How to teach yourself the guitar

I'm totally self-taught on guitar -- so, that approach works.  If you know someone that plays guitar, that'll serve as a good "mentor" for how to hold the guitar, tricks of the trade, etc.  (Although:  I didn't have that [pre-internet].)  ;)


Basically, download a PDF of guitar chords, and then Google for "tabulature" (indvidual notes) and/or chords of some song you like (and know how it's supposed to sound).  And then just keep practising until you can play it smoothly. 

If you're at all of a creative bent -- if you know two or three chords, just strum them in a sequence, with a certain rhythm, and then sing over the top:  that's a song.  :)

If you want to record yourself:  for about $50 you can pick up a used USB recording interface online -- get one that has XLR (Google it) and instrument inputs -- and for another $100 you can pick up an inexpensive but decent mic with a microphone cable.  And now you can record yourself.  Oh:  with freeware software:  Audacity works just fine, and is available for Windows, Macs, and Linux.

It's also more interesting to get together with other people.  But playing along to backing tracks works well, also.

Also:  guitar pedals are fun.  I recommend the guy on the "JHS pedals" YouTube channel -- esp. the "What's the deal with Behringer" episode.  Some people scoff at Behringer -- but they have some good products at very reasonable prices (around AU$50?).  (The JHS Pedals guy's notion is "Price doesn't matter:  if it makes your guitar more fun to play, then it's a good pedal.")   Distortion, and either reverb or delay, are good types of pedal to start with -- but chorus, flangers, phasers, tremelo -- all are fun.  :)   Also "loop" pedals (again, see YouTube) -- esp. if you're solo, and want to play against yourself.


Oh!  Download a guitar tuner app for your phone, then check that your "open" string (for each string) and the octave (12th fret -- the double dots on the side) is the same note (e.g. an "E" and an "E").  If the octave note is a little sharp or flat, you'll have to intonate it (see YouTube).  Similarly, if the distance between the string and the fingerboard (the "action") is too high, then when you press down on the string you'll actually be pulling the note sharp:  you'll need to adjust the bridge height.

For both of these, you can find instructions on YouTube ("How to intonate your guitar", "How to adjust the action on your guitar"), if you're comfortable with tools.  Otherwise, you can pay someone $30-$50 to do it for you. 

There's also the "neck relief" -- the curve of the neck:  ideally as you go down the fretboard, none of the intervening frets (between your finger and the bridge) get in the way and cause "fret buzz".  This is also something that you can adjust yourself -- but this is getting towards the zone where it may be better to have someone do it for you (at the same time as setting the action and intonating your guitar).


Anyhow:  most of the most famous guitarists are there because they play all the time -- not necessarily "practice" -- but they're just always playing, experimenting, having fun:  "face time".

If you practice, you'll get better.  If you don't, you won't.


--GG

Tips on buying an electric guitar

Tips for buying a (used?) electric guitar:


1) Take a friend who plays guitar (if you know someone).

2) Humbucker pickups if you want a full, meaty sounds, single-coils if you want a thin, cutting sound.  (There are other types of pickups, with different sounds -- but this is a good starting point.)

3) It's okay to start with a small practice amp.  Get a guitar amp that has a "Pre" volume knob and a "Post" or "Master" (or a "Drive" and "Volume"?) -- or some variation of two volume knobs -- then turn up the "pre" and turn down the "master" for distortion -- or keep the "pre" low and the "master" up for a clean sound

4) Even though you'll get a slightly better price through Craigslist, Gumtree, etc., I suggest going to a pawn shop:  more of a range, all in one place.

5) Find a guitar that you think looks cool, and "grabs" you.  If you can't find one that appeals, go to another shop rather than "settling".

6) If you know power chords (see YouTube), you can fake just about anything.

7) If you have an electric guitar, you automatically look cool.

8) If you are at all sentimental, avoid trading in or selling your first guitar:  95% chance you will regret losing it. 


Good luck!


--GG

Billy Corgan guitar style and tips

About a year ago I "discovered" Billy Corgan as a guitarist:  I had a few Smashing Pumpkins records, and thought they were "pretty good" -- but hadn't listened to them in a while.  But then I stumbled across some YouTube videos -- it may've been the one about how his long-lost stolen Stratocaster finally got returned -- and went "Hey!  He's a good guitarist."

I like him because - much like Tom Morello -- it's not that they play quickly:  it's that they do interesting (but musical!) things with the guitar (i.e. not "interesting but weird and non-musical).

Anyhow:  worth watching if you're a songwriter or guitarist that writes your own stuff:  some good approaches and techniques.



--GG

Guitar hack

Today is Saturday.  Last night I applied a hack to an electric guitar.  I'd been pondering this modification for a few weeks.


Here's the timeline:


-About 30-35 years ago, my dad showed me how to do electronics-style soldering.

-In February 2015 or before, I bought a used, Frankenstein-y electric guitar for AU$30 (negotiated down from AU$39) -- so, about US$24.  The previous owner had converted it from a H-S-H configuration (Humbucker - Single-coil - Humbucker -- i.e. a wide pickup in the neck and bridge position, and a narrow pickup in the middle) to a S-S-S configuration (i.e. three single-coils).

That's a little weird, given that "three single-coil" guitars are widely available, and it didn't look like the pickups had been upgraded to fancier versions -- so why bother modifying this guitar, rather than just trading?  Also, the previous owner had left gaps around the new, smaller pickups -- through which you could see the wiring underneath.

Kinda ugly -- but also interesting.  I bought the guitar with the intent to do some sort of experimenting with, sometime in the future.


-Feb 28, 2015 -- Tested the guitar.  According to my notes (a piece of paper I put in the guitar case), the tone knob didn't work, the neck pickup had an oddly weak output, and the mid + bridge setting didn't do anything at all (but the other pickup combinations worked fine).


-A year or two ago -- Read a band interview where the guitarist said that even though a lot of hard rock/metal guitarists like "hot" pickups (i.e. many windings, to provide a higher output), using high-powered pickups actually kills the tone by reducing the treble.  Therefore, he and the other guitarist in the band actually use relatively low-output pickups.


-About a year ago, started to appreciate single-pickup guitars.  Les Paul Juniors (with P-90s), Fender Esquires, and Fender Musicmasters, in particular:  straightforward; they get in and get the job done; forces you do to more, with less.

-A month or two ago -- Watched a YouTube video where the presenter demonstrated that if there are (electromagnetic) pickups on your guitar that you never use, then you're well served to remove them:  the magnets on the extraneous pickups subtly dampen your sustain, and damage your tone a little.  No benefits (because you're not using them), yet they impart a cost.


-About two weeks ago -- Watched a YouTube video about guitar pickups, where the presenter said that the middle pickup on Stratocaster-style guitars are often overlooked:  they actually give a good Mark Knopfler tone (guitarist/singer from Dire Straits).


-Wednesday night, June 19 (three nights ago) -- Played my fake Stratocaster (had been using another (also inexpensive) guitar for the last year or so), and actually paid attention to the pickup sounds.  Sunovvagun:  yep!  the middle pickup has my preferred sound.  But, don't want to mess with that guitar:  it's good as it is.

Decided to create a stripped down, ultimate no-frills guitar:  a pickup, an output jack -- and that's it.  No volume knob, no tone knob, no pickup selector. Kind of like tearing out the passenger seats from a hot rod, to remove excess weight.

Some guitarists use the volume knob for "volume swell" effects, or to adjust the amount of amp distortion by how hard they're driving the amp -- but I don't.

And some guitarists use the tone knob for wah-wah types of effects -- or to roll of the treble to darken the sound, for a jazzier tone -- but I don't.

And with only one pickup -- no need for a pickup selector.

The pickup would be placed in the middle position, as per the above-stated reasons.


-Thursday night, June 20 (two nights ago) -- Retrieved from storage another fake Stratocaster guitar (blue) that I'd bought years ago for AU$45 (stickered at AU$49) -- so about US$36 -- that I'd been planning on selling online, as well as the above-mentioned "Frankenstein-y" guitar.  Oneo f these would become the stripped-down guitar.

Played the blue guitar, and actually liked the sounds enough that I decided to not alter it:  the middle pickup was oddly trebly, almost as much as the bridge pickup -- but in the right situation it would be a useful sound.

Also tried to play the Frankenstein-y guitar, but it no longer passed a signal -- which was even more reason to use this one for my experimenting:  non-functioning, so little to lose, if I messed up.


-Friday, June 21 (last night) -- Dug out my shoebox of guitar pickups that I've accumulated over the years:  used my Ohm-meter to test their resistance, with the reasoning that the lowest-resistance pickups would be the most under-wound, and thus the one that I wanted.  Since I was testing them all, anyhow, I labeled the ones that were not already labelled; also started an inventory list on a scrap of paper (including the resistance values), which I then put in the box.

Also took the pickguard off the "Frankenstein-y" guitar and de-soldered the components (i.e. separated them).  The insides of the guitar was indeed Frankenstein-y:  quite the hodgepodge of wires -- and unnecessary amounts of electrician's tape bundling things together -- which I had to unwrap before de-soldering.

For the moment, left the three pickups in place, mounted on the pickguard -- but tested their resistance as well.  Removed all the other components from the pickguard (volume and tone knob and pots; pickup selector).

I tend to do my soldering on the (turned off!) kitchen stove:  the fan in the range hood whisks away the smoke and fumes from the soldering.

The humbuckers ranged from 6kOhms to 16 kOhms -- too hot for my purposes (but I knew they would be).

The single-coils ranged from 3.8kOhms to 6.5kOhms.  Conveniently, the lowest-resistance pickup (3.8kOhms) was the pickup already mounted in the center position on the Frankenstein-y guitar -- so, I wouldn't have to move it. 

Soldered the pickup directly to the wires leading to the output jack-- and also soldered the ground wire (which connects to the bridge of the guitar, and therefore also the strings).  Hat-tip to my dad for teaching me how to solder.

Reinstalled the pickguard (with the lone pickup mounted in the middle). Plugged the guitar into my amp, and -- nothing.  Huh.

Tested the conductivity, and the resistance between the soldering lugs of the jack was 3.8kOhms -- as expected (i.e. passing through the guitar pickup).  Removed the jack from the guitar body, put in a guitar cable, and spent about fifteen minutes being confused by the contradictory readings -- mostly that the "ground" lug wasn't conducting to the outside of the metal jack mounting (which should also be "ground").

Eventually figured out that it had once been a stereo plug, so the "ring" contact had been broken off from the plug, but (apparently) the wrong "soldering lug" had been broken off.  Thus, the "sleeve" soldering lug and the physical "ground" were independent. (Why had it worked when I tried it right after buying it?  Miracle?)

Un-soldered the plug, threw it away, found a replacement plug from my "electronics parts" box, and soldered that in.  Plugged a guitar cable into the instrument jack and tested the resistance:  3.8kOhms; promising!

Screwed in a few of the screws, to tack the pickguard in place, and tried the guitar on the amp.  Success!!!  Sound.

Decided I didn't like the open gaps in the pickguard: crud could get in there, insects building nests, etc.  Decided to cover the holes from the underside, with yellow duct tape:  decorative; the color would contrast nicely with the red guitar and black pickguard; and the yellow would emphasize the missing components.

Intentionally -- and out of laziness -- let the ends of the tape artistically protrude from beyond the pickguard.

Installed all the screws in the pickguard.

Was missing the high-E string.  Re-strung the guitar with new strings (but didn't bother to re-intonate; getting late, will do some other time).  Discovered that the holes in the back plate don't properly align with the string access holes:  gah; had to remove the screws for the back plate.  From this, also discovered that someone had used a tube of lipstick (in a heavy-duty plastic case) as a shim to wedge the tremolo bridge into the "down" position -- which I prefer.  Shrugged, and left the lipstick there, put the back plate on again. 

Tuned the guitar (using a free cell phone app:  modern technology...).

Played the guitar "clean" -- no effects, no distortion:  yep -- a good sound.  A successful experiment.  Will keep it this way:  straightfoward and simple.


--GG


P.S. I have a co-worker who sat across from me for the last seven years, but is now in a nursing home:  a stroke-like incident (he was 60-ish).  We'd discuss guitars and rock music -- but now he doesn't discuss anything.  If he was his old self, I'd have forwarded this blog entry to him.  I miss him.  

Want this guitar

For some reason, I had a hankering to see the video to Genesis' "I Can't Dance".

And, from 0:28 to 0:45, I saw a darned cool guitar:



With assistance from Cynical Guy, I managed to track it down:  the Kay "Speed Demon".  It has "speed bump"-style pickups (never heard of; I learned something new), and it comes in single-pickup and three-pickup versions.

Here's a demo:




This guitar is definitely on "my list".  :)

So cool.


--GG

Guitar geekery

Sheryl Crow -- I have a few of her albums -- talking about some of her Telecasters.




It's nice to hear a female engaging in guitar geekery:  too often, it's males.


--GG

Bone guitar

While running some errands today, I came across a garage sale.

As usual, I asked if they had any music gear that they hadn't actually put out for sale, but would consider selling.  Turns out the guy had an electric guitar that he'd found during one of the "Place your large items on the sidewalk, and the garbage collectors will fetch it" weeks.

He sold it to me for five bucks.  Usually, at a garage sale, I'd negotiate down.  But, heck:  five bucks.


Here's the guitar.  It's a nice "bone" color.  It's what I refer to as a "fake Strat", with single-coil pickups in the neck and middle positions, and a humbucker at the bridge.

I tested the electronics by plugging it in to an amp, and holding a tuning fork next to the pickups, after removing the terribly rusty strings.  It passes a signal, and all three pickups work, as well as the pickup selector switch.  I can't tell what the actual guitar tone would be like:  I'll find out once I re-string it.

The volume knob doesn't adjust the volume:  it's permanently "on" (which is better than "off" -- because at least it generates sound!).  The tone knob for the neck pickup works -- but the tone knob for the middle pickup doesn't seem to.

But, hey:  five bucks.


Here's the headstock:  It's a Hondo H77.  I haven't yet done the research to see if that's a good model, or what.

Here's a closer look at the body.  Note all that "character"!  But I kinda like it.  I wouldn't ever artificially "distress" a guitar -- but if it already comes a little dinged-up, I'm OK with that.  A beautiful, unblemished guitar would actually make me nervous about putting the first scratch on it.

I found it interesting that there are two grounding wires to the bridge assembly.  At first I thought that this was a sign of quality -- but then when trying to remove the old strings I discovered that I couldn't, because of the copper wire across the string holes.  So it must be something a previous owner did, rather than something from the factory.

When I'm ready to finish changing the strings, I'll have to pry that grounding wire off to the side. 

Curiously, the strap button on the tail of the guitar was strongly recessed into the body.  This means that you couldn't mount a guitar strap on it.

I removed the strap button, and discovered that there was a recessed, painted plug down the hole.  The plug is painted the same as the body.  I don't know how this would've happened, or if it was intentional (and if so, why?).  Weird.

I needed a broad washer with a small hole, to keep the strap button from falling back into the recess when I re-installed it.  I didn't have a washer of the right size, so I did a "field repair" of flattening a bottle cap to a Cooper's brand non-alcoholic fake beer.

Using a bottle cap also served the purpose of personalizing the guitar.  I like to put a sticker or some other minor alteration on a guitar, just to personalize it -- but with this one, I didn't want to cover the paint color (which I like!) or change the visual balance of the headstock.  So adding the splash of red had both a functional and an aesthetic function.


The wooden fingerboard was looking rather dried out.  Note in particular the end to the left, in this photo.  (To see it better, you may have to click the photo to enlarge it.)

And here's the fingerboard with some rubbed-in "tool handle mix" of boiled linseed oil, diluted with alcohol.

So, yeah:  five bucks.  I'm pleased.  :)


Some other day I'll finish removing the strings; put new strings on; and intonate it.

And much later, I'll get around to correcting the electronics.   Or, just leaving it as ideosyncratic:  with only one knob (the bridge-pickup tone) that actually works.  Being quirky is more interesting -- and in this case, will take far less effort.  ;)


--GG

Guitar dream and waking up to songs

Last night I dreamed that I went to the Cash Converters to look for guitars.

I found one with an unusual body shape -- much like a Vox Phantom, but with the body rotated 90 degrees (see mock-up).

It was a stupid approach, because the pickups were **parallel** to the strings, so each string either had **all six** pole pieces under it -- or **no** pickup.

Then I realized that it **was** a Vox Phantom where someone had rotated the body: I could see the old screw holes on the back for the neck.

And then I woke up.  :)


Speaking of sleeping:  for about the last week when I've woken up, the very first thing that has gone through my head is the music and lyrics (either the chorus, or the start of the first verse) to one of the songs I've recently written.  The exception is that about two mornings ago I woke up to "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms -- probably because I'd stayed up late the night before, learning the song.


--GG

Basement rocker

As most office workers do, I keep a cheap electric guitar, a small practice amp, and a small toolbox with guitar gear, under my desk at work.

I occasionally -- by which I mean "once, since bringing it to work six months ago" -- go down the the lowest parking garage level under my building at work and play my guitar.  There's a concrete pillar that has a power outlet -- so I can plug in my amp.  Next to the pillar is a space between some bike racks which is protected by railings -- so I can set up and be safe from getting squished by cars. 

I point my amplifier away from me, to maximize the amount of natural reverb compared to the direct sound -- and I noodle away during my lunch break.


So, I did this once, about a week after first bringing my gear in to work (the first week of November, 2014).  (Holy carp -- it's April 2015!  How'd that happen?)  And for the last month I've been meaning to play "basement guitar" again.

Well, today's workday was making me feel a little futile -- so I went "eh", and went down during my lunch break. 

I enjoyed it.  And I amused the security staff.  :)


In related news, I'm playing guitar more often than I have in a loooong while:  about once a week, maybe a little more.  I've been inspired by a co-worker who is playing nearly every night.  I figure:  I enjoy it; I should do it more often.

I'm being fairly non-instrumental (pun not intended) in my playing:  I'm not recording, or trying to come up with song ideas.  I'm just noodling around with different scales, expressing myself, and enjoying the experience.  And in the process, presumably getting better at playing the guitar.


Finally, a comment about the guitar (pictured) -- which is the guitar I have under my desk at work.  It's kind of quirky -- but, I like quirky.  I picked it up for AU$59 (about US$43), because (as you can see in the photo, before I repaired it) two of the grommets on the tuning pegs were missing:  I repaired this by fabricating wooden "sleeves" to take up the space.  Also, the tip of the pickup selector switch is missing, and the volume and tone knobs are different styles of knob.

But, again -- I like quirky guitars.  :)


--GG

Pink P-90 guitar -- part 1

I don't have any guitars with P-90 pickups.  But based on some YouTube clips, I think I'd like the sound.

So, around early February (i.e. a month and a half ago) I decided I'd retrofit a P-90 into a spare guitar.  Eventually.

In other words, putting a P-90 in a guitar was on my "Someday" list:  eventually I'd mail-order a P-90 or two (I'd already selected the website to buy from).  But then in early March I saw an ad on Gumtree for a used P-90 at half the price of a new one -- so I picked it up on Sunday, March 8th.  And with that purchase, installing a P-90 was suddenly on my "The Next Few Weekends" list...


Here's a snapshot of the pink guitar that's the core of this project -- a "fake Strat", as I tend to call them.  Usually I don't like altering perfectly good guitars -- I like to leave them as I found them -- but this one already had two of the knobs broken off (purple arrows).  So I'd have to repair the electronics, anyway.

Since I only have one P-90, I knew I'd be creating a single-pickup guitar.  I'm fine with that:  there's a fair amount of precedent for guitars with a single pickup:

-My "main" guitar has two humbuckers mounted -- but only the bridge pickup works.  And I like the sound.

-Eddie Van Halen's "Frankenstrat" only has a humbucker in the bridge position (the single-coil at the neck is non-functioning; it's just cosmetic).

-And, for the last half-year I've been daydreaming about Les Paul Jr.s -- which only have a single, bridge pickup (a P-90, generally).

So, between March 8th and now (which is Sunday, March 22nd), I've worked on retrofitting the P-90 into the pink guitar.  I **was** going to present this project all in one blog entry -- but the process is taking longer than I expected.  So, this is "Part 1".  :)



Here's the guitar with the faceplate (as well as the pickups and electronics) removed, and the P-90 resting across the cavity, as a size comparison.  I've slid the P-90 as far into position as I can -- but it doesn't align properly with the two lengths of fishing line I've strung to represent the outermost guitar strings.  So, I'm going to have to widen the cavity for the pickup to fit correctly.

Because I have only one pickup, I'm going to set up the mounting plate to slide, so that I can adjust the pickup position.  As I mentioned above, I know from my playing style that I'm fine with just one pickup -- but because I haven't used a P-90 before, I want to be able to experiment with whether it sounds better mounted in the neck, middle, or bridge position.  If I occasionally want to change the pickup position, I'll just loosen the screws, slide the plate, and re-tighten.


I'll be using one of the below pieces of plexiglass as the mounting plate -- but, re-shaped.  These pieces of plexi are one of my (many) "salvage" finds.  I found them easily:  they were exactly where I knew they would be.

They're clear, so I'm going to make the guitar wiring a "feature" -- something to highlight, rather than to hide.

Back to the actual guitar.  Here, I've laid out masking tape, and marked out the necessary width for the pickup.  It's about a pinky's-width on each side.

This is the guitar, clamped to my portable workbench, with blocks of wood to protect the fact of the guitar (and an old shirt underneath, to protect the back).  This is under the carport, and I'm just finishing my hand-chiselling away the excess wood.  You can see the wooden mallet, made by my (late) paternal grandfather, lying across the neck of the guitar.

As you saw in the photos above, the inside of the body was painted a light pink.  But because I chiselled away some of the wood, there were two strips with bare wood.  Given that I'm using clear plexiglass as the mounting plate, I didn't like that.

Plus, I wanted the wiring to have a lighter background than the pink -- so that the wiring shows up more clearly, in contrast.  As I mentioned, I want the wiring to be a feature.  So, I re-painted.

Here I've masked off the body cavity, and painted it an undercoat of green.

While I waited for the paint to dry, I returned to the mounting plate:  I've put masking tape on it to make the layout easier, and have marked out where I'm going to make my cuts.

Back to the guitar (the next day!).  Here I've removed the masking, and placed fresh masking tape to map out where the screws for the "tracks" in the mounting plate will go.  You can also see the result of my second coat of paint:  a light dusting of white, so that the green undercoat shows through.

I then made some cuts to the mounting plate (but forgot one!  Will have to do it next time), defined the locations of the screw slots (for sliding), and marked out the approximate position for the pickup (which I then moved to the right a little bit).

Here's the mounting plate in the "full bridge" position:

And, here it is in the "full neck" position:

That's it for now.  I have some ideas for the electronics -- but I'll discuss those next time, once I have supporting photographs.

Clue:  I have a stash of various electronic components, so I already had a few double-pole, single-throw switches to choose from.  But I needed to visit the hardware store today to pick up another type of switch.


--GG

Basement guitared

So, this Thursday at lunchtime I finally did it.


A month or two ago I had the idea that I would bring in an extra guitar and guitar amp to work, and rock out during my lunch break.  Not every day -- just now and again.

I did some reconnisance.  Initially I had thought that I might play guitar at the first (top-most) level of the parking garage under our building.  But it turns out that a security person is posted there, to monitor the cars coming in and out.  And I didn't want to bother them.

So I decided to do it on the bottom-most level:  B3.  I looked around, and, yes -- some of the concrete pillars have electrical outlets.

And I found a location that was among a "zoned-off" area, where people park their bikes:  there were metal railings around this area, so I could set up there and be safe from cars.


But -- the international G20 meeting was coming up -- hosted downtown, near where I work -- so I didn't want to freak out the building security by doing things that were "unexpected".  So, I waited until it passed.


In the mean time, I ferried in the various components of my kit:  an electric guitar; a (very) small amplifier; an effects pedal or two, with their power adaptors; a guitar tuner; guitar cables; and an extension cord.  Also a GFI (see the postscript).


And then I waited a few days after the G20, because each lunch break I had an errand to attend to, instead of playing guitar.


But finally!  This last Thursday:  I loaded up; a co-worker (Lego Architect) was inspired to snap a photo (see above); and I headed down.


I stopped by the security person that monitored the entrance to the parking garage, to let her know what I was doing.  She didn't say "No".


Setting up only took a few minutes.  To emphasize the natural reverb, I pointed the amp away from me -- so that I'd get proportionately more "reflected" sound than "direct" sound.  And I cranked up the amp more than I usually do at home -- but then stood as far away as I could, given the length of my guitar cable.


And it sounded goooood...  :)


I rocked out for about a half hour, then packed up.  During the time that I was playing, a building maintenance guy stopped by and we chatted.  And he didn't say "No".  He was more intrigued than anything.


Once I packed up, I stopped by the security person at the entrance.  The shifts must have changed, because it was a different person.  And she didn't say "No".  In fact, she complimented me on my playing:  she said that she could hear it from where she was, and it sounded good.  She welcomed me back any time -- and she said that more people should do "random, individualistic" things.


So, yes:  I'll do this again.  :)


--GG


P.S.  For what it's worth:  used a no-name Flying V with humbuckers, into a $30 Aldi "Overdrive" pedal (which sounds much better than a $30 pedal).  

Used both the overdrive and some gain to further overdrive the solid-state "Falcon" brand amp which naturally overdrives from the get-go (no "Pre-" or "Gain" knob, just "Volume".  

The Falcon amp is oddly loud for such a small amp, and oddly full-range given the small speaker (although the cabinet is closed-back).


P.P.S. For safety, I used a Ground Fault Interruptor (GFI) -- what Aussies seem to call a "Residual Current Device" -- between my extension cord and the power outlet. 

A GFI differs from a circuit breaker (e.g. what's in most power strips):  a circuit breaker cuts off the electricity only when the current is past a certain threshhold -- that is, after you've already been electrocuted for a while.  In contrast, a GFI cuts the power when it senses that its losing power to ground (or "to 'earth' ", for the Australians) -- regardless of the amount.  So, a GFI is much safer. 

A lot of building codes now require GFIs in bathrooms -- for when people drop their hair driers into the sink.

The one I would buy

Thus far, I've never spent more than $300 (I'm pretty sure) on a guitar.


However -- if I **was** to spend $2,000-$3,000 on a guitar, instead of one like this...

...I'd rather get one like this...

...!!!


Built by this guy.  Yes, they're for sale -- he has a whole range of them.


--GG

Bending the G

When playing the blues scale -- with a bit of distortion -- I really like bending notes that are on the G.

I just thought you should know that.


--GG

Played again

Hey!  Actually played guitar for about an hour last night.

For a while -- i.e. for the few years -- I'd go for a month or two without playing guitar.  I'm now playing about twice a week.

Not as much as I'd like -- but it's a start.  And I **really** enjoy it.  Especially -- curiously -- bending the G and D strings (standard tuning) in the first box position in a blues scale.


--GG

Box o' switches

A few weeks ago I had the idea of modifying one of my electric guitars with some extra switches and such.  **Knew** I had a box of misc. electronics parts -- somewhere.  In our **previous** place, I knew exactly where it was.  But after about an hour of searching, I found it.

In fact, I found **two** boxes!  Spread them out out the kitchen table to see what I had.  Treasures!!!

Pushbuttons. 

Single-pole, single-throw switches. 

Double-pole, double-throw. 

Potentiometers. 

Knobs.

Dunno whether you, dear reader, can appreciate this little treasure trove -- or the **possibilities** contained in this little stash.  But, it's there.

(Bwah ha ha...)



--GG

Geeky items

A shop I really enjoy is Jaycar:  they're a local electronics and technology store (their slogan:  ''Better.  More technical.''), which sells various gizmos and test equipment (oscilloscopes!) and components (bins o' resistors, capacitors, switches...).

I have an idea for modifying my electric guitar, so I picked up a four-pole rotary switch.  I also picked up for a very reasonable price a mercury switch (see left), which is an on/off switch that is triggered by its position:  the blob of mercury either touches the two terminals to complete the circuit, or else it doesn't.

And, I picked up two photoresistors of different resistance levels.  (Photoresistors that have less resistance when light is hitting them.  Neat-o!)  I'm not certain specifically what I'll do with them, but I thinking along the lines of adding a selector switch to my guitar to engage/disengage the photoresistor 'loop', and rig up some sort of light-dependent tone control.

It'll be several months before I actually hack my guitar -- gotta finish the chicken coop, first!  And then make a shelter for my various stashes of wood. 

But I'll post some pics of the completed, road-warrior-ed guitar, once I've modded it.


--GG

Guitar geekery

During my lunch break at work yesterday, I tried to adjust the intonation of my guitar.  (That is:  micro-adjust the string length, by making small adjustments at the tail end of the guitar.)  The photo shows it laid out on the cabinet at the end of our large meeting room.

You can see the clip-on tuner on the headstock.  It's the round thingy.  Love it.


**Unfortunately**, one of the bridge saddles got jammed.  Looks like I'm going to need bolt cutters to snip through the bolt and remove it -- and then buy a replacement one.  (The bridge saddles are **not** high-quality.)

Although:  I'm thinking about replacing them with another sort of bridge.


Anyhow, just thought I'd share.  Not too many office workers spent their Friday lunch break doing guitar maintenance, I reckon.


--GG

Fluorescing guitar and bass strings

Found this by accident while YouTubing for some Rush videos: electric bass, and electric guitar, strings that fluoresce under black lights!

http://www.drstrings.com/neon-strings-gallery

The guy in the video I saw says the bass strings sound nearly as good as ''regular'' strings.


--GG