i learned from scratch all by myself. never had a guitar lesson but did have 8 years on sax w/instruction. soo, that helped a lot with the whole reading music / key signatures / time signatures thing.

one thing I'd suggest (and I believe CalledToArms suggested this to someone a few pages back) is to try to make an effort to learn what notes every fret position / string is. it sounds like a lot to learn but really isn't that bad since you already know the open notes and what fret 5 (or 4 on 3rd string) is, 12 is obviously an octave from the root, etc.

makes it a lot easier in the long run in my opinion.

[Edited on August 31, 2009 at 8:09 AM. Reason : edit, lol..and he posted before i refreshed the page.]

8/31/2009 8:09:29 AM

its ok, its important enough that it can be repeated haha

8/31/2009 8:26:49 AM

i know all the notes, but i cant instantly look at a fret and know it (takes a few seconds), so I guess there's varying degrees of knowing

9/1/2009 1:18:47 AM

i never took guitar lessons, i took 3-4 piano lessons and was fairly good at piano before i started playing guitar. I wouldn't say it helped technique but it definitely helped me move quickly from one thing to the next because i wasn't getting bogged down with trying to figure out the logic behind what i wanted to play, if that makes any sense.

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 1:28 AM. Reason : ]

9/1/2009 1:25:14 AM

i need a new bass amp

what should I buy

im also broke.

9/1/2009 1:31:32 AM

me too

lol, and i kinda want a keyboard. I want to pull a Motif off ebay for like under $400 but i doubt thats going to happen.

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[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 1:37 AM. Reason : ]

9/1/2009 1:36:33 AM

^^ i bought an Ampeg BA115hp 15" 300W combo...and absolutely love it. It's powerful, LOUD, and sounds amazing. Definitely the best solid-state bass amp I've ever heard. The only thing that it lacks is sheer physical fortitude, for it is the champion of the "big things in small packages" game. Of course, "small packages" is all relative because the thing weighs as much as my first girlfriend.

I've contemplated building a faux cabinet around it for gigging so it looks as big as it sounds...but I'm just not that guy


so If you're not in the market for a gallien-krueger or svt-pro head and full stack, i'd go with this. unless you're just looking for something to dick around with at your house, in which case peavey, fender, and ibanez all make pretty solid practice amps.

[Edited on September 1, 2009 at 3:17 AM. Reason : df]

9/1/2009 3:15:46 AM

Got one of these today, '95 LP Special TV with P-90s. Bound neck and gloss finish, way better than the "Faded" models from around '03. Now, time to sell off some others.

9/1/2009 3:42:41 AM

^ my dad has the '59 version of that in a brownish color

9/1/2009 3:53:52 AM

Probably was red when new.

I hope to have a real one with the wraptail some day, but I got a hell of deal on this one, especially since it's the TV finish.

9/1/2009 4:24:55 AM

it's by far my fav of his, the other noteworthy ones are a 74' strat with double humbucker and 73' tele

9/1/2009 5:15:32 AM

^^ yea that thing looks sweet man!

Quote :

"i know all the notes, but i cant instantly look at a fret and know it (takes a few seconds), so I guess there's varying degrees of knowing"

yea what I meant was fairly instantaneously. its not as hard as it sounds, and the benefits from knowing that are huge imo.

9/1/2009 8:02:15 AM

the bad part for me is i still think of scales/key signatures/arpeggio's, etc on saxophone, lol. really annoying. guess it's better than nothing though.

9/1/2009 8:04:44 AM

sold my valve junior and picked up a Vox Valvetronix VT15

I find it sounds waaaaaay better than my distortion pedal hooked up to my valve junior

I've mainly just played on the Marshall JCM800 and JVM410H models so far

9/1/2009 11:32:50 AM

well of course an amp that's designed for clean signal reproduction is going to take your distortion pedal better than an amp that starts to saturate at 9:00 on the volume knob

9/1/2009 11:36:51 AM

? i'm not hooking up my distortion pedal to the VT15

i was never really going past 9 on the valve junior because i have to be pretty quiet

anyways it sounds way better at quiet levels

maybe when i get a real house i can get a real amp

9/1/2009 12:45:15 PM

oh, i got you now

the VJ is designed to be turned to at least 1:00 and preferably all the way up and then controlled with the guitar's volume knob

since solid state amps don't need to breathe in the power section, they sound much better at low capacity

9/1/2009 8:37:16 PM

picked up a VT15 today...I'm liking it.

9/5/2009 1:35:30 PM

Anybody know any details on this guitar? Found it in my parents storage building lol..

9/6/2009 1:52:26 PM

Early '60s Kay, fixed up it's probably worth $300-400.

9/6/2009 10:24:07 PM

Any idea what model?

9/6/2009 10:27:22 PM

Best I can tell with some quick research is a 60-65 Pro Thinline Model #1993.

9/6/2009 10:46:37 PM

Looking to spend 200-300 on a new electric, wanting to play a mix of rock/metal/hardcore punk

currently looking at some ESP's and Schecters, any recommendations?

10/2/2009 4:11:13 PM

^ the description you give immediately makes me think of an SG. Maybe vinylbandit can agree/disagree with that. But they can definitely be versatile guitars serving well in all 3 of those mediums with the right pickups/amp. Perhaps an Epiphone SG?

10/2/2009 4:13:35 PM

ESP FX 260.

Will be my next guitar whenever i get around to buying another one. Definitely the best guitar i've played for under a thousand bucks.

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

[Edited on October 2, 2009 at 4:18 PM. Reason : ]

10/2/2009 4:17:55 PM

I had an epi SG a few years ago and wasn't too impressed with it. I mean, i could get some good tone out of it, but only after changing out some of the hardware. yeah, the factory tuners and pickups just suck

Any thoughts on the Schecter Omen-6 or 006 diamond series?

[Edited on October 2, 2009 at 4:22 PM. Reason : ]

10/2/2009 4:20:56 PM

An SG would be okay...except that they're the worst fucking balanced guitars of all time.

I've ditched every guitar I own that's not a P-90 Les Paul or a Danelectro, but I'd go with a Tele that has a humbucker in the neck and a standard Tele bridge pickup. Some of the Chinese ones are really damn nice guitars for under $300.

I guess it depends on how heavy we're talking when you say "metal"...a Tele with hot pickups will do Maiden/Sabbath just fine, but not anything heavier.

10/2/2009 10:29:41 PM

lol, have to agree on the unbalanced part. damn thing needs a 5lb weight added to the talk piece or something . that was the first thing i noticed when i played one. it sounded damn good (P90's) and played great..but it was trying to lean sideways the whole time

10/3/2009 8:56:21 AM

look for a used "The Paul SL". its what i have and i've yet to find something i like better enough to replace it.

Its a solid mahogany carved top Les Paul shaped Gibson, made in Tennessee. 496R/498T pups, '59 neck like an SG. Its thickness and weight is right between a Les Paul and an SG. So i guess its really an SG/LP hybrid sort of thing. Its a great weight. You can find em on ebay for like $200 because no one wants something called a "The Paul", Gibson USA or not. haha Its simple, only has dot inlays. but all the important things are there. it was nicely made and plays awesome.

The only guitar i sort of want is something single coil and longer scale like a Tele just for something very different.

Edit: i don't mean the old late '70s The Paul that was just a plank. I mean the late '90s "The Paul SL". I think they only made it a couple years. I don't see any on ebay now of in the completely items listing.. maybe not so easy to find.

[Edited on October 3, 2009 at 10:59 AM. Reason : gggggg]

10/3/2009 10:54:33 AM

REDPLATING TUBES

got drunk left it on standby for like 2 hours.

Probably going to get more 6l6s but i have no idea what to do for preamp

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

10/6/2009 11:09:04 PM

Just get JJs. The wanky shit you play doesn't rely on any decent preamp tone in the first place, especially in a 6L6 amp that's pretty sterile to begin with.

10/7/2009 3:33:53 AM

lawlz

10/7/2009 7:23:46 AM

leaving it on standby for 2 hours won't make your tubes redplate. in standby only the heaters are on. if its red plating its because the amp isn't biased right or the tubes are totally shot. or you put in a different tube that requires a rebias.

10/7/2009 7:26:21 AM

well my amp can also take el34s, which is my big gripe because half of the stuff i play is clean anyways, then again my amp is already bright as fuck, without the bright switch engaged on the clean chan

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 7:57 AM. Reason : ]

[Edited on October 7, 2009 at 7:59 AM. Reason : ]

10/7/2009 7:56:29 AM

Oh, channel switchers. You are so silly.

Turn the amp up and use the guitar to control the level of distortion, you pseudo-sophisticated twerps.

10/7/2009 5:58:46 PM

Thats definitely unnecessary.


I'm going with:

Pre

V1 1st Gain-State Clean: Mullard
V2 2nd Gain-Stage Clean: Sovtek 12ax7wxt+
V3 1st Gain-Stage Drive: TungSol
V4 2nd Gain-Stage Drive: TungSol
V5 3rd Gain-Stage Drive: Sovtek 12ax7wxt+
V6 Power Driver Stage: TungSol?


The wxt+'s will tame the hissing down and i won't have to use a noise gate, but i have heard that they're very trebley. I'm using Vintage 30s so theres already a pretty pronounced upper midrange sound not to mention the amp is already fairly bright anyways... oh well, nothing i can't eq out. I checked my amp forum out and most people seemed to prefer Tungsol over JJ's especially on the drive channel.

Power:

either SED 6l6s or Ruby =C= 6l6s probably the =C=




I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

10/7/2009 9:47:19 PM

Quote :

"Thats definitely unnecessary."

Perhaps, but it sounds better.

10/8/2009 3:47:49 PM

i have totally different eq settings on my clean channel, and a tiny bit of delay, that wouldn't carry over well.

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

10/8/2009 3:59:56 PM

yea if I was just doing rock stuff I wouldnt switch channels probably hardly at all, I'd do exactly as vinyl suggested, but I have 3 channels and utilize 2 regularly...the third one once in awhile. But definitely the clean channel and main gain channel I have setup with totally different EQs for the stuff we play.

/shrug

10/8/2009 6:05:39 PM

You crazy metalheads.

10/9/2009 3:01:14 AM

hey at least i don't use a sonic maximizer alright?

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

10/9/2009 9:20:19 AM

i think i'm going to try and find a nice unloaded 2x12 and put 2 eminence wizards in there.

i'm not digging the V30 tone i think i could do better





I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

[Edited on October 12, 2009 at 5:20 PM. Reason : ]

10/12/2009 5:19:02 PM

I'm surprised they didn't throw a Greenback in the mix for that second test.

Also, I played an SS amp for the first time in at least five years today. Vox Pathfinder 15, a cute little head on a 2x10 cabinet that was made to look like a tiny Super Beatle. The reverb was kinda nice and it sounded pretty good played clean at a bedroom volume...and then I dug into a chord. Yikes. Needless to say, I'm good on SS amps for another five years.

10/12/2009 7:37:12 PM

yeah thats the thing that kinda got me i mean the discussion is almost always "Greenback or V30s" when speaking with celestions.

check this vid out at 3:00



I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

[Edited on October 12, 2009 at 11:05 PM. Reason : ]

10/12/2009 10:55:42 PM

Don't forget Blues. I only use EL84 amps so that biases me towards them, but they're great speakers.

Perhaps not good for your style, though.

[Edited on October 13, 2009 at 2:44 AM. Reason : 3]

10/13/2009 2:44:00 AM

i'd get greenbacks but i'd have to get a 6x12, or pull two tubes, which i'd rather not do.
I was going to do an X pattern in my 4x12 but my V30s are 16 ohms and its too much work to sell all 4 then buy 2 8 ohm and 2 8 ohm green backs.

lol

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

10/13/2009 10:59:31 AM

So i got around to putting new preamp tubes in today.

Sounds a little better, didn't get to crank it though.


Only thing is there is a hum when i hit the boost on the drive channel. I'd think it was a grounding issue but it only happens on that channel with the boost. I can crank the clean channel with literally zero noise (which impressed me). I guess its a bad tube or a fucked up one of the ground pins which is ridiculously unlikely i guess?

I've never changed tubes before so idk. Wasn't doing this before. All of my preamp tubes have caps over them or dampers or whatever you call them. I'll go back and check everything tomorrow when i have time.

Next thing on the list is Poweramp tubes.

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

10/13/2009 6:12:26 PM

It could be making sure the tubes are seated right.
check out

http://www.eurotubes.com/

somewhere in there is a how-to on seating tubes and tensioning the sockets.

10/13/2009 6:44:10 PM

so

after my horrid attempt at a fret job a while back i'm looking to get a new neck.. i've got most of the specs picked out but am not real sure on what kind of woods to get

i mean, everything i've played has more or less been cheap'o maple..

I played one of those fender road worn series a few weeks ago and loved the feel of it. looks like those are made from

Quote :

"# Neck: Maple # Fretboard: Rosewood"

so, that's what i'm considering now. trying to keep the cost down but i mean, spending a few more dollars to get something better long term is fine..

10/23/2009 10:10:19 PM

I stand by maple or ebony fretbroads

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

[Edited on October 23, 2009 at 11:23 PM. Reason : and they look coola]

10/23/2009 11:21:32 PM