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I've had a couple of ukuleles for a couple of years but I never really got into them. I haven't touched them for a long time now but I've recently been thinking that it's because I don't actually fucking like them.
Watching Jake Shimabukaru (if that is spelt right then gg me) play made me impulse buy but this mutha fuckin' thing just doesn't produce the sounds that I really like. Or don't care about. I don't know whether my apathy for the ukulele is because I'm just not interested in music or just not interested in the ukulele (although I do have a shakuhachi flute and I don't play that either...).
So a small thought crept into my brain. How about an acoustic guitar?
I'd be able to finally play all that lovely game music without changing tunes or key and actually have the ability to easily find tabs.
So, maybe I will buy a decent guitar and see how it goes. They're pretty big though...not like a uke. Never really pictured myself as a guitar player but some songs just need to be played.
+ Show Spoiler +Songs I like: (actually a keyboard but whatever)
Fucking beautiful. I think it may be worth a try to play these.
There's a shitload of guitars in Seoul so I guess I'll bust up there soon.
I guess...I might buy a guitar...?
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On May 12 2014 23:13 ToT)OjKa( wrote:I've had a couple of ukuleles for a couple of years but I never really got into them. I haven't touched them for a long time now but I've recently been thinking that it's because I don't actually fucking like them. Watching Jake Shimabukaru (if that is spelt right then gg me) play made me impulse buy but this mutha fuckin' thing just doesn't produce the sounds that I really like. Or don't care about. I don't know whether my apathy for the ukulele is because I'm just not interested in music or just not interested in the ukulele (although I do have a shakuhachi flute and I don't play that either...). So a small thought crept into my brain. How about an acoustic guitar? I'd be able to finally play all that lovely game music without changing tunes or key and actually have the ability to easily find tabs. So, maybe I will buy a decent guitar and see how it goes. They're pretty big though...not like a uke. Never really pictured myself as a guitar player but some songs just need to be played. + Show Spoiler +Fucking beautiful. I think it may be worth a try to play these. There's a shitload of guitars in Seoul so I guess I'll bust up there soon. I guess...I might buy a guitar...?
I had a electric guitar that i didn' t like and didn t play so very often, so i sold it, and i regret it now i have to say.
I have different instruments, some i play everyday(guitar, piano), some i play once a week(recorder, flute), and some i play once a year(harmonica).
Thats because i feel attracted to some of them and others no. If i didn' t have the ones i love i probably would not play so often the others.
If you find that the reason you cannot play is the instrument, then you should buy or get some other instrument. If you keep instruments correctly you can buy a nice guitar and sell it if you don' t feel like it helped you, or just buy some basic guitar so you didn' t spend that much. Either way you will have your guitar and you spent the minimum.
Just go in the shop, try it if you like, and get that acoustic guitar. Just make sure it is the right instrument for you. how will you know? listen to that small thought in your brain it will know
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That's the thing about buying instruments. They can usually keep most of their value, even as time goes on. so if you are unsure if you will like it, you can always give it a go and sell it if it doesn't end up being your thing. It isn't like technology where a few months after you buy it, it already has lost some value. I've made profit on some of the instruments I've bought and sold in the past. That's why I'm never afraid of spending a bit more on a guitar, especially uncommon instruments like my imported fretless Jazz Bass.
I'm very close to ordering a matching fretted sibling for my beloved fretless Jazz Bass from Ishibashi. I played a whole whack of Jazz Basses at the music store yesterday, and none of them felt as good as my Japanese one, including a few USAs (I walked in with enough money to buy a USA Standard and ended up walking away empty handed). The necks of the Japanese ones are so perfect. Plus they are about half the price of the US. The one I am looking at will cost me around $750 in total, shipping and customs included, if I go by the numbers for my fretless Jazz, which was more money than this one I am looking at.
Also, I finally bought a microphone so I can actually try recording. It's not a fancy mic so the quality won't be the best, but my main intent in buying it is to use it to record my practice so I can find mistakes and work on correcting them.
Edit: Went to the other two music stores in town and found nothing so I ordered the bass I had my eye on from Ishibashi. Just waiting to hear back from them. They seem to have added some to their website. They have an actual cart and ordering system now. Before it was all by inquiry only and everything was done by email (though past the initial order portion, it seems like it will be all email. I am now supposed to wait for an email and then reply to it so things haven't changed that much). Now the site looks to be circa 2001 rather than late 1990s. Can't complain, it works quite well for what it is.
The bass I ordered is basically exactly the bass I ordered in December, but with frets. It is a 3 tone sunburst JB-62 US (remember, if you are buying Fender Japan, always get stuff with US in the model name, that guarantees an alder or ash body and American-made pickups. The non-US stuff is usually basswood and has much worse electronics). This one has a pickguard on it, though that will be removed promptly. My fretless came with a pickguard and screws, but it was never installed.
This bass was roughly $100 cheaper than a new MIM Standard Jazz Bass (in Canada, guitar stuff is getting to be quite pricy now that our dollar is dipping. Luckily, it hasn't really moved compared to the Japanese Yen since last time I ordered so I didn't take too much of a hit on the conversion to Yen). It's about $20 cheaper than my fretless. Of course with duty and shipping, tack on about $200, but that is still $200 cheaper than the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass I was going to buy (they had two at the store, both had sharp fret ends and played poorly. They really need to set their stuff up better at stores. I wasn't blown away by the basses themselves either. For the price, they felt kinda poor).
Now I just have to get around to selling my stupid 7 string. I was going to trade it in toward a bass (the local place pays well on trade ins, so it is usually worthwhile), but since I couldn't find anything, I still have it.
Double Edit: 25 minutes after ordering, I already have received my response and everything is good to go. I'm dealing with the same person as last time so that is comforting. She packed my last bass insanely well last time.
Triple edit: payment stuff is done. Bass is on the way to be shipped. All in under an hour. They have significantly sped up the entire process. Before payment took about 2 days to completely deal with. Now it is around an hour. Wow.
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I've never played guitar.
How much do I need to practice every day to be able to perform in a rock band?
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On May 18 2014 01:27 BungaBunga wrote:
I've never played guitar.
How much do I need to practice every day to be able to perform in a rock band?
Depends. But who cares? Just do it.
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Italy12246 Posts
Depends a ton on what you play too. One thing is playing a few power chords, another is going full Satriani.
Getting at least acceptable is definitely a significat time and energy commitment though. It's also one of the best thing you could do imo 
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If you want to play basic pop songs, probably an hour or two every few days. Jason Becker-type stuff? A few years of daily practice. It all depends on your goals.
It's quite rewarding in the end though. And a ton of fun.
I forgot to post them earlier, but here are the fancy pictures Ishibashi took of my new bass for their site.
+ Show Spoiler +
Once the pickguard comes off, it will look essentially identical to my fretless, but with screwholes in it. One advantage these Japanese Jazz Basses have is that they don't have that weird CNC hole on the lower horn you see on nearly every USA and Mexican Fender. Likewise, they are routed so that the wiring is all concealed. Typically on most of the Mexican and American models (outside the USA Special series), you will see a huge channel routed in the top of the body for wires that is really ugly. Not so on these ones.
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That's the thing about buying instruments. They can usually keep most of their value, even as time goes on. so if you are unsure if you will like it, you can always give it a go and sell it if it doesn't end up being your thing. It isn't like technology where a few months after you buy it, it already has lost some value. I've made profit on some of the instruments I've bought and sold in the past. That's why I'm never afraid of spending a bit more on a guitar, especially uncommon instruments like my imported fretless Jazz Bass.
Too true! I bought a gibson LPJ last year as I needed a guitar with humbuckers(only had a tele) for a project I had begun. Eventually I realised, although it was a great guitar it just wasn't for me. Going to buy a 7string custom carvin when i get my tax back in the coming few months. Will be able to spec it exactly how I want it and spend days choosing how it will look.
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Can anyone recommend a decent bedroom-amp that sounds great in low wattages when playing Metal (lead and rhythm)?
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Italy12246 Posts
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That's the one I have. I keep hearing people talk about how much better transistor amps are for metal, though.
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Transistor amps aren't better. Firstly it's a matter of taste, but at high volumes most people will say that a tube amp is the way to go.
As a bedroom-amp I would recommend a blackstar ht, maybe even the 1watt version or go digital with amp-modelling.
I'm usually not a big fan of modelling-amps, but if you want to have different sounds to switch between and sound good at low volume, a POD HD (or a used POD XT / 3) for example would be a great solution. Another "pro" is that you can record your stuff pretty easily and use your PC-speakers (at least if they aren't trash  )
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On May 18 2014 20:36 SixStrings wrote:
Can anyone recommend a decent bedroom-amp that sounds great in low wattages when playing Metal (lead and rhythm)?
Roland Cubes are awesome as well, found them quite fitting for my metal purposes! Very good value for money. Wouldn't go above 30X for bedrooms only.
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On May 18 2014 22:05 SixStrings wrote:
That's the one I have. I keep hearing people talk about how much better transistor amps are for metal, though.
Also, agreeing with Sewi on this one. It's complete bullshit that transistor amps are better for metal. Maybe relatively, if you compare to other genres, it might be easier to create an ok metal sound with transistor than a jazz sound.. but a tube amp should be your end-game. Sounds way more awesome. Believe the hype.
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On May 18 2014 20:36 SixStrings wrote:
Can anyone recommend a decent bedroom-amp that sounds great in low wattages when playing Metal (lead and rhythm)?
If by bedroom amp you mean an amp that you can practice and play with minimal disturbance to those around you I have to recommend the headphone amps made by Vox.
These things are the ultimate practice amps IMO. Ok maybe "ultimate" is a little extreme but honestly these things absolutely rock. They are as quiet as possible (since it plays through your headphones) and the ones I have sound great! I have the AC30 and the Metal one. I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of the "Metal" one and the AC30 is a pretty damn good version of their world famous amp. You can even plug into your CD or MP3 player and literally play along with you favorite music! For practicing I feel this feature is priceless as many people teach themselves by getting tabs and learning how to play along with their favorite bands.
+ Show Spoiler +
They have a wide variety to choose from, including some that have digital delay and chorus, etc. There is even a cute little "cabinet" you can plug the amp into to make a mini-stack. In any case, for practicing with quality sound and making as little a disturbance as possible I recommend these babies.
Not much need to spend more money on a small bedroom amp when these accomplish the same thing IMO. Not to mention the portability they provide. Anywhere your guitar can go, these can go. I utilize these bad boys for all practicing purposes and for when those midnight to 4 AM moments of substance-fueled inspiration hit. They let me get my jam on at all hours without pissing off the neighbors (as I live in an apt)
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On May 20 2014 10:23 Kaizen[7] wrote:Show nested quote +On May 18 2014 20:36 SixStrings wrote:
Can anyone recommend a decent bedroom-amp that sounds great in low wattages when playing Metal (lead and rhythm)? If by bedroom amp you mean an amp that you can practice and play with minimal disturbance to those around you I have to recommend the headphone amps made by Vox. These things are the ultimate practice amps IMO. Ok maybe "ultimate" is a little extreme but honestly these things absolutely rock. They are as quiet as possible (since it plays through your headphones) and the ones I have sound great! I have the AC30 and the Metal one. I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of the "Metal" one and the AC30 is a pretty damn good version of their world famous amp. You can even plug into your CD or MP3 player and literally play along with you favorite music! For practicing I feel this feature is priceless as many people teach themselves by getting tabs and learning how to play along with their favorite bands. + Show Spoiler +They have a wide variety to choose from, including some that have digital delay and chorus, etc. There is even a cute little "cabinet" you can plug the amp into to make a mini-stack. In any case, for practicing with quality sound and making as little a disturbance as possible I recommend these babies. Not much need to spend more money on a small bedroom amp when these accomplish the same thing IMO. Not to mention the portability they provide. Anywhere your guitar can go, these can go. I utilize these bad boys for all practicing purposes and for when those midnight to 4 AM moments of substance-fueled inspiration hit. They let me get my jam on at all hours without pissing off the neighbors (as I live in an apt)
I use a product that is a similar idea for late night practice (the thing I use is an amp that basically just gives you the raw output coming from the pickups and pipes that to a standard headphone jack. Perfect for bass. Not so much for guitar unless you are playing something that is just supposed to be clean through the amp. The Vox things are better for guitar. I've used them. They're quite nice). It is quite ideal for practice. I have a proper full sized amp (a 2x12 cabinet and a rather ancient head that I quite like) but I find myself using the headphone amp just as much, if not more. It's quite convenient and sounds good.
My new matching fretted Jazz is stuck in customs  I probably get to pay $75 of duty again like last time. Hopefully it isn't tied up for more than a day or so.
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Hey guys, I need a bit of advice, so I finally settled on what kind of guitar I want to buy, but I'm in need of a bit of advice. I'm going to be buying a MIM start for about 500-ish dollars or a bit less if I can haggle it. I need to know 3 things from y'all
1. If I buy the arctic white/olympic white (whichever one they call it), will it yellow a lot early on? If the answer is yes, I might go for the 2 color sunburst because I like that one too. This is more about aesthetics, but its kinda important to me to love each aspect of my guitar haha.
2. What else do I need to purchase with the guitar that I probably should get, other than new strings to string it of course.
3. How long till I become John Frusciante
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On May 21 2014 10:12 docvoc wrote:Hey guys, I need a bit of advice, so I finally settled on what kind of guitar I want to buy, but I'm in need of a bit of advice. I'm going to be buying a MIM start for about 500-ish dollars or a bit less if I can haggle it. I need to know 3 things from y'all 1. If I buy the arctic white/olympic white (whichever one they call it), will it yellow a lot early on? If the answer is yes, I might go for the 2 color sunburst because I like that one too. This is more about aesthetics, but its kinda important to me to love each aspect of my guitar haha. 2. What else do I need to purchase with the guitar that I probably should get, other than new strings to string it of course. 3. How long till I become John Frusciante
1. Probably not for a while. That type of things happens after a long time, especially since they use polyester as the top coat on the MIM Standard stuff. The aging you normally see on old Fenders is partly because back in the day, they used to use nitro-cellulose lacquer, which is typically quite thin and prone to colour change and cracking. Obviously, after a while it will start to age, but that is more on the scale of a decade or more. My 1995 MIM Strat has signs of aging now (the neck is getting quite dark. Roughly as dark as the tinted necks on my basses) and the pickguard is yellowing. I actually like the look. It looks quite nice. The finish hasn't really changed a lot though.
2. Picks, a strap, a case, cleaning stuff (a microfibre cloth and some type of polish. Also consider getting fretboard conditioner if you have a rosewood fretboard. On maple you do not need that since it is nearly always finished in some way), a cable of some type.
3. Err... a while.
I just noticed on the Fender site that they now do the maple fretboard necks on the MIM Standards like they have done for a while on the American Standards. Gloss on the fretboard with a satin back. That's a great improvement. I absolutely love it on my USA Strat. That makes the MIM models a lot more appealing. I had one of their old MIMs with a satin-finished maple fretboard and it wasn't nearly as nice as a gloss finished one. It seems like they are really stepping it up on the MIM stuff.
On a side note, I bought this big Dan Erlewine guitar setup book. I need to get a big steel straight edge now so I can do proper neck setups. I can do them pretty good by eyeballing it, but this way I can be more precise. I could probably make a business out of doing setups and some repairs. Setups are quite fun to do and people will pay well for a good one.
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Italy12246 Posts
I think MiM pickups are actually fine if it's your first guitar, no need to invest another 100$ or so in upgrading as soon as you buy. I'd definitely get strap locks because i'm absolutely paranoid about my girls.
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Northern Ireland25315 Posts
Hey folks, update of sorts. Was trying to get a Brood War Terran theme cover with people off here, severely underestimated my RL commitments though.
My kid's mum will be finished school within the fortnight so I can get back to playing and recording/attempting to mix etc. Don't want those who put in time to have nothing to show for it, so it's still on the cards!
Also does anyone know of European-based sites that let you spread the cost of a purchase over a long time period? I don't think Thomann do from personal recollection, might be wrong on that. I have money coming in, but never enough to have a big chunk of it at any one time and a few bands want me to gig with them but I lack a full giggable rig.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BH2gnq5.jpg)
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