Dad3353

Good evening... I'd wonder why you specifically want a valve amp in this range. This amp has two EL84 valves, which do not have the same tones as the classic Marshalls. Not that that's a Bad Thing, but it means that you can't refer to the 'Marshall Sound' with it; it's more like a 'Vox AC30' style. If you have played one, and like it, that's fine, of course, but it wouldn't do for me. For half of that money, I'd recommend a BlackStar or a Boss Catana, both solid state, with 50 and 100 watt models with far more tone choices, all of them good, at all volume levels. I've a healthy respect for the 'Marshall Sound' in its historic context, and they do some good combos, but this model is not voiced like these. Your choice, naturally, but, unless you've chosen it for its own sound, I'd suggest looking wider. Disclaimer : I'm old, and a drummer, to boot, soooooo...

Good morning, @Rosie C, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

It's pretty certainly a ubiquitous Fender Twin Reverb, a 'standard' for this type of use. May I ask 'Why the question..?' Surely not for the horrendous tones recorded on that video..?

Yes, you may. ... Are you going to..? ... ... ... ... Just kidding; Lower Normandy, France. ... ... ... France is in Europe.

Tarmac was renewed, a few years ago now, but with the daily passage of our neighbour's tractor, it gets muddy pretty quickly, which dries to a sandy dust. The fog is a common feature of our micro-climate here; this region is not known for its droughts. This keeps the grass green.

Price for price, and for equivalent condition, I'd suggest that the Fender would be the better deal. Any signs of repair, on any such guitar, would need to be fully investigated (this goes for most s/h acoustics, of course, but 12-strings have their own foibles...). Check carefully that the sound board (table...) of the guitar is nice and flat; some models have a tendency to have the bridge pull up, forming a 'belly', due to the extra tension of so many strings. To prevent this, it was a 'standard' trick to tune down one tone ('E' becomes 'D' etc...), and use a capo at the second fret to bring it back to regular 'E' tuning. It's always best to have a decent gig bag, at least, or a hard case; be aware that the extra headstock length has to be taken into account when buying a case. Other than that, it's much like any other s/h guitar. I'd expect to pay about 300€ for those models, in good condition for their age, maybe a bit more for the Fender, but not the double. Good luck with the hunt; report back here when you find what you're after..? Hope this helps.

The technical reason is that chords are, in their basic form, defined by their lowest note (so an 'Am' should have an 'A' as its lowest note...) the open 'E', although in the triad, robs the 'A' of its status; the chord becomes 'E, A, C' instead of 'A, C, E', and could be named 'E sus4#5', following the 'lowest note gives the name' notion. In practise, everyone would still call it 'Am', or better still 'Am/E' (the stroke indicates that it has an 'E' as a bass note...). I'd echo the above ^^ advice about strumming all the strings, all the time, and try to only play the strings that 'count'; in the 'Am' example, the low 'E' would, indeed, 'muddy' the sound. All chords have multiple names, for the same set of notes, and it should be the lowest note that gives the 'usual' name. These 'enharmonic' chord names are seldom used, though, except in particular circumstances when composing specific harmonies. One may play an instrument for one's whole life and never come across this; they do occur in orchestral composition, or jazz themes, though; here's one from the Mickey Baker jazz method... It takes its name from the 'root' 'G' on the 'D' string, or from the 'missing' root 'E' played by a bass player, and absent from the chord on guitar. Either way, only the strings fingered are played, never the 'open' strings. Disclaimer : I tend to prefer other voicings, and would privilege 'moveable' chords, that don't use open strings at all, and can therefore be played anywhere on the neck. I seldom play all six strings (usually four, often three...) by 'clawing' with my right-hand fingers, rather than strumming 'up'n'down'. There are exceptions (jig'n'reels in 'D', using hammer-on's for melody lines, or open tunings...). Hope this helps.

Don't knock it until ...

Solid production, tight rhythm section (drums, bass...), composition and structure compatible with the genre. Listening to it with musician friends and family, the only real detail was the lyrics, which give away that it's not written by a native English speaker. Not that it's bad, quite the opposite; well done for getting so much right, but we looked up the band to find, as was 'suspected', that you're from Spain. For that, then, congratulations; we would have one heck of a job to write anything at all in Spanish, let alone a convincing metal track..! Disclaimer : I'm old, and 'metal' is really not my 'go-to' listening..! Nevertheless, I listened through (twice..!), which is, in itself, exceptional, for me, so you may feel proud..! Well done to all involved, and good luck 'break a leg' with the tour.

Good afternoon, @FieldsNPT, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good evening, @Adders60, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

I totally agree with this; my Takamine is fitted with these ... ... I have 'etching fingers', which rapidly turn steel or nickel-steel strings to red rust; these 80/20 bronze strings suit the guitar perfectly, with the added advantage of being the same gauge as my electrics and semi-acoustics, all fitted with nano-web sets. They last, for me, much longer than any other make of strings; I previously had to change in less than a year, but these were fitted over a year ago now, and are as good as when fitted, although I admit that I don't play my acoustic every day. It's a joy when one finds the right set for any guitar or bass; I'd even extend this to establishing the best heads for an acoustic drum set..! I used Remo Ambassador heads for decades, but the later choice of Evans Genera and G2 heads made a world of difference..!

Good evening, @Matt_gtr76, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Similar to this one..? Reverb ad ...

I found this after a web search ... I found my guitar's serial number by looking through the sound hole towards the fingerboard. The number is stamped on the neck block. Entering this number on this web site http://www.guitardating.com/takamine.php results in: Date Your Takamine The guitar was manufactured Sunday, December 14th, 1973. It was the 42nd guitar made that day. Have a look through the sound hole on yours, maybe..? Hope this helps.

This week, Thomann have this model, new, at £2070; why would I want a 2021 model..? You are, of course, aware that this one does not have a cutaway like the 314..? Does that matter to you at all..? Thomann have the 314 at just under £2000, new. Free delivery for either, I think.

Simple..? Did you say 'simple'..? Hm. My idea of 'simple' (my next birthday I'll be 75...) is a lead from the guitar straight into the amp..! As for your dilemma, my suggestion would be to buy the Tonex One, and either send it back after trials if it doesn't meet your needs, or keep it for a while longer, then decide to either sell it , or sell the Ampero if it has become redundant. No video demos or 'hype' will really show what choice is best; only your own set-up and playing style will do that. Be aware of the trap, of course, of trialling the thing, only to decide to keep both..! Does this help..? Douglas

Ah. For this, I'd refer you to my usual words of encouragement that I often dish out, when subjects such as this arise... 'It's the first forty years that are the worst, after which things sometimes tend to get slightly better.'

Learning to hear intervals can be accelerated muchly by starting from any one note (low 'E' for instance...), and counting out, from the scale, where the 'second' is (clue, it's F#...), then playing it, naming it out loud, and singing it. Do this, from the same low 'E', for all the other intervals : find the higher note from the scale, play it, name it and sing it. That won't take long at all; just a couple of minutes. Repeat, starting from another note (open 'A' string, for instance...), finding the interval from the 'A' major scale, play it, name it and sing it. Rinse and repeat, for as many starting notes as you wish. Doing this for a week or so, just in 'idle' time, will bring on a rapid appreciation of what these intervals sound like, in any key. It's a 'no-brainer', really, it's so easy and productive. You won't need to refresh this over time, as it becomes ingrained and automatic, very quickly. Hope this helps. Edit : to be really 'swish', one may continue beyond the octave and find/play/name/sing the extended intervals, 9th, 11th, 13th ...

When singing a melody through, in your head or out loud, try to pick out the highest and lowest notes, when you get to them. That's when to pick up the guitar and find those notes, and only those notes. That'll determine where on the fingerboard the rest of the melody lies, so, having established the extremes, now find the initial, starting note, keeping in mind these extremities. Does this help..?

Firstly (Good evening...), are we talking acoustic or electric guitar..? Any chance of a recording (a video with a 'phone should be enough, if it picks it up...), which would help enormously. Over to you...

If, as you say, it's minimal, I wouldn't worry about it at all. There are many guitars (even acoustics...) that are not symmetrically balanced anyway, so even if the wall mount was 'plumb', the weight could well be offset. I've never heard of a guitar neck being affected by being hung this way; they are pretty solidly constructed. If it's only an aesthetic thing, I'd leave it alone. It would be possible to redress things a little, without taking the wall mount down, by winding a piece of cloth onto one side of the mount, as packing, to have the guitar 'plumb'; I'd surely not bother. Hope this helps.

It's difficult to answer this, all the more so as it's your first guitar. I'd start off by suggesting that there's no real point in comparing the 'sound' of any guitar in this range; they are all good, and capable of producing quality 'tone', in many genres, once one knows how and what to play (plus pedals, amps, modelling etc...). So, listen to them, certainly, but that's not the important factor, really. What counts far more is how it feels and appeals to you. Is it comfortable (sitting and standing...)..? Do the controls seem easy to understand and use..? Does the neck feel good, when forming chords, or trying out solo runs or riffs..? Does it feel 'balanced' (you shouldn't have to hold the neck up with the fretting arm if it's got a decent strap on...). Look at the price, factoring in a hard case, or, at a minimum, a decent gig bag. If they have any other guitars in stock, take the time to give them all a decent try-out, too; it would be odd that they only have these two guitars on hand. Which one feels best, to you, whatever the shop folk say..? Ideally, give yourself a few days to reflect, and go back once you've decided; don't feel rushed to take one home that day (Yes, I know that that's a very difficult urge to resist..!). You can get just about any sound you want out of any guitars there, so it's a factor, but not the principle one. Hope this helps; let us know how it goes, maybe..?

Yes, 'triads' is a way of constructing chords, and is extremely useful. You already have a song repertoire far, far in excess of anything I've ever played in over half a century (disclaimer : I'm a drummer...), so 'Well done; you're doing something right..!' Can I recommend 'Guitar Pro 8'..? For the next couple of weeks it's at a reduced price of under £50, and is well worth it, in my opinion. As well as chord shape suggestions, it enables easy transposition and there are a wealth of songs in 'gp' format. Worth trying, maybe..?

It's an 'open secret' (one that so many people know, that they don't think it worth mentioning, so, to the non-initiated, it remains a secret..!) that, when playing guitar, one doesn't have to play all the strings, all the time, for all the chords. It's useful to practice, and so learn, only playing the strings that actually make up the chord (often only three or four...), and skip, or mute, the strings not needed. This applies to both open and barre chords, and even more so for 'movable' chords (where one may play them anywhere on the neck...). If a barre chord proves to be difficult, practice playing it further up the neck, where the first-finger barre may be easier, and gradually, every other day, move down towards the nut. The fingers will become more accustomed, and the barre easier. When barring a chord, try to get the sound right on only the top four strings, for instance, if the barre is difficult to manage right the way across. Then try again, but getting the bottom four strings to sound right (so not playing the top two...). You may also play without a barre at all if you play only the middle four strings (so not the top or bottom 'E' strings...), and compose the chord with the four fingers, without a barre at all. If these notions find resonance with you, I could compose a chord chart showing many ways of playing chords, with no barre, anywhere on the neck. Why does this matter..? Well, one reason is to be able to change chords easily by going across the neck, instead of up and down, making chord changes much smoother (and less tiring...). What songs or tunes do you presently play, and what songs or tunes would you like to play..? Any particular style, or guitarist, group or era..? It would help us to give more pertinent advice. Hope this helps. Douglas