Guitar thread

[crazydrummerdude]

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

First off what's the word on Ibanez? They seem to get decent reviews but not really mentioned at all here.

Second, how can you know before purchase where a guitar is made and how much of a real difference does it make?

Third, what is the difference between a 22 fret and a 24 fret and does it make a difference to a beginner?

1) They make really decent beginner and medium-range guitars. A lot of my friends had them starting off and I had an Ibanez bass when I started. Generally they play smooth and sound good.

2) Google will tell you where the different models are made. Probably Korea, Japan, etc.

3) Exactly this:

Originally Posted by josjor

The difference between a 22 fret and a 24 fret is 2 frets. The designation has to do with how far up the scale the neck goes. Doesn't really make a difference to a beginner and, truth be told, doesn't make a difference to about 90% of guitarists, beginner or expert.

+1

A lot of beginner metal guys obsess over frets, but it doesn't really matter.

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

I know what pickups are but how do you tell the good ones from the crap ones?
What is the difference between normal pickups and humbuckers?

Ha, it's all about sound.

The Ibanez in that craigslist ad appears to have EMG-HZ's (or knock-offs) which are active (powered) pickups, generally popular among metal-heads for their high gain. Humbuckers are pretty much standard these days. Single-coils seem to be on Telecasters and the like. It all depends on what gain, feel, and sound you want.

[larryboy]

I saw Dick Dale play awhile back...I really, really, really need to practice more.

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

Thank you for all of that.

I know what pickups are but how do you tell the good ones from the crap ones?
What is the difference between normal pickups and humbuckers?

I guess it would probably be easier to say what I want it for and see what kind of consensus I get.

I'd like a decent guitar that has a lot of range. I can't (never had a guitar) play a lick but my taste in music ranges from Junior Brown to Primus to Santana to Social D. Love me some Johnny Cash too.

That is more and less than the "sound" I'm looking for.
Of course, I'll be needing an amp too...not looking to spend much more than 600.00 for both.

Oh, and I have small hands.

Thanks again.

Well, I think you'll have a problem with finding one guitar that does everything. That's why most of us have more then one guitar. With that said, if you get a neutral guitar and a modeling amp, it will give you some range. It might not sound the best but it will have a wider range. It's probably best to find one sound and work with that.

Hand size doesn't really mean that much. Some say smaller hands are more comfortable with a thinner neck guitar but that's not always the case. You really need to go out and sling some guitars and find out what works for you.

$600 + $600 is a pretty good budget.

I think you're really going to have to play some guitars or have the sales guy play them for you. With different design, two guitars with the same pickup can sound very different. Same thing with amps. Tube/Valve amps vs Solid State amps... There's a lot to choose from. It just depends on what you're looking for. A Vox will sound different then a Marshall, Fender, Peavey, etc... There are certain amps that go better with certain tones.

If I was going to recommend a 'package' I'd probably go with a Squier Classic Vibe (Telecaster or Stratocaster) or a Gibson Les Paul Studio or SG Special and a Fender Blues Junior III.

[jdgretz]

Originally Posted by Jeffy

Well, I think you'll have a problem with finding one guitar that does everything. That's why most of us have more then one guitar. With that said, if you get a neutral guitar and a modeling amp, it will give you some range. It might not sound the best but it will have a wider range. It's probably best to find one sound and work with that.

I'd go along with that. Some of the sounds you mentioned are specific to guitar and amp combos. Although you can play metal with a Gretsch 6120, it's not really designed for that.

I think you're really going to have to play some guitars or have the sales guy play them for you. With different design, two guitars with the same pickup can sound very different. Same thing with amps. Tube/Valve amps vs Solid State amps... There's a lot to choose from. It just depends on what you're looking for. A Vox will sound different then a Marshall, Fender, Peavey, etc... There are certain amps that go better with certain tones.

If I was going to recommend a 'package' I'd probably go with a Squier Classic Vibe (Telecaster or Stratocaster) or a Gibson Les Paul Studio or SG Special and a Fender Blues Junior III.

Pretty much in agreement with the above as well. When having the salesman play - ask him to play with the amp as neutral as possible so you can hear the differences in guitars vs. differences in amp and effects. Once you hear the guitar with the amp in neutral, then listen to the effects the amp can produce and the possibilities for the combo.

jdg

[cornercarver]

Originally Posted by Josephvman

Anybody have any experience with the Telecaster Deluxe, the model with the big headstock and humbuckers, vs. the std. Tele?

I own one but I'm not much of a guitarist. What would you like to know?

I can say that compared to a std tele it is just nothing like a tele at all. Frankly, it has more in common with a Gibson SG than a tele - both in tone and in feel. If you have a thing for teles, you don't want to go near it. If you just like the aesthetic of the telecaster body, then if the SG-esque tone and the strat neck feel work for you, then go for it. Personally, I'm not too terribly sensitive to this stuff, but that's what my friends who actually know what they are talking about have said about it. Played side by side with an SG it was all but indistinguishable, tonally, though.

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

Totally a n00b to guitars so stupid question time.

First off what's the word on Ibanez? They seem to get decent reviews but not really mentioned at all here.

Second, how can you know before purchase where a guitar is made and how much of a real difference does it make?

Third, what is the difference between a 22 fret and a 24 fret and does it make a difference to a beginner?

How well does "Rocksmith" work for tone deaf cretins like me?

I'm looking at this, http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/msg/3438377084.html , don't know if it's a deal or not.

Any and all help is appreciated.

1) As noted Ibanez are decent. I've always like the "S" series, going back something like 20 years. There are certainly worse guitars out there.

2) Its takes some digging, the American guitar companies (Dean, B.C. Rich, PRS, Fender) make their top-shelf models here and then farm out the lower end and sometimes mid range instruments. This isn't a huge deal. A Mexican Strat is still a Strat, its just not an "American" guitar. The Korean instruments in particular are usually pretty good grade. I've had a B.C. NJ series (Korean) and a just bought a PRS SE both Korean, and both are fine the only neither had any glaring craftsmenship issues and the BC Rich had one of the sweetest necks of any guitar I have ever played. The reviews for my SE basically said the only thing wrong with it is that its not a Maryland guitar.

3) The number of frets has more to do with the position of the neck pick up and the scale of the guitar. In fact, when you get into baritone guitars you start running into 26 and 27 fret guitars (7 strings usually). To most players those last two frets don't mean a whole hell of a lot. You only loose two notes out of 4 Octaves, and its not that hard to bend the high E two steps. I have both 22 and 24 fret guitars, I rarely use 23-24, its gets pretty cramped up there the frets are really skinny.

4) Can't tell you about Rocksmith, I was looking at it, but a fine combination of my pops dying and coming back from that mess into finals hasn't allowed me a moment to go look for it.

5) Doesn't look too terrible, but I'd go check out Sam Ash or Guitar Center and see what you can get them for.

Originally Posted by josjor

A fairly safe rule on place of origin: If it is under $1k, it was probably made somewhere outside the USA. Does it make a difference? Well, setting aside the "Buy American" patriot stuff, not really. The main thing is that it's a manufacturer that gives a damn about quality.

The Gibson Les Paul Studio being the exception here, they list over a thou, but they can usually be had for $700 or so. Which if I didn't already have one I would have NO issue grabbing a Studio and slapping a set of Seymours in it and calling it a day.

Originally Posted by crazydrummerdude

..and something I tell everyone, if you're going to buy a combo, buy used. You'll never get your money back out of it if you buy new, and most people can't give them away when they "upgrade" to a half-stack.

Very much this, with the exception of full tube heads and vintage tube combos, you won't get any sort of resale out of a combo.

Of course, even when you do have a half stack, you don't always use it. 120 watts doesn't sound like a hell of a lot until you understand it isn't pushing any appreciable bass ranges the fucking things are ridiculously loud . My Peavey on 6 of 12 absolutely requires ear plugs, and I can play a decent size bar without a mic at 10. Then you have the added joy that when you get into big power heads they sound flat at low power, you have to crank the shit out of them to wake up the post amp tubes and really make it sing.

...and that gets the police called.

[Dismount]

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

Totally a n00b to guitars so stupid question time.

First off what's the word on Ibanez? They seem to get decent reviews but not really mentioned at all here.

Second, how can you know before purchase where a guitar is made and how much of a real difference does it make?

Third, what is the difference between a 22 fret and a 24 fret and does it make a difference to a beginner?

How well does "Rocksmith" work for tone deaf cretins like me?

I'm looking at this, http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/msg/3438377084.html , don't know if it's a deal or not.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Think of rocksmith as a fun tool.

It can get you actually playing, which is important. Something that's kinda fun to do, ie plonking along to don't fear the reaper for the 4000th time vs doing the minor pentatonic in B for the 4000th time.

It takes care of the tone deaf portion by making you tune your guitar to pretty much where it should be, and checking it before each little activity. A pain in the ass, but needed.

Comes with quite a few songs. http://rocksmith.ubi.com/rocksmith/e...ist/index.aspx as well as has a bunch more with more being added all the time, that are purchasable and playable. http://rocksmith.ubi.com/rocksmith/e...ads/index.aspx

[FPGT72]

I will toss my two bits in here. I would agree with just about everything said here.

First bit I would say is if you have a buddy that knows guitars take him with you shopping....even if you just know someone friend of a friend ask him....most people I know love to see new people get started....does not matter if they are 6 or 60.

Reason I say this is a sales man is a ....well...salesman....not saying anything bad, but he wants to make a sale...some good some not so good. And the thing with guitars is you will not know what is good....they will all hurt your fingers to start....difference is....a bad guitar will ALWAYS hurt your fingers....or sound like it is played in a puddle of warm mud.

Where it is made makes little difference anymore....cork sniffers will tell you different, but in the end it really makes little difference. There are some VERY good Squire guitars out there for $300....and I think if you stay shopping in that range you will get a good guitar.

Rocksmith is a good game.....fun game that will help you learn and keep learning fresh....and that is the real problem...after a little while you don't feel like you are getting anywhere....everytime you play even if it is just for 2 minutes before work you are taking steps down the path. Rocksmith makes some of the practice fun.

I would say learn what kind of sounds you like....if you like ACDC and VH you are going to want one thing...if chuck berry and eddie cochran are more your thing....well that is something different....thing is it is all fun to play....there are good guitars that are mid ranged price out there.

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

Totally a n00b to guitars so stupid question time.

First off what's the word on Ibanez? They seem to get decent reviews but not really mentioned at all here.

Second, how can you know before purchase where a guitar is made and how much of a real difference does it make?

Third, what is the difference between a 22 fret and a 24 fret and does it make a difference to a beginner?

How well does "Rocksmith" work for tone deaf cretins like me?

I'm looking at this, http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/msg/3438377084.html , don't know if it's a deal or not.

Any and all help is appreciated.

[josjor]

Originally Posted by ZzyzyxRd

I guess it would probably be easier to say what I want it for and see what kind of consensus I get.

I'd like a decent guitar that has a lot of range. I can't (never had a guitar) play a lick but my taste in music ranges from Junior Brown to Primus to Santana to Social D. Love me some Johnny Cash too.

That is more and less than the "sound" I'm looking for.

I'm going to throw this out there................

Your first post had a bit to do with an Ibanez rig. One of the things that made Ibanez take off like a rocket was that a majority of their guitars had a humbucker---single coil---humbucker pickup configuration hooked to a 5 position switch. The way most of them are wired allows you to get a wide variety of sounds that, while not exactly like some of the tones you're referring to, come pretty damned close. The switch works like so:

Position 1: Neck humbucker.......like a Les Paul.
Positiion 2: Half the neck humbucker (making it a single coil) wired out of phase to the center single coil.....like a Strat in position 2.
Position 3: The center single coil pickup on it's own......like a Strat in the the center position and sort of like a Tele
Position 4: Half the bridge humbucker (making it a single coil) wired out of phase to the center single coil....like a Strat in position 4
Position 5: Bridge humbucker........like a Les Paul

Like I said, these won't sound exactly like some of the tones you're talking about, but it makes for an incredibly diverse and versatile range of tones that can pretty closely emulate many of the tones found on the Holy Trinity of classic guitars: Les Paul, Strat, and Tele. That and a generally thinner neck that their American counterparts are why Ibanez took off so fast when they finally came to the States.

[Tripped1]

Pretty much any guitar with dual hums and the ability to tap them can go from "stratish" to almost Les Paul...and that is a loooooong list really.

There are a few qualities that make up the tones of standard guitars.

For the Strat its the maple bolt on neck, that neck makes the guitar extremely bright, Strats have a high bright tone with a bit of twang (single coil) that is relatively distinctive. There are many many variations of course, but the maple nech strat is the "the strat" sound. Telecaster is much the same, bright toned wood body, and a single coil and you get the Tele twang that a LOT of guys die for.

The Les Paul is "the log" maple over mahogany and about 20lbs of it with bond on rosewood neck and the hottest pickups you can find. They weight a frigging ton and have a deep rounded sound that no other guitar maker has manged to nail without getting sued for copyright infringement.

Basically every other solid body maker falls into one of the "strat copy" or "paul copy" camp. Paul Reed Smith said straight out when he started his line, he was trying to get the best qualities of both the Les Paul and the Stratocaster. At task he succeeded admirably at. however, clean a Custom 22 doesn't quite have the fullness of a Les Paul Custom, and the necks don't carry the highs of a Strat.

.....this is why people have 5 guitars.

[bug67]

Picked up one of these today to take on my trip down south in a couple of weeks. It has it's own built in headphone amp but, I got it for travel and to play through JamUp XT Pro on the iPhone/Pad.

[Josephvman]

That's good info, and I really need to go play one. I picked up my Tele last night (mid 80's American Std, gunmetal metallic with a white pickguard and maple neck) for the first time in nearly a year, and played it for an hour. It's a fun guitar to play, but it just doesn't have any bottom to it and the SG and LP are so much better for thick overdriven distortion. My SG, which has something called a "bursbuster" pickup, can pull off a pretty twangy Tele tone. It's my first SG, and I'm amazed at how versatile SG's are, especially when you consider how thin and light the bodies are, even compared to a Tele.

Originally Posted by cornercarver

I own one but I'm not much of a guitarist. What would you like to know?

I can say that compared to a std tele it is just nothing like a tele at all. Frankly, it has more in common with a Gibson SG than a tele - both in tone and in feel. If you have a thing for teles, you don't want to go near it. If you just like the aesthetic of the telecaster body, then if the SG-esque tone and the strat neck feel work for you, then go for it. Personally, I'm not too terribly sensitive to this stuff, but that's what my friends who actually know what they are talking about have said about it. Played side by side with an SG it was all but indistinguishable, tonally, though.

[Crocker]

Originally Posted by Josephvman

. It's my first SG, and I'm amazed at how versatile SG's are, especially when you consider how thin and light the bodies are, even compared to a Tele.

My Tele has gotten zero playtime since I picked up that Gibson 70s tribute SG. Not the flashiest guitar, but the neck feels awesome, I like the baked maple fingerboard and I get a somewhat more pleasant twangy sound out of the bridge than the Telecaster which can approach screeching sometimes.

And did I mention sustain? I can pluck a string, then walk to the fridge for a beer, open it and come back and it's still going.

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by Josephvman

That's good info, and I really need to go play one. I picked up my Tele last night (mid 80's American Std, gunmetal metallic with a white pickguard and maple neck) for the first time in nearly a year, and played it for an hour. It's a fun guitar to play, but it just doesn't have any bottom to it and the SG and LP are so much better for thick overdriven distortion. My SG, which has something called a "bursbuster" pickup, can pull off a pretty twangy Tele tone. It's my first SG, and I'm amazed at how versatile SG's are, especially when you consider how thin and light the bodies are, even compared to a Tele.

The Burstbucker is what Gibson calles their PAF style humbucker. There is the BB1, BB1, BB3 and BB Pro. The number corresponds to the iron magnets used in them. Alinco I's (A1) and A2 are nice for a classic low-output PAF sound. The BB Pro on the other hand uses an A5 which is stronger. Stronger magnets give you a hotter pickup. Hotter pickups will give you a more modern sound. Gibson also have 490, 498 and 500 that use ceramic magnets instead. These are definitely more modern sounding.

My Standard has the new 'Fat-Taps' as well as phasing and a bridge bypass as well.

The SG is definitely more versatile then the LP. Still I prefer the LP even though it weighs a lot. My modern weight-relieved Standard comes in a 9.65 lbs. I love the tone from all that weight though.

[ZzyzyxRd]

how about this for a beginner?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-L...72-i2333574.gc