Guitar players?

concealer404

Any guitar players here?

I'm having urges again to learn a new instrument, and given my recent ventures into singing again, this seems like the natural progression to go to.

What guitars do you have?

I've been resisting the urge to pick up a Gibson SG Gothic. Something about the simplicity and the sheer "sex" of the guitar keeps calling my name.

I've been playing music my whole life, several different instruments, and i don't think it would take me long to make some significant progress in this area.

Any tips for beginning programs that would get me off the ground and running faster than others?

Pycroft

Hey...

I play a bit...being a musician, it was quite easy to pick up. I think that the ONLY way to really learn an instrument is through a teacher. You should find someone with a degree, not just someone who plays for fun, even if they are a good player. Remember, you aren't looking for someone to play as good as, you're looking for someone to teach you to play well.

I have an Ovation Legend guitar that I dick around with, and a baby Martin. My dream guitar is the Martin D35... the vibrations run through my body as I play, it's fantastic. It's got the X-Bracing, and just resonates like you wouldn't believe. I almost had one, then my wife got pregnant...now it's this hobbby. Looks like I'll be playing the ovation for a lot longer (Even though I hate the damn thing).

Good luck!

James

concealer404

Pycroft wrote: »

Hey...

I play a bit...being a musician, it was quite easy to pick up. I think that the ONLY way to really learn an instrument is through a teacher. You should find someone with a degree, not just someone who plays for fun, even if they are a good player. Remember, you aren't looking for someone to play as good as, you're looking for someone to teach you to play well.

I have an Ovation Legend guitar that I dick around with, and a baby Martin. My dream guitar is the Martin D35... the vibrations run through my body as I play, it's fantastic. It's got the X-Bracing, and just resonates like you wouldn't believe. I almost had one, then my wife got pregnant...now it's this hobbby. Looks like I'll be playing the ovation for a lot longer (Even though I hate the damn thing).

Good luck!

James

Yeah, i went to college for music, and took a semester of guitar tech. Not that hard to pick up, but that was a few years ago, and i want to start from scratch. I have almost 16 years of piano background, so i'm familiar with chords and such. The only "problem" that i'll run into is reading tabs easily and getting back my left hand facility, since i haven't really touched a piano in almost 5 years.

I'll look around here for lessons...

Thanks!

madmax

I have one I play with but I can't play. Its a gothic explorer. I just had to have it. Get this, it was made on Oct 31.
madmax

Demiurge

Yes sir.

kawizx9r

Guitar Hero





LOL
Joking, I used to play for a bit a couple years ago. 6 String electric on my Fender strat, can't remember if it was American or Mexican made....I'll look for a pic I took before I sold it out here.

comfortablycurt

I've been playing since I was about 12 or so.

I've went through tons of gear in the time I've been playing, some of it I miss, some I don't. I play both acoustic and electric, but lately I've been more into the acoustic stuff.

As far as my electric gear goes, right now I've got an original '69 Fender Strat, which is one of the most incredible guitars I've ever played on. I'm running it through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier halfstack right now. It's probably the best sounding rig I've ever assembled.

I've also got an ESP M-1000, which is a great guitar for heavier styles. It's got dual humbuckers, so you can really get that crunchy heavy tone out of it. My Strat is great for my tastes though...Strats are great for playing dirtier sounding kinda stuff...bluesy, folky...very easy for chording, but also a dream to play leads on.

The best way to find the right guitar though, is to go to a music store and find the one that feels most comfortable for you.

When you first start playing, be prepared to sound like crap for a little while. You being a piano player will help a lot though, since you already know the theory, and I'd imagine have pretty solid hand eye coordination. Regardless, any time you pick up a new instrument it takes a while to get the hang of it.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I have a question for you guys that know this stuff:

I have an Epiphone Special II, as seen HERE. I paid $135 for it, so not a high end guitar by any means. The question is, could I get a significant upgrade by spending a couple hundred more bucks, or would I need to spend significantly more to get a real upgrade?

If there are good upgrade options for under $400, what are they?

Pycroft

You can usually get a Fender Strat or Telecaster for around 400, and I think that's a nice guitar.

jgido759

Demiurge wrote: »

Yes sir.

No sweeter sound than a Les Paul through a Marshall.

VR3

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I have a question for you guys that know this stuff:

I have an Epiphone Special II, as seen HERE. I paid $135 for it, so not a high end guitar by any means. The question is, could I get a significant upgrade by spending a couple hundred more bucks, or would I need to spend significantly more to get a real upgrade?

If there are good upgrade options for under $400, what are they?

I work around that price all day and it is INCREDIBLY competitive.

Honestly, Schector and Ibanez both have offers that would be substantially better than the Epiphone Special II..

and really Epiphone has the standard that would be a good upgrade as well!

gtu2004

i believe that you should start from acoustic first. For beginners, I think acoustic will be more of a challenge and moving to electric then will be much easier.

madmax

I kept thinking the reason I couldn't pick up guitar was because of the el-cheapo guitar I had. Got the Gibson and realized it was not the guitar, it was the lack of talent.
madmax

concealer404

Demiurge, that's a BEAUTIFUL Les Paul. I'm jealous of that.

Thanks to everyone for the input, given me something to think about.

jgido759

gtu2004 wrote: »

i believe that you should start from acoustic first. For beginners, I think acoustic will be more of a challenge and moving to electric then will be much easier.

+1

I played guitar for about 18 years. Learned on an electric, played an electric the whole time. Band broke up, sold everything after about 5 years. Got the bug again atfer 12 years and bought an acoustic and couldn't believe how difficult it was to play. :eek:

I've had the acoustic for over a year and picked it up maybe 6 or 7 times because I feel so unable to play.

RCFGuitars

I've been playing professionally for over 20 years now. My collection of guitars, amps, effects etc. if too large to list everything. After graduating from college, I worked in the guitar biz for over 10 years, including several years with my own repiar/luthiery shop, so I've literally owned, or at least played thru, just about everything you've ever heard of. My main working guitars are Strats, Teles, Parker Flys, and several of my own contruction.
There is no short cut to becoming a good player: practice, practice, practice. That being said, the best advice I can give you is to get a guitar that excites you, and inspires you to play/practice. The only way to improve is to have that instrument in your hand as much as possible. Having a guitar that you love, and can't wait to get home to, certainly helps. An acoustic is great because it does help to develop the muscles in your hands, and it is easy to pick up and start playing. But, if you're not into acoustic music, it is better to get a guitar that you will play regularly.
Another thing to consider when shopping, and this was a big deal to me because I have large hands, is the scale length of the guitar. In short, that means the distance between the frets. A typical Gibson guitar has a scale lenth of 24.75". A typical Fender, and many acoustics, have a scale length of 25.5". The longer scale length has a greater distance between the frets. If you have large hands, you may find the Gibson's a little crowded as you move up the fretboard.
If you have any nuts and bolts guitar questions, feel free to shoot me PM.
I had a photo of one of my rigs on file from a show this summer. Dead mint 1973 Hiwatt DR103 with 2 custom, and 1 stock Strats.

RCFGuitars

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I have a question for you guys that know this stuff:

I have an Epiphone Special II, as seen HERE. I paid $135 for it, so not a high end guitar by any means. The question is, could I get a significant upgrade by spending a couple hundred more bucks, or would I need to spend significantly more to get a real upgrade?

If there are good upgrade options for under $400, what are they?

If you want a big improvement for under $400, I would first suggest getting the guitar set up by a pro. Fret dressing, intonation adjustment, neck/bridge adjustments etc., done by someone who really knows what they are doing, can make a huge difference in playability. That should run you about $50-$75. Then, for a big improvement in sound, install some top quality humbuckers. Seymour Duncan has a great line, but there are really nice choices from Gibson, Dimarzio, or especially Joe Barden (the Bardens will break your $400 budget however). With a pro set up, and high quality pickups, you won't even recognize that guitar.

Zoomzilla

RCFGuitars wrote: »

I've been playing professionally for over 20 years now. My collection of guitars, amps, effects etc. if too large to list everything. After graduating from college, I worked in the guitar biz for over 10 years, including several years with my own repiar/luthiery shop, so I've literally owned, or at least played thru, just about everything you've ever heard of. My main working guitars are Strats, Teles, Parker Flys, and several of my own contruction.
There is no short cut to becoming a good player: practice, practice, practice. That being said, the best advice I can give you is to get a guitar that excites you, and inspires you to play/practice. The only way to improve is to have that instrument in your hand as much as possible. Having a guitar that you love, and can't wait to get home to, certainly helps. An acoustic is great because it does help to develop the muscles in your hands, and it is easy to pick up and start playing. But, if you're not into acoustic music, it is better to get a guitar that you will play regularly.
Another thing to consider when shopping, and this was a big deal to me because I have large hands, is the scale length of the guitar. In short, that means the distance between the frets. A typical Gibson guitar has a scale lenth of 24.75". A typical Fender, and many acoustics, have a scale length of 25.5". The longer scale length has a greater distance between the frets. If you have large hands, you may find the Gibson's a little crowded as you move up the fretboard.
If you have any nuts and bolts guitar questions, feel free to shoot me PM.
I had a photo of one of my rigs on file from a show this summer. Dead mint 1973 Hiwatt DR103 with 2 custom, and 1 stock Strats.

Wow, love the Hiwatt! Killer!