I want to learn guitar

Pick widths are obviously personal preference but a 0.38 with an electric guitar is going to be too slim I would think, I believe he recommends a .38 for acoustic where the strings would normally be heavier.

I alternate between a .46 and .6 when playing electric, and a .38 for acoustic, seems to work quite nicely for me. Picks are cheap as anything though, so get a few and try them out, you'll probably find your preference changes as you progress.

Ah, the good old finger burn though, it is indeed a pain (no pun intended!) but you'll find it gets easier, very quickly. All part and parcel of learning, everyone was the same :)
 
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Been reading this thread and finally decided to take the plunge and try to learn. Got a pacifica off ebay for £50. Looking forward to frustration and sore fingers later this week :D
 
Cool. :)

Kinda trying this thing from somit on utube where u do open high e then same string but with 1st fret down then switch to 3rd fret e then open again. It goes far to fast for me to play the thing but just trying a few things from it see how i go. Got a crap memeory so trying to remember what he is saying about the notes so to read while play i just wont be able to do for ages (if i try to remember lol)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bMS4kmiR84&feature=related

Also i duno why but having the fat end of the pick instead of the narrow point bit seems better imo. Probs should use the tip more but tried other end today and seemed easier and not catching the strings so hard as much.

My fingers tips of fingers 1-2-3 are getting number each time i practice i think its getting used to strings. Just wondering if i should have my pinkie getting used to it the same time as atm i haven't practiced with it yet.

Bidding on a roland amp, bout 45 quid so far. Bit expensive but if i do get it and i dont use it much i should be able to get my money back easy enough or at least i hope so.
 
Yes - start out right, get your pinky working. You can also try playing the "A" chord (you mentioned you were finding it difficult), with your middle, ring and pinky fingers.
 
Bought a 30x cube for a good price i think £82 delivered. Hope its worth such an investment considering im just a beginner and just learning a few chords atm. :)

I really want that acoustic effect tho. :)

Hopefully i can sell it for £80 delivered later if i dont get on with learning guitar.

Edit - Hehe i managed to get a free guitar to amp lead too. Very nice of the person tho.

Havent practiced yesterday i should but i didnt fancy it that day. I should keep it up tho as im paying a small fortune for a setup. I did notice tho that the 5th string when pressing on the frets well just before the frets that i get a little buzz from it, i duno if its a issue tho. Some pics of side as best i can get with macro shot, duno if theres a problem or if the pics would show a problem but here they are maybe someone can tell me if their ok at their height from the frets.




I think my strumming is getting a bit better. Just have to get used to it i guess. Picking certain strings will be a challange as well as changing chords as im having a tough enough time placing fingers for D chord and keeping it working i.e not touching other strings. The day i can change chords will be a good day.
 
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Right i was trying an experiment just to try to see if it was in tune using the harmonic method i.e 5th fret should sound like next one down. The 6th string (thickest) is giving massive fret buzz on the 5th fret. How can i correct it, i tried cleaning the string and fret board with a micro cloth (one u use with glasses) but didnt work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpykFY4Kk40

Was messing around with 6th string to get it in tune better so almost definatly isnt in tune for 6th string but shouldnt be that far off.

Let me know if i can fix it myself without doing anything drastic i.e the tuning knob at most all i wana do to try fix it. Or do i really need to take it to a shop in hopes they can fix it.

Do you think it might be cos of the restrung with slinky 10s that the ebay lad did before he sold it to me?
 
Got a reply about it from the ebay lad who sold me it.
Firstly, without it being amplified its not easy to see the real picture,some peolple have their guitars (mainly thrash and metal) with really low actions that sound raspy and chokey unplugged but fine amplified.Its not supposed to be strummed unplugged like an acoustic otherwise it would only be fair to expect to raise the strings as high as an acoustic, which for an electric would be rubbish.If its something you can't live with then you can raise the individual string to the point where the buzzing isn't an issue then adjust the height of the other strings to suit.You could also look at the neck to see if putting some relief in it would help.You might need to look on the net for some tutorials on neck adjustments its not rocket science but would be easier explained in a video.
I'd personally just wait until its amplified and then make a decision based on the sound coming out of the amp.
Cheers
Mike
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I dont think i should have a strong buzz on the string considering other frets are fine. Sounds like he is fobbing me off.
 
I really doubt there's anything wrong with the guitar, it probably just needs a proper set up from a professional. Fret buzz can be caused by any number of things and can be anything from one of the metal frets being a little too high (and needing filed down, again, by a pro, don't attempt it yourself) to needing a truss rod adjustment (the rod inside the guitar's neck that sets the tension, again, leave it to a pro), to merely needing a change of strings. A guitar shop will generally charge you £50-60 for a setup, I'd check the yellow pages and try and find someone that'd help you out for £30ish though.

A Yamaha Pacifica set up by a pro 9 times out of 10, will out-play a vastly more expensive guitar straight out of the factory. Getting it set up is definitely highly recommended, but frankly I'd say for your purposes, if you can live with the buzz when playing plugged in, I'd just leave it for now. Then when you're a little bit more confident and know the guitar a little better yourself, take it for a setup.

Edit: Just noticed that you're looking for a teacher, if you get a decent one he should be able to help you with some maintenance and even a decent setup.
 
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SkeeterUK said:
Got a reply about it from the ebay lad who sold me it.


I dont think i should have a strong buzz on the string considering other frets are fine. Sounds like he is fobbing me off.
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It is totally fine and you would expect this without the guitar amped up. It will be made worse by your leet beginner skillz....... :D

Fret buzz usually depends on action height and neck relief. Sometimes the frets can be slightly out of kilter on profile. Could be it has a set of strings which are not correct for the truss rod tension.

I have a usa fender (2007 HSS sienna sunburst, ash body) which when I got it had no fret buzz but the action although low and factory spec was too high for how I like it. lowered it to 1 mm and I now get a reasonable amount of fret buzz on 3 of the strings.

Plugged in, you don't notice it and it matches my play style.

I have a 1996 squire strat set up the same as my usa with similar levels of buzz. This plays as well as my usa strat after lots of love and tlc by me.

My ibanez elec acoustic has fret buzz due to act due to action height. Can't hear it when plugged in though.

You need to bond with your guitar more, stroke it, take it to bed, take it to the cinema and you will soon forget about the minor nuances.

It is worth reading up on lots of guides and even getting a couple of books so you can set the guitar up yourself. Heck, buy a £30 squire off ebay to practice setting up on and it will save you a fortune in the long run on shop set ups.

On my usa strat it takes about 3 to 5 days for a relatively minor adjustment to settle fully, this is quicker on the squire.

There is a really fine line between action and relief resulting in buzz or no buzz, sometimes just a fraction of a turn on the truss rod can make a massive difference.
 
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just opened my new guitar and amp, now i need to try teaching myself! ::O Any good sites that can teach me the basics, will get stuck in tommorow.

I also have no idea how to tune the thing :p
 
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thanks mate :)

Just tried to use the tuner, i pluck the strick and turn the thing til the light goes green, then i pluck it again and it just goes red again, havent got a clue what im doing :p
 
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Gall1987 said:
Can anybody recommend a good acoustic to start learning on? :)
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No.

Everyone has preferences on feel or sound. Go to your local guitar shop. See what feels comfortable, if you can't play much (or anything yet) then the sales people will play things - see what you like the sound of - which things they think will suit you.
 
tom91x91 said:
thanks mate :)

Just tried to use the tuner, i pluck the strick and turn the thing til the light goes green, then i pluck it again and it just goes red again, havent got a clue what im doing :p
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Tunes all of your strings right the way down until they are loose and you can pull them out of the nut slots easily. The bottom string (the thickest one, closest to the ceiling) is E. Tune it up until the tuner says E. There should be three lights, green in the middle with a red either side. The red on the right means it's tuned too high. The left means too little. Green means it's in tune. It doesn't have to be absolute bang on. If you have a different tuner with one light then just tune it until it's green. It should still say which letter string it's tuning to. Then when you've got that string in tune do the next one which is A. Same process. They go EADGBE. Once you'ved tuned them all, play something for about 10 seconds, then tune them all again as they will now be a bit out. Do this about 2 or 3 times until they stay in tune.

This sounds like a right prat about but once you get the gist of it it takes two minutes.
 
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