Leaderboard

Put it all back together, polished it up and it plays just fine. What a bargain

Quick update to say I pulled the trigger on the Thinline Godin. It's new, coming from the States and even with delivery and taxes will be £300 cheaper than the best price I could find in the UK!

After a bit of work with fine wet and dry and a polish up with brasso, it transpires it's a Coxx Classix.

What a palava. OK so GC has been offline for a few days due to a mix-up in transfer of content from the old server (which was upgraded due to email notification issues on BC) to the new server. The old server subscription cancelled last week taking GC down with it. Then we had issues trying to get things set up on the new server. As you can see, we have managed to restore GC but the only back up on the old server was from January. Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry to any of you who had made the effort to post detailed or lengthy replies during that time, I've personally lost at least one lengthy post as well. If you need to flame, go ahead. We had to unravel a whole load of secondary issues to do with databases not working quite right, upgrades not installing quite correctly, DNS and nameservers not being what they should be. However, thankfully, we have made it through the other side and GC is faster and more stable than ever. I don't expect this perfect storm to happen again and thanks in advance for your patience and understanding.

Coming from the light side (basschat) and after having a friend of a friend show me how to get the most from my hx stomp, the other week I picked up an electric to try and learn… it’s from 1990 weighs less than 3kg and has switches on both knobs that makes it sound different- learning needs to happen !

Hi! It seems I joined a while ago but forgot. I started playing guyitar when I was in my teens back in the early/mid 70s the moved to bass. Now bandless on bass, I am about to pick up a guitar again for the first time in many years and have a few questions. I have had a Mexican Fender Telecaster for some years, stashed away in its case, and just recently bought one of these for a few quid at a bootsale which now sports a Tonerider PAF pickup and some new tuners. Hope to find answers to questions!

J. Bright, The Law Suit, late 1700s: There truly is nothing new under the sun...

I missed the electro bit Yamaha Music London do the FX310A for £235

Yes to both, not helped by intermittent focus in my eyesight and a reluctance to take my reading glasses everywhere in case it brings on mid life crisis.

Or are your fingers too big?

I blame the advent of GPS. ...

We're stoked to announce that we've launched some new multipacks... https://www.rotosound.com/blog/product-news/new-rotosound-multipacks/ These offer our most popular sets in 3- and 10-set boxes for cost-saving and convenience. Starting from £21.95 for the triple pack and £69.95 for the ten-set multipack, they're available now from UK dealers!

Hah! Lucky I'd just swallowed my tea when I got to "Rickenwaffe" - not heard that one before! Yeah, they are more on the ball than anyone I've ever seen about their marks. Ric copies of any serious closeness only exist in Japan that I've ever seen... the very occasional one on ebay disappears almost immediately. I'd love a Ric solod body - a 4003 bass even moreso, but I'm resigned to the fact I'll never be able to afford one (and even then I'd struggle to justify the spend, tbh). Part of me wishes they'd do a diffusion line, A Rickensquierphone. They'd surely sell well, given their absolute nixing of the market for any other options if it's a Ric you want. (The Harely Benton options are about the only ones I've seen, and they're so deviated from the original - even if nice instruments in their own right.... you'll not see a Beatles tribute act playing them the way I've seen them use a Squier to recreate Rocky, let's put it that way...). Another part of me rather respects Ric for deciding they're happy as they are rather than just chasing the lifestyle brand market, or otherwise squeezing their property for every last penny. It was a remarkably late registration attempt by Fender - real stable door / bolted horse stuff. Trademarking a shape wasn't an issue for them in 1951 -or 1954 - as it wasn't until 1960 that you could trademark a shape in US law. The first registered US trademark shape was the Coca Cola bottle, a shape they'd been using since 1916, so I doubt Fender would have had any trouble registering The Tele, Strat, and other shapes then. As memory serves they had the foresight to at least trademark the shape of their headstocks, though.... Similarly, they were behind the curve in the UK as well, where shape-based trademarks became an option under the Trade Marks Act 1994. Gibson seem to have been more effective here, though from my casual awareness of their legal efforts (not least the PRS case), most of their real protection falls in the zone of lawfare.... i.e. Gibson can afford to spend a lot more than most of those they go after, and fighting a lawsuit will most of the time be far more expensive than just tweaking your design a little to make it go away. Smoke and mirrors to some extent once you see the eminently sensible decision by the Appeal court in Gibson v PRS.

If anyone is interested there’s a massive guitar, amp and music memorabilia auction on 10th June in Corsham, Wiltshire spanning 5 days. Imagine owning 500 guitars!! https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/5abe5b32c7710c2b409b15545ad1d718/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/the-guitar-sale-five-day-auction-including-the-gordon-gi/?currentPage=1

And it's done. Had to do a lot of routing to get the bridge located properly including plugging and redrilling one bridge post 1mm further way. The wiring was a challenge, I spent three days of eliminating possible causes to arrive at only one conclusion, the pickup selector switch was faulty. My midboost preamp didn't work and I wasn't going to spend a week trying to troubleshoot it, so I bought one only to discover that the guy who build it didn't include separate earth and -9v wires. So had to jury rig something up to provide the output socket with an earth connection, the boost is definitely warm but it lacks the glassiness I expected. So I have on order a genuine Demester Fat Boost (Tyler style) and at some point I will probably wire the switches so they are series, phase and parallel. Although they were fiddly to solder as well. However, after a fret levelling and proper set up, it plays very nicely and has more sustain than my other two strats. I have no idea why. It's quite a warm and loud sounding guitar as well acoustically. More aging is needed on the sides and back but I have other things to attend to in advance of being in the UK next month.

A common mistake is for folk to stick to the minor pentatonic when improvising, whether the key or chord is major or minor. Try and make sure you’re complimenting the chord by emphasising the 3rd note. A lot of players tend to play through the scales from one end to the other. Stand out from the crowd by making some interesting, intervalic jumps (Carl Verheyen is the king of this, check him out). Don’t be in a hurry to show your chops too early, build to a crescendo and release (the solo from Stairway is a great example of this).

Or, pretty much, exactly the same.

Wouldn't surprise me. The older I get, the more I realise 99% of the electric guitar market is about selling branding an intangibles far over the actual, physical product. It does seem to vary by location, though: players in the US on average still seem to be much more likely to be emotionally invested in the idea that a guitar made in the USA *must* be superior, or is somehow otherwise "the real thing". Which I suppose shouldn't be surprising given that's where the electric guitar boom started, and so there's a sense of "loss" that those aren't dominant in the market any longer - as opposed to being "only" another import product as they are for us in the UK.

I am a musician and teacher based on the west coast of Ireland. I teach online lessons across Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe. I play electric, Acoustic and Spanish guitar in a variety of styles. My influences are diverse, from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to John Williams, SRV, Rory Gallagher and Tommy Emmanuel. Music was my 2nd love, but it's the one that never left me. (a good line for a blues).

Steady on, it's not like some of them need extra reasons to slap a premium on a five quid set of parts.

Gordon Smith, although better known for their Gibson types, also do a very nice Tele - https://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/shop/stock-guitars/blaggards/ TBH, though, I'm not sure that's how I would go. Clearly you're not looking for a more affordable alternative to Fender's US or CS ranges if you're thinking of spending that sort of custom money anyhow. Now, this is only a personal opinion, but.... for me it would depend a lot on what you want. A tele is such a utilitarian design that if what you want is the standard set-up Tele, it seems to me madness to spend custom-built money on it. If that's the only way - you want something really offbeat like the Jack White signature, or a Trussant Steelcaster, or you have an original 52 that you want to clone so you can leave the vintage piece at home and play a facsimilie out.... then, sure. But if what you want is "just" a Tele, it seems to be it's hard to justify spending vast sums on it.... I'd buy whatever MIM / Tokai / whatever you like and maybe rewired if you want, or track down a CIJ Fender that's good to go as is. (IMO, the top end Japanese Fenders are as good as anything form the US, typically wired the same with the same specs, and usually cheaper - nut much harder to find.) Unless you want something that's just not available otherwise, imo having a custom built Tele is a bit like having a Saville Row tailor copy a pair of 501s for you. They'll be an exquisite example, but....

Many thanks for the feedback both. Seems that what I want to achieve isn't quite in the remit of my amp. I might just go back to my comfort zone of 90s solid state.

Returned today, with a partial refret, new plate, and setup with flatwound 12s.

For anybody considering a Goldo DG offset tremolo I got it to work great (there’s nothing on their website or YouTube I’ve looked none stop) I placed an long Allen key under the D shaped string anchor point leaving just enough room for the ball ends to go in the tight fit, brought all the strings to tension from the low to high E equally then A to B etc and it set the “floating point “ then removed the Allen key and tuned to pitch, voila !!!! If everyone is aware of the principle then great but I wasn’t. There’s more travel with this unit than standard offset ones though all the nut groove attention needs to be done like any other trem .

So, as you're doubtless aware, the people behind the original Klon Centaur: are suing Behringer, for the Behringer Centaur: It's going to be interesting seeing how this pans out. I think they'll win - or Behringer will back down - change the name and colour. Most legal cases settle before they get close to court. This one is interesting because the Klon hasn't been in production since 2008. They now routinely sell for four to five grand when they do come up for sale, hence the vast army of Klon clones that have been on the market for a long time. The Behringer pedal is just the very latest version of this, albeit - depending on opinion - blatantly or just more honestly a knock off of the original. I'm not entirely sold on the ethics of this lawsuit, given it's a product that has been unavailable for so long, and they appear to have no intention to bring it back into production. But it is what it is. The intriguing knock-on is what it has done to the second hand market for the Behringer pedals, which are now all over ebay for £500 and upwards. Full disclosure, the lawsuit announcement a couple of weeks ago finally prompted me to get around to ordering my own Behringer Centaur from Thomann. It was on back order, and has now shipped today, so it's going to be interesting to see what I get. Will it be the original knock-off style, or a new, altered version? TBH, if I was sure it was the original, at the prices they're now going for used, I'd have ordered half a dozen and sold most of them on... Could have funded a very nice new guitar that way! Eh, well. Welcome to the era of Lawsuit pedals!

I wouldn't worry: I have the same problem with Jazz basses. LOTS of players - be it people I know, or well-known bass-heroes - have played great basslines on them. But I can't seem to make the sound work with my playing style. Give me a Precision or a Thunderbird and I'll be happy as Larry, but for reasons I can't fathom, I've never been satisfied with the tones I get out of a Jazz. It's just something I've had to accept! That said, have you ever tried a "super-strat"? I've seen H/S/S setups, and twin HB setups - the former might do something for that "shrill" bridge pickup, and you still get the look and feel of a Strat.

Very nice. All the best with it.

What a cracking little unit! I've not fiddled with it exhaustively but it is not overly complicated by any means. Intuitive controls mean it will be easy to change the presets to the tones I am looking for. Straight into my RCF ART 372A, which is what I have been using for my bass. £38!! How is this even possible? Anyone want to buy a Fender G-Dec 30? I'll stick it in the classifieds soon.

Good evening, @Paul S, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

A good shout-out for the F310, but be aware that it is an acoustic guitar. If you want an electro-acoustic, Yamaha offer the FX400, but at a higher price (£255 from Thomann, for instance...). Do you really need the 'electro' part, though..? For 'playing out', it's very useful, but for home use, the only real advantage is for recording, and even then, it's not the same sound as using an external mic. Your call, of course. The other makers cited are very good, too, especially second-hand, where one may get a better instrument, if there's enough knowledge to judge the instrument offered. Hope this helps.

https://guitarbomb.com/klon-lawsuit-dismissed-bill-finnegan-behringers-zentara-overdrive And so it's all done.... the case has been dropped, "with prejudice" (i.e. they're not allowed to reopen it at any later stage), and no money changing hands. Ironically, the rare version of the pedal is now likely to be the Centara labelled phase, as Behringer recently started labelling them the Zentara, with a Z. I wonder if those will be worth anything in future, what with many buyers hoping to land a future collectable seeking out the first, Centaur labelled, run. Decent result, overall... Behringer have (very cheaply) further refined legal precedent on the limits to how far they can copy something that's no longer in production. It'll be interesting to see if the Klon people attempt to bring out a new line of "the real thing". As a postscript, Youtuber KDH (who is being credited at breaking this story which everyone else seems to have missed) flags that the AI search facility on Google denies that this happened. Now *there's* a bubble that can't burst fast enough.

Well played, Sir! Maybe there will be fewer acts late on now, though, if it's easier to fins the venues.

Good evening, @Iain Douglas, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

I recorded this about 12 years ago. I did all instruments but acoustics EngineeringMixing-OmarRock-Soft_Rock_Ballad_Mix.mp3

That works .

All change again !! I've been trying out the Hotone Ampero products, surprisingly very good !!

Yep! Therein lie the important chord tones, which will add flavour to your soloing.

I bet that very subtle change in the graphics really pisses Klon off, which makes me smile.

It's fascinating how commonly cloned the Klon is, down to its legendary status. Any number of them out there, really. I got an email in yesterday telling me my pedal from Thomann is now on the way - we'll see if it's the original version or something new. I kinda wish I had ordered a few now! According to online reports, this is the new version (which may be what I'll receive): https://guitarbomb.com/behringer-rebrands-klon-clone-centara-overdrive/ Same housing, slight change of name and logo. It strikes me with some amusement that if this doesn't settle the lawsuit, this could become an even rarer version (maybe we should bot order more of them.... if I had an original couple of Klons now, I'd be selling them to buy a Gretsch!). Legalities aside, it still feels to me that Klon are taking the piss suing over an albeit very close lookalike of a pedal they've declined to put on the market for seventeen odd years....

Anyone know any guitar teachers in the Bethnal Green area of east London and how much I should expect to pay for an hours lesson?

Cor, that’s cleaned up really nicely; result!

It won't do the poor thing any favours, and won't fix any issues. If you really want to play Spanish from time to time, I'd suggest buying, locally second-hand, a modest nylon-strung guitar that plays properly, and not inflict any more suffering on this one. A quick glance at my local 'LeBonCoin' (I'm in France...) brings up a whole slew of such guitars, from 50€ upwards, that would be far better value. Just my tuppence-worth.

If it’s heading to the U.K. they include a U.K. power lead

I picked up a super cheap Ibanez S670 with a fake body for 1500RMB ten days ago and went about upgrading, fixing and customising it with chrome Gotoh hardware and Dimarzio Satriani signature pickups. I wanted to do a Chromeboy painted finish but it's not possible to do it well on wood bodies. The original Chromeboys had finish cracking and bubbling issues do to wood expanding and contracting with seasonal changes, the follow ups had bodies made of lucite not wood. So I did the next best thing - bought a load of mirror vinyl wrap online and found a friendly auto wrapping firm to do it for me after my own attempt failed miserably. The reflection isn't 100% sharp but only really noticable when you are standing closer than 5 meters. I'm planning on using the guitar for a show coming up on Jan 11. The good thing of vinyl over paint is that I can get it re wrapped if it starts to look a little worn.

Looks beautiful! (The Hofner, not the delivery guy)...

Never really got on with Strats until fairly recently. I've had a few over the years which I didn't really connect with and ended up givig them away, but in the past year I got two which I do like and will keep. The first was a Sunn Mustang, which if you know anything about those, is a license-built Fender Strat made in India for the European market in the late Eighties. That's a very good guitar indeed. Finding that I liked that Mustang, it prompted me to get another Strat, a 1980 model which I relicked the living crap out of and tarted up with a few parts, and that one I really like too. You can see me playing that one through an MG15 here. I guess the moral of the story is, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs.

Monty’s pickup has arrived… All parcels should arrive like this!

The Rotta T is coming along nicely….. I grain filled the headstock and fretboard black so I’m going to do the back and the rest of the neck after I’ve shaped it…..