Staff outing for work and I was the designated guitar player. We did a bunch of songs (people made requests in advance so I had time to practice and learn the songs I didn’t know) and I figured, better late than never so I picked “Wonderwall.” Was a great day. AMA.

My wife gifted me this amazing Gibson Firebird Custom on our wedding day! Just when I thought I was already the luckiest guy, she pulls out this beaut! Thought you guys would appreciate it.

So. Going through a big Pink Floyd and David Gilmour phase again, mostly focusing on his solo albums from On an Island onwards.

The man can clearly play, I love him. He’s got me playing again after a few years of disinterested funk

On his last solo live album he does a rendition of Fat Old Sun, one of his older tracks. It rocks. It bops, and it’s got a nice solo to it live.

So I go back and try and relearn the album version, and wow. It’s… pretty mid. Like, it’s fine, but it’s arguably not a great solo. I then go back through the early Floyd stuff, and yeah. Gilmour, while he’s my hero and I love him, he’s nothing spectacular in the early Floyd career

I get that the band had its own identity crisis, etc… but it feels like it takes till Echoes and then Dark Side of the Moon for Gilmour to really get going and get his voice and sound on the guitar.

There’s a noticeable improvement. There’s also a jump in my opinion again with Animals, then onto the Wall. His playing improves vastly album to album, kind of peaking around about the Division Bell arguably?

Then it got me thinking… is there any other guitarist who improves so clearly in their career?

I went back through some of my favourites.

For rhythm I love Peter Buck of REM, and Elliott Smith (a vastly underrated guitarist). They’re both great, but I feel you can hear the same finished article on album one as on the last album they did.

For lead I love Brian May and Mark Knopfler. But again, their debut albums feature solos like Sultans of Swing and Bohemian Rhapsody, and end with near enough identical talent with songs like Brothers in Arms and I Want it All.

So the question. Is there any other popular or famous guitarist you feel radically improve over their career? Do you think I’m just chatting shit here and Gilmour was always as good as he was?

Not making this post to try to spread hate to this creator, just wanted to spread awareness he’s been reposting white nationalist propaganda and racist, alt right ideas for over a year now or more. If you’re against white nationalism and racism you should probably unfollow this guy. The guitar community is already toxic as is, there’s no need to throw in racism into the mix as well especially when most of the music we all love and play originates from African Americans.

My first inlayed neck. It plays super nice and doesn't need any setup at the moment. I own many different guitars and I'm kind of speechless. Happy playing everyone.

Do you fancy the extra bling? What’s your favourite?
2001 NOS SRV STRAT
1995 Les Paul Classic Premium Plus LE Anlinie Dye
2025 D’Angelico Bob Weir III

all kinds of feedbacks are welcome

First, apologies if this is the wrong place for this question, but I'm trying to cast a wide net here before I do anything.

My cousin passed away after fighting lifelong health issues. Without getting too much into it- he left me all of his guitars with the written intent of selling them to help my son with college or whatever else he might want to do. He's 5 right now.

I'm going to honor his wishes, but I would like to keep some of them for my son should he ever want to learn to play. I've researched and have a grasp on the details and value of each, but I was hoping to get some actual player perspectives here as I am not one...

I don't necessarily care about monetary value, and there is no sentimental value attached to any one in particular.

What I would like is to keep a few quality instruments that would allow for the most longevity and versatility in playing and learning.

Based on that criteria, which would you suggest keeping?

Guitars:

Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay RS

Paul Reed Smith S2 Vela

Paul Reed Smith S2 Vela HHT

Paul Reed Smith S2 Vela Semi-Hollow

Squier Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster

Basses:

Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 4HH Bass

Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4H Bass

Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Short Scale Bass

Fender Player II Mustang PJ Bass

Squier Classic Vibe 60s Precison Bass

Squier Sonic Bronco Bass

Sterling Pete Wentz Signature StingRay Bass

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and provide input. It is greatly appreciated.

Forgot I owned this guitar LOL

What is the deal with Yngwie so vehemently refusing to call his sweep arpeggios sweeping? I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that it's due to english being his second language so he interprets sweep to mean strum and therefore blending notes together. But really I think it's his ego talking cause he wants to have his arpeggios be his own technique, not wanting to credit other people.

I've heard him several times say it's not sweep picking... but ask almost anyone and they'd say its sweep picking; he talks about how it isn't sweep picking as each note is individually articulated... but I'd say thats an aspect of good sweeping.

I'll clarify and say I really like Yngwie, but my best guess is that it is his immense ego talking on this.

I got what i believe is an acoustic 26 string in a optiweb 3 pack.

I think I'm gonna be the next owner of the elixir strings factory.

About a week ago, I put 6 layers of Varathane less mess wood stain on my pau ferro board. To my satisfaction, It turned much darker than it was out of the box. While I was happy with the results, I couldn’t help but notice the difference between it and my Strat’s rosewood board whenever I put them side-by-side. I let it be for a week, thinking it would get darker eventually. Then I realized the wood stain I used first was a dark walnut stain, and found that Varathane also has an ebony stain as one of their color options. I figured I’d give it a go as I’d love to darken my board even more. I did the same thing, sanded the fretboard with 600 grit sandpaper, but today I took the time to sand the portion behind the nut with a lower grit before application so that it would match the rest of my fretboard. Then I applied about 6 layers again, after which I cleaned the residue off and topped the entire process with a helping of lemon oil and Dunlop 02 conditioner after. In person, it’s now so much closer to my Strat and JM’s rosewood boards!! When I applied the stain this time, it was way messier for my workstation, but I’m satisfied nonetheless.

I don't know how much love Jack White gets here, but I love this documentary and this clip.

Finally! After a long wait I finally have her, and she is just as amazing as I hoped she would be.

International shipping required, if anyone has an MGS2 or MGS3 for sale please let me know!

Been using the D'Addario casein pick recently and it's amazing, beveled itself wonderfully and is just a nice mellow material. Had been using Gravity 3mm classic for a few years but went down to 2mm for the casein.

Before that I used V-picks tradition for a long time, also around 3mm. I think I like the 2mm more, though, and am going to check out maybe a little lighter gauge down to 1mm in time, but I just ordered an Extra Heavy Classic Red Bear and am super pumped to test it out!

What's your pick journey? I started on bass and used to use those 2mm purple tortex, they slayed.

I was suggested a 12 - 56.

I slapped on a pack of Ernie Ball 12 - 56. I found its way too tight for the setup i need in lead. The bends just are fighting like a truck that wont budge.

I swapped them for 11 - 49. Everything feels good in the high end but not the low end.

I kept the strings from the previous setup. So ill be changing again tomorrow putting the bottom as 32, 44, 56 and keeping the light 11, 14, 18.

Anyone else playing leads in this? Im having such a fun time balancing my floating bridge while doing this lol.

Ill be doing a bunch more setups for c standard and drop c on my guitars and im experimenting with the one first to catch the feel. Whats the verdict and suggestions?

I really need a slippy lead and a huge tone attack with my lows but I dont want to end up with too light bottoms. Thinking the hybrid pack 11 - 54 should do me perfectly giving me more room and not throwing packs of strings to the wall finding what sticks.

I basically play melodic death metal. Probably closest is The Black Dahlia Murder. Pretty sure Brandon Ellis uses 11 - 56 dunlops. Ive always personally gone Ernie Ball.

Let me know your thoughts C and Drop C players!

Hello! I am new to the guitar, and i am looking to get my first one. I played an acoustasonic jazz master in my music shop, and really loved it, though i did not get a chance to play plugged in as somebody was shredding 😅 i have read a lot of information that delivers mixed views on the instrument and i would like some opinions if possible. I have played a little before, about 8 years ago now, i learnt up to the english grade 2, but i do not think this is a very impressive level of guitar for most people. I play the bass guitar, and a little bit of the piano also, and would like this guitar to create my own music eventually. I am very much inspired by Low Roar, and connected to the sound this guitar gave me, but as I have not played many guitar, I was uncertain if others could provide better.

Tack så mycket!!

A routine for getting jazz vocabulary from the record into your playing

I like to think of licks as vocabulary in a language: you hear it, you say it, and then you use it in your own sentences. Here's the routine I use to make a phrase really mine, with a little Hank Mobley phrase from "This I Dig of You" (Soul Station) as the example:

1. Find a lick you love on a record. Something that makes you go "what was that?". Loving the sound is what keeps you coming back to it.
2. Write it down as intervals over the chord. Over a G7 this one goes 1, 7, b7, 9, 13, b13, 5. Seeing what each note does against the chord turns it from a shape into an idea you can move anywhere.
3. Listen to it in all 12 keys and sing along. This is my favourite step. I loop it around a II-V-I cycle and sing it until it lives in my ear, no instrument needed. Once you can sing it, playing it comes much more naturally.
4. Find it on your instrument by ear. Sing the first note, find it, then the next. This is where your ear and your hands start talking to each other.
5. Play it in all 12 keys.Around the cycle, II-V-I by II-V-I. After a few keys you stop thinking about notes and start hearing the shape of the line.
6. Put it into a real tune and play with it. I play along with There Will Never Be Another You and drop the lick in wherever it fits, then try it over substitutions and different chords. That's the fun part, where it starts sounding like you.

The nice thing about this order is that ear comes first and fingers second, so the lick shows up on its own when you improvise.

Full disclosure: I built a small app called EarBop to make steps 3 to 6 easier (transposing, backing, showing where a lick fits in a tune). The video shows the whole process. Link in the comments if you want to try it, but the routine works just as well with iReal Pro and a pencil.

How do you all internalize vocabulary? Sing first, or straight to the instrument?

Picked up this 6505 and 2x12 with V30s for 600AUD. Best deal of my life