***The Official Guitar Thread***

I've neglected my guitars a bit too much since I upgraded to a Vega 56! My most recent (April 2018) purchase is an Ibanez RG8. It's not as good as I was expecting it to be (the pickups are weak as hell and the bridge is a bit balls) but it's killed two birds with one stone as I had wanted a 7-string for 20 years and an 8-string for 16 years!
 
I'm looking to buy what I'm going to call a sofa guitar! I want something cheap(ish) and small(ish) that can sit in my living room to be picked up and played randomly and be cheap enough that I don't mind my kids getting there grubby paws on it and it won't be the end of the world if I sit on it.

Currently looking at the ibanez AN60
https://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-an6...VBLTtCh19IgvbEAQYASABEgKLHPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
and the recording king eps-7-ta
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/192293303866

Anyone got an opinion on either of these or something else I should look at in the price range?
 
I think I've made a decision and it is neither of my original choices I was set on the ibanez but it looks like it has been discontinued :(

So I did some more digging and came up with the Recording King rph-p2-ts https://www.recordingking.com/p/rph-p2-ts which for £150 seem incredible value for a good looking solid top guitar massive lack of information on these as there are not very common in the UK but I think I'm going to take a gamble I can always return it if I absolutely hate it. It has a slightly shorter scale length 24.4" which helped sell it to me, I've always wanted a Gretsch Jim Dandy but the price for an all laminate guitar put me off so this seems like the best of both worlds!
 
My new years resolution is to try and fit in proper scheduled practice... I play a lot but usually just picking up the guitar recording a quick loop or whatever and then noodling away for a while. It's fun but I feel as though if I want to progress I need to try and learn more songs etc. instead of just doing the same thing all the time
 
I haven't been practising much either, but one of the two bands I'm currently in is very active practice-wise. If any of you aren't feeling it, I strongly recommend being in a band.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend two.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
I haven't been practising much either, but one of the two bands I'm currently in is very active practice-wise. If any of you aren't feeling it, I strongly recommend being in a band.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend two.
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I find the hardest thing learning at home by myself is from day to day i don't know what I should be learning next. Do I do scales ? Do I try to learn a new song ?
 
Raymond Lin said:
I find the hardest thing learning at home by myself is from day to day i don't know what I should be learning next. Do I do scales ? Do I try to learn a new song ?
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Play what makes you happy. My biggest progress on guitar personally came from learning the pentatonic scales (CAGED system I think) and then jamming over blues tracks. Realising the freedom I had on the fretboard was a big step.

In terms of bass, joining these two bands was massive. The amount of learning required drove me very hard to be better. At least in one of the bands, I feel like I'm the worst member and that motivates me.

If I were you, I would set myself a target. Maybe being able to play through a single album, or playlist, or a ten song set without any problems. Scales are good to learn, of course, but it's a very difficult thing to do without an actual objective. I've actually always had the same problem - why do something if there's no practical purpose to it. It's why I don't collect things.
 
I need to get back on it too. Newborn and moving have meant very little time to myself and when I do it's at night when breaking out an acoustic isn't going to fly.

I just wanna do my late fathers guitar justice as I'll never let it go and I'm not big into having unused. So the aim is to be able pick it up and sound convincing first and foremost. I have had lessons so know what I'm doing from a basic point of view and have been told I have great timing and pick things up fast. I just need to apply it and practice as much as possible, find 15 mins a day and not compromise. Would mean a lot to me to do the instrument justice and pass it along to my son one day.

If anyone could break down this into chords that'd be awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOpq734Kpso
 
The thing that has motivated me is that although I'm not in a band, at my work we setup a little Guitar meetup group so every few weeks we get together one lunchtime and just go round the circle and play something - maybe just a few cool riffs, some improv or a song... get some feedback and a chance to play in front of people. It's quite a big motivator because you want to learn something new to show the group at the next meetup...
 
Raymond Lin said:
I find the hardest thing learning at home by myself is from day to day i don't know what I should be learning next. Do I do scales ? Do I try to learn a new song ?
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I would learn Barre Chords in all positions and then learn the neck.

Something like this

Play Open E chord using your Last two fingers and pinky

Then Play F barre First Fret

Slide Up 2 frets Play G Barre

Slide up 2 Frets Plat A barre

Slide up 2 frets play B Barre

Slide up 1 fret Play C Barre

Slide up 2 frets play D barre

Slide up to 12 fret play E Barre

Learn these chords on the correct fret so that 8 barre chords learnt E Open, F,G,A,B,C,D,E closed

Then do it again once learnt and slide up one fret instead

Play Open E chord using your Last two fingers and pinky

Then Play F barre First Fret

Slide Up 1 frets Play F# Barre

Slide up 1 Fret Plat G barre

Slide up 1 frets play G# Barre

Slide up 1 fret Play A Barre

Slide up 1 fret play A# barre

etc all the way up to the 12th fret.

Then you know 16 chords But only have to remember one finger position.

Then Take your middle finger of the Barre and you have E minor, F minor, F# Minor ect all the wau up to the 12th fret

Now you know 32 chords But only have to remember one finger position.

Now take put your middle finger back on the barre and take your little finger off you have E7, F7, G7, ect all the way up to the 12th fret

Now you know 48 chords But only have to remember one finger position You know how to play G, G minor, G7 and everything in between But only have to remember one finger position

Then you take your little finger off making a 7 chord and your middle finger off making a minor 7 chord

so now you have learnt G#m7 and everything in between

This is 64 chords

All one Barre chord, little finger off/on... middle finger off/on Both fingers on or off

This means once you have learnt them and you can play any chord....Am7 ? easy? A#m7? C#m7 ? easy

You can now use guitar song books to play say Beatles song and you don't have to worry about remembering loads of open chord positions.

I did this when I taught myself and once the penny drops its really opens things up!
 
Last edited:
easyrider said:
I would learn Barre Chords in all positions and then learn the neck.

Something like this

Play Open E chord using your Last two fingers and pinky

Then Play F barre First Fret

Slide Up 2 frets Play G Barre

Slide up 2 Frets Plat A barre

Slide up 2 frets play B Barre

Slide up 1 fret Play C Barre

Slide up 2 frets play D barre

Slide up to 12 fret play E Barre

Learn these chords on the correct fret so that 8 barre chords learnt E Open, F,G,A,B,C,D,E closed

Then do it again once learnt and slide up one fret instead

Play Open E chord using your Last two fingers and pinky

Then Play F barre First Fret

Slide Up 1 frets Play F# Barre

Slide up 1 Fret Plat G barre

Slide up 1 frets play G# Barre

Slide up 1 fret Play A Barre

Slide up 1 fret play A# barre

etc all the way up to the 12th fret.

Then you know 16 chords But only have to remember one finger position.

Then Take your middle finger of the Barre and you have E minor, F minor, F# Minor ect all the wau up to the 12th fret

Now you know 32 chords But only have to remember one finger position.

Now take put your middle finger back on the barre and take your little finger off you have E7, F7, G7, ect all the way up to the 12th fret

Now you know 48 chords But only have to remember one finger position You know how to play G, G minor, G7 and everything in between But only have to remember one finger position

Then you take your little finger off making a 7 chord and your middle finger off making a minor 7 chord

so now you have learnt G#m7 and everything in between

This is 64 chords

All one Barre chord, little finger off/on... middle finger off/on Both fingers on or off

This means once you have learnt them and you can play any chord....Am7 ? easy? A#m7? C#m7 ? easy

You can now use guitar song books to play say Beatles song and you don't have to worry about remembering loads of open chord positions.

I did this when I taught myself and once the penny drops its really opens things up!
Click to expand...


Thanks :)
 
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