Guitarists of Singletrack…

Any recommendations for other songs for me to try and learn in the next 2 or 3 weeks?

I Believe in Father Christmas

Beautiful guitar playing in that

Paul Davids has a great tutorial for jingle bell rock which is my Christmas fave!

@DougD

Evening all – looking to get an acoustic guitar in the £4-500 range – doesn’t need to be electro-acoustic as won’t be using an amp at all, just for pottering at home.  I’ve seen the Eastman E1 OM which seems to have a decent spec, solid top, back and sides. Anyone any other suggestions in that range?

I thought, and I may be wrong, that the correct answer to what low to mid-price acoustic was whatever Yamaha the local guitar shop have at your price point.

@DougD have a look at what Guild have to offer up to £500, The DS240 slope shoulder looks good. I love Guilds. I was lucky enough to get a new American made DV6 some years ago in a sale for £500. Was my main gigging guitar for years. Fitted a K&K pickup in it. Still have that guitar and will never part with it.

Thanks all, that’s this weekend’s plans sorted, a tour of Edinburgh’s guitar shops.

Hmm… trying to give myself a reverse Black Friday experience by thinking of getting rid of some gear and making room, but I find the same obstacles to selling guitars as when I try to get rid of bike gear…

Basically, my bike, and guitar, gear falls into three camps:
1. Normal stuff that I’m neither here nor there about.
2. Sentimental stuff – like my steel Salsa Fargo I rode across the Pyrenees on, even though I don’t ride it much if ever, I’d find it hard to sell it and I’m sure it wouldn’t sell for as much as I think it’s worth to me. Like I have a 1981 Aria Pro2 doublecut that I got for my 18th that I never play, but I’d find hard to sell…
3. Stuff that I’ve got through (Singletrack) work or favours from friends, that again I either can’t morally sell (as I didn’t pay for it in the first place) or it’d be hard to put a price on it (I have a Mesa Boogie Lonestar amp that I got by swapping it for an Orange Five frame that I earned by doing some writing for Orange one year…)

So, I guess, really the list 1. stuff is a no-brainer, just sell/ebay/rehome anything I’m not using. Like do I really need a Helix Stomp AND a Quad Cortex? 2. I probably need to get over my sentimental side and sell on anything I don’t really use. and 3. Hmm… probably can’t sell any of that lot… (Like, my black Fender Strat – I took the neck off to look and the neck says ‘Eric Johnson, Victoria, Prototype #2’ while the body neck pocket just has ‘Chipps!’ in Sharpie… 🙂
Anyway… anyone need anything?

Sell the 3 stuff and give the proceeds to charity? If you want to clear it out.

Most of the 3 stuff is the best gear I have, as it’s all Custom Shop quality, so it’s the last gear I’ll want to get rid of.  🙂

How much do you need to

Play

Have enough space

One electric, (one acoustic), (one bass and one bass amp), one amp  and enough pedals to make weird noises.

If you can come round mine and make me stick to that advice that would be awesome.

I’m not even playing regularly and still haven’t listed the 4 guitars, amp or pedals that don’t fit my own advice.

Do you need the space/ cash?

If not why bother selling stuff.

My guitar rack is full, if I sell one there’s a space that could be filled and I’ve gained nothing but a different guitar. Didn’t you have a clear out about 5 years ago Chips? I was very tempted by some of your stuff.

Yes, I had a very successful clearout during Covid, @tall_martin – got rid of perhaps five guitars, a couple of amps (including my ’70s Marshall(!) and I’ve sold/traded a couple more since. Still leaves me with… (goes off to count…) 14 electrics, three acoustics, two basses and an electric double bass… I have enough pedals for four pedalboards, with more in shoeboxes… Amps: I have four valve amps, two modellers, two solid state amps and a couple of PA cabs. I reckon I could probably shift half of that lot and still have loads of tools to make weird noises with 🙂  Strangely, the numbers are similar to bikes in the shed…

Easiest thing to do is start with Category 1 and re-evaluate after that.

Pedals are also a soft target. There will inevitably be ones you look at and think nothing else makes that sound. You need to ask yourself how often you need that sound? If you never need it live, then sell it. The Helix stuff is amazing, you can (with a bit if work) recreate pretty much anything you need. I bought an HX stomp recently and am only just scraping the surface of it.

The stuff you didn’t buy needn’t be a tricky one. You look at it as favours but you can look at it as a payment in kind for help you’ve given other people when they weren’t in a position to pay you or compensation for all the hours you’ve never been paid for or your pension for your old age.

I’ve a kind of moral objection to large collections, bikes or guitars. If you play/ride them, then great. If you own it just to own it, you’re missing the point.

I’m down to 3 guitars now. The pedals have gone except for a Kemper Player, a Tonex, A tuner, a compressor and a looper.

On sale are aBOSS GT1000 Core and my Chapman Baritone.

My amps are my Yamaha THR10ii and a Katana 100 in the rehearsal room at a mates house. And I feel pretty good now.

Hey chipps – if it’s a small HX stomp I’ll buy that 🙂

I haven’t used an effects pedal since I gave Chipps back the monster pedalboard that he kindly loaned me for ages. I keep meaning to build something up (got the board & psu) but I can never decide what I really want (although the Strymon Flint & El Capistan are high on the list. Damn you Chipps and your fancy pedals!)

I have a Faith Naked Neptune baby jumbo. It has a beautiful tone. Its a bit too big though – I bought it second hand locally but if I was buying new the Saturn would be my choice. The naked range have no binding and are quite fragile so I would imagine not ideal for gigging but perfect for sofa strumming.

My ‘everyday’ guitar is a Faith Nexus Neptune, all mahogany. It’s not so expensive that I worry about leaving it on a stand in the living room, where I can grab it easily. I’d be worried about leaving my Furch in the same place, although nothing’s ever happened to any of my guitars wherever I’ve left them lying around! Anyway, the Faith is a nice guitar, plays well, but can sound a little dull, especially after I’ve spent time playing the Furch. The Faith either takes a few minutes of playing to open out it’s sound, or I take a few minutes to get used to the dullness – I think it’s the former, but you never know. And yes, you’re right, it is a big guitar, not best suited to slouching on the sofa, which is really what I want. I’d opt for a Venus, if I was buying another – I keep looking at Blue and Blood Moons, but I really don’t need another expensive acoustic.

14 electrics, three acoustics, two basses and an electric double bass…

So if you sold 4 amps, 13 electrics, 2 guitars and the double bass would you have an entire extra room in your house?

Would that be useful to you?

Could you do something with the cash?

Could you still play a gig with pretty much any band you would want to play with?

Would you just buy another lot of stuff as now you had the space and money?

Would you just buy another lot of stuff as now you had the space and money?

Ooo, I know the answer to this one!

Anyone got any experience of the black star ht series? Looking at something simple and valve for home use? Might try one but it’s a bit of a drive so any bad experiences might make me look elsewhere

@ali69er I’ve got  a Blackstar HT5 combo looking for a new home. It’s in great condition. Still in its original box. It’s a a good amp. Perfect for home use. I use a Yamaha THR5 with headphones usually, this is mainly for space saving as it lives on our bookshelves. The Blackstar although diminutive is just a bit big for the space I have available.

In Milton Keynes if you can get over this way. £100 and it’s yours.

That’s probably about 3 hours from me. What’s the Yamaha like? I’ve heard good things

@ali69er the Yamaha is great, highly recommended for low volumes and for headphone use. The Blackstar can get loud, could probably be used for band rehearsals in a smallish room. Definitely could gig with it mic’d up.

I have a THR10.  Love it.  Not terrible for acoustic or even 5s bass either.

Oh while we are talking desk top modelling amps…

I’ve got the option on a Spark 40, the PG cab, airstep peddle board thing and Ulooper + cables for £270.

Originally  I was only looking for the ulooper (to go with the Spark GO I pick up recently) and I seem to have stumble into this really good deal.

But its only a good deal if I’m going to use it all, right? And am I ??  I’m not sure, only ever when the Mrs is out !! But I guess, that’s the only time you guys use your “big” amps ??

Hmm actually maybe its a small price to pay for half an hour of pretending you are a guitar hero, once in a while.

Think I’m puffing myself into it and its my bday coming up too.

What do you guys reckon ?

I reckon if you want something to make you feel like a guitar hero once in a while, get a small valve amp. Could pick up something like a used Blues Junior for £270.

This link stolen from The Gear Page, where the thread talks about the danger of AI to the music industry. Pretty interesting stuff though… and annoyingly catchy 🙂

In other news, I’ve been doing an inventory of all my pedals and amps and stuff (over 50 pedals – wow!) – expect a large ‘much cheapness’ listing on the Classifieds when I get a minute…

What do you guys reckon

I sold my Spark 40 because it was far too bassy. Tried various tricks to dial it out but was never happy with it. Sounded great through headphones but I was always unhappy with the speakers. I believe the cab is also pretty bassy too. They’ve allegedly addressed it with the new version

Features wise the app is decent, good range of pedals and cabs, easy to find the sounds you like. The play along to tracks bit was good. I wasn’t a fan on the inbuilt jamming thing. Sounded way too fake and overly processed

Question for those in the know.

I’ve been tinkering for years with guitars, committing a few songs to memory learning the tab but never actually learning how to properly play a guitar. Used to have a LP custom that my dad gave me but it was nicked a few years back so now just twiddling on an old Yamaha FG420 acoustic. I’m actually learning properly now though and I’ve got an electric guitar itch that needs scratching. I’ve seen a beautiful PRS SE 24 but it has a Floyd Rose bridge. Am I asking for a world of hurt opting for this given my amateur status and the fact I can’t ever see myself using the tremolo? Or is it a case of spend the time one time and then just pick up and go every time until a string breaks?

Happy to hear other suggestions too. The catch – I’m a lefty so it’s relatively slim pickings for stuff that floats my aesthetics boat.

You can ‘block’ a Floyd Rose so that it doesn’t move pretty easily. (I’ve used an IKEA pencil and double sided tape in the trem cavity. That way the trem only goes down, or do that and also add more springs to make it impossible to move… Voila! Fixed bridge with fine tuners…)

I like Floyds for their tuning stability and easy fine tuning knobs on the bridge, regardless of dive bomb noises. And if the SE Floyd is good enough for Perry from Pendulum…

Fellow lefty here – it’s frustrating not being able to just have a go on stuff I agree, if you are looking for a PRS type then I think Thomann have own brand (Harley Benton) models without floyd Rose, would be less expensive. However the best guitar to buy is the one you really want to keep picking up and playing 🙂

Trip to Paris?  🙂

You can ‘block’ a Floyd Rose so that it doesn’t move pretty easily.

That sent me on a bit of a youtube rabbithole and I now know an extra use for Jenga blocks.

the best guitar to buy is the one you really want to keep picking up and playing

Agreed. I had a look at the Harley Bentons but I came to the conclusion I’d be playing one of those wishing I’d got the PRS.

And so a SE Custom24 Lefty Floyd Rose is on the way. Happy Christmas to me 😀

Shout if you need any help on Floyd stringing or setup, I’ve run one for over 30 years(!)

Welcome to Guitar Club 🙂

I’ve owned a Floyd-rosed guitar for nearly 30 years (a rather cool and rare Larrivee super strat from the late 80s) and they’re great, with a few caveats…

Pros – as Chipps said, tuning stability is excellent. Being able to fine tune on the bridge is great, and you get a much wider range of motion compared to a Fender-style trem bridge.

Cons – tune one string, tune them all! Even small changes in tension effect all the strings. String gauge has a big effect on trem/string height. You will need to play around with the spring tension to get the height you like.

Ha – I’ve heard of them and there’s Southpaw guitars but that’s in Houston, Texas – either of which would  be wallet crippling even though it’s tempting, as a lefty the one thing you don’t get to do is try loads of stuff at the same time

There was one in the west midlands somewhere but is doing a closing down sale, must be a really difficult retail offering to appeal to a niche subset of a leisure activity, we’re the guitar equivalent of recumbents 😉

There was one in the west midlands somewhere but is doing a closing down sale

I’m wondering if that’s where I got the PRS from, although they’re Cambridgeshire. Left For Dead guitars. Ended up getting it for significantly less than RRP. A shame the place is closing, but as above left handers are a niche section of a relatively niche passtime so it must be a difficult market to make money in. Be thankful we have left handed guitar at all I guess: I play brass as well and they only come in right hand drive (I’m not counting the French Horn).

I’ve just semi-retired from work (doing a consultancy gig 3 days/wk) – one of the things I’ve always fancied in my 59 years is to learn to play the guitar – I have no musical talent or experience whatsoever so I simply don’t know where to start….but I do now have a bit of time to play with!….so what’s my best bet? Is it possible to turn up to lessons without a guitar (ie they provide one) to get an initial feel and make a start! Otherwise I wouldn’t even know what to buy!!

all help for a complete newbie is much appreciated!!!

Buy one.  Practice is the single most important thing

Buy one.  Practice is the single most important thing

This. Playing a borrowed guitar for an hour once or twice a week will mean that the skills never sink in. I’m guessing that most people who contribute to this thread will play for several hours (at least!) per week., and still feel that they don’t practice enough. (In the last three days I’ve played about 5-6 hours, and my fingers are still refusing a simple alternating bass pattern…)

As to what to buy, well that’s a different question. Don’t buy cheap, but there’s  no need to spend a lot either.. Try and visit an actual guitar shop. You’ll buy quite a few before finding what you like anyway, so don’t stress too much about your first one, but it needs to be vaguely playable. There are a huge amount of resources online for learning, as well as tonnes of books, etc. I never had lessons but would imagine that they’d be worthwhile if I was starting over, tutor dependant.

Also @velocipede ask around. I imagine the guitar world isn’t too dissimilar to the bike world. Everyone who does it probably has one or two too many (and never enough time) and they’re also likely to welcome another person into the cult. See if any of your friends/colleagues/Facebook friends have a guitar that they’re not using at the moment (or haven’t used for years) and they might be happy to lend to you for a few months. If you can borrow one long enough to learn three chords (G, C, D then you can play all of the rock and roll songs in the world. If you can learn a fourth chord (I’m suggesting Eminor?) then you’ve got most of the most popular songs in the world…

Just buy a cheap 2nd hand electric guitar and amp and explore your interests from there. Places like Guitar guitar will sort you out. Don’t spend too much money at this stage as you wont know what you like yet. Electric guitars are phenomenal value as musical instruments in that a £100 instrument can still be excellent (unlike say a cello).

This is what I did. Just do it. I got a 2nd hand Squier strat for £100. Five years later, I have moved to a Suhr tele which is a beauty and feels awesome under the fingers , but I still play the Squier all the time – it’s a damn fine instrument. Electric guitar is one of the lowest bar to entry instruments.  Don’t think twice about it.