To know it's hard to believe, but I don't care for the Beatles either. A few songs I like but on the whole I'll pass. I think it's more due to the attitude of "you must love them" that makes me just say no.
I still don't understand how that even works. Like physically cannot wrap my head around it.
You shove a plain block of wood in a gap. Suddenly it just starts working better. If it wasn't taken so seriously, I'd think it was a massive trolling attempt.
I want to take my guitar for a setup but the fender tech around me has a week turn around and the music store/guitar center are both 4-5 days...
how the hell involved are these things?
Don't do this! Unless your guitar is jacked, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours to do max. Turnaround shouldn't be more than a day. There are a ton of guides on the internet that are pretty easy to follow. I mean, for just over the price of a set up you can get a set of high quality tools http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Tool_Kits/Basic_Setup_Kit.html
I just recently did my own, and while scary, I took my time and followed the instructions. It came out damn near perfect when I took it to a tech to look over. Just make sure you have the tools and follow the guides. I can help you out with it, and show you all the resources I used. The big thing is having the tools. You need some good precision rulers to set the action, and feeler gauges are nice, but a business card works just as well to set the truss rod. THat stewmac site has a basic video. ALthough I don't like all their instructions they give. But if you buy this thing here for $20 http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/0670
it will have pretty much every measurement you need to do it.
Unless your neck is warped, or your fretboard is just jacked up, I'd highly recomend saving the money and doing it yourself. You'll learn alot about your guitar in the process, and what everything does.
now he's doing a les paul. You will see different directions depending on guitar. You capo first fret, and you push on either the 22nd, or 15th. How do you know which one? The key is where the neck joint is at. On a LP the neck joint is at the 15th fret and that's why you fret it there. When you do this you shoul be able to get a business card underneath the 7th fret.
If by chance you are doing a les paul here's some factory measurements for action and such
I posted this in another thread, and just thought I'd make it easier to find. Plus I can't sleep so enjoy ...
Hi I'm David the final inspector at Gibson Memphis. I can give you the factory spec info. on our setups. You will need a mechanics rule to do this properly.
To check neck relief: fret the low E at the first and 15th fret (not 12th) reach to the 7th fret and tap string. There should be a small space between string and fret - no thicker than a piece of paper. Do the same with the high E.
ACTION: fret low E at first fret and measure the distance from the bottom of the to the top of the 15th fret. It should be 5/64". Do the same with the high E, measurement should be 3/64". Now measure the string height at the nut; underside of the string to the top of the fret. Low E and A should measure 2/64", D and G =1.5/64" and B and high E = 1/64". If string height at nut is correct, recheck string height at 12th fret with strings open. Measurement for low and high E's should be the same as measurement taken at the 15th.
Pickups: Fret low E at 22nd fret and measure pickup height from underside of string to point on pickup closest to string. Bridge pickup should be 3/64", neck pickup should be 4/32". Fret high E at 22nd fret, distance for both pickups should be 3/32".
Play test: Play every string at every fret checking for buzzes. Bend High E string 1 and 1/2 steps, beginning at the sixth fret and ending at 22nd, checking for "choking" and to make sure string stays in nut notch
I still don't understand how that even works. Like physically cannot wrap my head around it.
You shove a plan block of wood in a gap. Suddenly it just starts working better. If it wasn't taken so seriously, I'd think it was a massive trolling attempt.
It makes even less sense to me since the whole concept of the guitar is built on this "resonance of the wood" principle.
Lemme just shove some shitty wood right in the middle of it.
Edit: Tommat's posts terrify me. I don't think he knows what it's like to be a guy who struggled to even replace the strings on his guitar.
Did it wrong at one point. Had to take one of the strings off and start over.
I still don't understand how that even works. Like physically cannot wrap my head around it.
You shove a plan block of wood in a gap. Suddenly it just starts working better. If it wasn't taken so seriously, I'd think it was a massive trolling attempt.
It makes even less sense to me since the whole concept of the guitar is built on this "resonance of the wood" principle.
Lemme just shove some shitty wood right in the middle of it.
Edit: Tommat's posts terrify me. I don't think he knows what it's like to be a guy who struggled to even replace the strings on his guitar.
Did it wrong at one point. Had to take one of the strings off and start over.
I watch a youtube video almost everytime I change my strings. Although I think I finally understand some of the principles behind it now. And I have a LP, which is the easiest guitar in the world to change the strings on. I just forget the way to wrap around the heads.
Also, I know those videos look scary. But take your guitar, and follow them. Don't make any adjustements, just take measurements. It's really pretty simple. I mean, look at the Joe Walsh one!
The wood in the gap, I would assume is a means of locking a floating tremolo. I don't think it would affect the resonance of the guitar, but am planning on doing it to my guitar as I want my trem locked.
The wood in the gap, I would assume is a means of locking a floating tremolo. I don't think it would affect the resonance of the guitar, but am planning on doing it to my guitar as I want my trem locked.
Can you all describe for me what a floating tremolo is, and why locking it is a good thing?
Because all i hear is tremolo tremolo tremolo tremolo and I think, well you just gotta move your pick back and forth quicker!
The wood in the gap, I would assume is a means of locking a floating tremolo. I don't think it would affect the resonance of the guitar, but am planning on doing it to my guitar as I want my trem locked.
Can you all describe for me what a floating tremolo is, and why locking it is a good thing?
Because all i hear is tremolo tremolo tremolo tremolo and I think, well you just gotta move your pick back and forth quicker!
The wood in the gap, I would assume is a means of locking a floating tremolo. I don't think it would affect the resonance of the guitar, but am planning on doing it to my guitar as I want my trem locked.
Can you all describe for me what a floating tremolo is, and why locking it is a good thing?
Because all i hear is tremolo tremolo tremolo tremolo and I think, well you just gotta move your pick back and forth quicker!
Tremolo bridge = whammy bar system so you can loosen and tighten strings depending on how you push or pull the bar.
Wood block = cheap easy tremolo lock by stopping the system from being able to move. Cheap guitars have crappy hardware and can lose tuning quicker, plus the Tremolo moving while you play even without using the bar can make it happen faster.
The wood in the gap, I would assume is a means of locking a floating tremolo. I don't think it would affect the resonance of the guitar, but am planning on doing it to my guitar as I want my trem locked.
Can you all describe for me what a floating tremolo is, and why locking it is a good thing?
Because all i hear is tremolo tremolo tremolo tremolo and I think, well you just gotta move your pick back and forth quicker!
Tremolo bridge = whammy bar system so you can loosen and tighten strings depending on how you push or pull the bar.
Wood block = cheap easy tremolo lock by stopping the system from being able to move. Cheap guitars have crappy hardware and can lose tuning quicker, plus the Tremolo moving while you play even without using the bar can make it happen faster.
So why wouldn't the manufacturer include one as an option?
Or, I guess, why isn't there just a standard plastic block or some such you can buy?
The wood in the gap, I would assume is a means of locking a floating tremolo. I don't think it would affect the resonance of the guitar, but am planning on doing it to my guitar as I want my trem locked.
Can you all describe for me what a floating tremolo is, and why locking it is a good thing?
Because all i hear is tremolo tremolo tremolo tremolo and I think, well you just gotta move your pick back and forth quicker!
Tremolo bridge = whammy bar system so you can loosen and tighten strings depending on how you push or pull the bar.
Wood block = cheap easy tremolo lock by stopping the system from being able to move. Cheap guitars have crappy hardware and can lose tuning quicker, plus the Tremolo moving while you play even without using the bar can make it happen faster.
So why wouldn't the manufacturer include one as an option?
Or, I guess, why isn't there just a standard plastic block or some such you can buy?
These are really dumb questions, I bet.
They do, their called hard tail. Gibson is known for them more so, but fender has some models as well.
Ya a tremolo bar is just a bridge type basically. They are also commonly refereed to as Floyd Rose style bridges (One of the top name brands in Tremolo bridges. Maybe the original? I dunno. ) And they are not good for beginners for a variety of reasons, one being you need to learn to tune your guitar and will probably be wanting to try many different tunings. When you lock in a Floyd Rose style bridge properly, you are not going to lose tune no matter what you do pretty much. It is locked. But, to change tunings, you need to set it all up again, to do it properly. And if you don't lock it in properly, just looking at them wrong will throw it out of tune. The bridge is constantly stretching and loosening the strings, giving it the sound.
I went over to a friends how tonight to watch his band jam and his Floyd rose style bridge caused a problem. They're into some deep metal (It sounded good surprisingly) and he tunes low, down to B I think maybe. step and a half below Drop D he said, but I think he's in standard increments. Anyways, I showed him this riff that he really really liked. We had to use my guitar swapping back and forth, as his tremolo is locked into his tuning. It would have taken a decent amount of time to get it back into standard, and then he'd have to tune it back and lock it all in eventually.
As to why there isn't stuff sold out there to lock it (Although I"m sure there is, the wood is just a way to do it cheap and with stuff you have) Ideally you should be buying a guitar with the type of bridge you want. You should know whether you prefer a tremolo or hard tail.
Or maybe it's a conspiracy. I mean, most beginner guitars have whammy bars, and they look cool, so beginners want those guitars. They won't take the time to set them up properly, so they have to bring it back to the shop and have a pro do it. It all makes sense now.
Floyd Rose systems usually also come with a bar to lock the strings at the Nut, so that when you do your Divebomb it will snap back to whatever it was tuned to. The main drawback is if you snap a string, you need to unlock the nut, and restring, then retune EVERYTHING. Where as a regular no locked nut you just replace the broken string and mostly retune that string and make whatever adjustments needed.
As far as why they sell beginner ones with tremolo systems vs hardtail? I have to say that a professional guestimation on my part figures that a mere 99% of all brand new guitar players want to be able to Divebomb!
Floyd Rose systems usually also come with a bar to lock the strings at the Nut, so that when you do your Divebomb it will snap back to whatever it was tuned to. The main drawback is if you snap a string, you need to unlock the nut, and restring, then retune EVERYTHING. Where as a regular no locked nut you just replace the broken string and mostly retune that string and make whatever adjustments needed.
As far as why they sell beginner ones with tremolo systems vs hardtail? I have to say that a professional guestimation on my part figures that a mere 99% of all brand new guitar players want to be able to Divebomb!
Ya that lock at the nut is why we didn't retune his guitar today, and also the reason they stay in tune. If you take the time how to use it properly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Floyd Rose style tremolo's, although a cheap beginner guitar, I do not know. My first guitar was a Kramer from a pawn shop that had an actual Floyd Rose in it. So, at least the times I got it set up from the shop and didn't fuck with it, it was really nice and awesome to play with.
And whammy bars are kind of awesome and fun, and beginners love them. So much they rely on them, which probably isn't good. It's probably best to take it out so you learn to vibrato the strings on their own and such. Also, who needs a whammy bar?
Found 3 more guides I'm going to add to the OP. I came across them looking up the neck bend stuff, and they are on different ways to learn the notes on the fretboard, and one is a trick to find root noots, and know what any note is on the fly. Here we go.
This first one is nice and easy and based off knowing the root notes on the 6th and 5th strings. And you should, cause you can play any chord with the barre chord shape knowing that!
This one combines the scales you know/are learning/should be learning and a basic amount of theory (Mentions 3rds, 4ths, stuff like that, ) and goes about how to learn all the notes on the guitar. So far I'm thinking this is really good. Although my ears are ringing and it's making it hard to actually digest.
And, if you're more of a learn by doing drills and such, here is a video with 3 drills that if you did every day, you would memorize it pretty quickly. It wouldn't be fun or pretty though
I really hope RS1 is in the Steam sale next week. There is more than enough content in 2014 for a newbie like me, but some nights I just want to play this like Rockband... and you can never have enough songs for that.
I probably should focus more on learning individual songs and the training games, but man, it's just so fun to play real songs. Even when I know I'm only playing like 1/4 of all the notes.
See, my guitar has a tremolo bridge, but since I picked it up second hand it, for some reason, doesn't have a whammy bar. Since I don't WANT to use the whammy I've never put one in, but the end result is I have all of the problems with a tremolo bridge and no benefit!
I don't know how, but high school me was prescient enough to get a limited edition semi-hollow p-90 double cut telecaster that everyone who sees it now constantly begs me to sell. but yeah my first guitar had that cheap fender whammy on it that i ended up taking out after a few months of it ruining my tuning.
I got RS2014 the other day and enjoyed playing a few songs (learned Paint It Black, finally, that was always on my to do list) but then I got into a session mode and, my God, I spent hours there. The fact that the notes for the chord that is coming up in the progression get highlighted before the chord change happens, made some things just click while I was messing around with solos. I spent hours late at night just jamming.
But now, I need a new guitar, because my starter Fender just does not feel right any more!!!
Any thoughts or experiences with those from anyone? Thanks!
1st ever "Penny-Arcade Hero Academy Tournament" Toilet Bowl Champion!
"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
I got RS2014 the other day and enjoyed playing a few songs (learned Paint It Black, finally, that was always on my to do list) but then I got into a session mode and, my God, I spent hours there. The fact that the notes for the chord that is coming up in the progression get highlighted before the chord change happens, made some things just click while I was messing around with solos. I spent hours late at night just jamming.
But now, I need a new guitar, because my starter Fender just does not feel right any more!!!
Any thoughts or experiences with those from anyone? Thanks!
one thing to note, on the 2nd one, it uses Steinberger gearless tuners that you may have to solder some of the strings if you don't buy the right ones. http://www.steinberger.com/images/gearlessuse.pdf
I got RS2014 the other day and enjoyed playing a few songs (learned Paint It Black, finally, that was always on my to do list) but then I got into a session mode and, my God, I spent hours there. The fact that the notes for the chord that is coming up in the progression get highlighted before the chord change happens, made some things just click while I was messing around with solos. I spent hours late at night just jamming.
But now, I need a new guitar, because my starter Fender just does not feel right any more!!!
Any thoughts or experiences with those from anyone? Thanks!
Get an Agile.
I'm being serious. They are nearly as good as a Gibson without the horrendous price point.
They need to be set up when you get one from the factory, but the owner is really good at working with people on issues. If you don't like the guitar you get, he'll replace it or allow you to return it.
I have nothing but good things to say about Rondo Music.
Grover tuners. Alnico humbuckers. Graphite nut. Genuine wood top, not a laminate photo. Hand-filed jumbo frets.
$399.99.
EDIT: Alternately, this one has a similar finish to the ones you linked.
And is around $300 cheaper.
For reference, I play Rocksmith (and in a full-time band, which is part of my living wage) with an Agile Paul Reed Smith knockoff and I can do alt tunings on the fly without tuning issues. It sounds great straight out of the case, get it set up properly and you have a very workable guitar for a very reasonable price.
I too would like to chime in on how great Agile guitars are. Well, at least the one I have anyhow. This is CLOSE, but not the exact one I have: http://www.rondomusic.com/AL2000natbird.html
The one I have appears to be discontinued. However, it plays great and I bought it used from someone local for about $200. It plays just as well as some of my more expensive guitars. I updated the pickups because I was trying to get it to sound like another guitar of mine as I use it as a backup at shows and I hate when my tone changes significantly when I change guitars just because a string broke or something. It holds tuning well, sounds great, and plays really smooth. Don't overlook them.
Yeah, Rondo's guitars are much better than the price indicates. You're still going to have to shell out some money if you want a truly high quality instrument, but most people's experience with Rondo is they compare favorably to many guitars that double their cost. The really cheap ones are also great platforms for trying out modifications... very few issues with the neck/body/frets but cheap pickups/tuning keys.
Their higher end guitars (which are ~$600) compare favorably to a lot of name brand stuff. In fact, they use name-brand parts for pretty much all the important stuff. Good tuners come standard on even their lower-end stuff, which is the most important thing for a beginner.
Yeah I love my Fender to death, it's my baby, and my main instrument, but I don't feel bad at all for having my Agile for backup/alternate tunings. People scoff when I use it ("Pfft. That's not a Fender/Gibson/PRS/etc.!") but then I let them play on it for a bit and they always wonder what I did to make it play, feel and sound so good, and their mind is kind of blown when I say that all I did was set it up.
I own two of them (one is a Les Paul knockoff, the other a PRS) and we got them for our church band because of the amazing price:quality ratio compared to other stuff, and out of the 6 or 7 Agiles I have played on, not one of them has been subpar.
I would recommend staying above the $300 price point because lower than that and you get something like Dehumanized said; something that's pretty great for modifying but not so great out of the box. Anything $299 and up is going to be pretty okay as soon as you get it set up.
Thank you for the info! I'll try to find a local store that has Agiles in store to try out. I honestly don't know what I'm looking for specifically, but overall I'd like soft, low action, ability to hold tune, sustain and nice humbuckers. I don't know which pick ups are better than the others or what kind of a fretboard is better.
One thing I saw in the description is that the Gibsons have an asymmetrical neck which, theoretically, makes it more comfortable and natural to hold, but again, I don't have the experience to say how true this is.
1st ever "Penny-Arcade Hero Academy Tournament" Toilet Bowl Champion!
"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
Thank you for the info! I'll try to find a local store that has Agiles in store to try out. I honestly don't know what I'm looking for specifically, but overall I'd like soft, low action, ability to hold tune, sustain and nice humbuckers. I don't know which pick ups are better than the others or what kind of a fretboard is better.
One thing I saw in the description is that the Gibsons have an asymmetrical neck which, theoretically, makes it more comfortable and natural to hold, but again, I don't have the experience to say how true this is.
I honestly don't know that any domestic stores stock Agiles anymore. There used to be at least one retailer that did, but I don't know if that's true anymore.
Their workshop isn't in the US, so part of the downside to this is that you're basically buying sight unseen, which is typically an issue for guitars. However, if you shoot the owner an email, he should confirm what I said already; they have really good customer service, and they do replace guitars if you find an issue with them. But I honestly haven't had any problems with the many Agiles I've tried. I emailed the owner when I bought my first Agile with my concerns and he got back to me extremely promptly.
(I don't work for Rondo Music)
EDIT: Also, and I know somebody might disagree with this, but Gibsons are notorious for overpricing their guitars. Their lower end stuff is definitely good compared to Fender especially, but you're still paying more for that logo on the headstock. You could get a pretty nice Fender strat for the price you'd pay for a low-end Les Paul.
After this discussion on the Agiles, I've done some looking around and I'm pretty impressed by how respected this brand is. While I'd really been wanting to go for a tele to replace my Squier, now I'm seriously looking at one of these Les Paul copies. Considering the reviews they get, seems like a pretty legit pickup considering you're getting a $1000+ comparable guitar for $300.
I wish there was a place where I could try one out, though. Still wary of playing in the store, but putting hands on the lusted after tele and then an Agile would let me evaluate those couple extra hundred bucks much better.
Except this dude, he apparently has some serious beef with Rondo's stuff:
this is not the first time I've heard people talk about how great agile is... now I really want to check them out though because I know and respect the information from here more than reddit.
After this discussion on the Agiles, I've done some looking around and I'm pretty impressed by how respected this brand is. While I'd really been wanting to go for a tele to replace my Squier, now I'm seriously looking at one of these Les Paul copies. Considering the reviews they get, seems like a pretty legit pickup considering you're getting a $1000+ comparable guitar for $300.
I wish there was a place where I could try one out, though. Still wary of playing in the store, but putting hands on the lusted after tele and then an Agile would let me evaluate those couple extra hundred bucks much better.
Except this dude, he apparently has some serious beef with Rondo's stuff:
I'm not at home so I can't get an idea of what this guy is saying yet. His picture kind of screams tone snob though.
Take this for what it's worth, but I play my Agiles all the time for my second job ($600/mo.) and I've been doing it for 8 years now, to say nothing of all the experience I have from before that, and I haven't been fired yet, so I must be doing something right. :P
Posts
You shove a plain block of wood in a gap. Suddenly it just starts working better. If it wasn't taken so seriously, I'd think it was a massive trolling attempt.
EDIT: Oh shit. : trollface : actually worked.
And the beatles are the greatest ever!
Don't do this! Unless your guitar is jacked, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours to do max. Turnaround shouldn't be more than a day. There are a ton of guides on the internet that are pretty easy to follow. I mean, for just over the price of a set up you can get a set of high quality tools
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Tool_Kits/Basic_Setup_Kit.html
I just recently did my own, and while scary, I took my time and followed the instructions. It came out damn near perfect when I took it to a tech to look over. Just make sure you have the tools and follow the guides. I can help you out with it, and show you all the resources I used. The big thing is having the tools. You need some good precision rulers to set the action, and feeler gauges are nice, but a business card works just as well to set the truss rod. THat stewmac site has a basic video. ALthough I don't like all their instructions they give. But if you buy this thing here for $20
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/0670
it will have pretty much every measurement you need to do it.
Unless your neck is warped, or your fretboard is just jacked up, I'd highly recomend saving the money and doing it yourself. You'll learn alot about your guitar in the process, and what everything does.
I'll list all the sites I used that I can remember
http://diystrat.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-set-up-gibson-les-paul-style.html
This video is pretty good, @ 3:30 where he does the truss rod adjustment measurements, he shows how to capo/fret it.
now he's doing a les paul. You will see different directions depending on guitar. You capo first fret, and you push on either the 22nd, or 15th. How do you know which one? The key is where the neck joint is at. On a LP the neck joint is at the 15th fret and that's why you fret it there. When you do this you shoul be able to get a business card underneath the 7th fret.
If by chance you are doing a les paul here's some factory measurements for action and such
I posted this in another thread, and just thought I'd make it easier to find. Plus I can't sleep so enjoy ...
I haven't watched this but this is a 7 parter
Hopefully this gets you off to a good start. DO some reading, watching, etc... and I'm sure you'll want to do it yourself.
Oh, and before I forget, wanna watch a legend set up a guitar and learn absolutely nothing?
It makes even less sense to me since the whole concept of the guitar is built on this "resonance of the wood" principle.
Lemme just shove some shitty wood right in the middle of it.
Edit: Tommat's posts terrify me. I don't think he knows what it's like to be a guy who struggled to even replace the strings on his guitar.
Did it wrong at one point. Had to take one of the strings off and start over.
I watch a youtube video almost everytime I change my strings. Although I think I finally understand some of the principles behind it now. And I have a LP, which is the easiest guitar in the world to change the strings on. I just forget the way to wrap around the heads.
Also, I know those videos look scary. But take your guitar, and follow them. Don't make any adjustements, just take measurements. It's really pretty simple. I mean, look at the Joe Walsh one!
@joshofalltrades
I have to know what video this advice was from lol
Joe Walsh never disappoints
But I've watched that set up series a few times. There's just something about watching him go through everything.
Can you all describe for me what a floating tremolo is, and why locking it is a good thing?
Because all i hear is tremolo tremolo tremolo tremolo and I think, well you just gotta move your pick back and forth quicker!
Whammy bar
On my phone so forgive typos...
Tremolo picking = fast picking
Tremolo bridge = whammy bar system so you can loosen and tighten strings depending on how you push or pull the bar.
Wood block = cheap easy tremolo lock by stopping the system from being able to move. Cheap guitars have crappy hardware and can lose tuning quicker, plus the Tremolo moving while you play even without using the bar can make it happen faster.
So why wouldn't the manufacturer include one as an option?
Or, I guess, why isn't there just a standard plastic block or some such you can buy?
These are really dumb questions, I bet.
They do, their called hard tail. Gibson is known for them more so, but fender has some models as well.
I went over to a friends how tonight to watch his band jam and his Floyd rose style bridge caused a problem. They're into some deep metal (It sounded good surprisingly) and he tunes low, down to B I think maybe. step and a half below Drop D he said, but I think he's in standard increments. Anyways, I showed him this riff that he really really liked. We had to use my guitar swapping back and forth, as his tremolo is locked into his tuning. It would have taken a decent amount of time to get it back into standard, and then he'd have to tune it back and lock it all in eventually.
As to why there isn't stuff sold out there to lock it (Although I"m sure there is, the wood is just a way to do it cheap and with stuff you have) Ideally you should be buying a guitar with the type of bridge you want. You should know whether you prefer a tremolo or hard tail.
Or maybe it's a conspiracy. I mean, most beginner guitars have whammy bars, and they look cool, so beginners want those guitars. They won't take the time to set them up properly, so they have to bring it back to the shop and have a pro do it. It all makes sense now.
The Wooden block is cheaper.
Floyd Rose systems usually also come with a bar to lock the strings at the Nut, so that when you do your Divebomb it will snap back to whatever it was tuned to. The main drawback is if you snap a string, you need to unlock the nut, and restring, then retune EVERYTHING. Where as a regular no locked nut you just replace the broken string and mostly retune that string and make whatever adjustments needed.
As far as why they sell beginner ones with tremolo systems vs hardtail? I have to say that a professional guestimation on my part figures that a mere 99% of all brand new guitar players want to be able to Divebomb!
Ya that lock at the nut is why we didn't retune his guitar today, and also the reason they stay in tune. If you take the time how to use it properly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Floyd Rose style tremolo's, although a cheap beginner guitar, I do not know. My first guitar was a Kramer from a pawn shop that had an actual Floyd Rose in it. So, at least the times I got it set up from the shop and didn't fuck with it, it was really nice and awesome to play with.
And whammy bars are kind of awesome and fun, and beginners love them. So much they rely on them, which probably isn't good. It's probably best to take it out so you learn to vibrato the strings on their own and such. Also, who needs a whammy bar?
Wait, don't do that.
This first one is nice and easy and based off knowing the root notes on the 6th and 5th strings. And you should, cause you can play any chord with the barre chord shape knowing that!
This one combines the scales you know/are learning/should be learning and a basic amount of theory (Mentions 3rds, 4ths, stuff like that, ) and goes about how to learn all the notes on the guitar. So far I'm thinking this is really good. Although my ears are ringing and it's making it hard to actually digest.
And, if you're more of a learn by doing drills and such, here is a video with 3 drills that if you did every day, you would memorize it pretty quickly. It wouldn't be fun or pretty though
And a really cool picture on something that is really complicated to me right now
Circle of 5ths
Oh I know what it is, and it's basic functionality, but whenever I go into reading about it right now my head explodes
It's also a set neck, so sustains last way longer than they have any right to on such a cheap bit of wood. Oh Westfield Explorer. You n' me.
I probably should focus more on learning individual songs and the training games, but man, it's just so fun to play real songs. Even when I know I'm only playing like 1/4 of all the notes.
But now, I need a new guitar, because my starter Fender just does not feel right any more!!!
I'm thinking either
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gibson-2013-les-paul-60s-tribute-electric-guitar?pfm=sp
or
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gibson-2013-les-paul-future-tribute-electric-guitar
Any thoughts or experiences with those from anyone? Thanks!
"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
one thing to note, on the 2nd one, it uses Steinberger gearless tuners that you may have to solder some of the strings if you don't buy the right ones. http://www.steinberger.com/images/gearlessuse.pdf
Get an Agile.
I'm being serious. They are nearly as good as a Gibson without the horrendous price point.
They need to be set up when you get one from the factory, but the owner is really good at working with people on issues. If you don't like the guitar you get, he'll replace it or allow you to return it.
I have nothing but good things to say about Rondo Music.
rondomusic.com/al3001tribalblue.html
Grover tuners. Alnico humbuckers. Graphite nut. Genuine wood top, not a laminate photo. Hand-filed jumbo frets.
$399.99.
EDIT: Alternately, this one has a similar finish to the ones you linked.
And is around $300 cheaper.
For reference, I play Rocksmith (and in a full-time band, which is part of my living wage) with an Agile Paul Reed Smith knockoff and I can do alt tunings on the fly without tuning issues. It sounds great straight out of the case, get it set up properly and you have a very workable guitar for a very reasonable price.
The one I have appears to be discontinued. However, it plays great and I bought it used from someone local for about $200. It plays just as well as some of my more expensive guitars. I updated the pickups because I was trying to get it to sound like another guitar of mine as I use it as a backup at shows and I hate when my tone changes significantly when I change guitars just because a string broke or something. It holds tuning well, sounds great, and plays really smooth. Don't overlook them.
PSN : Bolthorn
Yeah I love my Fender to death, it's my baby, and my main instrument, but I don't feel bad at all for having my Agile for backup/alternate tunings. People scoff when I use it ("Pfft. That's not a Fender/Gibson/PRS/etc.!") but then I let them play on it for a bit and they always wonder what I did to make it play, feel and sound so good, and their mind is kind of blown when I say that all I did was set it up.
I own two of them (one is a Les Paul knockoff, the other a PRS) and we got them for our church band because of the amazing price:quality ratio compared to other stuff, and out of the 6 or 7 Agiles I have played on, not one of them has been subpar.
I would recommend staying above the $300 price point because lower than that and you get something like Dehumanized said; something that's pretty great for modifying but not so great out of the box. Anything $299 and up is going to be pretty okay as soon as you get it set up.
One thing I saw in the description is that the Gibsons have an asymmetrical neck which, theoretically, makes it more comfortable and natural to hold, but again, I don't have the experience to say how true this is.
"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
I honestly don't know that any domestic stores stock Agiles anymore. There used to be at least one retailer that did, but I don't know if that's true anymore.
Their workshop isn't in the US, so part of the downside to this is that you're basically buying sight unseen, which is typically an issue for guitars. However, if you shoot the owner an email, he should confirm what I said already; they have really good customer service, and they do replace guitars if you find an issue with them. But I honestly haven't had any problems with the many Agiles I've tried. I emailed the owner when I bought my first Agile with my concerns and he got back to me extremely promptly.
(I don't work for Rondo Music)
EDIT: Also, and I know somebody might disagree with this, but Gibsons are notorious for overpricing their guitars. Their lower end stuff is definitely good compared to Fender especially, but you're still paying more for that logo on the headstock. You could get a pretty nice Fender strat for the price you'd pay for a low-end Les Paul.
I wish there was a place where I could try one out, though. Still wary of playing in the store, but putting hands on the lusted after tele and then an Agile would let me evaluate those couple extra hundred bucks much better.
Except this dude, he apparently has some serious beef with Rondo's stuff:
I'm not at home so I can't get an idea of what this guy is saying yet. His picture kind of screams tone snob though.
Take this for what it's worth, but I play my Agiles all the time for my second job ($600/mo.) and I've been doing it for 8 years now, to say nothing of all the experience I have from before that, and I haven't been fired yet, so I must be doing something right. :P