Bought a new guitar on saturday. [modified]

Lost User

It was time to replace the sad old thing I had. THe neck was warped, and it always was a bit too narrow for my fingers (no, I am NOT talking about my wife, her neck is OK...) It was a a Frontline 301, a virtually unheard of Korean effort, now defunct as a firm. Not wanting to blow upwards of 2K on a strat I went for an esquire strat, not as good perhaps but actually a very playable guitar and it sounds nice (even through my crappy carlsbro amp) and about a tenth the price. So I was wondering really is a pukkah strat 10 times as good? The guy in the shop assured me it was (I once had a Les Paul copy, a Hondo, and had the fortune to play a real Les Paul at the time, and yes, it was very nice) so heres a question to all the guitarists on CP, what guitars do they have and do they rekon expensive ones are worth the extra? (BTW as a yard stick I play mostly English Rock music from the 60s and 70s, RnB, blues, Pink Floyd etc but I also like more melodic stuff like Neil Diamond) ------- I just googled it, its actually a "Squier Vintage Modified Strat", and this is what some reviews said: "If you are looking for an entry level sound, this isn't it. The Duncan Designed are very nice pickups imho. Bell like Strat sounds, GREAT quack as I said before." and "I swear on my American Deluxe Strat this thing sounds killer. Save yourself some serious money and get one of these. " Have to say I thought it sounded nice, not that I have a lot of experience of many guitars. I will go to bed happy dreaming of Ritchie Blackmore riffs!

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

modified on Monday, January 12, 2009 10:54 AM

Dalek Dave · modified on Monday, January 12, 2009 10:54 AM

I find people who play musical instuments offensive! Nothing personal, but I have tried Guitar, Piano comb and paper. I have not got a musical bone in my body, and I see talented types pick up an instrument and play and feel resentful. That said I am a good singer, Elvis/Bobby Vinton/Frank/Dino that kind of thing.

------------------------------------ "The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion" Arthur C Clarke

hairy_hats

Try drums: no tricky finger placements and bleeding fingertips, no need to be able to hold a tune, and you'll get all the chicks*. * - YMMV

Lost User · modified on Monday, January 12, 2009 10:54 AM

Don't know about Esquire but I've had a few Epiphone Les Paul copies over the years and they are superb - usually about a third of the price of the real thing and unless you're in a band or playing every day, if it sounds good to you then what's the problem? :) I'm down to two guitars now - a Crafter Twin Bird Bubinga acoustic (which is lush lush lush) and a Rickenbacker 330 6 string (which I want to be buried with).

Jorgen Sigvardsson · modified on Monday, January 12, 2009 10:54 AM

I have an accoustic Yamaha C-something. Nylon strings. I'm still learning. :~

-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit

Lost User

Jörgen Sigvardsson wrote:

I have an accoustic Yamaha C-something. Nylon strings

If you want to play classic, spanish style, guitar then OK, if not you really need a steel string, electric preferably (they are easier to play IMO)

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

Jorgen Sigvardsson

I think the accoustic guitar suits me fine, considering how little I know about music. I can't even read notes (never had to learn). I'm currently playing kiddie songs, and stuff like that. Sometimes I take out my "Little Black Book of Rock'n'Roll", just for fun. What I need to learn first and foremost, is finger dexterity. The easy chords are somewhat easy now, but I'm still struggling with B's and F's. Given enough time, I'll learn. Hopefully, I will also develop an ear for notes/tones in the process, so that associate the frets with tones rather than letters and numbers. I have access to an electric guitar (a les paul copy - don't know the manufacturer), and a steel stringed guitar (both are my fiances). I usually play the steel stringed one, because it sounds so much nicer. I play the electric guitar sometimes, just for fun. But I don't want to make a habit out of it yet, because I really need the dexterity.

-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit

Lost User

Dont worry about knowing music. If you do, its a nig benefit, but you can sure play a lot of guitar without learning to read a note, especially because there is a special notation for guitars called tabulature: Check out this site, http://www.guitaretab.com/d/deep-purple/4943.html[^] (I have been practising this song by deep purple for some time now, its got a hell of a solo in it! :)) The issue you have with Bs and Fs is the kind of thing that can be done easier on an electric. Because playing up the nexk is so easy, the height of the strings off the fret board is very small, about a mill and a half, you only need to learn two chord shapes: A and E. If you form the chord with the last three fingers you can use the first finger to barre the strings at any position, thuis you can do E, F, F#, G, G# A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D# easially, with all the minors, sus4, 6ths and 7ths easially. The same for the A chord. Of course for a pure accoustic sound C G and D (as open chords) are important because you get the kind of sustain you want. (With an electric there is too much sustain by comparison so barre chords are more usefull). The chords will come though. If you want to really learn chord and quick chord changes songs by the Who are excellent. One thing I would not expect though is to progesss much on a nylon stringed clasical guitar, depending of course on whether you want to learn specifically music for that kind of guitar. I have been playing since I was about 17, so 25 years. It takes about 2 to get good at chords, and another 4 to get good at solos though. And I am still learning. Have to say thoguh that today, with all the stuff on youtube and guitar tab sites its a lot easier than when I started. All you had then were w few books and records to learn from.

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

hairy_hats · modified on Monday, January 12, 2009 10:54 AM

This[^] might be of interest.

Dalek Dave

Setting Fire to Guitars, how does that work out?

------------------------------------ "The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion" Arthur C Clarke

BoneSoft · modified on Monday, January 12, 2009 10:54 AM

I've been happy with my Ibanez, which wasn't that pricey (though they can be). I also have a Yamaha, which I swore would never happen, but it's a great guitar that's served me well. If I had the money, I'd have a Les Paul.

Visit BoneSoft.com for code generation tools (XML & XSD -> C#, VB, etc...) and some free developer tools as well.

BoneSoft

That reminds me of a Bon Jovi video I saw once where they interviewed each member seperately. The last question to each was, "if you weren't a musician, what would you be?" They all said "I'd be a drummer!"

Visit BoneSoft.com for code generation tools (XML & XSD -> C#, VB, etc...) and some free developer tools as well.

Lost User

I tried an Ibanez in the shop aswell. It had an odd sqaure feeling neck section, I dont know if they are all like that, but as soon as I picked up the start it shouted 'buy me'! The Les Paul, or even a good copy, has an amazing blues sound from the humbucker pickups and delivers great punch for rockc. The limitation is that its very difficult to play above the 14th fret because the body is so thick where it joins the neck. Plus for screaming solkos you need single coil pickups. But its still a very guitar, I loved my Hondo, even though it was getting a bit ropey. (All the frets were worn and the electrics started playing up). What music are you into playing?

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription

hairy_hats

And there's the old gag: "What do you call people who hang round with musicians?" "Drummers!"

BoneSoft

I've looked at quite a few Ibinez in the past, and they seem pretty diverse. I've seen a lot of them that I don't like, but I do love mine, which I got while in a blues band. It was well suited for blues. It has a drop-D level on it, which I didn't think would be that handy at first, but I've come to appreciate. I started paying attention to music when I was 12 or 13, with Van Halen's 1984. Which quickly led to Iron Maiden, Metallica, Ozzy, AC/DC, The Cult, Skynard, Zeplin, etc... Then of course I was in high school during the 80's and 90's hair metal. I was a long haired metal head. In college my brother fell hard for blues, and drug me into a blues band. We did a lot of heavier covers of really old blues tunes. In the end, as long as it isn't rap, pop or country, I'm in. I was a huge Tallica fan, but all in all Iron Maiden has always been my favorite band. These days, there's not much new that excites me, but I like Nickelback and the like. The new Guns & Roses blows ass, horribly disappointing.

Visit BoneSoft.com for code generation tools (XML & XSD -> C#, VB, etc...) and some free developer tools as well.

Lost User

I have seldom liked american rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd was about as good as it got, I count Hendrix as an English band. He was discovered in England and his backing group was English and that gave him that heavy English rock sound. I never like rock too polished, too flashy, I like the raw late 60s Englush sound, The Who, led zep, deep purple, pink floyd, small faces, yardbirds, stones, and so on. I am not old enlough to have heard them in my youth, but I got heavially into them later on. Have to say though I do like techno. I know its not guitar based but its got great ryhthym! I never played in a band though, just jammed with mates. Its somehting I want to do though, badly.

Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription