The Watering Hole

just thought you might want to know, I'm bidding on a used Jimmy Vaughn guitar. If I don't get it, I'll get a new one. Daddy is gonna start learning how to play in the next few months. Word.

Good luck with the auction amigo.

learning how to play... how do you mean? I thought you played acoustic or something... no?

good luck with the auction!

I play around a bit but I actually can't play shit. I have a huge problem understanding what I'm being taught. Mostly by my cousin, Pickmaster. He taught himself to play, plays by ear most of the time. I think I'm just going to start over. If you have any teaching vids, mostly blues stuff, thats very basic, I'd really like to view them. Most of the time people show me stuff, like chords, and they quickly get into advanced stuff and it blows my mind. They move to quick.

I played in the band in highschool, Trombone, and of course they taught to read music and gave all the details. I'd like a really good start to finish teachin. I really don't need all the advanced stuff. I'll never play on stage or anything. Just want some basic blues things to learn and build on later.

Good luck with the auction and learning to play.  Lately I've been trying to learn some fingerstyle and hybrid picking stuff.  The internet is flooded with learning material.  I know for me, some can be useful, others might as well be in a foreign language.  Totally over my head.

One site I've used over the years is TrueFire - Guitar Lessons - Learn How to Play Guitar Online
http://truefire.com/

They have tons of stuff.  The courses are cheap for downloads and you can view them at your own pace.  You dig around through the many genres of stuff, there should be some hillbilly blues in there. ;D

Also, the other day I ordered some strings from Guitar Strings and Beyond - Buy Guitar Strings Online and Save!
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/ .  They arrived quickly and they offer fairly cheap prices.  Great for if there is something you want to try.  They also sell other accessories like picks, slides and such.  FYI.

In the shipment they put a card in there for this site.  Online Guitar Lessons - Learning Made Easy with HD Videos
http://www.jamplay.com/.  You could check that one out as well.

Learn the pentatonic min and then add the blues scale notes and learn the pent maj as well (it's the same just moved down a few frets).  Fuck around with that box and learn the form in front of and behind the one you start with and then learn the rest of the forms across the neck.  Blues is mostly feel and getting greezee, some of the best blues licks aren't exactly "right", but they're sooooo right.  I guess it depends on the style/era of blues you're talking about.

there's so many videos around now, it's a great time to learn to play the guitar.

or, you could do it the old way and play along to the record player... that still works! heh.

BINGEWOOD — Aug 19, 2014Learn the pentatonic min and then add the blues scale notes and learn the pent maj as well (it's the same just moved down a few frets).  Fuck around with that box and learn the form in front of and behind the one you start with and then learn the rest of the forms across the neck.  Blues is mostly feel and getting greezee, some of the best blues licks aren't exactly "right", but they're sooooo right.  I guess it depends on the style/era of blues you're talking about.

Excellent advice above, do it.......

ironsheep — Aug 19, 2014 play along to the record player

Do this while getting in touch with your relationships with women and put it out there through your fingers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyBXAKUsw30

Score. Picked up a used JV strat for $399. 1996 model, but.... as long as it stays in tune and plays good, who cares.

Next question. My plans are to use garage band and my ipad and play through my monitors. I picked up a interface called Apogee for this purpose. Anyone used one of these? This is simply to practice and learn with instead of buying a loud ass amp that I don't need. Any thoughts? This ok???

congrats! not staying in tune and playing like shit can be fixed anyways - so still who cares even if that's how it is, nice price!

I don't know much about all the iOS stuff... I only really use cleartune for the acoustic.

Hookbender — Aug 20, 2014I picked up a interface called Apogee for this purpose. Anyone used one of these?

Apogee makes great stuff. Get a tube amp amigo. New Gear days are in your future if you catch on to guitar playing. Gear Acquisition Syndrome is about to bite you amigo, watch out for it. It's a GAS.........

I don't think so. I've had a JV guitar in the past. Haven't found anything I like better at that price point. It's really great feeling guitar and sounds excellent. I'm trying not to buy an amp pretty much because I don't need one. If I can get a decent sound with Garage Band stuff, I'll be fine. If this doesn't work, I'll go to a Line 6 pod probably.

Congrats!!

Give a try to "Amplitube Fender" from IK Multimedia. Good amps anps, fx and recorder.

This is a video I've recorded using it...nothing pro but for home use I think is more than enough...(at least for me!! :) )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp7M3X_RlFw

...and this is a video from a friend of mine.
Here he is using the amp simulation on Garageband

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBG_fTgVwtg

I've used the garage band amp sims and find them to be pretty good and quick on the response.  There's better stuff out there but on iOS I'm not sure what.

Lwb — Aug 21, 2014...and this is a video from a friend of mine.
Here he is using the amp simulation on Garageband

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBG_fTgVwtg

Nice playing some of the Garage Band amps are decent (at best)

charger — Aug 21, 2014I've used the garage band amp sims and find them to be pretty good and quick on the response.  There's better stuff out there but on iOS I'm not sure what.

Do you think it's as good as a line 6 pod?

Yes the iOS amp sims are just as good if not better than my POD XT IMHO.

Search iTunes for JamUp, BIAS, AmpKit, and Tonestack.  I have these and am very satisfied.  Each app has plus and minuses.

Several of these apps have free versions just to see if you like the basics with in-app-purchases if you decide you want more amps and effects.

Hookbender — Aug 22, 2014
Do you think it's as good as a line 6 pod?

I have not tried Garage Band amp sims although I have Garage Band on my I-Pad, but from what I heard on the link Marco provided above they seem fairly good. I just bought a Digitech RP155 for ninety nine bucks to replace my aging Digitech GNX2. And I am not fond of modeling per se, and the RP155 needs extensive tweaking in the editor program. I have saved that task for this week as my wife and her sisters and niece have a girls week in Del Mar. Now I have something to fill my time up with. Remixing old tunes on my refurbished DAW. And tweaking the RP155.

The Line 6 Pod HD bean is now discontinued, I was trying to buy one at $199 to replace my Tonelab Tabletop. I can still find them at $399 but I don't want one that bad.

I may be getting one of these. I can't believe how good this sounds for the money.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Special-I-P90-Electric-Guitar-107274870-i2101227.gc

Looks good for the money Hook. I am tempted myself. I love cheapo guitars, throw them around, no worries if they get stolen or damaged. Worry free instrument. Check the neck for straightness by pressing the strings down on the first fret and the last fret, and look down the length of the neck on both sides of the neck 1st string and 6th string. Then play a note on each fret on both strings mentioned above to see if it is true or not. Of course I would buy it anyways if it was near true but I know how to file the frets.

I've got AmpKit, Amplitube, and JamUp and I definitely dig JamUp myself.  Fun, easy software with decent pick dynamics feel.

Good tips, desertbluesman.  I hope you enjoy your next purchase, Hooky.

I love all of the VST's I have on my PC but am flabbergasted by all of the iOS apps on my iPad.  Not just guitar apps but many affordable synths, DAWs, tuners, MIDI controllers, etc. on a portable device.  Who would have thought back in the day that I could have a Moog at my disposal for only $2.00 at sale price?

I only hope that Apple recognizes that music enthusiasts need more than 1 GB of RAM in their next products.  Most iOS users are completely happy with the processor speed/RAM since they are AssBook, Twatter, and gamers.  Not that there is anything wrong with that as Jerry Seinfeld suggests :-)

I got the apogee thing friday. Been using my acustic and garage bands electric guitar amps and it sounds ok, believe it or not. ;D  Wish my damn guitar would show up today.

Got my JV yesterday. Hell yes. Used guitar in fantastic shape for a 1996 model. No scratches or dings. Took it over to GC today at lunch  and had the neck adjusted and a minor set up done. New strings and wired a tone nob on the bottom switch position. Now I have a tone control on all positions on all pickups. My fingers hurt like hell, even when typing. Stayed up till 12 last night playing and started again at 7 this morning.  ;D

I've been having a blast playing to backing tracks. Blues stuff and a ton of slow ballad type tracks. If you have a few good backing tracks, love to have a few.

I'm playing on a clean combo for blues and sunshine drive for the ballad type thing. I have the gain down to 2 and it sounds great, to me. I like a woody tone. I have my guitar hooked up to a apogee interface into my ipad, which is connected to my small mixer on 1 channel and my phone connected to the other for the backing tracks. Playing that through Yamaha HS5's and it really sounds good. I have no idea what a clean combo or sunshine drive amp is copying but they sound pretty damn good. I'm impressed.

I played some amps today at guitar center just for kicks. Blackstar 1amp, amp, a vox tube amp 2 amps, and a few others. Haven't found anything I like better than the stuff on garage band yet. I think the set up I have will do fine for a good while. I don't even look at the dream amp, Blues Junior, or similar. I just don't have any need for that kind of power or loudness.... or expense.

Now that I've played around for a few days, I'll let my fingers heal and try to start learning how to play.  ;D I think the gear disease is in remission for now.  ;D

ha, that's great! carry on, have fun! :)

Nice, good luck with it amigo.......

Lwb — Aug 21, 2014Congrats!!

Give a try to "Amplitube Fender" from IK Multimedia. Good amps anps, fx and recorder.

This is a video I've recorded using it...nothing pro but for home use I think is more than enough...(at least for me!! :) )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp7M3X_RlFw

Can you tell me why I can't purchase a reverb petal on amplitube? Or garageband, for that matter?

In ik-multimedia amplitube there's the "store" option in the main menu so i think you can purchase pedals, amps, cabs.... But you can use the purchased items in the same app only.

In the version I own (amplitube fender) the pedals are included in the pack and there're only 2 choices from the store: the recorder and a midi controller. The recorder has 8 tracks, compressor, eq, chorus, reverb,  delay and a little mixer.

In garageband there's no in app purchase, but there're a lot of stock pedals you can use in front of the amp!

I've just downloaded BIAS (50% off) and it plays really good. Good amp selection, and every single module of the amp can be modified (tubes, bias, cabs, mic placement...)

Hope that helps...  :)

Shit. I am really hooked on this fender pro junior. I've heard real ones and their better, but for jaming around the house and stuff.... fucking awesome.

And the Bassman. Damn thats good. Between the Voxy sounding amp on garageband and the fenders on Amplitube, home heaven baby. I wish they had a blues junior on their. Gonna be another late night tonight. ;D

Tubes baby, tubes, & as Randy says "if it ain't got tubes it's a Goob"....(Probably the only wise thing he ever typed into the computer).......

(PS I am actually glad you are enjoying your new found pursuit)

;D ;D

Are their any blues playes that play through a vox amp? I think, over all, with my guitar and tex mex p/u's, that is my favorite tone so far. I keep going back to it.

Well, ahhhh, satisfaction didn't last to long. I am the proud owner of a Fender Super Champ X2.  ;D

That's not the worst of it, I'm afraid.  :-[ I ahhh, originally purchased a Blackstar 1 watt amp. But that's all. And I brought the blackstar back to get the Fender SChamp.

That's where it ends, I tell you. >:(

Bad thing is, I took my guitar to get a complete setup done 2 days ago and it won't be ready till Thurs or Fri. So, I have a amp, brand new, in my house...... and no guitar. What a strange event that is. ;D The intonation is off on my guitar. A guitar tech at guitar re stringed it, and adjusted the trust rod or neck, whatever. My guitar dude said that your intonation will get out of wack if your neck is adjusted. He said that's probably what happened. Is that true? By the way, their is no evidence to prove the adjustment caused that. It could have been that way when I received it, for all I know. Plus, the strings, I thought, were a touch low. According to my guitar guy, and i quote..... "this ain't no acoustic guitar, shit head. This is a Strat, dude."  ;D Apparently I hit the strings to hard. He said to turn the amp up when practicing to a level at max that would piss your wife off. Then practice that way for a week. Problem solved.  ;D

Download Fender Fuze so you can adjust the SCX2's different things. Not much can be done with the clean channel except for the Mid Control which I set to 5 instead of all the way up, but the other 16 different amp models on the second channel can be tweaked, like stomp boxes and different reverbs, and different speaker cabinets, and some of those settings make a big difference.

truss rod adjustments can alter the intonation, yes. not as much as changing bridge or saddle height usually... but anything that changes the string length will effect the intonation.

Cool. I'll check it out. Thanks.

Man. Gotta give a shout out to this Fender super champ x2. For home use, and on my hard would floor living room, playing to backing tracks on you tube  ;D, this is fantastic. I can't believe how different this amp sounds on, or in, a carpeted room floor. It sounds nothing alike at all. I almost wouldn't want it if I had to play in a carpeted room. (Almost)

Now I'm only using blues sounds and some cleanesh sounding tones with gain on 5 or 6. Haven't tried any rock sounds out, cause I don't like them, no offense.

My SCX2 sounds great on a carpeted floor for some reason. It seems a little too harshly bright on a non carpeted floor for my taste. But all in all the amp is pretty cool as a nice practice unit. I get all the sounds I need from it. A nice clean, a foot switchable overdrive, and a nice reverb. My Hot Rod Deluxe is much more to my tonal taste, it has a much higher fidelity than the SCX2 but for them money the SCX2 is a bargain. It is also lightweight and a nice grab and go practice amp when I go up to my In laws house in Northern California, It does everything I need in an amp for practicing.