Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘acoustic guitars’

Amoung the headliners of the VH1 concert this year is Adele and Leona Lewis who are looking forward to applying themselves into the American market.

Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus will also perform at the music channel’s event who is actually returning after a five year hiatus. A VH1 spokesman said to a local newspaper that the four women involved in this year’s event are an amazingly talented group of singers and this is one of their most exciting years of the event.

The show is a fundraiser for the ‘Save the Music Foundation’ which will be live on the music channel in the US on 17th September. The non-profit organisation was initially created to promote musical education for young kids in school. The entire event takes place at Brooklyn Academy of Music and local kids from school get free entry.

The concert has always played host to some of the biggest Diva's in the world and has always generated a lot of money and interest into the local musical community. This is easily the most crucial time in Leona Lewis's career and it is a very exciting time. She recently won the notorious hit music TV program, X-Factor and since then her popularity has really gone out of control (in a good way).

The local VH1 concert has been a regular contributor of musical instruments to local schools which has been fantastic for the younger kids.3m have been donated to numerous schools in over 100 cities. Anything from acoustic guitars, electric guitars and classic guitar.

Many schools across the world have always benefited from this concert and people have since developed a lot of interest in the yearly show. This year's line up is slightly different now that two British girls are involved in the line up.

This has always been a big event for any rising music super star and it is a fantastic way to help raise awareness for schools and the younger generations passion for music.

There is a confusing variety of acoustic guitars as well as an array of electric guitars to choose from.A novice is hard pressed to know where to start.The only advice they get may come from a shop assistant who’s desperate to shift the guitar that’s been sitting in the corner for months.So, as a beginner, where do you start when choosing a guitar?

You may ultimately dream of becoming a guitar hero and rock god, but electric guitars are probably not the best choice to start out with.   There are some neat   electric guitar packages available, like the Fender Starcaster Strat and Amp set, which contains everything you need to start playing in one box.  The Fender Starcaster electric guitar and the Fender SP-10 practice amplifier are excellent value and well made, but for the out and out novice it’s probably best at first to look at an acoustic, steel strung guitar.

Why suggest acoustic?  Steel-strung acoustic guitars are excellent to learn on, are Ideal for solo or group work, and appropriate for a wide range of styles.They are very portable and of course don’t require amplification, so should be less expensive than an electric guitar package.  But less expensive doesn’t mean cheap.

Cheap acoustics tend to sound terrible, and that will discourage practising.  With budget acoustic guitars, the ‘action’ (how high the strings are above the fretboard) may well be too high, making it difficult to hold down strings, or it may be too low, causing notes to consistently buzz.They often have cheap ‘machine heads’ (the bit you attach the strings to and tune the guitar with) that wear out quite quickly.There are some really good value starter packages available.

The Fender CD60 for example has features you’d expect in much more expensive acoustic instruments, including a spruce top, mahogany back and sides and die-cast tuners.The pack includes a tuition DVD, Electronic Tuner, Acoustic Guitar Strings and a selection of Guitar Picks. The Ibanez V50NJP Jampack acoustic guitar package is another well priced and made starter set that includes a gig bag, electronic tuner, guitar strap and picks.  How well you know the brand will give some reassurance of quality – Fender guitars, Ibanez, Epiphone and Ashton are all respected makes.Try to avoid really cheap packages with brand names you don’t know.  Ideally, if you are buying new, make sure the guitar is checked out by someone knowledgeable and if you’re buying second hand take a seasoned player with you.

There are mixed feelings in the guitaring community about signature models -they are customised for another person, not you, and cost alot more because of the name on them. Heres a few of the signature guitars out there for the ‘metallers’.

The Dimebag range from Dean Guitars. The average guitarist will have one guitar made for them -Dimebag has a range of 33 guitars made in his memory. The Pantera guitarist died tragically in 2004, and since then Dean have supplied us with a whole range of Dimebag guitars, shaped as flying Vs or Explorers. When the guitar was made will determine which pickups you get in it -either the ‘Dimebuckers’ in the newer models, or ‘EMG’s in the older ones. So select your choice of pickup and decide which of the 33 looks best to you and enjoy hours upon hours of metal. If you love Pantera then there is no question- buy this guitar. And with prices from £219 upwards -one of those thirty three has to appeal to you.

Kerry King’s BC Rich series. Also having his own range of signature guitars is Slayer’s own Kerry King. Available as either a flying V or Explorer shaped guitar as well, painted with tribal designs to match his head tattoos, these guitars look as mean as their owner, but how do they sound? They certainly help you to achieve the brutality of guitar tone needed to play any Slayer song.The range has BC Rich’s own brand of pickups in them to give the guitar a little added kick.

Jackon’s Phil Demell guitar. Created with help from Machine Head’s lead guitarist Phil Demell, the Jackson guitar has one hell of a kick to it. A classic flying V shaped guitar with EMG pickups, this guitar is going to rip your head off the minute you plug it in. Expensive at £1100m but if you’ve got your money and love your metal its the guitar to go for, and it comes tuned to drop B as well.

Looking for electric guitars? Or maybe you prefer acoustic guitars? Go no further.