Skinnyman

I’m very much a believer in the “getting bored, must buy something new” approach to maintaining motivation but I’ve also found that having a “project” helps. Whether its composing and recording your own music, recording a cover of someone else’s, learning a new technique or a new style of music... it doesn’t really matter what it is, just pick something that’s out of the comfort zone and give it a go. In my case I’ve used lockdown to work on areas of my playing that are weak (which, to be honest, was most of them. I do a decent palm mute but beyond that it all needs work) and I’ve set about trawling the hours of material on YouTube to improve my production techniques, especially the dark art of mixing. And I think your approach is a good one - in these constrained times a forum is a good place to bounce ideas off others and try to get some inspiration. So welcome and good luck!

That’s lovely. Enjoy!

Hi Tim and welcome. I enjoyed the two tracks, thanks for posting. Are they recent? I’m guessing that’s not Oklahoma in the videos?

In fairness, I think you can get “nail strengthener” which may save any embarrassment. Although a nice pillar box red does go well against a sunburst finish and a tort ‘guard

I’ll echo what Matt has said. If you’re not sure if you’re a lefty or a righty then it’s probably worth going used and cheap for your first guitar (and to give yourself the widest choice later down the line, go right-handed if you can!). Yamaha Pacifica, Vintage, Squier, Epiphone, LTD - there are lots of good makes around at decent prices. If you spot something you fancy, feel free to post on here for a second opinion. I also write left-handed but I do everything else right-handed so maybe a more telling assessment is; which hand do you catch or throw a ball with? Which way would you swing a golf club or cricket bat? At the risk of getting personal, which is your “wiping hand”? You may be truly ambidextrous - but those questions will probably tell you which is your dominant side. And I’ll second the choice of a Zoom multi-fx unit with headphone output. Or you could look at a small practice amp with a headphone output - that allows you the option of “rocking out” on the rare occasion you’ve got the house to yourself. I use a small Fender Mustang amp which has a bunch of effects built in and almost always use it with headphones. There’s a lot of choices out there so, again, if you find something you like the look of, feel free to solicit advice on here. There’s generally no shortage of opinion Good luck with the search and setting out on the journey! I started learning in my fifties and it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.

I’m sure that others will chip in with suggestions that he sit with his nails in a saucer of vinegar or paint them with clear nail polish or similar. Ive always just filed mine short on both hands and use the pads of my fingers rather than the nails. Almost certainly a poor technique that’s frowned upon but it works for me.

Just had a look at the Coda website and the price has rocketed up since I got mine. The one listed has humbuckers and a trem bridge but is still way over a grand more than I paid for mine. Interesting to see that fender have embraced the P90 - I might have to try one when I’m next allowed in a music shop.

About eight years ago I spotted this in my local music shop. A “closet classic” K-Line San Bernardino in Lake Placid Blue. Originally it had K-Line’s own P90s but I found them incredibly noisy so I swapped them out for a set of Kinman noise-free P90-a-likes instead. Mine must have been one of the first K-Lines in the country (the shop owner brought it in as a one-off after seeing Chris Kroenlein’s stand at a trade show in the USA). Shortly afterwards, Coda Music in Stevenage became the UK importer. I must admit, I’m not a fan of artificial ageing and, being me and always tinkering, I might swap out the P90’s for a set of humbuckers but I really like this guitar. The body shape is really comfortable (I need the belly cut these days) but mostly, I love the neck on it. It’s got quite a narrow radius to it compared to my PRS and Tele and it’s just so easy to play. The observant may notice that I’ve fitted my Roland MIDI pickup to it - largely because it’s a direct fit to the bridge posts so I could attach it without the sticky pads or screws I’d have needed for anything else. I don’t see of hear much about K-Lines in the UK but they deserve more attention.

Welcome! And no need to be ashamed of anything - a good friend of mine learnt using Rocksmith (I think it was an earlier incarnation under a different name....guitarbot? Or maybe a different thing entirely but the same concept). As a way of getting familiar with what actual sounds are where on the fretboard, picking technique, etc, I think it’s brilliant. What you now have is a really strong foundation on which to build - but the bottom line is, you’ve achieved what you set out to achieve and, presumably, got some enjoyment and satisfaction from doing so. That’s got to be something to celebrate.

After years of using multi-fx units, I’ve moved to a pedal board; A Strymon Ojai power supply (very impressed with that), EHX Soul Food drive pedal, Boss OS2 overdrive/distortion, Boss DD2 delay, EHX Oceans 11 reverb and a Boss RC2 looper. Seen in proper context here with the EHX wah pedal and a Zoom A1 Four acoustic multi-fx. I plug the piezo pickup of my PRS into the Zoom and set it to emulate a Martin D28 (and any other effects I want on the acoustic side) while the magnetic pickups go into the pedal board. Great fun

In addition to the little Mustang (which I use as a practice tool because of the aforementioned play-along capabilities), I also have a little Bugera T5 Infinium which is perfect for home use. It has three power settings (0.5w, 1w and 5w) and does that valve breakup thing really nicely. I’d love a blues junior but to get them to sound “good” they’re just too loud for my needs

I agree - and I also think there’s a degree of “shorthand” in the choice; I’m a rock guitarist. I play a Les Paul I play mainly blues. I play a strat.. I’m a country boy. I got me a telecaster. Etc. Certain guitars are associated with certain genres and if you play that genre, you expect, and you’re expected, to play that guitar. Until you find the confidence to make your own choices, the path of least resistance is to conform to the stereotypes.

And greetings to you too, Bleu! Or do we say “bonjour”?

I’m missing the band although I’d never admit that to their faces Other than that, I’ve taken the opportunity to practice more and try to improve my technique. It’s working slowly so progress is encouraging and making me want to keep at it - but not that fast that there’s no challenge and I get bored. The big problem I have with lockdown is GAS and the siren call of internet shopping. Who knew I needed that boutique compressor pedal?

That would be even better if they plugged together and did away with the need for patch cables.... Ah. I just spotted the connector on the side. Genius

Hi simondo and welcome!

So many choices these days! I have a 15w Fender Mustang which - for me - is the perfect practice amp. Looper, SD card slot to play songs to jam with, change pitch and speed. Loads of amp models and effects built in. Mine is one of the early models with their Fuse software (which I’ve never bothered using) but if the current crop are as versatile then they’re well worth it. Or buy a used older model. The Spark looks interesting but you’re reliant on the app and I don’t think it would work for me. So of your choices, I’d probably go with the Katana but that’s only if my Fender Mustang wasn’t available. PS I did have one of the little Yamaha TH amps (the acoustic version) which I moved on quickly. Even at low volumes it couldn’t handle any sort of bass frequency and it hated anything above whisper quiet. The electric guitar versions may be better but I would check before you buy....

Ooh, tricky. I don’t know the Tribute series but they seem well specc’d and the weight relief is a big plus for me. That said, while I loved the Studio I had, I’ve not been a big fan of recent Gibsons. Build quality has been a touch too hit-and-miss for an instrument costing nearly £2,000. They may have fixed this with the new management structure but I’d want to actually try the guitar before I committed. The Epiphone looks nice and against a US Gibson at £1500 or £1800 it’s a no brainer. For £450 difference, that’s a harder call. In theory a US made Gibson should hold its value better and even if you’re not a badge snob, there’s something about having the real thing rather than the cheaper copy. In normal circumstances, I’d advise you to try them both but that’s not really an option right now. I can only speak for myself but I’d be looking very closely at the Gibson in the hope that it would be the modern successor to my much-missed Studiio. Edit: Guitar.com like the Tribute and it does look like it’s the modern version of my old Studio. I might be interested in one of these myself.... Let us know what you decide

Of course, they’d get a head start by letting an influential member of a well-known guitar forum have one for review purposes.... Just sayin’

As in so many areas (cars, bikes, electronics, the list is endless), automated design, machining and production has meant that quality levels have, in the main, gone up. It’s hard to buy something truly awful these days and it’s certainly much easier to produce something decent on a budget. So, for me, that leaves the question of where the market for Masterbuilt, Custom, boutique models sits and how much volume it can support. I can see the appeal of a small supply of custom instruments (or car or boutique hi-fi or whatever) but that can only ever be a very limited market for the minority who are prepared to pay a lot more for something “artisan crafted”*. If I can buy a perfectly good mass-produced guitar at a reasonable price, the only appeal of a custom shop model is the name on the headstock, surely? It’s the bragging rights attached to it rather than any real improvement in quality. So if this part of the market is driven by brand snobbery, how is a new name going to get established? I think these guys have an interesting approach but I think they’ll have a struggle on their hands establishing a new brand under their own name (and Shije? Really?). I think PRS have shown with their SE line that you can sell good-quality Asian instruments at a mid-level price point - Shije might have been better approaching an existing boutique name and doing a licence deal to get themselves established rather than starting from scratch. I wish them well but wouldn’t put my own money into it. I’ll be interested to see how this develops.... *I always read the phrase “artisan crafted” as a shorthand for “a bit wobbly and likely to contain, or be wrapped in, hemp”

For a variety of reasons, I’ve moved away from a multi-fx unit a d I’ve built up a basic pedal board (Wah, Drive, Distortion, Delay, Reverb, Looper) which I’m pleased with but I’m wondering whether to add a compressor to it (thinking of the Wampler Ego)? I’m also thinking that it may be overkill at the moment (no guarantee that this will ever see live use) and I may be better investing in a decent Amp/cab modeller. Thoughts?

I’m not familiar with either of the models you mention but if you have one that you find comfortable and enjoy playing then I’d be tempted to stick with that one and put the effort into finding a decent amplified sound for it. As I’m sure you know already, most guitar amps are designed to amplify electric guitar and process the sound accordingly. For acoustic (especially classical or nylon) you need either a dedicated acoustic amp or to use a DI or preamp into a PA or FRFR speaker.

That’s a big assumption right there. Personally, I would find a decent guitar-tech (a call out for recommendations on here will kick things off but you might also have a look on BassChat as that’s a forum with a richer history to draw on - and a decent tech is a decent tech whether bass or “proper” guitar) and get their advice on nut, bridge, etc. I hard-tailed my Strat years ago using a stack of coins rather than cardboard - again, a good tech will be able to do this anyway. A shame you’re not nearer to Hertfordshire as @gary mac does a very good setup service. It might be worth a message to him and see if something can be sorted (or if he can recommend anyone local to you). Good luck getting it sorted!

Santa was very kind this year and brought me this little beauty.... I’ve not yet had chance to try all the pickup permutations but first impressions suggest that this is a very versatile guitar - and the main thing is that it can still do the “PRS” sound. I am a lucky boy* *As I am sure Santa will quite rightly remind me whenever someone has need of a new pair of shoes.

I had a 2010 Les Paul Studio in the natural walnut. It had a sound all of its own and I really regret selling it. I bought another, “proper”, Les Paul years later and it was nowhere near as good build or tone-wise. A good, well set up Studio is an awesome thing.