Check this order please! Guitars/amps.

I have the Pacifica 112JL and a Micro Cube great amp :)

I bought my first guitar and amp nearly 4 weeks ago after a lot of browsing learning and asking for recommendations. I ended up buying the guitar and amp from GAK and the accessories from Strings Direct ( Great site as you can pick and mix plectrums ). So heres my story I guess :

I got the Boss TU-80 - tuner seems very nice get 2 free batteries no problems as yet and it has an inbuilt metronome

I thought the guitar would come with a strap it didnt (it just came with a cheap cable, old factory strings and allen keys for adjustments) :o buying one this week but I was recommended Planet Waves straps

Have a planet waves cable 20 ft. Solid, lifetime warrenty

Bought about 20 different plectrums really nice to try out the different styles and feels etc

Also bought 3-D D'addario .009 gauge ( Learn how to restring the guitar properly I was lucky but my friend wasn't ) Its standard size strings and it came with free fret polish.

Guitar was lovely looks brilliant no faults in the finish BUT the tone pots are placed backwards (work fine though) , the tuners were loose ( easily tightened ) , output jack is loose and the toggle switch is loose ( all these things can be easily fixed but as the guitar was so cheap and most importantly plays fine I am just saving for a new amp + guitar over next year rather than fix them niggles :D Best guitar ive ever played but I have only played 2 other ones more or less the same price but it blows them out of the water. :) Same goes for the amp. I recommend either the Micro Cube or the Cube 60. Micro Cube is great for home practice as in, in a room not blasting out the garage , jamming etc. Great COSM models on the cube and it is slightly future proof as you can use it as a mic amp. The Cube 15 isnt a very good amp as it has NO modelling all it has is basic 3 knobs etc. I cant confirm it but I have read the MicroCube goes much louder than the Cube 15. Also you can use the micro cube as an Aux for playing MP3 etc backing track etc whatever you like. and of course you can put in 6 AA batterys and go busking lol!


Well thats what I think mate good luck :)

PS: Difference between Maple and Rosewood and Ebony is only a slight difference in tone (and of course looks). Maple is the brightest tone , Ebony the darkest or warmest, and Rosewood inbetween both of them. But it really makes little difference its all about the amp.
 
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plankermaxx said:
I ended up buying the guitar and amp from GAK and the accessories from Strings Direct ( Great site as you can pick and mix plectrums )
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Both excellent places to order. Strings direct are extremely quick around my area as orders always arrive next day. However, my next guitar will no doubt be from GAK.[/quote]

plankermaxx said:
I got the Boss TU-80 - tuner seems very nice get 2 free batteries no problems as yet and it has an inbuilt metronome.
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Good choice as well. After a while all you'll need to hear is one note and the rest simply follow on from that. For me, if i can get a perfect low E then that is all i usually need. Also, having a metro is definatly important when learning, especially when learning scales and theory because it gives you a sense of timing, which tabs dont. Having a metro should help with all aspects of learning. :)

plankermaxx said:
I thought the guitar would come with a strap it didnt (it just came with a cheap cable, old factory strings and allen keys for adjustments) buying one this week but I was recommended Planet Waves straps
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Yeah, depending on your body weight and weight of the guitar it is advisable to get some lock straps just incase anything does fall. The last thing you want is it slipping at the bottom and smacking into the floor. (i have personal experience here!) They are not a lot and you'll need a pair. Planet Waves imo make pretty nice straps, but try some out and see how they feel (i.e weight distribution) rather than basing it upon looks. I did and bought crap strap for £10 that applies all of the weight of my Les Paul right into my shoulder, and it hurts!

plankermaxx said:
Have a planet waves cable 20 ft. Solid, lifetime warrenty.
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Remember, dont get cables that are too long otherwise you can loose some of the line quality. Up to 30m is about the maximum recommended as far as i can remember.

plankermaxx said:
Bought about 20 different plectrums really nice to try out the different styles and feels etc
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The beauty of Strings Direct. :cool: I personally did the same not too long ago and bought around £10's worth of plectums. Jim Dunlop has by bar the largest range and variety, so i would most certainly go for them. They are used by top musicians so that can be that bad... ;)

Try out some different gauges too. Start with about .50mm and then go right up to about 2mm to get a feel of what you like. Personally, for the standard size pick (ie standard shapes and sizes) i prefer 0.88's or .73's in general. Any higher and it feels a little too thick for my liking. However, for the smaller plectrums (i.e Jazz III's and small stubbies) i like them all the way up to 3mm. I have a 1/2/3mm small stubbies and i like them all because they are very accurate. I recommend these, but at about 60p a pot they aint cheap..

plankermaxx said:
Also bought 3-D D'addario .009 gauge (Learn how to restring the guitar properly I was lucky but my friend wasn't ) Its standard size strings and it came with free fret polish.
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On Strings Direct you can get a 5 pack of D'addario strings (9's and 10') for £16.99 which to a beginner is probibly the best part of a years supply. Start on 9 gauges and then when you develop and get through the pack of 5, order a single pack of 10's and see what you think. Re-stringing is easy enough, but can be quite frustrating at times if you cant get it right. :o

plankermaxx said:
I recommend either the Micro Cube or the Cube 60. Micro Cube is great for home practice as in, in a room not blasting out the garage , jamming etc. Great COSM models on the cube and it is slightly future proof as you can use it as a mic amp. The Cube 15 isnt a very good amp as it has NO modelling all it has is basic 3 knobs etc. I cant confirm it but I have read the MicroCube goes much louder than the Cube 15. Also you can use the micro cube as an Aux for playing MP3 etc backing track etc whatever you like. and of course you can put in 6 AA batterys and go busking lol!
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The ratings on these amps keep rising each year. All of the threads i read over at UG all seem to mention the Roland when talking about good value for money amps. For a starter, they are said to be perfect. I've had no personal experiance with these amps, but if so many people are raving on about them, they must be good. :)

plankermaxx said:
PS: Difference between Maple and Rosewood and Ebony is only a slight difference in tone (and of course looks). Maple is the brightest tone , Ebony the darkest or warmest, and Rosewood inbetween both of them. But it really makes little difference its all about the amp.
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I have a squire strat and an Epi LP and the nicest sounding and feeling came from the Epi, even though the Squire has had its pickups upgraded and the LP hasn't. For me, rosewood is smoother and 10x nicer to play. For me, it also looks like real wood, whilst maple doesnt quite so much. However, dont let cosmetics fool you as both are extremely good woods.

Enjoy and rock on.
 
OzZie said:
Remember, dont get cables that are too long otherwise you can loose some of the line quality. Up to 30m is about the maximum recommended as far as i can remember.
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Lol, I don't think anyone will need to worry about buying cables over 30m long. ;)

Imagine the tangled mess in your bedroom! :D
 
PSS: ;) Wondering if you guys can help me out? I need a cable that will plug into my Microcube and my MP3 player standard ear phones size jack. However I have to buy it from here as I have to buy my strap here as it seems one of the few places that stock the No.1 Elastic Stretch Straps (German company)

http://www.thomann.de/ie/cables_and_plugs.html

Im not sure what its called sorry I think its Aux or something :confused:

Thanks guys

EDIT: Seems like there are a lot of guitarists on OcUK maybe suggest on making a sub forum for it ?? Would be very nice especially for newbies like myself :D
 
plankermaxx said:
PSS: ;) Wondering if you guys can help me out? I need a cable that will plug into my Microcube and my MP3 player standard ear phones size jack. However I have to buy it from here as I have to buy my strap here as it seems one of the few places that stock the No.1 Elastic Stretch Straps (German company)

http://www.thomann.de/ie/cables_and_plugs.html

Im not sure what its called sorry I think its Aux or something :confused:

Thanks guys

EDIT: Seems like there are a lot of guitarists on OcUK maybe suggest on making a sub forum for it ?? Would be very nice especially for newbies like myself :D
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http://www.thomann.de/ie/akg_kopfhoereradapter_stereoklinke_mini.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/the_sssnake_kabel_ministereoklinke.htm


those two as far as i can make out ( is the aux in/mp3 input a 1/4 inch jack? and do you mean so you can play your mp3 through your amp?)
 
if its got a small aux input you wont need the adapter, but id recomend getting 1 anyway just incase you change amp to 1 with just a large output/input (there magic for running your amp into your pc)
 
I'd recommend Tortex. They're all I use any more :)

I prefer the green/blue (0.88 and 1.0mm) ones personally, although it will depend what you will be playing.
 
Tried&Tested said:
http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/Catalogue/default.aspx?categoryId=149

Can someone help me chose? They were accidentally left off the order. Which thickness and brand do you recommend?

Thanks again for all the great info in this thead.
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I wouldnt worry about what type of plectrum you should get.

Just get a few different ones and see which one you prefer.

I was recommended to get 2mm ones when i first started... turns out they are crap..

Just get a few different ones
 
Ordered:

Jim Dunlop Tortex Standard 4 Gauge: .88mm Green
Jim Dunlop Tortex Standard 4 Gauge: 1.0mm Blue
Jim Dunlop Tortex Standard 4 Gauge: 1.14mm Purple
Jim Dunlop Big Stubby 2 gauge: 1mm
Jim Dunlop Delrin 500 Standard 2 Gauge: .46mm
Jim Dunlop Delrin 500 Standard 2 Gauge: .71mm
 
Good...

Just make sure you try not to lose them...

Always make an effort putting them in a specific place...NEVER put them in your pocket... the pocket is like a black hole in terms of plecs.

P.S. the 1mm will probably be "the one"
 
Tried&Tested said:
Ordered:

Jim Dunlop Tortex Standard 4 Gauge: .88mm Green
Jim Dunlop Tortex Standard 4 Gauge: 1.0mm Blue
Jim Dunlop Tortex Standard 4 Gauge: 1.14mm Purple
Jim Dunlop Big Stubby 2 gauge: 1mm
Jim Dunlop Delrin 500 Standard 2 Gauge: .46mm
Jim Dunlop Delrin 500 Standard 2 Gauge: .71mm
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Purple for the win!
 
I go for a 1mm Dunlop Nylon as used by the pros :)

I used to be a .73 nylon kinda guy though.

Oh and I use gold optima strings from www.astrings.co.uk , 10 quid a pack but they look gorgeous, especially big thick gold bass strings :D
 
I love my 112 MX - I got mine for £100 a year ago second hand, but it was in mint condition and had been recently set up by a professional company so it was perfect really - guitar repair place recently said that it "plays like a dream". ive since bought a nashville telecaster which is better on the twangy-blocparty style sounds but the pacifica's humbuckers own it on heavier sounding songs
 
Will post some tomorrow...camera needs charging.

Any good sites to start learning how to play? I'm gonna sort some lessons but i'd like to have some idea before i turn up!
 
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