• cobby
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-03-17
  • Posts: 3

Topic: Help for a newbe

Hi All

I have been taking guitar lessons now for a whole 3 weeks!!  I'm learning the blues scales very slowly.


My question is I have just bought myself a new amp and I'm wondering if someone could give me some settings to start from?


I'm interested in blues the amp I'm using is a Randall rg75d g2 series.  The guitar is a Washburn Pro X series.  I also have a Les Paul custom (chinese copy) <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_redface.gif" border=0 alt="Embarassed"> which I'm not sure about.


My heros are Clapton, Gary Moore, Buddy Guy.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions, Cobby

  • Registered: 2007-02-17
  • Posts: 6

Re: Help for a newbe

Keep practicing!! That will help your fingers callous! That is probably the biggest reason people quit the guitar, because it hurts your fingers! I started playing again after a long layoff, I knew what to expect. I've been playing for about 2 months now, EVERYDAY! I have a nice set of callouses, but there is still some pain. Of course I play for about 2-3 hours sometimes! Try using aspirin internally and Witch Hazel for your finger tips to ease the pain a bit. I also use hand softener on them daily to keep the callouses pliable so they won't crack and bleed. Keep the nails trimmed and filed back, (not too close to the quick though) so they won't snag on the strings. Practice 1%, fun 99%, don't give up! I have an "Esteban" cutaway acoustic/electric, Epiphone "Les Paul" Junior Solid body, Squire (Fender)"Affinity" Series Telecaster Special Edition,(I prefer to play the Tele) and a Line 6 "Spider III" amp. The amp has four preset push button settings and echo, reverb, clean, and a Mp3 hook in, in a 15 watt package. Not a bad little practice amp for $100 new. Sorry I don't think I can help you too much on your settings. I use the clean setting with a slight echo to it. then I play with the guitar's tone to get the exact sound that I'm looking for. My guitar heroes, Clapton, Santana, Robert Cray, Chuck Berry, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Bo Diddley, and my cousin "Catfish Keith" (nominee for J.C. Handy Award for Mississippi Delta Blues slide guitar artist).

  • From: Pico Rivera, Calif. U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-10-26
  • Posts: 785

Re: Help for a newbe

[quote title=cobby wrote on Sat, 17 March 2007 07:39]Hi All

I have been taking guitar lessons now for a whole 3 weeks!!  I'm learning the blues scales very slowly.


My question is I have just bought myself a new amp and I'm wondering if someone could give me some settings to start from?


I'm interested in blues the amp I'm using is a Randall rg75d g2 series.  The guitar is a Washburn Pro X series.  I also have a Les Paul custom (chinese copy) <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_redface.gif" border=0 alt="Embarassed"> which I'm not sure about. (quote)



You'll have to try every knob you have and find the sound your happy with. Everyone has different taste so not every one's settings will suit you. I always have my master on 10, the reason is when you are playing distorted if you have your master on a low volume and your volume on a higher volume the speaker coil does not warm up and you sound real muddy.


With the master cranked you can control the volume and the volume knob on your guitar. It gives you a clearer distortion (oxy moron, clear distortion). I myself like more midrange and some highs and usually play on my clean channel with effects or an amp moduler. But that's me.


Bootlegger

Bootlegger guitars.

  • cobby
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-03-17
  • Posts: 3

Re: Help for a newbe

Thanks for the replys to my question Guys

i do pratice every day sometimes 2 or three times

i also have a washburn acustic which i pratice on as well one of the problems that i have at the moment is i have quite large fingers and my second finger is deformed at the tip (due to an acident many years ago) and it is larger than my first finger at the tip so the cords i am learning i have to change the fingering a bit for instance the A chord i have to use my first and secound finger because i cant fit my 123 fingers on the frets without toucthing the outhers i have learnt 5 cords so far but cant change with any speed yet takes about 5 secounds!!! any tips on the best ways to pratice


Regards Cobby

  • From: Nottingham, UK
  • Registered: 2006-08-08
  • Posts: 690

Re: Help for a newbe

Keep going with your 5 chords cobby, you'll find the acoustic makes them sound sweetest and rewards you quickest.


That first finger of yours could be a natural for barre chords on the electric. I've been practising Chuck Berry and Stones stuff and wish for bigger fingers. I've been playing 3 years but trying Keith Richards moves makes my fingers ache just like GitaFiddle says.


With your electric try turning tone and volume on the guitar to full and turning off gain/overdive and set tone to full on the amp - this should give a classic Country sound, when you twang the bass strings you're in Texas. Now drop the volume on the guitar a bit and turn the amp to mid tone and just add a pinch of distortion, should be  getting a bluesy 60s rock sound. Drop a little tone off the guitar to get a more dirty rockin sound and experiment between back and neck pickup positions. Bridge pick up should be harsher, neck pickup stronger and trebley. Now lower guitar volume yet again and turn up the amp to compensate then nudge the gain/od up a fraction more - should be very bluesy. Now as you raise the guitar volume you should be controlling the degree of distortion. There'll be a sweet spot where playing soft and clean sounds clean but as you move harder a satisfying snarl arises. This distortion should hang around as you stop playing but not storm away to itself forever. After that it's all in the playing...

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'
  • cobby
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-03-17
  • Posts: 3

Re: Help for a newbe

Thanks for the help Cytania i wil try what you surgested with the amp also i never thought having large fingers would be an advantge i can see your point when it comes to bar chords when i first met my teatcher he wanted to know what kind of music i was intrested in i told him the blues i also said but i have large fingers he said well just look at BB king!!


Thanks again Cobby