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Topic: Guitar thread (Read 637180 times)
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Raph
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Posts: 1472
Title delayed while we "find the fun."
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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The worst part about letting my chops get rusty is the pauses in my improvisation. Playing some bass, I'm just a beat or three behind where I know I can be, struggling to keep up rather than planning out a couple bars ahead. Then I went and sat behind the drums (because I had left the snares engaged and it was making me crazy) and kick out a badass funk. Blah.
I've pretty much lost focus across all instruments currently, kinda sucks. Going to have to put some time into something to at least feel good about playing. Of course I'm currently getting a bunch of offers to jam with folks now. Thanks, fate.
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Raph
Developers
Posts: 1472
Title delayed while we "find the fun."
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Nylon crossover obtained. I ended up spending quite a little pile of pennies on a Cervantes Crossover I, with solid Palo Escrito back and sides and a solid cedar top. Here's a little bit of noodling on it that does it no justice whatsoever. Action is slightly higher than I am used to, so I keep fumbling. I promise I will play more cleanly as I learn the neck on this a bit better. No dots, aaaah! Well, one side dot on the 7th fret, thank god. No pickup in it, dunno if I will add one. It has sustain for days. http://www.raphkoster.com/music/CervantesTest.mp3In this hunt I looked at Kenny Hill, Alhambra, Cordoba, Ramirez, and a lot of other makes. Basically been shopping for four months. My criteria started out just being a crossover neck (48mm nut), but grew to include a radiused fingerboard, and a cutaway. Once I realized that there weren't very many instruments out there that fit all the criteria, I widened the search to include stuff a bit more expensive than I originally planned. But as the sales guy said, it's a lot cheaper than a red sports car.
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Niiiice! Not having dots (side or face) is still throwing me a couple years playing primarily on the classical. I was chalk marking for a while, I should keep that up. Even the 7th fret would be enough to guide things (that's where I tend to lose my place when I jump up from open positions). I do like the full size classical neck, I could actually live with a bit wider neck actually. String spacing is still a bit tight for my fingers, which were trained on bass as far as single line picking goes.
Love the sound of nylon. Absolutely my favorite tone. Your recording sounds great!
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Raph
Developers
Posts: 1472
Title delayed while we "find the fun."
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Forgot to update here when I fronted a three piece for four damn hours. I guess I should stop bitching about not having enough repertoire.
Anyway.
I just had a breakthrough on Hendrix style rhythm while screwing around with Hey Joe yesterday. I changed from cowboy chords to closed position and closing the C and sprinkling with some Allmans dust (pent maj ala Blue Sky) fills a giant hole in my ability to jam Hendrix. I'm pretty decent with open stuff and the E shape (low e root barre chord for you non-CAGED folks), but there was a gap in there with the C shape (the 5th string root barre chords, heathen).
Showing the old lady how I was throwing off the bass player trying to follow me because I wasn't playing roots, I used Hey Joe as an example. Just fragmenting the G by dropping the bottom root and fifth and then doing a cheap C inversion by barring the middle three strings popped a light. I plugged in some Allmans-style fills with less single-note and more fragments and bam! The missing link to move around freely like Hendrix.
Still a few years of screwing around to get the positions worked out and comfortable, but that was pretty huge for both my Hendrix jams and playing in general. The guys were loving it because apparently not many guitarists like to play Hendrix, and if they do it's all the nonsense part (playing with teeth, behind the head, tons of crappy effects and weird sounds).
At such a weird place with my playing as I don't practice any one style, so there's a lot of weirdness. Then I picked up the electric AND had to sing, stuff just started pouring out. Pretty cool to realize I'm probably better by a loooong shot than I ever was when I was doing it for real.
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Just found out the old lady got me a lesson with Stephane Wrembel for my xmas present :) Only one of my very favorite guitarists. I've linked him before, but for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9YNKRwI5aU
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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I had that guitar workshop with the mighty Stephane Wrembel yesterday and after he taught us basic gypsy jazz rhythm he had me accompany him while he did examples! Woah! And then he had me do a few progressions of how to implement basic melodic motifs to begin developing solos and improvisation. I was floored! And he was doing the accompaniment! Craziness, I'd never thought that even at such a rudimentary level I'd have a proper lesson with the master. And during the show later that night he kept looking over at me with a 'see how this is based on what we talked about' look as he would play certain passages.
My thumb is blistered...
Had a laugh before the show when the other guys in the class came up and complimented me on my playing and were asking questions about what I did. Fiancee gave me the 'you can't say you suck' look, she's eating it up. Then one guy gives me his card, turns out he's a music teacher and wants me to show him some stuff. I was dying, I'm just a noodler :p
Best part about it is, while the lessons were rudimentary, it gave me the foundation to learn beginning through intermediate gypsy style (at least manouche style). Just the spirit of how to play and the basic approach, things that are hard to convey in a book (I have Stephane's and it's excellent). It was like discovering the CAGED system, an 'aha!' moment that I know I will spend years trying to integrate into my playing...
But that moment after we developed the basic rhythm strum (incremented it up at 60 second intervals by 10bpm from 60 to 120)...he turns to me and says, "ok you play the chords 3 and 4 and..." and boom now I'm on the spot! Then he did the same thing with motifs, "ok, play a basic motif over the chords 3 and 4 and..." First time I was shocked and just did something simple, for the second progression he said 'again, something different' and I got a little fancy and added a bit of ornamentation... "Stop. No. Keep it simple until you understand. Those notes were nice, but too soon. Learn first, then explore. 3 and 4 and..."
I'm still kind of in awe of the experience, both at having the lesson itself and being the star pupil that got to be the accompaniment! Craaazy.
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Sky
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Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Poking around on my multitrack looking for something and stumbled across this. I love when I discover some idea I randomly jotted down and then completely forgot. https://db.tt/iq3uLBBV
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Sky
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Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Nebu
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Posts: 17613
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That is beyond awesome. Thanks for the link.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Tale
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sıɥʇ ǝʞıן sʞןɐʇ
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Trippy
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Tale
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sıɥʇ ǝʞıן sʞןɐʇ
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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« Last Edit: March 21, 2016, 08:01:04 PM by Sky »
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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So I tweaked my back last week. Not sure if it's my shitty chair at work or the fact that I was playing a lot of bass last week with the new Rush pack on Rocksmith.
Considering a new, lighter, bass. My guitar is light (Gibson SG), so thinking of maybe an SG bass or something, also going with a shorter scale. On the upside, better for my stubby fingers. On the downside, I already fret so hard it goes too sharp for Rocksmith a lot of the time.
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Nebu
Terracotta Army
Posts: 17613
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The newer Ibanez basses have a great tone, thin necks, and are quite light. I'd suggest the SR series. I normally play a Fender Jazz, but also have an Ibanez SR500 that I like for the tone control and fast neck.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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The neck on my custom ESP is pretty thin, but it's 35-1/2" scale. A few songs that should be easy are difficult due to the long frets at the 1-5 range. I'm hoping to find a 30" at a shop to try.
I'd really love a Ricky, but those aren't light, and that's my main excuse em reason for buying one...
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Nebu
Terracotta Army
Posts: 17613
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I'd really love a Ricky, but those aren't light, and that's my main excuse em reason for buying one...
Do they still have a double truss neck? That was my big deterrent to getting one. Seemed like a constant wrestling match with the neck.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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No idea, just basing it off my experience back in the early 90s with a loaner after my Peavey got stolen. Loved it.
Looks like they redesigned the SG bass in 2015 with a decent bridge, it also has a 30" scale... Got an email from AMS, and though I'm loath to buy a guitar online they have a pretty nifty feature where you can compare photos of the actual instruments they have in stock by serial number and buy the exact one. Weeds out some of the bum wood options, and they have one with nice tight grain throughout...
I blame the old lady. After she bought the new car she made some comments about me needing to get something shiny so I don't feel 'left out'...
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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And I just read that Gibson may be discontinuing their bass lines? Sheesh.
Now I'm even more tempted to pull the trigger on the SG bass (with free shipping and free returns/no restock fee for 45 days...). And the old lady approves. Ye gods.
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Nebu
Terracotta Army
Posts: 17613
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And I just read that Gibson may be discontinuing their bass lines? Sheesh.
Now I'm even more tempted to pull the trigger on the SG bass (with free shipping and free returns/no restock fee for 45 days...). And the old lady approves. Ye gods.
Why not just buy an old Grabber or Ripper bass? They are marvelous chunks of wood and have a great vintage feel.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Because I need a light bass and want a short scale.
I guy stayed with me while he was going through a divorce, had an early grabber that he bought in case with the tag still attached for $150 at a garage sale. I am the person who took the tag off, he 'always wanted to learn to play bass'. I told him if he ever sold it (because I knew he would, being bad with money and not a bassist) to give me first dibs, I would buy it for going rate, cash money, any time. He worked at a record store, so I'd see him every week on payday. Every week I asked about that bass, it became a regular thing. One week he goes, "oh yeah, I sold that thing, wasn't ever going to play it and needed the money"
What a dick.
Anyway, loved the grabber. Would love to have one, but I have a pretty specific list. If there were better stocked stores around here, I'd try a few things. Jag SS or something, maybe. But eh, I ordered the SG, we'll see how she plays. I do like mahogany and being able to see pics of the actual grain (and have generous return policies) makes me feel better than buying something sight unseen. Enough time to have my setup guy do his thing, too.
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Nebu
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Posts: 17613
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I was going to mention that I have one of these lying around. Ibanez Artcore. It's really a wonderful hollow body that's light and nice for sound variety. Big fan of Ibanez for cheap, but good value basses. EDIT: I know you already have your choice in mind. Just sharing at this point. I'm actually looking for a 70's era Precision at the moment. One of the great benefits of being 1 hour from Memphis.
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« Last Edit: August 29, 2016, 08:05:52 PM by Nebu »
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Just got in the bass today, Fedex guy was bummed I scheduled evening delivery (it's a signed-for delivery and I didn't want it loaded/unloaded an extra time for delivery tomorrow), called me and brought it over to the library. So it's been show-n-tell a lilbit here :)
Grain is as beautifully straight and tight as it looked online, I have to give props to AMS for that web feature. Plays great, sounds really good acoustically (as the guitar SG did). Has a buzzing (from vibration) pickup, which is apparently endemic to the model. I'll see if I can fix it with a little foam spacer hack, shouldn't be a big deal. And of course I need to plug it in and put it through it's paces. But on sheer playability, I love it, total keeper. Short scale works for me, though I'll have to test how sharp notes go once I get to my tuner. Doesn't seem bad to my ear.
Main thing that might possibly bug me is the trade-off for the shorter scale, it's a 20 fret and my Edwards is a full 24 frets and I'm just used to having that (since it's the only bass I've played in 24 years or so :)). It does have the top note from Southbound Pachyderm, so that's encouraging. I'll have to try Anesthesia... But at the end of the day, I can always pull out the Edwards for a song or two if needed. Having a lighter bass with a shorter scale is so worth it!
edit: bonus points for made in USA and hard shell case :)
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Nebu
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Posts: 17613
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It's cool... but $1600 for a guitar with a battery powered pickup in it seems a bit much. I'd just as soon buy a nice Martin D28.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Well, it's a bit more than that, since it has an actuator that feeds the top to create the sound. The battery is more for the actuator and to a lesser degree the circuitry for the two effects.
It's a really amazing idea. I know it would be great for things like the renfaire circuit, where acoustic instruments are struggling for volume (my charangista buddy finally bought a pignose a few years back). Heck, it would be good for the redneck campfire across the street, they're rowdy as hell.
And that's just the volume boost ability of sending a wet signal with low effects through the top. The ability to have chorus and reverb without any other device is unprecedented.
I wouldn't have it as my first guitar, but I wouldn't mind having a classical version as my second!
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Nebu
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Posts: 17613
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I agree that it's an amazing idea. I think the best part of it is that it will encourage people to actually play their guitars more. Just a bit pricey. Current comments are that it's significantly heavier than a regular dreadnaught as well.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Yeah, that assembly is cast metal, so...
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Raph
Developers
Posts: 1472
Title delayed while we "find the fun."
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Nebu
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Posts: 17613
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I'm guessing that many of you guitar guys already know about this, but I thought I'd share just in case. Harmonic inconsistenciesI have been delving more into theory lately and the wave properties of string instruments interested me in a nerdy, physics sort of way.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Nah, I'm a simple man :)
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Raph
Developers
Posts: 1472
Title delayed while we "find the fun."
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3rds are why so much amplified and especially distorted guitar music uses perfect 4ths and 5ths. :)
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