***The Official Guitar Thread***

[a1ex2001]

You keep thinking that....In fact just buy one and report back....

I just wrote a long reply to this but I'm not going to bother.

I have said repeatedly that I don't think a better guitar will make me a better player.

I also believe people bond with instruments differently, In my time playing different instruments since I was a kid some have just been 'me' and others have just not. Those that are 'me' I want to play more than those that are not but that is my personal experience. Your experience clearly differs great welcome to a world where everyone is different, the real irony in your constant point making is I don't have any flash guitars and I could buy everything on my wish list tomorrow and have them home by the weekend.

 

[easyrider]

I just wrote a long reply to this but I'm not going to bother.

I have said repeatedly that I don't think a better guitar will make me a better player.

I also believe people bond with instruments differently, In my time playing different instruments since I was a kid some have just been 'me' and others have just not. Those that are 'me' I want to play more than those that are not but that is my personal experience. Your experience clearly differs great welcome to a world where everyone is different, the real irony in your constant point making is I don't have any flash guitars and I could buy everything on my wish list tomorrow and have them home by the weekend.

If you want that new guitar just go and buy it mate...YOLO

 

[a1ex2001]

If you want that new guitar just go and buy it mate...YOLO

Just had to buy new strings as one died on the classical much more important to have an instrument I can actually play, need to keep a spare set on the shelf really like I do for the others.

 

[uncle_rufus]

Thats disgusting!

In my defence, I play a really wide range of styles You should hear the sound you can get if you stagger the DD6, Carbon copy + El Cap with a shedload of reverb... then do the violin/swell type thing where you ride the volume knob - can lay down some incredible huge dreamy soundscapes with that... record them with the looper (oh yeah I forgot I also have the Digitech Trio+ looper) then switch to a dirtier sound and Gilmour your heart out all over it

 

[a1ex2001]

Just had to buy new strings as one died on the classical much more important to have an instrument I can actually play, need to keep a spare set on the shelf really like I do for the others.

Should have asked for the combined wisdom of the the forum before I clicked buy I’ve always gone with D’addario EJ45c on my classical without really any thought as to why. Anyone got any recommendations for a set of nylons they like?

 

[easyrider]

Should have asked for the combined wisdom of the the forum before I clicked buy I’ve always gone with D’addario EJ45c on my classical without really any thought as to why. Anyone got any recommendations for a set of nylons they like?

I don’t buy new strings....I just get a new guitar instead

 

[a1ex2001]

I don’t buy new strings....I just get a new guitar instead

Lol I’m a slob I only change the strings on my acoustics every three months or so and hardly ever on the classical!

 

[easyrider]

Lol I’m a slob I only change the strings on my acoustics every three months or so and hardly ever on the classical!

I don’t think I’ve changed my strings on my classical....

 

[a1ex2001]

I don’t think I’ve changed my strings on my classical....

I wouldn’t be but 5 strings is not enough!

 

[Calpol]

Here is my collection. I'm a bang average player, self taught over the last 2/3 years. I knew a bit when I was a teenager but that's er a long time ago

1. Epiphone Les Paul - I do love it but its so heavy! It might get upgraded to a Gibson for my 50th
2. Fender Strat Classic 60 - Ebay purchase this year for £330. Its got the 12" radius fretboard which I like although I'm still not completely in love with strats
3. Fender Telecaster - Mexican Player. I fall in and out of love with this
4. SIgma DM SG5 - Its a Hummingbird copy . The guy I bought it from played in a KoL tribute and had the headstock logo changed to Gibson. Its a nice guitar
5. My daughters gear4music acoustic - for something so cheap its actually quite nice to play.

I tend to go through phases of playing one over the rest. The Epi is the easiest to solo on as the action is so low but they all have aspects I love.

 

[easyrider]

Here is my collection. I'm a bang average player, self taught over the last 2/3 years. I knew a bit when I was a teenager but that's er a long time ago

1. Epiphone Les Paul - I do love it but its so heavy! It might get upgraded to a Gibson for my 50th
2. Fender Strat Classic 60 - Ebay purchase this year for £330. Its got the 12" radius fretboard which I like although I'm still not completely in love with strats
3. Fender Telecaster - Mexican Player. I fall in and out of love with this
4. SIgma DM SG5 - Its a Hummingbird copy . The guy I bought it from played in a KoL tribute and had the headstock logo changed to Gibson. Its a nice guitar
5. My daughters gear4music acoustic - for something so cheap its actually quite nice to play.

I tend to go through phases of playing one over the rest. The Epi is the easiest to solo on as the action is so low but they all have aspects I love.

pics not working...

 

[Calpol]

pics not working...

Oops - was working for me but thanks for pointing it out! Hopefully fixed

 

[Andrew_McP]

I’ve always gone with D’addario EJ45c on my classical without really any thought as to why.

While the 'wrong' steel strings can make a casual player's life a misery, I doubt that's true for classical. So the right string is the one which is on the guitar when you pick it up. But I've had EJ45 strings on mine for years (not the same set, but I don't change them very regularly).

I have two sets of EJ45C though in reserve... was trying to support the local music shop as covid-19 approached, so didn't question why they seemed more expensive than I expected. Only realised they were Cs when I got home. I expect them to make me sound like John Williams when I eventually put them on.

FWIW It was this performance on the Val Doonican show, way back in the 70s or very early 80s (The Deer Hunter was 79, so I guess then-ish) which woke me up to how powerful a solo guitar could be. Before that I was band this, band that. I eventually (many years later!) managed to painstakingly learn the first section, but I've been resting on my laurels for the last 20 years. In fact I'm nervous to try and play it now I've mentioned it... my body leaks muscle memory far faster than I can squeeze it in!

 

[easyrider]

Oops - was working for me but thanks for pointing it out! Hopefully fixed

Still not working

 

[Andrew_McP]

Still not working

They were definitely working earlier, when I posted, because I noticed they were hosted on a Google account (Photos?) and tried again to post something from my Google Photos account. I've tried before and had no luck, despite how convenient that would be, so I thought something might have changed. It didn't seem to have done for me though, and I can't see those photos now.

 

[Calpol]

They were definitely working earlier, when I posted, because I noticed they were hosted on a Google account (Photos?) and tried again to post something from my Google Photos account. I've tried before and had no luck, despite how convenient that would be, so I thought something might have changed. It didn't seem to have done for me though, and I can't see those photos now.

I use a chrome extension, but clearly its a bit hit and miss!
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-photos-direct-link/dgnaaplaoheafdckphgmpiaodckbcafg

 

[2StepSteve]

Interesting discussion regarding gear lately.

I'm 2 years in and own way too much. I should have been satisfied with my Boss Katana 100 and Fender HSS Mexican Strat.

Does the new shiny stuff make me a better player? Of course it does.. I turned in to Gilmour, instantly.

Nothing new.. but I know players that are professionals and they play Squiers on stage. Not to crap on Squiers, at all, or dispresct anyone that owns one. They are decent guitars.

It is a sobering reminder (at least to me) that you do not need to playing a guitar that is worth a thousands to play, for it to sound good or for people to enjoy listening to you play. What ever name is written on the headstock or how many years old, or whatever custom shop model.. it really doesn't matter.

That said. If you can afford it and it makes you happy.. just like anything. Why not.

My R9, I was lucky enough to buy it using some inheritance. That makes it extra special and sentimental. I'm under no illusion that it makes me a better player though, only practice/playing will do that.

 

[a1ex2001]

While the 'wrong' steel strings can make a casual player's life a misery, I doubt that's true for classical. So the right string is the one which is on the guitar when you pick it up. But I've had EJ45 strings on mine for years (not the same set, but I don't change them very regularly).

I have two sets of EJ45C though in reserve... was trying to support the local music shop as covid-19 approached, so didn't question why they seemed more expensive than I expected. Only realised they were Cs when I got home. I expect them to make me sound like John Williams when I eventually put them on.

FWIW It was this performance on the Val Doonican show, way back in the 70s or very early 80s (The Deer Hunter was 79, so I guess then-ish) which woke me up to how powerful a solo guitar could be. Before that I was band this, band that. I eventually (many years later!) managed to painstakingly learn the first section, but I've been resting on my laurels for the last 20 years. In fact I'm nervous to try and play it now I've mentioned it... my body leaks muscle memory far faster than I can squeeze it in!

That performance is amazing, shows just how much of classical guitar is in the hands and not just the notes the feeling subtle personality he brings is what makes it so engaging. Listening to it makes me want to play more classical and not just strumming chords and badly singing songs I've written.

I try not to obsess too much over strings I've just stuck with what I know for years, my normal acoustics either have Ernie Ball or D'Addario Phosphor Bronze on them I can never decide if coated strings are worth the extra money for a bit of longevity wen I leave them on three months anyway! The new strings for my classical are due today they were on £12 which is pretty good for EJ45c and if I sound even a little like John Williams above then that will be a bonus!

 

[Andrew_McP]

I use a chrome extension, but clearly its a bit hit and miss!

I'll keep an eye on that, thanks, but something that sometimes works is more annoying than something that never does.

Listening to it makes me want to play more classical and not just strumming chords and badly singing songs I've written

Messing about with silly little songs for my mother's dementia group has largely cured me of my need to 'prove anything' by learning tricky fingerstyle stuff... which is what classical music is, as far as I'm concerned. I still torture myself trying to master(ish!) solo versions of great songs or tunes, but once I'd learned to play the first refrain of Solsbury Hill I discovered I didn't really care about the rest of the song, and that's doubly true for most classical pieces.

I'm a musical magpie, collecting fragments of tunes I enjoy, and this week all I've learned is "Doe, a Deer" etc. from The Sound of Music. Mum smiles when I play it, so my crowd is pleased and it's the kind of song which everyone kind of knows, whether they like it or not, so if the dementia group ever starts up again it'll be useful to have in the repertoire. And it's a fun little vocal exercise too. Never thought I'd feel that way about such a twee song, but... maybe it's another older age thing. But there's a reason why some songs lodge in the head whether we like it or not, and there's no point fighting fun. I no longer want to be John Williams, Dave Gilmour or Mark Knopfler, I'm far less stressed belting out a bit of Neil Diamond or Johnny Cash, which I can learn to play in a fraction of the time.

I'm a bit annoyed at Steve Harley for selling out to Viagra though... he's ruined that song now just as I'd added it to my song list. "Come up and see me some time" is as appropriate to dementia as it is to bedroom gymnastics... though I guess both are blood flow issues in different parts of the body.

I'm typing instead of doing any playing today; that's no good. Though actually I'm typing instead of finishing off reorganising the garage. It's a bit deckchairs on the Titanic. What I really need is a skip. If I put most of my guitars in as well (I "only" have 1 electric, 2 acoustics, 1 classical and a Guitarlele) I'd have even fewer distractions.

 

[a1ex2001]

I'll keep an eye on that, thanks, but something that sometimes works is more annoying than something that never does.


Messing about with silly little songs for my mother's dementia group has largely cured me of my need to 'prove anything' by learning tricky fingerstyle stuff... which is what classical music is, as far as I'm concerned. I still torture myself trying to master(ish!) solo versions of great songs or tunes, but once I'd learned to play the first refrain of Solsbury Hill I discovered I didn't really care about the rest of the song, and that's doubly true for most classical pieces.

I'm a musical magpie, collecting fragments of tunes I enjoy, and this week all I've learned is "Doe, a Deer" etc. from The Sound of Music. Mum smiles when I play it, so my crowd is pleased and it's the kind of song which everyone kind of knows, whether they like it or not, so if the dementia group ever starts up again it'll be useful to have in the repertoire. And it's a fun little vocal exercise too. Never thought I'd feel that way about such a twee song, but... maybe it's another older age thing. But there's a reason why some songs lodge in the head whether we like it or not, and there's no point fighting fun. I no longer want to be John Williams, Dave Gilmour or Mark Knopfler, I'm far less stressed belting out a bit of Neil Diamond or Johnny Cash, which I can learn to play in a fraction of the time.

I'm a bit annoyed at Steve Harley for selling out to Viagra though... he's ruined that song now just as I'd added it to my song list. "Come up and see me some time" is as appropriate to dementia as it is to bedroom gymnastics... though I guess both are blood flow issues in different parts of the body.

I'm typing instead of doing any playing today; that's no good. Though actually I'm typing instead of finishing off reorganising the garage. It's a bit deckchairs on the Titanic. What I really need is a skip. If I put most of my guitars in as well (I "only" have 1 electric, 2 acoustics, 1 classical and a Guitarlele) I'd have even fewer distractions.

Thats a really nice thing to do for your mum and her dementia group something I'd not really thought of but will definitely remember for if/when my parents get to that stage. The power of music is certainly impressive it is funny how it can cut right through all the noise to the person inside. It's also very true that even people who pretend they are far to cool to know such things will know half the songs from the Sound of Music it's part of our national identity surely?