[floridaorange]

My son seems to love the guitar alot - what age should I get him lessons? Totally lost on this topic. He's 4. His fav song by far is "Give Me The Beat Boys" by The Doobie Brothers.

[RugbyBro]

Been playing for 20 years - although it's relegated to a free time / stress relief hobby now. I've been thru the gamut of gear but I always land back at the same place: 25.5in scale HH guitar + modded plexi / british style amp + some sort of overdrive to slam the front end when needed. Never really a been a pedal guy - only use ODs sparringly and some Reverb or Delay in the loop. The biggest move I made was giving up tube amps - modelers (especially Fractal) are just on the money now, you would never tell the difference in a mix or recorded situation. I've even A/B'd live / in-the-room against my Friedman Smallbox playing my FM3 thru the loop of the Smallbox and it is just absolutely spot on in sound and feel. My current noodling rig is:

Suhr Modern HH
Fractal FM3
Presonus Eris 3.5 Monitors

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

My son seems to love the guitar alot - what age should I get him lessons? Totally lost on this topic. He's 4. His fav song by far is "Give Me The Beat Boys" by The Doobie Brothers.

You will get many answers to this question and there's no single correct answer. I will tell you my experience:

He's old enough when he can hold it in his lap and press down the strings. There are kid sized guitars. I wouldn't push it on him, but if he gravitates to it, I'd gently encourage it and see where it goes.

Another thing to consider is getting a small electric keyboard. They are inexpensive and a great way to begin to learn music. Learning scales are way easier on a piano than a guitar. I knew how to read music from playing piano and trumpet before I picked up a guitar.

What I did with my kids was to provide the things that helped them advance in what THEY were interested in doing, be it guitars, computers, sporting equipment. They both turned out great!

You have so much fun ahead of you raising a 4 year old. Best of luck to you. It's an amazing ride.

[floridaorange]

That's great advice thank you. We do have a medium size keyboard and he's got a couple small guitars he loves to run around with. He always tells me they are out of tune and he will put his ear up to the guitar and twist the knobs (whatever they are called) and listen and twist the knobs some more — we have no idea where he learned that but I'm guessing school.

Makes sense to have him learn how to read music first via the keyboard

[NYG]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

Been playing for 20 years - although it's relegated to a free time / stress relief hobby now. I've been thru the gamut of gear but I always land back at the same place: 25.5in scale HH guitar + modded plexi / british style amp + some sort of overdrive to slam the front end when needed. Never really a been a pedal guy - only use ODs sparringly and some Reverb or Delay in the loop. The biggest move I made was giving up tube amps - modelers (especially Fractal) are just on the money now, you would never tell the difference in a mix or recorded situation. I've even A/B'd live / in-the-room against my Friedman Smallbox playing my FM3 thru the loop of the Smallbox and it is just absolutely spot on in sound and feel. My current noodling rig is:

Suhr Modern HH
Fractal FM3
Presonus Eris 3.5 Monitors

That's a spicy guitar.

[NYG]

I used to have such an amazing guitar rack setup and I sold all of it at some point because it made no sense to keep it but I had a Bogner Fish, CAE 3+ SE and a VHT 2150 in it. Probably have a photo somewhere.

[NYG]

Found it.

[demas]

What a perfect thread.


I started learning Classical Guitar and Flamenco when I was 13. Later, started a Rock band with friends. I played Lead, my best buddy was Rhythm and another good friend was Drums.

We did a lot of the popular stuff back then - Warrant, White Lion, Skid Row, L.A. Guns, GnR (I ain't no Slash) but we also loved Surf music and in particular The Ventures (Nokie my inspiration).

I always tried to pursue Classical - it just takes a life of dedication. I promised my mother I'd play her favorite song Recuerdos de la Alhambra in person one day - that was 30 years ago and I still can't get the whole piece down... and my tremolo is horrible today.


I stopped playing when I was 19 and started work. Only recently got back to playing - 25 years without an electric guitar or amp or anything - just decided one day, why not?

And I did the strangest thing - I bought a Telecaster. Back in the day, we were Les Paul's and Humbuckers - we shunned Fender and Single Coils. (funny, as I liked Surf). As I got older I really appreciated the timeless Tele and the Strat pickups - although for some reason I never got along with Strats - something about the shape and feel.

Now, I got the Tele ('52 reissue w/ G.E. Smith mod), a Warmoth partscaster running Seymour Duncan pickups. Then bought this amazing Danelectro for that 50's vibe.

If I can make space, I'd love to add a Moserite or a Rickenbacker which I've never played. Weirdly, I don't care for Gibson anymore although I play better on a shorter scale.


I gotta rebuild by calluses...

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by NYG

That's a spicy guitar.

After years of playing countless guitars, for me, the Suhr Modern is "the one". I could never play another guitar again and be happy

Originally Posted by NYG

Found it.

Attachment 2981558

Now that's a rig! You ever thought of picking up an AxeFx?

[NYG]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

After years of playing countless guitars, for me, the Suhr Modern is "the one". I could never play another guitar again and be happy



Now that's a rig! You ever thought of picking up an AxeFx?

I got rid of it all for an Axe FX II with a VHT 2/90/2. Absolutely loved that thing but to this day I've never heard a better sound than a VHT2150 + CAE 3+SE. The Bogner Fish was amazing but didn't really highlight the style of music I played so I underutilized it.

Then I went back to half stacks for convenience of traveling with the gear to drummer's pad. I still really want a Soldano SLO-100 but I have no justification to get one with how much I spend on cars and how little I play guitar.

Suhrs are incredible guitars.

[UncleWede]

I used my mom's Fender (from Sears) back in HS to play "rhythm" in a punk band. We were LowIQ. "I Love, Living in the City" "My mom and Reagan" No, I won't sing them to you, but I still sorta remember. There were some tapes recorded.

What I always wanted, but not enough to do anything about it, was to be able to sit around a campfire, on the porch, and strum out some songs on an acoustic.

[NYG]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

I used my mom's Fender (from Sears) back in HS to play "rhythm" in a punk band. We were LowIQ. "I Love, Living in the City" "My mom and Reagan" No, I won't sing them to you, but I still sorta remember. There were some tapes recorded.

What I always wanted, but not enough to do anything about it, was to be able to sit around a campfire, on the porch, and strum out some songs on an acoustic.

"This song is called Wonderwall."

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

...We were LowIQ. ...

Weren't we creative with our band names! Very clever indeed.

I grew up in the '60s with all the silly band names like Strawberry Alarm Clock and Peanut Butter Conspiracy. So, I thought it was a good idea to call my band Left-Handed Sand Pile. I suppose that name would have been good, but we we pretty crappy so the band, and the name faded pretty quickly.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

...was to be able to sit around a campfire, on the porch, and strum out some songs on an acoustic.

When I sold my electric gear and went acoustic, that's essentially what I did. I took my guitar everywhere with me. Camping, on campus, to the beach. It was way more fun for me to just get the guitar out. Never failed to get people to join in. That whole scene was way better for me than being in a band. Good times!

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by NYG

I got rid of it all for an Axe FX II with a VHT 2/90/2. Absolutely loved that thing but to this day I've never heard a better sound than a VHT2150 + CAE 3+SE. The Bogner Fish was amazing but didn't really highlight the style of music I played so I underutilized it.

Then I went back to half stacks for convenience of traveling with the gear to drummer's pad. I still really want a Soldano SLO-100 but I have no justification to get one with how much I spend on cars and how little I play guitar.

Suhrs are incredible guitars.

Man the SLO is the holy grail for hard rock and metal (one of my favorite metal tones was KSE's End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies featured a LOT of boosted SLO). A lot of people don't realize but the OG Mesa Dual Rec was a carbon copy of the SLO preamp with a shittier power amp (hence the DR's notoriously loose bottom end) - it still is to an extent even with all its revisions. The OG 5150 circuit is a loose SLO copy as well, though the OG 5150 is its own brand of bad ass.

But I'll be the devil's advocate here : https://www.soldano.com/products/cla...lo-30-classic/

Ever since Mike sold Soldano to BAD, they have been a whole heck of a lot easier to get your hands on and it lead to the creation of the 30-watt SLO.

[NYG]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

Man the SLO is the holy grail for hard rock and metal (one of my favorite metal tones was KSE's End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies featured a LOT of boosted SLO). A lot of people don't realize but the OG Mesa Dual Rec was a carbon copy of the SLO preamp with a shittier power amp (hence the DR's notoriously loose bottom end) - it still is to an extent even with all its revisions. The OG 5150 circuit is a loose SLO copy as well, though the OG 5150 is its own brand of bad ass.

But I'll be the devil's advocate here : https://www.soldano.com/products/cla...lo-30-classic/

Ever since Mike sold Soldano to BAD, they have been a whole heck of a lot easier to get your hands on and it lead to the creation of the 30-watt SLO.

I actually had a Framus Dragon for the End of Heartache guitar tones. Wasn't very successful at squeezing it out but I guess you just explained why.

Has their quality/sound changed after ownership change?

I play out of a solid state combo amp now lmao. If I start playing as much as I used to, I would consider it but probably unlikely.

[Chihuahua]

Yes, been playing since the early 90s. Was in a post-hardcore band in the DC area that gained a decent following, big enough to where it landed on Wikipedia. I've always been into 'atypical' guitars, i.e. Fender strat never did it for me. My favorite guitar is my ESP electric that I'm playing through an old Mesa Boogie .50 Cal amp. I've migrated over to producing EDM and DJing, but I still play and sing everyday. I turned the office room in my house into a studio. My next guitar purchase will be a 12-string acoustic, always wanted one.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by NYG

"This song is called Wonderwall."

As long as you're doing it like Ryan Adams does it, it's acceptable

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by NYG

I actually had a Framus Dragon for the End of Heartache guitar tones. Wasn't very successful at squeezing it out but I guess you just explained why.

Has their quality/sound changed after ownership change?

I play out of a solid state combo amp now lmao. If I start playing as much as I used to, I would consider it but probably unlikely.

The Cobra is a bad ass amp and they used those as well. KSE's tone is pretty simple = boost pedal into a SLO-style amp, needs a good depth control to have present but tight low-end.

Quality is still really great - they were bought by Boutique Amps Distribution (BAD), of which I'm pretty sure Dave Friedman is an owner, but their brands are all extremely high end and known for hand made amps (Friedman, Bogner, Diezel, Soldano, Morgan, Tone King, etc.). It's actually the main reason why some of these legendary brands have survived.

If you have a computer interface, you can try the Soldano SLO plugin by NeuralDSP. Those guys make incredible plug-ins that sound as good as the real thing in a mix. In fact, all of Intervals' latest album, Circadian, was recorded exclusively with the Neural plug-ins and that whole album tonally sounds amazing. They also often do 50% off deals on them quite often. https://neuraldsp.com/plugins/soldano-slo-100

This guy got pretty close with the plug-in:

Also straight from the horse's mouth, SLO was the Daylight Dies tone:

[hubbahubba]

Cool thread!

I played for a couple years about 35 years ago, never took it serious, then stopped. I picked it up again about a year ago, and am having even more fun than I thought I would. I started weekly lessons right away, and after a year I feel like I have made good progress. I have 2 guitars now, both Taylor. The 12 string was the first purchase, a 362ce Grand Concert 12 string. It makes a beautiful sound, especially amplified clean. The 6 was next. It's a k26ce Grand Symphony and sounds very full. Just picked up the amp and pedals in June. With the pedals, I can fuzz it up pretty good, which is very cool! Maybe the best part about going electric is it has allowed me to improve my technique, realizing quickly that I have been fretting WAY too hard.
Pedals are a Trace Acoustic Transit-A, and a Fender Smolder Acoustic OD. Amp is a Rivera Sedona 55 Lite, and has a channel that is designed to specifically be compatible with the Taylor pickup system. Both guitars absolutely sparkle using that channel. I use both about equally. Doing my studying on an electric, that will be the next addition.

Adding, sorry about the twisted pics. I tried to fix them, to no avail. Anybody know why that happens? Or how I can fix them?

[tranquility]

Holy crap do I feel inadequate now if not already. The gear you guys rock, wow.

I particularly liked the below story, very slightly reminds me of my own journey, except I'm way less skilled/sophisticated/knowledgeable/etc.

Anyway, I started w one of those kid guitars, my dad was so proud asking the guitar teacher on my first day how did I look w that thing and the teacher replied as fit as a fiddle! Sadly, I did not turn out to be the next EVH haha.

So I had that kid-sized guitar for a while and then borrowed my dad's, which was a classical. I have no idea where he bought it but apparently it was from a semi-famous classical player. Anyway, not sure why he got it because he doesn't really do finger-style as much as the usual pick strumming. I already have small hands so the wider fretboard should've been a challenge but it wasn't so bad, maybe because of the softer strings and the neck wasn't too bad/thick.

After that I 'inherited' another acoustic (some Yamaha) which was in hindsight the best feel since the neck was really small and fit me like a glove. I played many tunes on that, figuring out songs somehow before the internet took off and it was fun keeping me entertained during some mundane times.

Anyway, me being the idiot I am, at one point I decided to sell those 2 guitars for some acoustic/electric because I wanted to go electric and get into amps...I don't even have that very pedestrian guitar now.

If you read this far, I decided to recount my story because the poster below talked about pickups, and it showed that I knew nothing, basically going for guitars based on looks mainly. Sold that acoustic/electric for what I thought was my ultimate guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Special, cherry red. Sure, it looked nice but it was totally wrong for me, the infamous baseball bat neck and when I finally paid close attention to my guitar, I found out that I didn't like the look/sound of those soapdish pickups. Luckily, I sold it for a little profit even and now have the Ibanez. Wish the neck was thinner but at least I love the look, the humbuckers/more settings.

Originally Posted by demas

What a perfect thread.


I started learning Classical Guitar and Flamenco when I was 13. Later, started a Rock band with friends. I played Lead, my best buddy was Rhythm and another good friend was Drums.

We did a lot of the popular stuff back then - Warrant, White Lion, Skid Row, L.A. Guns, GnR (I ain't no Slash) but we also loved Surf music and in particular The Ventures (Nokie my inspiration).

I always tried to pursue Classical - it just takes a life of dedication. I promised my mother I'd play her favorite song Recuerdos de la Alhambra in person one day - that was 30 years ago and I still can't get the whole piece down... and my tremolo is horrible today.


I stopped playing when I was 19 and started work. Only recently got back to playing - 25 years without an electric guitar or amp or anything - just decided one day, why not?

And I did the strangest thing - I bought a Telecaster. Back in the day, we were Les Paul's and Humbuckers - we shunned Fender and Single Coils. (funny, as I liked Surf). As I got older I really appreciated the timeless Tele and the Strat pickups - although for some reason I never got along with Strats - something about the shape and feel.

Now, I got the Tele ('52 reissue w/ G.E. Smith mod), a Warmoth partscaster running Seymour Duncan pickups. Then bought this amazing Danelectro for that 50's vibe.

If I can make space, I'd love to add a Moserite or a Rickenbacker which I've never played. Weirdly, I don't care for Gibson anymore although I play better on a shorter scale.


I gotta rebuild by calluses...

[NYG]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Holy crap do I feel inadequate now if not already. The gear you guys rock, wow.

I particularly liked the below story, very slightly reminds me of my own journey, except I'm way less skilled/sophisticated/knowledgeable/etc.

Anyway, I started w one of those kid guitars, my dad was so proud asking the guitar teacher on my first day how did I look w that thing and the teacher replied as fit as a fiddle! Sadly, I did not turn out to be the next EVH haha.

So I had that kid-sized guitar for a while and then borrowed my dad's, which was a classical. I have no idea where he bought it but apparently it was from a semi-famous classical player. Anyway, not sure why he got it because he doesn't really do finger-style as much as the usual pick strumming. I already have small hands so the wider fretboard should've been a challenge but it wasn't so bad, maybe because of the softer strings and the neck wasn't too bad/thick.

After that I 'inherited' another acoustic (some Yamaha) which was in hindsight the best feel since the neck was really small and fit me like a glove. I played many tunes on that, figuring out songs somehow before the internet took off and it was fun keeping me entertained during some mundane times.

Anyway, me being the idiot I am, at one point I decided to sell those 2 guitars for some acoustic/electric because I wanted to go electric and get into amps...I don't even have that very pedestrian guitar now.

If you read this far, I decided to recount my story because the poster below talked about pickups, and it showed that I knew nothing, basically going for guitars based on looks mainly. Sold that acoustic/electric for what I thought was my ultimate guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Special, cherry red. Sure, it looked nice but it was totally wrong for me, the infamous baseball bat neck and when I finally paid close attention to my guitar, I found out that I didn't like the look/sound of those soapdish pickups. Luckily, I sold it for a little profit even and now have the Ibanez. Wish the neck was thinner but at least I love the look, the humbuckers/more settings.

No need to feel inadequate at all. I'll snap a pic of my current rig in a little bit to make you feel better.