Guitars . Show em !

[Mark J]

6 hours ago, Ian Leach said:

Been looking at starting to learn how to play, what would people recommend.  Was thinking bass. I'm also a lefty .  Any tips.

 

My guitar teacher, who was a left-handed player, would say that it's best to learn right-handed as most the instruments you pick up will be strung that way. I don't know if I would have followed that advice if I was left-handed though, he didn't either but could play upside down if he wanted to..

I started playing on a nylon strung classical guitar as that's what was there. Classical guitars are good as the spacing between strings is comparatively larger, which can help when trying to sound each string in a chord.

I'd recommend a cheapish acoustic guitar, something like this would work. 

Yamaha F310 Acoustic Guitar Package | PMT Online

WWW.PMTONLINE.CO.UK

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With the premium build quality and comfortable playing style, this beginner acoustic is the ideal instrument to start your...

Or this one which is left-handed: 

Tanglewood Blackbird Folk Guitar LH, Smokestack Black Satin | PMT Online

WWW.PMTONLINE.CO.UK

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The perfect choice for the beginner guitarist who feels most comftable strumming with their left hand, this highly versatile...

 

[Macpherson]

48 minutes ago, Mark J said:

My guitar teacher, who was a left-handed player, would say that it's best to learn right-handed as most the instruments you pick up will be strung that way. I don't know if I would have followed that advice if I was left-handed though, he didn't either but could play upside down if he wanted to..

It's interesting in that when you first start playing and can do nothing with either hand, a right handed person then perseveres to make their left hand make a lot of unnatural movements and hold strange shapes while their go to hand does very little [ at least to begin with ]

As you say there are many more RH instruments around so when you're essentially a blank canvas would it matter? 

So I wonder if a lefty might get on better with the chord shapes more easily on a RH guitar.

Just a thought, but there are many instruments and tools that aren't handed so right or lefty you don't get a choice on a piano, a sax or a chainsaw.

 

Someone starting out wouldn't go wrong with either of your suggestions, probably I'd go for a version with a cutaway if was only going to have one guitar and  I'd also say that learning guitar would be a help to playing bass👍

 

[spudulike]

All I will add is a bad acoustic will have a high action and will frustrate very quickly.

Nylon strings are a lot easier but a lot depends on the music you want to play.

I have a semi acoustic in the collection - Ibanez version of the Gibson 335....It wears 10s and plays far easier than many steel strung acoustic guitars playing the same as an electric guitar and will allow for a decent amount of string bending. It is relatively thin so isn't that loud without an amp but may be a good halfway house if learning the guitar or go for a thicker bodied semi for more volume.

[doobin]

12 hours ago, spudulike said:

All I will add is a bad acoustic will have a high action and will frustrate very quickly.

Nylon strings are a lot easier but a lot depends on the music you want to play.

I have a semi acoustic in the collection - Ibanez version of the Gibson 335....It wears 10s and plays far easier than many steel strung acoustic guitars playing the same as an electric guitar and will allow for a decent amount of string bending. It is relatively thin so isn't that loud without an amp but may be a good halfway house if learning the guitar or go for a thicker bodied semi for more volume.

Thing is, it’s so easy to make a half descent action, it boggles the mind why there are still so many shit high actions out there! Half of them should ship with a bottle slide they’re that bad 🤣

 

A zero fret removes the need for precise nut setting, so a low action should in theory be easy for even the cheapest manufacturer to achieve. 

[AHPP]

43 minutes ago, doobin said:

Thing is, it’s so easy to make a half descent action, it boggles the mind why there are still so many shit high actions out there! Half of them should ship with a bottle slide they’re that bad 🤣

 

A zero fret removes the need for precise nut setting, so a low action should in theory be easy for even the cheapest manufacturer to achieve. 

I love a zero fret for those reasons. Don't know why there aren't more about.

[Mark J]

18 hours ago, spudulike said:

All I will add is a bad acoustic will have a high action and will frustrate very quickly.

Nylon strings are a lot easier but a lot depends on the music you want to play.

I have a semi acoustic in the collection - Ibanez version of the Gibson 335....It wears 10s and plays far easier than many steel strung acoustic guitars playing the same as an electric guitar and will allow for a decent amount of string bending. It is relatively thin so isn't that loud without an amp but may be a good halfway house if learning the guitar or go for a thicker bodied semi for more volume.

I found that my playing and confidence increased massively when I moved from a cheap nylon-stringed classical to a less cheap acoustic guitar. Things seem easier if you've been playing a hog.

I used to have an Epiphone 335. A mate of mine has recently bought of of these beauties: 
 

H-535 - Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar | Heritage Guitars

HERITAGEGUITARS.COM

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The H-535 Standard is a true workhorse, complete with a curly maple body and Seymour Duncan Seth Lover signature...

 

[Essexlogman]

On 06/02/2022 at 20:43, spudulike said:

I call myself a £200 guitarist....all my guitars have been acquired for £200 or less but don't play like the price tag. Taking a guitar with a bad action and losing the high frets, crowning them, rounding the fret ends etc is part of the game.

Latest acquisition was a Zoom G3X foot pedal, the drum machine, Looper and patches have been great fun, makes even my attempts sound almost good! Great bit of kit! 

Its mind numbing how they send some guitars and anything really out of the factory and great that you can fettle something to make it a lot better a bit like your ms200's what also caught my eye though was the ZoomG3X pedal googled it up and sounds fantastic bit of kit for jamming on your own especially with a drum machine looper etc is deffo on the to buy list soon cheers!

[spudulike]

24 minutes ago, Essexlogman said:

Its mind numbing how they send some guitars and anything really out of the factory and great that you can fettle something to make it a lot better a bit like your ms200's what also caught my eye though was the ZoomG3X pedal googled it up and sounds fantastic bit of kit for jamming on your own especially with a drum machine looper etc is deffo on the to buy list soon cheers!

What I like is the way you scroll through the pedal effects and the way you get LCD screens replicating them. It is a really intuitive bit of kit, you can use up to 6 pedals at one time. The Looper will do 40 seconds or 20 seconds if you want to undo overdubbing but if you are doing a simple drum beat, adding a three chord progression, adding a bass line and then just jamming....it is damn good and the Looper gives you the beat run in for timing.

I spend hours learning solos and they sound pretty thin by themselves but if they have a repetitive chord progression and drums backing them, it really fattens up the sound and fills it. Think Sultans of Swing...first guitar solo....the 40 seconds is bob on for the backing chords, stick the chords over the  "Hard" drumbeat setting at a BPM that works and off you go.....it all sounds a lot more pro.

Got mine off the bay for just over £100 and can recommend it thoroughly. 

[Dan Maynard]

On 07/02/2022 at 13:07, Ian Leach said:

Been looking at starting to learn how to play, what would people recommend.  Was thinking bass. I'm also a lefty .  Any tips.

 

As others said there is so much on YouTube now it's amazing. I picked up bass a few years ago for our pub band having been a mediocre guitarist since a teenager, I spent a lot of time watching this bloke Paul at how-to-play-bass.com 

He built his site having taught someone to play using a series of 50 songs which get gradually harder, it's a good method in my opinion too. Play songs not scales, you learn scales and stuff along the way but no point obsessing.

 

Depends what sort of music you want to play too. Most important thing is have fun.