Guitar Players

[redhat]

I have been playing guitar since middle school.

I have had and have some very very cheap, and some very good guitars.

Currently have:
- a very cheap Spectrum 6-string acoustic
- a very cheap Johnson acoustic electric
- Takamine 6-string
- Epiphone 12 string

Had:
- Ibanez GIO
- Ibanez RG
- a mexican Strat

Two of my electric guitars were stolen, the third (GIO) I sold. All of my stuff now is pretty low end bun fun to play and pretty good action.

I was given the Spectrum and Johnson from friends who either found them or didn't want them. I suspect they are el cheapo box store models. But I do love the Spectrum as I don't care about it. It is my take everywhere don't worry about guitar. When I got it, I adjusted the neck and threw a new set of strings at it and it plays super well. I will usually capo the 2nd fret and have a good time when with people.

 

[Dave Sherman]

I started learning in my mid 30s. I can play a few songs, and even played in front of an audience once. Practice, practice, practice, is paramount. Getting lessons from a guitar teacher has its merits. The first guy I took lessons from let on that most guitar players don't read music, so he focused more on teaching songs that I wanted to play, and if he didn't already know it, he would figure it out and write out the tabs for me. He stopped teaching, and I took lessons from a friend of mine when he started offering lessons. He focused more on the theory, so he had me doing scales and simple songs from the beginners' books. There are lots of Youtube videos and online tabs available too, but having a teacher watching over you can help you avoid making some mistakes.

Somebody mentioned callouses, yes, it will take time to build up those callouses. Don't get discouraged by Barre chords, they can be done. I think it's a combination of getting the right feel for it, building some strength in your index finger, and building up some callouses. Your fingers might get sore, just don't play it until your fingers bleed as Bryan Adams' lyrics suggest

Take a break and eventually you'll be able to play longer without getting sore.

Only thing I'll caution about used guitars is to have them set up properly. My ex-wife had encouraged me to learn guitar, and she ended up giving me her old Kramer XL3. It was playable, but it was hard to keep from buzzing, especially with Barre chords. Turns out it need some fret leveling and the neck wasn't quite straight. Eventually I found a good shop who was able to repair it properly, which made a big difference. Finding a good luthier can be just like trying to find a good mechanic for your car.

 

[grampi]

This video of the late, great Roy Clark is impressive to me and I'm not a guitar player...I imagine it's got to be even more impressive to those who do play...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xssnp7R51A

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted by Dave Sherman


Somebody mentioned callouses, yes, it will take time to build up those callouses.


Over the summer we moved into a new place and leading up to that move I stopped player guitar for a while, so there was about a 3 month period where I didn't play at all and I lost all of the callouses on my fingers. When I started playing again about a month ago I could only play for about 5 minutes before my fingers were hurting too much. But I made it a point to play for 5 minutes a day and after about a week I could play for about 10-15 minutes and now a month later my callouses are strong enough that I can play for a half hour or more with no fingertip pain. So the key is to just make it a point to play a small amount every single day and slowly increase your daily playing time. If you make sure to play at least 5-10 minutes every single day you'll never lose those callouses in the future. (I need to take my own advice here!)

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by grampi
This video of the late, great Roy Clark is impressive to me and I'm not a guitar player...I imagine it's got to be even more impressive to those who do play...

That is impressive. Roy Clark is, it goes without saying, a guitar virtuoso. Some pigeon-hole him as just a country music player but he's incredible.

 

[oemjunk]

Wow. Never new Roy Clark was that great. HeeHaw....

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Yamaha Pacifica Guitar
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha/PAC012DLX-Pacifica-Series-HSS-Deluxe-Electric-Guitar.gc

Fender Mustang Amp - has a bit more effects options.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Mustang-I-V2-20W-1x8-Guitar-Combo-Amp.gc


Ended up getting the guitar and amp in the links above. Guitar, amp, 15 ft coax cable, strap, stand and picks all for $306 plus tax. Got the strap, stand and picks off Amazon. Now the hard part comes next. If put half the time I've sent on this chat board into guitar I'd probably be able to play like this guy - LoL.

Here's someone doing playing review of the Yamaha Pacifica 012. He starts getting into it pretty good about 1/2 way through the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QX0T0I0gH8

 

[CT8]

You can play and read the posts at the same time. Have lots of fun !!!

 

[CT8]

You can play and read the posts at the same time. Have lots of fun !!!
Originally Posted by grampi
This video of the late, great Roy Clark is impressive to me and I'm not a guitar player...I imagine it's got to be even more impressive to those who do play...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xssnp7R51A

Roy was a musical master.