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Does anyone here have any experience of the little "stero condenser mic" type devices you can get for field recording (e.g Tascam DR-05x)?
I want something to record with at band rehearsal to help with listening back to figure out arrangements, etc. To date we've recorded to a phone which is just about useful, but tends to be limited by the "omg we're recording" effect in addition to the microphone being less than ideal for capturing a live band.
I like the idea of something set-and-forget with better microphones. I'm thinking we could just record the whole 3 hours or whatever and just edit our the "best" bits for later reference.
Anyone done something similar?
Very nice, @metalheart!<br /><br />@tomparkin Re; recording your band with something simple, I've got a Zoom H2N, which I also use for interviews etc. It's super simple to use and the sound quality is excellent, with a handy record level dial and digi VU meters. They still seem to be about £200 each, which'll be more than you're keen to spend, but they come up secondhand. There's a very simple 'Press one button and you're recording' button, and it'll do stereo. Batteries last months and you can get hours on the SD card.
Can't see the H2N on the website, but the cheaper H1N is shown next to a drum kit. :-)<br /> https://www.zoom-europe.com/en/handy-recorders/zoom-h1n-vp-uk-version-uk-version
@chipps -- thanks, that's the kind of insight I was hoping for!
I've been looking on eBay: it seems you can get the simpler models for around £50 for a beat up one.
As ever, with a bit of reading around you can convince yourself that you ideally "need" something like the Zoom H6n which has the stereo condenser pair in addition to four XLR inputs 😮
I might just take a punt on a cheapo/simple device and see how it goes on. It has to be better than a smartphone!
I use a Zoom H4N to record my acoustic guitar. Easy to use and the quality is good. Look to be reasonably priced used.
I've developed an inkling to add a nylon string guitar to my collection.
Most weeks I pop down to a local pub where a group of us sit round a table take it in turns to play and sing, and there's a bit of joining in goes on. Half a dozen acoustics all going chunga-chunga can get a bit much and I want a bit of variety. Mostly I play finger-style (pads of fingers mainly) and I'm torn between a little steel string parlour style and a nylon guitar.
I've never tried one though. Is the flat fingerboard a pain for chording? But I've heard of crossover/fusion types with a narrower neck and a radius. maybe that's the way forward.
@BigJohn I’ve a couple of Yamaha nylons; a NTX (which is aimed at steel/electric players) and a sNCX (which is your classic classical type).
Funnily enough the NTX is comfortable, ‘familiar’ and is basically a nylon string that plays very much like you’re used to. Think it has a 48mm fret width I think? Definitely an easier option for trying out/transitioning on.
The NCX is wider (52mm?) and flatter and does feels different (but you can still fret ‘normally’, I can’t do the Hendrix style thumb fretting due to an old finger dislocation injury so can’t say how that compares). I was trying to learn Flamenco, thats’ why ‘ve both…🙃
I like them both. If you want to just play ‘normal’ stuff… but on an acoustic, the NTX ‘fusion’ style definitely would work for you. If you want to be play classical (or flamenco) then the NCX style is probably more appropriate. If you’ve seen proper classical players on YouTube, etc., they manage fine… The Yamaha website has some videos that run through both styles, might be worth a watch?
https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/cl_guitars/nx_2020/index.html
To me its kind of similar to the difference between a Fender and a Gibson…
Time to make a trip to Birmingham and pop into a couple of the larger stores there to try some out then.
Yeah you'll just have to try some out.. the necks are generally (or at least feel) a lot wider at the nut, but the strings are easier on the fingers, so it's difficult to quantify.
Maybe one with nylon thicker strings D,A,E and steel thinner E,B,G strings?
Its worth considering if it's fully nylon strung you may not be able to put all steel strings on it, unless they are super light guage due to the string tension, you may end up warping the neck etc.
You can certainly get some beautiful sounds out of nylon strings though...
Either way, if you do get one, as is the law, it must have a slotted headstock 😀
Ha! Yes, my repertoire includes a few Willie numbers, Always on my Mind (yes I know he didn't write it, but my interpretation is more his than Elvis or PSB) goes down well.
And even with steel 12 fret models, I'm strangely drawn to the slotted headstock. I wanted to put on on the blue Tele in the picture that I made from scratch but the luthier I had the 1 to 1 guidance from wouldn't entertain that nonsense.
Oh yeah... it's new guitar week here!
Yeah I've always kinda lusted after a 12 fret slot head type thing with steel and nylon strings.
Oh yeah… it’s new guitar week here!
I don't know whether I love it or hate it!.... It's a guitar all right! 😀
I don’t know whether I love it or hate it!…. It’s a guitar all right! 😀
Well, I figured I have, or have had, nearly every sort of guitar over the years, so why not go a bit weird? I mostly justified it for its size, as it's compact enough to play in my office chair (with armrests) while noodling along to Youtube jam tracks...
Any resonator players on here? I have a new set of Micheal Messer Newton phosphor bronze strings .013-.056. If anyone wants them message me your address and I'll post them to you.
Very pretty Chipps.
Does it have the trapezoid neck carve or is it conventional?
Old Guitar Day!
I dragged my first electric out of the loft and re strung it.
A Jedson bought from a gift shop in Blackpool from summer job earnings working at the Pleasure Beach in 1972.
I remember it was hung on the wall behind the counter and going in to look at it on my lunch breaks working out how long it would be until I could afford it. I think it was £27!
It still works and plays surprisingly well but the switches are a bit hit and miss, which pretty much matches my playing style.
It does bring home though how much better I perhaps could be playing now if I'd practiced consistently over those years rather than intermittent aimless noodling 🤔
Nice bit of relicing there!
Andertons will probably buy the rights to the name and reissue them like they did with Burns.
Nice guitar!
My mate persuaded me not to sell my first bass when I got fed up of its quirks.
1978 music master short scale bass. My bass teacher looked at it's totally gouged frets, massively reliced finish and said with a strained voice, "that's lovely" lies!
Looks like this with a black pickguard and a home made respray by me that is fine at a meter, but imperfect closer up
Its sounds ace ( with super fat strings) and is surprisingly light weight for a bass.
Picked up a guitar for the first time in a few months. Really need to start playing regularly again, my fingertips hurt now!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6Lduuzvr1zE
That picking sounds nice and fluid Simon!
I always found that song tricky to keep dialled in terms of timing when shifting the chord shapes around, it's too easy to trip over the strings.
Cheers Tom. Wanted something to make me work. I should probably try and learn the other 3 chord changes but might take a while as I have to concentrate super hard on the picking!
Does it have the trapezoid neck carve or is it conventional?
It has the weirdy trapezoid neck. It's less obvious than I thought it might be when playing, and for soloing, my thumb completely ignores the 'correct' place on the back of the neck and goes thumb-over just like my other guitars. For barre chords, I'm thumb-behind, though.
The best bit about it is that it's sooo light! And tiny.
Just like to say that the PRS Singlecut McCarty (from previous page) played straight through my re-issue Vibró Champ is currently hitting the spot nicely. Only slightly spoiled by the fact that guitarguitar are currently flogging it for only £799 in their autumn sale… Still think it was worth the £949 I paid for mine…
Also; I bought my first proper pedal: a Fender Shields Blender - which is mental. It will take a while to work out how it works (4 foot buttons, 8 knobs and a couple of other localised push buttons). Yes. It has a manual, but ****, its mental 🙃
Here is a taster:
Thanks to the fabulous Mr RustySpanners my daughter has a rather nice Bullet Mustang.
My son has a Washburn Win14 which barely saw the light of day until the Mustang arrived, but it has now made a reappearance. He plays his acoustic a lot and is Grade 4 or 5, so he’s quite good.
We have two amps in the house. One is a Marshall MG50FX which I am 100% sure could do structural damage and the other is something crap bought from a charity shop in a moment of desperation as the Marshall was doing structural damage.
So, in a roundabout way, what amps should I be looking at that won’t break the bank, or any windows?
Budget is a constraint because, if current levels of enthusiasm continue, I may need two of them.
Very nice guitar there.
As to the amp I got lucky and bought a Yamaha THR10ii not knowing how good they are. Sadly pricey.
I played one of these during the week at a mate's place and he'd just bought it for his son, Sounded good enough to me.
BLACKSTAR ID:CORE V3 20W 2X5" STEREO. Even had headphones out.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/blackstar-id-core-v3-20w-stereo-digital-amp-combo
I have a couple of vox 50 watt amps.
Fine for gigs, both have headphone outs and they have an attenuator at the back. This lets me play at reasonable volumes while they sound excellent.
One of these that I probably should sell- if you are near Nottingham
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175956839525?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=mzpeiaowsfo&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=a9M6NJdMTVq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
And one of these that sounds almost exactly the same, with a line in and less effects.
Neither are particular expensive second hand. The first one I've had since 2009 with no problems.
The Marshall is 50W. It sounds great, but is too loud and physically too big to be moved about in the house. Was thinking of something in the 10W - 15W range that is smaller than a fridge.
Something like this, but I've no idea if it is any good.
what amps should I be looking at that won’t break the bank, or any windows?
Boss katanas are great. 50w ones are plenty cheap, especially used mk1 models.
They’re capable of sounding good at almost silent volumes, and have many, many pedals built in so are capable of doing everything from quiet home practice to actual gigging use.
Needs to be physically quite small as it will live in a bedroom.
I have one of these - an Orange Crush 20 (in black). To my ear it sounds more 'mellow' than the Blackstar (my daughter used to have one). Has Aux in and headphone jack and looks quite good. Very compact and nicely made.
I think it was just over £100
https://orangeamps.com/products/guitar-amp-combos/crush-series/crush20/
I have one of these – an Orange Crush 20
I was going to recommend the Orange Crush 20RT - which is like the above but with reverb and a (not great) tuner.
I play my Squier CV Tele through it, always on the dirty channel, gain turned up enough just to break up a bit, some reverb and no pedals, and I think it sounds great for both kinds of music (country and western).
Looks good in orange too. £136 at PMT.
Big fan of the Orange Crush combos.
I had the 35RT before trading it in for a Rocker 15.
The basic tone is soooo nice, the 35 is fine at small gig/practice volumes too.....
eddiebaby
Free Member
Very nice guitar there.
That particular one is really nice.....smoothed, sanded and waxed neck, shorter saddle screws so they don't touch the strings on the E,A, G and B along with some brass saddles from NorthWest Guitars.
Really enjoyed getting it to it's full potential.
It's a delightful instrument, so much fun to play, great distorted tone as well.
The only reason I let it go is because I fancy the new pink one with the maple neck!
Really chuffed it's found a good home where it will be loved.
You are not wrong. She has been walking around with it since she got it.
Going to hook it up to the Marshall tonight and see what happens. Apologies in advance if you live in North Manchester.
Well, in a strange twist of fate I was at my In Law's on the way home from work last night to not sort out their Wi-Fi connection, and mentioned to my FiL that my daughter had a new guitar and we were looking for an amp. His response was "I've got one that you can have. And a guitar too".
So, in the space of 48 hours we have added a Squire Bullet Mustang and a Stratocaster to the house.
Funny how life turns out...
Suppose I'd better have a go at learning to play it!
Remember, you only need three chords to play all the blues/rock songs ever, and add a fourth chord for every song ever... 🙂
You just need another kidster to play bass, HtS, and get the mrs on drums, and you'll be sorted 🙂
I might just take a punt on a cheapo/simple device and see how it goes on. It has to be better than a smartphone!
For those following along at home, I got a Zoom H4n Pro on ebay and it does indeed do a better job than a smartphone, highly recommended.
Taking the simplest possible setup of sticking the device in the middle of the room, and using the built-in condenser mic pair worked out pretty well. Drums and guitar are very clear. Bass is a little more varied, but vocals were more or less lost. I think we probably just need to turn the vocals up, but we could maybe DI the bass for more consistent results.
Or run the bass and vocals through the PA and put the mic a little closer to a PA speaker 🙂
That's probably worth a shot too. I was kind of working on the basis that the little mics on the Zoom probably weren't doing a great job with the bass frequencies, but that might not be entirely true.
I've decided to try and learn a bit of simple jazz. It's taking ages!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WX0wvdGm0qY
I’ve decided to try and learn a bit of simple jazz. It’s taking ages!
Nice!
I've finally admitted defeat with my Helix LT. Got a buyer on the way right now.
No doubt it's a great unit but it's way too much overkill for what I need or want. I rarely use more than distortion, reverb and wah. Maybe a bit of flanger. I'm also more than happy with my Marshall valve amp and really don't need a million different amp and cab sims.
have ordered one of these https://www.thomann.de/gb/steinberger_guitars_gtpro_deluxe_bk.htm
have always liked steinbergers and wanted to get one so er now i have.
just wish it had the trans trem system but i believe they don't make them any more and would cost a lot.
unfortunately i didn't really gel with the prs that i bought (it was the se standard 24-08) so sold it about 2 months ago.
Is there a platform like Melodics that is great for guitarists and learning stuff with feedback? Melodics is great, but it doesn't actually have the tabs of the real guitar playing, it's dumbed down.
Melodics basically has a massive bank of real songs, you can play along where it shows you which notes to play, and gives you feedback on timing, accuracy etc...
I’ve decided to try and learn a bit of simple jazz. It’s taking ages!
You do know that anytime you play a bum note in blues, you can just call it jazz, right?
The ultimate get out of jail free card! 😉
One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz.
😬
You do know that anytime you play a bum note in blues, you can just call it jazz, right?
The ultimate get out of jail free card! 😉
Haha!
have ordered one of these> https://www.thomann.de/gb/steinberger_guitars_gtpro_deluxe_bk.htm
I had one as my travel guitar back in the day when they were branded as Hohner. It worked really well so I thought about getting a real one. Blimey they were expensive with all those composite and fancy bits. I got tired of searching for double ball end strings eventually.
I'v been mainly getting rid of stuff lately on Reverb. Sold a heck of a lot of pedals and am down to only (!) 3 guitars. I kept my PRS SE and got rid of the American Pro Strat instead. The Bass and Variax also were culled from the herd.
Pedals though. :-(. Despite all the selling I still have just under 20 not counting tuners, loopers and switches. At least I'm buying secondhand mainly to minimise the loss when I move them on. Current obsession is Origin Effects but I just bought a ThorpyFX UniVibe and it is awesome.
Been playing bad Hendix but using it on everything.
Musically I'm working through a mix of Traffic, Hendrix, Stones and -I'm ashamed to say- John Mayer.
It's been a while since I subjected you to my playing so...
https://youtube.com/shorts/5NxhYm9GsSY?si=E9l0hP1DtkzTHaXU
have ordered one of these> https://www.thomann.de/gb/steinberger_guitars_gtpro_deluxe_bk.htm < That is in no sense a steinberger I had one as my travel guitar back in the day when they were branded as Hohner. Hohners were different again and not a steinberger
Those Hohner/Steinbergers are great. I had one for a while - randomly inspired by our rehearsal space having a really small space to swing a guitar... But they're light and the trem works and they're great. I sold mine when the band stopped playing, in a one-in-one-out style to someone from the forum as I recall.
Back in 1987 or so, my guitar-mad pal Rich bought a real Steinberger and the TransTrem was a wonder to behold. I still lust after one of those... Mind you, I see that Mark Knopfler is selling his, so I could combine two great early obsessions into one...
Having bought a Strandberg recently, I did wilfully ignore the fact that I could have just got a Steinberger/Hohner and got all of the benefits of the light weight and headless/compactness of the design. Unfortunately, though, the new Steinbergers only come with a middle pickup, which always gets in the way, so I made a £800 or so decision to upsell myself... 🙂
Acoustic guitarists... Lowden Guitars have a bogoff on strings ATM. Great strings, add to basket and they automatically double up. They're a bit pricey at £19:99 but great at £10.
@chipps i love your strandberg guitar, enjoy it 🙂
@plumber i know it isn't the real thing but i don't have that kind of money to buy the real one lol. am really happy with the faux steinberger i have to say (i do plan on getting it seen by a guitar tech to set it up etc at some point). pick ups sound fine to me atm (but i only play through my laptop nowadays/no amp) so may well swap them out one day if i do get another amp.
it's a shame that the trans-trem system doesn't seem to be made anymore but no doubt would be very expensive to buy one if they did.
Acoustic guitarists… Lowden Guitars have a bogoff on strings ATM. Great strings, add to basket and they automatically double up. They’re a bit pricey at £19:99 but great at £10.
Will they turn me from the rubbish below into James Taylor?
https://youtube.com/shorts/wA1Ind60Tr4?si=LfqWJl4-OBrylexy
No but they'll sound great 😃 . Keep at the practice though, it does get better.
Keep at the practice though, it does get better.
My fingers hurt now! Back on it tomorrow 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5WLC6i2-AkM
Darn, I want this.
Patrick James Eggle 2020 Oz Cabronita \Guitar in Goldtop, Pre-Owned https://reverb.com/item/63894521?utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=android-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=63894521
Ooft that's nice!
I love the back of the body & neck, not so much the front.
I love the back of the body & neck, not so much the front.
Weirdly I'm the other way round. Perhaps we could split it 50:50 to save some cash?
Single-pickup always looks awesome IMO.
Single-pickup always looks awesome IMO.
It's not that. I think it's because (whispers) I'm not really a fan of gold tops.
Looks lovely from the front but the back and neck look a bit strange for roasted maple - maybe it the picture
I've just played on stage at an open mic. How the hell do people do this, it's ****ing terrifying 😅
Awesome work, Simon. <br />People do this by getting used to it - and also by remembering that no one in the audience is really going to mind (or notice) if you hit the odd bum note, so you might as well enjoy it. :-)<br /><br />
I walked past a band playing at a local social club (in Tod) to just the bartender. They were very good - Johnny Cash and rock and roll stuff - and despite playing to no one, they were giving it some, so I went in for a few songs and bought them a drink. They suggested I might like to come back with a guitar as I only lived round the corner, so I did - and suddenly discovered the fun and buzz of playing on stage, even to zero people. It made getting up for a song with them another night (to about eight people) a lot easier...
And there in lies the truth, playing with others is worth its weight in gold
As my mate frequently tells me, if it’s loud enough, no one notices the odd mistake*........
*beer helps too!😂
got a gig for local swimming clubs xmas party tomorrow night. Embarrassingly excited for a (almost) 50 yr old!
ps, as a band this is gig #26... it gets way easier and more fun as you grow in experience & therefore confidence!
Sadly, I've recently inherited 2 of my son's guitars, an acoustic Epiphone PR-400 which I bought him some 30 years ago and his latest an acoustic Gibson G-45 Studio He was quite accomplished (to me anyway) and I would dearly like to play some of the songs he loved and I loved listening to him play. Using U tube tutorials I have realised the difficulty in this approach and with having only 3 working fingers (left hand little finger has artheritis and creeping to others) and also being tone deaf. Realisticly at nearly 70 is it too late to invest in lessons? The only local guitarist I knew to ask has moved to France with his bikes. I am revising my expectation of playing, Wish You Were Here and Stairway to Heaven to, She'll be Coming Round the Mountain.
No never too late. And maybe a good teacher can teach you alternate chord shapes or tunings that while not 'exactly right' will enable you to play some tunes.
One of the greats, Django Reinhardt, had two working fingers and two passengers and so you should be 50% better than him 😉
Realisticly at nearly 70 is it too late to invest in lessons?
No, not at all. Was going to mention Django but somebody already has 🙂
Best of luck with your journey, keep us updated on your progress!
Daughter's boyfriend is learning guitar and has been given a couple of hundred christmas budget for some pedals to upgrade his increasingly talented guitar playing.
What would you suggest. All he knows he wants is a looper - after that..... ideas?
Does he have any pedals already and what amp does he have?
No, none yet and a basic Fender amp.
pedals are a massive rabbit hole where there are no right answers except n+1 ! 🤣
a “basic” board would be some version of:
Tuner - overdrive/ distortion - chorus - delay - reverb.
plenty of good secondhand stuff on eBay / reverb. Almost no point buying new unless you want a specific item.
mooer pedals are generally good copies of more famous pedals. Their green mile is pretty close to a genuine Tube screamer ( which is a classic overdrive ) likewise their Black secret is very close to a proco rat which is one of the classic distortion pedals. <br /><br />
I always 'cheat' when playing an open 'F' if it's in a chord transiton as it requires a lot of stretch, so I just kinda half do it and move swiftly onwards... 🙂
I highly recommend the Behringer copies of Boss pedals.
Check out prices at Andertons.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/behringer-guitar-pedals
Daughter’s boyfriend is learning guitar and has been given a couple of hundred christmas budget for some pedals to upgrade his increasingly talented guitar playing.
What would you suggest. All he knows he wants is a looper – after that….. ideas?
One option is a multi-fx unit, they can have just about everything built in. I had a boss GT-1 for a while, it’s got a looper built in, just about every boss pedal and it also does amp sims so you if you’ve got an external speaker or headphones then it also replaces an amp (or it can plug into an amp). Lots of alternatives out there at different price points.
Daughter’s boyfriend is learning guitar and has been given a couple of hundred christmas budget for some pedals to upgrade his increasingly talented guitar playing.
What would you suggest. All he knows he wants is a looper – after that….. ideas
I have a zoom b3 multi effect, same as the G3 guitar version. It cost me a similar amount to one fancy pedal and has hundreds of pedals to try plus a looper and very basic drum kit.
It kept me away from fancy individual pedals for ages :-) when I finally bought fancy pedals they sounded a wee bit better
Realisticly at nearly 70 is it too late to invest in lessons?
I'm 70 and my fingers are none too sprightly. A couple of years ago I got back into guitar (careful now, it can get expensive in time, money and dignity!) and simply googled "guitar teachers near me". The 2nd one I contacted is now a good friend, totally sympathetic to my ability and preferences. Flipping good too.
Joni Mitchell uses a lot of different open tunings, so you play a chord without even using your fingers. Plonk one finger down, you get a different chord. I believe she had polio as a child and her hands didn't work too well. Yes it means you have to stick to songs that are ok with the chords you can play but it didn't hurt her career. Or that bloke who takes his bottom string off and plays in open G. What's his name? Oh, yes, Keith Richards.
Find your own style and stick to that is a good starting point. Finding a pub where people sit round a table and take turns playing a song is life changing.