Dad3353

So the flight case needs to be protected by being in a flight case, which will need protection by being in a flight case, which will need protection by ... Zzzzzzz ...

Box carpentry is not that hard. Have you a buddy or brother-in-law that could help..? Wood cut by the local DIY shop... I modelled it first... Here is the top half, perched on our Ampeg ... Worth thinking about..?

Can't go wrong with this one, offered on our very own Marketplace section by a trusted member. Way below your target budget; is that so bad a thing..? Yamaha Pacifica Tele-type guitar, ungraded ...

Good afternoon, @Crappy Axe, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good afternoon, @Oscarperguit, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

He may well be amenable to you sitting in whilst he goes through the check-up and rectification process, which could give some insight as to how to look after your (and your son's...) instruments. It might take him a little longer, to explain what he's doing, and enable you better to appreciate exactly what's involved in guitar upkeep. Just a thought..?

These buzzes could be because the action is a bit low, but there could be a whole lot of other reasons, too, such as a raised, or lowered, fret, a bit too much or too little 'bow' in the neck, imprecise finger placing... I could go on. The real solution would be to consult a competent guitar tech, or experienced guitar tutor, and find the real cause that needs addressing. Still, as you mention, it can't do too much harm to 'have a go' yourself, as long as you've a back-up plan if things get out of hand. Yes, the string height is set, all other things being equal, by the screws at each end of the bridge holding the intonation adjusters. A good-quality flat-bladed screwdriver is required, to be a good fit in the screw slots. Turning clockwise will raise the bridge; I would suggest only very slight adjustment at a time, of maybe a quarter-turn at each end. This will affect the guitar's tuning, so it will need careful bringing back to pitch before playing it again, to see if there's any improvement. Go easy on doing this; these screws are not used to being turned, and are subject to the tension from the strings. Don't force anything. Use your engineering 'feeling' to judge whether it's doable or not. If it's successful, and your buzzing issues solved, 'well done'; if not, put the screws back to their original position as best you can, and get help. No, it's not rocket surgery, and most competent folk would gladly show you how to check this, and other potential issues, whilst they sort it out. You're unlikely to break anything if you're careful, but be gentle with screwdriver blades, as it's easy to slip and take a chunk out of the guitar's finish, or your own hand. In any case, a good set-up for any guitar is a worthwhile investment; the basics can be done by oneself, once they've been mastered with an experienced guide. Hope this helps. Douglas

Can't go wrong with either, I'd say. Here's a video playing both... The big difference would be the golden hardware, and the push-pull coil splitting on the 2200... 'The Yamaha SA-2200 is a Japanese made ES-335 style semi-hollowbody electric guitar model first introduced in 1992. The SA-2200 is similar to the SA-1100 but with fancier appointments including gold-plated hardware, split block inlaid ebony fretboard and multi-ply body and headstock binding. The finger board has 22 medium gauge frets. Pickups are two Yamaha Alnico V humbuckers, which can be coil tapped using the SA-2200's push-pull tone knobs. The SA2200 has a stop tailpiece and tune-o-matic style bridge.'

Proper nut files are extraordinarily expensive, and the cheaper ones not really good at all for that job. If it's just to get rid of the 'jerking' of the string over the nut when tuning, a light sprinkle of graphite powder does a fine job. Some folk get the graphite from quality pencil lead, but it's easy enough to obtain. Amazon propose various versions, as a little flaçon of 50ml for 9€86, or a 1 litre tub for 10€10, and everything in between. Try that first, if unsmooth tuning is the issue..?

The 'biscuit' tone is louder and more 'brash', used more on 'standard' guitars. The 'spider' would be warmer, and usually found on lap-steel players' guitars (with their square neck profile...). I'd suggest looking at 'biscuit'. I don't think that 'tricone' would bring much to the party.

Define 'better', to include 'budget' in the definition. I can afford a lowly Takamine; I can't afford a Taylor (or Martin, or Gibson...), not to mention some very fine UK luthiers. I'm not sure that provenance is the key factor here; the price is a better (but not absolute...) indicator.

Originally, resonator guitars were invented for just this reason : cut through against competition from the brass section, without an amp..!. Worth a try, especially if the repertoire is suitable. One or two points to consider : many players use a reso guitar like a lap-steel; these models have a square neck profile, unsuitable for 'standard' guitar playing position. Look at models with a rounded 'C' or 'U' profile instead. Some models have a piezo mic built in, but more rarely with a pre-amp, which makes amplifying a little trickier, as either the amp has a piezo input, or an external pre-amp is required. The reso part of the guitar is fragile, so a stout case is needed for anything but home use. They're louder than a folk guitar, especially in the 'medium' frequencies, but won't fill a large hall unaided just the same. Trying a few models would be recommended; proces start at around £300 and go up quite quickly. On the other hand, it's not uber-effective, but a piece of felt over the accordion grill could be tried to mute it a little..? Some folk remove the grill, line the inside with masking tape or similar, then put the grill back. Choice of register has an effect, with some 'bassier' registers being less strident. Other than that, it's just playing technique to play with less volume. Hope this helps; sounds like a nice project.

Good evening, Shawn... Good to see these videos continuing, and your progress, too. Well done, for both; neither are simple. A couple of remarks, if I may..? I see you naming the notes as you play them; try to sing the note at its proper pitch as you name them, so that you're singing 'E', 'F', 'G' etc at the same time as playing the note. It will help train you ear to hear notes in pitch for years to come. No great singing voice needed, just get the pitch right, corresponding to the note you're naming and playing. It will become easy and instinctive very quickly, although the first sessions may not feel comfortable. Try it for a couple of weeks, maybe, to see..? Next remark : when strumming the 'big G' chord then the 'D' chord, try not to play the lower 'E' string with the 'D' chord. That note ('E'...) does not belong in the 'D' chord. An option is to try to 'mute' the lower 'E' string, but it's best if you can train your right hand to only play relevant strings. Just a thought, something to have a look at and be aware of, that's all. Lastly : with those oddly-named 'stuck' chords, it's less important to memorise the names (although that's useful, too...) than to listen to, and understand, what's actually happening. You're playing the 'G' on the lower 'E' string, then a 'C' on the 'A' string, followed by a 'B', then the open 'A'. The overall effect is a descending sequence of notes; if each resulting chord has to be named, it's always possible with all of these '#', 'sus', '11' etc, but the musical reason, and the important bit, is the descending line, not the chord names. Just sayin'; don't get hung up on the names, just listen to what the notes you're playing sound like as you play them. Again, you're doing fine, but be sure to hear the music you're playing as well as the technique. Oh, yes, there is another thing... Listen to the Pink Floyd track a few times played by the maestro, and play along to it, you'll find that your timing is slightly 'off'. The single notes are fine, followed by a little shorter 'strum' than you're playing. Just a detail that listening to the original will sort out. There, that's enough abject criticism from me; now go an make a good pot of tea. You've earned it. Good Stuff, keep on keeping one; meanwhile... Have a wonderful day. Douglas

Good evening, @Goldilocks33, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. The one your daughter has researched and chosen is just fine, and will stand her in good stead for many years to come. Yes, there are better (read : 'different'...), more expensive instruments out there, but her choice is very good for starting out on a lifetime's journey. If your budget is up to it, give your lucky daughter an excellent birthday present, that she will cherish. It could have been worse; a double bass is quite a lot more expensive..!

Have a look here, maybe..? Guitar levels explained ... From your description, I'd guess that you're about at Level 5, or 6, which would place you around the Grade 2 or 3 mark. Hope this helps; carry on, you're doing fine. Only another half a century to go to become Master Of All Things.

I make it out to be a rather slow 4/4, with the first syllable of the lyrics falling on the 1 And 2 and 3 and 4 and ... It gets a bit 'lumpy' at times, as the singer, presumably playing on his own, skips bars or adds 'em in, but if I stubbornly carry on with my 1 And 2 and etc, it all comes out in the wash. I don't think these skips and hops are deliberate; it's just the way the fellow has it going on in his head. If I start to count from the first clear chord in this way : 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 And 2 ... it seems to work. Try it..? No guarantee, but that's what I'd drum to it. Hope this helps.

Ah, excellent; well done for replying so clearly. It sounds as if you're on the same track as all of us, when starting out. Obviously you should address these concerns with your tutor; he/she will have doubtless heard much the same from many pupils. Meanwhile, if you're not doing it already, I'd recommend playing for short periods, as often as you can, but regularly. Two 15-minutes sessions, each and every day, no exceptions or excuses, will cement the 'information' very quickly. Far better than an hour once a week. I will assume that you have exercises, routines, to practise, from your tutor..? Do these, religiously, in your practise sessions, plus any other stuff you want to do from other sources (method books, U-tube etc...), but avoid playing for too long at a time, especially for the first few months, as this can seal in bad habits and damage your hands. Depending on the complexity, it's normal to have to refer back to the partition (be it tab, notation or chords charts... whatever...) at first, but much will become 'ingrained' over time, as long as you keep plugging away at it assiduously. There is no 'silver bullet', but be assured that every guitarist, whatever their talent, started out with your level of competence. It's only the practising that makes the difference, and it's not overnight. Speak to your tutor, then, follow their advice and method, and trust me; it will all come together, and all the faster for being patient and doing things slowly. I'll end with my usual tongue-in-cheek encouragement ... It's the first forty years that are the hardest, after which things sometimes tend to get very slightly easier.

Good evening, @Bunny, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. First question : Do you have a guitar tutor, or are you doing this all alone..? Next : What is your age..? Lastly : How fast did you think that learning to play the guitar would be..? As for 'retaining the information' : what, exactly, is this 'information' that you're losing..? Most of guitar playing, as with other instruments, and, indeed, most skills, such as driving a car, or walking, are a case of 'muscle memory', whereby there is no conscious 'thinking' going on, the muscles (and brain...) have learned, mostly through repetition, what to do. How are you learning..? Looking forward to your answers, after which I'm sure some helpful advice, hints and tips will come forth. Over to you...

Replied in the other topic...

Maybe if we could hear it, we could try, because it's guesswork, otherwise. Do you have a Soundcloud account (it's free, and easy to use...)..? An MP3 uploaded to there, the link shared here, and we could all comment. '...Compared to other fingerstyle pieces I’ve heard...' These may have been composed and performed by folk with decades of experience; their own 'first tune' may have seemed 'hollow', too..! Kudos for having achieved even one piece; it's not easy to obtain perfection at the first attempt. Post a recording (you can link an audio file to this topic, or a video if you can do it; whatever you can...) and we'll see how to guide you. Over to you..?

What guitar/vibrato (Floyd-Rose..? Bigsby..? Other..?)..? Most vibratos work behind the bridge, just changing string tension, so don't affect string height (action...). It's probably safe to block as you wish, with no effect on action. You could measure this yourself, of course.

Now there, you're not wrong.