Guns and Guitars

[Green Mountain Gringo]

Ok....I've been into guns for 25 years but only trying to learn guitar for the past 12 months.

The beauty of the guitar is you can practice in the living room LOUDER than you can practice with gun (any almost nobody calls the cops).

I'm learning slowly..........I should have paid more attention when my Dad was trying to show me the basics when I was a kid.


I'm playing a Yamaha accoustic.  Mostly cutting my teeth on John Prine, Lyle Lovett.

[SwoopSJ]

It seems like guns and guitars go together like chips 'n dip.  I started playing about 12 years ago in an attempt to cure the sickness given me by the likes of Clapton, Page, and Hendrix.  I play a special edition Martin HD 28 with an enlarged sound hole most of the time.  It has a wonderfully balanced tone with a bell like high end and nice rounded bass.  My favorite electric has to be a signature Eric Clapton Strat from around 2000.  The V neck plays like butt'a  .  I also have an old Gibson Les Paul, which I keep set up for slide, and an Ibanez arch top with a beautiful cherry burst finish and tone to match.  I play these through a Marshall Bluesbreaker Combo.  My next investment will have to be another Paul, this time with a sunburst finish, and when I can stop buying guns, a Marshall half stack with a JTM45 head.     Alas, too many hobbies, too little money.

Swoop
 

[Texas_Bryan]

Alas, too many hobbies, too little money.

Tell me about it.  Add too little time in there as well.  After I master the blues harp I thinking about moving in to guitar.  Whats my best bet for a beginner?  I don't know music, that's why I playing the harp, but I figure playing bass guitar is a simple start.  But if I was looking at a six string electric?

[Timothy]

Tell me about it.  Add too little time in there as well.  After I master the blues harp I thinking about moving in to guitar.  Whats my best bet for a beginner?  I don't know music, that's why I playing the harp, but I figure playing bass guitar is a simple start.  But if I was looking at a six string electric?

I'm with Swoop on all fronts....I have a Martin DM acoustic, one of their lower end models but it's enough for me...Gibson and American made Strats are wonderful instruments and if your into rock-a-billy go with a Telecaster.  The Epiphones are Asian made Gibsons these days and a lot of Fenders are made in Asia and Mexico...for beginers, you can pick up an inexpensive Fender Squire with a gig bag and small amp for under 300 bucks...

There are endless possiblilties but for acoustic, go with a Martin....American made since 1833.....
http://www.mguitar.com/

[twyacht]

Martin's are fantastic, but really pricey, check out sweetwater.com, out of Texas, they are huge and will send you a catalog for free.

Since I'm a lefty, I bought my Epiphone Les Paul Standard, Zakk Wilde version from them last year. Real people, very professional.

Yamaha acoustics are fine, try Elixer strings, they have a greatr sound and last longer than the others.

I also use fast fret, its a white mineral oil swabbie thats great for wiping the strings and neck with, you'll be surprised how much "gunk" is on the strings...

I've had my Alvarez 12 String acoustic for 20 years, its just my "goto" guitar.

My six string is a Seagull, handmade in Canada, it was featured on the "How its Made" TV show on the History Channel.

Have others as well, but really enjoy my Black Mountain Dulcimer, a gift from the wife, lays across your lap flat, Jeff Healey style.

Glad your pickin and shootin, its a great combination.

[Sponsor]

[blackwolfe]

Ok....I've been into guns for 25 years but only trying to learn guitar for the past 12 months.

The beauty of the guitar is you can practice in the living room LOUDER than you can practice with gun (any almost nobody calls the cops).

I'm learning slowly..........I should have paid more attention when my Dad was trying to show me the basics when I was a kid.


I'm playing a Yamaha accoustic.  Mostly cutting my teeth on John Prine, Lyle Lovett.



Tried that about 34 years ago.  Bought a used Yamaha accousitic and  John Prine song book.  Just didn't have an ear for music or the fingers for the strings.

[m25operator]

I've been an on and off again picker for 34 years, get serious for a while then lay off and do something else. I have several nice guitars, need to take some pics.

1)  Tokai stratocaster, lawsuit version, because it was indenticle to an american made strat, and at the time sold for about 80 bucks more than the Fender, White with maple neck and is a Joy to play, very fast light action with no mods done.

2) Jackson flying V, Randy Rhoads edition, with Seymore Duncan Pickups, black, ugly, and I hate it, except for one thing, it has got balls, it will do anything rock and roll, speed metal, death metal you name it and give back change.

3) Gibson ES345 BB King lucille, black with gold trim, has the vari tone switch and stereo or mono jacks. I want to sell or trade this one, its in great condition. With Gibson hardshell case and a locking black leather strap, that I think go's for over a hundred bucks, but it will never let the guitar go unless you want it to.

4) Baby Taylor acoustic, not expensive, a great learner guitar, or for like me, a knockaround I can take to work or parties and not get upset if it gets knocked over, or at least not real upset.

5) My pride and joy, a Taylor K22c, front back and sides are made of Koa wood, the c stands for cutaway, so you can get low on the neck, and it is Gorgeous, and plays fantastic, it has an LR Baggs dual source pickup, that allows the guitar to played through a pickup for large rooms, or a built in microphone for small rooms.

These get played through either a Fender Champion 110, good for practice at home, or a Randall RG100, when you want to get nasty, plugged into a Mesa Boogie slant back twin 12" cabinet, really good combination. On 5 it will run everybody but me to another room.

[jaybet]

Ok, I've GOT to weigh in here. M2- that Taylor sounds fabulous. I've never owned one but they are really well made and beautiful to boot. I'm also very big on Elixir strings, although in the spirit of full disclosure I have to admit that the band has a string endorsement deal with them. Having said that, I wouldn't use any other strings because I have very caustic skin oils (that go with my personality evidently) and after I play a show on Ernie Balls or Fenders or something else I can wipe the axe down and 36 hours later the srings are shot. Elixir, not so. I also play really hard and they can take it. I RARELY break an Elixir string. I think they're REALLY great for people who don't play all  the time because they last and keep decent tone for a really long time. The two bass players I work with regularly rave about the bass strings as well.

I started playing Hammond organ at 7 and have played guitar since I was 11, and have been doing paid gigs since I was 13. No fame, no big time, but I've loved it and kept at it and still get paid regularly to play. I wish I still had most of the guitars I sold. I've had just about everything in the electric line: strats, teles, Pauls, ES, Schecter, SG, Firebirds, Explorer, Ibanez, Flying V, Carvin, Danelectro, Framus, Les Paul Jr., etc. I had an old Les Paul Gold Top that was really nice, but sold it. For most of my life I was obsessed with electric guitars and amps...Fenders, Marshalls, Hi Watt, Mesa. Wheeee!!!

My best two guitars were a 1966 Gibson ES 335, Cherry color, and a 1964 Pre CBS sunburst Strat. Years ago I had to sell them to a guitar trader friend (at least I got as much as I could get for them at the time which was at least 10 times what I paid for them). Had a sick baby and my furnace died and all that... but I learned something then. I loved those guitars- they were beautiful and valuable (today the strat is probably worth 40 grand) but I didn't play them at gigs because I was worried that they'd get banged or stolen. So they sat....
Now I own only guitars that play well and aren't necessarily worth a lot- I REALLY like them all, but if one gets destroyed or stolen it won't be the end of the world.. I'm down to a few that you can actually see on my band website...there's a link to "Jay's Guitars". No big thing really. I have shed everything except a stock 2000 American strat (actually I switched the bridge pickup to something else when the original broke), I've got a stock 2000 tele with that nice teal see-through finish and Fender noisless pickups. There's a nice Ibanez Artist floating around- maybe at my friends house...it's really nice but I don't like the tone. I've got an Epiphone Sheraton- a new one made in Korea. It's really well done. AND I've got Frankenstrat- see my avatar. It's a @'93 Hendrix reissue that was a junker at a guitar show. The only thing original on it now is the mahogany body (yup, some strats have mahogany bodies) the whammy bar, and the bridge plate. All else is after market. I routed it out and put Seymour Duncan humbuckers in it. It screams and it's my favorite gig guitar. I can hear you strat purists clicking your tongues at me...but wait. I'll pass on a little tidbit. I didn't screw the buckers down to the body like a Gibson, I hung them on the pickguard like a strat, and so it still sounds like a strat- an angry, 400 pound strat, but still a strat.
The Epiphone is really nice considering the price. I had a Schecter that was also nice for cheap, and I highly recommend if you want a solid guitar with nice finish for not-as-much take a look at those asian models.

My amp for about ten years has been Line 6 Flextones(digital modeling amps. Yup, I'll admit it!). I've gone through four or five of them, but it's the right combo of power and versatility for me in the different types of shows I do.

After the kids grew up my wife and I got back into shooting for our old age hobby. Now I play the guitars a lot and take them to my mechanic every 3000 miles, but I don't need to keep buying them. My obsession has turned to pistols. At least I still HAVE an obsession.

[twyacht]

From Jay,

My best two guitars were a 1966 Gibson ES 335, Cherry color, and a 1964 Pre CBS sunburst Strat. Years ago I had to sell them to a guitar trader friend


 

[SwoopSJ]

My amp for about ten years has been Line 6 Flextones(digital modeling amps. Yup, I'll admit it!)

Heresy!!  Well, since you actually get paid to play, I guess I have no right to criticize your choice, Jay.  I, however, have a soft spot in my heart for all tube amps.  Even the hybrids with tube preamps don't compare in my opinion.  That warm tube tone,  (especially from a Marshall) just makes me feel all funny inside.  Team it up with a Gibson with PAFs and I feel as though I need to repent, or something.   

Swoop