Guitar Megathread II: Unleash the picking fury!!!

[CherryPopinski]

Home recording/interface bros, what are some good gear/programs?

I already havea line 6 ux1 & use reaper

I have a Scarlett 2i2 that i run into my mac. I use Garageband, but I need a better DAW cause the guitar sounds in there suck major balls.

[Auburn RSX-S]

I have a Scarlett 2i2 that i run into my mac. I use Garageband, but I need a better DAW cause the guitar sounds in there suck major balls.

Reaper! Free and extremely powerful and supports all the VST/Soft Synth plugins, etc.

[DerkBezerk]

I’ve been learning drums for the past month or so. I played each part ‘live’. I’m not into the ‘cut and paste’ and wave editing stuff. I did the guitars, bass and drums on this short song.

https://soundcloud.com/dsoll705/relic-ww1

Thanks for sharing dude, definitely getting some classic Brit rock vibes from that.

You say you've been learning drums, I'm assuming guitar is your main instrument then?

How much time did you spend mixing and editing within your DAW?

[SekkendSyklye]

Ive been goin back relearning a lot of those 80s solos that got me into guitar in the first place way back in the day. Listening to Dokken, forgot about George Lynch, what a monster.

[gtrzrus]

Thanks for sharing dude, definitely getting some classic Brit rock vibes from that.

You say you've been learning drums, I'm assuming guitar is your main instrument then?

How much time did you spend mixing and editing within your DAW?

Thanks Bro! That’s the kind of vibe I was shooting for. Yeah, I’ve been playing guitar for 36 years. Jeezzz, I’m old! I’m mostly a shred guy, but I can fake other styles somewhat.

I spend very little time doing DAW stuff. I record everything live to my old Tascam digital recorder (32 track). Then I upload the files to Auria on my iPad. I get the levels set, then I add a little reverb and compression. If I have obvious flubs, I’ll just replay the entire part. I’m not a big editor at all.

I know some people love playing with DAWs, but I’d rather be playing guitar or drums.

[gtrzrus]

Ive been goin back relearning a lot of those 80s solos that got me into guitar in the first place way back in the day. Listening to Dokken, forgot about George Lynch, what a monster.

I grew up on that stuff. I was a guitar major in college. I found that if you can get the shreddy stuff down (alt picking, sweeps, fretboard knowledge), you can easily learn other stuff with a little work. Shred gets your technique so jacked, that you will not have any physical limitations in learning other styles.

[sloppyjoe1]

Hey bros, got myself the scarlet solo and bias fx 2. I set everything up but it seems that no matter what I change it sounds like an old chitty amp through my philips over the ear headphones. I had to buy a cable adapter to be able to plug my headphone into the scarlet, so maybe it's the adapter? I get a lot of crackling and feedback. I can't play a clean riff without unwanted noise. I watch a bunch of youtube videos and people get such a cleaner noise than I can. My guitar is hardly used, bought it back in March and just started getting serious. It's an Ibanez RG series, haven't changed the strings or done anything else to it. I used to be able to hit fat pinch harmonics but now they just sound flat. Maybe I need to invest in a studio monitor to get better sound?

[MuscleXtreme]

When playing a B barre cord, do you guys mute the high E?

My ring finger can barre the D, G, B strings on the 4th fret, but it mutes the high E, since I can’t get my ring finger joint to bend anymore than it is.

Does anyone else do this? Is it going to throw off the chord too much by having the high E muted?

[VTheKing]

When playing a B barre cord, do you guys mute the high E?

My ring finger can barre the D, G, B strings on the 4th fret, but it mutes the high E, since I can’t get my ring finger joint to bend anymore than it is.

Does anyone else do this? Is it going to throw off the chord too much by having the high E muted?

It makes the chord sound darker, but it's still technically a B major chord. You get B F# B D# which is the same chord without another F#. But if you want the high E to ring out without barring with the ring fingers, you can either do it like this:



Or alternatively, you can play without barring at all like this:



So you get F# B D# F#. It may sound a bit different because it's an inversion but it's still a B major chord.


I like doing what's shown in the first picture. But if I really need to use the ring finger barre and still get the High E right, I add my pinky to the equation to fret the high E. It's a bit of a stretch but works fine if you don't have to hold the chord for long.

[MuscleXtreme]

It makes the chord sound darker, but it's still technically a B major chord. You get B F# B D# which is the same chord without another F#. But if you want the high E to ring out without barring with the ring fingers, you can either do it like this:



Or alternatively, you can play without barring at all like this:



So you get F# B D# F#. It may sound a bit different because it's an inversion but it's still a B major chord.


I like doing what's shown in the first picture. But if I really need to use the ring finger barre and still get the High E right, I add my pinky to the equation to fret the high E. It's a bit of a stretch but works fine if you don't have to hold the chord for long.

Ah ok, yeah that first pic seems a bit easier. I’ll have to give that a go.

Doing the first pic, instead of the barre probably means a reduction in speed if you’re following up with an another A shape barre elsewhere on the neck, otherwise it’s probably about the same then it looks like.

Thanks for the pointers! Off to drill B for a bit.

[z4v4]

I grew up on that stuff. I was a guitar major in college. I found that if you can get the shreddy stuff down (alt picking, sweeps, fretboard knowledge), you can easily learn other stuff with a little work. Shred gets your technique so jacked, that you will not have any physical limitations in learning other styles.

Mostly, yes. Modern jazz with wider intervals throws off most people that can only play linearly quickly. For example this Brecker lick, which is on the moderate side:



Lick at 0:56. Since it's swung, in order to play it comfortably without any tension, you'd have to be able to play triplets at that speed, which would be equivalent to 16ths at 231.

When playing a B barre cord, do you guys mute the high E?

My ring finger can barre the D, G, B strings on the 4th fret, but it mutes the high E, since I can’t get my ring finger joint to bend anymore than it is.

Does anyone else do this? Is it going to throw off the chord too much by having the high E muted?

Most every electric player plays a root 5 major barre chord by not playing the high E. Only classical players use the barre with the first finger and 234 fingers on strings 432 (although Tommy Emmanuel will do it very occasionally). Just keep doing what you're doing, and yes, the first string should be muted.

[gtrzrus]

Mostly, yes. Modern jazz with wider intervals throws off most people that can only play linearly quickly. For example this Brecker lick, which is on the moderate side:



Lick at 0:56. Since it's swung, in order to play it comfortably without any tension, you'd have to be able to play triplets at that speed, which would be equivalent to 16ths at 231.




Most every electric player plays a root 5 major barre chord by not playing the high E. Only classical players use the barre with the first finger and 234 fingers on strings 432 (although Tommy Emmanuel will do it very occasionally). Just keep doing what you're doing, and yes, the first string should be muted.

That is another thing beside the physical ability that you brought up. Jazz/Swing feel is very hard to learn. I really struggled getting the swing feel down.

[EoR]

Mostly, yes. Modern jazz with wider intervals throws off most people that can only play linearly quickly. For example this Brecker lick, which is on the moderate side:



Lick at 0:56. Since it's swung, in order to play it comfortably without any tension, you'd have to be able to play triplets at that speed, which would be equivalent to 16ths at 231.




Most every electric player plays a root 5 major barre chord by not playing the high E. Only classical players use the barre with the first finger and 234 fingers on strings 432 (although Tommy Emmanuel will do it very occasionally). Just keep doing what you're doing, and yes, the first string should be muted.

These sort of passages, passing tones, wide intervals and more odd fingerings because of barred notes that usually require hybrid picking at the same speed as linear notes is how you can really tell if someone is playing what they hear and not cliche fast linear patterns.

That's why "The fastest" player can't be quantified with just one piece. For example the fastest player for "The Bumblebee" isn't the fastest player in the world, he is the fastest "The Bumblebee" player in the world. There is zero chance he could play that passage you link at the same NPS.

Note selection and variety, this only comes when you listen to multiple genres. That's why I am so tired of cliche linear fast playing, it's easy, I can do it and so can thousands of others. If I hear some fusion lick blazing away or some more unique pattern then I stand up and go "Ok, nice, this is something".

I will add a caveat that sometimes a nicely played more diatonic feel is also needed. Just constantly playing an altered style also can get boring. It's all about timing, the same with playing slow, moderate or fast.

The dynamics matter. When you suddenly playing fast after a build up or right after something slow it stands out more. When you add some more chromatic style playing for a brief moment, it stands out more. There is greater impact then if you were to just play the same fast speed for 30secs or constantly blaze some fusion style for 2min.

[Auburn RSX-S]

Hey bros, got myself the scarlet solo and bias fx 2. I set everything up but it seems that no matter what I change it sounds like an old chitty amp through my philips over the ear headphones. I had to buy a cable adapter to be able to plug my headphone into the scarlet, so maybe it's the adapter? I get a lot of crackling and feedback. I can't play a clean riff without unwanted noise. I watch a bunch of youtube videos and people get such a cleaner noise than I can. My guitar is hardly used, bought it back in March and just started getting serious. It's an Ibanez RG series, haven't changed the strings or done anything else to it. I used to be able to hit fat pinch harmonics but now they just sound flat. Maybe I need to invest in a studio monitor to get better sound?

Decent studio monitors can make a world of difference. I got a used pair of Adam A7's about 10 years ago and they still sound phenomenal.

A pair of Yamaha NS10's are industry standard due to their incredibly flat response and can be found for a pretty decent price used (they aren't made anymore)

The KRK Rokit's are pretty good too for the budding or novice home studio. The RP8's would be my choice.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/KRK/RP8...00000263474.gc

Adam A5X or A7X's would be a step up but if you go with a 5" woofer, you would most likely need the companion subwoofer to fill out the lower mids and low end. The 7" driver goes deep enough that the sub isn't necessary and I elected to do that and spend more on the monitors to save on the whole setup by not having to invest in the sub.

JBL have a pretty good 8" woofer option as well.

https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Professio..._t1_B00THLD24E

Listening to music on good studio monitors will transform your whole listening experience in the best way possible.

[rollerball]

Yngwie was just a better guitarist before his car wreck.
This is him around 17 or 18, the clarity and articulation is just off the charts. He hasn't sounded this good in decades.

[Dominik]

A pair of Yamaha NS10's are industry standard due to their incredibly flat response and can be found for a pretty decent price used (they aren't made anymore)

I use Yamaha HS8s which are very honest monitors and perfect for tracking with modelers and IRs. 8" provides plenty of low end if you need it. I was prepared to spend more but once I hooked them up I immediately realized there'd be some serious cork sniffing going on to justify dropping more dough.

I heard the head honcho at Fractal say they use them in the office which is a solid testimonial. Only downside would be rear porting in a puny room where they're close to a wall. I have mine in the middle of the room on stands. Sounds huge.

[ChewYourFood]

Ah ok, yeah that first pic seems a bit easier. I’ll have to give that a go.

Doing the first pic, instead of the barre probably means a reduction in speed if you’re following up with an another A shape barre elsewhere on the neck, otherwise it’s probably about the same then it looks like.

Thanks for the pointers! Off to drill B for a bit.

You’re doing it right by barring with index and ring. You’ll get the hi e to ring out eventually with practice. I can’t understand why anyone would finger an a shape with 3 fingers, when it’s very easy to drop 1 finger. Generally I use my middle finger for an a and ring for anything a shaped.

[rollerball]

What can be done to stave off the effects of corrosive hand sweat on my Suhr bridge's finish?

[gtrzrus]

What can be done to stave off the effects of corrosive hand sweat on my Suhr bridge's finish?

The first thing, I would do is make sure you wash your hands before you play. I would also give the guitar a good wipe down after every use.

I’m not sure you really want to put any chemicals on there. I wouldn’t, but I like my guitars to age from use.

[rollerball]

The first thing, I would do is make sure you wash your hands before you play. I would also give the guitar a good wipe down after every use.

I’m not sure you really want to put any chemicals on there. I wouldn’t, but I like my guitars to age from use.

Normally I wouldn't be as concerned but I foolishly bought a Suhr, which is so expensive that it induces worry over such things just in case I want to re-sell it as "mint".
I even changed my right hand pick grip in order to keep my pinky from possibly scratching the pristine finish.

I wonder if wiping the bridge down with a diluted mixture of isopropyl alcohol will preserve it.
Or perhaps I'll alcohol swab my right palm every time before I pick up the guitar.

[Dominik]

Normally I wouldn't be as concerned but I foolishly bought a Suhr, which is so expensive that it induces worry over such things just in case I want to re-sell it as "mint".
I even changed my right hand pick grip in order to keep my pinky from possibly scratching the pristine finish.

I wonder if wiping the bridge down with a diluted mixture of isopropyl alcohol will preserve it.
Or perhaps I'll alcohol swab my right palm every time before I pick up the guitar.

I would wipe it down with a cloth after you play just as you would with strings. A new Gotoh 510 bridge (saddles and base plate) is around $100 so you could always swap out those corroded parts one day if you want it to look mint for sale.

Just one man's opinion here but as much as I love looking at those guitars it confirms why I'll probably never own one. Being that paranoid would detract from the enjoyment of playing kind of like buying a really expensive car and worrying about every extra mile and scratch you put on it.

[rollerball]

I would wipe it down with a cloth after you play just as you would with strings. A new Gotoh 510 bridge (saddles and base plate) is around $100 so you could always swap out those corroded parts one day if you want it to look mint for sale.

Just one man's opinion here but as much as I love looking at those guitars it confirms why I'll probably never own one. Being that paranoid would detract from the enjoyment of playing kind of like buying a really expensive car and worrying about every extra mile and scratch you put on it.

True, I can always just swap out the bridge if it ever came to that.

Yeah that's my biggest issue with these super expensive guitars - I'm often just too worried about protecting the guitar to enjoy it.
I wonder if I could let go of this paranoia if I managed to commit to owning the guitar without this constant notion in the back of my head that I might want to sell it down the road.

[MrBourbon]

True, I can always just swap out the bridge if it ever came to that.

Yeah that's my biggest issue with these super expensive guitars - I'm often just too worried about protecting the guitar to enjoy it.
I wonder if I could let go of this paranoia if I managed to commit to owning the guitar without this constant notion in the back of my head that I might want to sell it down the road.

My acoustic is used and had an uuuugly scratch down the back of the body. But you can't see it when playing it or looking at it from the front. Nobody knows but me.

More importantly I don't have to worry about that first dent or ding, since she's already got a battle scar.

[rollerball]

My acoustic is used and had an uuuugly scratch down the back of the body. But you can't see it when playing it or looking at it from the front. Nobody knows but me.

More importantly I don't have to worry about that first dent or ding, since she's already got a battle scar.

It's always that first real scratch that hurts the most lol.

[brosapiens]

It's always that first real scratch that hurts the most lol.

Yes, unless you pay someone $600 to do it for you in which case it's called light relicing.

[VTheKing]

Normally I wouldn't be as concerned but I foolishly bought a Suhr, which is so expensive that it induces worry over such things just in case I want to re-sell it as "mint".
I even changed my right hand pick grip in order to keep my pinky from possibly scratching the pristine finish.

I wonder if wiping the bridge down with a diluted mixture of isopropyl alcohol will preserve it.
Or perhaps I'll alcohol swab my right palm every time before I pick up the guitar.

that's why having a Partscaster is GOAT. your resale value is **** anyways so who cares if it gets a little banged up?

I'm not super careful with my EBMM either but it's built like a tank, as an expensive guitar should be.

[rollerball]

This is like the progenitor of speed metal.

[Dominik]

This is like the progenitor of speed metal.

Released the same month in 1977 on the same record label.

[brosapiens]

This is like the progenitor of speed metal.

Amazing what these guys were doing in a time before shredding was a thing and they were around 20 something ...

[rollerball]

Released the same month in 1977 on the same record label.

Definitely a lot of modern metal precursors there, particular the drums and the dual-guitars. In terms of tight speed though DiMeola thoroughly leaves them in the dust and some of the passages sound like legit modern shred passages which is crazy for 1977.