1 Topic by eva (edited by eva 2008-02-05 11:04:43)

  • eva
  • eva
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  • From: germany
  • Registered: 2007-03-15
  • Posts: 1,885

Topic: Some newbie-questions

Hi to all of you professionals out there,

I have just overcome my shyness to ask anyone anything here, because I don´t have the slightest idea of all the technical stuff - so please don´t laugh at me when I ask you something in the future ... wink

So here are my questions:

1. I play an Epi LP Custom and want a buy a new amp some time soon - is there anything you can recommend that costs under 500 or should I wait and save more money..... ? (I mostly play at home or with friends, so I don´t need any kind of "stage-amp")

2. Does it make sense to buy better pickups for my Epi LP? And if yes, which ones could you recommend?

3. I begin to learn playing slide guitar and wonder if I´d rather buy an eclectric or an acoustic guitar for that (later on, the amp comes first...) ?
I saw that Joe just plays slide on his LP and it sounds great - but I also love the sound of the classical "cotton-picker-era" slide playing...
So what do you think is better/easier for beginning?!

Would be cool is someone took the time to answer my questions (cause you know: there´s no stupid questions, just stupid answers wink)!

Thanks,  Eva

2 Reply by NPB_EST.1979 (edited by NPB_EST.1979 2008-02-05 11:59:06)

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Some newbie-questions

For an amp - I'd say get a Line 6 Spider combo amp - whatever wattage you prefer. They can emulate different amps in history (1968 Marshall Plexi, 1970 Fender Twin Reverb, Bassman, Soldano, Orange, the new Buddha, Mesa Dual Rectifier, etc.) They also have effect built in so you dont have to buy pedals.  Fun to play with, tinker, or put through a PA in case you ever want to play outside the basement. You can also plug them into a computer to record if you ever want to (I think). I can dial in a mean "Reconsider Baby." You should be able to pick one up for a couple hundred.

On the Epi - I'd stick with the stock pickups until you really get sick of them. Swapping them out right away may make you second guess where your money went (buyers remorse). Know why you'd want to get rid of the ones you have, and keep an ear open for nice pickups.

For pickup recommendations, I guess its who you like -
JB uses Burstbuckers, Zakk Wylde uses EMG's.....etc.
Rio Grande Makes good ones, Seymour Duncans and Dimarzio are good too.
Google guitarfetish and check out GFS pickups - they are cheaper and a decent upgrade for the money.

For my Jay Turser LP Serpent inlay, I got some GFS P-90's that fit a humbucker size from guitarfetish and love them. And they were cheaper than the equivalent Gibson P-94's or Seymour Duncan's Phat Cats.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Edgewater, FL
  • Registered: 2007-12-08
  • Posts: 5,046

Re: Some newbie-questions

Yeah Nick is right about the Spyder Line 6.  My son plays one.  He plays a lot of rock, so He can get what sound he wants with no pedals.  But me...grouchy old blues guy would spend my money on a Blues Jr. Fender.  just my opinion  i can make it scream, without getting too loud.

I play an Epi SG, not very well, and I would not spend any money on it and I LOVE to tinker.  Again just me, but I would buy a different guitar...like a PRS with P90s or something in that price range. 

If money were no object I would buy my brothers guitar, a LesPaul Custom quilted, mapled, abalonied, ebonied, goldified work of art that just happens to sound like a finely tuned orchestra AND IS EASY TO PLAY.  BUT WHO HAS 10 GRAND?

You should probably own at least one acoustic steel string.  Just take your time!

You'll get lots of opinions here.  I have a friend (acquaintance) who loves to buy makeshift guitars and hot rod them up with super pups.  Not me!  Anyway he has substance abuse issues.

MuchLove
jeff

Rock On & Keep the FAITH
             It is
Blues From the Bottoms

bigjeffjones's Website

4 Reply by gsj (edited by gsj 2008-02-05 12:14:51)

  • gsj
  • gsj
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  • From: North Essex, England
  • Registered: 2006-09-21
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Re: Some newbie-questions

Hi Eva

1/ Get a small valve combo. Fender have a couple of new low wattage (home use) amps on the market with a few onboard effects, just to make life a bit more interesting, and priced within your budget.

2/ Nope, don't change the pickups. Not money well spent. If you don't like the sound then change the guitar....what sound/tone are you searching for?

3/ Slide, better with a guitar with a high action (string height from the fingerboard) and heavier gauge strings. There are some great cheap Resonaters on the market....take a look at Ozark guitars. Or, get and old Strat copy and have a friend set it up with heavy strings.

Geoff

PS: CD in the post this week I hope:)

never give up, never slow down
never grow old, never ever die young
  • From: Netherlands
  • Registered: 2006-12-19
  • Posts: 136

Re: Some newbie-questions

I use a 15 watt Vox AD15VT amp which really works well for at home. There are a lot of different amp models available so with a bit of tweaking the settings I can get loads of different sounds like BB King, SRV, Robert Cray, JB, Audioslave, Mark Knopfler, AC/DC etc... Recently I played a Line 6 in the shop and it was ok, I guess you can get some good tones with that as well when you get to know how to tweak it the way you want smile
The Vox amp costs about 150-200 euros, to me it beats other amps in the price range and makes a world of difference with my old squier 15 watt practice amp...
I also have an Epiphone Les Paul. The guy who I bought it from had put EMG 81 humbuckers in it. Those are more the rock/metal lead type of pickups but in combination with the amp I can get some good clean tones and blues/classic rock tones from them as well.
For slide it's better to have a guitar dedicated to it so you can keep it in an open tuning (Open E like Joe) and with high action. I've got a Dean electro- acoustic resonator for playing slide, so it has a nice acoustic delta blues sound but it can also be plugged in for heavier electric slide work like The River.

We have just one world, but we live in different ones.
  • From: Ga
  • Registered: 2007-11-26
  • Posts: 21

Re: Some newbie-questions

I have a line 6 flextone III. It's great for getting a variety of sounds. I also have an ibanez tube screamer which lets you have a lot more control over distortion and tone. I have an epiphone les paul and love it. The stock humbuckers in it are hot. A modeling amp is a good choice until you develop a sound you really like, then upgrade to a marshall or fender...

  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 3,155

Re: Some newbie-questions

As far as slide, I have a resonator I use, and then I have an old guitar that's essentially a Frankenstein that I use. The thing with slide is that the worse it sounds, the better. Unless you're Derek Trucks.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

My ReverbNation page for Dees & Friends - check us out!
www.reverbnation.com/deesfriends
  • Registered: 2006-05-31
  • Posts: 184

Re: Some newbie-questions

Hi Eva,

1. I am assuming you are talking Euros here so based on that I would agree that the Line 6 is a good choice, but if you can push the money just a little you might pick up a Fender Blues Junior for close to the same amount. If at all possible take your guitar with you to some dealers and try out the amps. You may find a Vox or Crate or who knows what that you really like. 15 watts or so for private use should be fine, but I really suggest trying them out if at all possible.

2. I agree with the majority that replacing your pups is questionable. Hang onto your Epi and try out other guitars in the future. Now days I try to avoid guitar stores 'cause there always seems to be something there I want to buy, but my wife would kill me if I bring home another one! wink

3. I use an Ibanez electric accoustic for my feeble slide attempts. The nice thing about using an accoustic is that you do not need the amplifier to enjoy it. Resonators are probably good for that, but I do not have one (yet!). I agree that you probably want a little higher action, but at the same time I have seen slide players like Keb Mo playing on a basically standard accoustic to great effect.

Open question for the more knowledgeable. If higher action is "better" for slide what does everyone do on an electric accoustic or just plain accoustic? Electrics can certainly have the string height raised and thicker strings added, but what do you do on an accoustic? You really can't raised the action (can you?). How about the thicker strings? Cut the nut I supposed, but what about the bridge?

Nothin' but the Blues
  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 3,155

Re: Some newbie-questions

I've found that acoustics don't need to be adjusted really. They're already more prone to higher action anyway.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

My ReverbNation page for Dees & Friends - check us out!
www.reverbnation.com/deesfriends
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Some newbie-questions

you can put taller nuts and saddles on an acoustic.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

11 Reply by eva

  • eva
  • eva
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  • From: germany
  • Registered: 2007-03-15
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Re: Some newbie-questions

Hey Guys,

Thanks a lot - this will help me out! Maybe I will really buy the Line 6 amp, because I already have a Line 6 POD (http://www.thomann.de/gb/line6_pod_2_2006.htm) ... I manily used it for home playing with earplugs when I can´t play loud because of the neighboors (Got to go home to my parents to play loud wink ). I think I´ll go to the store (got Germany´s biggest music store just round the corner...) and compare the Line 6 Models to the Feder ones.
I will ask you again when it comes to the coice of a Slide guitar ... I will look out for the Ozark guitars Geoff.

gsj wrote:

If you don't like the sound then change the guitar....what sound/tone are you searching for?

Geoff, this is a funny story: I actually like the sound of my LP very much, but a friend of mine (who teached me to play guitar) keeps on talking me into buying new (Gibson) pickups. He always says that it would sound so much better... And as I didn´t want to change them I thought I´d ask you if it made sense at all - so now I know that he´s not right lol

  • From: Kansas
  • Registered: 2007-10-12
  • Posts: 375

Re: Some newbie-questions

eva wrote:

Hey Guys,

Thanks a lot - this will help me out! Maybe I will really buy the Line 6 amp, because I already have a Line 6 POD (http://www.thomann.de/gb/line6_pod_2_2006.htm) ... I manily used it for home playing with earplugs when I can´t play loud because of the neighboors (Got to go home to my parents to play loud wink ). I think I´ll go to the store (got Germany´s biggest music store just round the corner...) and compare the Line 6 Models to the Feder ones.
I will ask you again when it comes to the coice of a Slide guitar ... I will look out for the Ozark guitars Geoff.

gsj wrote:

If you don't like the sound then change the guitar....what sound/tone are you searching for?

Geoff, this is a funny story: I actually like the sound of my LP very much, but a friend of mine (who teached me to play guitar) keeps on talking me into buying new (Gibson) pickups. He always says that it would sound so much better... And as I didn´t want to change them I thought I´d ask you if it made sense at all - so now I know that he´s not right lol

Yeah, don't change anything unless you want to.  Plenty of people will tell you to do this or that, but if you are really happy with it, then there is no reason to waste money with that sort of gamble.

As for slide guitar, I use my Epiphone Les Paul Studio for the most part and it seems to work just fine.  Practically any guitar can be used.  It is all about the set up.

Well, the night I was born
Lord I swear the moon turned a fire red
  • From: East Tennessee
  • Registered: 2006-04-25
  • Posts: 240

Re: Some newbie-questions

One more thought. If you want tubes for under $500, you might check into the Crate Palomino series. It won't have the range of tones of a Line 6, but it will have the touch dymanics that only tubes have. They make a V16 (15 watts) that would be plenty for jaming. It has a 12" Celestion that really sounds good for the money, about $350 or so new in the US. It's got decent cleans at lower volumes and will get pretty greasy if you crank the gain. I have no idea about reliability, but most amps hold up well if you're not moving them much and diming them all the time.

Blessings,
Larry

"...play skillfully and shout for joy." Psalm 33:3b (honest, it really says that)
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Some newbie-questions

Rivera Chubster 45watt or Pubster 25watt is a good tube amp too
http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/riv … n-05/10208

you could find one on ebay for 1/2 of new cost.

Paul Rivera invented the Twin Reverb II and Super Champ before he came out with his own company
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX2aQ9xnLm0

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • Registered: 2008-01-25
  • Posts: 20

Re: Some newbie-questions

Hi Eva!,
There are a world of tones within your guitar with just the tone and volume knobs.Check out videos of Beck or Page and you'll see they both constantly adjust controls on the guitar but don't touch the amp the whole show. You've got a great beginning instrument there that's been time tested as to its validity. Learn to play that sucker and as your skills develop a quality instrument will be worth the investment and a true pleasure to play. Most people who can't play worth a damn keep looking for more/better gear to make their meager skills sound more advanced. Don't fall into that trap.
Best of luck!

Oh yeah, try a glass slide and listen to Rory Gallagher, Duane Allman, Derrik Truks and Warren Haynes constantly.... Those guys are slide pros.


eva wrote:

Hi to all of you professionals out there,

I have just overcome my shyness to ask anyone anything here, because I don´t have the slightest idea of all the technical stuff - so please don´t laugh at me when I ask you something in the future ... wink

So here are my questions:

1. I play an Epi LP Custom and want a buy a new amp some time soon - is there anything you can recommend that costs under 500 or should I wait and save more money..... ? (I mostly play at home or with friends, so I don´t need any kind of "stage-amp")

2. Does it make sense to buy better pickups for my Epi LP? And if yes, which ones could you recommend?

3. I begin to learn playing slide guitar and wonder if I´d rather buy an eclectric or an acoustic guitar for that (later on, the amp comes first...) ?
I saw that Joe just plays slide on his LP and it sounds great - but I also love the sound of the classical "cotton-picker-era" slide playing...
So what do you think is better/easier for beginning?!


Would be cool is someone took the time to answer my questions (cause you know: there´s no stupid questions, just stupid answers wink)!

Thanks,  Eva

  • suhl
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  • From: Springfield, IL
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 936

Re: Some newbie-questions

topshelf wrote:

Most people who can't play worth a damn keep looking for more/better gear to make their meager skills sound more advanced. Don't fall into that trap.

yep i did that.  i took guitar lessons for two years probably 6 years back now and never really learned to play a dman thing but probably had 800 bucks worth of guitar equipment.  now i just started trying to learn on my own again on this 100 dollar acoustic we had laying around the house and i have already developed further than i had in two years worth of lessons in two weeks.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fCdNsm7gvu8

If wine and pills were hundred dollar bills
I might keep you satisfied

suhl's Website

  • Registered: 2008-01-25
  • Posts: 20

Re: Some newbie-questions

suhl wrote:
topshelf wrote:

Most people who can't play worth a damn keep looking for more/better gear to make their meager skills sound more advanced. Don't fall into that trap.

yep i did that.  i took guitar lessons for two years probably 6 years back now and never really learned to play a dman thing but probably had 800 bucks worth of guitar equipment.  now i just started trying to learn on my own again on this 100 dollar acoustic we had laying around the house and i have already developed further than i had in two years worth of lessons in two weeks.

Me too, Suhl! I took lessons for about six months when I was eighteen and the guy would only show me how to play little brown jug......I'm thirty nine now and can play pretty much any damn thing I want to because I stopped listening to other people and just developed a relationship with the thing. I've got nothing against formal training for those people who want to go that route but the truth is that the music is within. And only YOU can bring it out through your fingers.

Gear does make a difference as you get better and start looking for your own voice. If I said it didn't I'd be full of beans. I bet J.B. sounds good regardless of what kind of guitar he's beatin'.

18 Reply by eva

  • eva
  • eva
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  • From: germany
  • Registered: 2007-03-15
  • Posts: 1,885

Re: Some newbie-questions

topshelf wrote:

Hi Eva!,
There are a world of tones within your guitar with just the tone and volume knobs.Check out videos of Beck or Page and you'll see they both constantly adjust controls on the guitar but don't touch the amp the whole show. You've got a great beginning instrument there that's been time tested as to its validity. Learn to play that sucker and as your skills develop a quality instrument will be worth the investment and a true pleasure to play. Most people who can't play worth a damn keep looking for more/better gear to make their meager skills sound more advanced. Don't fall into that trap.
Best of luck!

Oh yeah, try a glass slide and listen to Rory Gallagher, Duane Allman, Derrik Truks and Warren Haynes constantly.... Those guys are slide pros.

Thanks for the tips, topshelf - I hope I won´t fall into that trap ... anyway I don´t even have the money to buy all that gear wink. I realized some of things you said when I bought that Line 6 POD (mainly for playing with earplugs) - you can make nothing sound like something with a few technical tricks, but that´s not what it´s all about ... I also play acoustic guitar from time to time, because you have to play very "accurately" then... it´s a good training.

It´s all about practising ......... big_smile

Eva