Yeah, but I'm scared to go into a guitar store and suck. So maybe I just roll the dice on a cheapo like that one.
OT: Guitar / Guitarist Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Bleem Phuppert
- Start date
I don’t think you could go wrong with any Taylor. When you get into a high price range you want to generally try them (unless you are commissioning a custom build) but an entry level Taylor is fine without a test drive.
anyone have a King of Tone pedal? I've been on the waiting list for over 4 years, and it looks like I should get my opportunity sometime this summer. not sure how many people actually keep them on their boards versus treating them as an investment.
I love to play the guitar; I started learning the guitar when I was in high school. My parents liked my hobby and supported me in every way. I also decided to create my own collection of picks since I buy new ones quite often. Each plectrum reminds me of a certain stage of my life. I recently ordered a new handmade pick here https://ironageaccessories.com/collections/guitar-picks. I bought a new pick because I recently got married, which is a significant event for me.
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What did you end up getting? No need to be skeered. There will always e someone more accomplished than you, and others less so. Kind of like golf, football CB, baseball pitcher, etc—a lot is mental and forget the last play, shot, strum etc.
Good for you! Got my first guitar in 1970 in a swap, $14 and the John Barleycorn Must Die for a terrible guitar with 1/2 inch action. What do you like to play?
@bostavan is actually Pat Metheny's forum name here. 😉
I play a 6 string bass. I play solo. All original improv stuff. Gonna get my feet wet in the fall in hopefully, a couple of places, at a winery and at a microbrewery. I Played a few weeks ago on a boardwalk in Bellingham, WA. First time playing solo in public. Got a nice response. Honestly, I just need to grow a bigger pair and put my ego completely aside.
Wow, bass solos! Cool! Don’t know what kind of music you like but Motown has some great bass lines (e.g., My Girl, You Really Got A Hold on Me, Just My Imagination, etc.
I’m a HUGE Motown fan! Jameson was king. But my music is real different. Kind of a cross between classical (somewhat Bach-like). slight groove, and singer songwriter melodic kind of stuff. But it’s always improv in the moment. Depends on what I’m feeling/thinking.
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Wow. I learned Bass as a 6th grader and played until I was 18 or so. HS Jazz Band, Concert Band, yadda yadda yadda...
Post a link if you have something online. I'd love to hear it.
Very cool! Are you ever tempted to pick it up again? I, too, played as a kid. Unfortunately, I sold my bass my freshman year at RU. I started playing again in my late 40s, around 13 or 14 years ago. I started on a four string, moved to a five, jammed with lots of people until I realized that I just wanted to do my own thing. Hence, the move to a six string.
I'm not confident enough to put anything on line. Once I start recording, I suck. Live, however, I am slightly better than sucky. But I do love playing and play a good chunk of time every day. In fact, I not only have a rig at home, but one in my office as well.
I bought a cheapo Ibanez bass a couple of years ago but I am really focusing on teaching myself guitar.
Came across this 2019 interview with Vito Bratta, from Staten Island. Guitarist in the band White Lion from the 1980s. Whether you like or hate hair metal, this interview is interesting, and there are a lot of musicians who think that Vito is every bit as good as Eddie Van Halen. Vito retired after injuring his wrist in 1997.
www.guitarworld.com
Here is a solo from one of their more popular songs:
Here is a solo at L'Amour's in Brooklyn 1987.
Vito Bratta reflects on the ‘80s, when White Lion were kings of the hard-rock jungle, and the guitar rulebook was being rewritten by Eddie Van Halen
In this rare interview, the Staten Island virtuoso discusses White Lion's rise and fall, and talks about the influences that made him stand out in a crowded field of hot-shot players
Here is a solo from one of their more popular songs:
Here is a solo at L'Amour's in Brooklyn 1987.
Years ago I went into Sam Ash on 27 in Edison. I was new and intimidated. I plugged an electric into a series of effects pedals and stummed a G chord. The sound was loud and instantly started feeding back and would not stop. I was mortified and an employee turned a knob down and it stopped and he said "Wow, I didn't know we had one of those."
For those that appreciate solo finger style acoustic guitar, here is a great one from Pete Huttlinger. He was great at arranging and playing songs that you wouldn't think would lend themselves to so.o acoustic.
That is fantastic. I started playing seriously in midlife and I now wish I had learned finger style rather than using a pick. There are so many more interesting melodies that you can play, especially on acoustic guitar.
I’m not a very good singer so I’ve always gravitated to finger style chord melody arrangements. You can cover so many songs and song types from many genres. It’s really rewarding to me when I get proficient at a song I love. The one problem—at least for me—is when I play a finger style song where I play the melody on top and bass or rhythm below it and someone is singing too. It’s easy to get the timing off or not match the tempo. Love playing, though.
My playing is purely solo improvising on a six string bass. Bar none, my biggest influence is Bach. I’m a math geek so applying my geekiness, and playing mostly modally with an enormous fascination for Bach’s melodic brilliance fills my day with incredible experimental joy resulting in some very mediocre (mine) playing. Lol. But damn, I do love it.
If anyone is looking for an inexpensive guitar to learn on, fool around with etc there is a $70 Tele type at Monoprice. I bought a Strat type off them a few years ago and ended-up liking it more than my LP. If you want to try another style without making a big investment the Monos are a good way to go.
Strat for $88
slickdeals.net
Indio by Monoprice Retro Classic Electric Guitar with Gig Bag, Blue - Monoprice.com
Indio™ by Monoprice™ Retro Classic Electric Guitar True, uncompromised iconic guitar design made affordable Indio™ Retro Classic guitars truly replicate
www.monoprice.com
Strat for $88
Monoprice Indio Cali Electric Guitar w/ 10W Amp, Strap, and Extra Strings $88.40 + Free Shipping
Monoprice has Monoprice Indio Cali Complete Full-size Electric Guitar Package with 10W Amp, Strap, and Extra Strings for $88.39 w/ promo code 15OFFNOW. Shipping is free. Thanks to Community Mem ...
slickdeals.net
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Not sure if I posted earlier I built a Barncaster last winter. Texas motif. Plays nice. Looks cool as hell.
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Not sure if he was mentioned, and he is not widely known. But Richie Kotzen from Reading, PA. He has a solo career, and he has played in various bands. One of his best projects is vocals and guitar for the super group the Winery Dogs, featuring Billy Sheehan (Mister Big) on bass and Mike Portnoy (formerly of Dream Theater) on drums. New track from their upcoming album. Have seen them live, and they will be on tour in our area in February. Excellent live band.
Must be something in the water in Pennsylvania. Greg Howe and Paul Gilbert, 2 legends in the shred genre, are from PA, too. Kotzen was a shredder early in his career before going in a different direction. Kotzen had a connection to both Howe and Gilbert. He made an album with Howe and replaced Gilbert in Mr Big, which is where he met Sheehan.
I did a search to see if Richie showed up in any rankings, but found the link below, where he ranked his favorite albums. Interesting that Stevie Wonder's Talking Book was #1 and George Benson was #2. He gives high props to Prince too. What is funny is that he said he did not know who Eddie Van Halen was until Beat It was released. However, Richie was born in 1970, so it's not as if an eight year old kid would have had his finger on the pulse of breaking rock bands. But you can see that he was heavily influenced by soul and R&B.
If you get a chance, check out Winery Dogs live. I'm a bass aficionado, and Billy Sheehan is mesmerizing. He turns 70 in March.
Richie Kotzen - The 10 Records That Changed My Life
Guitar wiz Richie Kotzen — session gun and shredder extraordinaire — picks the 10 albums that shaped his career as a musician
www.loudersound.com
Saw this posted on a friend's Facebook page and thought it deserved to be here. Was there any better live rock and roll band in the 90's than The Black Crowes? I always loved the guitar work on No Speak No Slave and it's the lead song in this set from 92. Totally worth a listen.
They were accused of being derivative by some critics, but I really never cared what they thought. Saw Chris Robinson when he toured as the vocalist for Phil Lesh and Friends and he was awesome. I know, not a guitarist reference, but a BC connection.
I'm on the list too. There's others that are 95% the same if you tire of waiting.
ETA: I noticed the date. Did you get it?
I’ve heard the “derivative” complaint before by some writers/ pop music critics who apparently think they are the gatekeepers of what is cool and hip. The problem with that criticism is that essentially everything in music is dirivative to some degree, whether people realize or not. The musical wheel was established a long, long time ago.
Totally agree. Influences go back a long way and most artists tip their caps to them when they have success.
"Derivative" is the favored critique of people who listen to a lot of music but are not in any way musicians.
Structure is a finite thing. A favorite pastime among guitarists is for someone to say, "What songs can you think of with a B Phrygian kind of situation" and everyone else says, "Like 3 million..."
There are 171,000 words in the English language from which to create literary works. There are 7 notes in any musical key.
Structure is a finite thing. A favorite pastime among guitarists is for someone to say, "What songs can you think of with a B Phrygian kind of situation" and everyone else says, "Like 3 million..."
There are 171,000 words in the English language from which to create literary works. There are 7 notes in any musical key.
The first Beatles' record I bought was a 45 record with Matchbox(Carl Perkins) and Slowdown(Larry Williams) on the A & B sides. Hendrix, Clapton, Richards, etc. did some heavy listening to American blues guitarists. A lot of their licks are derivations thereof.
