Guitarist's Discussion

[Spiral_Slave]

Figured I would make this thread for all the guitar players on the board. Discuss what you're working on, ask questions, whatever. :shred:

Lately, besides writing and working on shit for the band, I've been working on "Return Of Salieri" by Warmen. I've been practicing it with a metronome and I'm getting pretty close to the actual tempo, but it ain't no picnic.

[overkiller]

I've been playing an LP Special for years, and if I manage to find the money I'm thinking about getting a Jackson X Series WXRT Warrior. Thoughts?

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/5/8/6/338586.jpg

[Div]

thats a pretty sweet looking guitar

[floydhunter9]

You know, I think I could break my strict "no sex with inanimate objects" policy for that guitar... <_<

[DarkTwilight]

Well, I've been playing guitar for about 6 years now (my ESP F-50, getting a new guitar soon), and I guess you could say I'm pretty good, I can do a lot of the ridiculous shredding, I'm told im good, ect ect.... but I cannot sweep! Like I've sat down and just practiced sweep arpeggios over and over, but they just never sound right... if I want to play an arpeggio fast, rather than sweep it I just play 4 16th notes of each note in the arpeggio... So it sounds kind of cool but I can never get the sweep sound... anyone have any advice?

[ADD]

Riffs are good :stoned:

[Spiral_Slave]

Well, I've been playing guitar for about 6 years now (my ESP F-50, getting a new guitar soon), and I guess you could say I'm pretty good, I can do a lot of the ridiculous shredding, I'm told im good, ect ect.... but I cannot sweep! Like I've sat down and just practiced sweep arpeggios over and over, but they just never sound right... if I want to play an arpeggio fast, rather than sweep it I just play 4 16th notes of each note in the arpeggio... So it sounds kind of cool but I can never get the sweep sound... anyone have any advice?

Practice the arpeggios with a metronome using alternate picking. Start slow and increase the BPM as you feel comfortable. This will get you more comfortable with the sweeping idea, and get into your arm's muscle memory. Other than that, just practice.

[SomewhereInTime72]

Riffs are good :stoned:

Jazz chords are better. ;)

[sneakbobcat]

Buying a Crate Stack, writing some technical death metal music.

[Maiden33]

I've been playing for about 5 and a half years now. I've had the same Epiphone Les Paul Studio (black) for like 3 years, and I couldn't be happier with it. I'm currently looking at getting an ESP M-200 FM in see-thru black cherry:
http://www.espguitars.com/images/guitars/m-200FM_STBC.jpg

It should be very sexy, I can't wait. I'm hoping to order sometime in the next couple of weeks.

I've had my own band for over 3 years now, but unfortunately things aren't going very well right now. Our second guitarist (who's been here since the beginning) decided to quit in September because "his heart wasn't in it", our singer just moved from Pennsylvania to Florida, and we're always having a string of ongoing problems with our bassist of about a year and a half. I'm currently considering disbanding the whole thing for a while, I can't handle the stress and frustration right now.
I am currently working on music of my own, actually at the moment I'm working with Jeff (Spiral Slave) on something that I feel is very very neat.

[TonyD]

Good choice with the LTD, plays great and has good features for the price.
Jackson, not so much. Those models are overpriced IMO. Maybe I just hate the necks

[Maiden33]

Good choice with the LTD, plays great and has good features for the price.
Jackson, not so much. Those models are overpriced IMO. Maybe I just hate the necks

Alright, good to know. I'm very excited to get it.

[Spiral_Slave]

I'm not a big Jackson fan either, I don't like the necks and I agree that they are pretty overpriced. But every guitar is different, so the best thing to do is sit down and play it if at all possible see how it sounds, feels, etc.

[neilpeartjr.]

Because I have a total boner for looking at guitars, everyone post pictures of your axes!

[overkiller]

Because I have a total boner for looking at guitars, everyone post pictures of your axes!

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/6/8/1/273681.jpg

[Spiral_Slave]

I'll take some pictures of my guitars and upload them later on.

[Spiral_Slave]

Alright, my guitars...

My heavily modified Fender Stratocaster (http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s295/Swinelords/Strat.jpg)

Specs: 21 frets, pearl pickguard, two seymour ducan super distortion pickups, three-way toggle pickup switch

My ESP LTD EX-50 (http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s295/Swinelords/espex50.jpg)

Specs: 22 frets, stock pickups, which are about to be replaced with EMG's (81 and 85).

I couldn't take a picture of my Iceman because it's at my other guitar player's house...but here's a picture of what they look like.

http://www.theibanezstore.com/images/ic400bk.jpg

Getting EMG's installed in that as well, although the stock pickups sounded surprisingly great.

[Spiral_Slave]

I've been figuring out Alexi's song " Sioux City Sarsparilla " off the new Guitar Heroes album all night. His song was sort of a dissapointment, but still pretty cool. Anyone else heard this album? I think the best song is Roope's " Soap On The Rope. "

[neilpeartjr.]

I've been playing an LP Special for years, and if I manage to find the money I'm thinking about getting a Jackson X Series WXRT Warrior. Thoughts?

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/5/8/6/338586.jpg


I can picture you playing that more than a Les Paul. :lol:

[SomewhereInTime72]

My ESP LTD EX-50 (http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s295/Swinelords/espex50.jpg)


This is what I use as well.

More often than that though, I'm playing.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Whackinblack/cordoba.jpg

(I used a stock photo since I couldnt find a picture of my actual guitar.)

[TonyD]

I'm not a big Jackson fan either, I don't like the necks and I agree that they are pretty overpriced. But every guitar is different, so the best thing to do is sit down and play it if at all possible see how it sounds, feels, etc.
Yeah I try not to have a bias when picking up a guitar at a shop, but generally the Jacksons I've tried have been all the same. Now the US models... thats a whole different story.

Me and my guitar, yes it has 'DIMEBAG RULEZ D00DZ' written all over it, but for what it cost, it plays and sounds great, and the ML shape feels right
http://a726.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/21/l_761bac3c5793992a2629d87ac08efc65.jpg

[Maiden33]

Here's a stock photo of my guitar:

Epiphone Les Paul Studio
http://www.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/ENL1EBCH1.JPG

[neilpeartjr.]

Yeah I try not to have a bias when picking up a guitar at a shop, but generally the Jacksons I've tried have been all the same. Now the US models... thats a whole different story.

Me and my guitar, yes it has 'DIMEBAG RULEZ D00DZ' written all over it, but for what it cost, it plays and sounds great, and the ML shape feels right
http://a726.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/21/l_761bac3c5793992a2629d87ac08efc65.jpg

The "Dimebag" shape is totally badass though. :rocker:

[TonyD]

Yeah, its a somewhat radical shape without looking like a medival torture device.
Perfect shape for practice sitting down too.

[Maiden33]

And here's some live photos of me playing my guitar:

http://www.necromancetheband.com/croc5716.jpg

http://www.necromancetheband.com/croc645.JPG

[TonyD]

Totally metal.
Is that your Randall head? What model is it?

And I just remembered, Kirk Hammett switched to Randall. New amp is coming out soon, any thoughts?

[Spiral_Slave]

Totally metal.
Is that your Randall head? What model is it?

And I just remembered, Kirk Hammett switched to Randall. New amp is coming out soon, any thoughts?

Kirk Hammet sucks. I'd like to get a Randal or Krank head but they're a little out of my price range at least for right now and my Line 6 is just fine.

[Dimebag_Rusty]

to the one with the dean.. really nice


ive got a kick ass dean too. A lefty Dean FBD with a floyd rose and dimebucker. Same shape as yours.. same color as yours

[TonyD]

to the one with the dean.. really nice


ive got a kick ass dean too. A lefty Dean FBD with a floyd rose and dimebucker. Same shape as yours.. same color as yours

yeah. the only differences are a floyd rose, a duncan pickup and $500
:hecho:

[Maiden33]

Totally metal.
Is that your Randall head? What model is it?

Nope, not mine. It actually belongs to Chris Caffery (TSO, Savatage). We were opening for his solo band and Doro that night.

I've had a Fender FM 212R for like 3+ years and despite that it's only a 100 watt combo amp, I'm very happy with the sound I get out of it. I'm looking to upgrade to a Line 6 Spider III 150W half-stack in a few months.

[Dimebag_Rusty]

yeah. the only differences are a floyd rose, a duncan pickup and $500
:hecho:

hahah im lucky.. thats the best lefty guitar available from dean (without custom ordering) so I had to get it.

[Spiral_Slave]

Working through some of the licks from Michael Romeo's " The Guitar Chapter. " Anyone else seen this?

[Maiden33]

You know what's a really upsetting experience? Having a Slipknot song kick your ass on Guitar Hero when you can play music 1000 times more complex on a real guitar.

[TonyD]

You know what's a really upsetting experience? Having a Slipknot song kick your ass on Guitar Hero when you can play music 1000 times more complex on a real guitar.

Or having your ass kicked by a song that you know how to play on guitar
I actually know the dude who sang on The Trooper for the game

[Spiral_Slave]

I finally decided to tune down my guitar to C standard, and played along with my own custom Arch Enemy set.

01. Blood On Your Hands
02. Leader Of The Rats
03. Ravenous
04. Hybrids Of Steel
05. Nemesis

Was pretty awesome, now I'm working on figuring our Christopher's lead in " Vultures. "

[hot_turkey_ed]

I finally decided to tune down my guitar to C standard, and played along with my own custom Arch Enemy set.

01. Blood On Your Hands
02. Leader Of The Rats
03. Ravenous
04. Hybrids Of Steel
05. Nemesis

Was pretty awesome, now I'm working on figuring our Christopher's lead in " Vultures. "

Put it on YouTube! :blaze:

[Spiral_Slave]

Put it on YouTube! :blaze:

Been lookin' into getting a cam for a while...Possibly when I get my tax return in about two weeks, then sure I'll upload some videos. :horns:

[powerslave_85]

These are my guitars:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/powerslave_85/guitars2.jpg

A DeArmond M-65 (on the left) and a Fender Strat (obviously). Sitting behind the Strat is my shitty little practice amp. I fell so far behind on improving my skills when I got into college that I probably haven't improved at all since high school. I'm hoping I can devote more time to it now. Plus, I desperately need a new, beefier amp, but that keeps getting put on the back burner because of other priorities.

[Maiden33]

I finally decided to tune down my guitar to C standard, and played along with my own custom Arch Enemy set.

01. Blood On Your Hands
02. Leader Of The Rats
03. Ravenous
04. Hybrids Of Steel
05. Nemesis

Was pretty awesome, now I'm working on figuring our Christopher's lead in " Vultures. "

C standard? Disgusting. Better to go just to drop C and play some Circle II Circle and Evergrey.
All in all though, I really don't like downtuning. I won't not listen to bands because of it, but I honestly can't find any good reason to tune down as much as so many bands anymore do. I'm standard all the way.

[powerslave_85]

One thing I don't like about my Strat is that it isn't accommodating to alternate tunings. If you want to tune down, you have to adjust the floating bridge. It's not a big deal, though, because I very rarely tune lower than drop-D, and when I do I just use my other guitar.

[Maiden33]

One thing I don't like about my Strat is that it isn't accommodating to alternate tunings. If you want to tune down, you have to adjust the floating bridge. It's not a big deal, though, because I very rarely tune lower than drop-D, and when I do I just use my other guitar.

Strats aren't very good for being in tune, in any tuning unless you've made signifigant modifications to them.

[Spiral_Slave]

Strats aren't very good for being in tune, in any tuning unless you've made signifigant modifications to them.

I've never had trouble with my strat staying in tune, and I haven't made any modifications that would change that. Just stay away from using the tremolo bar and you shouldn't have a problem.

[powerslave_85]

I've never had trouble with my strat staying in tune, and I haven't made any modifications that would change that. Just stay away from using the tremolo bar and you shouldn't have a problem.
That's exactly what I was going to say. As long as I keep it in standard, it's fine.

[TonyD]

If you have the standard 6-screw bridge, you probably will have tuning problems if you're bending or playing heavy strings.
It's an easy fix, all you have to do is open up the rear trem cover and wedge the bridge with a small block of wood.

[Maiden33]

I've never had trouble with my strat staying in tune, and I haven't made any modifications that would change that. Just stay away from using the tremolo bar and you shouldn't have a problem.

I was just joking because my first guitar was a Strat and it would never stay in tune... but then again it was Squier, not even an actual Fender. I really hated that guitar, and have not liked a Strat since.

[SomewhereInTime72]

I was just joking because my first guitar was a Strat and it would never stay in tune... but then again it was Squier, not even an actual Fender. I really hated that guitar, and have not liked a Strat since.

Have that guitar too, don't like it at all. I now just keep it tuned to DADFAE and only use it when I feel like playing in that tuning, which isn't often. :D

[Spiral_Slave]

Have that guitar too, don't like it at all. I now just keep it tuned to DADFAE and only use it when I feel like playing in that tuning, which isn't often. :D

Haha, that's pretty much everyone's first guitar. I really love the strat I've got now though, getting a scalloped 22 fret neck with reverse headstock soon then I'll be all done modifiying it. :party:

[TonyD]

Haha, that's pretty much everyone's first guitar. I really love the strat I've got now though, getting a scalloped 22 fret neck with reverse headstock soon then I'll be all done modifiying it. :party:

Nice. What model is the guitar?

[Spiral_Slave]

Nice. What model is the guitar?

Fender USA strat, white with pearloid pickguard, 2 seymour duncan super distortion humbuckers, two-way pickup switch, and the new neck on the way.

[Spiral_Slave]

I've decided it's time to ressurrect this thread. Today I've been working through " Holy Light " by Stratovarius just to improve the clarity of my alternate picking, and it's suprisingly easy.

[Maiden33]

I've decided it's time to ressurrect this thread. Today I've been working through " Holy Light " by Stratovarius just to improve the clarity of my alternate picking, and it's suprisingly easy.

Timo Tolkki = not as good as many people think he is. It's just a lot of fast picking. The Speed of Light solo is pretty easy.

[ADD]

Playing solos is my hardest thing with guitar, I'm a pretty good rhythm player but I can't play leads worth shit. Any tips for teaching yourself how to play a good fluid solo?

[Spiral_Slave]

Playing solos is my hardest thing with guitar, I'm a pretty good rhythm player but I can't play leads worth shit. Any tips for teaching yourself how to play a good fluid solo?

Well the first thing is to become familiar and fluent with the different techniques used in the solo. For most solos, alternate picking is a must so really practice that. Another thing that Ralph reccomended to me and has been a huge help is the use of a metronome. Start off slow and play along with the metronome to build speed and precision. Don't go faster unless you are completely confident with the speed you are at. It can be a long and agonizing process sometimes, but it pays off.

[Maiden33]

Well, it's hard for me to give advice since I have no formal guitar training, my only training is theory.
But if you want to play good solos:
You need to be good with scales, it's a no-brainer really. If you don't know scales you can't solo very well, so you definitely want to make sure you know those. In addition to that, I think of it like this:
Picture where all the notes in a typical scale on a guitar fall, and work on getting to these points and working around them. For example, say I'm in the key of E minor. I know everywhere on the guitar the notes I would want are. That makes improv about 100,000 times easier, because you don't need to plan every detail out, you can just make it up by knowing scales and note placement. Oh, and it REALLY helps to know the chord structure of what you're playing over. Obviously if it's just one-chord or ridiculous riffing this is a void point, but if you know the chord structure, it will help you know what notes work better, and also if you're doing any sort of an arpeggio, you kind of need to know what chord(s) to be arpeggiating.
There's a few techniques essential to playing good solos. The first key aspect I think A LOT of starters miss is vibrato. It's absolutely essential to making longer notes sound good. You need to get that string vibration going with your finger, it makes things sound about 50x better. Another is artificial harmonics, but you probably are already familiar with that from rhythm playing. Hammer-ons and Pull-offs, tapping, bends, and alternate picking are obviously all important aspects.
I also think (barring shred-based solos) it's crucially important to base solos, at least the beginnings of them, around a strong melody, many times borrowed from another section of the song. Either a strong melody or a really important drawn-out note really help to start-off a solo, this is the kind of thing that makes Adrian Smith solos so awesome... he gives you that bit to grab onto that makes you remember it.

I hope this was of some help, but, like I said, I'm self-taught, I make my own rules up as I go along.

[SomewhereInTime72]

Playing solos is my hardest thing with guitar, I'm a pretty good rhythm player but I can't play leads worth shit. Any tips for teaching yourself how to play a good fluid solo?

Like the others said, the most important aspect for learning to play lead guitar is the metronome. Practice everything from like simple exercises to actual songs you're learning with it. A good way to use it is just start off pretty slow (which for certain things can almost be harder than playing fast) and gradually increase the tempo until its so fast you cant play it accurately anymore. ;) Keep your focus on accuracy and clean/smoothness in the playing, that way when you do get up to the higher tempos you can nail it without it sounding sloppy (which noone likes :().

When it comes to improvising and/or writing your own solos - the two best sources of help can be from music theory (whether its just very basic stuff, or really intensely out there stuff) and from just learning the solos from songs you like. When you learn it though, don't just learn the notes, analyze it sorta and figure out what about the solo makes you love it and try to incorporate that feel into your own playing. Most importantly, just keep practicing, playing and writing or whatever, and eventually all the good shit you want will come pretty naturally to ya. ;)

[neilpeartjr.]

http://view.break.com/551157

HOLY HAIRY BALLS!

[Maiden33]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqgTdVuGrAQ

[Spiral_Slave]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqgTdVuGrAQ

That guy played guitar for DisasterPeace both times I saw them along with Pete Blakk from King Diamond.

[Maiden33]

That guy played guitar for DisasterPeace both times I saw them along with Pete Blakk from King Diamond.

Awesome. I just knew about him because he played on a few of Rob Rock's albums.

[Maiden33]

I've been working through Savatage's "Silk and Steel" off of Gutter Ballet... it's an acoustic piece and it's really helping to keep me on my toes, it's a lot of fun but a challenge at the same time.

[Spiral_Slave]

Been checking out the new Rockhouse Guitar DVD with Alexi Laiho. He really shows a lot of different licks and riffs, it's pretty damn cool. I'd reccomend it to any Alexi fans.

[neilpeartjr.]

Been checking out the new Rockhouse Guitar DVD with Alexi Laiho. He really shows a lot of different licks and riffs, it's pretty damn cool. I'd reccomend it to any Alexi fans.

a) Do you have to be a guitar techy to appreciate it?

b) I've been trolling Bodom Setlists here, and even when they were first coming to America, the only song they played from Something Wild is "Deadnight Warrior." Does Alexi not like it or something?

[Spiral_Slave]

a) Do you have to be a guitar techy to appreciate it?

b) I've been trolling Bodom Setlists here, and even when they were first coming to America, the only song they played from Something Wild is "Deadnight Warrior." Does Alexi not like it or something?

a) No, not really.

b) Lake Bodom used to be played somewhat frequently. But yeah, Alexi doesn't care too much for SW.

[Spiral_Slave]

Been working through " The Psalm Of Lydia " by Nevermore. Jesus, those arpeggios in the intro are out of control.

[SomewhereInTime72]

b) Lake Bodom used to be played somewhat frequently. But yeah, Alexi doesn't care too much for SW.

It's just not -core enough for him.

:(