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I am rekindling a love of 6 strings and feel I'd like to introduce some subtle and simple effects - bit of overdrive, reverb etc. I have, already, gathering dust in the loft a Fender G-dec 30 that has a plethora of built in presets and customisable things. I never quite managed to get my head around it when I bought it and don't expect to find it any more intuitive now. So I am thinking maybe an archaic Zoom or similar would be an easier introduction. Something old, elementary and cheap. Or would it? Are the older multi-effects any easier to untangle? Should I just grasp the nettle and deep dive into the G-Dec manual? Two things to bear in mind are a/ I am a cheapskate and dont want to spend much money and b/ I am not very good with technical things. Many thanks. Paul

Thanks Douglas.

Good evening, @Paul S, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Hi! It seems I joined a while ago but forgot. I started playing guyitar when I was in my teens back in the early/mid 70s the moved to bass. Now bandless on bass, I am about to pick up a guitar again for the first time in many years and have a few questions. I have had a Mexican Fender Telecaster for some years, stashed away in its case, and just recently bought one of these for a few quid at a bootsale which now sports a Tonerider PAF pickup and some new tuners. Hope to find answers to questions!

At least it wasn’t a bass, where that sort of thing can be a real bash to the wallet. You can still use those strings of course (if you can stop that slippage), you’ll just have to put up with poor intonation on the G string. That said, I’d just bite the bullet and get some acoustic strings, your ears will thank you.

So, after getting a nice shiny set of guitar strings for my Faith guitar last week I finally decided to fit them today, cleaned and polished the old girl before fitting as usual, but then I get to the G string....arrgh....I've only bought a set of electric strings so the G is unwound not the end of the World I know but I was wondering how many of us have done the same over the years? As it happens my high E has decided not to play ball now either by not staying in tune and constantly slipping (Think I've trimmed it too short and I've cocked the wrap up allowing it to slip) so a trip to my local Music shop tomorrow, kind of handy really as I want to see if I can do a deal with them trading my Blackstar id15tvp against a new Spark 2.

A 12 string without a warped top seems a very rare thing these days. I would go for a Rainsong but the used prices are a little nuts. None of the composite acoustic guitar makers here in China do a 12 string.

Listening to a lot of Simple Minds recently, Charlie Burchill definitely deserves mention in this respect.

I had a Squier Standard Strat for a bit that I blocked the trem on. Decent guitar, one of the late 90s models. I just stuffed a synthetic wine cork between the block and the body; the difference it made in sustain and resonance surprised me a lot. My old 1994 US Std Strat does well on that front with the trem set up floating, though in recent years I've come to prefer my trems set flat to the body. I would love to try a fixed bridge Strat to compare to a blocked-trem. Apparently back in the eighties when Fender did the Clatpon signature model they did debate making it a fixed bridge, but Clapton wasn't convinced it would sound the same as a blocked trem. I'd love to see some hardcore research into trem blocks (anything on youtube on this? I've not quite found a good vid yet...). I've seen a lot of folks switch out the slim block in various Harley Bentons as a perceived upgrade, while others are very firm that it doesn't make the difference traditionally assumed.

Blue Ridge make a good looking instrument. Still got my fingers crossed they'll discover left handed players one day.

Off the top of my head, Keef, Dylan when he's in that mode, Joe Strummer, Johnny Ramone, Elvis.

This video from the Guitar Geek covers it pretty well. My own opinion is that Fender's target market for these is the player who absolutely will not consider a Squier, but who is on a tight budget that won't quite stretch to a Player.... basically the 2025 equivalent of those in the early 90s who couldn't afford an American Fender but would buy the bottom-rung Japanese Fenders because they were Fenders. (Easy to forget now that since they became much harder to get hold of in the West the MIJ/CIJ Fenders are highly sought after, but at one time they were "only" the MIM of their era.) Spec-wise, though, these are basically the old Mexican Standard spec, except with a two-post trem (I have a minor preference for the six-screw myself, but that stopped being a dealbreaker when Fender put the traditional-style saddles on the two-posts instead of the UAF block saddles like on my old American Standard. I've never wanted to switch them out on that because I've kept it all-original, but they really are ugly....) The 21 frets is great - I *wish* the Player series had 21 instead of 22. I never use the extra fret, and I don't like how it looks. Some (most of whom would likely never noticed the difference had they not been told) have sneered at the body being poplar, though Fender used that widely on its Mexican guitars from the mid nineties for about a decade. Looking at the elements of the spec on these that are different than the Squier, I think they're worth the extra - I'd likely buy one (though I'd maybe change the tuners for Fender's vintage-style drop-in replacements - Pro Gear? purely for aesthetics) but for the limitations of the range. The Squier CV is a great guitar and would be the obvious choice if the cash difference matters, and/or you desperately wanted a more vintage-specced guitar. The only thing stopping me picking up one of these Standards is that there are no left handers at all in the range. I'm actually more disappointed in this in relation to the basses. Eventually I'd like to be able to pick up a P and a J from the Player range, but the Standards would do just as well for me... plus the Standard J has the added bonus of a maple board with *dots* being an option. I'm well aware left handed guitars area minority sport, but it's amazing how many things Fender could have sold me over the years if they had been an option. As it is, I've increasingly been buying Fender-influences instruments from other companies.

A common issue; one usual 'solution' is to tune down a tone, and use a capo on the second fret. This reduces string tension, so less pull on the belly.

I've been through so many, they all seem to have warped tops due to 6 string bracing...I've heard good things about Alvarez and I played a new one which was great. But the only one I had access to purchase also had a bent top...

J. Bright, The Law Suit, late 1700s: There truly is nothing new under the sun...

Welcome!

+1

There's always room in one's life for a nylon-strung guitar. Keep it safe, but keep it.

Yep - I think you're right about the Gretsch. Not worth trying to sell it, and it does have sentimental value - it was the guitar that got me started, albeit fleetingly. I stopped playing it in 1973, but started playing bass in 2005.

Does anyone know of any shops which aren't too far (perhaps an hour's drive) from North or West Oxfordshire? A persistent case of GAS for a Jaguar or Jazzmaster continues to be a nuisance, and I would rather try before buying. Had this been a year ago I'd have gone to PMT, or made use of the ability to order from them and return any unsuitable items to their Oxford shop. Anderton's looks like the ideal place but a trip there would take up most of a rare free weekend, and I know that the traffic around that area is quite busy at weekends. Going into the centre of Birmingham doesn't look like much fun either.

Is that all!? That one's in America, and it's a bit of a wreck. I might just have to put mine out there for a guestimated price, and see what happens.

Been on Basschat for years, only just found this site

Gretsch Dorado 6025 1970s Natural | Reverb This was 4 years ago

I had a quick look and you'll probably get less than £60 for the Gretsch. Maybe hold on to it for sentimental value (unless you don't like your mum )