It’s that time of year again, and the madness of Christmas shopping is upon us. We all want to make our loved-ones happy with the right gift, but some people are just so difficult; yes we know they are mad about guitar, but how would you know what present to get?
Well, we’re all guitarists too, and we’ve got some suggestions for you… from stocking-fillers to main presents, we’ve given it some thought. Read on!
Times are hard just now, and everyone could do with a few extra pounds. So is it a good time to sell that old guitar that’s been sitting unloved in your closet for all these years? Well it all comes down to knowing what you’ve got, what it is worth, and presenting it in it’s best light to a prospective buyer. If it is true that the vintage guitar market is down now, can it really be the right time to sell? Well the answer may well be yes… read on! Continue reading
Jeff Beck talks guitars – showing some of his collection and telling some really interesting stories on the way. About the fate of his legendary Fender Esquire he played so much with the Yardbirds, and the many other vintage (and newer) guitars he still has.
JEFF BECK LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT’S 2007.11
Jeff’s guitar tech Steve Prior gives an in depth interview about Jeff’s guitars and beyond. Stay TUNED for more.
Jeff shows off some of his favourite guitars: his Gibson L5, 1954 Stratocaster, 1954 Telecaster, Gretch Rancher and a Maccaferri given to him by Led Zeppelins Jimmy Page. Jeff Beck clearly has great affection for his guitars, and talks about the other players that influenced his sound – mostly rock and roll guitarists like Cliff Gallup and Scotty Moore, but also the likes of Django Reinhardt.
And he treats us to a few choice licks in a different style for each guitar – even when not plugged in the tonal differences are really apparent. From twanging teles to soulful strats – check this clip out!
A gemstone guitar pick may seem like a luxury, but tonally stone guitar picks are just as different as nylon and metal picks. Typically semi-precious stones are not exorbitantly priced, compared to more valuable jewels, but they will cost around thirty to fifty times as much as the standard nylon or plastic guitar picks. So is the price worth it?
Figure 1 - Agate Stone Plectrum
To many guitarists, the answer is a resounding yes! Not only are they longer-lasting, easy gripping, and better sounding; they are also very appealing items to own.
Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Brown Satin
Gibsons are expensive. We all know. So how about this? A fantastic SG, at a great price – the satin finish is not as shiny as a regular finish. But that’s it. it’s still a fantastic sounding SG, with it’s trademark bite. With the full pickguard it’s very much late sixties style. Think Pete Townsend on Live at Leeds, or Carlos Santana at Woodstock.
The Gibson Faded SG Special is an electric guitar that maintains the tradition of looks, functionality, and value for which the SG guitar is known. Under its attractive faded finish, the Faded Special SG is still the traditional SG, with mahogany body and neck, Tune-O-Matic/stopbar bridge, and alnico 490 pickups. The guitar’s faded finish gives it the look of an electric that started its rockin’ days in the ’60s.
The Gibson SG range was first popular in the mid 1960s . Very influential guitarists such as George Harrison of the Beatles, Eric Clapton of Cream, and Robbie Kreiger of the Doors all played Gibson SGs. But this model, the full-scratchplate Gibson SG Special is most associated with Pete Townsend of the Who around 1969-1970. Continue reading
A guitar pick, or plectrum is used to pluck, or strum guitar strings; to improve sound, allow faster strumming, and reduce injury on fingers. You can just use your fingers, especially for picking, but a pick gives far more bite to notes, and hurts a lot less. There are many types of guitar picks to choose from: different materials, shapes, as well as sizes and colors. Some guitar picks are even used for special purposes, such as a double-sided pick for “double plucking.” This article explores some of the diffent types.
Guitar picks are commonly made out of plastic, but also bone, amber, rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, stone, metals, and even gemstones. Each of the materials has it’s own unique sound, but also properties such as ease of grip, and durability. For instance, metal has a very distinct bright sound when plucked against a guitar string- but offers little grip. Tortoiseshell is one of the best for gripping, and sounds great, although an international ban on tortoise shell led to the creation of Tortex picks.
Choosing your favourite material is a matter of trying them all out, and deciding on which sound and grip works for your playing style- whether it be metal, bues, or jazz. If all else fails, weird guitar picks aren’t unheard of- from bone, to an Allen wrench- just about anything can become a useable plectrum!
Figure 1 - Traditional picks, a thumb pick, and a triangle pick example
There are a lot of great Epiphone bass guitars, and hopefully this review will show you why we think this is one of the best.
A very good looking bass for sure; black on black is the classic rock look, and they simply sound just as good as they look. Perfect for rock, punk, metal…
List Price: $ 499.00
What is intonation on a guitar, and is it important? Well, yes, it could be very. If your guitar is poorly intonated it could play horribly out of tune! It may sound fine down low playing open chords, but suddenly, when the solo starts, up at the fifteenth fret… aaaahhhhgg!
I’ve known young guitarists change out tuning keys, and even buy new guitars because their old guitar would never stay in tune. In many instances it was just a matter of a poor setup, with nothing wrong with the guitar or any of it’s components.
But don’t worry, adjusting intonation is really very easy. All you need is a guitar tuner and a screwdriver. This article tells you how.
Yeah vintage Gibson Les Paul guitars are cool – but who can afford a real one?
Well, with a Gibson Les Paul 60s tribute, you get 60s styling, Gibson quality, and a price point that us non-bankers can afford. A fine looker for sure, based on their 1960s Kalamazoo-built classics. And incredible value for money.
Gibson Les Paul Studio 60s Tribute Electric Guitar, Worn Cherry Sunburst
The 1960s Tribute electric guitar consists of a basic Gibson Les Paul chassis with all the essential elements needed to rock including a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece and Kluson-style tuners keep it all rock-solid and resonant and its gnarly P-90 tone stays true to the Les Paul style.
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Finger picking is a simple skill that can greatly improve your playing, and it isn’t just for folk and country players! If you are usually a pick player, you may just be surprised about the different textures that become open to you.
From pop and rock songs by the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, to the most obscure country blues guitarists, you may be surprised what songs were recorded fingerstyle.
Fingerstyle playing is very different tonally from pick playing; being softer, warmer and less aggressive, but also allowing a greater deal of harmonic complexity than straight chords and riffs. In a band situation it can really work wonders, creating extra space between rhythm and lead guitars.
This video is for the novice fingerpicker – but why not start at the beginning?
Go on, put the plectrum down and try something new. You might find a bit of fingerstyle is what your guitar playing needs.
