Guitar and Bass Discussion - Sperg about players that inspire you, gear, share your experiences, etc.

[CircuSphere]

I have a predicament and I would really appreciate some advice.
I am learning mandolin and guitar. I can play simple shit on each, but it’s the new semester and I’ve fallen off practicing (ie noodling around). I now have like a half hour a day between my various obligations, more on some days of the week I’m off work.
What should I be focusing on during my short days? Chords? Strumming? Scales? All of them on different days?
I definitely need an actual structure to my practice, I know by now that’s how I stick to things better, but I have no idea how to properly go about that.
Any help would be appreciated.

You are asking the eternal question. I would shotgun a bunch of different stuff to get a broad sense of various styles/genres and some theory background and then I would laser focus on a few things to really master (Ie: really knowing an obscure mode inside out, being a human chord encyclopedia, shredding at light speed, w/e)

The problem with this is most people don't know what skills/exercises pair to what genres/styles (when in doubt learn songs you like), so I will try to help (keep in mind this is stereotypical what I associate with the sound and not 100% accurate nor is it meant to be):

Basic Scales:
Everyone should know both of these (and ideally in multiple positions).

Pentatonic/Blues Minor - Blues, Blues Rock, Folk
Major Pentatonic - Punk rock, Pop, Folk

Chords:
Focus on this section for Rhythm playing

Chord scales/triad scales with the root on each string (top strings will require inversions) - Singer/song writer, country, folk, Irish...
Chord scales/triad scales but with finger picking patterns - 70's, country, folk...
Extended open chords (7, D7, m7, 9, m9, sus2, sus4, + chords, etc.) - Jazz, Fusion, Blues, Jimi...
Extended barre chords
6 string Arpeggios (for sweep) - Metal, Jazz

Scales:
Focus here for lead playing

Single position modes - Anything slightly more complicated in melody or harmony (Mozart to The Dead to Coltrain)

Major = Poppy
Minor = Down/Sad/Heavy
Dorian = Funky/Minor
Phrygian = Spanish/Minor
Lydian = Proggy/Major (Steve Vai)
Mixolydian = Triumphant/Epic/Major
Locrian = Useless

*If you learn them all then you can connect them together like puzzles pieces and know the whole fretboard
**There are also variations on these and other scales too numerous to list, the ones that come to mind are stuff like the whole tone scale or Phyrgian Dominant (very Arabian sounding and fun to play)

3 note per string modes (same modes, different patterns, helps solidify fretboard knowledge) - Shred Metal mostly

Technique
choose two or three of these and drill them/work them into your other exercises

Tap - Metal
Sweep - Metal
Palm Muting - Metal
Pinch Harmonics - Hard Rock, Metal
Stretches - Blues, Rock, Metal, Jazz
Bends - Blues, Blues Rock...
Slides - Blues, Classical, Rock, Pop, Jazz....
Trills - Spanish, Classical...
Finger picking - Blues, Folk, Classical...

Ps. I just listed like 10 years of brutal woodshedding shit to do, so take your time and remember to also learn new pieces, work out melodies by ear and to get in your jam sessions/improv sessions. Run your scales and chord scales on the couch while you watch TV, use your 30 precious minutes to jam/work out a track.

 

[Cats]

I found this old (...not vintage, don't worry...) Les Paul body in my closet that I totally forgot I had. It's an ex-"Plum Insane" colored Futura, which is basically a special LP Studio, that I bought used from Guitar Center around 2016 because it had the most interesting looking wear patterns on the paint and it just had that "broken-in" feel to it. I needed a permanent Drop-D guitar and the guy had replaced the pickups with the sickest sounding EMG Soapbar P90 style pickups, what I later found out were EMG P85s which is just an EMG 85 in a P90 form factor. But they sounded so great and heavy that I picked it up intending on refinishing the thing.



I am not a huge Les Paul fan but I liked the neck, so I kept it as that permanent Drop-D guitar I was looking for for a few months.

As time went on the paint just began to fall off of the thing more and more in the weather we have down here. Apparently these finishes were made specifically thin to "relic" much quicker...seriously had probably the thinnest finish I had ever seen on a guitar.

So now I have pulled it out of the closet and have a messily applied (pre-sanding) base coat of gloss black paint/primer on the thing. I am thinking black tiger stripes on an orange to yellow burst in the center. I rather enjoy the way the EMG P90's look set into the body like that, with no pickup rings. The bridge hum rout has been resized for a second P90 and the ring holes filled in and painted over.







I know a lot of ppl are going to hate this, but I dunno what else to do to it that I will enjoy at the end of the day. I really like wild finishes, and I tested a "gobstopper" on it and it just didn't look right. The tigerstripes seemed more inline with the LP body style. Still deciding on whether I want to do white at the edge of the burst, like this:




I'll post finished pics when this project is done in a couple weeks or w/e. I know it is likely to not be a popular finish, but it's okay...it wasn't a super expensive guitar or anything.

 

[WTBOnlineFather]

Does anyone have or play a short scale bass/guitar?
For some reason I've been eyeballing the Ibanez miKro stuff as perhaps a fun alternative.

I play a short scale Gibson style bass. The Mikro is even shorter scale than that. I personally don't see any major advantage in it, it's just a slightly different feel that you get used to pretty quickly after which it doesn't matter.
The difference in tone is a lot more significant, short scales sound more warm and less springy because there's less actual tension in the strings.

 

[Ultrapenguin]

You are asking the eternal question. I would shotgun a bunch of different stuff to get a broad sense of various styles/genres and some theory background and then I would laser focus on a few things to really master (Ie: really knowing an obscure mode inside out, being a human chord encyclopedia, shredding at light speed, w/e)

The problem with this is most people don't know what skills/exercises pair to what genres/styles (when in doubt learn songs you like), so I will try to help (keep in mind this is stereotypical what I associate with the sound and not 100% accurate nor is it meant to be):

I think something that probably holds people back is not being realistic with their goals too though.

Playing what music someone likes is ok advice.
The problem is that people tend to like music that isn't just a guitarist.

So then you wind up with a ton of people stalled out with electric guitar skills they can't do anything with and struggle to stick with practicing because they spend 99% of their time playing alone and have very little intention of ever getting involved with a band. I like metal, but I'm never going to be a part of a metal group.

There's a constant weird situation with these types of guitarists where them playing for other people amounts to "Hey, hey, recognize this riff I'm playing? It's from that one well known song!"...first of all nigger, I don't know the riff you're playing because I don't listen to the specific music you listen to, and second of all even if I did it would be pointless because the idea is to play music for people, not make references to conjure the idea of a song.

At some point someone needs to be honest with themselves about what their intention is with music. Unless playing pale references is what the average modern guitarist is into, maybe I'm out of touch with the zeitgeist.

 

[Jikka]

What should I be focusing on during my short days? Chords? Strumming? Scales? All of them on different days?

Find songs where you can exercise specific skills that you are working on can be good like if your learning tapping hot for teacher
3 string sweeping too young to die to drunk to live by Alcatrazz
Strumming find songs in the genre and clap out the rhythm before you play it

Scales you can practice going through the major scale and modes for 15 mins just make sure you to play to a metronome at a tempo that you can play at and once comfortable mix the scale up so you aren’t just playing it up and down with pentatonic a good practice is Eric Johnson’s material like cliffs of Dover especially the intro
Biggest thing is that practice takes time it won’t come immediately you’ll build up skill and always keep a guitar where you are being lazy so might pick it up when you’re doing nothing

Side note I hate how guitarists for years over fucking exaggerate sweep picking as this impossibly hard technique it’s just arpeggio patterns but guitarists mystified it at least when I was learning guitar

 

[DocAwe]

I play a short scale Gibson style bass. The Mikro is even shorter scale than that. I personally don't see any major advantage in it, it's just a slightly different feel that you get used to pretty quickly after which it doesn't matter.
The difference in tone is a lot more significant, short scales sound more warm and less springy because there's less actual tension in the strings.

Thanks.
I got to mess with one for a few this weekend and I'm sure the sight of a large man with a seemingly small bass was humourous.
Overall I found it easy to play and quite fun.
There might be one in my future.

 

[Lady Adjani]

So Jackson finally listened to reason and released the closest thing we'll ever get to an Alexi signature (since the discontinued 06 series anyway). One problem, it costs $2k and it's made in Korea.

 

[dick brain]

I have a Variax guitar. JT-89. (The James Tyler series - no Floyd, but not the $10k version)

The profiles are good. A talented ear can BARELY tell they are simulations, but not through a pedalboard.
It was a good purchase. I enjoy the fuck out of it. Also, customer support is #1. I had issues with the proprietary batteries - so they sent me 3, free under warranty.

My favorite function is the 'Workbench HD' - where you make your own guitar tones based on a virtual profile
Also you can program different open string notes - like 'flip a switch, now drop-D (or drop-E, or DADGAD, or EEEEEEE lol).

However - the raw material is prime. The humbuckers (my version) are excellent and I play it sometimes w/o the variax circuit. The finish and shape are everything I wanted in a strat-style guitar (sumptuous glossy-black, HH strat style) (made by Yamaha - James Tyler designed)


P.S.
If you want to stand out - you can literally program a tone that is totally unique (also there is a tone-sharing community).
Want splits? Want taps? Want both? Want kill? Want all?
Every button and switch on the guitar is programmable.

It really isn't a joke/meme guitar. Very professional and very adaptable.

I picked up a used JTV-59 (LP style) as well as a Positive Grid Spark Go. I really haven't had time to play with them much but I'm very happy with the variax so far, the Fender models sound great and the acoustic model is passable, that alone is worth it.

Major = Poppy
Minor = Down/Sad/Heavy
Dorian = Funky/Minor
Phrygian = Spanish/Minor
Lydian = Proggy/Major (Steve Vai)
Mixolydian = Triumphant/Epic/Major
Locrian = Useless

Another useful way to think about it is in terms of brightness, i.e. number of sharps/flats, correlating to mood
Lydian = 1 #, manic, too happy
Major = 0 #s, happy
Mixolydian = 1 b, wistful, bittersweet, happy with a tinge of sadness
Dorian = 2 bs, bluesy, commiseratory, there's a problem but it's manageable, e.g. Use Me, Feeling Alright
Minor = 3 bs, sad, there's a problem and it's unmanageable
Phrygian = 4 bs, melodramatic, too sad
Locrian = 5 bs, lovecraftian existential mindbreak

In my experience major, mixolydian, dorian and minor cover the range of normal emotional expression, while lydian and phrygian are mostly the realm of theatrics.

 

[Honk Hill]

Are you untalented autistic faggots still sperging over entry level gear and which youtuber you should subscribe to for lessons?

 

[Honk Hill]

I picked up a rare Gibson Invader in a dixie rebel finish on my recent trip to Nashville.

You guys still learning your tabs and scales and pursuing your dreams as cover musicians?

So brave!

 

[Stilgar of Troon]

I picked up a rare Gibson Invader in a dixie rebel finish on my recent trip to Nashville.

You guys still learning your tabs and scales and pursuing your dreams as cover musicians?

So brave!



View attachment 5750932

That's immensely cool. Also, welcome back, good to see you, man.

 

[GloryHole Stalker]

Are you untalented autistic faggots still sperging over entry level gear and which youtuber you should subscribe to for lessons?

Welcome back.

 

[GloryHole Stalker]

I picked up a rare Gibson Invader in a dixie rebel finish on my recent trip to Nashville.

You guys still learning your tabs and scales and pursuing your dreams as cover musicians?

So brave!



View attachment 5750932

Yes, my dream is to attach myself to a 5th-rate Elvis impersonator and play in shitty bars and restaurants across the nation.

 

[CircuSphere]

You guys still learning your tabs and scales and pursuing your dreams as cover musicians?

Yes, my dream is to attach myself to a 5th-rate Elvis impersonator and play in shitty bars and restaurants across the nation.

I have too many kids for dreams of my own, I just play bluesy shit in the den when it calls to me and its a good show when the dog doesn't leave the room.

 

[Honk Hill]

That's immensely cool. Also, welcome back, good to see you, man.

Good to see you again too bro, had quite a bit of adventure the past year and needed to work on my autism and get away from internet aids especially after the coof. I saw the farms was back up on the clearnet with the Vaush drama recently. So decided to come back to my people.

Still playing regularly?

 

[Cats]

I was hunting for a new RG neck on Reverb and couldn't help but notice there are a TON of completely unused, mint condition, top tier and sometimes even custom color one-off Ibanez parts being sold from Indonesia...

You don't suppose they are possibly being smuggled out by the workers at the Premium factory there and then sold online, do you? I bought that neck shown in the link above and I am pretty sure it is either a one-off factory floor reject or some other type of custom piece. I can't find a particular model it comes from, with all of those features combined (binding, color, inlays, matte HS, new sliding TR cover, NON-GIO...feel free to correct me if I missed a released guitar model it belongs to...) none of them match perfectly and also, it has no serial number or decal at all on the back of the headstock nor any mounting holes drilled yet. There are dozens more of those absolutely mint Edges and complete Edge sets and other factory-fresh Ibanez parts, all coming from Indonesia. HMMMM

 

[Honk Hill]

Yes, my dream is to attach myself to a 5th-rate Elvis impersonator and play in shitty bars and restaurants across the nation.

Good way to get onto the Asian social club scene!

 

[CowPox]

Do the Japanese make good guitars?

 

[Honk Hill]

I was hunting for a new RG neck on Reverb and couldn't help but notice there are a TON of completely unused, mint condition, top tier and sometimes even custom color one-off Ibanez parts being sold from Indonesia...

You don't suppose they are possibly being smuggled out by the workers at the Premium factory there and then sold online, do you? I bought that neck shown in the link above and I am pretty sure it is either a one-off factory floor reject or some other type of custom piece. I can't find a particular model it comes from, with all of those features combined (binding, color, inlays, matte HS, new sliding TR cover, NON-GIO...feel free to correct me if I missed a released guitar model it belongs to...) none of them match perfectly and also, it has no serial number or decal at all on the back of the headstock nor any mounting holes drilled yet. There are dozens more of those absolutely mint Edges and complete Edge sets and other factory-fresh Ibanez parts, all coming from Indonesia. HMMMM

I wouldn't put it past them. Those orientals always have a shifty look in their eye.

I'd heard rumours all the quality Chibsons were made at the Epiphone factory in Indonesia or someone had copied the blueprints/templates.

I guess at the prices they'd go for it's worth a shot to see if they are real?

 

[Cats]

I will update about the neck once it comes in. It's never been used and looks really good to my eye, I'm usually pretty decent when it comes to identifying quality necks from photos, but we will see if it is up to the Premium level or just a 350DX type ordeal. Good Wizard necks are priceless imo when you find them, but a few hairs off in certain places can bring them down to just "okay".

edit: looks like there are a lot more unused and un-drilled very nice looking RG+S necks on reverb right now than I thought, and they are all coming from Indonesia. Here's just one seller who has so many brand new parts lmao there are so many of these guys

another. It wouldn't be so obvious if all of the parts weren't brand spanking new and/or un-tapped for pilot holes.