Buying a new guitar~!

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Blaezenfury

here's the deal phoenix, i'll be the #1 loser, that some people like, while you can be the #1 poser on this board wich no one likes..fuck wait, i win. stupid loser.

and yes solariss that IS the pedal i was talking about, my friend has one with a strat sounds really nice.

ps. sweet guitar man i hope ya enjoy it, looks real killer.


pss. thanks for the mp3's for the pedals~

What the hell? #1 poser? Poser of what exactly?

[Celaen]

Originally Posted by Solariss

if you're looking for good single effects pedals I'd go with Boss. I own a Boss DS1 pedal for distortion and my friend owns a couple of Boss pedals and they sound great and won't break. Here's the pedal you are probably thinking of: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/151328/ ..there are also sample mp3's on that site to get an idea of what it kind of sounds like.

and here's the guitar I am buying very soon: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/517217/ =P

i'm going to have to disagree with you. Boss makes decent pedals, not good ones. They are better than shit, but not really worth the money you pay for them. The only pedals boss makes i like are the chromatic tuner, and their delay pedals (digital delay/reverb, digital delay/sampler, digital delay). The only reason i like the boss delays? they are cheaper than the actual good delays. I'd recomend checking out electro-harmonix/sovtek for effects, and the proco rat for overdrive.

Alot of people make a huge mistake when it comes to pedals and electric guitar in general. Your tone is in your amp and your guitar, pedals are just there to accentuate it. No distortion pedal made sounds as good as natural overdrive from an amp. If you want a metal tone, get a metal amp, period. I would recommend hughes and ketner, or, if you have lots of money to throw around, mesa/boogie triple recs are killer. If you want more distortion than your amp gives you, don't get a "distortion" pedal, get a pedal to overdrive your tone.

Here's how distortion, volume, amps, and general tone works:

Distortion, in all actuallity, is just the signal your guitar is sending to the amp, and the amp is sending to the speaker pushed to hard to the point that the signal breaks up somewhere between either the guitar and the amp if you are using a pedal, or the amp and the speaker if you are using gain from the amp. It causes the signal breakage, and you get distortion. The term is "overdrive" because you are pushing the signal harder than it can be pushed and remain clean. Breaking your signal up from the amp will give a much more natural sound to the distortion. You can overdrive your signal from a pedal, and get distortion just fine, but it's -very- hard to get it to sound natural that way. The reason for this is it's not easy to match volume levels with the amp and the pedal, because a distortion pedal is not an amplifier, it's just a box that breaks your signal up. Don't get me wrong, i use a pedal to overdrive for certain parts of my bands songs, or lead work, because sometimes you just need a little extra boost. The way I personally go about that is i use my amps natural overdrive, and a proco rat to break the signal up and push the volume a little bit harder. The result is a much more distorted, thicker tone than either the amp or the pedal alone can give me. The trick to that is, on the overdrive pedal, you don't max out the gain. You just add enough to compliment the natural overdrive from the amp.

Now, when looking for an amp, here's a few misconceptions. Wattage is not volume. Wattage is how much headroom you have in your amp before your signal breaks. The best example i can use is my amps. I use a Marshall JMP 50w, and a Marshall JCM800 100w. The difference in the wattage is this, to get a huge overdrive sound out of the JCM800, i have to push the signal much harder than the JMP. The reason for this is the headroom. The JCM800 can handle twice as much push as the JMP. If i run the 2 amps seperately, with both of them on 4 with pre amps cranked, the JCM800 has a much thinner, cleaner tone, while the JMP is allready starting to break up quite a bit. At 6, the JCM800 will sound much more broken up, while the JMP is running super hot at that point, and very distorted. It's not till about 8 or so that the JCM800 is completely overdriven. Both amps reach max volume between 5-7, anything above those is just for the sake of overdrive. Also, the ammount and size of speakers doesn't necesarily determine your volume...it determines how much you can spread out your signal...which again, the more speakers you have, the less overdrive you get. If you want an amp for the stage, all you -really- need is 1 4x12 cabinet with good speakers. We started off with double full stacks, and it sounded like shit live because of how hard we push our amps. In order to get the signals to break as hard as we wanted to we had to push those amps to the point of the recockulous. The end result was a huge wall of volume where you can't make anything out. We use halfstacks now, and are still one of the loudest bands in our city.

So, here's the deal for "metal" guitars ala static x:


-Jackson/Charvel: Lightweight guitars, usually standard with pick ups that are very good for super hot mega overdistorted tone. Necks are flat on top, wide from top to bottom, and thin from front to back, making the action -very- fast on them. Generally speaking this is the "hotshot" lead players guitar. If you're gonna be shredding, this is a good guitar to start on. Best when used with .09 or .10 guage strings.

-Ibanez: Similar to jackson/charvel to the point where it's usually a matter of aesthetic preference on the 2. The pick ups ibanez installs from the factory run hot like the jackson, the differences are there, but very subtle. Personally, i usually find that ibanez pick ups have more mids on them, but the difference is like i said very subtle. The action is usually very similar to jackson charvel, depending on the model. Ibanez also tries to make less low brow guitars, but they aren't that good for the money you pay.

-BC Rich: You'll either spend under $600 and get a total piece of shit, or you'll spend like $1500 for a guitar that truelly isn't worth the money. The reason your metal heroes swear by those guitars is because the manufacturers are paying them to. I'm not saying these guitars are completely worthless, they look pretty cool, and they aren't competely terrible, they just can't handle any abuse at all, and aren't put together very well.

-Schecter: This is a relatively new company. The guitars they make aren't bad, and the prices aren't bad. They specialize in making 7-strings, but the 6-strings aren't terrible. These guitars are closer to a hybrid of a metal guitar and a classic rock guitar. They're pretty versatile, but, much like the druid from EQ and WoW, they are a jack of all trade-master of none type deal.

-Paul Reed Smith: Personally, i think these guitars are overpriced suburb dad guitars. They are actually very comfortable to play, and play relatively well, but due to the type of wood in the body, and the pick ups they use, these guitars are super muddy. They also don't cost less than $1000. Good for studio work, or for people who don't like to do much on stage. They are delicate, and don't take abuse well at all. Prone to breaking. If you want a super thick tone, however, you cannot beat PRS, but i wouldn't use one of these if you wanna do anything that requires alot of technical playing, because they are just too muddy.

-ESP/LTD: ESP is actually probably the best manufacterer of metal guitars around. They don't really have any original designs, though. The guitars are built for shredding, however, ESP usually has a rather large price tag on it. The solution to that problem is LTD, which are guitars made by ESP that are much cheaper. They are basically student models of the real thing, and aren't put together as well as the ESP's, and generally use parts that aren't as good. However, for a beginer who wants to go with a metal sound, LTD is probably the best bet you can have.

-Fender Stratocaster/Telecaster/ETC: These are -not- metal guitars heh. 90% of the strat models come with single coils, which are not thick whatsoever. The necks are more rounded on the top, usually fairly wide from top to bottom, and relatively thick from front to back. These are excellent blues/rock guitars. The strat -can- do metal, but they are much better suited to other things. Alot of people ride the nutsack of the strat, and it's because they don't know any better. Granted, alot of great guitar players have used strats, even metal guitar players. The big problem with design on the strat is where the volume knob is located on them. It makes it very hard to do palm muting work without hitting the volume knob and screwing your settings up. But i garauntee you if you want a nu metal sound, which is what is being discussed, this guitar is not what you want. The telecaster also is not really suited for super thick metal work, however, telecasters are fucking tanks. They are nearly impossible to break. I had a cheap tele years ago and decided in a drunken moment of rockage that i wanted to smash it at the end of a particularly good set. The guitar broke the stage, and there was almost no damage to the guitar. I will say that both guitars are extremely versatile, but they aren't going to be a supreme metal guitar without alot of post-factory work done to them. The action is also not nearly as fast as other guitars. It's possible to play metal on them, but you'll have an easier time on a flatfront neck.

Gibson Les Paul/SG: The Les Paul is probably the best sounding guitar you will ever find, and they play extremely well. However, they are uncomfortable as fuck to play live. They weigh quite a bit, and the edges are not contoured on them at all. I have a scar on my right arm from playing Les Pauls where the edge of the guitar rubbed the skin off my picking arm. I had a white '75 Les Paul Custom for a long time, and the top half of it was literally stained with my blood so many times that it always had a brownish tint to it. The toggle switch is also in a very inconvenient place if your gonna thrash around with it. I ended up taking the plastic cover off of mine because i got so sick of hitting the toggle switch on accident when i was trying to really go nuts with it. The end result was many many cuts on my right hand from catching the screw of the toggle switch without the cover. The SG is the answer to all of those problems, and actually was originally part of the Les Paul line. Alot of guitar players complained about how uncomfortable the Les Paul was early in it's existence, so gibson designed the Les Paul-SG, which was manufactured for the first time in 1961. The guitar is much lighter and contoured properly. However, due to being thinner in body than a les paul, it lacks the amazing sustain you will get from a les paul. On the flipside of that, the SG has way more bite than a les paul. The biggest problem with the SG, however, is they can break pretty easily. The are top heavy, as in, the balance isn't centered on the body, it's on the headstock. If they fall and hit headstock first, they usually break off. My old SG had the headstock reglued about 8 times over the course of 3 years. It's fixable, but it's a pain in the ass to shell out $150 every time it happens.


Those are the "main" guitar manufacturers. There are many other makes available. My absolute best suggestion would be to figure out exactly what you want out of a guitar, then start trying to find one. It took me years to settle on the SG as my main guitar. I still have a customized strat that i use on recordings and as a back up live, and a telecaster, but again, i've been playing a very long time, and it's to the point where i know exactly what i want out of a guitar, and how to get it. Hopefully this post is helpful to anyone who plays guitar, either just starting out, or experienced.

[Blaezenfury]

im pretty much passed the noob stage of guitar, i'm getting better but the guitar i've used..i dont even know what the damn thing is, it says its a gibson special model, then an epiphone, and it has the same look as a les paul, the inputs are pretty fucked too. My amp is also quite messed up, the first input channel doesen't work so i have to use my second one, beer was spilled on it quite a few times at a few parties :P

its a peavey, 20 watt amp, originally it had a fucking great sound to it, and the distortion was major heavy, but its kinda died down over the last couple of years i guess.

[Celaen]

Originally Posted by Blaezenfury

im pretty much passed the noob stage of guitar, i'm getting better but the guitar i've used..i dont even know what the damn thing is, it says its a gibson special model, then an epiphone, and it has the same look as a les paul, the inputs are pretty fucked too. My amp is also quite messed up, the first input channel doesen't work so i have to use my second one, beer was spilled on it quite a few times at a few parties :P

its a peavey, 20 watt amp, originally it had a fucking great sound to it, and the distortion was major heavy, but its kinda died down over the last couple of years i guess.

don't take this the wrong way, but if you're using a peavey and you like the sound, you're still a "noob" on guitar . Epiphone is the gibson student model. The "noob" stage on guitar can last years and years. Personally, i've been playing for 18 years. You're amp is or was a solid state practice amp, i'm guessing it had a 10 inch speaker in it.

[Blaezenfury]

yeah pretty much, but i disagree on the noob part, i have friends that have been playing for 12-14 years and im pretty much on par with them, maybe im naturally talented lol

[Mkopec1]

Originally Posted by Blaezenfury

yeah pretty much, but i disagree on the noob part, i have friends that have been playing for 12-14 years and im pretty much on par with them, maybe im naturally talented lol

Or maybe they all suck

[Mkopec1]

Originally Posted by Celaen

don't take this the wrong way, but if you're using a peavey and you like the sound, you're still a "noob" on guitar . Epiphone is the gibson student model. The "noob" stage on guitar can last years and years. Personally, i've been playing for 18 years. You're amp is or was a solid state practice amp, i'm guessing it had a 10 inch speaker in it.

It also depends on how serous of a player you are. clearly to invest thousands in music, you either have to do it alot, like yourself, or be very well off.

The dudes that I play with have been playing longer than you and they dont have shit for equipment. The 2 guitarists we have, one has a Jackson guitar with a Marshall amp(which he never brings) and the second has a Vintage gibson les paul from the 70's which his pops bought him for his 16th birthday and a Charvel metal guitarwhich he bought himself in the late 80's, and he has no working amp other than a practice peavey. and the two guitarists both rock, and have been playing over 20 years. In fact either of them could be a rythm/lead guitar in a band anyday.

the dude where we jam in his house has a set of Maple Yamaha custom drums which he got used from a concert player who upgraded, he has a Peavey 1/2 stack, vintage tube shit.(broken ) Crate base amp with a cheap ass fender bass, vintage 100W Fender amp (what we usually use) and a cheap 100W head and speakers for vocals. He usually sings maybe plays bass and I do the drums. Im more of a noob in the group, ive only been playing for about 10 years myself. But from what they tell me they would rather me play drums because they say i know how to keep time the best out of all of them. ( they all play drums)

[Blaezenfury]

yeah its like a few friends of mine, they've been playing for years, like atleast 12 or so and they have some shitty ass guitars, gimpy amps. they're good, but nothing that could play for a live crowd of many thousands.

also thats one thing i'd like to try, renting a drum set. they run about 30 bucks a month, you get a pretty good set, my dad was a drummer in his band and i'd like to see if im any good at it, i love drums~.

[Celaen]

Originally Posted by Mkopec1

It also depends on how serous of a player you are. clearly to invest thousands in music, you either have to do it alot, like yourself, or be very well off.

The dudes that I play with have been playing longer than you and they dont have shit for equipment. The 2 guitarists we have, one has a Jackson guitar with a Marshall amp(which he never brings) and the second has a Vintage gibson les paul from the 70's which his pops bought him for his 16th birthday and a Charvel metal guitarwhich he bought himself in the late 80's, and he has no working amp other than a practice peavey. and the two guitarists both rock, and have been playing over 20 years. In fact either of them could be a rythm/lead guitar in a band anyday.

the dude where we jam in his house has a set of Maple Yamaha custom drums which he got used from a concert player who upgraded, he has a Peavey 1/2 stack, vintage tube shit.(broken ) Crate base amp with a cheap ass fender bass, vintage 100W Fender amp (what we usually use) and a cheap 100W head and speakers for vocals. He usually sings maybe plays bass and I do the drums. Im more of a noob in the group, ive only been playing for about 10 years myself. But from what they tell me they would rather me play drums because they say i know how to keep time the best out of all of them. ( they all play drums)

or spend money on nothing but equipment heh.


I'm pretty serious about it, obviously, but i'm also in a band that makes money when we tour, and we tour often.

You're right though, it does depend on how serious you want to be about it. Personally, my band and my music are my top priorities in life, which is why i am extremely picky about what i use. It's not necesarily about how well off you are, sometimes it comes down to how much sacrifice you're willing to make.


Also, knowing your equipment, and knowing equipment you don't use comes down to raw experience. Being able to play a guitar isn't as tough as understanding tone. I learned how to play guitar on my own, i learned about equipment through years of touring and having to fix my own equipment on the fly, or borrow other peoples equipment when i was in a bind.

[Enchiladitos]

Whats the name of your band?

[Blaezenfury]

so i found out slipknot came out with a new video ''Before i forget'', pretty cool video, i've got a test for some of you music guru's though~

what the hell is that thing that he's about to step on? beside the pedal... another pedal i assume? what are they, both of them.

also that red guitar, i think its an ibanez?

also there's a red pedal and something else beside it, is that an equalizer?.

here's the link to the video:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/vid...spx?fileID=959

thease guitarists are pretty much exactly what im looking to sound like, they're my favorite band, i love playing their music, but it sounds like shit on a peavey amp and gimp ass guitar.

[Frawdo]

My favorite part of a Slipknot song is the sound of his double-kicks. Something very unique about them.

My friend is a lead-guitarist in a metal band, he uses main two guitars:

- Washburn Dime
- Les Paul Zakk Wylde Bullseye

I have no idea about the specs or the prices of there guitars, but they sound pretty good live and on their studio stuff.

[Celaen]

Originally Posted by Blaezenfury

so i found out slipknot came out with a new video ''Before i forget'', pretty cool video, i've got a test for some of you music guru's though~

what the hell is that thing that he's about to step on? beside the pedal... another pedal i assume? what are they, both of them.

also that red guitar, i think its an ibanez?

also there's a red pedal and something else beside it, is that an equalizer?.

here's the link to the video:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/vid...spx?fileID=959

thease guitarists are pretty much exactly what im looking to sound like, they're my favorite band, i love playing their music, but it sounds like shit on a peavey amp and gimp ass guitar.

The black guitar is a Charvel, probably early 80s or a reissue with emg pick ups.

The red guitar could be an esp, ibanez, or maybe schecter with emg pickups, hard to tell without seeing the headstock

The bass is a warwick.

The red pedal is a digitech whammy pedal, not to be confused with a whammy bar.

The silver pedal with a sweep is probably am ernie ball volume pedal, or it could be a wah, but i would be willing to bet it's the volume.

The other stomp box could be just about anything, but my guess would be am ibanez tube screamer or some other type of overdrive.

Keep in mind though, those pedals might not even be used in that song.

I'm pretty sure they use hughes and ketner, but not positive. I would recommend looking up their gear, because i'm sure they have it listed.

[Celaen]

Originally Posted by Enchiladitos

Whats the name of your band?

Nixon


I doubt you've heard of it, we're not on mtv2 or the radio

[Blaezenfury]

http://www.slipknot-metal.com/main.php?sk=equipment

this is their equipment list, googled it like 5 minutes ago, easily found~! man i love google sometimes heheh.

also have another question, the strings...yeah you're probably gonna laugh at me on this one..

different sized strings, different types of strings, i assume they all make a pretty big difference in sound?

i buy strings in a pack, they're XL(purple pack) i see mick thompson uses Ernie Ball Strings (.011, .015, .018, .028, .038, .058) are those standard or really off?
pretty much what im trying to ask is, are there strings for specific types of music? Jazz,Rock,Metal etc..