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any guitar players here?

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I'm all about finding cheap guitars that can become great guitars with a few upgrades. There are a lot of Asian makes that are almost as well made as the major brands, but for a couple of cheap parts (usually pickups and hardware). I found an Agile AD-2300 for $175 on craigslist awhile ago. Basically a Les Paul Special copy, with some changes to avoid copyrights. Korean made, and distributed in the US by Rondo Music. They're only about $270 new, and it's a bargain at that price.

Nice set neck and mahogany body, very resonant. Tune-o-matic bridge and Grover style tuners are quite nice. The only drawbacks are: the nut is 1/16" narrower than the neck (but centered), and the pickups. The pickups (P-90) may be fine for all I know, but the mounting screws were stripped to hell, and I can't set them at a proper height. Still, if I cop some high end pickups, and have a good tech replace the nut and set it up, I'll have a mother fucker of a guitar for around $400-450. And it only matters because it's a great player. It's one of those guitars that allows you to pull off all the shit you think you can play, but usually can't.

As far as pickups, I went to a cool little vintage shop (Guitar Lovers on Kenwood in Cinci) to check some out. I asked the owner to pick out the 2-3 guitars with the best P-90s, and he pointed to a Heritage with Lollar pickups. They were spectacular, so I looked it up online. Apparently, Jason Lollar is some kind of savant, and can custom wind pickups to replicate any classic guitar sound. Prices for his production models are comparable to other high end lines (Fralin, etc.) The more I think about it, I should go ahead and take the plunge ($100 ea. for P-90s), since he won't be making pickups forever.

http://www.rondomusic.com/ad2300jr.html

http://www.lollarguitars.com/
 
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BuckeyeMac;1691568; said:
I have a question...Why when starting out playing guitar you're supposed to learn electric rather than acoustic, and definitely stay away from bass...why is that? I'm just wondering
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It doesnt matter what you start on. Personally, I started on an electric because it allowed me to play the music I wanted to play (namely metallica). I would have lost interest in an acoustic pretty quickly.
As for bass, they are fun too, just not my style.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks;1691528; said:
As for a Strat v. Tele... Strat was my first love, and so that's what I primarily play

blackie2.gif


(that's not my actual guitar).
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I bought a Squire Strat a little over a year ago.
due to a couple of injuries, I haven't had a chance to learn anything yet.
hoping that'll change, and I can make a sound that at least remotely resembles music.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks;1691425; said:
I've come to learn one cannot buy skill. I've seen guys with 2,000 dollars worth of equipment sound like utter [censored], but a guy on a 50 dollar guitar from Wallmart who has skill can make that bad boy sing (well, until it goes out of tune, lol) ...
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When I hit California, I found out very quickly that there were guys on street corners that played guitar with their toes better than I did. I had moments when I felt as if I were a three-toed sloth playing guitar. Of course, those were the high points and it went downhill from there, but I'll always have that.
 
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That is a sick guitar DEB!!!

I've been working on playing some more recent songs (acoustic), and working on chords. Still can't do many barre chords though. I feel like my fingers don't stretch enough
 
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BuckeyeMac;1873936; said:
That is a sick guitar DEB!!!

I've been working on playing some more recent songs (acoustic), and working on chords. Still can't do many barre chords though. I feel like my fingers don't stretch enough
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I can offer some advice on playing barre chords. First, don't think your index finger has to clamp down across all six strings. In both basic barre chord forms, the three strings above the root note are held down by your other fingers, so you can lessen the tension of your index behind those notes. The most important thing for your index is to anchor the root note. You can choose not to barre the strings at all and just play a four note chord, which will have all of the chord tones, just not as full sounding.

Also, experiment with how your index lays across the strings. I often play E-form chords with my entire fingertip hanging off the top of the fretboard. On A-form chords, I'll have my fingertip muting the low E string, which gives me the option of playing the 5th below the root for a moving bass line. Everyone's hands are different, so tinker around until you find a position that feels right for you.

On A-form chords, you can finger the middle strings with your pinky, rather than your ring finger. It may take a while to build up strength in your pinky, but it definitely makes it less of a stretch. For both types of barre chords, you can practice them higher up on the neck where the frets are closer together until you feel comfortable with the fingerings, then gradually move down toward the nut. Be patient, stretching your hands in to unnatural positions takes time.

If you can't get a feel for the E-form barre, there is an easier way to play it by omitting the lowest note. It's a common way to play an F major chord in 1st position, but it can be moved anywhere on the neck. Same basic shape as the barre chord, but you only have to use your index to fret the top two strings. Here's an A major in tab:

e: 5 (i)
B: 5 (i)
G: 6 (m)
D: 7 (p)
A: 7 (r)
E: x

Hope that helps. Let me know if I can clarify anything.
 
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I've had my Fender Strat HSS for about 6 months now, but haven't made nearly as much progress as I would like. But man, it sure is fun to blast out the intro to Sweet Child in time with the recording. :biggrin:

By the way, that was a freaking sweet job on the guitar, DEB!
 
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