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I don't think I've posted here before - I'm a member of basschat.co.uk, but after playing bass for decades, lately I've been singing and playing mandolin and octave mandolin. I don't actually play guitar, though I have a couple of guitar-shaped objects in my collection - an acoustic guitar bodied octave mandolin, and earlier this year a local guitar builder converted a copy of a Gibson SG to mandolin for me. I'm currently working towards a Rock School grade 2 acoustic guitar exam... with a mandolin!

Thinking that I ought to have a hollow bodied guitar for jazz I bought a Streamliner and have indeed given that Bigsby a wobble from time to time despite it being considered inappropriate within the genre.

Decided to get the Epi Les Paul 60’s Standard in Bourbon Burst I had looked at PRS but decided this is what I wanted. Out of the box the quality, setup was spot on and amazing for a £500 guitar. Sounds excellent and pickups are very good and sounds great clean and overdriven They have definitely improved since I owned an Epi Les Paul Plus Top Pro about 10 years ago this is as close to Gibson quality you can get without the price tag ! Awesome guitar

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.

This year a Joyo "Oxford Sound" pedal. So far I'm very pleased with it - lets me go straight into our PA without lugging an amp around.

Hi,everyone, I'm new to the site so thanks for having me,my wife made me join so I bore someone else,Sorry.

here is the current board with some diys and some stock pedals. More diys kicking about and more Boss to add on a new board for part of my rebuilding the rig of my youth

I had already pre-empted Christmas in offering to myself my bucket-list guitar : a Hofner President E2 thinline, Florentine cut, having foolishly traded away the first one I had, late '60s. Half a century later, I got this one from a Reverb seller in Sweden. The Christmas gift..? Our Daughter, thinking (rightly...) that it would be difficult to find something I'd want/need that I didn't already have, posted a sum of money into my bank which covered the cost of the hard case and shipping of my dream guitar. Much appreciated, and a Very Nice Surprise. Here's a (bad...) photo of the delivery and unpacking of the guitar...

I’d love an L5, or an ES175 at a pinch, but I’m quite attached to my kidneys.

This year: A book on jazz guitar comping concepts.

Ordered a pair of matched JJ EL34 tubes and swopped out the Marshall stock EL34 ( will keep as spares ) Replaced V1 and V2 with JJ ECC83S Pleasing results as it sounds warmer, fuller and less harsh at high gain which the better JJ tubes seem to be helping A nice easy upgrade

For me it has to be Ritchie Blackmore and his stratocasters. As far as I can tell he has at least two - one which is a pale natural wood finish, and another which is painted an ivory colour.

There are posting settings saying you need 5 posts to be able to post in general. Seems a bit high, but otherwise, you probably have enough post count to now do it!

The DSL20 is EL34 paired and I would say it’s more 80’s to modern day rock I have the DSL20HR and it’s a great amp and can run at home at 10w It will sound much better cranked of course when it really shines The Origin 20 head is better for 60’s 70’s rock and with a drive pedal in front would cover most ground. I had the Origin 50 head in my old band and it was a lovely sound. For home I think the DSL20 is a good choice as it can still gig or jam or play at home Boss Katana is a good choice too but I still prefer valves I briefly tried the Laney Lionheart Foundry 60 but it was poorly built and sounded boxy and average The current production DSL20 is a great small amp. Can be bright sounding but back off the presence and treble and it sounds great. I use a Standard Strat with single coils and play clean and rock

A present for myself : a piezo_pre-amp kit to install into my acoustic (holes to be cut into the sides, and the capteur to be fitted under the bridge...). I'll then be able to record without recourse to a mic.

Good evening, @XinDi-WaRRior, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. We, on this Forum, have all, without exception, started from the same 'zero' baseline, so we know where you're coming from. We all learn differently, with differing objectives and time constraints, but it is 'easy' for no-one. There is no secret that the best way to get started is with a one-to-one guitar tutor, even if it's only for a few lessons, as this paves the way to setting realistic, obtainable objectives with the right techniques. One essential, for any beginner, is to obtain a large supply of Patience, and keep it topped up at all times. One learns in stages, and there will be moments when progress seems slow, or even regression. This is normal; there will also be 'light-bulb' moments when things become blindingly clear, and one realises that progress has, indeed, been made. I'll end with my usual 'words of encouragement' ... It's the first forty years that are the most difficult, after which things sometimes tend to get slightly easier.

Manhã de Carnaval (Black Orpheus) is often played in slow bossa nova. I wanted make solo version of this song with little bit more groove in the rhythm. I've played this for some times in my gigs and added more improvised solo parts to it. I think it works nicely and it's fun to play. Video Tabs Cheers, Mikko

Good afternoon, @Fingers n thumbs, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. A Word to the Wise : The key to beginning on the guitar is Regularity and Patience. Short, Regular practice sessions are far better than long hours. It's better to consecrate 15 minutes, twice a day, every day, than an hour's session sometimes skipped. Don't try to rush things; the fastest way to getting fast on the guitar is to play SLOWLY and take your time. Other than that, follow, diligently, the method of your Tutor (ask him/her about these recommendations..?), and make sure that you always have a Big Bucket of Patience on hand. That's the key. Have fun; we've all been there.

Ahhh, only thing that beats a puncture wound is two puncture wounds in the same spot. Nice to hear you've found your strings For some reason I keep wanting to keep putting 12's on my Mexican Martin. Just a little too much but sounds really good. Just put on Magna acoustic flatwounds 10's on Marty last week and they play and sound good, maybe even great. They seem to be holding up well which is what I was mostly worried about. I think same strings in 11's might be the answer on next round.

This involves hammering, pulling off, using hand repositioning while using open strings to ring before repositioning hands and fingers. I leave the fingerings up to each person who tries it. Please, enjoy !!!!

Welcome DoaA

Afternoon.

I think that’s your answer. I can’t imagine one passive DI box being that much different from another (happy to be corrected here), any differences should be fixable in the eq section of the DAW.

Apparently, there's a 'rule' set in the software somewhere whereby at least five posts are to be made before allowing these luxury 'extras'. It's to avoid 'spam' posts giving full access, I think. Still, you're OK now, soooooo...

Good evening, @upside downer, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

You're right, no impact on sound nor playing. It will probably remain stable for years, but keep an eye on it now and again. It could be touched up with a furniture touch-up pen, just to hide it a little, but just put it down to 'character' and play on.

Good morning, @Diary Of An Axeman, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Hi there! I just joined a new band called Sons of steel. This is one of our singles: Let me know your opinion about it. Thanks!!

Hello everyone. I'm from England, recently retired. I'm a long time acoustic player. I prefer to strum the strings while singing the songs. Usually its just Christmas time with the family around and we have a sing along. Lately I have been seeing YT vids and fingerstyle looks like it could be fun. I've tried a few times and never really caught the bug for it. And I recently got given an electric guitar and i would like to learn blues slide. Great to be here.

The ME-80 was launched ten years ago; that's quite a while in these circles. We have the bass version; it's very good, for its generation. The GP200 (and its sister versions...) is very much more modern. In ten years time it will doubtless be less attractive, but as of today, it has a fine reputation, and most functions required by most players. Try it anyway, and, if you're buying through t'web, send it back if you are not convinced of its qualities. Just my tuppence-worth.

Squirrel, normally. It likes to mess with their head. They will stay there til they get called off.

I did a complete revalve on a Fender Hot Rod once. There was a small difference (slightly warmer/less harsh), but it was changing out the Eminence speaker for a Jensen that really made a big difference for that amp.

The DSL20 still sounds good at low volume ( better than many solid state in my opinion ) The channel volume allows low volume play at home unlike some valve amps that don’t have a master volume and you really need to crank them for a decent tone. If you only plan to play at home then a 0.5 or 1w amp is plenty but if you want one amp that allows home and small gigs in a band then a 10w /20w valve amp does the job well

I've 'Reported' this, hoping to get a reply from Admin. I'm only a Mod; I can't see anything untoward. We'll see what the Upper Echelons think of it. A bit of patience, please..?

That mando SG is as cool as! I love the arch top too, but for different reasons.

Sorry had to leave. Didnt know where to sign out. Great scenery out there. Only seen it on film. Best friend's grandfather got shot on one of Normady beaches, with U.S. Marines. Back to your road, we dont have alot of sand in TN unless you go up into the mountains nearby. Not sureWhy theres sand there though.

Update .. it’s going back The box is small so it has a boxy sound and lack of bass tone Drive is very fizzy so I decided I would return

Welcome from another crap guitarist/bassist

Thanks, I have set it up as you advised, it's bang on!

From the Roland site ... Performance-ready 60-watt combo guitar amplifier with authentic tube tone and touch response Roland’s comprehensive Tube Logic design delivers the interactive tonal behaviors of famous fine-tuned vintage tube amps, including preamp and output tube distortion characteristics, power supply compression, and much more Independent Clean and Crunch channels, plus unique Dual Tone mode for blending channels to expand tonal possibilities Master volume and three-band EQ, plus Boost and Tone switches on each channel Four-way Power Control (0.5 W, 15 W, 45 W, Max) allows for cranked-amp tones at any volume Onboard high-quality reverb Classic open-back design with custom 12-inch speaker and poplar cabinet for enhanced presence on stage Stylish, modern look with a vintage vibe Efficient, lightweight design provides easy portability without sacrificing tone quality USB output for high-quality direct recording to a computer Channel selection and Dual Tone can be controlled with optional footswitches

I agree about the valves argument. I do like valve amps but can't work out any way to use them effectively at different volume levels, so I have always been drawn towards solid state and modelling for both the benefit in weight and also that once I set my sound I just use the volume knob (on both guitar and amp) to actually control the volume level and not just add gain. But, like @EdwardMarlowe I only use one or two sounds, rarely use effects other than on board reverb. My ideal would be similar to above. I really like the look of the Tonemaster series, but it seems a huge amount of money to pay for a modelling amp. A smaller Tonemaster Champ with a decent XLR simulated out for PA, 3.5mm line in and headphone out would suit me perfectly, even better if it had some digital reverb and a slapback delay. I do use the Blackstar Fly for pretty much all my home practice and it sound ok for home, so almost a 'quality/boutique' version of this that I could use as an interface into PA as needed would be very nice.

I'm only a bedroom player, so don't have much in the way of pedals. The board is from Thomann, as is the case. I won the D'Addario tuner. The Blues Crab is a great little drive pedal. The Donner Dark Mouse is a rather good distortion pedal, supposedly based on the RAT. The Horse Classic Chorus is a cheapie from Amazon. Does me for all I need it and the Donner One is a basic looper.

New board on the way. I'd outgrown my previous mini-board due to the arrival of a Boss comp/sust pedal. This one will have one spare bay - I really don't expect to outgrow this as I tend to use a few, quite selectively (I'm sure I said that when I built the last one. Just some odd bits mdf and supermarket softwood lying around. The black insert will take a rocker switch, as my power supply is unswitched - I may have a click issue turning on (even a loud one!) but worth a go for convenience and could always mess with a capacitor across the switch (IIRC). Finish is PanzerGrau - same colour the Germans did their tanks - had a rattle can lying about (been used for some outside table legs, not an actual tank). Waiting on arrival 50mm velcro hook and the switch. Order of pedals may be (input > output) TC tuner > Boss chorus > TC Hall of Fame > Boss comp/sust > Fender Santa Anna drive > out. Supply is an Amoon btw - 8 x 9v out (enough for me) and been great - silent, robust, reliable. I rate it. I'll probably start with that order and see. Will do pic when finished.

I just picked up a BOSS ME-50 through Facebook marketplace for only £70, it’s a beauty . I’ve only just started to explore its capabilities but, so far I’m impressed. Like most things bought second-hand, it needed a good clean

It's worth exploring 2 widely used open tunings: DADF#AD - basically an E Maj open tuning but a whole tone down. I think Joni Mitchell used that quite a bit. The other obvious is DADGAD and Tony McManus is an exponent - he has some vids on Youtube and explains the whole thing very well. I've personally found some care in choice of strings / gauges is important as dropping a whole tone on the low E (for example) it can easily become sloppy. I suspect the devotees have guitars set aside and set-up for the above tunings. I recommend Tony McManus 'Introduction to DADGAD' on YT (YT prevents me from embedding that vid here, but it's easy to find). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9q6dFOpA4

I would say if you don't want to learn it, don't. I'm in a similar position to you. I had an acoustic for years but never really did much other than strum a few chords or play simple songs from books. I got an electric guitar about 5 months ago and know a few scales and a bit about chord formation. I pick up bits and pieces of theory from books and videos, but it doesn't always sink and and stick. I'm thinking about taking lessons, but don't know if I would get into the theory side.

Got that one in before the guitarists start arriving.