Decided on electric guitar to learn ,bought amps too

stlrman · « **on:** 23 Sep 2019, 06:35 pm »

Was thinking about drums , too loud , too expensive.
Bought a saxophone for $75 in mint condition, probably worth $250. I can play through the scale with no lessons . To get sax lessons was a bit far away and they wanted $100 a month.
I am buying a Fender Squier in mint condition, bag , strap, pick for $125
Bought two amps for $25 !!
I’m good to go !!!
Lessons in my neighborhood, $25 a half hour . I can do every other week if I want .
Guitar tuner pro an ok app?

dflee · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 Sep 2019, 12:01 am »

Have fun and rock on.
Have it checked out to see if it was ever set up properly.

Don

stlrman · « **Reply #2 on:** 24 Sep 2019, 12:06 am »

Thanks man !
I trusted the gentleman who sold it to me . It appears to be in perfect playing order.
I will have my teacher take look it over on Thursday.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 Sep 2019, 12:12 am »

Guitar tuner pro an ok app?
Its ok but always good have a tuner cliped in the headstock.
These amps are 12'' drivers?

stlrman · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Sep 2019, 12:05 pm »

Not sure of the woofer sizes.
The big one is 15 watts and plays plenty loud!!!
The smaller one is ten watts. I did not try that one out yet.
I wish the amps had reverb for when I play my flute.
I will eventually get a looper with effects .

Mike B. · « **Reply #5 on:** 24 Sep 2019, 03:42 pm »

once you start playing you might want to find the amplified sound that you like. Many of the guitar slingers play through two different head units. A simple Y connector with two amp input connectors to one to your guitar. Stevie Ray Vaughan did it that way.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Sep 2019, 05:02 pm »

It would be nice you use two combos for a stereo effect.

drphoto · « **Reply #7 on:** 29 Sep 2019, 03:25 am »

No offense, but stereo amps is a bit too advanced for OP. When starting from scratch, it's a long hard slog to first just learn to fret properly. But IMHO opinion, good call to start with electric. This instrument is difficult enough (despite the fact there are a gazillion guitar players) without having to fight the heavier strings of an acoustic. Want those newb fingers to hurt? Start acoustic. Does build up the calluses though.

That being said, when my Mesa amp was in the shop for 2 month, I had to pull out my good ole Washburn acoustic. It made me better as it made my fingers stronger and made me not depend on fancy fx.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #8 on:** 29 Sep 2019, 05:15 am »

Guitar is a wild instrument, fingers hurt, tendons hurt, arms hurt, needing two whole hands to play a single note is some too much, I prefer a keyboard where a simple finger plays a note easily.

drphoto · « **Reply #9 on:** 30 Sep 2019, 01:28 am »

BTW: good call on the Squire. They make really great guitars, for the money. Even though I own the US '57 Strat in my photo, I play my Squire daily.

Here's a couple of tips. Cheap guitars tend to have crudely finished fret ends, which makes them uncomfortable to play. They tend to stick too far (called 'fret sprout) and be rough. Get some painters tape, an emery board, some 400 wet or dry sandpaper and steel wool. Mask the wood so you don't mar and cover the pickups w/ tape, so the magnets to not attract filings. Smooth and round out fret ends. And give frets an overall polish w/ steel wool.This takes time but is not hard or require any special skill. A fret level and re crown, is tricky stuff.

Watch some youtube vids on setup, getting string height where you like and then intonation. I'd take a well setup cheap guitar over pricey one that is not. It will be easier to play, and sound better.

Above all, have fun.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #10 on:** 30 Sep 2019, 02:44 am »

The Epiphone (and maybe Squire) was great guitars before Gibson bough the company, the Lennon Epiphone was famous, when Gibson and Fender take these companies these guitars was modeled to be a second line, second class in quality and china price, a shame.
http://legendary-guitars.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-lennon-1965-epiphone-casino.html

SteveFord · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Jan 2020, 11:16 am »

Ancient thread, I know.
Looks like they're moving some of Epiphone production back to the US.
Price tags will jump up around two grand (maybe).

dflee · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Jan 2020, 07:49 pm »

Hey stlrman:
How's it goin so far?
Hope you are continuing and still have enthusiasm in your project.
My sister wanted to get an instrument but won't be getting lessons.
Bought her a Uke w/ sundries. She just got it and hope she gets into it.

Don

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Jan 2020, 09:17 pm »

Quote from: dflee on 23 Jan 2020, 07:49 pm

Hey stlrman:
How's it goin so far?
Hope you are continuing and still have enthusiasm in your project.
My sister wanted to get an instrument but won't be getting lessons.

Yeah, how about an update? You never know, you just might inspire others...

I first thought about buying a guitar when I was 15. Too bad I didn’t. I watched others start from nothing... some really discovering their talent.

stlrman · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Jan 2020, 11:00 pm »

That’s pretty funny as I was thinking about updating the post in the last few days .
Well , my teacher was nice , young guy , accomplished.
I found the lesson frustrating, my hands are small and ached trying to play a cord . Playing the notes and scales seemed too hard / tedious. The lesson left me frustrated and overwhelmed even though my teacher was patient and didn’t push me too much . Also the theory of which string is which seemed complicated.
I kind of just thought , this is too much , I’m not cut out for this . Maybe I’m way too ADHD to really learn
An instrument, maybe way too impatient.
I own a flute and fiddle around on this for years , and bought a alto saxophone over the summer, and find playing these instruments much easier.
I also bought a nice Native American flute that I play in a tunnel once in a while . I get some nice compliments. So I can basically play the NA flute somewhat naturally. I can also play a scale on a saxophone pretty easily. The guitar just feels awkward to me . Of course it feels awkward, I only had one lesson, and gave up.
So that’s where I’m at . Gave up, before I really got started.

I’ll probably flip the guitar and amps .

dflee · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Jan 2020, 01:06 am »

It's all about enjoyment. Bought my first
Guitar when I was 14 and my father said
If you have time for that then you have time for more chores. Kept at it with no lessons for years and still hack today. It is a frustrating instrument at times. Learned a lot playing with others. Best to you stlrman and good for you in finding enjoyment.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Jan 2020, 01:32 am »

Hey Todd,

On a subconscious level I pretty much fear what happened to you would have been my experience as well and thus I never tried. I was hoping it went well for you, then perhaps I might have been more inclined to give it a go. Now all I can think of is multiple excuses not to even try, after all I am quite busy with other things.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #17 on:** 24 Jan 2020, 01:52 am »

Unfortunately +1, only a guitar collector.

stlrman · « **Reply #18 on:** 1 May 2020, 12:09 am »

Well now , I am intrigued with learning a few ambient cords and notes
I bought a Boss VE-20 vocal harmonizer/ looper , which is a very powerful machine.
So now I want to a delay pedal for my guitar.
I am looking at a Behringer Vintage Delay VD400 Analog Effects Pedal. The price is great , and reviews are stellar.
There are a ton a free tutorials on YouTube.
I’ll take it slow , see what I can on YouTube. I may consider resuming lessons when things go back to normal.

And a question :
How can I hook my Boss ve20 and the Behringer vd 400 BoTH to my amplifier?

Thanks

dalton · « **Reply #19 on:** 18 Jul 2020, 05:16 pm »

I bought my first acoustic for 3 reasons;

1) I wanted a guitar, and my parents wouldn't let me have an electric (seriously...)

2) The one I eventually bought looked really cool - it was BLACK!!!

3) When I tried it out, it sounded good to me, and felt like I might get to enjoy playing it.

oh, and there's 4) It was just in my price range; ie very cheap.

I found out later that I'd been lucky - it was/is an Eko.

It went everywhere with me - summer camp, holidays, Stonehenge and other free festivals - notably one year, when approx 1,000 of us got rushed by 10,000 baton-wielding police, who picked me up by the hair and dragged me the best part of a mile from my gear. Fortunately I'd made a few friends up on the slope, and one guy had made it his business to collect everyone's guitars (Me and two others had concentrated on bags), and we were all re-united with our babies. Sadly, the guy who had collected the guitars found that his was the only damaged one - completely irrepairable - but refused the offer from all of the rest of us of a replacement.

...erm, enough of the tangential boring stories...

The only reason I parted with it eventually was because I inherited my mother's Ovation and my brother wanted a guitar.

God, I miss that axe...