The Guitar Thread

[Pickslide1992]

Ah yes, the dreaded "pick gnomes." I usually find mine all over the place.

Haha, that's exactly what my teacher said. Those nasty pick gnomes.

I got that term from another forum called Ultimate Guitar. Great place for tabs and gear reviews, but be careful, thar be trolls abound.

But to combat the pick problem, I turned a few picks into pendants so I can find them easier.

[ismbof]

Oooo! Guitar thread!

gear:
-used Ibenez RG series guitar (sample) - loving it to death
-used Schecter Diamond series guitar - set up for Drop B
sample: http://soundcloud.com/ismbofepicly/more-than-quite-eyes
-Fender Strat 3/4 size beginners guitar (piece of crap) (sample: The Great And Powerful x20)
-Yamaha RBX 170
-Line 6 Floor POD Plus - going into a...
-Line 6 Spider III 15 watt amp
-then I mic piss

I don't know that much about gear and guitars but everything sounds alight to me when I play. Anything I should know about my own load out?

[Pickslide1992]

Oooo! Guitar thread!

gear:
-used Ibenez RG series guitar (sample) - loving it to death
-used Schecter Diamond series guitar - set up for Drop B
sample: http://soundcloud.com/ismbofepicly/more-than-quite-eyes
-Fender Strat 3/4 size beginners guitar (piece of crap) (sample: The Great And Powerful x20)
-Yamaha RBX 170
-Line 6 Floor POD Plus - going into a...
-Line 6 Spider III 15 watt amp
-then I mic piss

I don't know that much about gear and guitars but everything sounds alight to me when I play. Anything I should know about my own load out?

Wait a sec, I think I know you. Aren't you subscribed to me on Soundcloud and vice versa? That said, awesome track!

That said, here's a sample of my guitar work.

http://soundcloud.com/strangejames/rainbow-dash-theme

[LeafRunner]

Guitar thread I missed!

I'm so glad I didn't sell any of my gear when I stopped playing regularly 5 years ago, it's been awesome to not have to buy much to get recording again.

My guitars:

Black Ibanez SA160 (2002 model) - This was my first guitar, and it is still my favorite to play out of all of mine. I've replaced the humbucker with a dimarzio evolution. I will never, ever sell this guitar, it is a part of me.

Pewter Ibanez RG5EX1 with reverse headstock - This was a special Guitar Center exclusive (I think?) that I picked up in 2006. At the time, I was more into playing progressive metal/hard rock, so I wanted something that had 24 frets and a locking tremolo. While I really love the sound that comes out of this thing, the neck is wider than my SA160, and it's soooo much heavier. I just don't like heavier guitars, or I'd get a Les Paul. I'm debating selling it, because I hardly play it anymore, even though I did gig a few shows with it.

Mitchell LC-200CE classical guitar - Picked this up around the same time as my pewter Ibanez. I love the sound of classical guitars and was interested in finger picking. This made me decent at the style, although I feel I have a long way to go with fingerstyle.

And finally a Yamaha FG-180 Nippon Gakki Red Label acoustic - This is actually my mom's acoustic from when she was growing up, but she's practically given it to me since I've been playing it and keeping it with me for 9 years now. I'm not sure exactly what year it is, but it's around 70 or 71 I think. The action is a little high on it for me, but it has such a good lower range sound to it that I love it. This was the first guitar I played before I got my "own" electric mentioned above.

I'm looking to get a new acoustic that has lower action and cutaway with the ability to plug it in soon.

And here's the rest of my gear/recording setup:

Boss GT-8 guitar effects processor - I use this for all of my effects. It's been an amazingly durable and awesome all-in-one stompbox that I can ever record directly through without need of an amp or mics.

Crate XT120R as my guitar amp.

I also have a few other amps at my parents' house, but they're all bass amps. I'm trying to get a bass as well.

Tascam US-800 usb recording interface for all my recording needs.

Sony MDR-7506 studio monitor headphones for late night playing and recording. I absolutely LOVE these things.

And I'm doing my recording currently with Cubase LE5 since it came with my Tascam. Still learning it, I used to use Cakewalk way back in the day, but I'm liking Cubase so far.

Oh yeah, and I'm pretty particular about my picks if I'm playing something serious. My pick of choice right now is the black Dunlop Jazz III pick. It took awhile to get used to being small, but for getting precise picking, it can't be beat!

[LeafRunner]

But to combat the pick problem, I turned a few picks into pendants so I can find them easier.

I stick mine in the guitar strings when I'm done playing, or hanging out the corner of my mouth if I've still got it out but not playing at the moment. Probably not the most sanitary thing, and I have no idea where I got the habit, since I don't smoke

[MixolydianPony]

GUITAR THREAD!? I'll try not to get too excited...

I got a PRS SE Custom 24 a few months ago, and I just realized that it's the 25th anniversary version. I love it to death. 24 frets, 2 humbuckers, and quite possibly the nicest non-floyd rose tremolo bridge I've ever played. I play everything from swing to hard rock, and the guitar proves to be surprisingly versatile.

I've also got some unidentified Alvarez 6 string acoustic that my dad gave me, which I'm quite certain is a Japanese hand made special edition model. It's not the best acoustic, but with new strings and a bit of studio magic, it does the job.

My favorite of all of them is my Ovation Elite 12 string acoustic, also from my dad (he kinda quit music and gave me all his stuff). I love the unique sound that Ovations have, and the fact that it's a 12 string makes tone just ooze out of it. I have yet to make use of it in a pony song, but I have some things in the works that it would be perfect for.

[MasterOfRegret]

I love the unique sound that Ovations have, and the fact that it's a 12 string makes tone just ooze out of it.

I had to choose between my Ibanez and an Ovation, but I picked Ibanez because the ovations they had were not the greatest.
I was on vacation at my friends place last summer, and we stopped by the music shop so I could try some guitars, because I was looking for a new one, and they had this one 12-string that I picked up. Oh God. IT was amazing, the sound from it made me tear up a little :')

I got a PRS SE Custom 24 a few months ago, and I just realized that it's the 25th anniversary version. I love it to death. 24 frets, 2 humbuckers, and quite possibly the nicest non-floyd rose tremolo bridge I've ever played. I play everything from swing to hard rock, and the guitar proves to be surprisingly versatile.

Don't suppose you would post some pictures?

[MixolydianPony]

Don't suppose you would post some pictures?

Gladly. **Hopes that this works....**





PRS fretboard bird inlays



Sorry my tuner is on there. These are pics from when I first saw it in the store. Just what I happened to have on my computer.

[LeafRunner]

Man, I've always wanted one of those bird inlay PRS guitars... Such a beautiful instrument. Very nice!

[Pickslide1992]

Oh my, that's a beautiful ax, man! And I thought I was top dog with my SG, but you just knocked me out of the water.

[LeafRunner]

Since we've got this awesome guitar thread, why don't we talk about influences? Who's your "guitar heroes?"

For me, there's always guys like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, but most of mine come from prog rock. There's so many to name, I'll just start of with a few:

Alex Lifeson of Rush
Steve Howe of Yes
Steve Rothery of Marillion (absolutely AMAZING if you haven't heard them)
And of course, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd

I used to be more heavily influenced by John Petrucci (Dream Theater), and I still am from his more "soulful" guitar solos, but I've moved away from the more super technical / shredding stuff in recent years.

[Facade]

Don't suppose you would post some pictures?

Sorry my tuner is on there. These are pics from when I first saw it in the store. Just what I happened to have on my computer.

why do you have three of the same guitar in the background there o.O
edit: my reading skills fail sometime dont mind me

[SeanNH94]

I stick mine in the guitar strings when I'm done playing, or hanging out the corner of my mouth if I've still got it out but not playing at the moment. Probably not the most sanitary thing, and I have no idea where I got the habit, since I don't smoke

Haha, I'm not the only one who holds picks in their mouth! I did it long before I ever smoked too, it's really just a convenient thing to do. Though I have to try really hard to remind myself to not put any pick a borrow in my mouth. It's probably a bad habit to have. :\

[Pickslide1992]

Since we've got this awesome guitar thread, why don't we talk about influences? Who's your "guitar heroes?"

For me, there's always guys like Eric Claptop and Jimi Hendrix, but most of mine come from prog rock. There's so many to name, I'll just start of with a few:

Alex Lifeson of Rush
Steve Howe of Yes
Steve Rothery of Marillion (absolutely AMAZING if you haven't heard them)
And of course, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd

I used to be more heavily influenced by John Petrucci (Dream Theater), and I still am from his more "soulful" guitar solos, but I've moved away from the more super technical / shredding stuff in recent years.

Slash-He is one of the best axe slingers of our time. His bluesy style and such made me put him on this list, plus his attitude is admirable as well. His taste in guitars isn't bad either (Les Pauls FTW)

Eddie Van Halen-How could I have this list without this guy? He was the guy who ushered in the virtuoso rock craze of the 80's and was influenced by Jimi Hendrix (As in, some of the tricks he does like divebombing). His tone inspired many imitators during the 80's as well, as did his guitars and their paintjobs.

John Petrucci-I wouldn't really put a shredder on this list, but John's an exception. He can mix shredding without sounding like random guitar wankery.

Dave Murray-Iron Maiden's one of my all time favorite bands, and to leave Dave Murray and Adrian Smith off would be a crime. Dave is another example of a musical shredder, plus some of the rhythm work is tricky yet memorable.

[MasterOfRegret]

I really don't have any guitar influences! :S
Lots of musical ones, though. Just music in general inspires me.

[MixolydianPony]

I take a lot of musical influence as a whole from early Dream Theater, specifically the more melodic stuff off of the Images and Words album. I intentionally try to incorporate that style of melodic phrasing, odd times that don't sound too odd, and lyrical style in what I do.

Brian Setzer is the reason for all of the swing and 50's rock n' roll stuff I do.

Embarrassingly enough.... Neal Schon of Journey has strongly influenced my soloing.

And Vito Bratta.... the guitar player from White Lion, a relatively lesser known 80's hair band. I've unintentionally (or subconsciously?) developed a rhythm style really close to his.

[LeafRunner]

Pickslide:

Yeah, Slash is definitely one of the most easily recognizable lead guitarists ever. I remember when Velvet Revolver came out and I heard it on the radio without knowing anything about the band and saying "That's Slash, I didn't know he had a new band."

And while I love Eddie Van Halen's playing, his attitude is extremely poor in my eyes. To me being a good musician includes the attitude just as much as technical ability.

And oh yeah, Iron Maiden is some great stuff.


Mixolydian:

I used to study an official tab book for Images and Words relentlessly back in my early days of guitar. While I don't really listen to Dream Theater nearly as much as I used to, I will always have John's influence in my style since it was so integral when I was learning guitar. Early DT is best DT.

And there's nothing embarrassing about Journey!


I realize since I'm still fairly new to writing music in this fandom I don't have much samples for people to check out my style other than my Zap Apple Jam. I just uploaded an excerpt from a song I'm working on with some lead guitar so you can see how I play. It's pretty rough and I was just improvising all the lead. I really like playing "in the moment."

http://soundcloud.com/leafrunner/new-song-teaser

[Pickslide1992]

I almost forgot one guy I really like: Brian May. Queen's another big favorite of mine, and Brian's been known to use a Six-pence as a pick, not to mention his signature guitar (The Red Special) is pretty much completely custom. Plus his guitar work isn't too shabby, especially his harmonies. It helps that the Killer Queen solo was the first solo I ever learned completely.

[@ppleBukker]

My loadout:

Ibanez RG 320 DX - with DiMarzio neck and bridge pickups (a.k.a. Trigger)
Gibson Les Paul Studio (a.k.a. Midnight)
Squire Stratocastor (a.k.a. Dakota)
LTD M53 (a.k.a. Shadow)
Fender Starcastor (a.k.a Denise)

Amp: Peavey Windsor 4x12 half-stack

Pedals:
Marshall Gov'nor Overdrive
Boss Metal Zone
Dunlop Cry Baby
Rocktron (I think?) Delay Pedal

As far as influence, I take a lot of influence from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not in the sense that every redneck listens to it, but in the sense of the passion and emotion in the music, itself. Also, I take a lot of influence from various punk subgenres.

[Pickslide1992]

Another Gibson owner. (Brohoof) Helps we have the same finish (Though mine's Ebony)

Welcome to the thread! Grab a chair, a guitar, a pony, and a friend and join us.

Anyway, speaking of effects, which effect company is your personal favorite? (Boss, Line 6, Digitech, etc.) I'm not going to lie, I'm a Line 6 guy. Funnily enough, I used to hate them, at least their Spider amps, but once I finally got one of their effect units, I was hooked. In fact their PodXT Live is my favorite guitar processor so far. It gives me any tone I want, from a nice clean to the most brutal metal you'll ever hear.

[RocknRollPony]

1. Gibson SG (cheapest one)
2. Fender MIM Tele
3. Vox Valvetronix amp
4. Crybaby Wah
5. Boss Delay Pedal

(bonus!!)
6. Ravish Sitar Pedal- Electro Harmonix

[Pickslide1992]

^Not a bad rig. Glad to see another SG owner (By that I assume you mean the SG Special?)

[@ppleBukker]

Another Gibson owner. (Brohoof) Helps we have the same finish (Though mine's Ebony)

Anyway, speaking of effects, which effect company is your personal favorite?

*Brohoof*

Effects, eh? Personally, I've always been a fan of Digitech. For the longest time I used an RP350 multi-effects processor. I even used it to record a couple of demos. However, my power cable fizzled out on me.

Boss is wonderful. My Metal Zone pedal works wonders when coming up with some clean-cut distorted licks.

I've always liked Line 6. However, I've never owned anything they've made. I have played my friend's Spider 2 (I think?) amp with his LTD (not sure what model). Gotta say, I fell in love for how small of an amp it was.

[Pickslide1992]

Spiders are usually the ass of Line 6's arsenal. Their cleans are sterile and their high gain sounds are fizzy. Their pedals are much better.

As for Digitech, I can attest that they're pretty good, especially their Hardwire series. I've been wanting to try out that valve distortion and chorus pedals.

[Versilaryan]

Yeah, I don't like Spider amps either. My Vox AD30VT gets better metal sounds than my roommate's Spider.