I've been looking into the 8 string electric that is tuning wise a hybrid of a standard electric and a baritone.. I've demoed an Ibanez and and ESP at my local speciality trusted guitar shop and am impressed.
Many players start out with guitars that their heroes play. Hendrix and Clapton fans tend to play Strats..
Certain types of guitars also tend to lend themselves to different styles of music. Country artists often tend to use Telecasters, as did Keith Richards.
LOL! I would love to own a Tele too! If I was a gigging musician I would spend more, but I also can't justify buying too many guitars since I am just headlining my garage, and jamming with friends occasionally. I do have a decent Mexican Strat that needs some bridge work, and I have a couple of Taylor acoustics and an old Stella acoustic that I picked up really cheap recently as well.
So what styles do you play in, and how long have you been playing?
"I don't play enough lately to justify..."
Remember, guitars only can only fully develop their mojo when they are "used", so "Shut up and play!" =)
Taylor guitars are really nice! i (can) play rock and country and folk ... i've been playing since i was about 13 i guess ... which makes it about 46 years ... jeez that sure sounds OLD ... when i was a "young apprentice" my guitar hero was playing a Gibson SG Standard .. that's what i bought myself in 1969/1970 and i've still git it ...
"Sounds" old? You don't have me beat by much old man!
I really wish I had kept playing from an early age. I actually took a few guitar lessons at about that age, but didn't persevere. I did not attempt it again until I was 40, as part of my "mid-life" crisis, and I haven't put it down since! I've been playing for about 13 years now, but I've still got a lot of catching up to do!
Right now I would like to find some good players to work with. I play with a cousin pretty regularly, but we are getting kind of "inbred." I'm sort of a musical slut. I like to play with as many different people, and the best people, as I can. I always learn something and and it helps my improvisation skills to change it up. Mainly though, I want to find players that are enough "better" than me to push me to the next level.
I've played with every guitar player or "pretender" I know from work and the neighborhood and now I guess I'm going to have to get out and at least do some open mics if want to meet more, and better players than the ones I know now. My cousin is an excellent, but somewhat "limited" player, and none of my other guitar friends are any good at all! I get together with them only because I "like" them, and we can have a few beers and have some fun making noise and playing "around", but I would never play "out" with ANY of them! LOL!
i had the same problem ... i put a note on a bulletin board at "Guitar Center" (don't know if you've got those where you live) ... after getting calls from lots of stoners and drunks with no jobs and no transportation, i changed my note to specify (with tongue in cheek) that i was only interested in gainfully-employed people with transportation and no drug/booze issues. from that i met a guy who was just about everything i could want except for his religion and politics (which were bearable as long as we never discussed either) ... and eventually he and i rounded up some decent players. when he decide to become a dictator, i took a break, and never went back.
you're absolutely right that playing with people better than you is the way to learn, but playing with people consistently who are more or less the same ability as you is enormously helpful for learning how to "play with" people, work on material, develop a book of material ...
I had a long reply and lost the whole thing with one misplaced keystroke! sigh!
I know exactly what you are talking about with finding the "right" people! I've met my share of control freaks, conspiracy freaks, plain old freaks. I have read the ads at my local GC and it seems they are looking for people ready to play dates, or they want death metalheads, ages 16-17 ONLY! LOL!
I played a lot with some friends from work at one time. We were close to the same level, and they were fun, pretty creative guys, but they were having fun "posing." They "never" practiced, and never even started to live up to their potential. It got frustrating as I got better, and they continued to show little or no improvement. We worked on a few original tunes sporadically, but it never really went anywhere because they really were not serious about making good music, or even learning their instrument! The "lead singer" could strut like Jagger, and drink like a fish, but he couldn't really sing, or even remember the words to one complete song!
He constantly talked about cutting a CD and touring though! LOL! As a band, we couldn't cut a wet fart, but he saw it different....
Cause he's a juke box hero!
Got stars in his eyes!
Yeah, a juke box hero.... Nah nah nah nah nah!
"people ready to play dates, or they want death metalheads, ages 16-17 ONLY! LOL! "
this is a problem ... i'm a geezer (59 today - happy birthday to me) and have never heard, let alone learned how to play, some of the stuff these young guys think of as "music" ...
frankly, a LOT of people my age (our age?) who are musicians looking for other musicians are still clinging (unrealistically) to dreams of rock stardom like your fishy Jagger dude, but don't even have the "chops" to be in a reasonably decent amateur band ... and then, with us old guys, you get lots of weird personality quirks, like my drummer who wouldn't even consider a lot of things because he felt they were inconsistent with his religious convictions, e.g., the Stones' "Brown Sugar", because it was about a hooker or something.
I think am good enough to be in a damn good amateur band, and would like to play with other creative types even if it is just in the garage. Of course other players of the caliber I would like to try and play will not be content in the garage for long!
a bunch of us used to rent a rehearsal studio in a light industrial area not far from here ... there were ganja-smokers in that group (not incl me) and the tunes got louder and messier the more smoke filled the room !! ha ha ha!!!
Gibsons are great; Fenders are great; there are many others that are great.
I'd say your choice should be dictated by the sound you want (clean? dirty? crisp? twangy? thundering? rockabilly?). What kind of things do you want to play? Talking Heads or Metallica or BTMAB or Trisha Yearwood or Taylor Swift?
Also important is how the different guitars feel to you when you hold them and have them slung over your shoulder: some are pretty heavy; others less so. YOu should prob plan to be spending a lot of time holding your new baby, so think about the weight and feel. Also how the thing will look: some are just way cooler looking than others, no matter how you define cool.
Do you already have the amp? Amps have a huge amount to do with the sound you'll get. Again you need to think about the sound you want (see list of possibilities above).
Are you just starting out? Have you been playing a while? Will this electric be your first, or are you replacing and/or upgrading one you already have?
Unfortunately, your budget has a lot to do with what you get: you'll prob fall in love with several things, and the price tags on some will blow you away.
I'd suggest going to a good, friendly music store that will let you try out a few axes, sdo you can see what feels and sounds...
Gibsons are great; Fenders are great; there are many others that are great.
I'd say your choice should be dictated by the sound you want (clean? dirty? crisp? twangy? thundering? rockabilly?). What kind of things do you want to play? Talking Heads or Metallica or BTMAB or Trisha Yearwood or Taylor Swift?
Also important is how the different guitars feel to you when you hold them and have them slung over your shoulder: some are pretty heavy; others less so. YOu should prob plan to be spending a lot of time holding your new baby, so think about the weight and feel. Also how the thing will look: some are just way cooler looking than others, no matter how you define cool.
Do you already have the amp? Amps have a huge amount to do with the sound you'll get. Again you need to think about the sound you want (see list of possibilities above).
Are you just starting out? Have you been playing a while? Will this electric be your first, or are you replacing and/or upgrading one you already have?
Unfortunately, your budget has a lot to do with what you get: you'll prob fall in love with several things, and the price tags on some will blow you away.
I'd suggest going to a good, friendly music store that will let you try out a few axes, sdo you can see what feels and sounds good to you.
I've got a Gibson SG Standard, which sounds a lot like a Les Paul Standard but is lighter in weight and can be twangier, and an inexpensive Fender Stratocaster. I play through a Fender Blues de Ville, 2x12".
Have tons of fun and don't hesitate to write your own music!!!!!
The torque on the strings are amazing.
Many players start out with guitars that their heroes play. Hendrix and Clapton fans tend to play Strats..
Certain types of guitars also tend to lend themselves to different styles of music. Country artists often tend to use Telecasters, as did Keith Richards.
So what styles do you play in, and how long have you been playing?
"I don't play enough lately to justify..."
Remember, guitars only can only fully develop their mojo when they are "used", so "Shut up and play!" =)
Take care!
I really wish I had kept playing from an early age. I actually took a few guitar lessons at about that age, but didn't persevere. I did not attempt it again until I was 40, as part of my "mid-life" crisis, and I haven't put it down since! I've been playing for about 13 years now, but I've still got a lot of catching up to do!
Right now I would like to find some good players to work with. I play with a cousin pretty regularly, but we are getting kind of "inbred." I'm sort of a musical slut. I like to play with as many different people, and the best people, as I can. I always learn something and and it helps my improvisation skills to change it up. Mainly though, I want to find players that are enough "better" than me to push me to the next level.
I've played with every guitar player or "pretender" I know from work and the neighborhood and now I guess I'm going to have to get out and at least do some open mics if want to meet more, and better players than the ones I know now. My cousin is an excellent, but somewhat "limited" player, and none of my other guitar friends are any good at all! I get together with them only because I "like" them, and we can have a few beers and have some fun making noise and playing "around", but I would never play "out" with ANY of them! LOL!
you're absolutely right that playing with people better than you is the way to learn, but playing with people consistently who are more or less the same ability as you is enormously helpful for learning how to "play with" people, work on material, develop a book of material ...
good luck; keep playing and have fun!
I know exactly what you are talking about with finding the "right" people! I've met my share of control freaks, conspiracy freaks, plain old freaks. I have read the ads at my local GC and it seems they are looking for people ready to play dates, or they want death metalheads, ages 16-17 ONLY! LOL!
I played a lot with some friends from work at one time. We were close to the same level, and they were fun, pretty creative guys, but they were having fun "posing." They "never" practiced, and never even started to live up to their potential. It got frustrating as I got better, and they continued to show little or no improvement. We worked on a few original tunes sporadically, but it never really went anywhere because they really were not serious about making good music, or even learning their instrument! The "lead singer" could strut like Jagger, and drink like a fish, but he couldn't really sing, or even remember the words to one complete song!
He constantly talked about cutting a CD and touring though! LOL! As a band, we couldn't cut a wet fart, but he saw it different....
Cause he's a juke box hero!
Got stars in his eyes!
Yeah, a juke box hero.... Nah nah nah nah nah!
this is a problem ... i'm a geezer (59 today - happy birthday to me) and have never heard, let alone learned how to play, some of the stuff these young guys think of as "music" ...
frankly, a LOT of people my age (our age?) who are musicians looking for other musicians are still clinging (unrealistically) to dreams of rock stardom like your fishy Jagger dude, but don't even have the "chops" to be in a reasonably decent amateur band ... and then, with us old guys, you get lots of weird personality quirks, like my drummer who wouldn't even consider a lot of things because he felt they were inconsistent with his religious convictions, e.g., the Stones' "Brown Sugar", because it was about a hooker or something.
I think am good enough to be in a damn good amateur band, and would like to play with other creative types even if it is just in the garage. Of course other players of the caliber I would like to try and play will not be content in the garage for long!
I'd say your choice should be dictated by the sound you want (clean? dirty? crisp? twangy? thundering? rockabilly?). What kind of things do you want to play? Talking Heads or Metallica or BTMAB or Trisha Yearwood or Taylor Swift?
Also important is how the different guitars feel to you when you hold them and have them slung over your shoulder: some are pretty heavy; others less so. YOu should prob plan to be spending a lot of time holding your new baby, so think about the weight and feel. Also how the thing will look: some are just way cooler looking than others, no matter how you define cool.
Do you already have the amp? Amps have a huge amount to do with the sound you'll get. Again you need to think about the sound you want (see list of possibilities above).
Are you just starting out? Have you been playing a while? Will this electric be your first, or are you replacing and/or upgrading one you already have?
Unfortunately, your budget has a lot to do with what you get: you'll prob fall in love with several things, and the price tags on some will blow you away.
I'd suggest going to a good, friendly music store that will let you try out a few axes, sdo you can see what feels and sounds...
I'd say your choice should be dictated by the sound you want (clean? dirty? crisp? twangy? thundering? rockabilly?). What kind of things do you want to play? Talking Heads or Metallica or BTMAB or Trisha Yearwood or Taylor Swift?
Also important is how the different guitars feel to you when you hold them and have them slung over your shoulder: some are pretty heavy; others less so. YOu should prob plan to be spending a lot of time holding your new baby, so think about the weight and feel. Also how the thing will look: some are just way cooler looking than others, no matter how you define cool.
Do you already have the amp? Amps have a huge amount to do with the sound you'll get. Again you need to think about the sound you want (see list of possibilities above).
Are you just starting out? Have you been playing a while? Will this electric be your first, or are you replacing and/or upgrading one you already have?
Unfortunately, your budget has a lot to do with what you get: you'll prob fall in love with several things, and the price tags on some will blow you away.
I'd suggest going to a good, friendly music store that will let you try out a few axes, sdo you can see what feels and sounds good to you.
I've got a Gibson SG Standard, which sounds a lot like a Les Paul Standard but is lighter in weight and can be twangier, and an inexpensive Fender Stratocaster. I play through a Fender Blues de Ville, 2x12".
Have tons of fun and don't hesitate to write your own music!!!!!