Guitar Discussion Thread V6 - General

So I'm getting my first guitar for Christmas and I chose an Epiphone 335 Dot electric. Is that good for a first?

[QUOTE=acfan;26586375]So I'm getting my first guitar for Christmas and I chose an Epiphone 335 Dot electric. Is that good for a first?[/QUOTE] That all depends on what you want to play.

I'm not looking on playing anything too hard, mostly light rock and blues/jazz. :v:

[QUOTE=acfan;26586455]I'm not looking on playing anything too hard, mostly light rock and blues/jazz. :v:[/QUOTE] Then it is perfect.

Sweet, can't wait for Christmas now. :3:

[QUOTE=acfan;26586518]Sweet, can't wait for Christmas now. :3:[/QUOTE] As long as you stick to blues/jazz/rock, you'll love that guitar to death. I have yet to be disappointed in anything Epiphone has made, save for their "Special" series. They make great, reliable, affordable guitars. Just don't expect to go playing pretty much any type of metal on that thing, the pickups just aren't right for it. At all. 16 days until I get my hands on that beautiful new Paul Allender PRS. The first thing I'm probably going to end up doing with it is slapping on some DR .10s :v:

So no one mentions anything about my strat?

[QUOTE=nardix;26587546]So no one mentions anything about my strat?[/QUOTE] I really like it. Always wanted a Fender Stratocaster, especially an all black one.

[QUOTE=TtIiVv;26587633]I really like it. Always wanted a Fender Stratocaster, especially an all black one.[/QUOTE] There is only one Strat I want in the world. David Gilmour's black Stratocaster. The rest don't matter to me.

I don't like strats much, just a little too boring for me :hehe:

[QUOTE=nardix;26587546]So no one mentions anything about my strat?[/QUOTE] Drag it up a road a few times to get some nice dents on it.

[QUOTE=kitteh-nator;26588477]Drag it up a road a few times to get some nice dents on it.[/QUOTE] No you idiot. Aged looks are gay. Besides, this guitar already has quite a lot of mojo.

I really like strats because of their simplistic look. The only other guitar I'd want other than my Strat is the 27 fret Xphios.

There we go, set for life, or 5 guitar bodies. (guess what it is). Makes my shitty bedroom smell like a fine cigar shop :3: Whats more traditional and classy than Spanish Cedar? Nothing, that's what. [URL="http://img821.imageshack.us/i/1002237m.jpg/"][IMG]http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/5019/1002237m.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [editline]9th December 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=SolidSnake52;26588144]There is only one Strat I want in the world. David Gilmour's black Stratocaster. The rest don't matter to me.[/QUOTE] What about my stratocaster? :saddowns:

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;26588998]There we go, set for life, or 5 guitar bodies. (guess what it is). Makes my shitty bedroom smell like fragrant cinnamon :3: Whats more traditional and classy than Spanish Cedar? Nothing, that's what. [URL="http://img821.imageshack.us/i/1002237m.jpg/"][img_thumb]http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/5019/1002237m.jpg[/img_thumb][/URL] [editline]9th December 2010[/editline] What about my stratocaster? :saddowns:[/QUOTE] Use some of that wood for a Les Paul, with P90's.

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;26588998]There we go, set for life, or 5 guitar bodies. (guess what it is). Makes my shitty bedroom smell like fragrant cinnamon :3: Whats more traditional and classy than Spanish Cedar? Nothing, that's what. [URL="http://img821.imageshack.us/i/1002237m.jpg/"][img_thumb]http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/5019/1002237m.jpg[/img_thumb][/URL] [editline]9th December 2010[/editline] What about my stratocaster? :saddowns:[/QUOTE] Nothing wrong with Strats for other people, I just don't want one because I'm not particularly fond of the look, and the only guitarist I really like that plays a Strat is Gilmour.

How much did that cost? The wood I mean.

[QUOTE=TtIiVv;26589099]Use some of that wood for a Les Paul, with P90's.[/QUOTE] That was sort of the plan. Figured black walnut top, p90 in the neck, and a telecaster bridge and bridge pickup. basically a Les Paul with a Tele Hardware. [editline]9th December 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=Kab2tract;26589139]How much did that cost? The wood I mean.[/QUOTE] $280. $140.01 for me, since the other half is my Christmas Present.

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;26589162]That was sort of the plan. Figured black walnut top, p90 in the neck, and a telecaster bridge and bridge pickup. basically a Les Paul with a Tele Hardware. [editline]9th December 2010[/editline] $280. $140.01 for me, since the other half is my Christmas Present.[/QUOTE] How much do your builds usually cost once fully complete?

If I buy all the hardware for that project, probably about $200-300. The only thing I need to buy for this one is a p90 pickup for the neck, though all the hardware is already bought, but just laying around.

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;26589202]If I buy all the hardware for that project, probably about $200-300. The only thing I need to buy for this one is a p90 pickup for the neck, though all the hardware is already bought, but just laying around.[/QUOTE] Alright, I am just asking all these questions because I want to get into guitar construction.

Tools are the biggest thing. My tool set probably totals around $1200 give or take, though if you already have the tools around your house (or a workshop at school) then it shouldnt be a problem, though a few luthier tools will probably be necessary if you want to build your own necks.

[QUOTE=nardix;26588933]No you idiot. Aged looks are gay.[/QUOTE] I was reading a Sweetwater catalog in a class the other day, and some guy looked over at the Fender section. Presumably he saw the new, clean, awesome looking strats and teles going from ~$500-$1500, because when he saw this (and the $3k+ price tag) his eyes bugged out: [img]http://www.sweetwater.com/images/guitars/StratCSSWPJ/R46854/R46854-front-l.jpg[/img] [QUOTE=hypno-toad;26589202]If I buy all the hardware for that project, probably about $200-300. The only thing I need to buy for this one is a p90 pickup for the neck, though all the hardware is already bought, but just laying around.[/QUOTE] Start selling your guitars, dammit!

I was more interested in selling them before, but Im starting to play a lot more now, so I want to get a big collection back. If I got a good (and serious) offer, I'd sell one.

My Ibby RG, which I use for hard rock/metal (with my Ibby Artcore for bluesier/jazzier/Steve Howe-ier outings), has really, really pathetic sustain, roughly six seconds at lower frets, three (!!!) at the higher ones, it's Floyd Rose annoys me greatly for changing tunings too, and it's pickups aren't the best. Two things: A) How could I improve the guitar's sustain? It really is very very weak, new strings didn't help (maybe there's a certain kind I need?). Pickups can be replaced and the Edge III isn't a problem as long as I stick to E-standard (which I don't change from much anyway). There are still some things about the RG I adore, such as it's thin neck, it never goes out of tune and it looks sexy as hell. B) Are there any guitars in the £300 range with really good sustain? The Ibby RG is in perfect condition, and could fetch maybe £250-300.

Sustain seems to be a psychological thing at times, or just a bit of a misnomer. Though, sound deadening could be caused by not enough tension on the strings. I find that higher gauge strings tend to give a bit more "sustain" at the expense of conformable string bending. Alternatively, you could add a string tree of sorts or something that causes a steep incline after the locking nut, though that could wreak havok on your tuning stability. Loss of tuning with floating tremolos is usually caused by strings "catching" or "grabbing" on the locking nut or headnut, so causing a steep incline after the headnut might just further increase that problem... People say that having a string-trough design or a wrap-around bridge increases sustain, though that's likely because it gives a bit more tension to the strings, so your objective might just be increasing your string tension, but like I said, that could be risky with a floating tremolo. Thinking rationally, there's really only one or two things that would really affect true sustain, those being string tension and the resonance of the guitars materials. It could also be the height of your pickups, gain will artificially prolong sustain, so having pickups closer to your strings could affect the sound threshold of the string-pickup setup (likewise, though, the magnetism could also reduce string vibration if its too close).

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;26590007]Sustain seems to be a psychological thing at times, or just a bit of a misnomer. Though, sound deadening could be caused by not enough tension on the strings. I find that higher gauge strings tend to give a bit more "sustain" at the expense of conformable string bending. Alternatively, you could add a string tree of sorts or something that causes a steep incline after the locking nut, though that could wreak havok on your tuning stability. Loss of tuning with floating tremolos is usually caused by strings "catching" or "grabbing" on the locking nut or headnut, so causing a steep incline after the headnut might just further increase that problem... People say that having a string-trough design or a wrap-around bridge increases sustain, though that's likely because it gives a bit more tension to the strings, so your objective might just be increasing your string tension, but like I said, that could be risky with a floating tremolo. Thinking rationally, there's really only one or two things that would really affect true sustain, those being string tension and the resonance of the guitars materials. It could also be the hieght of your pickups, gain will artificially prolong sustain, so having pickups closer to your strings could affect the sound threshold of the string-pickup setup (likewise, though, the magnetism could also reduce string vibration if its to close).[/QUOTE] Right, I'll try thicker strings first. Any reccomended brands/sizes/whatever?

[QUOTE=SolidSnake52;26586582]As long as you stick to blues/jazz/rock, you'll love that guitar to death. I have yet to be disappointed in anything Epiphone has made, save for their "Special" series. They make great, reliable, affordable guitars. Just don't expect to go playing pretty much any type of metal on that thing, the pickups just aren't right for it. At all. 16 days until I get my hands on that beautiful new Paul Allender PRS. The first thing I'm probably going to end up doing with it is slapping on some DR .10s :v:[/QUOTE] I used an Epiphone Dot in open C5 through a Powerball a while back. Was literally orgasmic. There really are very few limitations on the "you can play anything on anything" rule. It depends what you're comfortable with. I plan on getting a semi hollow and a Fender Jazzmaster and I'm in a progressive metal band :v: Get .11s. .10s are for girly men Also, it annoys me that no one does string sets to my preferences. So far my ideal setup is Ernie Ball Beefy Slinkies, which are .11s, but the low .54 is too loose for me. GHS to a set of .11s "Blues" strings with a .58 on the low E, but the A is only a .38 which is too loose for that. Curse my preferences. I might just go all out and go for the .10-.60 Zakk Wylde Boomers or experiment with single strings [editline]9th December 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=Shibbey;26590331]Right, I'll try thicker strings first. Any reccomended brands/sizes/whatever?[/QUOTE] If you have .09s, try .10s. Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Elixir and many others are all popular brands, but it's really down to experimentation, you have to find the ones you like, it's such a personal thing (as hypocritical it is for me to say that considering the start of my post :v:)

No idea. I like Ernie Ball, I think Im using 12s or 13s (very high gauge) But I play in standard tuning or drop d so that gauge really shreds your fingertips when you do a lot of string bending, and it wears your frets down. Just try a high gauge and see if it makes a difference. Any idea what your current gauge is?

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;26589362]Tools are the biggest thing. My tool set probably totals around $1200 give or take, though if you already have the tools around your house (or a workshop at school) then it shouldnt be a problem, though a few luthier tools will probably be necessary if you want to build your own necks.[/QUOTE] I am pretty sure I have almost all the tools necessary, aside form a few specialty tools, as my dad is a finishing carpenter/home builder.