Getbig guitar players....your favourite guitar(s)...

[dyslexic]

Wouldn't even attempted to learn this song if I did not know my music theory. Steve Vai transcribed for the great Frank Zappa. I would have spent a lifetime learning it as opposed to a few hours.

[bic_staedtler]

I was joking too, Beavis.




My Squiers will out-perform (with me playing of course) any Strat, or other guitar for that matter

Well at least you're humble 

[dyslexic]

Well at least you're humble 

Well...


what can I say?

[smoothasf]

Play arpeggios from hell in a couple of hours, then post it up

[YngiweRhoads]

Play arpeggios from hell in a couple of hours, then post it up

Yngwie plays too slow.


Regarding the El Cheapo guitars. Some Cheapos are ok other are well....crap. Ever play a Mann or a Hondo? Don't. 

The dude I bought my Les Paul from had an old El Degas LP copy. It didn't play anywhere near as well but the sound coming out was pretty close to my actual Les Paul.

[bic_staedtler]

Well...


what can I say?

Nothing, I just don't agree with some things you said.  First, theory has it's place...nice to know, but definitely not a pre-requisite.  As long as you have an idea of what chord progressions are, you're fine.  That takes about 10 minutes to teach to somebody, as opposed to making guitarists feel they need to know how to read sheet music (which IMO is all but completely useless for rock guitar, tablature is a much better system for learning songs).  Gifted musicians don't need to know anything about reading music because they're gifted, and they have an ear for what sounds good.  Like Yngwie says, "If it sounds good, it IS good." 

Also, Squire Strats are nice beginners instruments.  But if you think you sound better on your Squire Mexi-Strat than on your USA made Eric Johnson model, then I don't know what to tell you.  I don't wanna get into that argument, all I can say is that I have never, ever played an import that was on the same quality level as a USA made guitar, period.  You can feel the difference, and hear it (although much is in the pickups of course).  While I agree that great pickups made a cheaper guitar sound better, there's more to it than that.  Imports make nice stage guitars, something you're not afraid to get banged up. 

Now, back to "greasy men in thongs prancing for judges approval" time.

[dyslexic]

Well, let's see. First off, do you know music theory? If so, then you can *argue* ~ if not, how can you argue on a topic you know nothing about? Chord progressions? That basic?

It's about settling for less. I don't.


"Arpeggios from hell" ~ personally, arpeggios don't get my blood going, so, leave it to the arpeggio fans. That's just me.


As far as the Strat argument, I have American made, Mexican and Chinese.


Here's the rub. If I played each, and you had your back turned and only your ears to rely upon, would you actually bet money that you could tell the difference? Could you identify each guitar and where it was made and what kind I was playing?


I am laughing, and will continue to do so.


BTW, I don't believe I said that theory was a pre-requisite. If I did, then I was mistaken.


Also, I did NOT say that I cannot feel a quality difference in a cheaper guitar. I wouldn't dare. What I am implying is that you can NOT hear the difference.


So much is lost in translation from my mind to my fingers and to the keyboard.


As far as my mind, to the fingers and to the frets, well... I'm not going to "argue" with anyone, because I prefer judgement on performance, not vocabulary.


I am not a great guitar player. Yeah, I am good, but I missed the mark on greatness. I am nothing more than a wanna be clone, BUT! I do know my music and I do have an ear.


Go figure.

[bic_staedtler]

Good reply, lots of points, and yes, I did look a bit more into your previous reply than what was there. 

I know enough music theory to be dangerous , as far as guitar playing goes.  Modal theory, scales and chord construction, intervals and such.  I don't read notation but I can figure out what the keys are and I rely on them for timing, which is invaluable compared to tablature.  So I feel I can talk the talk when it comes to theory, but really, you can never know too much. 

Listening to your version of FTLOG, kudos to the time it takes to tab something out.  I didn't realize that was you (or your top o' the line JEM), and knowing theory can make sure you don't hit 'wrong' sounding notes, and you have an idea of where Vai is going.  Lots of interpretation of phrasing, and you certainly can play.  I've got the tab book for it but have never taken the time, mainly cause I don't really like the tune.  I'm more into the faster tunes from Passion and Warefare (Erotic Nightmares). 

Ya know, when it comes to sound, on the electric guitar, you have a point: you can't really tell the difference if you didn't know where it was made.  I've got two guitars, one Korean and one USA made, and the difference is mainly feel.  I can't even say sustain is different.  I guess the best I can put it is that the better a guitar feels, the better I play, therefore the more I'll practice and the better I'll sound.  If they can decent wiring, the wood makes very little difference (that I can tell) in tone, but it's that quality factor (staying in tune, good fretwork, good pickups).

I've met way too many stuck up guitarists who are snobby about different things; don't think I'm lumping you in there, of course, I don't know you but usually it goes like this: theory snob, gear snob, tone snob.  And lots of these snobs don't even play that well; I certainly don't judge the merit of a musician on their command of music theory, and from what I can tell you don't either.  I'll go check out some more of your vids.

[dyslexic]

Nothing like a good debate.

"Knowledge is Power" ~

You sound like an intelligent guy.


Let me give you an example where I am coming from: When I first learned to play the guitar I was trying to learn Nazareth songs. Chord progressions worked just fine for me. "Now your messin' with a son of a bitch...." (am I dating myself with that one?)

Next was (of course) "Stairway to Heaven"

Then came "Eruption" ~ OMG I wish I had known theory back then!!!! I sat by my record player and I kept moving that needle back over and over, surely thousands of times. In reality, nobody really knew that Ed was using his right hand, but he was also using the whole tone scale, flatted fifths (not the "Devil's Tritone" like Hendrix) and he was very *blues* oriented.

It took me years of study to finally figure out where he was coming from. By this time I had learned music theory. In depth. Numbers up the ass. My playing had become stale, but man was it technical. People that listened to me play said that I lacked the "feeling" that I once had. Imagine my dismay. Music theory had made me a more "technical" guitar player, but now I had to go back and kind of *forget* what I had learned to regain my drive. Weird.


Anyway, along comes Yngwie Malmsteen. It took me two seconds to identify his playing. I really had no interest in learning what he was playing (although as a guitar instructor I was forced to...) ~

I didn't even have a guitar in my hands and I clearly heard 1) the diatonic minor scale 2) the diminished scale 3) the Harmonic Minor scale (but I knew that he was using a mode of the Harmonic minor, which I in turn labeled "the Altered Dominant mode [5th] of the Harmonic minor scale) ~ and most everything followed in sequence, was predictable (IMHO) and arpeggiated.


I was relieved to know music theory at this point, otherwise I would have spent so much time NOT "traveling as the crow flies"


BTW, Steve Vai's "Passion and Warfare" was also my favorite. After that, he got too weird. Maybe it was all the acid he took?


My first meeting with him was at a NAMM show in Anaheim, Ca. ~ Nobody knew who he was, and he was NOT arrogant. I actually jammed with him on a Boogie Mesa amp through headphones. I thought he was just another guitar player. I guess when I heard "Blue Powder" on the plastic disc inside of Guitar Player magazine 25 years ago, I figured we were kind of inevitably hooked at the waist.

That JEM even has a Fernandes Sustainer installed and is a direct replica of "Flo" (his love)

If you Google "Steve Vai Fernandes Sustainer" you will see only two videos come up - his, and mine.... I'm not arrogant, but I am proud.


I guess we better get back to our regularly scheduled program here, huh? A WYHI thread maybe?


Peace.

[bic_staedtler]

Good post.  I remember that issue, couldn't get it to play on my sister's record player.  I listened to Flex-able right after I spent a summer listening to nothing but Passion and Warfare and Flying in a Blue Dream...that's when I learned Steve Vai was insane. Lol.  I'm a big Jack Butler fan, myself.

Back to the world of soiled posing trunks sold on ebay!

[smoothasf]

I could most definatly tell the difference between my chinese strat and my usa. Probably not a mexican though.  The chinese strat is a distinctly thinner sound when playing lower notes. I love my chinese strat, it has a thinner neck and through an effects pedal there is no way you could tell the difference. Unplugged im 100% sure I could.

[smoothasf]

Just you tubed it theres loads. Is that you playing.it with your tongue?

[dyslexic]

Just you tubed it theres loads. Is that you playing.it with your tongue?

I suppose my instinctual reply would be "no way" ~ but yeah, that's me. One of the only vids I did without any forethought and it gets planted right next to Vai's and almost has 100K views.


Whooda thunk it?

[G_Thang]

I owned a Taylor, which was destroyed during a hurricane.



Mahogany, just keeping it brown.

[dyslexic]

I owned a Taylor, which was destroyed during a hurricane.



Mahogany, just keeping it brown.

Great guitars. Martins too... now those ARE DEFINITELY guitars that can be identified without looking. Who can afford em'?

[Dr Dutch]

I owned a Taylor, which was destroyed during a hurricane.



Mahogany, just keeping it brown.

That only contributes to the cool....

[Dr Dutch]

Guitar experts: I wanna buy an acoustic bass guitar. With plug in possibility of course. Think there are any around that can produce enough volume to use them without amp ?

[Nirvana]

Guitar experts: I wanna buy an acoustic bass guitar. With plug in possibility of course. Think there are any around that can produce enough volume to use them without amp ?

it has to be a fender or gibson.  if it's not, you'll be a terrible musician.  the sticker on the headstock is all that matters in "music"

[HTexan]

Guitar experts: I wanna buy an acoustic bass guitar. With plug in possibility of course. Think there are any around that can produce enough volume to use them without amp ?

check out ibanez. The best thing to do is to check one out in the store. DO NOT buy it tho. Go back a second time and play with it again before you spend the money.

[240 is Back]

the dean $150 acoustic bass is pretty lame, but a decent practice bass.  never to be played live.

[HTexan]

the dean $150 acoustic bass is pretty lame, but a decent practice bass.  never to be played live.

sometimes you can find some good cheap ones with some luck and looking around.

[warma]

I love my Music Man Silhouetto!!!