be complete and utter crap, as well as several dozen feet long to have any effect on tone.

I can't help you with amps and signal processing devices, but as far as the guitar itself is concerned, this free to read in your browser book is the best resource I know of (it takes a bit of time to load). It's a bit dated (I imagine if you're will to buy the hard copy, they probably have updated it), but the info is still very useful:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/2154081/Craig-Anderton-Guitar-Electronics-for-Musicians

New (to me) MIM Fender Stratocaster. Its my first electric guitar, and I think it's got a great sound that is going to be very flexible with the humbucking bridge pickup.

Got it off of eBay. Has a Warmoth neck and a humbucking Seymour Duncan bridge pickup.

Have you played through pod farm 2? I did this reddit jam 7 with Line 6 UX2/Pod Farm 2(and a maxon 0D808 in front).

Don't get me wrong I love valves too, but I take exception to, "lose a lot of dynamics when playing through a computer", maybe we have different definitions of dynamics? I use a fairly compressed/smashed signal chain, so that I can hear the softer parts of my playing, and so that it comes through the mix. What dynamics are we losing by playing through a computer? Granted a valve amp is going to sound better than any software, IMO, but I don't see any loss of dynamics (play-wise) between the two.

Gotta keep a look out on what pops up in Amazon Warehouse. Warehouse items generally are Amazon returns or have damaged packaging.

Some item prices in Amazon Warehouse don't change, but a lot will roughly drop 1 to 3 percent per day. It's just a matter of patience and hoping no one else buys it before it gets low enough.

For example, the last guitar I bought was the Godin Richmond Empire. Check the "3rd Party Used" to the right of the graph to see the Amazon Warehouse price (Amazon lists Amazon Warehouse items as third party/used). Where the price is flat on the graph, either the price is steady or it's out of stock and that was the last seen price.

You can see it showed up one day, the price started to move a little after, and I grabbed it when it fell below my $250 limit.

The other one just showed up as I was browsing, $215 for the normally $700 Godin Session Plus and I grabbed it before camelcamelcamel saw it.

I've been looking for a way to automatically crawl through them and then notify me of deals, but I haven't found anything reliable so I just browse amazon warehouse 50% or 70% off guitars once in a while.

I'm looking at the Songsterr Plus feature page, and I notice that they don't charge for content, they charge for features, conveniences and removal of ads. I just looked up numerous tabs without even having to create a free account. And you have to consider that they still have to pay some publishing fees for all this copyrighted music even if Internet users transcribed it. And creating a state of the art website isn't cheap; even reddit has it's "reddit gold", which is much the same idea. But all that is their problem right? Where's my free lunch?

The Chord Wheel: The Ultimate Tool for All Musicians (TOUS INSTRUMENT) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634021427/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RT1BHVCPP332SRMDSFEV

I hope I’m allowed to link things from Amazon here. Sorry If I’m not mods.

I think this is a really good book for entry level enharmonics theory

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EVJ8Q0Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Acrylic actually! Once it hardened it became pretty resistant to peeling off. I also don't mind if it does, the more artistically "damaged" the paint is the better it will look IMO.

I bought a beginner guitar starter pack someone recommened me rocksmith 2014 cause im into computer games

this is the guitar I got on sale Epiphone Les Paul Special II Players Pack with Guitar and Amplifier-Ebony

https://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Electric-Package-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B00A6D50L0/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467725104&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Epiphone+Les+Paul+Special+II+Players+Pack+with+Guitar+and+Amplifier-Ebony

here is a link from amazon for reference

paid 150 dollars for it

wanted to start out cheap if everything goes well I will buy a decent guitar down the road

I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon is pushing to make deals like this with music instrument manufacturers.

They have some kind of deal with Yamaha to sell the Yamaha P45 digital piano for $50 dollars cheaper than any other store. It's called the Yamaha P71 but it's identical to the P45.

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Weighted-Digital-Sustain-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B01LY8OUQW

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Weighted-Digital-Sustain-Standard/dp/B00UJ9LNDK

There are some phone apps, like MyEarTrainer

I'd just start of with intervals (make sure you know what these are before you get started one= ear training) something small you could do for 5 to 10 minutes a day. And work your way up. I try to sing the intervals too when I do ear training. So I can physically get use to how it sounds. That way when I sing a riff I could figure it out later on the guitar. Just a forewarning, Ear training is extremely tedious at times so dont beat yourself up when it gets tough

I believe it to be a 50’s or 60’s Kay K1160 parlor guitar. Here is an EBay listing to one in a sunburst finish.

I got all the instructions from here. There are a few typos in those instruction (like pips = pipes) and they neglect to include 4 x elbows in the materials list. There was some slight improvising while setting it up, but it's not too hard to figure out; this was my first DIY project.

Someone let her know about this

>IFTT - If This Then That - is a web service you can use to alert you when terms matching your description pop up on craigslist/ebay.

>You basically sign up and configure the service to email or send you a notification if a "57 les paul junior" listing pops up in the ottawa classifieds.

>It's a very useful service that can automatically notify you if any of your stuff does end up on craigslist.

If you use a program like CAPO, you can slow any song, or portion of a song down so that you learn to play every part at a speed that isn't faster than you can play well.

You should never practice faster than you can play cleanly, otherwise you memorize bad habits.

Use a metronome when practicing any scales, chords or songs, and only increase the metronome speed when you can play the scale (etc) ten times flawlessly.

Play with other people, preferably better musicians. They will help you learn and grow.

Best of luck!

I have a Shure SM57 and use it to record vocals as well as acoustic guitar. There is an old DigiDesign MBox 2 as the interface to the computer/DAW.

I use Reaper as my DAW and really like it. It's free to try out and very inexpensive if you decide to purchase. There are lots of tutorials on their website as well.

Elitists will frown upon this answer, but in my opinion, your best option is to get a small, inexpensive USB interface (I use the Steinberg CI-1, retails for ~$100) and a cheap recording program like Reaper.

If you just plug another 1/4" cable from your amps headphone slot into the interface, you can use whatever settings/tone you want, and you're free to use any backing tracks you'd like as a .wav or .mp3, or even just playing YouTube from your headphones.

While the chord is playing sing "happy birthday", if the 3rd note of happy birthday fits the root of the chord, its a ii chord.

If not it could be the vi or the iii.

Relate everything you hear to the root of the major scale (sounds like you've been doing this with the IV and V) the sing up the intervals till you get to your chord.

It gets easier over time.

Also the App ChordProg for iOS or Android is useful fo r this

That confused me until I noticed that he is playing a right-handed guitar upside down. When he picks the second from the bottom string in the intro section you can hear that it's a bass note.

Pretty interesting how he adapted! It's a simple chord progression - Bm, D, D/F#, D, G, but it looks totally different when he plays it :)

Your words are quite heartwarming, kind sir. I feel honored to be a potential household guitarist candidate, however, unfortunately, I'm not! The fact that it's 3 mins long is because Charlatan said he enjoyed so much he'd add the full thing - which is also quite flattering! :)

~~I'd also like to point out that, quite unfortunately, my solo is not synced properly on the full jam track, and quite noticeably too (especially so for the first part). I wouldn't ask Charlatan to resync the thing unless he intends to do it, but if you or anyone else liked it, I'd really appreciate it if you checked the original version, it would mean a lot to me!~~ Nevermind all of that, Charlatan fixed the issue! Thanks!

No need to spend that much on earplugs. I bought these for about $10 and they work very well - comfortable and protect your ears.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A28OW6/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_AnHJub0CSEKP6

You are the hero that r/Guitar needs but doesn't deserve! Nice work.

[THIS](https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Slimcery/guitar-worlds-100-greatest-guitar-solos-1/6/) is the list this guy is going to follow!

After the "Under a Glass Moon" one, the hardest solo is going to be the "Black Star" one probably, but i do not know a lot of them so... Good Luck!

This is a pretty common break, and a straightforward repair for any luthier. I would fix this one AND get another guitar :)

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-repair-a-broken-guitar-neck-headstock/

Songsterr is a great website, and I like it better than Ultimate Guitar because I can see and hear how all the different instruments go together. The only thing that Ultimate Guitar has over it is that there's a lot more songs available.

David Gilmour. His solos aren't too complicated and they don't require too much speed. However, they require an incredible ear in order to perfect the bends and control the dynamics.

Also, Gilmour uses the pentatonic scale, a solid foundation to soloing like a pro.

Songs:

• Comfortably Numb, ending solo
• Time, mid solo
• Another Brick in the Wall, learn the whole thing.

Edit: I linked Comfortably numb. I started learning solos on Songsterr. Its very difficult for a beginner to comprehend plain tabs, so live tabs really do help.

I highly recommend tuxguitar and it's free too. I've been using it for years. However, if you do get it, I recommend you download version 1.2 instead of the newer ones, because the interface and sound engine of the newer versions is kinda poop, imo.

First off, welcome to the guitar world!

I’d highly recommend you try out guitar styles in person, but at the beginner level, it pretty much is a “Tele is a Tele and a Strat a Strat.” Start playing before being worried about what the specifics are yet. Honestly, your preferences may be different than mine or anyone else.

Yes, teles are lighter than Les Pauls—6.5-8 lbs compared to 9-12 lbs. here’s my recommendation for a beginner tele: https://shop.fender.com/en-US/squier-electric-guitars/telecaster/affinity-series-telecaster/0370200592.html you might be able to find a used one on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace for under $150.

Just as important (or even more so) as the guitar is the amplifier. Think about all the different guitar sounds; there’s a wide range of them, and a lot of them have effects on top of them to change the tone. My recommendation for a first amp is this: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08QMH97TX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_NSgbGbZHF3B5H a Blackstar 10 watt amp that’s small but powerful, and has built in effects so you can explore the sounds you want.

Have fun, and feel free to message me with concerns/questions!

None of those links are affiliate or anything.

That is known as the "ash tray" since most players took them off, and well, used them as an ash tray back in the day.

You can find them online, they are called 'bridge covers' (also popular on Strats, Jags, and Mustangs in the 50/60s).

Amazon Link

I'll just add my recommendation. Functional Ear trainer. There's a similar (maybe identical) app for ios, both are free.

It's based on Alain Benbassat's program called "Functional Ear Trainer" (link).

Basically, it plays a I-IV-V-I progression to establish a key. Then it plays a note in the key, and you have to guess which note it is. Establishing the key was "key" (lol) for me as a beginner. Just doing interval training was frustrating and not going anywhere, but since I've started this method I've improved dramatically.

John Cruz, one of the master builders at the Fender custom shop has a line of tools, one of which is a 'cheater' screwdriver which lets you make minor adjustments to vintage truss rods at the base of the neck. I have one and tried it, it worked but it took off some of the wood around it due to the angle. I think if you take off the pickguard the wood wouldn't scrape off.

​

https://www.amazon.com/CruzTools-CRU-GTTRC2-Truss-Driver-Cheater/dp/B007146MJG

Could be, although I get the impression that most of us stop playing when life becomes serious, then if we're lucky, restart in late middle age, plinking and plonking around, and regretting not exploiting our potential.

I've never understood my practicing and writing block. After all, I really love music, I really want to write and record an album. People talk about fear in procrastinators, if it's present in me I don't feel it. It was always just a contradiction, something that on one hand I really wanted to do, on the other hand I never felt able to sit down and get stuck into until the rest of life's chores were done (and they rarely are). Maybe it's a perfectionist thing.

I read "The Power of Habit", and a combination of that and the mortality of turning 40 has gotten me: 1) running three days a week for three months now (did my first 10k two nights ago 2) practising guitar slightly more regularly than before, which is leading to 3) finally recording riffs and ideas for demos, to be paired with with the lyrics that I wrote up to 15 years ago.

My own music "self-help" shelf has:

• Inner Game of Music by by Barry Green and W. Timothy Gallwey
• Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within by Kenny Werner
• Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch
• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
• The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music by Victor L. Wooten

on my wishlist is:

• Zen Guitar by Philip Toshio Sudo
• Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus
• Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles, Ted Orland

I'd look for a used Line6 m13 on eBay or an M9.. The amount of things they can do is staggering.

I like the common sense way they function.

Eh if you want it to sound like a piano, you're gonna need MIDI. MIDI guitar isn't really cheap just yet but there's a certain subset of players (like me) that can't live without it.

If you want to play YOUR guitar you'll want something like the Roland GR-55 guitar synth with a pickup you install.

The cheapest guitarish thing that will play MIDI into your computer is this. I have no idea how good it is.

Anyway, once you get MIDI into your computer, you can then use things like Garageband to make those sweeet sounds in the box.

It actually somewhat reminds me of this Jazzmaster that was custom-built for Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth.

That doesn't answer your question of course, but I think the guitar is just too pretty to not mention it here.

• In British English: Practice = Noun. Practise = Verb.

• In US English: Practice = Noun. Practice = Verb.

• Verbal use = "I am practising the guitar"

• Nounal use = "The practice of deep frying mars bars is stereotypically Scottish"

EDIT:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/practice#practice__22

Have a read through that.

I jam ideas into a loop pedal, but if this isn't available to you you could grab Audacity (free recording software) and record ideas into your PC. I am always set up to record, so anything I come up with gets recorded before I have time to forget it. This lets you set up a loop of what you have already played/written, and after a few repeats of playing along to it, I usually come up with the next part naturally.

Another tip would be to NOT listen to metal music for a few days, helps empty out your memory of what you have heard, and can sometimes help your own ideas fill up the space (I'm not really a metaller anymore but this helps me out sometimes with other genres).

A lot of metal riffing uses variations on the same riff. Try using octaves instead of power chords, or adding 9ths to the top of power chords. If your riffs have any single note lines, then create variations, add harmonies.

An idea I used in metal riffing was to have a "moving pedal tone" (More on Pedal Tones Here ) I come up with a sort of "bassline" and construct a single note riff around it.

Threw a quick video together demonstrating what I described above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvF_xJzubvE

(sorry for ass quality, webcam footage :*( might re-do it with my good camera at some point as this is a good idea for a video hehe.)

IMO its all about the chords. The scales give you an indicator of what chords might come next, but more interesting chord progressions break those expectations all the time. Use scales to fit in with the chords, not the other way around.

If you're playing music that's straightforward major and minor chords, then pentatonics can really take you a long way. Try this: when soloing or improvising over chords, play major pentatonic over each major chord, and minor pentatonic over every minor chord. This gives you the basic arpeggio for the chord you're on, plus a couple extra notes. Can you change from one pentatonic to the next going through a chord progression, staying in one position on the fretboard? If you can, then you've got good mastery of notes on the fretboard and the various modes of the pentatonic, and good awareness of the location of chord tones too, since those correspond to the pentatonic notes.

Gary Burtons online jazz class takes that 'different scale for each chord' concept further, with a set of 10 scales that can be applied to the various jazz chords. To me that's a pretty big mountain to climb! I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the pentatonic approach above, but I hope to apply those skills (root note awareness, changing scales rapidly through a chord progression) to the more advanced scales in the future.

full disclosure: I sort of consider myself an amateur student of popular music and really listen to everything and try to dissect it to its elements. Not sure if this is an exclusively guitar rock forum and if people are going to be pissed that I am talking about Mariah Carey and country music...anyway this is the type of music I make with my band if you want to check it out.

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_9308095

I've been reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory. Very easy read, and covers lots of topics in an understandable style.
However, flattering to deceive, the publishers have now dropped the name "complete idiots" in favor of plain vanilla "idiots".

So you're telling me the B and high E string aren't nickel in my Pure Nickel set?

Description says pure nickel wrap wire on a round core and I just realized they avoid saying what material the round core is or even what the plain strings are.

I like 9s. I usually use Ernie Ball Super Slinkys or GHS Boomers. They are cheap and they work fine.

Shouldn't matter much as most power amps are just clean and flat response to provide power. Really you're paying for quality of components, reliability, and expectation that the advertised power is what you're getting (i.e. 1000 'real-world' Watts, not 1000 'Chinese' Watts).

What is your budget like? Cheap power amps start at $100 and they're good enough for smaller venues, but you would want to be concerned of how they will stand up with regular use. (There is one here on Amazon that seems to be okay).

Otherwise, I've had great experiences with Crown stuff, but you can easily jump up to $300-500 for entry level stuff.

I have always ignored everyone and bought cheap cables on amazon. Never had one single problem. Sound fine, work fine, no noise. https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-IRG-100-5-Low-Profile-Right-Angle-Guitar/dp/B000068O3Y/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1510676065&sr=8-5&keywords=patch+cable&dpID=31F3OMAn4WL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

YMMV

Those are the right strings - classical strings are 3 nylon, and 3 metal-wound with nylon core.

https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-EJ27N-Student-Fractional-Classical/dp/B003B0S1JI

Wow that looks awesome! Would be super convenient for the Mustang 1/2s without the built in screen.

If anybody out there has an Android tablet/phone, you can do something similar with this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tritoninteractive.remuda (you need a USB adapter though)

Shameless plug here - I had just released a free Android app that does exactly this. It's called 'Fretboard Learn' and has 5 game modes that match the name of the notes to a position on the fretboard. Identify the highlighted note, finding the selected note, finding all notes of type X etc.

Google App Store

Amazon App Store

The Berklee Press book on the subject is probably a pretty good place to start.

If the links below are to be believed, the signature on your Korean-Rick Nielsen is stamped. And it is one of a run of 500 units:

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/13855-rick-nielsen-signature-model/

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.music.cheap-trick/fw7rklz0R9s%5B201-225%5D

In any case, it is still a nice guitar. And if Rick Nielsen ever goes crazy and commits a violent felony, it's value will go up! (kidding)

I think the Agile Les Paul is a good idea. The quality for the price is unbelievable. But also remember a Les Paul can be a heavy guitar and some people find that unappealing when playing for long periods of time. If you think this will bother you go with a lighter model.

Maybe look into a used Agile Valkyrie. I have one and it is my favorite guitar I own.

Short answer: no, not at all.

I'll take a stab at explaining why though. If you look at the sonic spectrum of a guitar, an example looks something like this. That is, the raw signal coming from you pickup when plotted as volume vs. frequency looks something like that. Take a look at it, it's complex and nuanced with lots of tiny peaks, and there are even more than this representation would have you believe. Visually that doesn't mean much but when you hear it as a sound all that matters. Additionally all those features will change subtly and dynamically with every note you play.

Equalization, for the most part, works by boosting the raw signal at certain bands, which are Gaussian-like shapes that look like this in the sonic spectrum. They're not complex or nuanced. You can't create new features with EQ, just enhance what's already there.

The difference between different pickups is that they will register and articulate the features you see in the first picture differently, which can't be emulated though EQing.

~~I kinda hate to be that guy too, but mine is pretty heavily out of sync, which is unfortunate :/ I mean, somehow I guess it still sounds all right, but the original is a lot better. I wouldn't ask our good man Charlatan to resync it unless he intends to, but since I'm quite proud of it, I'm linking it right here for anyone interested. If you enjoyed it on the full jam track, I strongly urge you to check it, it would mean a lot to me.~~

Nevermind all that, Charlatan fixed it! Thanks, man!

I'd also like to take this chance to thank anyone who posted or sent me messages about my solo, it's really great to feel the appreciation! :)

Other than that, the track is magnificent. Everyone jumped in and added something unique to this piece (the voice sound clips were a nice touch too! :D). As I said elsewhere, props to CharlatanAlley for setting this up. I look forward to the next Jam! Rock on, /r/guitar!

A minor blues, with some of the "blue notes" missing. Looks to be more of a hybrid between A minor pentatonic and A minor blues.

Here's a little passage that uses the notes in this position: https://clyp.it/4fnzebol

Edit:

It's actually both E minor blues and A minor blues. It's the same pattern on two separate root notes. The orange circle represent the root notes and the grey circle around a few notes represents the blue notes.

Well, everybody's got their own bag. I do get a little tired of seeing the same names at the top of the lists, especially when they really don't turn me on, but hey, can't fault somebody for hearing what they hear.

And hey, even Jim Hall did a pretty interesting take of "Purple Haze" on this album (with a string quartet accompanying, no less). Credit where credit's due—everybody brings something cool to the table.

Grab a starter pack (electric guitar, cables, strap, picks, and an amp for under $300) and get a teacher or go to YouTube or justinguitar.com for tutorials/lessons.

Also, Coursera has an online course going on right now.

I can't give you a detailed comparison review, as the 2i4 is the only interface I've used, but it works well, no noticeable latency. Set up a price alert, like here. Amazon has them for the same price as the 2i2, several times a year. I picked mine up for $140.

This exactly and after about 2 years of that, I got this book and it about tripled my skill level.

I dunno, it was a limited edition, and they were made in 2004, so i guess that they're not made anymore. I paid 4000 USD for my left handed model (including a crate v3112 amp) back in 2004. But aparently they run for 2400 on ebay.

Heres the original press release. 3200 http://www.gibson.com/press/usa/pr/lp_std_ltd.html