Guitar players corner!

[danbones]

This happened to me. So then the OP's question: do you boss around your bassist? Well, he asked me if I wanted him to do my lines note for note. I said absolutely not, I wanted him to do HIS thing, HIS voice, go nuts. And he came up with the most incredible stuff. Nothing like my original lines. All awesome. He asked me if it was OK, if I wanted him to change anything - hell no. Never ask me that again. Do your thing, Les. Same with the drummer. Make it happen. Don't play anything I did unless you want to. Don't ask me if it will be OK because I've been playing with you for 25 years and it will be OK.

But I'd been playing with these guys for a long time and knew I could trust their killer instincts. That's the part you gotta have. I would not have cut another batch of people the same freedoms. But damn, it paid off so well.

Hilarious thing about that whole outfit is that the drummer's main instrument was guitar (he was a phenomenal guitarist AND a slamming drummer), both guitar players, me and my writing partner, were both bassists by trade, and only the guy playing bass was playing his main instrument.

so, i’m trying to get a friend of mine to play bass for my own project. i’ve been a huge fan of his band for the past ten years and they recently broke up. he already plays the style im looking for, has the amp i want, and already has a killer tone. i would love to have this dude just do his thing with these songs, he already gets it.

but a stranger? i dunno. on the one hand, i worry i would micromanage them too much since i know the tone I want and i’m writing all the songs to begin with. on the other, i kinda wish i could join a band and just be told where to be and what to play. i’ve had a ton of fun playing bass in “brain off, beers on” kinda bands.

i guess the ideal situation is we teach other and both get better!

 

[DaveB in VA]

Gorgeous guitar! There’s a good amount of inexpensive tube guitar amps these days, if you’re into tubes. Loads of ss options too. The modding amp world is getting scary sophisticated, and getting a very versatile Guitar amp has never been more affordable. Wish I could say the same for bass amps, though I like the promising direction the Rumble 800 is going with being a modeling bass amp. My dream amp would be one that’s both a bass and guitar amp, and sounds really good with both.

I'm considering one of the Fender Mustang 100 watt amps. The modeling looks interesting.

 

[jdh3000]

Guitar and bass since I was 12...

 

[Ooba Tooba]

I'm going to guess the average music listener (ie - not a musician) looks at the singer and guitarist first. The drummer, bass, and keys are second fiddle. Don't shoot the messenger.

Entire genres are typically defined by the amount of distortion the guitarist uses.

Entire genres are typically defined by the amount of bass pedals the drummer uses.

Entire genres are typically defined by the style the vocalist sings.
IMO the last 2 sentences are at least as true as the one about the distorted guitar.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Entire genres are typically defined by the amount of bass pedals the drummer uses.

Entire genres are typically defined by the style the vocalist sings.
IMO the last 2 sentences are at least as true as the one about the distorted guitar.

Neat. We both have opinions.

 

[Flatwound]

I do play guitar, and recently subbed for our church band leader for three Sundays as she had some surgery. I think I was... adequate. Now I’m back on bass, and it’s like being home again. I wouldn’t audition for a band as a guitarist, although I might do ok as a rhythm guitarist. I’m a bass player at heart.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I can play a power chord, does that count?
I do own these -

I'm not gonna call myself a guitar player though.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

View attachment 4040207 View attachment 4040208 View attachment 4040209 View attachment 4040210 View attachment 4040211 View attachment 4040212 View attachment 4040213 View attachment 4040214 View attachment 4040215 View attachment 4040216 Martin D1 acoustic
Republik all steel resonator guitar
1994 Fender Telecaster Plus
2003 Gibson Les Paul Standard
Fender Deluxe tweed (5e3 circuit)
50s lap steel amp (fender champ circuit)
Fender reissue reverb tank head
1957 Ludwig WFL

I knew it wouldn't take long, and sure enough, here comes another TBr with a thing for Martins, Teles, ElPees, Fender tweedees, and metal-bodied resophonics. Now what's the chances of that?!

(Oh, I got 'em... pictures are comin')

 

[Deleted member 365158]

I can play a power chord, does that count?
I do own these -
View attachment 4041030

I'm not gonna call myself a guitar player though.

I was showing my wife that pic to prove others have Bigger problems with gear than me when i saw that red soundgear on the wall.. i have that same one!, except i just modified it this last weekend.
Pic with guitars just for this thread.
if the pic is blurry, that’s because the guitars are probably out of tune.

 

[danbones]

I can play a power chord, does that count?
I do own these -
View attachment 4041030

I'm not gonna call myself a guitar player though.

daaaannnnnnng, did you do those two middle paint jobs yourself? those are awesome!

 

[TerribleTim68]

daaaannnnnnng, did you do those two middle paint jobs yourself? those are awesome!

Yes I did, and the silver/black Ibanez on the top right along with 2 others I sold.

The ones in the rack are future paint projects.

 

[lfmn16]

I'm going to guess the average music listener (ie - not a musician) looks at the singer and guitarist first. The drummer, bass, and keys are second fiddle. Don't shoot the messenger.

Entire genres are typically defined by the amount of distortion the guitarist uses.

I’m not shooting the messenger, I’m saying I don’t agree with your statement “(because for a guitarist standing out is your metric for success).“ Which you didn’t address in this post.

 

[Supadope]

Nice axe. Neck width? Weight?

Thanks. I'm not really sure about the neck dimensions. It feels like a Les Paul neck. And it's actually heavier than it looks. It's a semi-hollow with a mahogany core. Maybe 8lbs. I really like it. No neck dive, really nice action, great sustain and tone. You can pull up the volume knobs to switch the pickups to single coil, but I find that too noisy. Link to it below...

Harley Benton HB-35Plus Lemon – Thomann United States

 

[thabassmon]

I played guitar first. Because of that I can play guitar like a guitarist, but I have found over the last few years I am playing my guitar and my bass very close to the same way, that is a hybrid of techniques mixing them all up and hitting the strings any way my mood takes me. But of course if something requires orthodox technique then that's what I'll use.

I never boss the bass player round, I may give suggestions though.

I don't use anything special, I use to use a Fender Acoustasonic Jr amp, but that amp was sold a number of years ago so these days I just use my Hughes and Kettner QC421 bass combo.

I use all the same effects as I do on bass, there are no differences in what I use in that regard, the only change is the instrument it self guitar or bass.

 

[Treblefree]

My most recent music purchase is the PRS guitar and the Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue pictured here with another tuner and the starter distortion pedal. My bass stuff is predominant (multiple basses, pedals, and cabinets), but I have played guitar a little for a very long time just for my own enjoyment. Started briefly on the guitar, but everyone was a guitarist and to be in a band in HS, I became a bassist because there weren't many. I happen to love bass, but I'm rekindling my guitar love too and it is expanding my music ability. I could pass for a mediocre rhythm player and can get better, but aside from leading worship on accoustic guitar once recently, I have been gigging bass my whole life. I really wanted it to spend more time writing music and doing some home recording. Now my Christmas GAS is for a couple more pedals; a Tubescreamer and a Flashback II and maybe a compressor.

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

My most recent music purchase is the PRS guitar ...View attachment 4041405

Wow! My ConQuest guitar I've bought yesterday is almost an exact copy of your PRS.

 

[delta7fred]

I learned to play guitar at the same time I was learning bass but bass players were always more in demand than guitarists so I stuck to playing bass in bands.

I got my chance to play guitar when the guitarist in a friend's band moved abroad to work. I played lead for 12 years until my friend, the bassist, failed to turn up for a gig (he said that we forced him out, we say he quit) and I played bass that night and never went back. We had a keys player who liked to cover everything and a rhythm guitarist and our music style had changed considerably so the need for lead guitar had very much diminished.

I sold off quite a bit of guitar gear but still have a Strat, 2 SGs, a half stack and misc other combos, amps, cabs and pedals but have no intention of returning to electric guitar but who knows what the future holds.

The only 6 strings that get regular playing are my acoustics, 3 in standard and 3 in open tuning for slide. Recently the sum total of my guitar playing in public has been at a couple of open mic nights playing Delta Blues slide (pre Covid).

 

[Treblefree]

Wow! My ConQuest guitar I've bought yesterday is almost an exact copy of your PRS.
View attachment 4041426

Right down to the fretboard cutaway on the bottom and the headstock shape. Very sharp guitar!

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

Right down to the fretboard cutaway on the bottom and the headstock shape. Very sharp guitar!

The sound is good, too. Very hot humbuckers! Later on I'm probably going to modify it with push/pull knobs, so they could work as single-coils.

 

[G-Dog]

.
I'm a self-taught guitarist since about age 10-11 in early '60s after washing out of 6th grade band 'cause I wanted to play trumpet or cornet, instead of trombone. Progressed from a borrowed Silvertone acoustic (missing G) to my own Kawaii electric with very high action, to borrowed no-name Japanese git with low action to Fender Duo-Sonic II to Eko Ranger VI w/DeArmond soundhole pickup. In high school I played rhythm guitar and often sang lead or high harmony in our garage bands. My personal high point was singing lead and playing lead guitar on "Incense & Peppermint" on our lead guitarist's Fuzz Face while he was gone on family vacation! My low point was auditioning for the HS musical singing the brand new "Rocky Raccoon" and getting only a speaking part! Today, the Eko with DeArmond is the only one I have left. Good times, good times . . .

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In college I took a "gap year" from music groups until my girlfriend asked if I could play bass. Seems the college Music Dept. pop group needed a bassist, but none of the music majors were interested. Well, I never played bass before, but I did try to teach basslines to our most frequent "bass owner" (not much of a player) that was in our HS bands. I told her, "Of course I can!", thinking "How hard can it be?" I'd made lots of money that summer, plenty to pay the next fall & spring semesters' tuition, fees & books and then some. So, I ran out and bought a used Fender Mustang Bass and a used 100W (peak?) EMC 15" bass (SS!) combo amp. I was quite impressed with this little rig and with getting the job (by default, no others auditioned). We played lots of society soirees around the area, campus events, an annual Christmas Concert onstage, a trip to The Bahamas(!), The Air Force Academy, played The Kennedy Center in D.C., and recorded a demo that won a European USO Tour! But, the birth of my daughter put a temporary pause to my musical career for several years. Many auditioned to replace me, including The Premier Bassist of the University Jazz Band, Concert Band, Orchestra, you-name-it, etc.,. More good times (sigh) . . .

​

Today I still enjoy guitar with my Strats, Tele, Epi LP, Epi ES-345, and current favorite Fender Modern Player Coronado II thru my Fender Deluxe DSP 90, Cyber-Deluxe, G-DEC 30 and, of course, thru my bass amps, too!

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