Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘used guitars’

Everyone wants to learn how to play a guitar, even if few ever do. Those who do take a giant leap towards becoming professional musicians.  Guitars are a great way to express yourself and relax. However, there are many misconceptions and fallacies about playing a guitar.  Here are the myths and why they are wrong:

Myth: You should learn on an acoustic guitar.
Reality: It’s better to start on an electric guitar because it’s easier to play, has lighter strings, lower action, and a smaller neck. It’s also more interesting for younger players as you can add distortion and effects and keep the learner more interested in the process.

Myth: The best way to ‘get’ a famous player’s sound is buy a pedal that has player presets.
Reality: Although some multi effects DO have some famous presets, it is far better to learn the correct technique to make the sound rather than trying to copy it. Generally, the sound made by famous players comes from their fingers, their talent, guitar, and amp. You hardly ever find these guys using digital effects

Myth: You have to have a big amp to get a big sound
Reality: Some of the most huge sounds that have been recorded have been done with smaller amps10 -20 watt, tube cranked up loud. Many famous bands have stacks of amps on stage that are empty of speakers and a small amp hidden behind the stack that is mic’d up into the PA system. Some players are also using digital recreations (POD, Digitech) of their amps in the studio but most purist players still use a real amp and analogue pedals.

Myth: You should use lots of ‘string wrap or turns’ around the machine (tuning) head to get stable tuning.
Reality: Although B.B. King does use this method, a better way is to have about 3  ‘turns’ of string on the machine head and about 3-4 turns on the higher strings. However, the best way is to have NO turns of string at all and instead use locking machine heads such as spertzel or grover machine heads where the string is literally locked into place without any string wrap.

Myth: Single coil pick-ups sound the best but they are too noisy.
Reality: While this may be true, there are many ways around this problem. The best way is to use a hum canceling coil.” The other way is to put a “dummy load” pickup in the guitar i.e. a pick up that is wired in the guitar (sometimes under the scratch plate of a strat guitar) but does not produce any sound, it just cancels the hum and noise.

Myth: Cheap cables are just as good as expensive ones and I save money.
Reality: It is way better to buy a good quality cable that has, quite often, a good guarantee. It will last longer and there will be a big difference quality, which will produce better sounds. It's no use having a great setup but low quality cable. Its like buying a Ferrari and putting re-tread tires on it. Get the best cable out there. Quite often you end up buying one good cable instead of cheap ones every 6 months, making this a much cheaper long term investment.

Myth: There is nothing you can do about strings rusting and losing their tone so may as well buy cheap ones or no name brands.
Reality: There are several ways to make your strings last longer. The simplest method is to always clean your strings after playing with a lint free cloth such as a handkerchief and use a string product such as finger ease or fast fret, which coats the string with a protective chemical.

Products that coat strings in teflon help prevent string corrosion and tone loss. Though more expensive, they break less often and last much longer.

There are a lot of myths about playing the guitar. Hopefully this article convinced you they aren’t right and you can play on a new or used guitars, acoustic or electric and still have a good time with the guitar.