randythoades

13 minutes ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

The price is the kicker indeed. For those of us used to buying non-tube amps at a much lower price, these do look pricey. I suppose the other way to look at it, though, would be that they're markedly cheaper than the all-tube original amps they have  - e.g. c/f the 'normal' Twin Reverb with the price of the Tonemaster... so if the alternative was looking at those, then it is a saving. I'd love to know the cost difference to Fender in production and how that works in to their pricing strategy, given that there's still obviously R&D costs to factor in to the Tonemasters as they're fairly new, whereas the tube circuits they've been building for decades.... If it gets popular enough, I'm sure we'll see it filter down to more affordable options, in the same way that thirty odd years ago or more Peavy turned out their own range of tweed amps at a very competitive price vs the Fenders. 

The Vox 'nutube' tech is interesting as well, I'm intrigued as to whether that will take off. I don't know anything much about the tech and how it works, though giving the player the notion at least that there's a sort-of direct equivalent of the traditional tube in it might help persuade some of the 'four legs good, two legs bad' crowd. 

The other question of course is how long the idea of the traditional amp lasts for live use. I'm hearing of more and more players going the 'amp sim pedal to PA' route. The sort of Champ you describe could be a really great way of marketing that sort of convenience with the idea of 'authenticity' bundled in. What the really big artists are doing will, of course, reman influential... 

I agree. I did spend decent money and got a great 'halfway' solution in the Roland blues cube, but it is too closely modelled on a valve amp. I could get some great tones, but struggled to get a consistent sound from home to rehearsal to gig. I still have it  because it does sound great, but rarely use it now.

I would have thought though, that Fender could use the Mustang amps as a basis for the TM series and just tweak it with decent components and speakers to make it a much better proposition with minimal cost implication, but to have it at double the cost for a 10th of the functions seems a bit steep.
So my current solution (although not gigging at the moment), is the Joyo American sound, delay and boost on a small pedal board. But, following suggestions from @Kiwi, I am now trying rack mount system to remove all the variables and just have good consistent sound from XLR into PA or small powered speaker at home. Having the no-amp situation though creates just as much stuff as you need IEM or decent monitors in order to hear yourself, so not sure how much of a better solution it really is.

I will be honest, I have tried and I will save you the disappointment.

You will need to get a guitar to USB adapter/interface and run the gauntlet about whether it is compatible (despite what they say on the box...). I tried several which all professed to work and really struggled. There are certainly more options available to the iPad user.

You need third party apps for the recording and sounds, but it is difficult to get the routing properly for you to use guitar amp app and then also a recording app. I spent many nights in frustration trying to get it to work. I could eventually get clean sound with no effects or amp into recorder, or play with sound and effects but not record.

In the end I just gave up and bought a zoom h4 off ebay which allowed me to plug in my normal mic and normal effects board in and record 4 tracks. After that it was just an easy step to a full hardware 16 track recording desk and then again onto PC. If you have a PC (or mac) would suggest that one of the free DAW programs like Cakewalk by Bandlab would be an awful lot easier (if not less convenient to carry around) to get you going with the free demo versions of some of the amp software, otherwise a digital portastudio (Tascam / Zoom / Boss all do small, almost pocket sized multitrack recorders for reasonable cost) with enough tracks to do your project. You will save time and frustration and get laying down your music.

I agree about the valves argument. I do like valve amps but can't work out any way to use them effectively at different volume levels, so I have always been drawn towards solid state and modelling for both the benefit in weight and also that once I set my sound I just use the volume knob (on both guitar and amp) to actually control the volume level and not just add gain.

But, like @EdwardMarlowe I only use one or two sounds, rarely use effects other than on board reverb. My ideal would be similar to above. I really like the look of the Tonemaster series, but it seems a huge amount of money to pay for a modelling amp.

A smaller Tonemaster Champ with a decent XLR simulated out for PA, 3.5mm line in and headphone out would suit me perfectly, even better if it had some digital reverb and a slapback delay. I do use the Blackstar Fly for pretty much all my home practice and it sound ok for home, so almost a 'quality/boutique' version of this that I could use as an interface into PA as needed would be very nice.

Slightly random question, but has anyone got any experience on the Harley Benson mandolin offerings (or any other beginner brand really)? The reviews of the HB look pretty good and the price certainly tempting. I have always wanted to play mandolin, but as a complete beginner I don't really know how good they are or how much I need to spend.

There seems to be quite a jump in cost between the beginner end and intermediate instruments.

I am trying to get more into bluegrass and could just stick with either the upright bass or flat picking acoustic, but I have friends that do those too that I could call upon, and fancied a challenge of trying a new instrument.

Similarly to a guitar, I don't want to get a box of crap and give up in a matter of days, but on the other hand, I don't want to spend a fortune on a solid carved model to leave it sitting on a stand for months at a time (like my beautiful Flight ukulele that for some reason I just never play).

I have always been happy with the Wilkinson hardware for my home build strats (although I always use a blocked trem), and they make several sizes to fit what you already have without modifications if needed. But, as @ezbass asks, why would you need to swap it out? I haven't had any problems with the trem in any of the Fender or Squier strats that I have had (and that is about 60 to my shame....). If it is just to replace the bloack, then loads of aftermarket options will fit.

Very true.

To my mind, as long as the body and neck are comfortable and reasonable then I am happy to mod the rest if necessary.

I have even gone down the road of just buying neck and body (or even just a wood blank) separately and making up my own to my own spec, but it ends up costing quite a bit more than buying something akin to a Squier Classic Vibe. The only bit I would struggle to do in a build is the neck itself, so have used the same necks on several different projects.

But by the time you have bought new bridge, machine heads etc you may have well just bought something mid range and keep those parts, just upgrading electronics etc, but the Squier CV in particular (as well as other mid range brands - Vintage, Yamaha, Cort, Ltd etc) are actually pretty good and don't need a lot done except for personal taste.

And although they are not getting actually cheaper necessarily, they are when you consider inflation. And spending £400 on a mid range guitar today gets you something you could only have dreamed of 20 years ago for the same money.

There are definitely some great guitars now for reasonable cost with the advances of manufacturing.

I assume manufacturers also realise that there is a huge market there for reasonable instruments to get players hooked and invested in a brand. But the principle is the same as it always was, it is a case of diminishing returns and you still get premium guitars from all brands that just make everything just that little bit smoother, nicer, better compnents and with more character (and a lot more money). For those gigging every week, those more premium guitars still make a lot of sense, but the lower and mid priced guitars are great options as backups or for us beginner or intermediate players and can be a great base with which to uprgrade as you go along.

For myself, I have done the custom order and US Fenders path but realised that using a different instrument gets me excited and forces me to experiment with other styles and licks that I wouldn't have done, so rather than one or 2 premium guitars I now have 10 reasonable ones in different styles. I still spent the same money but now have more choice and more to store...!

Afternoon Mia

Welcome and congratulations on starting the guitar. There are a bunch of friendly and knowledgable people of here, so any problems, just ask and someone will be able to help.

On 27/07/2023 at 20:10, The Pinky said:

Thanks to very body for your advice and thoughts.  If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the strings that are currently fitted are probably among the lightest if not the lightest.  I think that the combination of my poor technique and light weight strings give rise to my issues, therefore I have decided that I will probably replace the strings with a set of 10-46, as per the concensus of opinion here, and of course I need to practice a whole lot more.  I do have somebody who has offered to look at my technique and posture etc, all I need to do is contact him.

 

In a very strange thing, but I picked up another of my (woefully underused) guitars last night that has 10-46 strings on (Les Paul scale) and I found it really difficult to play after a few months playing the 8s. My very light touch just wouldn't cut it... I need to replace them!

Although I did like the way that it gave me more attitude striking and bending the strings more.

3 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

....but mostly because these strings were not strings, but cobwebs..! The slightest touch produced notes hitherto unknown to musicology, worthy of the best synth oscillators, wobbling about between [note played] and [note played plus several random half-tones].... The moral of this sad tale..? Use 'standard' strings unless there is a very, very good reason dictated by experience and wisdom; there's a reason why most folk do so. a set of 10-46 suit most folk playing most electric guitars, end of.

Wise words... It was a challenge moving down to 8s from the 10s that I had played for years and did require significant control and concentration on clean technique for a couple of weeks, but now I don't notice any difference except the ability to play for longer periods. But as said... standard 10-46 strings are standard for a reason, they suit most styles and most players and any reason for change is purely a personal choice.

I agree with @Dad3353. If you are bending strings whilst forming chord shapes, it sounds more like a slight technique issue which really needs nipping in the bud before you progress too far.

It should take very little pressure to press the strings and thus, the string gauge should come down to a preference to the feel rather than correcting inadvertant bending. As said above, a few lessons with a tutor should put you on the straight and narrow.

I have repeated bouts of arthritis in my fingers, so I actually use very lightweight strings (D'addario 8-38). I can't discern any appreciable difference in my sound, but means I play with a very light touch and don't have any issues with bending notes unneccessarily. Chuck Berry, BB King, Tony Iommi and Billy Gibbons all supposedly use/used very light strings, plenty of players used heavy strings (SRV for instance). But I think you will find that most players use either 9-42 or 10-46 and they can get it to work ok...

I really like the idea of this, being able to gig various bands with the same set up, but being able to change to an unlimited amount of sounds appropriate for the need.

If you used just the laptop into a powered speaker for example, rather than the amp at all, is there any way to change patches with a foot pedal?

I have been discussing something similar with @Kiwi but using a rack mounted effects processor instead, which is certainly working for me at home as I can go from a fender blues tone to a high gain thrash tone easily without touching an amplifier.

What happens when the laptop decides that it is going to do an update part way through your set?

I agree with @Dad3353. the Roland will cover a lot more options than the Marshall. It will do a Marshall sound as well as any of the other classic amps that you could wish for. Any of the modelling amps (Fender Mustang, Vox Valvetronix, Positive Spark, Blackstar etc) will more flexible and possibly sound better than the Marshall (I have had one of the MG series and it was 'ok', but moved it on quickly once I got a Fender Mustang).

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

Pentatonic scales are just abbreviated, 5 note versions of full, 8 note scales. Learn the full scales and then you have more notes to choose from. The scales used, as mentioned above, tend to reflect the chords they’re being played over. As a starting point learn the major (Ionian scale), minor (Dorian or Aeolian) and dominant 7th (Mixolydian). These three will give you all you need to play over a major or minor 12 bar blues. I find the most important thing is to hit the chord tones (the major third over a major Chris for instance), so that you imply that chord with your note choice. However, don’t be constrained by the scales, go ‘outside’ them, a short, chromatic run can add interesting ’flavour’ to your solos.

This is what I meant, presented in a much more concise way...!!

Nothing wrong with major and minor pentatonic, but I suppose it depends on what material you are playing.

If you have a search for the '7 modes of the major scale' that would give you a good start as well as the 'harmonic minor scale'.

The modes work in a similar way to the positions of the pentatonic scale in that they are all parts of the major scale played in a different part of the neck, but it does allow you to play over different chords and give a different feel rather than always playing in your root scale.

People such as Vai and Satriani use these types of scales a lot and often concentrate on one scale at a time to give a specific sound for an instrumental melody, but a lot of guitarists don't use scales as a limit, they use bits of them as a base to play something that sounds right to them.

Although I did learn scales, I just worked out (what I believed to be) the relationship between the root and the remaining notes in the scale (the intervals) and the differences between each mode, and then played based upon that to form my own licks and style.

Although still broadly mixing major and minor pentatonic I then throw in other notes (such as the minor 3rd, 7th, 9th etc) as I choose to make the sound that I want. So a solo broadly in the Chuck Berry style of pentatonic might suddenly have the flat 2nd from one mode combined with the 3rd from one of the other modes. Hence, I really couldn't play any of the major scale modes well now, I just have absorbed the information to suit my own needs.

I effectively worked out the differences:

Ionian = basic major + 2, 4, 6
Dorian = basic minor + 2, 6
Phrygian = minor + b3, b6
Lydian = major + #4
Mixolydian = major + 4, b7
Aeolian = minor +2, b6
Locrian = minor + b2, b5, b6, b7

If you were playing the major scale in C, then any of these scales would sound right over a C major progression, but it gets more interesting if you played the Dorian scale (still in C major) now based on a D minor progression (D minor being the second interval of C major). Although the progression might be D minor, a D dorian scale is still essentially playing in C major, but now gives a completely different feel.

I am sure there are far more schooled theorists than myself who can agree or completely shoot down this information... and I give no guarantee that I am correct!

Just have a google and I am sure there will be a YouTube channel dedicated to this information.

You would think that eBay themselves would be clamping down on this sort of practice. It undermines the platform really as people lose faith.

Granted, people are free to charge what they like for things and it is up to the buyer to decide how good a deal (or not) that tis is. However, when you are looking at these sorts of instruments, lots of the buyers are likely to be beginners and more likely to be scammed. Real shame...

As @Dad3353 says, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. The speakers may or not cope with the power going through it (and I also remember old Carlsbro PAs being basic workhorses rather than particularly good), but it might not sound very good. You might just get the sound of your power amp coming through, rather than the Marshall sound which relies on the speaker to impart some colouration or break up. As @Dad3353 says. Try it and see, but start looking out for some nice Celestion speaker to replace them in the future.

On 03/07/2023 at 12:23, Dad3353 said:

 

Most chord shapes are movable, as long as you don't need to play all the strings. In fact, seldom does one have to play all the strings at once, I'd suggest. Other than that, I would agree that playing 'metal' is an off-shoot of playing the guitar, and needs at least some basic fundamentals in place, including some notions of music theory. No, it's no harder than any other genre (and a lot easier than many...), but the quickest way forward is to go slowly. If you've not the patience for that, be prepared for decades of frustration. There are no 'metal' players that have jumped straight in and 'rock', with no previous knowledge of how to play. Learn some basics, in whatever way you wish, then (and only then...) break through the 'metal' ceiling. Hope this helps. 

That is very true, I certainly wouldn't advise NOT doing any other chord theory, and all players, whatever their genre most definitely have to know the basics in order to specialise if they choose... but a lot of metal music relies on the bass note to give gravitas and presence to the piece. With a lot of hard rock and metal, unless you have 2 guitar attack with one playing low inversions and the other playing higher, then it is difficult NOT to play a barre chords or power chords or have a drone note for large sections. You can still do lots of complex chords, highlights and arpeggios, but being able to do a power chord or barre chord opens up a lot of material that you would otherwise not be able to play easily.

Although, to be fair, my metal experience was mainly 80s and early 90s, and is very power chord intensive.

Looks completely fantastic.

Rather than jumping in and playing songs, I would suggest you go and get a teacher who can structure practice patterns to play, or work through a normal guitar programme until you get competent enough to play Barre chords (moveable chord shapes). These are the bedrock of most rock and metal. Suddenly, playing along to everything from Nirvana and AC/DC to Metallica becomes in your sphere.

I jumped straight into songs and realised after a year that all I could play were those songs I learned from the tab book, and had no idea how to apply that to anything else. I then spent another 3 frustarting year un-learning what I thought I knew.

You need the basics before you can play anything else.

Old school metal is pretty basic overall, so anything by AC/DC, Saxon, Motorhead, Sabbath would be in your sphere.
A lot of modern metal is incredibly technical and would need a higher level of ability and repetitive practice. It isn't hard necessarily, just very precise and generally fast. The principle on playing fast relies on you being able to play slowly and build up the skill and speed by practice...

You can't really change the fact that you need to know the basics. If online programmes are a bit boring to you then I will stress again... Go and get a teacher who can give you more interesting things to practice along to.

Very nice indeed. Nothing at all wrong with Epiphone and Marshall gear, more than suitable for playing at home and jamming with friends.

Good result.

On 11/06/2023 at 15:39, Andyjr1515 said:

Such as these:

I have done exactly this, as well as just purchased necks on eBay as they sometimes have tuners included. Got a great Squier Korean maple neck and an even greater Aria XL neck 9with sharkfin inlays) in this way. Don't have to worry about varnish then either.

16 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

I think if I was going to get seriously into that sort of vibe, I'd be tempted by something like the ESP LTD TL6: 



Comes in a range of colours. The natural looks a lot more acousticy; the colours, especially solids, start to take it more in a Gretsch sort of direction. The left handed option comes in black alone; I'd be tempted to get one of those and have it pinstriped. Course, if the point is to have the visual of an acoustic for the incongruity with a brutal rock sound, that's not the way to go. 

Something with a piezo would likely be easier to manage from a feedback perspective, as you could get one of those foam soundhole inserts. Not sure anything similar exists for fitting round a soundhole pup... 

I agree, very nice, and practical... but not sure what benefit a solid colour version offers over electric guitar? Why not just use solid body and solve all the potential issues.

There is a Fishman Neo soundbuster pickup which is a magnetic pickup built into a soundhole plug:

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Fishman-Neo-Buster-Humbucking-Soundhole-Pickup/2H2L?origin=product-ads&gclid=CjwKCAjwvpCkBhB4EiwAujULMjYCxOzAyfdm1bOGgwKz1QVIH_tusb2qokIj4P5SwFTvNUSLvAdIVBoC6qcQAvD_BwE

But, as you say, if the aim is to look acoustic, whilst sounding aggressive and heavy, then the natural seems to be the only colour choice!
My own situation is to look acoustic, but sound more like an archtop hollow body Gibson for rockabilly and blues. I don't have the skill to sound different enough on songs with technique alone so rely somewhat on amp sims and subtle effects to give variety to the set. Whether the audience ever notices the difference I don't know, but it certainly helps me.

Although I don't use distortion much, I do use a soundhole pickup and often run my acoustic through my effects pedals into either the front of my acoustic amp or into my active speaker with no problem at all. I particularly like the soundhole pickup as it gives me the acoustic 'visual' that the venue and public expect, but I can still change the tone and provide different amp models / EQ / boosts / reverb and delay effects etc for different songs when we play. I also use electric strings on my acoustic to lower the volume of it's natural acoustic tone and aid in it's compatibility with effects.

I think it works well overall, but unless you want it for a particular reason (I want an electric sound but like the acoustic aesthetic), just pick up the electric if you need that sort of tone.

Good one. Really nice when the children are interested. Niether of mine interested in guitar at all, but my son was keen on learning my upright bass and settled eventually on the accordion (of all things), so at least we can have a minor jam...