What up. We back.
Last week I bit the bullet and decided to pick up this Fender Strat that's been sitting at my local shop for a while now. Whenever I walked out of my apartment, always saw it in the window. I played guitar religiously throughout high school, but once I got to college I kind of fizzled out. Fourteen years later, here we are - I said fuck it, and picked it back up.
I'm loving it so far but forgot how bad I am. Massive fret buzzing left and right, I keep hitting the wrong string and having to re-learn what all the damn buttons on the amp mean. I have also now officially been banned from playing after 10p, as the fiance needs "her damn sleep" to quote it nicely! Waiting for my headphones to come in the mail.
Overall, so glad I picked up this hobby again. Wondering if anyone else out there is in the music scene at all, whether it's casual or not. There's a mid-20s kid that lives a couple of floors below me that saw me carrying it once and asked to jam, so made a new buddy that way. Great times all around!
yes, recently I have been heavily involved with my city's DIY music scene and having a lot of fun with that. I also have been making music myself (just doing vocals) for the past couple of months and have done a ton of demos with people from the internet. I was trying to start a band for the past three months and I finally found a full lineup of people last week which is exciting but some of the bandmates have been poor communicators so far which is frustrating me.
Great that you're getting involved with the band! That shit is awesome. If you're in DC Metro then hit me up - would love to jam!
Not in DC unfortunately. Yes this shit sounds awesome but has been frustrating as fuck so far because the guitar player and bass player (especially the guitar player) both have been unresponsive as fuck so far. But as they say - lead or leave. I need to lay down some ground rules or else I will lose my mind.
Used to play the piano growing up and then keyboard a bit in college with one of my roommates who ended up moving to the West Coast and starting a band. Thinking about getting back into it. What shop did you find that Strat at?
I started playing two years ago during quarantine. Picked up a used Squire Strat and started learning riffs from classic rock songs I love like Hells Bells and Hotel California. Kind of hit a wall with the "self-taught" path so I took guitar lessons as an extra class this semester. My teacher was a really chill guy and helped me fix some stuff get into music theory and I have started soloing over some backing tracks. One of the first things I buy when I land a job will be a Fender, or Gibson SG.
The headphones are clutch! When I first started it was the only way I could practice when my parents would go to sleep. If you're looking for a cheap practice amp, check out the Boss Katana Mini. Only like $100ish and has great tones and you can even fuck around with the delay and make some reverb. Also has a port for headphones and a jack to plug your phone into for backing tracks.
Same here - I'm using my first bonus for a semi-hollow PRS.
Valvetronix is also a good cheap amp, can be ~150 used and has a tube in the preamp!
That's awesome! I'm leaning on the self-taught / YouTube path right now but may invest in some more regular lessons in the future. I ordered some ATH-M50x headphones, general consensus seemed like those were a great bang for your buck at a beginner-medium pricepoint. Have heard great things about Boss Katana, so will have that on the list for sure. Currently using a friend's amp that I'm borrowing, it's an older Crate GX-30M. Great amp, but you can tell it's meant to be played LOUD and I can't do that in my building, LOL.
prodigy720 & probably_screwed have you guys heard anything about the Fender Mustang LT25? That was one I was also looking at, seemed to have some good reviews. It is a solid-state amp, and I'm not entirely sure about the benefits of tube vs. SS. Any insight would be awesome, thanks guys! Happy shredding.
So the tube on the Vox is kind of overplayed (haha) - it's just another modeling amp and it would take a really good ear for one to identify the tube in there.
The Mustang's great though! Honestly, so many apps are out there with high quality for a budget that you can't go wrong with any.
Yes, would recommend this channel/ ultimate guitar if you want to have something to follow: https://youtube.com/c/KennethAcoustic
Will check 'em out, thanks boss!
Been playing since college! Been nice to keep a guitar next to my desk at home and play in between/during meetings as a break
Play guitar and piano, really mainly guitar though. Same situation as you, I fizzled out for a hot minute after college. IMO the best thing you can do is to get away form just learning how to play specific songs and actually get into the weeds of how the music theory works. The thing that absolutely improved my playing the most was learning scales and buying a looper. Just make a bunch of loops in different keys and practice playing lead over them, tons of fun and can kill a ton of time and help you learn the entire fretboard.
If you're ever looking to upgrade, do some research into used Mexican-made (MIM) Fender instruments. You can get really solid build quality for a relatively low price. If your guitar is still returnable, maybe consider it, but obviously if you're liking the current instrument by all means keep it
Second this, the MIM Fender lines have a way more significant drop in price than they do in quality. And, if you're savvy enough, you can buy a MIM Fender and then buy American made pickups separately and install them yourself.
Try to play piano everyday. Would love to jam with some people in nyc if anyone is interested. I’m classically trained (including probably too much music theory haha) but have branched out quite a bit and truly enjoy playing pretty much all genres of music
Great hobby and the best way to cope with stress imo. Been playing since 6th grade. Enjoy the strat! Helluva axe
Guitar is an amazing hobby dude. I've been playing fairly consistently (though not seriously) since I was 8. Jamming with buddies and beers on the weekend is such a fantastic free way to have fun. Stick with it!
Is mayonnaise an instrument?
I've had a brand new Epi Les Paul sitting in my storage unit for 6+ years. And when I mean new, I mean new. I only opened the box to make sure they sent me the right color (a beautiful wine finish), but that's it. Still has the tags and that light styrofoam-like cloth they wrap it in to ship it.
This thread is inspiring me to go get it and start up again. I played in high school and a little in college but nothing beyond that as an adult. Might be a good idea to find an instructor and take lessons (never did, self taught). It's been in storage so long, I'll probably have to take it to a tech first and have them set it up for me, get some fresh strings on it and all that.
I’ve been playing guitar for about ~14 years, I’m 22 now.
it’s a great skill to have. I have a Strandberg Boden Classic, probably the best guitars ever made.
damn that's an amazing guitar, hope to have one of those someday haha
I've been playing violin since I was 5 years old. I haven't "practiced" regularly since I was 18 or so, but I've played in bands, played weddings, etc. It's a great skill to have. Especially living in Nashville now.
Been playing off and on for 3 years. Varies month to month for me, some I play every day and others I will only pick it up once. I really wish I could commit more to it and have more discipline, I love playing when I do and I really want to get to the point where I'd consider myself "good". I go back and forth on whether or not getting a new one would help out (have a basic squire strat), but keep telling myself that sinking more money into a hobby I struggle to commit to is a waste.
I feel that too. At some point, I feel like there's gonna be a certain 'point' where I'll be actually excited to play more (and thus by virtue do it more often) because I'll be at a level where I'm good enough for myself. I gotta say though, have made massive improvements over the past two weeks of ownership. I ain't Jimmy Hendrix yet, but have been slowly re-learning all the scales and chords, and can play thru lots of riffs without having to think about them or really even look at the neck. Couldn't do that a week ago, much less two.
Issue is really timing. I wish I could carve out a set block of the day (I like to compartmentalize things, keeps me organized) but guitar is not my number one priority. Work is busy, trying to really lock down my exercise routine, and it's getting warmer. If I could get more consistent then I think I'd be a lot more inclined to play. Baby steps, my friend! Go pick up that Squire.
If the Strat has actually been in the window for that long, there's a chance that you need to adjust the truss rod which will reduce your fret buzz. I'd take it back to the shop and ask them to adjust it if you find that that is the issue(easy to check, multiple guides online)
Took it back to them for a setup! Got a slightly higher gauge string for comfort reasons & the neck was slightly offset from it hanging so long. They put it back into place and were shocked to hear that they didn't do it initially. Did the setup free of charge, great place. Strat is sounding BEAUTIFUL now, super pumped about it.
I've been playing since I was 11. Was in a heavy metal band during college and I still try to hit some open mics here and there when I have time.
It's awesome to hear that you picked up the guitar again after all these years! Music has a way of bringing joy and fulfillment into our lives. It's totally normal to feel a bit rusty at first, but with practice, you'll be amazed at how quickly your skills come back. Embrace the journey, and remember that it's all about having fun and enjoying the process.
There are bots on WSO now?
Guitar and bass here. Been trying to start a goth band with coworkers. They don’t seem into it.
It's awesome
I totally get where you're coming from. Picked up my old guitar a few months back after it collected dust for years. At first, it was rough – my fingers felt clumsy, and I couldn't remember half the chords. But sticking with it has been so rewarding.
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