So my son started taking lessons 2 weeks ago. His guitar is a beginners Peavey that came with a little 9v battery powered amp. We went by Guitar Center yesterday and got him a used Peavey Vypyr. Seems pretty cool, there are a ton of settings and effects built into it. Is the next step to get him a pedal for it? He's 15, so he's flying through the lessons and busy working on teaching himself to play songs he likes using tab apps on his tablet.
You can get effects pedals, but I personally think that’s overkill with an amp that’s filled with effects already. Unless you mean the control pedal that’s made for the amp - in that case, yes, get that. It’s called the Sanpera, and it lets you program different effects combos and recall them, plus it gives you a wah/volume pedal. Should be able to find it used online.
Bootsy Collins and Alex Lifeson were in the studio together for some crazy funk mashup. Should be fun. I had no idea Bootsy is this tall. Alex is 6 feet and not a small dude, but Bootsy makes him look that way in this pic. Spoiler
Brought my Les Paul Robot out of the closet and charged the battery. You have no idea how frustrating it is that my guitars sit in the closet unused and my baby Marshall stack sits somewhere else equally unused. Fuck me running do I miss when my guitars and amp sat in my living room ready for when ever I felt like playing. I really need to step it up on getting my house in Missouri built.
When music event organizers tell you, "We'll provide the backline and drum kit", bring your own shit. After all these years you'd think we'd know better by now. Except, it was a benefit and we weren't getting paid so we decided to take a chance. We got to see a speaker ( perched on a bar table... in addition to monitors they didn't have stands ) go crashing to the floor, table and all mid song because of the vibrations from the bass plugged directly into it. By that point, nothing fazed us, we just kept going. Despite all odds, the must gods smiled on us though and we killed it. Then GTFO.
Ugh....a good customer just sold a 1965 Fender Jazz Bass to our store. All original, Fiesta Red with a matching headstock (a custom color job because it’s painted over the original Firemist Silver body). The finish is worn to shit but it sounds soooooo fucking good. Fucking vintage mojo. I have been trying to pay off debt and save money...but I’m seriously considering selling a shit-load of gear for this thing.
Yeah, he’s tall but he’s always in platforms. I worked with Bootsy’s personal engineer for a short while. He has a separate building on his property for his studio, and while George Clinton is allowed in the studio, he’s not allowed in Bootsy’s actual house because Bootsy’s sober now and George isn’t.
I did not end up buying it. I was 100% going to trade in nearly all my gear except essentials, and go into debt for the rest - but my dad had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery, and going to help him recover was much more important. But man, it was priced so low. We posted it for sale online and it sold in 30 seconds. I shit you not.
Anybody need a vintage guitar? https://www.mecum.com/auctions/las-...lection-from-the-geddy-lee-guitar-collection/ I would totally bid $500 on that ES-335. But, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't win.
Anyone catch Ed Sheeran playing Austin City Limits? Just him, an acoustic guitar, and a home-brew loop pedal setup. (Loop pedal setup talked about here: https://www.dawsons.co.uk/blog/what-equipment-does-ed-sheeran-use) Got to say, dude has some serious chops. I do find his mainstream stuff to be quite catchy and poppish, but I was really impressed with his performance on ACL He's getting some serious sound out of that little Martin acoustic he's playing... (he has a signature line with them). I'm kind of tempted to pick up a loop pedal and fuck around a bit....
There are so many great loop pedals, and inexpensive ones, too. I use the one built into my Line 6 Spider Jam Amp with my FBV pedals. I was shopping for a used Digitech Jam Man, then decided I wanted the Boss RC so I could have some drum loops. But, I also needed a new amp. I ended up getting a steal of a deal at Guitar Center on the Line 6 amp, because I got them to throw in the FBV pedal. I ended up paying less than a new JML2 JamMan. I'm a hack, but it's a ton of fun.
Has anyone ever had a good experience with an ESP guitar? I know they must be capable of making quality guitars judging by the prices they charge. The one I had was a Kirk Hammett model with a Floyd Rose and it just felt cheap....I bought it off e-bay and once it arrived I played in maybe 15 minutes and said "Fuck this noise" and sold it on craigslist a day later. It was awful. The reason I ask is that I checked the pawnshops up here for something to play while I'm stuck in a hotel room. The only thing I found even half way worthwhile is an ESP Will Adler camo model like this: I don't like the look and I really don't like the $650 price tag. But I checked them out and they've actually got a good sound. Obviously I'd play it before buying, but I'm kind of thinking $400-450 tops if it comes with a hard case. Any thoughts since I've only had a bad experience with ESP?
Well you can find it on Reverb.com for $550 “brand new.” Looks like it’s a discontinued model though. The thing about those LTD models is they’re all really similar except for “artist model” spec changes - but those changes don’t change the fact that it’s probably not worth more than $400 bucks. If I was still working at the music store, I’d tag it at $400 and try and get $350 for it after a month of Butt Rock enthusiasts greasing it up. $650 is definitely way too much.
If you don't need a whammy bar, and you're going to spend $400, why not just get one of these? https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-limited-edition-es-335-pro-electric-guitar It has coil tapping, and the factory set ups are usually just fine. Musician's Friend is free shipping and you'll have it in a few days. The 335 body shape is great for playing while sitting, and the semi-hollow construction means you can noodle without an amp in a hotel room. I love the neck on mine, and I never even play my Les Paul anymore. If you do plug in, the pickups are very close recreations to the original 57 PAF models, imo. (ymmv) I am not much of a guitar player, but I have been buying guitars and playing them for 35 years. Other than my go-to Breedlove acoustic, I have never been happier with a guitar purchase than when I got my ES-335.
I've never really been comfortable on a semi-hollow, but you did give me a wonderful idea. MF has a nice little Epi SG for $179. I've got no problem playing a properly set up Epi.
I would not suggest that particular Epi SG. The lower end ones (with bolt-on necks) are notorious for having a dry feeling fingerboard and rough fret edges. I would suggest any of the Les Paul models that aren’t the Plus Pro (unless you want a coil tap option). Set neck, good pickups. Like the LP Standard in ebony, or similar. I do agree with Rush though. The 339 Pro is their best model right now. It’s just a semi-hollow. Actually, you know what I would recommend? See if you can find a used PRS SE Standard 24, or an SE Custom 24. They’re even a pretty good deal new. They’re set up at the PRS plant in Annapolis, and feel really good out the box.
I'm actually going a different route at the moment. Back in the 90's, I had a Yamaha RGX220 guitar for years that I loved. It had a so-so whammy system with a locking nut, but it played great and had a decent sound. It met an untimely end in Las Vegas. The wood was probably dried out from being in the desert and I leaned it up against a counter. It fell over and snapped the headstock. I couldn't bring myself to part it out or throw it away, so I carried it's corpse around for years before I gave it to some kid I worked with. I found a highly modified RGX220 on the internet which is going to push $400 a bit over the top (Which I really didn't want to spend), but it does have a Floyd Rose and a custom bloodstone paint job. (For Christmas my girlfriend gave me a bloodstone worry stone without realizing how much I love bloodstone.) So yeah, this guitar kind of spoke to me. I made a cash offer on it, we'll see where it goes...
Offer accepted, bloodstone Yamaha is on the way. Final price including tax & shipping: $372 It also has a blower switch, which I'd never heard of until yesterday. Interesting little mod that could come in handy for someone like me that doesn't usually use stomp boxes.