GUITAR! Do you play?

[Koldov]

Hi All,

 

Just putting this out there... As I've fallen a bit out of love with it for a long time, I've picked it up again now and then, but realised I'll never be the next Steve Vai. Work and family put being in a band out of the question for about 15 years and I never put enough practise time in.

 

What set-up/gear do you have?

 

Fave guitarists?

 

How long you've been playing?

 

Anything really!

 

I'll start:

 

Playing for - *cough*over 20 years*cough* on and off (should be so much better).

Gear - Almost too much to mention! About 10 guitars ranging from a Strat to a classical, amps from Fender and Marshall. Zoom and POD effects pedals.

Fave guitarists - Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert (yes I'm a speed freak)!

Style - Blues, Metal, anything that is guitar based and ROCKS! But can easily listen to classical guitar!

 

Kol.

[LosOjos]

I do but like you I've fallen out of love with it.

 

Been playing for 15 years, but with long breaks in that time. I probably play to the level of someone who has practised well for a couple of years!

 

Classic rock and blues are my thing, favourite guitarists being Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Slash, Aynsley Lister, Keith Richards, Joe Perry... I could go on!

 

Got all sorts of pedals that I rarely use since buying a Fender Champ X2, which is now my only amp.

 

Guitars are a Gibson LP, Danelectro DC-59, a Yamaha EG112 (my first electric, pre-Pacifica but identical in all meaningful aspects, I heavily modded it with all black hardware, 13's, dual covered humbuckers, bolted bridge and custom electronics - it was intended for slide but I suck at slide!), an Epiphone Dove for when I feel like getting mellow and a little handmade baglamas the missus bought me in Greece one year.

 

My problem is I have no patience. I want instant results!

 

I have been thinking of getting one of the Rocksmith games recently to see if it renews my interest...

[tmcd35]

I've been playing (more off than on) since I was about 8. Only in the last couple of years have I actually started to "get good" (by which I mean - "I can play barre chords now"). The turnaround started with Rock Band 3 Pro Mode and major kudos to Ubisoft's Rocksmith. Started playing Bass last year - wow, so much fun!!!

 

Guitars....

 

3/4 size Encore classical guitar, Marlin by Hohner SG100 (el cheapo Fender Strat rip off), A full size Encore accoustic, A cheap Fender Elctro-Accoustic, Alden Dorchester-12, Inspire Instruments YouRock Guitar, and my two baby's....

 

 

and

 

 

Got some pedals my brother in law gave me but never use them (not even sure what they are), An old Cry Baby, couple of Fender/Squire practice amps and AmpKit/Amplitude/iRig on the iPad.

 

Grow up wanting to be Hank Marvin, then Brian May. Neil Finn's son Liam is insane, and Glen Teelbrook of Squeeze is probably the best guitarist I've seen live (wow, just wow!).

 

Style - what ever RockSmith 2014 and it's DLC throws at me. Not good enough to have my own "style". Favourite track to play lead is probably Thrill Is Gone by B.B.King.

[mole]

Indeed playing since 2004/5 but not picked it up for about 3 years - kids etc...that's who I blame anyway! so not very good.

 

Just a Line6 Spider 3 75w and pacifica 115 and a jackson kelly and classical acoustic and coupla pedals - Demon Wah and some other fuzzes

 

death,metal,groove metal etc.... Bleeding Through, Carcass, Avenged Sevenfold, Arch Enemy, Hatebreed, Galactic Cowboys, Volbeat.

 

Mainy i just fanny around on it and that suits me.

Edited February 25, 2014 by mole

[Tesla]

I've been playing (more off than on) since I was about 8. Only in the last couple of years have I actually started to "get good" (by which I mean - "I can play barre chords now"). The turnaround started with Rock Band 3 Pro Mode and major kudos to Ubisoft's Rocksmith. Started playing Bass last year - wow, so much fun!!!

 

Guitars....

 

3/4 size Encore classical guitar, Marlin by Hohner SG100 (el cheapo Fender Strat rip off), A full size Encore accoustic, A cheap Fender Elctro-Accoustic, Alden Dorchester-12, Inspire Instruments YouRock Guitar, and my two baby's....

 

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and

 

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Got some pedals my brother in law gave me but never use them (not even sure what they are), An old Cry Baby, couple of Fender/Squire practice amps and AmpKit/Amplitude/iRig on the iPad.

 

Grow up wanting to be Hank Marvin, then Brian May. Neil Finn's son Liam is insane, and Glen Teelbrook of Squeeze is probably the best guitarist I've seen live (wow, just wow!).

 

Style - what ever RockSmith 2014 and it's DLC throws at me. Not good enough to have my own "style". Favourite track to play lead is probably Thrill Is Gone by B.B.King.

 

Always wanted to get into guitar, would you recommend rocksmith for a complete novice???

[tmcd35]

Always wanted to get into guitar, would you recommend rocksmith for a complete novice???

 

Yes, yes, yes, and er - yes! Mixed in with a bit of Justin Guitar | Free Guitar Lessons and you should pick it up pretty quickly.

 

I don't really want to be a musician as such. Just happy strumming away at home. RockSmith as let me really play some fantastic songs and totally improved my playing and opened up my musical tastes.

 

Seriously the best guitar purchase I've ever made!

[Koldov]

Wow, that's some nice gear!

 

My Fender amp is a 100w Silver Face Twin-Reverb valve amp (from my Dad) which was built in the sixties or something! It weighs a ton and needs a service, but sounds lovely.

 

I have a glass slide somewhere and I too suck at it! Heavy strings, open tuning and a high action needed for sure...

 

My one orange Boss DS distortion pedal and Digitech Whammy (which I only bought to emulate Satriani and Vai) have sat in the loft for years since I discovered my Zoom 9002 and when that died, my 8080! I also had an original Cry-Baby wah and a WEM copicat which I sold for literally a few pounds (*boo-hoo* hope my Dad never finds out!).

 

I use the Zoom with the Fender amp if I can be bothered to dig it all out, but have a Line 6 Pocket Pod hooked up to my PC for ease.

 

My first guitar my dad built, then I had some horrible Marlin thing (which got stolen thank god) a Fender 12 string acoustic and aquired an old Hondo II (Les Paul style copy) from somewhere, then got a rare Squier HMIII strat in a second hand shop. Guitar wise, I have an old Ibanez RGR321EX for the heavy stuff (drop D anyone?), Fender Stratocaster (Mexican *sniff*) for bluesy stuff, an LAG Arcane A200 Honey Shadow for 80's hair metal stuff! Loads of other random ones (Epiphone G-400 SG Gothic, Washburn WI-65 PRO, CRAFTER GAE-8 electro-acoustic, Encore 7F-B electro-acoustic, Honer HC-06 classical, TANGLEWOOD TCC SC E electro-acoustic classical and even a STAGG BC300-N bass), mostly from ebay.

 

I think I went through a stage of thinking my rubbish playing was the guitars fault and not my fingers lol!

 

Amps apart from the Fender are a Kustom Dual 35 DFX and I have just been gifted a load of amps including, a Carlsboro GLX 85, Ashdown Engineering MAG 300 and cab, and various other heads and cabs (including a Marshall stack) that I'm currently sorting through...

 

Love the Stevie Ray Vaughan stuff and spent a lot of time learning the G'n'R - Appetite for Destruction songs! But I too am like you with wanting instant results (although I have put a lot of time into learning the scales and chords, my memory is a bit fish like) I just pick out a bit of the song I like, I don't think I've ever learnt a song the whole way through!

 

Also I think buying the new gear thing always sparks my interest for a while! GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) haha, I've started putting my guitars on the wall in the bedroom and the amps are lining up against the wall (the other half is really... not impressed).

 

Kol.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Koldov

[bladedanny]

I have a guitar and I try to play it.

 

It's only a Squire Strat so only very entry level. I'd love to have lessons but can't find the time to have them.

[DMcGuigan]

There's a few in our house, shame really because my playing's probably on par with a cat running down the fretboard.

Currently got three electrics (Fender 2001 Tele, Yamaha Pacifica 115 and an Atlas Luxurious), an acoustic (Custom Washburn) and a bass (Some cheap fender..thing).

 

The amps are all just cheap little things that I don't even know the brand of.. I only really use my guitar when sat in a loading screen or something, know the odd intro / riff here and there, I'll eventually try and pick it up properly

 

On the guitarists front, Steve Vai (went to see him in August, aweeesome), Devin Townsend and Joe Satriani.

 

 

My stepdad used to tab country music, and played a lot of Vai, Satriani etc when he was younger, so I grew up around guitars and something musical being on at all times. Most of the guitars up there are his, shame we don't have the old ones any more, had a Jem, a Strat and a Schecter at various points through the past few years.

Edited February 25, 2014 by DMcGuigan

[featured_spectre]

Use too when I was 16-20. Used my stepdads Gibson Les Paul custom

[Tesla]

i'll resist the urge to make a rude comment about one of those sentances.... @tmcd35

 

May be something worth investing in..... anyone recommend a good cheap entry level electric guitar???

 

oxymoron alert...

Edited February 25, 2014 by Tesla

[bladedanny]

i'll resist the urge to make a rude comment about one of those sentances.... @tmcd35

 

May be something worth investing in..... anyone recommend a good cheap entry level electric guitar???

 

I've not had a fault with my Squire Strat. Was only about £100 with a little 10w amp.

 

I also have a Zoom G1x (G1 / G1X obsolete now I think) Which, for me, makes playing more fun as I can easily switch effects/sounds. Also let me play with headphones on which the Mrs loves.

[tmcd35]

May be something worth investing in..... anyone recommend a good cheap entry level electric guitar???

 

What, you got something against the way I strum?

 

eh-hum, on topic...

 

The problem with cheap guitars (as I found out with my old Merlin) is intonation. The further down the fretboard you go the more out of tune it gets. It's why I paid out for the PRS Custom SE which has a fixed bridge and is intoned at factory - it's a "mid-range" guitar at around £600. I'm sure you can pick up something suitable for less, but I haven't really looked at the market. This is probably the best place for answers: Electric Guitars | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

 

RockSmith, because of the way it listens on the RealTone cable, is very picky about intonation.

[Tesla]

that's a bummer, i don't know how into playing guitar i'd get, so don't want to spend a lot on something i may, in the end, stop using.

 

i'll stick to guitar hero ( i can do most songs on expert!), for now, lol.

[Tesla]

I've not had a fault with my Squire Strat. Was only about £100 with a little 10w amp.

 

Cheers, theres some used ones going on e-bay going for less.

[tmcd35]

Eeek, didn't mean to put you off. I'm sure you can get something more than suitable for £150-£200. Even better something half decent secondhand off E-Bay would be better in that price range. More a warning on the brand new sub-£150 models which can cause some problems with Rocksmith.

 

Seriously, It's a lot more fun than Guitar Hero IMHO. I was playing along to The Final Countdown last night - grinning like the cheshire cat!

[PotNoodleTech]

Got a Squier Bullat Strat cheap as chips late last year. Have barely picked it up but it's there for when I get more me time

[LosOjos]

Personally, I'd avoid Squire... for not a ridiculous amount more, you can get a Yamaha Pacifica which by all accounts is an excellent guitar. For not a lot more than that you get in to Mexican Fenders, then high end Epis... beware of GAS!

 

I've just found the build quality on Squire's to be a bit hit and miss (this is true of any guitar and the reason you or someone you know should play it before you buy it ideally), but the Pacificas have an excellent reputation as an entry level guitar for a good reason

 

The cheaper Pacifica 012 will get you started but if you can stretch that bit more for a V series, do it!

 

MusicRadar on the 112V: The Pacifica 112V remains not only the perfect start-up guitar for the serious student, but also a solid, reliable choice whatever your age or ability.

Yamaha Pacifica 112V | Guitar reviews | MusicRadar

 

and the 012: There’s no doubting the value of this pack, but compared to the souped-up Pacifica V, the 012 feels like a stopgap. That’s fair enough; nobody said this was a guitar for life. You buy this pack, pay your dues, find out what styles you’re into - then throw a few hundred quid at a mid-price electric and 100-watt amp that cater for them. Until then, this is a watertight introduction to the untold pleasures of axedom.

http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/guitars/round-up-4-beginner-guitar-and-amp-starter-packs-240962/3/1

 

 

You can pick up a kit with the 012, an amp, strap, gig bag, plectrums, cable and instructional DVD for £158: Yamaha Pacifica 012 KIT (Metallic Blue)

The V series will be dearer and they don't do kits, but for around the £300 mark you could get yourself the guitar and a great practice amp that should last you a lot longer than the 012 kit. My Yamaha EG112, if available today, would sit somewhere between the 2; I've had that guitar 15 years and it still plays great

 

EDIT: last thing - avoid Encore starter packs like the plague! Every one of these I've picked up that is more than 12 months old has had rusty hardware, loose tuning pegs and intonation issues. They're cheap, but it's false economy.

Edited February 25, 2014 by LosOjos

[jinnantonnixx]

Been playing since about 1987, and as with others been a bit on and off, with a few years hiatus.

 

Accumulated some tasty kit, got a very nice Japanese '85 Squier (the fabled ones), a Burns Brian May model, I had a MIJ '70s reissue Strat, but sold it, and also have a Les Paul copy which is OK. I hate floating trems, so I modified the Strat and BM so that the trem body is wedged to the body.

 

Got a 1980s Yamaha acoustic which sounds great.

 

I used to have an Electroharmonix Memory Man Deluxe which I sold for £10 when I was a student. I should have held on to it.

 

I had a Behringer V-Amp2 which is nice, but spent too much time messing with the settings rather than playing so sold it.

 

Got a BOSS CS3 compressor which should be standard kit for all guitarists, and a Morley opto Wah pedal.

 

I use a Roland Cube 30x which is fantastic sounding amp - one of the best. I modified it to provide an aux speaker tap so I could use it as a monitor and have a DI into the PA without needing to mic it up. Mind you, the little Cube 30x is loud enough for a small pub.

 

Also got this - a 1974 Marshall Superlead with 4x12 Celestion loaded cab. Purple Tolex - pretty rare. It's absolutely ear-splitting, so doesn't get much use round the house.

 

Signed by Jim Marshall in 1989

 

Fav guitarist:

If I had to choose one, it would be RItchie Blackmore.

Other faves are

Rock - Jeff Kollman

Acoustic - Michael Hedges, Richard Thompson

Blues - Robert Cray, Dave Van Ronk

Edited February 25, 2014 by jinnantonnixx

[pantscat]

I've been playing since I was about 15 on and off, although mostly off!

 

I've currently got a white USA Strat (with lace sensors), a Rickenbacker 330 (which I'm thinking of selling... it never gets used!), a Fender JagStang and a cheap gold Les Paul copy.

 

I've also recently picked up an Aria bass and I'm trying to get a bit funky... with limited success... I thought fewer strings would be easy!

 

As far as a recommendation for an entry level guitar goes, I'd seriously look at the cheap Ibanez super-strats - nice skinny necks which you'd probably find much easier and comfier when learning.

Edited February 25, 2014 by pantscat

[Gibson335]

Fav axemen are: Steve Lukather, Larry Carlton, Guthrie Govan, Mike Slamer, plus the usual speed-freaks...

 

Had a Gibson SG Les Paul, now a Strat and a 30-year-old Westone.

[TechSupp]

Now can I say I'm a guitar player? Well I can play a few chords, once had lessons, guitar sal in its case for years then last year fell for it again. Have an old amp but due to space etc I now use my iPad, an iRig and either h'phones or speaker setup and I can now have all sorts of effects and amps to play with. Guitar is an electric Yamaha RGX112 that I have had 20 odd years. Did have at one time an cut away Washburn electro acoustic but wish I had kept it. Keep promising myself to buy an acoustic again with the excuse it would be for my daughter who did want one (and I would use it when she gets fed up due to breaking nails!)

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Playing for - *cough*over 20 years*cough* on and off (should be so much better).

Gear - Almost too much to mention! About 10 guitars ranging from a Strat to a classical, amps from Fender and Marshall. Zoom and POD effects pedals.

Fave guitarists - Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert (yes I'm a speed freak)!

Style - Blues, Metal, anything that is guitar based and ROCKS! But can easily listen to classical guitar!

 

Kol.

 

 

Hit the nail on the head for me right there. Seen vai a few times and he's always mesmerising! satch is much more soulful though!

 

I've been playing on and off for 15 years, never gave it the time it deserved though. That said i can play my way through most iron miaden and metallica tracks given time.

 

I used to have lots of guitars but only got a couple now.

 

Still have:

 

Jackson Performer PS2

25-30 year old squire strat special edition in all black with the thinnest neck I've ever seen!

Gibson Semi-acoustic in transparent black gloss (you can see the wood grain through it and it's beautiful)

 

Used to own:

 

Epiphone Les Paul with a pair of seymour Duncan humbuckers. It was gorgeous in transparent green, but it got left at a gig years ago and i never got it back

Yamaha Pacifica - Nice guitar but preferred my Strat

 

 

I really should pick it up again it's been years since i played properly.

[pcstru]

Playing : Long and yet, not long. I've been mostly off since my teens, bought an acoustic Dean thing last year which has seen me make more progress since then than the 20+ years before. The man-cave helps - in here no one can hear you scream. Cutting the top of my RH middle finger off didn't help. I'm still rubbish but having fun.

 

Equip : The Dean, a Semi Acoustic thing and an old Vox AC15 amp which is in need of some TLC.

 

Favourite Guitarists : Richard Thompson, Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Brian May, Ry Cooder. Recently I've come to respect David Rawlings (with Gillian Welch) and for a bit of bules/rock and roll, the John Spencer Blues Explosion.

[mikeyd101]

Been trying to play on/off mostly off for about 20 years, pick up bits and pieces from justin guitar / marty swartz, and recently got back into playing with rocksmith and now rocksmith 2014 which is a whole lot better with session mode just jamming away with a fake band, showing you scales to play in.

 

Good mix of songs on there and more and more added through DLC all the time, I did also see that some people where making custom songs for rocksmith but unable to find any completed songs to actually learn from.

 

Guitar: Aria cheap strat copy

 

Fav Guitarist: Dave Gilmour, Steve Rothery