Dad3353

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

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

Does the 'have' not give us a clue on that..? 'Have upsold' : past simple; 'are upselling' : present continuous'. No..?

? ? ? Upsold, Shirley..?

Good evening, Rob... I don't think I'd place too much credence on YouTube videos for judging tone, especially with upper-class instruments such as these. Maybe, if they were played one after t'other in a 'direct comparison' video shoot-out; if not, there are too many variables (mic choice and placing, post-production treatment, room acoustics and much, much more...). One may get a general idea, but not enough, in my view, to really skew a choice. The only real way is to hear 'em 'live'; personally I like to hear 'em played by someone else, so that I can better judge what the audience will hear, rather than the player. (Disclaimer: I don't play that well the guitar, either ...). I'm sorry, but I can't help separating those guitars, either; they're well beyond my pay grade. I'd jump at a chance of owning any of 'em. Hope this helps, if only a little.

800€ for a Tele copy..? Hmm... I'm not seeing the appeal.

If by '8' you mean the string gauge, that's extremely light, and will, in any case, be more difficult to keep in tune for any length of time. In my distant past, I once had a Burns Bison, on which I put a set starting with '7'; it was unplayable, just a cobweb. Your call, of course, but '10' would be my recommendation for most solid-body guitars, and a bit beefier still for archtops. If all that ironmongery is to stop the bridge flapping about, I hope it works. Leo Fender may have approved, or he may not..!

You don't give your location, which could influence some replies. Whatever your location (in the UK or Europe...), on-line sites have an excellent 'no quibble' returns policy, so it's quite OK to order a specific instrument, and return it if it honestly doesn't meet expectations. There are several sites offering 'lefty' acoustics, in the range you've given yourself, so I'd recommend using this facility, as it's only yourself that can truly judge the feel and the sound. All the brands cited are worth investigating, as well as a long list of many other 'usual suspects' that give satisfaction to many (Ibanez, Tanglewood, Takamine, Hagstrom, Hofner, Seagull etc ...). Just my tuppence-worth, hope this helps.

A quick 'Google' for 'uk guitar tech Southampton' brings up a pretty wide choice of tech services in and around Southampton, some of which offer a free 'I'll have a look at it' service so as to get some advice. Worth a shot..? Locking tuners will prove to be a big pain in the wotsit if there are still tuning issues, as they have to be unlocked for every tweak. They're really good on most, stable, guitars, but don't, in themselves, help cure duff tuning. The 'classic' way to block a trem bridge is to fit all the springs, then screw down the claw to its stops, thereby preventing further movement. A more definitive way implies fitting a hard-tail bridge, after having filled the tremolo routing with suitable wood. This is normally a luthier job. Some use hard corks to block the tremolo; I'd don't think cardboard is up to the job. If tuning is such an issue with you, I'd recommend getting a hard-tail guitar from the outset, really, unless your Squier has sentimental value. Just my tuppence-worth.

In my view, there are few guitars on the market these days with inherent tuning problems, with maybe the exception of a guitar with a poor, or badly set-up, tremolo (whammy bar...). If you're not a user of that technique, I'd suggest trying out any guitar without one that takes your fancy, for feel, balance, and whatever other criteria you may have, budget permitting. I'd be less concerned about the name on the headstock, as the list is very long indeed as to good, or even excellent, guitars at all price points, made in the US, the Far East, Europe and elsewhere. Squier guitars have an excellent and well-deserved reputation for value for money, as do Epiphone, Cort, Ibanez, Jackson, Yamaha... I could go on. You've not given your location; there is most likely a guitar shop near enough, however, with enough stock of various brands and models to spend a fruitful afternoon exploring your options. Only you know which guitar 'speaks' to you, once in your hands. As to your current guitar, a decent guitar tech can certainly get it back to optimum condition, including a set-up, and there's very seldom any tuning issues with tuners on their own. The usual suspects are old strings, less-than-optimum stringing up, bad intonation or 'sticking' nut. A 'ding' in a fret can be fettled away, or the fret replaced, at reasonable cost. Recommendation, then..? Get your guitar sorted first, then, if it still isn't 'speaking' to you, sell or exchange it for another. Don't go spending money on upgrades before getting it back to original working order, and don't try to fix issues that way, as it's very unlikely to achieve that objective. Hope this helps; let us know how things develop, please..? Disclaimer : subject to completion, correction and/or contradiction from others.

Good evening, Lee, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. Maybe indicate your location..? There may be a tutor nearby, or someone willing and able to give hints and advice. What stuff interests you, for learning, and as a later goal..? Don't be shy; we all here started as beginners 'not knowing where to start'.

He's using cheap Taiwanese pliers, so the all-important mojo escapes. Only a fule would do that.

First question : What guitar..? Second question : New or old strings..? Third question : Could you take a photo of the bridge..? With some bridges, it's possible to remove the bridge saddle and reverse it, giving more length to play with. We'd need to see your bridge, though, to see if it could help you. Over to you ...

Mine was so good it got stolen..!

Some useful notions ... WikiHow : How To Write A Guitar Solo ...

Persevere, in the reassuring conviction that it's only the first forty years that are the worst, after which things sometimes tend to get (slightly...) better.

This one fits the bill, according to my research... Peavey 2-button footswitch ... Hope this helps.

Our (excellent...) singer has one for his acoustic guitars, and occasional vocal use; we've used it on stage for guitar; it works very well at home, and equally well on a 'live' stage. We mic'ed it up, as our PA (at the time...) wasn't very good. It's a splendid amp; one of the jewels in the Marshall crown, in my view. A credible alternative would be the Roland AC40. Again, excellent quality, slightly more compact. I gave mine to a younger brother; he's used it for his duo, in restaurants, with classical guitar and voice. There are others, but those two get gold-star ratings from me.

The fastest way to build up speed is to slow down. Get a metronome (or similar 'app' type of thing...), and play the licks, scales, runs etc at a comfortable speed. Every week, turn the metronome up 5 bpm, rinse and repeat. Do not try to play fast. Play at a regular speed, and increase it slowly. That's the fastest, and most sure-fire, way to build up speed. Disclaimer : a medium-sized bucket of Patience is required; it helps a lot. Renew whenever it runs out (as I suspect it might ...).

Marshall Valvestate 8240..? Marshall MG100DFX..? Marshall Valvestate VS-100..? Marshall Valvestate S80..? Marshall Valvestate 8080..? 50W amps cost less, and do the job, too.

Of these two, which do you prefer..? Think about 'neat'n'tidy', and it'll make a world of difference. The soldering is certainly the main culprit, so start there. Are there any Mancunians willing to help, or recommend someone..? Now's the time...

Trishan... Give the guitar, in its present state, to someone who knows how to solder. Let them do the job, and at the same time show you how it should be done. If you follow his/her mentoring, you may be able to do a few of the joints yourself. You've done well up to now, and the end result will be worth it, so don't spoil it any more; use this as a learning experience and see how someone competent does the job. Even if you get it to work by chance, it will fail later on, that's certain. You don't mention your location; there may be a fellow member near you, willing to lend a hand. Hope this helps, sincere good wishes. Douglas

It's a shame you've spilt the pieces all over the floor, though. ...

I like the professional photo-shoot of a few planks..! ...