Johnny Byrne's Boots wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 3:16 pm
Ooooh, nice. It does sound lovely but how much of it is the artist and how much the brush? I have vague memories of Dave Gilmour saying (when being asked about his tone and what gear it takes) he could pick any guitar off the rack and sound like Gilmour.
Oh I'm under no illusions about the sound but what's doing it for me is the tension on the low B string. As it's a multi-scale bass, the tension on the low B string means it's much more playable than the normal 34 or 35" scale on a bass.
I think what Dave Gilmour is talking about is technique, that's definitely in the hands, sound IS NOT in the hands, believe me.
Fear not. Getting to the stage of the three chord trick is not at all difficult, to be honest you could stop there and still make a living. See Status Quo.
There are virtually unlimited tutorials on Youtube, pick one that resonates with you.
I could make a joke about camp fires and drum kits but I'm too classy
jevs wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 5:33 pm
Well, as part of my new years resolution, I've enquired about guitar lessons.
All i'd like to do is sit around the camp fire when camping and strum a few songs.
However, being a drummer, it's not going to be easy.
Please tell me it's going to be easy-ish
Check out this site Lick Library or alternately check out Ebay where you will find tons of Lick Library DVD's. These are made by real experts. Strumming a few chords should not be too difficult, but after you have mastered that you will want to progress. Of course if you don't want to spend money YouTube has loads of teaching videos. The most important thing is not to get into bad habits from the start.
WCpete wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 6:21 pm
Slight tangent. Was recommended this video by Youtube and I quite enjoyed it.Some studio musicians talk about some of their favorite players' tones and how they got them. I'm not a player but I do find it interesting how people can figure it out just by listening to the music.
Trawling back through the thread as I have some time to kill this morning. Superb stuff. I've been trying to get a sound that resembles 'runnin' with the devil' for years!
Here's my attempt at Panama by Van Halen. I'll confess straight off the bat...I'm no lead guitarist, preferring to stand at the back and bash out the chords...kinda like a ham fisted Malcolm Young!
The band wanted me to learn it though, and I thought why not stick it on my YouTube channel.
Greatest Cockney Rip Off wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 2:45 pm
Not sure about the guitars but Rickenbacker basses are utter gash (yes I know Lemmy used one).
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I remembered your post when I came across this. It's a bit Smashie and Nicey and they don't 'arf waffle but it's worth a watch
Johnny Byrne's Boots wrote: ↑Thu Feb 02, 2023 11:55 pm
I remembered your post when I came across this. It's a bit Smashie and Nicey and they don't 'arf waffle but it's worth a watch
I'm actually subscribed to his channel. Yep, technichally he's a good bass player, no doubt but the stuff he features and plays (for me anyway) does little to impress me. I've always said that people should start out playing the music they listen to and enjoy. I remember being taught House of the Rising Sun on bass and remember thinking, **** song, not what I'm into, what am I learning here? KInd of turned me off having lessons for a bit
Greatest Cockney Rip Off wrote: ↑Fri Feb 03, 2023 12:09 am
I'm actually subscribed to his channel. Yep, technichally he's a good bass player, no doubt but the stuff he features and plays (for me anyway) does little to impress me. I've always said that people should start out playing the music they listen to and enjoy. I remember being taught House of the Rising Sun on bass and remember thinking, **** song, not what I'm into, what am I learning here? KInd of turned me off having lessons for a bit
I hadn't realised you can't palm mute that Rickenbacker. How did they think that was a good idea? Palm muting is a fundamental tool of guitarists of any description. Did they not play one before sending it for production? I'm not sure either of it being the bass that defined The Beatles. Hofner may have something to say about that.
Mind you, all guitars have their foibles. Les Pauls are effin' heavy and won't stay in tune, on a Strat you can move the pickup selector switch with even mildly enthusiastic strumming, SGs have neck dive, Teles dig into your strumming forearm and so on.
Johnny Byrne's Boots wrote: ↑Fri Feb 03, 2023 3:23 pm
I hadn't realised you can't palm mute that Rickenbacker. How did they think that was a good idea? Palm muting is a fundamental tool of guitarists of any description. Did they not play one before sending it for production? I'm not sure either of it being the bass that defined The Beatles. Hofner may have something to say about that.
It's just a badly designed bass full stop. Does it sound nice, yes, but it's not the be-all-and-end-all of bass tones in the grand scheme of things. The bridge is probably the worst bridge I've ever seen on a bass (rivalled only by Gibson's three screw abomination), the pickup cover is right where you want to be actually playing the thing and just serves no purpose whatsoever and the neck has a dual truss rod which is equally useless as well as maddening when trying to adjust the neck relief. I hate the bloody things and can't believe the price some people will pay for them.
Mind you, all guitars have their foibles. Les Pauls are effin' heavy and won't stay in tune, on a Strat you can move the pickup selector switch with even mildly enthusiastic strumming, SGs have neck dive, Teles dig into your strumming forearm and so on.
This is very true and what people consider "quirks" of the design, I just put down to bad designs that haven't been addressed. Gibson's are notorious for going out of tune due to the crappy Kluson machine heads which really are primitive in this day and age. The neck dive on SGs is nothing compared to the neck dive on a Gibson Thunderbird. I had one for about a month before I offloaded it as it was just unplayable trying to hold the neck up all the time. The Les Paul has bad access to the upper frets with the set-neck heel being really bulky and obtrusive to the point where it makes access to the upper register really difficult. The weight is also a major bind, although they did try to address that in some ways by offering chambered bodies. Gibson really are overpriced for what they are and in fact, the QC there is something shocking when you see some examples of what get released. I remember trying out a Gibson Explorer back in the mid-2000s and the finish on the underside of the neck was like an orange peel where it hadn't been sanded correctly. I saw a video recently where a hair (a pubic hair no less) had been varnished over and was clearly visible on the front of the body. That's just shocking QC. I wouldn't play a Gibson if it was given to me for free, they just don't pay enough attention to detail considering the astronomical prices they charge.
Greatest Cockney Rip Off wrote: ↑Fri Feb 03, 2023 4:38 pm
I wouldn't play a Gibson if it was given to me for free, they just don't pay enough attention to detail considering the astronomical prices they charge.
I played several Gibson Les Pauls...gold top, slash replica amongst others...before I picked up the Epiphone I currently own. For some reason it just seemed like a 'better' guitar then the genuine Les Pauls...played better, suited my style better, fitted me better, sounded just as good. Saved around £300 on the purchase price as well.
My lead guitarist has a Tokai Les Paul that he's had some work done on... it's absolutely stunning to look at, sounds beautiful and would play like a dream if only he didn't like a high action. I've had the action on my Epiphone lowered you see...so I find his ridiculous to play...to me, it's got the action of a kids toy ukelele!!!
I have an Ibanez as well...which is a superb little thing and is great for the Satriani/Vai stuff...but I'm seriously tempted to get a Tokai now.
simon hammer wrote: ↑Fri Feb 03, 2023 9:13 pm
I played several Gibson Les Pauls...gold top, slash replica amongst others...before I picked up the Epiphone I currently own. For some reason it just seemed like a 'better' guitar then the genuine Les Pauls...played better, suited my style better, fitted me better, sounded just as good. Saved around £300 on the purchase price as well.
The reason for that was it WAS a better guitar no doubt. The Japanese really do pay attention to the QC on the guitars that they produce. I own an ESP Viper in a matte urban camo finish made in Japan in 2008. I bought it new (it wasn't cheap by the way) and when I got it, I went over it with a fine tooth comb and I have to say, it was absolutely flawless. I couldn't find one single issue with the guitar at all. Absolutely perfect in every way. Played many a gig with it and it's still great, no complaints whatsoever. I also own a Burny Les Paul which is a great guitar to play, everything about it just oozes quality. Gotoh hardware, quality paint finish, ebony fingerboard etc.
My lead guitarist has a Tokai Les Paul that he's had some work done on... it's absolutely stunning to look at, sounds beautiful and would play like a dream if only he didn't like a high action. I've had the action on my Epiphone lowered you see...so I find his ridiculous to play...to me, it's got the action of a kids toy ukelele!!!
The old Tokai guitars and basses were superb in the late 70s and early 80s along with Greco, Ibanez, Burny Fernandes and Aria. The smear campaigns by the American guitarists was laughable (they did the same with Japanese motorbikes) when the reality was their instruments were top quality for not a lot of money.
I have an Ibanez as well...which is a superb little thing and is great for the Satriani/Vai stuff...but I'm seriously tempted to get a Tokai now.
The Tokais nowadays are either made in China or Korea. If you want a quality instrument go for the older Japanese Tokai guitars, they're great.
I agree that Gibson can be a bit of a lottery, but when they get it right, they really pee on most other things. And I'm not particularly a big Gibson fan.
I've probably had, I dunno, 200 or so guitars since day dot, the only one I'll always keep is a 1976 Es335. It's just magical, and it's from an era when Gibson were usually sub standard.
Modern Gibbos are a bit of a gamble, to be fair, although the other guitarist in my stupid band has just bought a Custom Shop LP Jr and it seems to be pretty much faultless.
I also agree that Burny, Greco, Tokai Japan, Edwards etc really get it right. And you can pick them up for peanuts on Jauce or similar sites.
Monkeybubbles wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 3:21 pm
I agree that Gibson can be a bit of a lottery
And this, is the crux of the matter. For the prices they charge they should be getting it right EVERY time. The Japanese were doing this in the 70s to the point where the Yanks were running scared and creating smear campaigns against these companies (similar to the car, motorbike and electronics industry at the time).
Fender were the same in the lottery stakes when it came to the QC although Fender were the first to realise that they could learn from the Japanese.
