Rikki_Sixx

Hi Riddler, I know your post is old-ish now so hopefully you're already on your journey! If not, I'll have a go at answering these. 1 - I'm also learning online. I currently have a subscription to Fender Play. It's really useful, the lessons are broken into bite-sized chunks and it has simplified versions of a lot of popular songs on there. For a while they had 3 months free in lockdown but even if that's expired they do a 1 month trial. Off the back of a trial I got a good deal on 12 months, it just took a little patience! There's also JustinGuitar which is completely free, mostly YouTube based. He's a great teacher and his lessons are really easy to follow. 2 - You can indeed buy left-handed guitars! I'm a righty so I've no experience on the matter, but I'd definitely suggest getting a left-handed guitar. In the past some lefties have forced themselves to learn on a right-handed guitar, but that seems a cruel and unusual punishment. 3 - An unplugged guitar is much quieter than an acoustic obviously. I have a semi-hollow electric which I do play unplugged sometimes but it's still nowhere near an acoustic in volume. If you do go the electric route, be sure to get something you can play through for sure. 4 - That brings us onto the amp! You can get headphone-only amps like the new Fender Mustang Micro or a VOX Amplug, and there are plenty of small "proper" amps out there which you can play with or without headphones. You might want to look at the home practise amps from Yamaha and Blackstar which you can play at low enough volume as to not disturb neighbours and even people in the next room, while still sounding good! A lot of small home amps have a headphone jack and an aux-in socket so they double as a music player, which I do a lot with my Yamaha THR10. Plus you can plug in your phone and play along to Spotify! One thing to note - you can't just plug normal headphones into a guitar. You will need an amp or headphone-amp. Some other poiners for anyone still with this. If you can, go to a music store and touch some guitars. Even if you can't play a chord, it's nice to get your hands on the neck and see how it feels. If something feels obviously too thick, thin or heavy then try something else! When buying, have a look at second hand stuff and buy what you can afford. Don't necassarily go for a 20-year old clunker just because it's cheap - it could put you off for life. Going second-hand you might find you can afford something of slighlty better quality, and still spend under £100 if you're strapped. Now away with you and buy some gear!

I saw an Andertons video the other day (I think the video was about 2 years old) where Lee and Rob were showing the new Danelectro range. At the start Lee was adamant that Danos are "a bit shit", but they had some of the coolest jams and I think he might have changed his mind (but maybe wasn't ready to admit it!)

One of my favourite basses was a Dano '63, with a (most likely) plywood frame and a Masonite top / bottom. I think historically the frame was poplar but modern Danos have a plywood core/frame. I don't know much about Masonite, but it seems like it would be quite green and sustainable in the same way that ply is!

Thanks for this, it's really helpful! I ordered a trigger-style one which should be arriving today so I'm interested in having a go! You mention curved / flat ones. Is that referring to the "top" bit which would fret the strings?

Hi guys, I'm very slowly working my way through Fender Play's blues track. Upcoming (and optional) lessons involve using a capo. Beginner question: Are all capos pretty much the same? Looking at images, some look to have "teeth" to better grip the neck but the last thing I'd want to do is buy one that's a bit on the tight site and it chews into the fat neck of my 339. I'm sure there are branded ones for like £30 or whatever, but otherwise are run-of-the-mill £10-ish ones all much the same? Is there such thing as a "bad" capo? Cheers!

Hi guys, I've discovered something about my Epi 339 Pro which I thought I'd ask the collective about. With the pick-up toggle switch in the middle position (both pick-ups on), if I turn the volume on either pup down to zero then the whole guitar goes silent. Is this normal behaviour for a 2x volume / 2x tone Epi? I've seen conflicting things online, and I can see where it would be useful (quickly silencing a guitar onstage). In reality it's probably not a big-deal either way for me. I practice with vol/tone fully on, and if I want one pup or the other I just toggle. Mainly I'm curious, as aftermarket pups have been fitted. If the wiring is wrong then I'll get it fixed whenever I take it for a set-up. If it's just a quirk of Epiphone then at least I know! Cheers!

I've noticed this trend with "pay to enter" competitions lately and they don't interest me in the slightest. It feels like a raffle at best, low level gambling at worst. Rather than paying £5 each to enter a few competitions I'd rather save that money in a "new gear fund". I know that in other competitions you're paying with your information, with personal data that can be sold. With paid competitions it feels like giving up your information and paying for the privilege. Edit: Just to clarify, I'm also choosing C - "No, I wouldn't participate in either format"

I haven't personally tried it, but Dan & Mick from That Pedal Show raved about them in a recent video. I'd take that as a ringing endorsement!

Thankfully it's just a reflection! These pictures are from the seller and I swear he had more windows than walls. There is a tiny chip in the clear lacquer (or whatever it is) in the middle of the back which you can just make out in the picture if you know it's there.

Back in July I treated myself to a little Lockdown Luxury. I got a great deal on this Epiphone ES-339 Pro in Pelham blue, which is a beautiful finish. It's so comfortable, and as a life-long bassist the chunky neck (compared to every other guitar I've owned) feels really comfortable. Everything about this screams quality, from the tuners to the way it sits on the knee. I would like to move the strap pin to the upper horn though to avoid that slight forward tilt. Unplugged it sounds great, and plugged in it's amazing. The previous owner replaced the stock humbuckers with a set of Iron Gear pickups - a Hot Slag in the neck and Rolling Mill in the bridge. I didn't realise until I went to collect and tried it out that these things have coil-splitting wired in, so that was a nice surprise. The Grover tuners are great with no 'wiggle room', which is something that's always bugged me on my cheap-o guitars! There is some light corrosion on the nut around the front of each tuner post and the fretboard and pickup covers are a little grimy, which I didn't notice until re-stringing. I'd like to have the frets polished too, so I might put her in for a set-up in a few weeks time. Until then she's playable, comfortable and envy-inducing! And of course, the main event. Pictures!

Hi guys, how goes? During lockdown I treated myself to a luxurious ES-339 Pro which I still need to share pictures of (forgive me for I have sinned). I had it with me in the living room but due to boisterous dogs I put it safely in the spare room where my amp lives and brought my beat-up Pacifica downstairs to use with Rocksmith. I pick up the 339 often after work and boy-howdy that neck feels so different. I'm very much a beginner, and after practising on the slim neck of the Pacifica I later go to play my 339 and it feels like my fingers are in all the wrong places on that chunky neck. I soon adapt, but after recently discovering the F chord that's one I really struggle with on the chunky neck. Am I doing myself a disservice by switching between two very different guitars while still learning? Does anyone else come a cropper when they pick up a different guitar?

Good shout from @Wuggis on the Pacifica. They're very well made, comfortable, good quality hardware and you can pick them up used for less than half the price of the Ibanez. In fact, that's exactly what I did. After a lifetime of bass playing I wanted to dabble again with guitar. Instead of dropping a few hundred on something like I've done in the past, I got a used Pacifica which I still love. With what you save you can put a bit more towards an amp or some pedals. Coming at it from another angle, it also lets you find out if you enjoy guitar at a safe cost. If you drop £60 and you're not into it then it's less of a big deal! If you're set on buying one of the very reasonably priced guitars in your original post, then absolutely go with what speaks to you more in terms of style. Which is cooler? They'll both be well put together and great quality. We're very spoiled with the quality of (many) affordable guitars these days!

You'll give everyone who donates $3 a Squier Classic Vibe and a Vox Pathfinder? Everyone here witnessed this, it's legally binding! When can I expect my Squier CV?

Thanks both! I'm planning on re-stringing today and I have an old toothbrush for just such emergencies, so the stars are aligning. I'll start with toothpaste, great suggestion @Dad3353 and I can't see it being harmful! Plus it'll be minty fresh, can't complain! I hadn't even thought about the finish being poly @ezbass, but you're probably right! Once she's had a clean and some new strings I'll get a picture or 20 up!

Hi guys, I treated myself to a new (to me) guitar just the other day and absolutely loving it. It needs restringing of course, so while i'm at it I wanted to do a bit of cleaning. There's a little bit of light corrosion or oxidisation around the bushings / washers around the tuning posts, on the front of the headstock. They're Grover Deluxe tuners, presumably nickel? What would be the best way to go about cleaning these, without damaging the finish? I was going to mask them with painters tape and give them a few wipes with WD-40 on an ear bud or something but thought I'd ask the collective first. I'm sure plenty of you guys have done this before! The closest I've come to this is chucking a Babicz bridge in some WD-40 for an hour to get rid of some similar oxidisation, but that was off the body at the time. Edit: Excuse the dust, these are the sellers pictures!