guitar NEWB thread

rocksmith has some pretty interminable loading times and a lot of weird little bugs. i think a better "game" would be something that let you play along with your favorite music, but let you slow it down and repeat during the hard parts till you get the hang of it.
try songsterr.com for something halfway there. (whoa-oh!)

adamrl are u still in LA? if so i can recommend an awesome teacher.

re: My First Guitar since you mention rocking out steel-string acoustic is a good place to start. if only to develop calluses and finger strength. there are a ton of great, affordable guitars out there. and if you're still in LA I can recommend a few good shops.

Yes I am still in LA and want an awesome teacher.

Also I want some pedals! What are some good one to get?

A little wishlist of things I've used/borrowed/owned before. The only one I have left is the Keeley but I don't play a huge amount of guitar anymore. I think the Electrohamonix pedals do a good job of packing in quality for price.

Delay - Electroharmonix Memoryman, BOSS DM2,
Ringmod - Moogerfooger MF102 (expensive)
Fuzz - Bigmuff (cheap too)
Overdrive - Fulltone Fulldrive
Pitch - probably Electroharmonix again, think they have a new one out that is quite something
Compressor - Keeley 4 knob (this is amazing and well worth the price)

ooooh, I understand "Delay" and "Fuzz', the rest are a mystery

lol. if you're already looking at pedals, you may not want to bother with acoustic after all. though it really is good for developing your technique...

for My First Electric, there's no way you can know yet what you're going to like, so the next best thing is something that looks cool to you and makes you want to rock the fuck out, or at least practice that you can also flip without taking too much of a hit. LA is one of the better markets for finding dope gear on craigslist. i'd vote for a used made-in-mexico fender telecaster or an epiphone sheraton, casino, or les paul.

pedals are a whole crazy world of their own. to start, you'll want an overdrive, maybe a delay, and maybe a compressor. recommendations for some of these things will be based on what guitar you choose. and what amp.

e.g. strat into fender amp loves a tubescreamer, les paul into marshall amp loves a treble booster. i have been down this rabbit hole and am happy to share. let's start with the guitar tho. and the amp.

re:teachers, since that's less interesting to the hivemind i'll reach out offboard if that's cool

good place to start gearwise: what sort of guitar music do you like?

this looks like nice delay pedal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3LSfEEaJmQ

good place to start gearwise: what sort of guitar music do you like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si85s8dvKWI

So...how long will it take me to get from COMPLETE newb to /\/\/\/\/\/\?

Not long, I'm sure!!

I'll also settle for

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUnf8WRt-E

I'm on a big Ride tip right now

So like...I'd like to be Link Wray crossed with Joe Strummer crossed with Kevin Shields

and Rowland S. Howard and also I want to sound like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvvWccgN3Zs

rowland howard's gear iirc:

fender jag ---> mxr blue box ---> mxr distortion+ ---> some external multi-band eq with everything at 10 ---> twin reverb (reverb on most of the time i think)

could probably swap those pedals out for some others and still be in that ballpark, his sound imo has to most do with his playing, then that jag + spring reverb tank in the twin. probably?

Blue box forecer

Blue Box looks cool.

I'll buy one of those then

mexijags are gettable. the new johnny marr jag is The One imo but a little spendy for My First Guitar,

ampwise you won't want to start with a twin unless you already have a soundproof garage or live in a stadium but the princeton reverb reissue is dope. either way you'll need pedals for dirt.

blue box is crizzazy

there's a pedal-building rowland howard fan who will make u this pedal for $300. combo blue box/d+

http://www.messandnoise.com/images/3028385/640x461-c.jpeg

bah mexijags are false jags /jerk

overwound pickups. balls to that

lol jj it's a bit early to introduce the NEWBs to grumpy guitar people sittin-on-the-porch conversation. my first electric I wouldn't have even noticed the difference between humbuckers and single coils.

My feeling about most people debating the merits of pickups and the like is stfu and learn how to play. As long as a guitar is playable, holds its tuning and doesn't create horrible noise/interference you can change the sound quite a lot just through things like picking technique, messing with the knobs, etc. Even moreso if you're using pedals, although this is another area where people put too much focus. If you're a pro or a very experienced player you'll be more aware of how the tech can help improve your sound and solve your problems, but there's nothing more depressing than a shitty guitarist with an overly-thought-out customized guitar and rig.

edge.jpg

"but there's nothing more depressing than a shitty guitarist with an overly-thought-out customized guitar and rig"
OTM

'audio' people are the worst. Gearslutz steez = "yeah but I null tested it and there was something at -40db and I can't have that'
Sorry how many records have you mixed? Stop worrying and apply some art.

holds its tuning

Key as fuck. I feel like I would have advanced a lot more in my younger years as a guitar player if I a.) hadn't had shitty tuning heads and b.)actually knew how to tune a guitar.

speaking of tuning i can highly recommend this one

http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/polytune_persp_poly.jpg

sorry i couldn't find a bigger picture

I've heard those are great. They make a slightly smaller one now as well that costs about $10 bucks less.

xxpost btw it's not really the tuners that are responsible for holding tune. grease yer nutz people. and learn how to wrap your strings.

and cut this shit out we're scaring the NEWBs

I unquestioningly accept that I may have had nut problems as well.

In the past, I've had problems with my (truss) rod.

it's common for truss issues to cause problems with your rod

I wouldn't have even noticed the difference between humbuckers and single coils.

uhhhh

Guys, I already spend a regular pretty penny on film/video equipment, I don't want to go in the hole for another gear-heavy hobby! Hobby being the key word here, the video is my primary dayjob/creative outlet, I just to learn guitar so I can play in my garage and take my mind of the other stuff. I basically don't want to spend more than $300 on initial setup. Although the pedal Roger posted loooks sweeet.......

that's where everyone starts ;-)

you'll be hard-pressed to find a satisfying electric guitar/amp/pedals setup for under $300 but it can be done. Again the good news here is that LA craigslist is about as good as it gets for guitar stuff.

Starter guitars to look for imo:
- MIM telecasters or strats
- Epiphone 335s or Les Pauls (there are a couple on LA craigslist right now around $300 that look pretty promising)

Starter AMPS to look for imo:
- Fender Champion 600 (with single coils; not a lot of clean headroom with 'buckers)
- Vox AC4
- Vox Pathfinder
- dunno what the hot el cheapo modelers are these days, but these will let you play with effects without buying pedals yet. Vox Valvetronix? Roland Cube/MicroCube? Line 6 MicroSpider?
- Yamaha THR10 looks ideal but it's $300 and not yet on the used market

Starter PEDALS to look for imo:
- EH Big Muff or Little Big Muff
- Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer
- RAT
- MXR Distortion III - not a classic or anything but super handy and cheep
- Digitech Digidelay
- Line 6 Echo Park

Would love to hear other folks' thoughts on a good affordable NEWB rig. Wonder where DJP's got off to...

ugh, money

maybe I'll just learn the flute or go acoustic...

vox pathfinder is a perfectly fine little practice amp. can be had for under $100 on amazon.

I like this place, it near my house:

http://futuremusicstore.com/

xp - nice! thank you. I was hoping for like a $100 amp and a 200ish guitar. I realize that isn't much but for now...

i've heard some good things about the Mascis Squier Jazzmaster ($300)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgVEtGXJRzo

MASCIS?

uh oh....

That sounds nice. I wanna be J too =(

it's CHEAP too

uhhhh

seriously do not worry about this crap at all ;-)

i think we can put together a totally sweet low-cost electric rig 4 u. esp. if you can stretch to like $500. it'll grow over time if you enjoy it, and you'll be able to ditch it all for more or less what it cost. zero risk!

and yeah Future Music is grebt. lotta oddball stuff, can get a little spendy. but a great place to dream, in a good way.

Dude, this is a nice guitar.

I'm fucked. This is the same thing that happened when I was a bike newb!

xxp

i have a mexijag : (

It sounds cool, whatever it is

By a strange chain of events I came to own a Johnson Solara. I believe they are around 150 new. I play it through a lower end tube amp, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and I love the way it sounds and it plays great.

names of guitars and gear are great, huh?

Am I having an early midlife crisis?