I'm not sure, but I think electrics need electric strings for the pickups. My guess is that the magnets can't pick up the bronze and the core wouldn't have enough mass to pick up. I have seen video of Lightnin Hopkins playing an acoustic with a strat style pickup on some kind of metal brace across the soundhole. One of the comments said something about using electric strings with that style of pick up. I also wonder about the string tension. Is it just the way it feels or does an acoustic have more string tension than an electric.
52 2010-07-10 03:40:20
Re: Good Strings!!!!!!! (10 replies, posted in Electric)
Something often overlooked is to wash your hands before playing. Get all the grime, oils, sweat, and natural acids off your hands. Just give yourself a little time because the water will soften up your hands. Use hot water too so the oils will be washed from your hands. I don't do it all the time, but I try to.
53 2010-06-26 18:17:11
Re: Semi Hollow Bodies (18 replies, posted in Electric)
Used, you might be able to find a Epiphone es-295 like my gold top. Very similar. Scotty Moore played a Gibson es-295 with Elvis during the early days.
55 2010-06-26 18:09:45
Re: Improvising lead guitar w/ scales (15 replies, posted in Electric)
The best thing to do is record yourself playing a basic 12 bar blues progression in A. So... A,D,and E. Make your recording extra long. Like as long as you can stand it. Or if you have the abiliy to loop the progression, do that. Another option is to find blues backing tracks in A. Play it back. While its playing, play your A minor pentatonic scale over it. Play it forward, backwards, stop halfway through and go the other direction, skip around. After a while you will start to notice that the root note, the A, which you will find at three diferent places in that scale, will sound perfect when played at the end of each progression. Or at the end of the twelveth bar. This is what people talk about when they say things like "resolve". When you find that... you can play anything you think sounds cool as long as you end each phrase or bar with that root note. This hold true for other keys as well. So if you hear a song in a different key, say E, you just play the E minor pentatonic scale over it and resolve on the E. Hope that helps and doesn't hinder.
56 2010-05-30 02:39:58
Re: Desert VS. Breedlove (9 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Radio Shack makes a digital thermometer with hygrometer. It is about the size of a scientific calculator. I don't remember how much it cost but I know it was cheap. I used velcro and mounted it in the case for my beloved Taylor right above the little compartment. Now I know exactly what the humidity is inside the case. I keep a "Dampit" in the little compartment and use it whenever necessary.
57 2010-05-28 03:13:31
Re: Loop Pedal (8 replies, posted in Electric)
I've got a digitech RP355. Its a multi effects processor so it does all kinds of stuff and loops. I think the RP 155 loops and its only about $100. It only holds 20 seconds which isn't enough for a full 12 bar progression unless your blistering fast, but enough to get some chord changes going to solo over, and has helped me tremendously in that regards. It has lots of drum patterns but they dont work when the looper mode is on. A major oversight in my opinion. They also can be found on craigslist really cheap. You might also want to check for some freeware recording software. With my old multi tracker I could record something and then go back and set points for it to loop.
58 2010-05-22 13:57:49
Re: Guitar Suggestions?? (13 replies, posted in Electric)
The Squire Strats are quality enough for a beginner. Include the price of the professional set up that it will definetly need. I think I've seen them advertised for $119.
59 2010-05-21 03:34:25
Re: I Want a Telecaster (36 replies, posted in Electric)
I have a black 2004 american standard with the grey pearloid pickguard. Its perfect! Spanky and twangy clean. The best neck I've ever played anywhere. Yes, I like the gain up too. The single coils are great. Get one? Hell, get two! I'd love to have another with the body binding and the brass saddles. Red, no, butterscotch....
60 2010-05-19 02:42:07
Re: Recommend string weight for me (10 replies, posted in Acoustic)
You could also tune your guitar down a half step or even a whole to reduce the tension of the strings. It will help you develop some strength for those barre chords, F and B. Its like using a capo to raise the pitch, but you are lowering the pitch. If you go too low the strings get sloppy. Remember, when you get the chords down, start tuning your guitar back up to normal. Otherwise you'll really be aching when you go to jam with somebody.
61 2010-05-16 05:05:04
Re: Talk Box (2 replies, posted in Electric)
Cool! I've got all that junk laying around. As soon as I have some "extra" time laying around, I'm doing this!
62 2010-05-13 10:58:21
Re: Funky Sound (9 replies, posted in Electric)
I have a morley wah. It has the sound, but the "sweep?" is not exactly how I would like it. Shaft. Not that I'm some kind of expert on wahs or anything. It just seems that from 0 to 40% is just mud, 40-60% is the sweet spot, and the rest is just way to bright to do anything with. Shaft. I have seen a way with a variable "Q" I think they called it, but I don't recall who made it. As with everything with guitars, Go to the stores and try all you can find. I have tried the cry baby and liked it more than my morley but have never tried anything else. Shaft! Its been in my head for a couple days now. If you really like that song you should check out this instrumental album that the beastie boys did called "the in sound from way out". It could be the soundtrack for every Starsky and Hutch show ever.
63 2010-05-06 20:11:35
Re: Funky Sound (9 replies, posted in Electric)
I would say clean, with wah and lots a reverb.
64 2010-05-06 20:08:56
Re: output level from distortion pedal (6 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Correct. Is there a specific pedal you are looking at? You said you are using a small home-made amp. Are you a tinkerer? Give us the low down on your amp.
65 2010-05-01 01:43:42
Re: output level from distortion pedal (6 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Most distortion pedals have a "level" knob to adjust the amount of boost you get. So you could use that to keep the level the same.
66 2010-04-29 23:06:22
Re: Multi Effects choices / comparisons (6 replies, posted in Electric)
I have a Digitech RP 255. It has loads of great sounding effects, an expression pedal, and it has USB connectivity. It comes with Cubase LE recording software and you can download a patch editing software from Digitechs web site. You can edit patches with the machine or you can use the USB to connect to your computer. There is a user group so if you want to sound just like Jimmy Page on "Whole lotta love", You can just download it from someone on the group. There are lots of different models, and even the little RP 55 that sells for like 50 bucks has about 100 different patches. I know someone who has the Vox Tonelab and it sounds great. I've played around with the Boss GT-8 and it is WAAAYY cool, But it costs WAAAYY much. I'm not saying its not worth it but it was out of my range.
67 2010-04-28 04:16:18
Re: Cigar Box Guitar (3 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Check out youtube. There are some very wild videos.
68 2010-04-27 03:38:45
Re: PRS acoustic guitars (4 replies, posted in Acoustic)
I just saw them advertised in "Guitar World" and immediately thought of you and your fine collection.
69 2010-04-27 03:26:26
Re: Too New To This. (13 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Don't sweat it if you can't learn chords, just learn scales and call yourself a lead guitarist. All of us "strummers" love guys like you who can pick out melodies and solo.
70 2010-04-27 03:21:07
Re: "F" chord is now outlawed (148 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Breakin the law, breakin the law
71 2010-04-18 04:43:00
Re: nobs and switches (6 replies, posted in Electric)
1. Yes, the top knob is volume and the other is tone. 2. the three way switch changes the pickups. With a 3 way I'm guessing you have two pickups. One position will be for the forwardmost pickup. The middle will combine the two, and the third will be the pickup to the rear of the guitar. The pickup to the rear will hum the loudest. People usually use that one for the heavily distorted songs. 3. Electric guitars hum. In varying degrees. If its too loud there could be a problem but I'll bet your standing directly in front of your amp, facing it, with the distortion on. Stand to the side of it with the amp set behind you and it will be a lot less. Your guitar is picking up a little hum from your amp, sending that little hum back to the amp boosting it through the speaker. If it gets to much you will get feedback. 3. For your amp, volume is volume. Gain is the amount of distortion, set it on 1 to get a clean sounding guitar. set it on 10 to get metal mayhem. When you change the gain you may have to adjust the volume. The bass mid and treble are your equalizer. Set them all at 5 and give your guitar a strum. If it sounds bassy or muddy you will want to add treble. If it sounds to bright or high pitched you will want to add some bass. There are NO settings. Its all done by ear. What may sound good to some people may not work for you. You may get your amp set up perfectly, go eat a sandwich and come back and it will be all wrong. Its all by personal preference. Hope that helps, Good luck.
72 2010-04-07 04:55:38
Re: Songs to keep in your repertoire at all times!? (8 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
These are all great! Detman, you must have little ones like me. I play the ABC's while the kids are in the tub. My 4 year old calls Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" "Holly soup"
73 2010-04-05 22:07:23
Re: Song tip (6 replies, posted in Acoustic)
http://chordie.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=14620
I just asked a similar question. Check out the replies!
74 2010-04-04 02:12:56
Re: record direct to PC (3 replies, posted in Recording)
I believe you need some sort of interface. I bought a digitech rp pedal that came with cubase LE. The pedal has a usb out to record on computer. You could just put your computer mic in front of your amp or sound hole, and record with windows sound recorder. It wouldn't be the highest quality but it would work.
75 2010-04-02 04:23:56
Topic: Songs to keep in your repertoire at all times!? (8 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
When you get together with someone you've never jammed with, someone that you may or may not share love of the same musical style or genre, someone that may or may not be in the same generation, but getting together anyway just to jam.... what songs do you end up playing? This does not mean what is your favorite obscure song by some artist from your teenage years or childhood but what would you say are the songs that you feel every guitarist should be able to whip out a rendition of. I'm thinking... 50s stuff like Gloria, Peggy Sue, Wild thing, Louie louie, or maybe Tequilla sunrise or take it easy by the eagles. Any twelve bar blues song. Songs that even if the other person had never played before, you could say " oh, its just G, C, and D" and the other person would at least have heard the song a million times and be familiar enough with that they could follow along with.