1 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(6 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

The question is............. Do all Les Paul guitars sound similar?  No.

Burstbuckers are pretty hot pick ups and do sound good.  So, I'm not bashing Gibson.  I prefer Rio Grande Pickups.  I've played a few different brands and the BBQ Bucker is my fave bridge pickup.  I had a Big bottom set in my Strat and it was incredible.  I don't work for Rio Grande, they have something special in their gear.  A local guitarist gave me the Rio tip a long time back.  His tone was great and his rig wasn't that impressive (so unimpressive, I can't remember what he played) 

I have a mahogany body with maple cap guitar with a BBQ Bucker in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck, a great combo.

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2 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(19 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

I agree with Jay, don't buy online (unless you played it at a store first).  That makes music store owners pretty angry. 
My advice would be to go to a Guitar Center, they are everywhere like Wal Mart.  The guitar I would try first is the Baby Taylor.  It is a slightly smaller scale guitar, but tunes up to E.  It is in the $400 range.  I always say, buy something that you want to keep because if the guitar bug bites you, you will be back at the store buying something else. 
A Grand Concert sized (GC) or Orchestra Model (OM) are smaller guitars and have a more delicate sound.  I prefer GC guitars, personally. 

Go and play as many as you can get your hands on, don't allow the salesman to push you around, and be satisfied with your instrument.  That's a few years of experience talking there.  I hated my cheap guitars and I'm frugal.  Right now, I have an Ibanez ArtWood that is just great.  It's a dreadnought (big) guitar.  The Martin Eric Clapton Model is my dream guitar, I just can't bring myself to part with 3G's for a guitar when I'm not a professional musician.

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3 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(8 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

Pretty nice essay.  I went to the Martin Guitar Factory on a tour.  There were ladies cutting abalone and mother of pearl by hand and inlaying them into guitars.  Some of the pieces were so tiny, their precision was a wonder.  I would need a straight jacket after a week on that job.

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4 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(4 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

I have set up some band and a church sound system.  I have a Yamaha AG Stomp for my acoustic guitar.  I think that a processor is important because some places have bad acoustics and your guitar, no matter how good it is, will sound like a cardboard box with strings.  I have heard this unit before and it is worth the $$.  It has a good rep with any sound guy, except the everything has to cost over a grand guys.  http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Acoustic-Gu … ects--2566
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHPAPACK2  I don't work for Zzounds
I like Behringer gear, some hate it, I think they are wrong.  Behringer has a history of taking other peoples ideas, changing them slightly, and putting them to market very inexpensively.  I have a mixing board, compressor, and sound fx unit that have lasted over 7 years and sound very good.  Audiophile quality, no.  Good enough for small venue, by far!! 
This set up in the link has everything you need to do a show, except mics and cables. 
For mics, I like Shure SM58's, they sound great and have a long track record in the industry.  Sennheiser is making real good microphones, too.  I haven't owned one, but I've heard them.  They may be better and cheaper to buy than the Shures. 
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SENE845S 
Cables I don't get too concerned with because it is getting very rare to buy junk.  The market is competitive, if you sell junk, no one will buy it.  CBI cables are fine. 
Again, I don't work for Zzounds and just used them for information purposes.  They are a low cost outlet and competitive with the Musician's Friends, American Musicals, and Sam Ash's of the world.  I hope this helps.  Remember, you have to carry everything you buy, a little cart is a back saver.

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5 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(16 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

http://www.theguitarfiles.com/modules.p … amp;sid=97
http://www.sheehans.com/acoustic-guitar … itar-setup
This was a nice forum post on how to set up an acoustic http://www.guitar4christ.com/modules.ph … p;p=341895

I do all my own guitar work.  A clockwise turn brings the neck down, too much torque and you could splinter the wood.  Be careful, don't force the allen key.  I have shaved saddle before, too.  I pull the saddle out, use 80 grit sandpaper on a flat sanding block and keep even pressure and use short strokes to remove material.  After you have down to where you want it, clean off the burrs with 220 grit or finer. 
I would advise to give at least a 1/4 clockwise turn to the truss rod adjustment before sanding the saddle.  And read these links, I read them all and they have good info.

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6 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(2 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

Ibanez MIMX 30 is around $200.  Played one at GC, it seems to be a pretty nice amp for the price point.  They have soundclips at Ibanez.com

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7 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(4 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

Interesting read.  The expensive rainforest woods are supposed to be superior in tone.  My acoustic has an Engelmann Spruce top that has a lot of lines in the top.  It is German wood and I love the tone more than my other acoustics. 
Great article, makes you rethink things that you have heard about guitar making.

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8 Reply by Dr. Evil44

(4 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

It is important to try them before you buy them.  I had a pedal addiction at one point and bought a tone of designer stompboxes.  Traded them a lot, sold them a lot.  Ruined a good pedalboard a couple of times. 
The boutique brands are NOT worth 3X the money of a factory produced box.  So, listen before you buy.  One of the best octave pedals I owned was an Arion, real cheap. 
The same is true for your gear.  I bought an Ampeg Reverberocket 212 for $275 once.  It was a real sweet and had a great lead channel.  I couldn't believe it.  There are made by St Louis Music (Crate) and was not "in" but it is a great amp.

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