Guitarist Thread

[CALDERON]

On 30/06/2023 at 09:06, dirty dingus said:

Anybody own a Harley Benton? I know they are like the Mayfair or Lambert and Butler of the guitar world but for £266 with electrics, case and delivery I thought I'd give one a shot. Bought the 12 string tabacco burst based on the Gibson SJ 200 called the CLJ 412e 3SB it's a fine looking piece of wood so if plays shit it will sit in the corner looking pretty. My current go to guitars.

I've owned a few of them.  They are cracking guitars out of the box, and would rival some of the Epiphones I've had.

Issue I've had with them has been a few months/year down the line.  I felt they didn't stand up great to constant travel, recording, gigging etc.  Needed a few set ups and tweaks, plates and wires coming loose etc.  Also felt the tuners weren't great.  I ended up spending the money I would have saved vs Epiphone on the above.

That was just my experience, I don't think you can really go wrong for the price though.  Sound wise they hold up really, really well - the pickups were awesome.

[Boo Khaki]

Bit quiet in here. 

I'm experiencing something a bit confusing, and just wondered if it's something that others might have noticed.

Recently took a wee sabbatical from playing for a month. Didn't pick the guitar up at all, no practice, no exercises, nothing. It's not the first time, and I noticed the same thing before, i.e., my technique is actually better after a break than it was beforehand. 

I'm not sure if it's just a case of 'forgetting' bad habits and resetting my muscle memory etc, so that when I pick the guitar up again I'm back into a default mode, or whether it's the case that learning needs time away from the instrument to fully sink in, but I thought I'd be rusty and not up to speed, when in actual fact it's the opposite if anything. Took a few minutes just to get comfortable with the pick and things, but after that the fretting hand was actually working better than before. 

I'm just a bit bemused because every single source says practice, practice, practice, every single day, is how to improve, but I don't find that to be true at all. Calluses are gone though, so that's fun 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Boo Khaki

[Al B]

Yeah that's pretty common. I think the one drawback of 'practicing' regularly is you subconsciously start trying too hard, even if you don't realise it. The main way it manifests for me in a similar way, is when I'm in the studio I can play through a part to the point where I'm not even thinking about it or paying attention, then as soon as I hit 'record' I couldn't get through it in a one-er if you paid me.

If you're trying to learn something new and you're alllllllmost there but you just can't quite get it. Stop. Pick up your guitar the next morning and I guarantee you'll nail it almost straight away.

Edited August 27, 2023 by Al B

[Leith Green]

Odd question from me.

I use Dunlop Jazz picks (the small red ones) as I find they help me when doing anything that needs precision or palm muting etc.

I like them, but the new ones I bought seem a bit shiny and recently the pick has felt like its moving around. I cannae even get through a song without it pointing the wrong way !

Its not like I have sweaty fingers, if anything they get dried out due to work etc.

Anyone else had this, and any ideas to resolve? Or maybe I just need to find another small pick with more "texture"?

[TommyDickFingers]

6 hours ago, Leith Green said:

Odd question from me.

I use Dunlop Jazz picks (the small red ones) as I find they help me when doing anything that needs precision or palm muting etc.

I like them, but the new ones I bought seem a bit shiny and recently the pick has felt like its moving around. I cannae even get through a song without it pointing the wrong way !

Its not like I have sweaty fingers, if anything they get dried out due to work etc.

Anyone else had this, and any ideas to resolve? Or maybe I just need to find another small pick with more "texture"?

I always found any texture on a pick exacerbated the issues you describe.

A fiend used to use  a tube of what I think some kind on grip stuff for lawn bowls on his thumb/index.

Ive used pink .71mm Dunlop for so long I couldn't begin to offer advice on anything else short of buying a selection finding a new comfort pick.

[Al B]

I used Gibson Standard mediums for as long as I can remember, until a few Christmasses ago when my mum bought me a tin but ordered the wrong ones. Ended up with a tin of Gibson Wedge mediums.

Very strange at first as it feels counter-intuitive playing with what initially feels like a big plastic Dorito, but now I can't imagine using anything else.

[Boo Khaki]

Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5mm here. I do have sweaty hands/fingers, so I find the chalky coating they come with helps me not lose grip. 

Thinking about going up to 2mm because I play a lot of hooligan stuff and sometimes I can feel the 1.5's flexing a wee bit.

[Tattie36]

I spent years trying to find the perfect pick. Eventually gave up and now just use my fingers and nails only.

Whenever I try a pick now it feels weird and somehow “disconnected”.

If it was good enough for Wilko then it’s good enough for me.

[MSU]

I'm a kid of the 70s so Fender Mediums for me, and whatever works its way into my pocket from Guitar Center.

[Crawford Bridge]

Picks are weird IMO, can't get used to them. 

I am primarily a bass player so it's probably because of that. 

[Leith Green]

Apologies for the delay lads, and thanks for the replies. I experimented with drilling a few holes, and they work an absolute treat, loads of grip now and feel much more secure.    3.5mm wood bit in case anyone wonders !

 

On 10/10/2023 at 17:32, TommyDickFingers said:

I always found any texture on a pick exacerbated the issues you describe.

A fiend used to use  a tube of what I think some kind on grip stuff for lawn bowls on his thumb/index.

Ive used pink .71mm Dunlop for so long I couldn't begin to offer advice on anything else short of buying a selection finding a new comfort pick.

On 12/10/2023 at 09:45, Al B said:

I used Gibson Standard mediums for as long as I can remember, until a few Christmasses ago when my mum bought me a tin but ordered the wrong ones. Ended up with a tin of Gibson Wedge mediums.

Very strange at first as it feels counter-intuitive playing with what initially feels like a big plastic Dorito, but now I can't imagine using anything else.

 

On 18/10/2023 at 21:08, Boo Khaki said:

Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5mm here. I do have sweaty hands/fingers, so I find the chalky coating they come with helps me not lose grip. 

Thinking about going up to 2mm because I play a lot of hooligan stuff and sometimes I can feel the 1.5's flexing a wee bit.

 

On 19/10/2023 at 12:49, Tattie36 said:

I spent years trying to find the perfect pick. Eventually gave up and now just use my fingers and nails only.

Whenever I try a pick now it feels weird and somehow “disconnected”.

If it was good enough for Wilko then it’s good enough for me.

 

On 19/10/2023 at 13:19, MSU said:

I'm a kid of the 70s so Fender Mediums for me, and whatever works its way into my pocket from Guitar Center.

 

On 21/10/2023 at 11:01, Crawford Bridge said:

Picks are weird IMO, can't get used to them. 

I am primarily a bass player so it's probably because of that. 

 

[Crawford Bridge]

That's a clever solution. 

[Leith Green]

12 minutes ago, Crawford Bridge said:

That's a clever solution. 

I'd love to take the credit, but I saw some on the web with holes and thought I would give it a shot 

[Crawford Bridge]

7 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

I'd love to take the credit, but I saw some on the web with holes and thought I would give it a shot 

Nowt wrong with that. 

I'm a self taught techy thanks to the internet. 

[Florentine_Pogen]

Peter Mannion on a Tanglewood..........................

 

[Leith Green]

I've been practicing a couple of songs with string bends and fast slide on routines, right up in the 20s on the fretboard. 

Fingertips had double raised red lines when I was done Painful as f**k last night.

Just finished work, reckon it's time for more masochism !

[cb_diamond]

On 14/11/2023 at 16:40, Leith Green said:

I've been practicing a couple of songs with string bends and fast slide on routines, right up in the 20s on the fretboard. 

Fingertips had double raised red lines when I was done Painful as f**k last night.

Just finished work, reckon it's time for more masochism !

They'll be like bricks within weeks! As you Leith folk are fond of saying, persevere!!

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Anyone own a mandolin? Been looking around for one for the bairn (she picked one up last week, started playing - same tuning as the fiddle which she plays - and took a shine to it).  Would probably has a muck around on it myself (even with my prince charles fingers) so looking for something half decent.

[Florentine_Pogen]

Gibson going into retail in London..................

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/22/guitar-maker-gibson-opens-store-off-london-oxford-street

"Gibson, the Nashville guitar maker beloved by Jimmy Page to Ray Davies, is opening its first big store outside the US just off London’s Oxford Street, where VIP visitors will be ushered into a secret bar accessed via a door hidden in a red phone box......................................

.......................Page, whose solo on Led Zeppelin’s Since I’ve Been Loving You was played on a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, joined fellow rock legends Brian May of Queen and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath to cut the ribbon of the Gibson Garage on Thursday – the brand’s second shop globally."

[cb_diamond]

On 22/02/2024 at 18:33, Melanius Mullarkey said:

Anyone own a mandolin? Been looking around for one for the bairn (she picked one up last week, started playing - same tuning as the fiddle which she plays - and took a shine to it).  Would probably has a muck around on it myself (even with my prince charles fingers) so looking for something half decent.

I've got a Mandola. I'm not great on it but it sounds and looks absolute beautiful.