Guitar thread

[Edster]

@Joe in PNG, how do you use those Sunn preamp pedals? Do you run them into a PA? Do you use them more like an overdrive and run them into a regular guitar amp?

[Joe in PNG]

@Joe in PNG, how do you use those Sunn preamp pedals? Do you run them into a PA? Do you use them more like an overdrive and run them into a regular guitar amp?

I usually use them, and other clone preamps when I play at church services. Typically, they get run through a splitter, with one signal going into the preamp in jack of an amp, and the other going into the house PA. I have an old Peavey Bassic 112 combo I keep in our sound closet (replaced the stock speaker with a Celestion Pulse 12"). It's a lot easier than literally dragging one of my tube combos on a folding luggage cart every Sunday, and keep our sound guys happy.

[deputyG23]

This has probably seen the most use from me. It's a Taylor 414CE I bought in the 90s. A few years after I bought it, the original body buckled in the cutaway and Taylor replaced it with a brand new one. It's had at least one and probably two refrets since then (I forget), the last one with electric guitar-sized 6150 wire. The original electronics are gone, replaced with a K&K Pure Mini.

I went through quite a few years of being almost exclusively acoustic. If guitars came with odometers, this one would have rolled over -- maybe more than once.

I hate the ugly plastic barn door left over from the preamp. I often wish the neck was a different shape and width. And I haven't found anything I would trade it for. It's very broken in and familiar now.

Attachment 67523

I bought a 314CE for my son in ‘07.
He plays much better than I do.

[deputyG23]

Huss and Dalton CM cutaway I bought used in ‘07 when my fiddler son was still home.
I backed him with this guitar.
Much more instrument than I deserve.
Need to spend more time with it to get my callouses back.
Son left home in ‘12 so I haven’t played much guitar since then.

[Duelist]

Huss and Dalton CM cutaway I bought used in ‘07 when my fiddler son was still home.
I backed him with this guitar.
Much more instrument than I deserve.
Need to spend more time with it to get my callouses back.
Son left home in ‘12 so I haven’t played much guitar since then.

You do deserve it. Now play it!!

[SoCalDep]

I started playing when I was 15... reluctantly. My best friend at the time gave me his old classical nylon-string acoustic when he got a Squire electric guitar. I didn't want to play and it sat in my closet for a while. I got it out a few times and at one point figured out I could play chord progressions and my favorite grunge songs (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, some Pearl Jam, etc... Yes... It was the 90s!).

Around that time another friend, who was quite disgusted with my affinity for what he considered shit music, introduced me to Dream Theater. At first I hated the music because of the singer (Sorry James!), but something about Metropolis just caught me, and I've been hooked ever since. He was in a band with a really good guitarist. They covered a bunch of different genres including Dream Theater and I bought the guitarist's old Ibanez electric for $120, which was months of saving allowance and odd jobs. I later got a "real" job and ended up with an Ibanez RG470 (I think) which I ended up bringing to college.

I remember very clearly my first day of college - trying to figure out how to tell my parents that I was going to be a music major instead of Public Admin/Criminal Justice. That didn't happen, largely thanks to Professor Stapleton at Chico State University (CA) - He showed me the importance of setting standards and holding people accountable while offering every opportunity to meet the standard. He was a friend who loved history, learning, and people. He had a bunch of reproduction black powder guns, especially from the Civil War era, and we had a ton of conversations about guns and history - and of course criminal justice and constitututional law. I missed him when I left and I miss him more knowing he's gone.

Why is that important for guitars? It's not, but music is, in a way for me, about people... and the stories they tell through words or notes. That friend who turned me on to music I'd never heard of. That professor who made guitars a fun hobby instead of a career or a failure. They're all part of the story.

This leads me to my first guitar post in a forum. I've been playing for 27 years... on and off, and I'm certainly not anything special, nor have I given the instrument the effort it deserves. A couple years ago I discovered that I had a co-worker who played the drums, and another who played the guitar. We jammed a few times and the spark ignited. There will probably be more on that later.

Today's post will feature my newest aquisition. It's not that special. It's a current production Fender Telecaster Player Series Guitar Center Special Addition. That means the finish looks cool if you're into the flame maple thing. I kinda am. What I like about it is that it uses a Strat neck (with a tele headstock), so it plays more like a strat than a tele. I've played probably over a dozen Telecasters over the last year. I LOVE the look. I hate the way they've all played... until this one.

We walked into the store... pulled the guitar off the wall and I plugged into a Fender tube amp. I was sold in under a minute, but probably played another ten to fifteen minutes because it was just too fun. I spent twice as much a couple weeks ago on a Pro II Strat, which will be an upcoming post, so this isn't a "look at my awesome guitar" post. It's a "look at my awesome guitar that finally plays like it looks" post.

I've had it a bit over 48 hours and my fingers hurt... in a good way.

[rob_s]

seems to be the "guitar" thread with the most recent traffic. Apologies if I'm "squatting" with my question but I thought I'd get the attention of the guitar geeks here...

I have a guitar, I played 30 years ago, picked it up here and there off an on over the years since, never any good but always really enjoyed it. I'm in need of something "all for me" to do and thought I might give this a shot again.

Back when I thought I was serious, tab books (often illegally copied) and other sources were how we learned songs, as well as from each other. In 2022 that seems... inefficient, plus I don't have anyone else to learn from at the moment.

Which brings me to my question: What's the best ay for a 47-year-old never-was that hasn't really touched a guitar in a decade or two to pick it (back) up?

Really appreciate any specific links (youtube?) or reference materials. I'm not looking to "start from nothing"* and/or "learn the fundamentals"* as that's no fun and no fun means no play(ing).

*ETA:
what I mean here is that I'm not wanting to go down a path of "traditional" instruction with music theory, etc. That's kind of how I was originally taught and I don't see sticking with it if that's how I re-start. What I *am* ok with is something that starts with some basic exercises, etc.

[oregon45]

I really like Truefire for instructional videos, they have a huge library of artists and instruction at all levels of competency. They also have quite a few free videos on Youtube. There are other such services, but Truefire is the only one I have experience with.

https://www.youtube.com/c/TrueFireTV

[Edster]

I hear good things about Truefire, too.

I like this guy. You can probably skip around and find the lessons that match what you need. I wanted to pick up the riff to SRV's "Pride and Joy" quickly and his video on it was good.

https://www.youtube.com/c/justinguitar

[revchuck38]

If you’re just looking for tab for songs you like, google “tab for …” and you’ll get more hits than you can shake a stick at.