repoman

I've currently got a Harley Benton and two Ibanez guitars but I'm thinking about selling them and putting it all on a Gretsch. I mean, I'll try out a few Gretsch guitars first to see how I get on with them but have any of you got one and got any thoughts about them? Also, do Bigsby tremoloes mess with tuning stability much?

Tim someone. He's got an Ibanez signature guitar. Polyphia or something. I don't know. I heard them once and felt nothing for their music. I like the idea of the cutaway for higher frets. I don't like the normal classical shape all that much.

Which one do you think looks nicer? Buy that one.

Guitars are things of joy. Buy what you want. Just don't ascribe a magical boost to motivation to it anymore than thinking that subbing for a gym will make you get in shape. It's all good though.

I'm sort of tempted to get a nylon guitar but not a classical shape. Ibanez seem to be the most popular option with their FRH range. They've got a signature model from that guy in that band. All neck tattoos and faff. I don't want that. Harley Benton do the Nashville hybrid - https://harleybenton.com/product/cl-nashville-nylon-nt/ Ferndale do a budget one - https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/ferndale-ec-2-electro-classical-guitar-natural Are any of these any good? Has anyone tried one?

Yes there is. Play this little line. C (8th fret, low E) F (8th fret, A) G (10th fret, A) A (5th fret, low E) D (5th fret, A) E (7th fret, A) B (7th fret, low E) Get used to it. Right, now the first three notes are MAJOR. In the key of C the C, F and G chords are Major. The next three are MINOR. In the key of C the A, D and E are Minor. The last note, B. That's DIMINISHED.

Muting reliably like that is pretty tough. He's fairly clean with it.

The notes in that first chord there are E, G#, D#, F#. That gives you a root (E), a major 3rd (G#) and a major 7th (F#), making it some sort of Emaj7 chord. That F# is interesting as that's your 2nd (or in this case a 9th). I don't know exactly what you'd call it. Emaj7+9 maybe. That second chord looks like an E maj too but more straightforward. 12 x 14 13 12 x. It's essentially your open E chord played at the 12th fret but muting out the 5th on the A string and the highest E in the chord. You still get your root, major 3rd and 5th.

yeah an upstroke seems like the best option (although super unintuitive for me to start a lick on one) and palm muting would work. Here's the lick -

A barred G would sound a G note on the 12th fret. I'm trying to avoid that. It's actually more of a Jimmy Page lick than a thrash one apparently. Cheers though.

Say I'm doing a lick that repeats and it's these notes. 15th fret B string 12th fret B string 14th fret G string 12th fret B string I've got a little flaw in my playing where I sound the open G when removing my finger off the 14th fret. I'm not pulling off but I still get the open G sound. I watched Gary Holt (Exodus/Slayer) playing the lick and he doesn't get much unwanted noise but I couldn't see him muting it in any way, it just didn't sound. How would you keep it clean? Also if alternate picking, would you start with an upstroke?

I love Ibanez but there's a problem with that S521. That jack socket is in THE WORST PLACE.

It's a balancing act for me between comfort, looks and functionality. I'm sure Strats are comfortable but I hate the look (reminds me of Bryan Adams). First time I played a Les Paul I couldn't believe how much I DIDN'T like it. It felt horribly chunky. I've got three electrics at the moment (arguably too many). My Ibanez RG421 is unbelievably playable. I bought it in a shop and it was immediately great. I kind of messed it up by replacing the bridge (NEVER get Cosmo Chrome, it tarnishes quick so I replaced it with black) but then I got dead frets. So I had it adjusted by a pro guy near me and it's now basically playing itself. My HB Tele has a bit more resistance but my favourite. Teles don't give you anything for free. But this one has a trem, so it's basically perfect. The Tele shape is good looking and very comfy. I've also got a 335 copy. I've always loved that shape. Very comfortable body but a bit large. I'm mostly a sofa player now.

Cheers, both

You might get RSI just watching this.