Guitar Players Thread

displayname said:
I figured we'd have a guitar thread in here. Now comer to this corner of the forum!

So for the past few years my wife has kicked around the idea of trying to learn guitar, and this year we pulled the trigger for Christmas. After some shopping around and some homework she fell for a Gretsch and we came home with a G2627T Streamliner. I'm here to get any advice you fine folks might have on what else she might want to consider for other gear and getting started. She'll obviously need a cable, amp, strap, probably a stand, and lessons are on the agenda as well.

The amp is obviously the next big element. The manager at the store directed us to the Fender Mustang LT25, which feels like a pretty good option. But we don't have it yet, so if there are others that should be considered, feedback is welcome!

We also haven't done much research on stands and straps. If there is anything we should consider around those items, we're all ears. Appreciate the help and all the great photos in the thread.
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Another good site that I didn't see mentioned is Reverb.com. They used to have a used music marketplace, so you may be familiar. You can find deals on some stuff and a lot of sellers enable a make an offer function.

Tuner - you can get a cheap headstock tuner for like $10. In the interim, apps like Guitar Tuna will suffice. It is accurate-ish. I wouldn't use it to, for example, set intonation during a set up. But for playing, it does the job.

If you don't already know, check the manufacturer or dealer website to see what gauge strings come stock on the Gretsch. Most likely 9s or 10s. If you flop from one to the other you should be okay without any extra set up. Higher than 10s you'd have to make some adjustments.

Stands - I personally don't like open air stands but I live in a dry, desert climate. But YMMV depending on wood type of guitar and style (eg solid, semi, acoustic). I use a 5 case guitar stand and always keep my guitars in them with humidity control systems. I'd look to see the woods that Gretsch is made of and where you live to see if that matters to you.

This would be above what the Mustang costs but if you want tube check for used Peavey Classic 30s. They are plentiful and used ones can be had for like $300ish. I've had many over the years (currently have a Peavey Delta Blues 15, which is in same fam except w a 15" speaker and built in trem). They are easy to retube with tubes of your pref and aftermarket spring reverb tanks are a nice, easy, and cheap mod too (if the stock - which are nice - don't do it for you). Only reason I hardly play my Peavey anymore is cause I fell in love w a Roland Jazz Chorus (never thought I'd like a SS amp so much).

Finally, for purchases that you may think to make online....call. Sweetwater is especially good about it. Get a salesperson on the line, tell them what you're ready to buy, and ask what the lowest they'll go is. Alright, you're not gonna get much traction on a pack of strings. But for larger purchases, they'll work with you.
 
Santa Diaper Baby said:
Another good site that I didn't see mentioned is Reverb.com. They used to have a used music marketplace, so you may be familiar. You can find deals on some stuff and a lot of sellers enable a make an offer function.

Tuner - you can get a cheap headstock tuner for like $10. In the interim, apps like Guitar Tuna will suffice. It is accurate-ish. I wouldn't use it to, for example, set intonation during a set up. But for playing, it does the job.

If you don't already know, check the manufacturer or dealer website to see what gauge strings come stock on the Gretsch. Most likely 9s or 10s. If you flop from one to the other you should be okay without any extra set up. Higher than 10s you'd have to make some adjustments.

Stands - I personally don't like open air stands but I live in a dry, desert climate. But YMMV depending on wood type of guitar and style (eg solid, semi, acoustic). I use a 5 case guitar stand and always keep my guitars in them with humidity control systems. I'd look to see the woods that Gretsch is made of and where you live to see if that matters to you.

This would be above what the Mustang costs but if you want tube check for used Peavey Classic 30s. They are plentiful and used ones can be had for like $300ish. I've had many over the years (currently have a Peavey Delta Blues 15, which is in same fam except w a 15" speaker and built in trem). They are easy to retube with tubes of your pref and aftermarket spring reverb tanks are a nice, easy, and cheap mod too (if the stock - which are nice - don't do it for you). Only reason I hardly play my Peavey anymore is cause I fell in love w a Roland Jazz Chorus (never thought I'd like a SS amp so much).

Finally, for purchases that you may think to make online....call. Sweetwater is especially good about it. Get a salesperson on the line, tell them what you're ready to buy, and ask what the lowest they'll go is. Alright, you're not gonna get much traction on a pack of strings. But for larger purchases, they'll work with you.
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Great tips. Well aware of Reverb, but the calling in is a great idea.

For amps, used is certainly an option but my wife already said tubes feel overwhelming.
 
displayname said:
Great tips. Well aware of Reverb, but the calling in is a great idea.

For amps, used is certainly an option but my wife already said tubes feel overwhelming.
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100% they totally are. They sound great, but they are expensive to own and maintain and finicky as fuck. especially for someone starting out, solid state is the way to go IMO. It's a big reason why i even brought up line 6, which will often have some small modeling or effects built in (reverb or delay or distortion). Which won't be a great as dedicated pedals or rack mount effects of course but are perfectly adequate for home use
 
yukbon said:
100% they totally are. They sound great, but they are expensive to own and maintain and finicky as fuck. especially for someone starting out, solid state is the way to go IMO. It's a big reason why i even brought up line 6, which will often have some small modeling or effects built in (reverb or delay or distortion). Which won't be a great as dedicated pedals or rack mount effects of course but are perfectly adequate for home use
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Honestly the modeling amps look very interesting. I could see one of those lasting a long time before she feels the need to move onto a more traditional amp and separate pedals. I’m thinking the ability to mess with a lot of different sounds will inspire more time with the guitar in hand. Not that tone doesn’t matter, but I have a feeling that space to experiment will just seem more fun.
 
I wanted to thank everyone again for the tips here. I’ve given into the excitement and gotten a guitar as well, so my wife and I can learn together throughout the year. We’ve landed on Fender GTX 100 amps as one that is both exciting and can grow with our skills for a very long time. We might have overdone it a little, but buy one cry once right?

Excited to start lessons in the new year!
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because heart of gold is like 5 open chords:

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and Girl from Ipanema is

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and Steely Dan is like

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The Baby's New Diaper said:
This guitar has been on my RADAR for a ho minute. Found a good deal on a mint condition one on Reverb.

G&L CLF Research Doheny V12View attachment 166543
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whoa that is nice

it drives me crazy that fenders get all the cultural cachet and attention and G&L is a distant, distant 2nd when by rights the G&L stuff is basically Leo going "well now that I know what I'm doing, let's try that again...."
 
yukbon said:
whoa that is nice

it drives me crazy that fenders get all the cultural cachet and attention and G&L is a distant, distant 2nd when by rights the G&L stuff is basically Leo going "well now that I know what I'm doing, let's try that again...."
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Yup. I love Fender and I feel like when you go the big two in guitar making mythology (Fender vs Gibson), Fender has done most (or more) things right to continue to appeal to generations of players among different genres.

I love my Fender Tele and Teles are probably my favorite body style and I love their overall approach of simplicity but effectiveness.

But these G&Ls, especially the CLF Research models, just ooze versatility and progress.

The PTB system and all of the pickup options just outclass a lot of guitars, especially their Fender counterparts.

Unfortunately, I'm currently on a mid shift rotation so I had about 30 min to play it, but it felt good so far.
 
I am also a Tele guy. The simplicity of the plank appeals to me.

(Although in my heart of hearts I'm a bassist and p-bass all day every day, for much the same reason i love teles. It's a tank and they did it right the first time.)
 
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Update on G&L CLF Research Doheny V12

Really dig it.

Only real negative: the guitar is one of the more difficult it has taken me to set up to get it where I really wanted it. It came really playable from the seller but I can't leave well enough alone. Plus, I don't believe in setting up to a spec but rather to the player. So, I used some online resources (especially G&L's robust online forum) to understand specs out of the factory, best practices, and where people have found the best success. Between setting up the dual-fulcrum vibrato (DFV), string height, intonation, and MFD PUPs, it took me a bit to dial in what was best for me. I've read that Jazzmaster are known to have high action (especially without using shims and affecting the break angle of the neck) and that a lot of players use 11 gauge strings to combat buzzing. The G&L came stock with 10s and that is my preference across all my guitars. My other electrics - a Yamaha SA2200 and Fender American Elite Tele - are certainly much lower. But the Yamaha has a 13.75 radius and the Tele a compound radius and both have fixed bridges so it is much easier to get it lower without buzz. With that said, I like the little higher action. An offset isn't really a shred/hot rod vehicle (not that you can't play fast & limber, but that's never going to be its forte). With the higher action you can give a little more umph in your attack (makes sense why players like J Mascis or Cobain w Jaguars like these style guitars). But even when playing more gingerly (I tend to play w all of my fingers) it feels satisfyingly substantial to dig in. I finally got all aspects right for me and it is a joy to play.

MFD PUPs: enjoy them. They are definitely high output and can get away from you. The ability to dial in each string pole is great. Again, very user friendly. I tend to be little hotter on my D-G strings because they get plucked by my middle and ring fingers which I tend to be heavier with. So I've adjusted those poles to put some (slightly) extra distance with the strings and that creates no spikes in string volumes and a better across-the-board uniformity.

Also the 3-way (series/parallel/single split) is great. Really gives tons of options w the bridge/neck/combo + series/parallel/single.

Every guitar should have treble and bass tone knobs. Love them! I hardly play with distortion but I hooked up a Big Muff Pi and EQD Hoof Reaper and having bass cut is really nice if the sound gets swamped and muddy.

All-in-all, fantastic purchase. I don't think an offset will ever be my favorite as a type. But, as a singular example, this guitar is really great.
 
what are the switches? the horn switch is for pickup selector, what're the other two? killswitch? coil splitter?
 
The tele I have is a Fender American Elite Telecaster from a few years back in butterscotch blonde/maple fretboard/black pickguard (that I interchange w/ a tortoise shell for shits n' giggles - actually been rocking the tortie for a while, looks super sharp w/ the blonde).

When Fender announced the Ultra line to replace the Elite, it didn't matter much to me. I like the Elite (although my Yamaha SA2200 and now the G&L have left the Tele getting a lot of case lovin').

But, I may have to sell the Elite Tele and grab the Ultra Luxe Tele!

American Ultra Luxe Telecaster® | Electric Guitars

Ultra Luxe Telecaster®, Maple Fingerboard, 2-Color Sunburst
www.fender.com www.fender.com

It's just so nice! Love the compound radius neck - my Elite has one too. But this is sharp. That black headstock! I've read nice things about the Ultra Noiseless Vintage PUPs in these. The Elite has the gen before and they were a bit more divisive, although I really like them.

The only thing...it doesn't come in butterscotch blonde. Only transparent surf green w/ rosewood fretboard. While I don't dislike the green as a visual, I tend to like natural colors or more subdued colors in my guitars. As well, I have a guitar w/ an ebony fretboard (Yamaha) and a rosewood (G&L). I'd like to have a maple in the crew.

Now, I really like the 2-color sunburst but my first-world issue is that my Yamaha is a brown sunburst and the G&L is an "old school tobacco sunburst"....so, basically, all similar tone sunbursts. Although all my guitars a case-kept so they won't display at the same time. Any way, I just want to whine about my ultimately insignificant problems; if you take issue, please reference my avatar and see that you only have yourself to blame for setting up poor expectations. Shame on you!

Anyway, beautiful guitar.

I've owned Strats before and I would own one again, but it's not a priority for me. With that said - and fully aware of my above statement regarding subdued guitar colors - this beauty.....

American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster® | Electric Guitars

American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster®, Maple Fingerboard, Plasma Red Burst
www.fender.com www.fender.com

"Plasma red burst"....fuck me that's a stupid name but a beautiful color.
 
Has anyone ever repaired a broken pot on a pedal before? I’ve got this Boss Chorus pedal that sustained some damage and I’m trying to figure out what to do next. I emailed Boss and they said they don't ship parts to end users anymore but offered to repair it at their standard rates (which with shipping will probably cost more than a new pedal). I think there is a local repair shop I can try but I feel like this is something I can do myself provided I can find the right parts. Anyone have any tips?

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trickyseven said:
Has anyone ever repaired a broken pot on a pedal before? I’ve got this Boss Chorus pedal that sustained some damage and I’m trying to figure out what to do next. I emailed Boss and they said they don't ship parts to end users anymore but offered to repair it at their standard rates (which with shipping will probably cost more than a new pedal). I think there is a local repair shop I can try but I feel like this is something I can do myself provided I can find the right parts. Anyone have any tips?

View attachment 169550
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You should be able to buy a new pot. I imagine for Boss peds they're universalish. It should be detach wires from bad pot, make any wire repairs/stripping needed, solder. So if you have the ability to solder then you should be gtg.

Try stewmac. Guitar Pedals - StewMac
 
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