The guitar thread

[Ramseus]

Guitar Rig sucks. Mostly it can't do anything close to decent distortion, and of course since it's real time audio processing you have to have a good soundcard like an X-fi or else you get simply unacceptable latency. I tried (aka pirated) it and was like "screw this" and then got a Boss GT-6 (which is long discontinued, was even discontinued when I got mine). Does everything Guitar Rig does other than playback and recording and it all sounds better too. Of course the last time I used Guitar Rig is was version 2, now it's up to 4, but I'm sure it still sucks.

 

[_HighVoltage_]

I have to agree...the distortion is a bit lousy. But I've never had any issues with latency.

The biggest downside to it is the lack of trademarks...they have 500+ different guitar sounds, but they couldn't register names and sounds (Les Paul, Stratocaster, Marshall etc...) so everything is made to sound close to the original.

If you play with it for a while, you can get decent sound. Later I'll upload a short clip of my Ritchie Blackmore Strat sound.

 

[Karoug]

I have a line6 pod xt, it sounds good, i get better tones from it that most ppl get from a normal "rehearsal-class"
amp.. The pod xt also brings out the difference in guitars which Guitar rig or cheaper amps don't do, it also has a USB port...

 

[NecroJoe]

I have a Digitech R(350 (I know, I know...) It's pretty good sounding, though, when it's not in front of my amp...which I'm using less and less nowadays.

 

[jeffy777]

NAIDANAC A, so you have yet to learn how to play? I would say don't spend too much on a guitar, if you're not sure about your skills.

Why don't you get something cheap, so you can learn and then eventually get something nice?)

This is great advice.

 

[NecroJoe]

This is great advice.

But not too cheap, as poorly-made equipment was so frustrating to deal with, I almost gave it up early on. It wasn't until I got something with reasonable build quality that I discovered that guitars aren't supposed to be painful to play, and amps aren't supposed to give you headaches.

 

[jeffy777]

But not too cheap, as poorly-made equipment was so frustrating to deal with, I almost gave it up early on. It wasn't until I got something with reasonable build quality that I discovered that guitars aren't supposed to be painful to play, and amps aren't supposed to give you headaches.

This is true. A balance is good.

I would like to upgrade to something better than my Ibanez eventually. Not the best guitar for blues, but I got it because it was cheap (even though I've been playing for 10 years).

Joe, I respect your opinion, so what would be a good guitar for blues that wouldn't break the bank, but would be better than a $250 Ibanez?

 

[NAIDANAC A]

I bought the $400 guitar anyways. If I end up stopping I should be able to sell it for around that as in Canada it goes for $800+.

But I also got a $100 coupon off my next musiciansfriend pruchase, which if I cannot sell will be a balanced (not that important but it's on there) cd player for my headphones so I can properly amp them.

 

[NecroJoe]

Well to me, I have a hard time playing blues with a humbucker. I'll take a single coil any day. Is your Ibanez 24 frets? If so, this squeazes the pickups into a tighter configuration. If a guitar has the same scale and only 22 frets, the neck pickup is further away from the bridge, giving it a greater tonal discinction from the bridge pickup.

Also, a guitar with a longer scale means that the same strings are strung tighter, giving more "spank" or "snap" to the tone. Most Ibanez have a 25.5" scale, with is about as long as they come before you start getting into extended-scale guitars, so you're probably at a good spot there.

Now, I'm a huge SRV fan and that may not be the type of blues you are talking about...but there's a reason that the Strat is such a widley used guitar in blues...long scale + a good single coil pickup = blues guitar, for me anyways.

Make sure it's properly setup. If you're not sure how to go about this, take it to a luthier (note: not Guitar Center). They will, among other things, make sure there's proper forward bow and action height for how you play. Sometimes this is all that's needed. If the neck feels good to you, and the frets aren't worn, it might just take some pickup work.

Find out of a coil-splitter can be added if you don't have one. It would be a fairly simply mod, and if you switch to a push-pull pot, it won't even change the guitar's appearance.

If you can still find a Mexi-Strat with good fretwork, they are decent finds. Especially when you consider the aftermarket for super-easy-to-swap pickups. There are SO many pickups out there if the stock ones don't suit...but before you swap 'em out, just try adjusting their height. You'd be suprised the difference it can make.

However, humbuckers have their place (B.B. King, anyone?).

Blues, perhaps more than just about any other type of guitar-music, is a very personal experience. For me, it's a overdriven tube amp on its clean channel with tight strings and a good single coil on a ash-bodied bolt-on. For someone else, it's a hollow-bodied set-neck with humbuckers on a 24 3/4" scale neck and an amp that won't break up until it hits "11."

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6gDeGdQ3rM&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

I'm a rock dude, primarily, so I've got a 25" set-neck with double humbuckers.

 

[jeffy777]

Thanks so much Joe

Yes, my Ibanez is 24 frets.

I'm thinking a Strat would be the way to go for me, but I'm also thinking it's going to be quite pricey. Any specific place to get a good deal on one?

 

[Punisher Bass]

Thanks so much Joe

Yes, my Ibanez is 24 frets.

I'm thinking a Strat would be the way to go for me, but I'm also thinking it's going to be quite pricey. Any specific place to get a good deal on one?

As said in the thread before, if you want something top quality without spending a huge sum of money, then Carvin would be the way to go. You can get it customized anyway you want it for far far less than what a real Fender would run and it's all US built.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/customshop/

 

[Crazyjeeper]

FWIW, I have both a strat with single coils and an Epi Les Paul Studio with humbuckers and I prefer the sound of the LP for blues. I think its more full and warm, where the strat is thinner and more piercing. If you want, I can post short recording comparing the sounds.

Edit: This would be through a solid state fender frontman 212 amp's clean channel.

 

[NecroJoe]

That's a good point. Solid state is really unforgiving to most single coil pickups. Gotta be tube. You can get away with most solid state np with humbuckers. I haven't "upgraded" my solid state amp, but I haven't felt the need since I don't have a guitar with a single coil anymore.

A mexican strat can be had for not all that much. An American is $1,000 or more, but the Mexican-built models are half that. A Carvin sill start you in between there, but can add up quickly if you start adding options. The good thing is that their cheapest model is built exactly the same of the same quality woods as their top-of-the-line models which are just as good as, as reported by several people, as the Eric Johnson strat, which is closer to $2,000. If you decided you might be interested, keep an eye on their In-Stock section. They often have basic guitars in there for $200 off their normal price.

For example: http://www.carvinguitars.com/guitars-in-stock/single.php?Serial=88330
$654, made in the USA. Ebony fretboard, Sperzel locking tuners. It's got a fixed-bridge, but I'm not a trem guy anyways. It has a humbucker, but it also has a coil-splitter switch. Add $26 for shipping and $54 for the case and you have a $734 guitar. Plus, they can only charge tax in CA, so if you live somewhere else, no sales tax. (I'm such a Carvin whore...)

I wouldn't never buy another guitar on line or through a catalog again (except for another Carvin *laughs*), though. I've played dozens of Strats over the years, and really only bonded with a couple. Same with LPs. I've played SO many, and I've found two...TWO that I've loved, and one of them was a $60,000K vintage instrument in the Guitar Center on Suset Blvd in Hollywood. Funny how it works...they are made on assembly lines, FFS!

 

[_HighVoltage_]

Even though I might regret this later...I will post a video of me playing. I'm playing over the original track, but you can clearly hear me. I make a lot of mistakes, I know. And the solo is my Achilles' heel...I can't find an accurate tab for it, so I have to improvise...and I'm not any good.
Sometimes my playing is so wrong that is painful...so proceed if you think your ears can take it.

But anyways, this is how the Behringer sounds:

Spoiler

Can't Let You Go

 

[NecroJoe]

It sounds like an organ in the distance?

edit: Oh, there it goes.

 

[jeffy777]

If you want, I can post short recording comparing the sounds.

Edit: This would be through a solid state fender frontman 212 amp's clean channel.

That would be great man.

Thanks for all the advice guys

 

[Crazyjeeper]

Here they are. Both are just me playing around in E blues for about 1:30 on each guitar. I tried to basically play the same thing twice to make the sound difference a little more clear.

http://drop.io/guitarblues#

 

[_HighVoltage_]

I'm partial to the strat sound

 

[NecroJoe]

I'm partial to the strat sound

Me, too. While not specifically blues (Hendrix) and while not specifically a Strat' (Carvin Bolt) I love this type of sound for blues:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yLks6Nq2v4[/YOUTUBE]

 

[jeffy777]

Man, that I love the sound of that Carvin. That's the kind of tone I'm looking for.