Support NeoGAF

[speculawyer]

I'll do more! I'll post a video of my playing my guitar and gear!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqA7Cq62ikM

Sounds great! What did you use to record that and for the backtrack? If I can get it set up, I'll throw up a vid as well.



EDIT: Not a new vid. This is in Greenland with some guys that happened to play. I'm the guitarist in the dark shirt. The other dude was a blast to play with. Sweep pickin' and all that junk.

We are doing an improv type thing over Play That Funk Music. It's not the best but fun nonetheless. Definitely falls apart at the end.

NOTE: It's 12:30 in the morning. Notice the light outside? lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW8u7VDx-O0

 

[Buggy Loop]

My Hiwatt DR103 clone is finished! It was some hard work but its done, in its head box, all tubes in, screwed and ready to be.... bias adjusted... Did the bias mod since 70's hiwatt did not have one (who would need one when you had mullard EL34's everywhere) and i should be going to a tech guy tomorow or wednesday to adjust it, since i've never done it, its my first amp of this quality and i dont want to screw something up, testing the amp with the ammeter to verify my work was good enough considering there's some ~500V in there.

Its not that i could not do it, its just i dont know how, i read about the shunt method, i have a theory in my head about it (no freaking website has images or videos of this method, grrrrrr), but since everyone use bias meters its hard to find info.

On top of that, Jeff Swanson should be sending my cab this week (i hope the schedule goes as planned), Hylight era, black basketweave tolex, tan lloyd loom grill cloth, white string & tadpole piping side slot handles, rear port and 4x weber Fane crescendo 12" 16ohm 100W




I'll post pics of the whole setup when i receive the cab.

 

[speculawyer]

Anybody have recommendations on how to restring a Floyd Rose? It's a floating bridge, don't know if there are other versions.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Anyone play a Gretsch Electromatic Hollow Body? Thinking about getting one for my second guitar when I have the money.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Anybody have recommendations on how to restring a Floyd Rose? It's a floating bridge, don't know if there are other versions.

Pretty easy as long as you remember to buy the same gauge strings. I had the error of not doing that and it raised the bridge due to the extra tension, which cause a lot of detuning displeasure.

A floating bridge sits in a hole where you can pull the bridge forward or back, so you can bend the pitch up if you wish (though be careful). Fixed bridge lays resting on the body of the guitar, and you can only dive bomb with it.

 

[MultiCore]

Anybody have recommendations on how to restring a Floyd Rose? It's a floating bridge, don't know if there are other versions.

Tip given to me: Do it 1 string at a time. Using the same gauge strings as posted above makes it easier. If you're planning on changing string gauges and don't know how to adjust your guitar for string height, you might want to find a friend, or make a friend out of your local guitar tech.

 

[Pumpkins]

Anyone play a Gretsch Electromatic Hollow Body? Thinking about getting one for my second guitar when I have the money.

I have a Gretsch G6118. Mine doesn't have a bigsby on it yet, but I wanna get one eventually. They're great guitars, they have a nice range of tones. They're pretty interesting, like for example mine has volume nobs for each pickup, and you have two switches to select different pick ups (rather than just one)... Like you can kind of find different combination's to find a sound you like. Aside from that, they're just beautiful looking guitars, I really love how Gretsch guitars look personally.

I recommend going to a local guitar store and trying one of them out just to make sure you like the feel of the neck and to hear the different tones.

 

[MultiCore]

Well, since I'm here, I might as well make a topic-relevant post.

I'll post more when I get back to the states.

I've got that mockingbird, a white Warlock, and an Ibanez RG270. Just got a new Bandit 112 as well. Good times.

 

[vitaminwateryum]

I need your help, Guitar-GAF! I've decided to learn to play guitar and want to start with an acoustic. Any specific brands I should keep an eye out for? Certain type of strings? I've looked on Amazon and most acoustic guitars seem to be fairly cheap, are they just low quality or are acoustic guitars just cheaper than electric?

 

[sneakypete]

You'll want to learn on an acoustic, and this is coming from someone who started on electric. Until you get past the beating on the strings part of the learning process, you're really not going to be able to make an electric sound good, and this is VERY detrimental to your learning for the simple fact that you will be discouraged. Also chords never clicked with me until I bought an acoustic, but I taught myself so meh, and everyone's different.

My first acoustic was/is a Yamaha F310. Its quite ragged now from camping trips/car rides/etc, but still plays like a champ after 5 years. I've lowered the action on it by sanding the saddle down because the factory setup had the strings quite high off of the fretboard, other than that it comes ready to go. If you're uncomfortable doing this yourself, you can take it to a luthier or probably a neighborhood guitar shop and have them set it up for you. All in all an excellent guitar for only $100.

Yamaha F310

As for strings I'm really only partial to one brand, but they are pricier than others:

Elixir Nanoweb Light Acoustic Strings

They're so fucking soft and silky on your fingers, well worth the 14 bucks if you've got some extra cash. I've used D'addario and Martin(eric clapton ones) strings, plus offbrand ones, and Elixirs are my favorite, but the others are fine if you're on a budget.


Oh and check MusiciansFriend.com for deals every now and then, as they have some awesome sales. I got an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Edition for $435 a couple of years ago, usually a $500+ guitar if I'm not mistaken.

 

[vitaminwateryum]

You'll want to learn on an acoustic, and this is coming from someone who started on electric. Until you get past the beating on the strings part of the learning process, you're really not going to be able to make an electric sound good, and this is VERY detrimental to your learning for the simple fact that you will be discouraged. Also chords never clicked with me until I bought an acoustic, but I taught myself so meh, and everyone's different.

My first acoustic was/is a Yamaha F310. Its quite ragged now from camping trips/car rides/etc, but still plays like a champ after 5 years. I've lowered the action on it by sanding the saddle down because the factory setup had the strings quite high off of the fretboard, other than that it comes ready to go. If you're uncomfortable doing this yourself, you can take it to a luthier or probably a neighborhood guitar shop and have them set it up for you. All in all an excellent guitar for only $100.

Yamaha F310

As for strings I'm really only partial to one brand, but they are pricier than others:

Elixir Nanoweb Light Acoustic Strings

They're so fucking soft and silky on your fingers, well worth the 14 bucks if you've got some extra cash. I've used D'addario and Martin(eric clapton ones) strings, plus offbrand ones, and Elixirs are my favorite, but the others are fine if you're on a budget.


Oh and check MusiciansFriend.com for deals every now and then, as they have some awesome sales. I got an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Edition for $435 a couple of years ago, usually a $500+ guitar if I'm not mistaken.

Much thanks, will check out a local music store tomorrow. I'm actually fairly surprised at how cheap most of the acoustics I've been looking at are, I figured they'd be much more expensive.

 

[MultiCore]

Yeah, for whatever a second opinion is worth, Elixer makes a great string.

I also think you should learn on acoustic, but I also taught myself on an electric.

Ed roman thinks you should learn on an electric.

Really, it comes down to what you want to learn on.
I will say that acoustic strings are typically thicker thick than electric strings, so depending on what type of music you want to play, you'll have a harder time doing bends on an acoustic, if that's your thing.

 

[Fusebox]

You'll want to learn on an acoustic, and this is coming from someone who started on electric.

If someone wants to play hard rock/metal then this is a bad suggestion. A new starter will get sick of their lack of tone and just give up. There should be a compromise between an entry-level guitat and a guitar that will inspire you to actually pick it up and play it every day.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

I'm almost done building my new setup. I'll try and post pics tomorrow.

I'm now running a EBMM JP6 (original model, saphire black color) through and Axe Fx Ultra into a pair of QSC K12's (which I got this past weekend).


It sounds INCREDIBLE.

I broke my awesome Red Bear guitar pick today though =(. Shoulda ordered more earlier, now I have to wait 3 weeks for a replacement.

 

[KamenSenshi]

was looking for this thread

 

[Fusebox]

Sweet RG, I love a raw wood finish. Classy bridge for an RG too.

edit - just realised I haven't thrown up a snap of my latest axe. Here it is at a mates place...

Haters can suck my

Spoiler

volume

knob.

And I went a bit sticker happy on my S series...

Got a stack of new pedals I need to take a snap of too...

Anybody have recommendations on how to restring a Floyd Rose? It's a floating bridge, don't know if there are other versions.

Find a sturdy credit card sort of thing like a building pass or flat knife or something flat and sturdy and sit it under the back of your trem. Here's the trem off my RG, this is the angle your trem should sit it:

Now, it doesn't have a card in this pic, I'll take another one later. But the trick is to get something thin and sturdy to sit between your trem and guitar body so the trem can't sink. Then you tune it up, remove the card and fine-tune it.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Bit of an old picture, and I'm ashamed of the dust!

Peavy Wolfgang (now brokened )
Ibanez JS1000
Epiphone Les Paul

 

[karasu]

RP355

 

[British Monsoon]

I'm using a beat-up old Jackson Randy Rhodes V RR3 as my main guitar at the moment;

Plus a cheap electro-acoustic;

I've also got somewhat of a graveyard of dead guitars - a Yamaha Drop 6 that had it's floating bridge ripped out, just the body of a BC Rich Warlock, a Stagg electro acoustic with a broken neck and a Epiphone Slash custom model that's slowly falling to bits. Should do something about that really

My main amp's a Roost Session Master combo (not my picture) - they're local made amps from the late 70's and I just love the sound;

As for pedals I mainly use the Metal Zone, AutoWah and custom built Range Booster a guy near me makes;

Also, I use a Line 6 Pod Studio GX for recording on the PC.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Do you not find you get an background hum from Boss pedals? I used to get them all the time so stopped using them in the end, plus they sound very, very digital. Love my Line6 Delay and MXR Distoration +.
Don't use the Whammy so much though (total tone killer).

 

[British Monsoon]

Do you not find you get an background hum from Boss pedals? I used to get them all the time so stopped using them in the end, plus they sound very, very digital. Love my Line6 Delay and MXR Distoration +.
Don't use the Whammy so much though (total tone killer).

Yeah, I had a Boss Super Distortion that had an awful hum, but I got rid of it - the Metal Zone doesn't suffer from that problem but it is rather digital sounding, though until I can afford something better it'll have to do. I try not to overuse the wah (my bandmate does though and I often find it difficult to play off him when he's using his pedal), but it's fun to play around with

 

[nomster]

Anyone have experience with Bogner Alchemists? There's a good deal on a 2x12 combo and I'm tempted to pull the trigger.

 

[sneakypete]

If someone wants to play hard rock/metal then this is a bad suggestion. A new starter will get sick of their lack of tone and just give up. There should be a compromise between an entry-level guitat and a guitar that will inspire you to actually pick it up and play it every day.

Soooooo true. It took me a year of bad playing on my first Squire(llololol) to say fuck this and go buy that acoustic. After buying it the change was HUGE. I was learning tabs every day and couldn't put it down because they sounded so much better on an acoustic with my skill level. After playing for 2-3 years I saved some cash and got my baby - the Epi LP std black. My god it was worth the wait.. if only I hadn't had to pawn it when everyone(me) lost their jobs/houses in the beginning of the recession(dec '08) :'(.

Edit: Errrr, actually re-reading I think I disagree with you, but like I said in my previous post, everyone is different! Nothing is truer in the world of guitar. For example, I hold my pick terribly wrong, pretty much striking the strings perpendicular instead of at a 45ish degree angle. Sounds great to me.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

I'm not sure how I'd feel if I had to sell my guitars. I feel for you.

 

[BotoxAgent]

Anyone have experience with Bogner Alchemists? There's a good deal on a 2x12 combo and I'm tempted to pull the trigger.

It's terrible!! I tried my friend's a few times, and couldn't get a decent sound out of it.

 

[nomster]

It's terrible!! I tried my friend's a few times, and couldn't get a decent sound out of it.

Definitely see a big split on these things online. Guess the safe bet is to just pass on it and wait. Thanks for your input

 

[Mr. Luchador]

No local stores to try one out at? Don't let them fool you with reverb settings mind.

 

[sparky2112]

was looking for this thread

So you swapped the pickups in your Ibanez? I've got that same model, and the stock pickups are BAD (not that I was expecting anything else), and I'm thinking of going with Petrucci's setup...

 

[KamenSenshi]

yeah, I was talking with a guy in the shop about buying it and he mentioned giving me some strings and that in the deal since I normally went there. its got a nice sound to her

 

[Fusebox]

I'm thinking of going with Petrucci's setup...

Tone Zone and an Air Norton combo or the new Crunch Lab and LiquiFire? Can't go wrong either way.

I've got a Tone Zone/Paf Pro combo in my RG, the TZ is a seriously sweet bridge pup.

Rough snap of my pedal board:

(Bit of a pose, I don't usually have them all hooked up at once)

Ibanez DE7, T-Rex Twister, Ibanez TS7, Vox Satchurator, Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive, Boss DS-1 Distortion, Hardwire Metal Distortion, Dunlop CFH Wah.

Do you not find you get an background hum from Boss pedals? I used to get them all the time so stopped using them in the end, plus they sound very, very digital. Love my Line6 Delay and MXR Distoration +.

Which Boss pedals? The lineup is massive, but to answer your q, no more than any other decent pedal. Same with the digital comment, ie the Boss digital delay sounds digital, the Boss SD-1 doesn't sound digital. Also some Boss pedals just suck, like the Metal Zone, but if the DS-1 is good enough for Satch and Petrucci it's good enough for me.

 

[Jinjo]

You know, this might actually be the right thread to get some help. I got that Epiphone ES 335 a while back (posted here too), but I noticed that around the 12th fret the B and mostly the E strings sound pretty flat. (the strings are probably too close to the neck - the neck itself is fine though, no production errors in there, first thing I checked) Is there an easy fix in the bridge or something that could help fix this problem? I have to admit I haven't bothered looking into it yet, but havng some tips could always help. I'd rather do it myself than letting some guitar shop set it up for me at a (high) price.

 

[Fusebox]

Can you elaborate on 'flat'. Do you mean they sound flat in pitch, or do they just sound a bit dead? Do you hear any buzzing when you play at those frets? And how old are your strings?

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

My newest toy. An Axe Fx Ultra!

Paired with a couple QSC K12's and running a EBMM JP6

The whole shebang.

Things still to be added: MIDI Floor board, 7 String guitar, probably a ton of other stuff i haven't come up with yet.

 

[Jinjo]

Can you elaborate on 'flat'. Do you mean they sound flat in pitch, or do they just sound a bit dead? Do you hear any buzzing when you play at those frets? And how old are your strings?

They sound flat in pitch. I don't really hear any fretbuzz. It's only on the 10th & 11th fret actually. On the 9th fret the pitch is clear and 10 & 11 sound flat, 12 it gets better and on 13 the pitch is clear again. Maybe changing strings would work, they have been on there for quite a while, but it was a problem pretty much from the start actually.

 

[sneakypete]

They sound flat in pitch. I don't really hear any fretbuzz. It's only on the 10th & 11th fret actually. On the 9th fret the pitch is clear and 10 & 11 sound flat, 12 it gets better and on 13 the pitch is clear again. Maybe changing strings would work, they have been on there for quite a while, but it was a problem pretty much from the start actually.

Have you checked the intonation? Sounds like it could be the problem.

Also the truss rod could be bent. This can easily happen if your guitar encounters too hot/cold, or for other reasons.

 

[teruterubozu]

Sound like the truss rod is warped. Best way to check is to play the notes on the twelfth fret and play the harmonics on the twelfth fret and compare. If they are off, then your truss rod is warped. DO NOT try to adjust the truss rod yourself, have a guitar tech do it. You can really fuck up(possibly even snap) the neck if you don't know how to adjust a truss rod.

 

[Jinjo]

Damn, I was afraid of that. Guess I'll have to let a guitar tech have a look at it. I checked the truss rod together with my guitar teacher and we could not see any noticable bend, but I guess we missed it or it's just very hard to spot (we're no real guitar techs), as it is a very local problem (high e-string, 10-11th fret only). Thanks for the help guys.

 

[teruterubozu]

Damn, I was afraid of that. Guess I'll have to let a guitar tech have a look at it. I checked the truss rod together with my guitar teacher and we could not see any noticable bend, but I guess we missed it or it's just very hard to spot (we're no real guitar techs), as it is a very local problem (high e-string, 10-11th fret only). Thanks for the help guys.

If it's just one string in a local area then it's likely that the frets have worn out on that spot. Re-fretting should also be done by a specialist.

 

[sneakypete]

Damn, I was afraid of that. Guess I'll have to let a guitar tech have a look at it. I checked the truss rod together with my guitar teacher and we could not see any noticable bend, but I guess we missed it or it's just very hard to spot (we're no real guitar techs), as it is a very local problem (high e-string, 10-11th fret only). Thanks for the help guys.

If you have a ruler handy you can easily check the intonation, just check google for a guide as its 7am and I can't remember atm.

Good luck to ya.

 

[Jinjo]

If it's just one string in a local area then it's likely that the frets have worn out on that spot. Re-fretting should also be done by a specialist.

No it's definitely not the frets. We ruled that one out. The guitar was bought new and is not even a year old now. It was a demo-model, but it was only played a few times in the store. It is still in a perfect condition.

I found myself a guide on checking the intonation of the guitar. Reading through it, it seems this would be the most likely solution to the problem. I have a day off tomorrow and a free weekend so I'll give that a go in the next few days. I'll report back on the results.

 

[sneakypete]

No it's definitely not the frets. We ruled that one out. The guitar was bought new and is not even a year old now. It was a demo-model, but it was only played a few times in the store. It is still in a perfect condition.

I found myself a guide on checking the intonation of the guitar. Reading through it, it seems this would be the most likely solution to the problem. I have a day off tomorrow and a free weekend so I'll give that a go in the next few days. I'll report back on the results.

A friend of mine is more knowledgeable on the subject than I, so I'll try to ask him for some tips when I see him in class tomorrow. Again, good luck!

 

[sparky2112]

Tone Zone and an Air Norton combo or the new Crunch Lab and LiquiFire? Can't go wrong either way.

I've got a Tone Zone/Paf Pro combo in my RG, the TZ is a seriously sweet bridge pup.

Yeah, it'll probably come down to whatever I can get that's cheaper. Like you said, it's all good, and it's not THAT great a guitar to begin with. If I hold out for an EBMM, Hell will freeze over first.

 

[BotoxAgent]

GuitarNinja- congrats on the Axe FX!! I want one so bad.

I have a Tone Zone and Air Norton in my RG3120 Prestige. I hate the Tone Zone pickup, but I really love the Norton. For a mahogany body, I should have probably gone with the Fred pickup instead.

 

[Fusebox]

They sound flat in pitch. I don't really hear any fretbuzz. It's only on the 10th & 11th fret actually. On the 9th fret the pitch is clear and 10 & 11 sound flat, 12 it gets better and on 13 the pitch is clear again. Maybe changing strings would work, they have been on there for quite a while, but it was a problem pretty much from the start actually.

Definitely sounds like intonation to me, should be relatively easy to me. What sort of bridge has your guitar got? I'll help you adjust it.

GuitarNinja- congrats on the Axe FX!! I want one so bad.

I have a Tone Zone and Air Norton in my RG3120 Prestige. I hate the Tone Zone pickup, but I really love the Norton. For a mahogany body, I should have probably gone with the Fred pickup instead.

Dude, I have an RG3120 Prestige too! Mine came with Tone Zone and PAF Pro combo instead though. How can you hate the TZ in the bridge position? Do you not like 80's hair metal?

 

[Jinjo]

Definitely sounds like intonation to me, should be relatively easy to me. What sort of bridge has your guitar got? I'll help you adjust it.

I don't know the exact type, but it's one of those Les Paul-type bridges I think.

Here's a pic of my guitar from a few pages ago:

Fake edit: I found the exact type of bridge:

Thanks again.

 

[bill0527]

Just got my birthday present. My first electric guitar.

Fender Stratocaster Mexican model and a Gator case. Now I just need a decent amp.

 

[googoomuck22]

ooops

 

[Yen]

As someone who has never changed tuning pegs before: Will they be hard to change? Should there be anything I should know?

 

[BotoxAgent]

Definitely sounds like intonation to me, should be relatively easy to me. What sort of bridge has your guitar got? I'll help you adjust it.



Dude, I have an RG3120 Prestige too! Mine came with Tone Zone and PAF Pro combo instead though. How can you hate the TZ in the bridge position? Do you not like 80's hair metal?

My 3120 also came with the default TZ and PAF Pro combo. The Tone Zone is a good sounding pickup, but it's just that I really like the sound of a Fred or Suhr Aldrich on a mahogany body instead

and of course, hair metal <3

 

[Mr Cola]

Howdy folks, i have had an acoustic for 2 years now, love it, play it every day, my favourite thing in the world. However im not guitar savvy, its a hobby to play but im not up on the guitar world at all and im looking to invest in a good electric guitar. I should state im technically competent, pretty damn decent at the acoustic but have never played an electric before, so ive no idea what to look for, what to avoid and what adages are useful. To give a little more info about what i want the guitar is for personal use, no care for being in a band, playing live or any of that jazz yet, it will just be for me to jam out at my own speed. My budget is around £300, though i could go a bit higher, im aiming to get a new acoustic and a better piano down the line so i dont want to blow all my money just on the electric just yet. Im very aware that the "feel" is a big part but just some knowledge on where to start, what to avoid and what other things to consider along the way.

Thanks