Dad3353

Yes, it's the pick-ups (active or passive...), the choice of strings, the volume and tone control settings, the pick used, and, most important of all by far, the dexterity of the Player. Playing closer to the bridge or neck, harder or softer strokes, choosing to pick out harmonic 'nodes' on the strings, right- and left-hand damping, the use of one's ears (sadly, often neglected, in my view...)... These are what determine most of what goes into the amp, and a pedal-board has quite some impact, too. As a rule, though, the music comes from the Player, not the guitar.

See replies elsewhere...

'Know' would be a bit foolhardy; nay: pretentious. Opinions, that's what you'll get. No-one 'knows' stuff like that. Opinions..? Here's mine... The 'neck' of a guitar is the long arm stretching out from the body of the instrument, in order to have enough distance from the body to hang the strings. Sometimes just one piece, running from the headstock tip to the bottom of the body, but more commonly a separate piece, either glued to the body or bolted on. The 'fingerboard' (also called 'fretboard'...) is a long, thin piece of wood laid along the neck, into which the frets are fixed. Different essences of wood can be used, with ebony, maple and various rosewoods being typical, although there are many others. Impact on tone..? Hold on tight, because this is where the can of worms flies open. I'm of the persuasion that, for solid-body electric guitars, if there's a difference, it's so minor compared to so many other factors that it comes down to personal preferences, aesthetics, budget and credibility. There are woods that are pretty much excluded from luthery, such as light-weight balsa for model airplanes, but most woods have been used over the decades, giving fine instruments, with, for my money, no overall Winner nor tendance. I'd privilege the construction techniques and build quality over wood essence every time. Others will have different views and experience, I'm certain. 'HSS' indicates a 'H'umbucker pick-up in the bridge position, the middle and neck PU being 'S'ingle-coil, where 'SSS' indicates all PUs being Single coil. The sonic difference would be mostly apparent whe using the bridge PU alone, where, by its construction, the output would be stronger than the Single-coil. Is that 'better'..? It depends on what one wants from the guitar. The 'H' will not give the funky 'chuka-chuka' clarity of a bridge Single-coil, but the 'S' PU will lack the 'Oomph' of the 'H' PU. One takes one's choice. Finish..? Again, for solid-body guitars, just about negligible, I'd say. Wear and weathering would be affected, and choice of colours and/or decor, but that's about it. I doubt anyone could detect, audibly, a poly finish from a nitro finish from an oiled-wood natural finish. Hope this helps. Disclaimer: subject to completion, correction and/or contradiction from others.

It's a Bently. Bently was introduced by SLM (St. Louis Music...). The guitar line was made as a cheaper guitar line than Alvarez. Bently guitars were made from 1983 to 1998 and were replaced by the Austin guitar line. Bently guitars started off as acoustics, then later on started making electrics, then changed the name of the electrics to Series10 and left the acoustics as Bently. Bently was first 'Made in Japan' and later they were imported from Indonesia, it seems. Hope this helps.

Good evening, RA , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Heard of 'em..? No. Heard One..? No. It is, however, a very reasonable 'starter' guitar. I've no idea of your age, nor location; the 'standard' advice is to seek out a reputable guitar tutor in your vicinity and take a few lessons, to get off to a good start. He (or she...) will be able to get you up to speed on tuning, guitar maintenance, suitable exercises and much more. Hope this helps.

Nice recycling there, and a useful (I'd even say mandatory...) addition to any tool set. I think I'd have put a lower cross-piece, front and back, just above the level of the chisel's sharp tip, as I'd be wary of them tipping out (pivoting...), especially if carrying the stand. It's happened to me before with a similar stand I made for screwdrivers; chisels would be more dodgy still, clumsy as I am. Just sayin'.

Maybe you forgot to order, along with your guitar, the necessary accessory that helps a lot (and I mean 'a lot'..!). Have a look on line and try to find a supplier of Patience. Don't bother with the trial pack; go for the Budget Bucket straight away; you'll be needing it for the next few decades, whatever your activities, and even more so as time wears on. Patience, that's the Key. Oh, and whilst I'm here, allow me to pass on this little word of encouragement; it applies to so many things, but is perfectly adapted to your current issues... 'It's the first forty years that are the worst, after which things sometimes tend to get (slightly...) better.' There, that should set you up for the week..! Good luck with it all; we've all been there..!

That's two questions... Basically, the index is laid across flat to the fingerboard. If I've interpreted the second question correctly, the index is laid completely over; it should find its position pretty naturally if your thumb is centred on the back of the neck. You'll need all the phalanges to be holding down the strings, lightly but firmly. Don't bother about other fingers until this comes naturally, and produces clean tones, every time you do it, at whatever fret (Disclaimer: it might not be so easy up around the 10th fret; no need to insist there, as it's seldom useful, especially on acoustic guitars...). Any help..?

The ease or otherwise in learning this depends to some extent on the guitar used. Can we assume that you're playing these on the guitar in your avatar, ie: an acoustic folk guitar..? Here's my 'tip'... Start off by laying the index finger across the whole fretboard, at the fifth fret. Gently strum the strings, slowly, to be sure that all are sounding cleanly. Adjust the index until this is so. No need for enormous pressure, just a gentle grip with the thumb firmly in the middle of the back of the neck. Repeat this by releasing the neck, move up a couple of frets and do it again. Take your time, and release-barre progressively, with just the index, at all the fret positions; randomly chosen is fine. The important bit is to lay the index on, then sound the strings, and keep doing this until every note is clear, every time. It won't take long, trust me. Once that's done (but not until...), go back to the fifth fret, lay the index on (check that it all rings out clearly...), then fret the fifth string 'E' (7th fret...) with the ring finger. Again, check that all notes ring cleanly, repeat at other positions, slowly, until all notes sound correctly. Now, back to the fifth fret, barre with the index finger, then ring finger to 'E'; now fret the fourth string 'A' (7th fret...) with the pinky. Check for clear sound; change fret, rinse and repeat. You're now playing a barred minor chord (Am, at the 5th fret...). Nearly there, now..! Back to the fifth fret, barre with index, add ring and pinky to play this Am, then add the middle finger to the third string 'C#', 6th fret and check for clear sound on all strings. That's a barred A Major; well done. Release all, and move around the neck, slowly, doing the same exercise. If it starts to not ring out so well, go back a step or, even better, start again from scratch, with just the index, and do it all again, slowly. Don't do this for long periods, just a few minutes, no more, then rest your hand, either by playing something else or doing the washing-up or similar. It won't take more than a couple of sessions to get the hang of it anyway, but it's no good forcing the issue and tiring the hands; that will only slow down the process. Have a go, anyway, and report back here with progress. Worth a try..?

Have a look here, maybe..? Left-handed guitars for children ... Are you sure she'd play 'lefty', though..? My family are largely 'lefty'; I have a younger brother, 'hard' lefty, who started playing on my guitar (righty...), and was much better than me from the outset (and still is, by a long chalk...). Given a 'righty' guitar, she may well adapt without question to it. Are you planning on having her attend tuition..? A good tutor would be well-placed to assess her aptitude for playing either way round, and would, whatever the choice, get her off to a good start. A classical (nylon-strung...) guitar would be a wise choice for someone that young, for many reasons, and there's plenty of time later to acquire other instruments, once the basics are 'down'. The most important thing, however, is her own motivation. If she really wants to play sax, or flute, or whatever, that's the instrument she should be given the opportunity to get going on. Just my tuppence-worth; hope this helps.

Cheers, and you're not wrong, but it's 'standard' with this Forum software, and any customisation is, although possible, always to be avoided, as it adds expense, and makes Forum upkeep, maintenance and future upgrades very complicated. One gets used to it after a few decades, so be patient with us all, please; thanks in advance.

This topic has not been locked, you've not received a Warning'. It's simply (for this Forum...), a very unusual request, and, whilst we may be sympathetic to your circumstances, it's not the way many members here would support, I'm guessing. I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but... One would expect, as a minimum, at least an entry in the 'Introductions' section, which gives an opportunity to show one's location, and maybe some participation in the Forum posts, so that folks get to know you a bit better. All are welcome here (well, not trolls, of course ..!); stick around and mingle a little, and be patient..?

Both a bit garish for me. I'd prefer a natural blonde finish, personally.

There is a 'Report' link on every post (top right; take your cursor up there and it becomes more visible...). Try it out. I've Reported several posts (including in this topic...), and the Mods and Admin take 'em very seriously. 'Trolls' do not get through for long. Hope this helps.

^^ See answer in other topic...

See answer in other topic ...

Either of these two guitars will get you started with no issues. The Thomann site has sound clips from both; they sound very similar to my cloth ears; there's certainly no radical difference. They'll both play pretty much any style in the same manner. The real clincher will be, in my view, your own aesthetic tastes. I'm an Official Old Duffer, so would be more at ease with the more 'traditional' Les Paul shape; I doubt you'd have these same qualms concerning 'pointy' guitars, so it's totally up to you. The Epiphone pack has the slight advantage of being 'Plug'n'Play', in having absolutely everything required; the Ibanez would need an amp of sorts to get the best from her, and strap etc, so the budget climbs slightly (depending on choice of amp, of course...). The Short Answer is: both are fine, so you choose, and be happy. Good luck on your journey.

Good evening, MM , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

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

Good afternoon, Dusty, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. Over 60, eh..? You young'uns..!

Just listen to the old fellow, harking back to 'the Good/Bad Old Days'..! In the '60s we had to make our own Fx with germanium transistors and zamac cases..! Tottenham Court Road was our source of ex-WWII chicken-head knobs, the electronic magazines carried articles on circuitry, and we longed for temperature-controlled soldering irons instead of lumps of hot copper..! Thems were the daze, indeed..! ...

Good evening, Variable, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

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