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After 14 months of being out of bands ( I announced my wife was pregnant and everyone quit!) I've had two possible offers of possible bands in 2 days. Quite a surprise.
One is the drummer from my last band with an offer of playing guitar.
Ones my guitarist from my previous band with an offer of playing bass.
Both bands are originals both capable singer songwriters.
Exciting to see what happens and have a reason to pick up the guitar and/ or bass guitar again. I love music and playing but generally won't play much unless there is something like a band practice or gig to work towards.
I'm tempted to see if I can make both work at the same time. I haven't managed being in two groups since school 27 years ago. At school I didn't to practice as I was playing 3 orchestras, a Strathspey orchestra, ceilidh band, pop covers, getting lessons and playing with mates at least once a week. Possibly 16h a week. I'm managing an hour or two a week sometimes now.
Exciting to see what happens next
@eddiebaby if ji isn't interested I definitely am! I have been baritone curious for a while and one of these was on the short list. What colour is it and where are you?
@mutley No problem. The guitar is in the red 'paleblood' colour over a flamed top. As I said it is mint.
I'm based in the Aldershot area but am more than happy to leap on a train a bit rather than the hassle of packing it.
Im thinking about upgrading my amp and guitar. Only looking at Gibson LPs, as im playing an Epiphone LP just now.
The choice of 2.
or
Also looking at a new amp. Positive Grid Spark 2, ot Boss Kanata Gen 3 50.
So, the question is. Which ones would you have out of the both the Guitar and Amp choices, and why......
I just ordered myself a mooer prime 2 and bluetooth footswitch from ebay for 100, and I will be looking for a clean amp or FRFR amp to go with it. Might be worth considering a similar setup, you can use the P2 as a modelling headphone amp, or put it before a clean/frfr speaker for some cab modelling and effects, basically a setup that would kind of do the job of both the Positive Grid Spark 2 and the Boss Kanata Gen 3 50.
Im thinking about upgrading my amp and guitar. Only looking at Gibson LPs, as im playing an Epiphone LP just now.
I really wanted a Gibson or ephiphone so went up to richtone music and tried a ton of ephiphones and a couple of cheaper Gibson's LP
I wasn't that keen on any. At £1000 the imperfections in the Les Paul studio seemed unforgivable. Fine if it was second hand and had been bashed about a bit, but it was brand new.
The salesman tried to get me to try some of the ( wayyyy out of my budget) Gibsons. He said that if I wasn't lusting after the fancy stuff there was no point in trying the cheaper one or ephiphone copies.
I stuck with my PRS guitars instead, then bought a vintage v100 which for £250 I was much happier to set up and fret dress myself. I wasn't prepared to fret dress a brand new Gibson or pay out to have it done when I feel at that price it should arrive awesome.
So out of those two I'd suggest trying them in person. Then trying loads of other brands in budget and walking out the shop with the guitar that's right for you.
They both look awesome and if it's a Gibson LP, I think you would be very happy with either. I'd go for a weight relieved one as my shoulder is not happy with bases or guitars over 4kg ISH after 45 min set or practice.
As per tallmartin, there’s much better value than Gibson.
I ended up with a PRS SE McCarty 594 Singlecut, love the pick ups (the coil split is just a bonus). You could even get a US S2 for less than a Gibson, take you pick!: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/search/?Query=Prs+McCarty+594+singlecut+
For me the SE is so good I can’t see how a US would be worth the ‘upgrade’ now (I’d have considered a S2 for <£1500 though)
I remember having a 2009 LP Standard on loan for a couple months (and it was considered a ‘good’ one!). I also have a Tokai MIJ Loverock (albeit with BKP Mules and oil paper caps) which cost half the price the Gibson… wouldn’t have swapped them as the Tokai was much better (IMHO).
Gibson are trading on history, not quality…
Im thinking about upgrading my amp and guitar. Only looking at Gibson LPs, as im playing an Epiphone LP just now
Keep the Epiphone. I've played a very good Epi Les Paul and a really annoying Gibson (about 2012) which went out of tune on every G-string bend. The Epi pickups were nicer to my ears too but if you don't like them try some Gibson pickups in the Epi.
Amps, don't know the Spark, I prefer the Fender Mustang range to the Katana. And I'd spend the money saved by keeping the Epiphone on a valve amp and pedals.
I had a Gibson LPJ (a sort of stripped down Les Paul) and a cherry Les Paul Studio. Never really gelled with either, and the LPJ weighed a ton. I got into PRS instead - for lighter weight and better fret access - and still have a US McCarty, which I got ten years ago for under a grand and love it. I also have a satin finish Vela, which is great, but not as Les Paul vibey. I did have an SE Singlecut that felt every bit as good to play as my US PRS, and I'm tempted by the recent SE Swamp Ash models and satin finish CEs too...
I'd go for a nice MIJ LP over a Gibson any day. Tokai, Greco, Burny, FGN, Navigator etc. Just do your research into model numbers as vintage ones can be a bit of a rabbit hole. They're not quite the bargain they once were but every one I've played has been a great guitar. With Gibson it's just luck of the draw. Still kick myself for selling my old MIJ.
The Amp question is settled. Ive ordered the Positive Grid Spark 2 on preorder direct with a bit of a discount.
I went into GuitarGuitar - Edinburgh store - specifically to look at the LP Classic. So while in the store tried other guitars etc, got advice, tried guitars on the Positive Spark 1 and Katana 50.
The LP Standard in that colour isnt available in store, but tried Standards and Customs.
As to reason for the Gibson LP, well ive always wanted one and the heart wants what the heart wants. Even though i know they arent what they once were, and quality issues. Its an itch i need to scratch......
Obviously I have the Epi and a few others already. The Epi plays really well, it was set up by a guitar tech, and actually to be fair, i felt my Epi played better than the shop instruments. But that could be down to setup. Hence the reason i didnt walk out of the shop with a guitar, especially the one i went in to specifically see (LP Classic).
However this is now a few weeks later, and im still swithering, do I, dont I, which one etc etc. Been watching guitar vs guitar videos too to add to the indecision.
Re the weight relief, I only ever play sitting down. I also only play for my pleasure (no gigging or get together/jam sessions etc). So in my eyes not a particular issue.
I have resisted hte urge to play with alternate tunings etc for years, but have bee learning some Blackstone Cherry recently which is in drop c#. My Gibson SG will just about go that low, but am tempted by some decent bargains on a coupe of baritone guitars, that would be more suited to this level of drop tuning.
I missed this, but just in case it's still relevant -- IME you can play drop C# on a Gibson scale-length guitar with no real issues. I've got an Epiphone LP which is tuned to drop Bb, currently with 12-54 strings.
There are some considerations and limitations. I did get it set up to that tuning by a guitar tech as it was necessary to widen the string slots in the nut (the guitar came with normal E-standard string gauges). The saddle adjustment for intonation is pretty much up against the stops for the low Bb, so I wouldn't want to go too much lower on this guitar. Also, even with 12-54 strings the Bb is quite slack, so you can't really whallop the open string without it bending up slightly: that "bloom" is a sound for sure, but if you don't want it you need to train yourself to play more lightly.
Other than that totally doable.
@SSS with regards to the Gibson... I get what you are saying. I've had several Epi's and always have an itch for the Gibson equivalent. The Epi's were never 100% correct - had a high fret or a rattle from the bridge, or a sticky neck, or cheap feeling tuners etc.
I've got a Gibson LP Special, and its an absolute keeper for me. Its really light, and the neck and action are superb. Several guitars have come and gone since. I keep trying Epi ES-335's but I know I would always hanker for a Gibson - so I need to keep saving or wait for some inheritance!
On the other hand, I've been disappointed with every Gibson acoustic I've played. Went into Guitarguitar a couple of months back with the intention of getting a Martin or a J45 - and left with a Yamaha.
Yeah no issue with Drop C# on a Gibson scale length! I like my strings a bit slinky so a set of 10.5s works for me on my SG, others may prefer 11s with a heavier bottom but I don't like the way thick strings feel.
£4000 and delivery in 2025, ouch. On the Warmoth site you can spec your own neck shape, radius, frets, pickup holes, body shape and anything else you fancy. That Jack White with a V-shaped neck and 12" radius isn't for me, that belongs on an 80s acoustic.
Does anyone here subscribe to the Ultimate Guitar Pro Chord app? They keep bugging me with bigger and bigger discounts - currently at £19.99 for a year. I wondered if people had found it useful as a play along tool to practice songs with(I'm a beginner btw)
Does anyone here subscribe to the Ultimate Guitar Pro Chord app?
Yeah, I do (it's the only app I've ever paid for) and find it useful. I like that you can slow it down and also get it to loop short sections of songs when you're learning them.
@simondbarnes If I pay for it through my phone app (IOS) can I also use it on my windows PC or is it restricted to 1 device or 1 operating system, it doesn't seem to be clear in the info.....
I can access on PC and phone, paid via Google Play on Android
I use it on my phone and my chromebook
Hello guitarists,
I wonder whether anyone has views to share on pickups?
My primary guitar is an "Inspired by Gibson" Epiphone Les Paul. It's a nice guitar with reasonable components but of course nothing special.
Am I likely to notice much difference if I upgrade pickups to something fancier?
Usecase is fuzz-heavy doom type stuff.
I prefered the pickups in a recent Epiphone to 2010ish Gibson, Tom. The Epiphones were brighter/cleaner and IMO better as a source for pedals. You'll notice a difference but whether you'll like it is another matter. I had a frustrating time with "fancy" Telecaster pickups and learned that price was absolutely no guarantee of a sound that pleased me.
Ha, yes, I suppose "different" isn't necessarily better. It's hard to know without trying it out though!
Thinking of picking up my guitar again - haven't "played" (very loosely used term....) in about 20 years.
Still have my 90's Aria Pro Pro II Excel, Marshall Amp and other bits.
Obviously guitar will need re-stringing - are Ernie Ball Slinky still the go to strings?
Anything else I should get done to it before I plug it all in?
I'm actually thinking about having lessons too!!
Usecase is fuzz-heavy doom type stuff.
Caroline guitars make a pedal for that called crom. They had a video on Instagram of 10 different guitars through it and they all sounded the same ( to me). It was called something like crom doesn't care.
So I'd get that pedal instead and keep your guitar as it is :, )
So, what is the general opinion on the Line 6 HX Stomp XL?
I have only a few pedals (that i rarely use): a Fender Shields Blender, RC-3 Loop station and, er, a Boss tremolo (which got retired when I bought a ‘68 Princeton Reverb…).
Due to volume of the Princeton I normal use a Vibro Champ Reverb (which I can crank to 7!). The sheep haven’t complained, well not so far.
I did get one of those Yam THR things but hated it as I couldn’t find a sound that I wanted (spent more time trying to find rather than actually playing).
The Champ is an excellent amp, but its a bit, how much trem and how much reverb (4/5 & 7 respectively) and how loud…
The HX Stomp is currently ~£560 ‘street’ price, and it doesn’t really ever get much lower.
It is just gonna be a massive learning curve, get bored and end up stacked in the cupboard next the Blender and Looper or it is going to ‘rock my world’?
neural dsp nano cortex has been released this week, which looks the biggest challenger for the hx stomp and isn't 10 years old technology, that is probably the one I would go for (when my playing actually gets to the point that I can take advantage of pedals).
Managed to get my Jubilee sold, now I'm thinking of moving on my Gibson SG for something else. Fancy a fresh start I think, it doesn't really inspire me to play. Still don't love the ACDC/School of Rock association SGs have, silly I know but it always bugs me. If anyone's interested give me a message! I'd be up for trades too, still looking to replace it with something 22 fret/hardtail/HH pickup config.
It is just gonna be a massive learning curve, get bored and end up stacked in the cupboard next the Blender and Looper or it is going to ‘rock my world’?
I've had 2 HX Stomps and ended up selling them both. They're great at what they do but I found myself tweaking all the time and never being 100% happy with things. Captures (ToneX, NAM, Neural etc) seem to sound and feel a lot better than models to me, although it can take a lot of hunting to weed out all the crap captures. I'm primarily a high gain player so YMMV but I don't find digital cleans particularly inspiring either. Again NAM seems to be the best I've found for this, found some awesome Matchless captures which do the edge of breakup thing better than anything else I've tried.
_tom, what flavour of SG is it, standard etc? What sort of price?
@lambchop it's a 2008 Standard in cherry which seems to have oranged/browned over time. Chunky rounded neck profile, batwing guard, 490R/498T pickups. Not really sure on price, a quick look on marketplace shows anywhere from £800-1000 but I gather it's not really a sellers market at the minute. No point selling if I can't afford to replace with something decent I guess!
Re the HX Stomp, it was more from a pedal perspective. Whilst its expensive so are a half a to a dozen pedals (which I might not like/use…).
Fortunately I like my Fender clean/starting to break up sound. Just could do with a little variety (now and again) 😀
If it's mostly as a multi-fx unit I think it's pretty good. I did some gigs with mine as the only thing on my board apart from a tuner, set up 4CM and it worked really well even with just the 3 switches. It was great to be able to switch in a front end boost, delay and EQ/volume boost in the FX loop for leads all in one press.
Thanks Tom (even if I lost you after ‘it’s pretty good’… :D).
But yeah, the ability to ‘try out’ multiple effects (and together) is the main impetus.
I basically know nothing about individual pedals (or, barring the obvious chorus, flanger, phaser and fuzz, what they even sound like…)
New guitar day, ibanez aw417ce ops with a 48mm nut. I have been struggling so much since starting to learn a few months ago, I was contemplating giving up. My 2XL hands just meant I needed such accuracy fretting chords it was nearly impossible, just a few minutes on this and I can now see a path that I will be able to do this, so much so that as soon as I put the guitar down I went and ordered a warmoth neck with a 48mm nut for my electric guitar. It is a little weird, in many ways the extra width isn't really noticeable, it is just I no longer need an insane amount of accuracy in fretting chords, it doesn't feel bigger just easier.
Anyone want to buy a martin gpc x2e? Only kidding, I'm in Germany so won't be sending it to the UK, although it is a bit of a shame I think the martin is a nicer guitar and it would be interesting to see if I could play it after 12 months on the ibanez, but I could do with recuperating some money by selling it.
Well this was nice, decided to downsize a bit (because I'm struggling to get back into playing since a couple of hand injuries and just not enjoying it that much) and in the meantime cleaned out my spares box, found a bunch of bits I don't need, stuck em on ebay, sold most of em in a day and made about £250. Randomly had stored away a 90s floyd rose original I took out of my mij strat to do a colour swap, and a duncan dimebucker that I don't think I ever even fitted.
Now the hard part, trying to convince myself to sell an actual guitar 🙂 Anyone want, uh a 1989 Squire Tele MIK (made by Samick) with upgraded electronics, or an Epiphone Genesis Pro from 2013? ie the one when they went "screw everyone else for copying our designs, turnabout's fair play, we are going to make a Yamaha SG1000"
Think I'm going to keep my mutant MIJ fender HRR, if only because I hacked it about til its configuration makes no sense at all and no bugger'd want it 🙂 Just need to actually work out how to wire it up, I've carefully forgotten everything I knew about guitar electronics in the literal decades since I bought all the parts.
I've got couple of Warmoth necks and junior has one on his favourite Tele, MSP. Of mine one is 41.5 and the other is 43.5. Even 2mm means I don't get so many unwanted mutes but I prefer the narrower one for chords with thumb fretting. You may have to learn to finish the fret ends as they generally deliver dressed but not rounded. That's one of the reasons I like them, on some Fender necks the fret ends are rounded a bit to much which means the E/e string drops over the end with vibrato.
Just had notice that my UG sub is going up to £44.99 so that's that cancelled.
HX Stomp is a great bit of kit and certainly not old tech. Keeps being updated and unless you're a cork sniffer will match most of what's out there. Only limitation is number of blocks at once, but plenty of presets available which work within these limitations.
Best to get it used for eBay or thefretboard.co.uk. You should pay less than £400.
Be warned, it's a gateway drug to a bigger unit! I started with HX Stomp and now have a Helix Rack...
Has anyone taken the saddle height down on an acoustic guitar?
It doesn't look that complicated, just be careful and do it bit by bit. But I don't fancy having to unstring and restring it multiple times while getting down to the correct action. The local luthier wants me to leave it with him for a couple of weeks, I tried to get him to just book it in for a couple of days when he has the time but he isn't having it (German customer service).
What are the chances of being able to slip it in and out with just loosening the strings rather that taking them off the tuner pegs?
I've never had to take the strings off completely to get the saddle out.
I used the Gibson recommened heights at the 12th as my objective, they're on the Gibson site. Measure the current string height for each string at the 12th and work out how much too high each string is. Double these values and that's what you need to take off the saddle. I then take the saddle out and measure its depth for each string, and calculate how deep the saddle needs to be for each string. If the intonation is OK I sand the amount that the string that requires the least removing from the bottom of the saddle with wet and dry on a glass plate. For the other strings I take additional material off the top of the saddle with a fine file then wet and dry - at this point you can make minor corrections to intonation by moving where the rounded top is to make the diapason shorter or longer (I use a non-wound G-string which requires a longer diapason than a wound one). If major intonation changes are needed I take every thing off the top of the saddle.
I'll admit to having tried to go too low on a couple and bought bone blanks from Thomann to replace them. On a guitar I use plugged in I've gone nearly electric low but on guitares I use acoustic I've found that lower than Gibson height I can't play hard enough for a good volume without something buzzing.
Be very careful not to damage the piezo pickup when removing/fitting the saddle.
And file the nut if it needs it first and make sure you've got the truss rod set right (the curve of the neck) before you start measuring.
Yep, loosen the strings and you can typically nudge it out.
Nudge suggests pushing it out from the side which could damage the piezo if you drag the saddle along it, I loosen till I can pull it straight up so there's not risk to the piezo.
Just had notice that my UG sub is going up to £44.99 so that’s that cancelled.
I got mine last Christmas on one of their -80% or whatever super sales for about £20. I'm assuming that the same thing will happen at some point this year.