Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘guitars’

Having a superb guitar is good but if the amplifier you have isn’t evenly as effective then your guitar will not perform good as it can.

One of the worst misunderstandings that individuals make is to spend all their cash on their guitar allowing them very little to purchase their amp.

Some careful reasoning can go a long way in assisting you choose the amplifier that is right for you. When looking for an amplifier it can be a very clouded undertaking since there is such a tremendous selection and so many choices to be made.

Just like when you are purchasing your guitar you will find that amplifiers come in many assorted makes and molds.

In the universe of amplifiers, bass guitar amps and standard amps are the types you will discover most. Bass guitar players usually drool when you remark the name Ampeg.

Here are some popular Ampeg bass amplifiers, cabinets, and combos… that is if bass is your guitar type:

Ampeg Amplifier #1- ampeg b2re

Ampeg Amplifier example #2- ampeg svt 4pro

Ampeg Amplifier example #3- ampeg ba115hp

There is an landslide of guitar amps on the market today that don’t bust your savings. At the same time, the sky is the limit when it comes to buying high-end amps.

You’ll find that many amplifiers fit into the 4 essential categories of vacuum tube, solid-state, hybrid, or analog. Tube amplifiers are sought after for their textbook warm sound. Although both are very similar in sound some people think vacuum tube amps are better due to better output at lower power. Also tube amplifiers are often debated to create a better sound.

The biggest pitfall of tube amps is the more regular need for upkeep. Tubes, although they survive a long time, have to be substituted after heavy use. Solid state amplifiers are still very sought after. They come very close in quality, recent technology can do a splendid job in recreating the “FAT” sound.

So don’t forget, buy a amp that your guitar will be suited to perform with. Nothing sounds better than performing your music with a good amp. When you hear how much nicer a quality amplifier sounds than the general-purpose sound that exits out of a PA your ears will thank you and so will the crowd with their applause.

A good beginning point is to figure out what size speaker would float your boat for the purpose you have in mind. If you’re just beginning and wanting to practice then all you will need is a simple practicing amplifier. Something small and about 10 inches should probably do fine. But don’t forget the golden decree to buy the most amp that you can afford. You don’t want to be unprepared in the future. Simply put, you can’t go wrong if you purchase something bigger than you require right now. That extra cushion will be there for you when you choose to upgrade your  guitar and you’ll be glad you purchased the better amp. Don’t be like other guitar players and under spend on your amp. Get the best amplifier your budget can afford right from the beginning.

Most common types for Amps:

Solid-State Amps

Solid-state amps are the state-of-the-art version of amplifiers. Most of them do not contain a single vacuum tube. They are built fully with transistors instead. Solid-state amplifiers have a long-term shelf life. Transistors are so lasting they rarely need exchanged. Solid-state amplifiers constantly explore new frontiers by offering the user a large number of controls so they can adapt the sound anywhere from a strong clean tone to a raw crunchy distorted shape.

Vacuum Tube Amplifiers

Vacuum Tube amps are based on early dinosaur electron tubes that you often find in old radio receivers or televisions. They use electron tubes to amplify your guitars output signal until it’s earsplitting enough for your purpose. Because they use old fashioned tubes they can make truly loud sound but the only drawback is they can create a lot of heat also. The vacuum tubes deliver a genuinely rich warm sound. They can be cranked into over distortion for the classical sound loyal guitarists seek. Although this seems sweet the tubes can occasionally need interchanged.

O.k. then how do you decide what is the greatest amplifier?. Use your best judgment of what suits your expressive style. Explore every amplifier you can gain access to. Your personal likes will be your guide.

Whichever amplifier the music gods line up you with, always remember that your guitar and amplifier are a team. Plugging your guitar into a amp that isn’t desirable will make your guitar sound mediocre. Purchasing a good amp is a decision that you will be thankful with for the rest of your days.

The right amplifier can make you sound like a professional so don’t be dense and try saving money on such an important part of your music.

So, you want to learn to play the guitar? Well done, a world of fun lies waiting before you.

Now, one of the most important things to decide before you begin is what kind of guitar should you get? Well, it all depends on the type of music you want to play. Do you prefer rock, country, funk, metal, etc.? The list goes on and on and usually there’s a guitar to suit each particular style.

So for example, should hard rock or metal be your favourite type of music, then buying an electric guitar by such companies as Ibanez, Washburn or Jackson would be ideal. Or, if you like softer rock, a better choice would be a Gibson, Yamaha or Fender guitar.

The best thing to do after having done a little online research is to pay a visit to a guitar store and get a hands on feel of some. This is because your final decision should be based on the look and feel of a guitar, not just the company it’s made by.

The majority of guitar playing professionals opt to stick with one make or model of guitar. Players like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton primarily played Fender Stratocasters throughout their careers. Jimmy Page played a Gibson Les Paul as does Slash from Guns n Roses. A good tip is to look at what type of guitar your favourite guitar players use and look for similar ones whilst at the store.

Another piece of advice is to look out for and ask the store employees about the ‘action’ of any guitars that interest you. This term refers to the space between the strings and the neck. Basically, the higher the action, the harder you have to press down on the string, and the harder the guitar will be to play.

A fair percentage of guitars are made with an action that is too high for the those just learning to play the guitar to get to grips with. Should you get one like this, it’s quite possible that playing will hurt your fingers so much that you’ll feel like giving up after a couple of weeks. Don’t worry though, let the sales assistant know that you’re aware of this issue and they’ll show you guitars with actions that are well matched to your playing ability.

If you’re looking to learn more check out Guitar Lessons LA or Guitar Lessons Seattle.

How to Play Guitar for Beginners

The internet is a truly wonderful resource. Young people today don’t all appreciate how lucky they are to have the worlds knowledge and skills at their fingertips via the internet.

I started playing in the 1970s with the famous Bert Weedon’s ‘Play in a Day’ book. I could never afford guitar lessons so I would take every opportunity to obsessively study the playing techniques and styles of every guitarist I managed to see.

Modern technology has revolutionised the way that people learn to play the guitar. There are so many excellent guitar tuition DVDs that can be played over and over again, unlike a face to face guitar lesson. And the internet provides an ideal medium for the delivery of some great guitar tutorials.

There are an abundance of guitar teaching websites but my favourite place for guitar tutorials is Youtube. You can find instructional videos on everything from choosing guitars to making your own electric guitar. There are plenty of videos that will help those who are just starting out with the guitar and lots more that are ideal for people like me, who’ve been playing for a while but want to learn more techniques and tunes.

Learning some new techniques, tunes and licks has become my favourite hobby. If the weather is bad then you will generally find me learning a new tune or two from Youtube. I think that my guitar playing skills have improved more in the past five years, thanks to Youtube, than it did in the prior twenty years.

What’s more, its interactive. If I find a video of someone playing a piece that I like I can easily make it one of my favourites and maybe leave a comment for the performer to see. Also, I will often ask the presenter a question or two and they always come back with a positive answer. It’s a bit like having every online guitarist in the world available as a personal guitar playing consultant.

I can’t help but feel a little envious of the young people who are just starting to learn today. I like to think that if I’d been born later, at a time when all of these great learning resources were available, I’d have been playing better than Eric Clapton by now.

Buying A Bass Guitar

A bass guitar is pretty similar to a normal electric guitar, except the typical version only has four strings and it has a larger body plus a slightly longer neck. The first lesson in learning bass is to understand the instrument’s role in the band and the second lesson should be to get a grasp on the different ways to play the guitar depending on the different genres of music adopted by the band.

There are a variety of different and interesting techniques which can be used to play the bass guitar.  For example, slapping is a technique where you use your thumb to strike the E string (normally) before quickly pulling it away to make a slapping sound.  The E string is the largest string, the one that plays the lowest sound.  Funk music is one of the genres that uses this technique extensively.

Another technique is known as ‘popping’ and this involves putting one of the fingers underneath the string and pulling it outwards, before releasing it so that it ‘pops’ back. These two techniques (slapping and popping) are often used in quick combination to create some amazing sounding riffs.

The main backbone of a band is made up of the electric bass guitar working closely with the drummer. This section provides the rhythm, the main melody and the basic harmonic foundation for the rest of the band who play chords over the top of this foundation. Obviously, the bassist therefore needs to have particularly good timing. You will normally find more men than women playing the bass, not least because of how thick the strings are, therefore it needs a reasonable amount of finger strength and toughness to be able to play the instrument for very long periods of time without causing injury.  It is more likely to be the case if it is a particularly aggressive, rapid style of bass playing required for that type of music.

Another reason for this, is that many larger men have wider fingers, bigger hands, and longer arms which makes it much more comfortable than easy for them to play the bass, whereas it can be quite difficult for them to cope with the intricacies of the electric guitar.  For example, a rhythm guitarist will mainly play chords which are more suitable to smaller fingers and a dextrous hand.  Therefore for someone with quite large fingers who is possibly a little more clumsy than someone without, the bass guitar might be a much better choice.

Bass guitars are most usually played by using the middle finger plus the index finger to alternatively pluck the strings.  The thumb is usually used as a support and is most commonly rested just on top of the pick-up.  You can also play the bass guitar with a pick (otherwise known as a plectrum) and there are bass pics manufactured specifically for the bass guitar-these are thicker and more sturdy than the typical electric guitar pick.

If you are looking to buy a bass guitar on the internet, some good tips are to check that the sender will be using adequate packaging to protect the item in transit. Also, you should view pictures of the guitar closely if it is second-hand in order to try and find any marks or other giveaway signs that the instrument has been mis-treated or dropped, as any damage could affect the quality of the sound produced by it.

Of course, as with any purchase on the internet, is a good idea to have a good look at the credentials of the summer (for example if the seller is on eBay) or if it is on a website, it is wise to thoroughly check out the legitimacy of the website, how long it has been selling for online, and any customer reviews who have previously bought from that website.  Be sure to check out the refund policy as well as any other terms and conditions.

The world records have been rewritten once again after the largest air guitar ensemble record was broken just one month after it had been set.

The event took place after the Wednesday matinee performance of the musical, Rock of Ages, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City. Overall 810 members of the cast, crew and audience took part in the record while rocking out to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey for 2 minutes and 34 seconds using their air guitars. To count the crowd and to make sure everyone was in tune, a Guinness World Record Official watched over the event. US National Air Guitar champion, William Ocean, lead the 810 strong air guitar playing crowd through the song.

The lead man, William Ocean, had this to say: “As a professional air guitar player, I can definitely say without a doubt that Broadway rocks.”

This record of 810 air guitar players beat the record that was set just a month ago when at the 2009 Download Festival where their air guitar ensemble only featured 440 members rocking out to Ace of Spades by Motorhead.

With the 2009 Download Festival only managing a 440 people ensemble, this new record of 810 people won’t be easy to beat. However, if the music lovers at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival had attempted the record, the crowd of 190,000 people would have had no problem.

Something that would have been more impressive, in my eyes, would have been an ensemble of classical guitar players. As long as everyone was playing in time, plus the same thing, it would certainly seem more of an achievement to have hundreds of classical guitars playing rather than air guitars. Grand pianos could be pretty impressive as well, however it would take up a lot of space.

Over the years guitar names have come and gone, but there are some that certainly stand out from the rest. These are the brands that big name guitarists seek because they enjoy playing them and they are the ones that beginners aspire to. From Fender to Gibson, depending on what you are looking for in a guitar you can usually find it in the most popular and famous guitar brands.

Among the leaders in the modern “mass market” for guitars is Yamaha.They produce a wide range of styles in electric and acoustic guitars featuring original designs and copies of popular retro models.  Many of the most famous guitarists in the world will play nothing but Yamaha instruments  and renowned Yamaha players include reggae great Bob Marley, jazz master Al Di Meola, Stax/Volt house guitarist Steve Cropper, Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), Paul Barrere (Little Feat) and Al McCay (Earth, Wind & Fire). Yamaha is also one of the most common brands for beginners.

If you judge fame by popularity and iconic status, then not many electric guitars can compete with Gibson and Fender. Gibson dates back to the late 1890’s and is one of the most revered makers whose range includes the famous Les Paul electric guitar.  Fender also has a long history that began in the early 1950’s and saw the introduction of guitars  that are cultural symbols like the Stratocaster, much beloved by Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix,   and  the Telecaster embraced by Jeff  Beck and Keith Richards. If you are the lucky owner of one of the early Stratocaster’s then you not only have a beautiful guitar, but you’ve also got an item worth a huge amount of money.

Ibanez may  sound like it ought to focus just on Spanish guitars, but it has achieved popularity by producing reasonably priced copies of popular electric guitars. With models inspired by the Les Paul and Stratocaster, they make guitars that are affordable and look great. Now Ibanez are doing their own thing incorporating more unique elements into their original designs like new body shapes, slimmer necks and bright colourful finishes.

What would you think is a fair price for a good electric guitar?You’ll get a decent Fender Telecaster for anything from £550 to just under £1,000 and you’d probably have to fork out between £3,500 to £5,000 for a Gibson Les Paul.How does £25,000 sound?You read right, twenty-five thousand pounds.That’s the asking price on what is undoubtedly a beautiful instrument – the PRS Paul’s 28.Paul Reed Smith is hand producing only 28 guitars, of which 20 are for the US and only eight will be available for the rest of the world.The only guitar in the UK is exclusively available through a company called Digital Village.

PRS electric guitars are the creation of the eponymous Paul Reed Smith, who made his first guitar at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and he continued to build guitars after he finished college.He made them one at a time, one every month.Smith would often tout his guitars backstage at concerts, and eventually got his break when Derek St. Holmes, of the Ted Nugent Band, agreed to try out #2, the second guitar Smith had ever made. Smith then contacted Ted McCarty, former president of Gibson and creator of the Explorer, ES-335 and Flying V guitars, who became his business advisor.  The result of their collaboration is reflected in the current line up of PRS guitars, which includes electric guitars utilising a vast range of exotic materials such as elaborately figured tone woods and intricate shells for inlays.

The PRS Paul’s 28 Electric Guitar is the is first guitar for almost a decade that has been hand made by Paul Reed Smith himself, hence the price tag of £25,000.It’s got one of the curliest tops PRS have ever made and a rare tiger -striped mahogany back that was hand-selected from an entire warehouse of wood.  An extremely rare Pernumbuca Neck combines with an exotic black Rosewood Fretboard, a dark Mexican Rosewood Headstock veneer, and solid-shell rippled Green Abalone, Paua Heart, and Mammoth Ivory “Celtic Cross” inlays.

Paul Reed Smith spent several years refining all of the parts and processes that went into this instrument:  the wood drying methods, the colour “Burnt Gold” (PRS has been working on this stain method for the last two years), the very special paper-thin nitrocellulose finish, the pickups (PRS proprietary 1957/2008 pickups made from PRS’s rare magnet and wire supplies), the nut, the tuning pegs, the frets, the glues…everything.He even spent two years researching the materials for the case. Paul Reed Smith personally supervised the work picking out all the woods, re-carving the body, carving the neck by hand, stained it, played and adjusted it until it was perfect.  Run of the mill (if you can use that phrase) guitars from PRS usually range from £300 – £6,000

The replica or tribute phenomena in music can be taken either way.Some tribute bands are manned by decent musicians, in a few cases probably better than the originals they mimic.  That’s almost certainly true with the dozens of Status Quo tribute acts out there!  Replica guitars are also a burgeoning business.  Some tribute acts take things to the extreme of insisting on using their hero’s original instruments if they’re still available, or getting replicas if they’re not.

Guitars are more than just a musical instrument.They are also cultural symbols, fashion statements and emblems of personality and attitude.Replica guitars have a varied reputation and many people can’t see further than the logo stamped on the headstock.Cheap Chinese copies have flooded the market and their quality is certainly questionable.  However, very high quality replicas of vintage guitars do exist. Fender is a favourite target for these lovingly created copies, based on the 1951 Telecaster (nee Broadcaster) and the 1954 Fender Stratocaster.
In its heyday, the Stratocaster had a contour body of swamp ash, one piece maple neck and three pickups.In 1960 Fender bodies changed to alder as standard and the slab board necks were manufactured up until 1962 when a curved board was offered. In 1964 the curved board was replaced with a veneer when the CBS Corporation purchased the company leading to wjhat most agree was a decline in quality. So replica Fender guitars made today may actually be better quality than post 1964 originals!

The Tanglewood RVB-2  60s Beatles style violin bass is another good example of just how good replicas can be. Based on Hofner’s 500/1 ‘Beatle Bass’, The RVB-2 recreates a vintage semi-hollow tone ideal for ’60s style pop/ rock, blues and jazz, without breaking the bank! It has the same vintage features as the Hofner: rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays, maple neck, floating wooden bridge and pearloid pick guard. Of course, the pickups aren’t the Hofner stamped ‘Staple’ humbucking pickups, but the two toaster appearance mini-humbucker pickups work just as well in achieving that Beatles un-EQ’d classic pop sound.  So don’t dismiss electric guitars just because they are replicas.  Just like the tribute bands, sometimes they can be as good as, if not better than, the original.

Yamaha guitars have been made for over 60 years and the company itself is more than a century old.Yamaha started out making organs, pianos, harmonicas, even furniture before they got round to making their first acoustic guitar in 1942. It was only in 1965, a year after the Beatles broke in the USA on the Ed Sullivan Show,  that Yamaha began to make solid body electric guitars with electric bass models appearing a year later.

By 1970 Yamaha was being noticed by major exponents of guitars as the lead instrument of a generation such as Carlos Santana and Bob Marley.  That same year they introduced the dovetail neck joint to their guitars which provides the best neck to body contact and helps to resonate vibrations from the neck to the body, producing the balanced tone and response that Yamaha electric guitars are famous for.

Blending different kinds of wood is also extremely important to produce a great sound where the guitar player has complete control of the note texture.  Another important factor in the construction in Yamaha guitars is the types of lacquer they use so the guitars can look great and have a chance to breathe.

Yamaha have achieved anm enviable reputation in the electro-acoustic field as well as in bass guitars. The Yamaha RBX170 for example is amazing value for money yet the quality is everything you would expect from a decent bass. The solid agathis body, sleek, wide-cutaway contours allow easy access right to the top of the 24-fret, full-scale neck.

Yamaha is the guitar of choice for many famous artists, and one of the most popular makes for session men in the recording studio. John Denver, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Brian May, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, Bob Seger, Billy Sheehan, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen have all gigged with Yamaha at some time in their careers.

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.