What picks do you guys use? I switched from 1.14mm Dunlop Gator Grips to .88mm nylon Max-Grips, because it seems easier to strum with them and the Max-Grip helps me feel whether the pick is in the right place in my hand.
The Official Guitar Thread
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Stosh
Bronze Knight of the Realm
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I was going to ask that same question, as I'm trying out different picks to see what feels most comfortable. I'm going to just head over to the local guitar store tomorrow and buy one of everything and see what I like best. Same with strings, and string size. I've read so many different opinion online it's information overload.
Anyway, here's a picture of my new guitar and practice amp:
Jazz III are probably not a great choice for a newbie though, are they? I tried to use one but I didn't feel like I had good control of it.
Alex
Still a Music Elitist
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That's probably true. I didn't start using them until I had been playing for a bit. Four or five years.
I think I put acoustic strings on my Schecter last time I changed the strings on it. They were the only ones I had laying around =/
Cutlery
Kill All the White People
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I love a thick low end. It's a lot richer sound out of a heavy string. I've got some cobalt ones on my Dean too, and they're definitely a different sound than the nickel strings on my other 2.
Dunlop Tortex Purples (1.14). I have some of every color laying around and grabbed a red yesterday to fuck around with something quick and my accuracy dropped to shit. The heavier the better. My buddy swears that you can't go heavy picks in really low tunings, he said in drop A, all they'd do is push shit around, so he was using pretty thin picks for then, but I don't spend a lot of time below C#, so I can't speak to that effect yet.
I also have a couple bags of Dunlop Speedpicks laying around for when we're playing standing up or fucking around in Rocksmith or something. They've got a 10 degree angle on the pick, helps keep it set up correctly when you've got your guitar slung low like you should have because up high ain't metal, dawg.
Honestly, it's all about what feels the best to you. I did the same as everyone else here it looks like...bought a bag of every pick, and I've got probably a dozen different strings to go through too. I like the way Tortex feels, and I'm still working out which strings I like the best. DR Neons feel great to me, but I don't like the shit flecking off on my pickups.
Alex
Still a Music Elitist
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The wound-G is the most difficult string by far with those strings. Bending that a whole step takes a lot of finger strength. But I like the really thick strings. You can really dig in an get monster tone and sustain.
My Schecter has always had a wound G by my Agile doesn't. My Agile has pretty light strings in general. I can bend those so easily compared to the ultra fat strings I keep on the Schecter.
Agreed. The .9s crowd is missing out on the world of difference in going up to .10s and .11s.
Tone so fat, you could go make a ham sandwich and come back. Spinal Tap for life.
Stosh
Bronze Knight of the Realm
- 201
- 12
Apologies if this sounds more like a blog than a post, but hopefully another noob will learn something from this.
Went to a couple of the local guitar stores today. Bought a shitload of various picks to play with. Originally assumed that a medium 73mm pick was best for me and ordered a dozen last week via Amazon, turns out as previously mentioned by Duppin that a thicker pick provides me with better control. Found I liked the star cutout on theEverly brand.Going to order a dozen of them.
Swallowed pride and told random store clerks I was a beginner and had no clue as to what strings I should buy. Clerks at both stores recommended I start with .09s, and I ended up buying two each of Ernie Ball Super Slinky's, D'Aaddario XL's, Dean Markley Blue Steel, GHS boomers and Everly B-52s. Spent the afternoon watching various YouTube string changing videos. Of all I watched, I found this video to be the most helpful for me:
Unfortunately I ruined the low E and A strings on both D'Addario packs but by the time I tried the first pack of Ernie Ball's I'd gotten the hang of it. In my experience, stretching the low E, A and D strings took more time and extra stretching than the G, B and high E strings. I assume this is normal. I snapped two A's and one low E over tightening the strings while tuning, and turned the post in the wrong direction on the first low E string ruining it. Cost me like $9 in broken strings to learn the finer points of string replacement, such as as how much extra length I need to get 2.5 to 3 turns for each of the various strings on my particular tuning posts. Lesson was worth it to me.
Installed strap locks today too. Was easy and quick enough, except for a side trip to the hardware store to get some wood glue to lightly coat the replacement screws to get a tight and firm hold. Was showing wife how it worked, when the tip that you pull to release the strap popped off, so I had to remove the hardware from the strap, and grab the threaded post with needle nose pliers to detach it from the guitar, so I could firmly re-screw the tip into the threaded post. Later I stumbled upon a video showing how the red rubber gasket from a bottle of Grolsh beer with the swing top could be used to hold the strap to the strap button. If I had not already purchased the straplock, I'd have probably bought a six pack of Grolsh instead.
I can't play for shit as of yet, but I'm well on my way to becoming guitar tech.
Went to a couple of the local guitar stores today. Bought a shitload of various picks to play with. Originally assumed that a medium 73mm pick was best for me and ordered a dozen last week via Amazon, turns out as previously mentioned by Duppin that a thicker pick provides me with better control. Found I liked the star cutout on theEverly brand.Going to order a dozen of them.
Swallowed pride and told random store clerks I was a beginner and had no clue as to what strings I should buy. Clerks at both stores recommended I start with .09s, and I ended up buying two each of Ernie Ball Super Slinky's, D'Aaddario XL's, Dean Markley Blue Steel, GHS boomers and Everly B-52s. Spent the afternoon watching various YouTube string changing videos. Of all I watched, I found this video to be the most helpful for me:
Unfortunately I ruined the low E and A strings on both D'Addario packs but by the time I tried the first pack of Ernie Ball's I'd gotten the hang of it. In my experience, stretching the low E, A and D strings took more time and extra stretching than the G, B and high E strings. I assume this is normal. I snapped two A's and one low E over tightening the strings while tuning, and turned the post in the wrong direction on the first low E string ruining it. Cost me like $9 in broken strings to learn the finer points of string replacement, such as as how much extra length I need to get 2.5 to 3 turns for each of the various strings on my particular tuning posts. Lesson was worth it to me.
Installed strap locks today too. Was easy and quick enough, except for a side trip to the hardware store to get some wood glue to lightly coat the replacement screws to get a tight and firm hold. Was showing wife how it worked, when the tip that you pull to release the strap popped off, so I had to remove the hardware from the strap, and grab the threaded post with needle nose pliers to detach it from the guitar, so I could firmly re-screw the tip into the threaded post. Later I stumbled upon a video showing how the red rubber gasket from a bottle of Grolsh beer with the swing top could be used to hold the strap to the strap button. If I had not already purchased the straplock, I'd have probably bought a six pack of Grolsh instead.
I can't play for shit as of yet, but I'm well on my way to becoming guitar tech.
Zero experience here with ever recording at home.
I have a PC near my gear. I need a drum machine of some sort and an 8 track, just for personal use. Just me with tracks for drums, bass, 2-3 gutars and vocals.
Found a decent looking forum and particularly a newb thread. But drowning in new info.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/general...thread-282550/
I have a PC near my gear. I need a drum machine of some sort and an 8 track, just for personal use. Just me with tracks for drums, bass, 2-3 gutars and vocals.
Found a decent looking forum and particularly a newb thread. But drowning in new info.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/general...thread-282550/
Is there a such thing as a decent multi-effects pedal? Something sufficient for a newbie to fuck around with?
My amp has some built-in effects but you can only use one at a time and they're mediocre.
My amp has some built-in effects but you can only use one at a time and they're mediocre.
Alex
Still a Music Elitist
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That looks a little cheaply made: is there something that would be a slight step up from that?
Maybea DigiTech RP255orLine6 Floor POD?
My gear, i have the normal duotone 100w head from H&K not the signature one, marshall cabinett and tuner and chorus not in pictures.Gibson is a Sg faded and the squier is a jagmaster. Some are from the web as i dont have picks of my guitars. The pedal one is the only pick i have without my mug in it. The delays and twosome are boutique(don't like that word) so is the spring chicken which is a reverb and was limited edition, bought for 200, sells for 380 now i belive on ebay and hand wired. Sorry for the big pic, and yea i like delay.
The Line 6 M9 got pretty decent reviews when it came out. I like pedals so never tried it, but alot of forums and pedal geeks said it was good, you also have the M13, but you said newbie so that would be overkill. If you want less you also have the M5.
M5:
M9:
M13:
If you want to go hardcore, the axe Fx is the king. It even has it's own wiki site.