flyingturtle

That's interesting. I just tried out some Sterling JP models the other day. I bought a Music Man Luke III last year and fell in love with Music Man guitars -- they are so well made. Recently I've also been wanting a Music Man Petrucci guitar, but I can't afford it, as I'm still paying off my Luke. So I took a look at the budget Music Man's and tried out the JP100D and the JP60 Sterling models last week at my local guitar store. I'm guessing that's similar to the PRB models you mentioned. I'm in the US so that's what they are called here. Anyway I thought they sounded and played pretty good. I like the neck profile, which is similar to my Ibanez guitars. You can play fast on them -- sweep picking licks are easy on them -- and I liked the fact it had locking tuners -- something you don't see that often on budget guitars. Locking tuners make so NICE when changing strings, and give more string stability. The tremelo bar stayed in tune pretty well, although I don't go that crazy with whammy bars. The pickups on the JP100D have Petrucci's signature DiMarzio pickups -- the Crunch Lab and LiquiFire -- so it costs more and it sounded good, but I actually thought the cheaper JP60 model sounded pretty nice, too, with it's non-signature Dimarzio pickups. I'm not that big of a Dream Theater fan (but I do dig Petrucci's playing) so I don't think that I need to get his exact pickups. The JP60 pickups sounded fine to me, and I might do a pick up swap later down the road. Maybe put in DiMarzio Transition pickup (got it on my Luke III) or see if my Seymour Duncan JB pickup would fit. But I think I'd be happy with the stock JP60 pickups, too. The JP100D and JP60 don't have all the piezo features and other extra stuff from the Music Man JPs, so that can be a negative, but at it's price point, I thought the Sterlings were pretty nice. I also tried out Petrucci's new Majesty Music Man model, and man that is a fantastic guitar-- futuristic body and so lightweight. You can get so many different sounds from it with all the switches and piezo combos but it's crazy expense. I wasn't quite convinced it worth getting at that price (around $2700 to $3000 in US dollars). That expensive price point of the Majesty just made the Sterling JP models look more enticing to me. The store also had a used Godin, too. Don't recall the model. I picked it up and I didn't plug it in. I just tried it for a couple minutes. The neck just didn't feel right to me, after playing the JP Sterling guitars so I put it back on wall. The neck profile was much thicker. I do like thick necks too, as I own Gibson Les Paul, so if I was looking for a different type of guitar, I would have tried the Godin more but I was in the market for a fast-playing guitar, so the JP Sterling mdel's thinner neck felt better to me for that. I also looked at some nice ESPs and Prestige Ibanez guitars which some nice fast necks, too, but I ended playing the JP Sterling the most in the store. It could that I already own Ibanez guitar so I want something different. Anyway, I'd vote for the JP Sterling model. If you don't need Petrucci's signature pickups, just get the cheaper JP60 model. It's the same guitar as the JP100D from what I recall reading online. Oh yeah, I thought the paint jobs on the Sterlings were nice. It impressed me. The JP60 had this cool blue burst paint job and the JP100D had a natural Koa cap (really nice!). I think these are brand new models/paint jobs. Hope that helps.

Nice, those EMG81/60 pickups would make a mean metal machine out of a Telecaster. Pretty cool idea. What DIY kit are you looking at? Regarding the pickups, if you wanted something more traditional, but still active, EMG makes a Telecaster set of active pickups: http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/single-coil/tele/tset.html EMGs single coils sound pretty good, IMO. That set should still preserve that classic Telecaster twang and sparkle, and still be able to rock out. Here the EMG-T sounding like a traditional Tele https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XntlIDOy3mg But take a look at this guy who is demoing the EMG-T with more metal sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfFaywMX1Qg If you wanted to look at EMG humbuckers, the EMG 85 is another alternative to the 81. I've liked the EMG 85 paired with EMG SAV (or SLV) single coils. Can get your a wide variety of sounds. Steve Lukathers rocks that combo. Here is doing a classic Jimi Hendrix tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOmgg-1B85A Lastly, if you wanted a similar pickup to the EMG 81 for really high gain stuff, you can try Seymour Duncan's Blackout humbuckers, which is a direct competitor to the EMG 81: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/high-output/blackouts/

Nice idea for a thread. I should get into modding more, but often when I decide to mod a guitar, I decide to just get a new one. :) And, usually when I do actually decide to do a mod, I'm talking to a guitar tech for advice and I just end up paying him to do it. Still toying with the idea of putting a partscaster together from various parts, and I'd really like to start painting bodies, too. I've wondering if I should upgrade my Gibson Les Paul Standard (with 60's neck) with locking tuners (for convenience sake) or a new volume pots, but unsure if it's worth the effort. But, I do love those locking tuners on my Music Man Luke. Or install a kill switch on one of my Strats but I often get talked out of this from friends because they are now vintage Strats (80s USA strat, and MIJ early 90s strat). Maybe I'll get a project guitar and go crazy with mods. i"d like to try this 6-way switch: Or install a Kaoss pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wDntYJFFRc

Thanks for posting an update and congrats on a happy conclusion. Yeah, Blackstar amps are pretty popular. The company is made up of ex-Marshall employees, so they have good pedigree. I recently put some old gear for sale and my Marshall tube amps sold really quick, man, they hold value well (at least older Marshall stuff). Sad to see it go but needed the money to fund other gear. Have fun with your new Blackstar amp!

Hmm... interesting question. If I understand the question correctly, maybe use a workaround instead. I would just use two computers. One computer with the midi device (like a midi keyboard) hooked up to it with your Apogee, using whatever DAW/VST you are using to simulate guitar sounds. Try to mimic clean guitar sounds, not distorted ones, as that's what Rocksmith will expect. Feed the guitar-simulated output from computer #1 into the Realtone cable of computer #2 that's playing Rocksmith. I would guess, in theory, this would work. Maybe you don't even need to simulate guitar notes. Here's a video of a guy just plugging his keyboard into Rocksmith and playing along. So if you get your midi controller to just feed the note frequency, I'm guessing it'll work, too. Another video. In the comments, the poster mentions about using the proper frequencies for the notes, as well. Not exactly related, but since we are talking midi and guitars. You're kind of doing the opposite of the Fishman Tripleplay (which turns a regular guitar into a midi controller). In this case, it's trying to make a guitar sound like a keyboard (or drums, accordian, organ, etc). This looks pretty cool.

I approach it the same way I learned songs before Rocksmith ever existed, learning songs in sections, bit by bit. Like you mentioned, I'll play along a few times in Rocksmith to get the song structure down -- mainly focusing on getting an approximation of the rhythm parts. If the rhythm parts are difficult then, I'll use Riff Repeater to practice, slowing them down so I can play cleanly. This is important. I want to play clean, not fast here. I'll keep bumping up the speed till I get around 80 to 90 percent. Once I have most the rhythm covered, I'll tackle any bridge parts, then do solos If the song is really difficult, or if it has a ton of notes, I'll then also rely on guitar tabs and learn the song that way first. I can learn songs WAY faster with tabs (if they are good tabs). Easiest and fastest way for me to get professional tabs is to get from guitarinstructor.com -- fairly cheap for single songs. Next, I'll use a slow down tool that can loop sections of an MP3, like Transcribe or Amazing Slowdowner software on my PC/Mac. I can also use my Boss eBand JS-8, or my Korg Pandora to do that, too, but Transcribe and ASD are the best slow down tools I've found. They use superior slow down algorithms. I tend to prefer Transcribe as my favorite. Once I learn the song, I'll go back in Rocksmith and try again. Sometimes, I'll have to relearn parts slightly as Rocksmith may have different fingerings for some of the parts that I learned from tabs. If that's the case, I'll use Riff Repeater to get them nailed down. Important thing is that for some songs, they can be a work in progress, taking weeks or many months to get them perfect. You might be able to learn a song in a matter of days ,but to get 100 percent or even in the 90s, might take a while, as you don't have the technical skill yet to play it at tempo. I'll just practice the difficult parts over and over, sometimes in Rocksmith, or just loop it with Transcribe and play over it every day till I nail it. Also, once last thing. Getting 100% in Rocksmith isn't even success for me. Even if I can get that, I'll also concentrate on the nuances, like pick attack -- how hard to hit the strings for some notes, trying to use the same level of dynamics. In metal that could be a combination of pinch harmonics, or a palm muting notes. In blues, like Stevie Ray Vaughan, it's hitting the strings aggressively so the notes ring out, and playing softly with a delicate touch in slow tempo parts,. Also learning to apply the right amount of vibrato can take a life time to learn, as each guitar player has their own style. That's the hardest for me. Playing the right notes isn't my end goal, but making the notes sound right, with the proper feel and touch, is what I strive for.

Congrats, man. Good to hear that Rocksmith improved your playing. And, yeah, while it's really good for learning rhythm, for learning solos, I still stick to traditional methods first. Because there are so many notes flying at you during solos in Rocksmith, I'll just find the a good guitar tab for the song and then learn it on my own. Don't always relay on some tab from some freebie guitar site as they often have wrong notes. I'll often buy a tab book, or an instructional DVD, or just buy the song from guitarinstructor.com. They have tabs from Guitar World magazine and Hal Leanard. Professional quality and single songs are cheap, only $1 to $2 (in US dollars). I practice the solo on my own, slowing down the MP3 of the song in a slow down tool, like Transcribe or Amazing Slow Downer on my computer, and looping small parts of the solo so I can remember the notes. I slow it down to anywhere from 50 to 70 percent speed -- with my main emphasis on playing cleanly and in time. Speed isn't important here in the beginning. As I get better, i'll bump up the speed up, like another 10%, then practice. Repeat until I'm at 80% or higher. Then i'll try doing it in Rocksmith. What's important is that you stay relaxed, so that's why you play slow at first. Most people tense up when they play fast and that leads to sloppy play or worse, tendon damage. I use to also play drums, and the key to playing fast is to stay relaxed and build up your speed that way. I use to just sit in front of TV with a guitar and practice picking fast, palm muting the strings, staying in time with a metronome. To build up your fret hand speed and coordination with your picking hands. I just mainly practice scales and increasing speed with a metronome. Most popular scale is the minor pentatonic scale, used in everything from metal to rock to country, so learn that and play it in all 5 positions on the guitar neck. I also do scale patterns, like play the scale in groups of four: play the 1st,2nd,3rd,4th of the scale then the 2nd,3rd,4th,5th note, then the 3rd,4th,5th,6th note, then 4th,5th,6th7th, etc. repeat until you run out of notes for that scale position on the neck. Or try different groupings. Here's a good lesson on practicing scales: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/SC-102-ScalePractice.php After that you can try learning the major and minor scale, as that will come in handy, as well, but the pentatonic is the one most people learn first. Lots of Iron Maiden's riffs and solos are based off the pentatonic. Later, you can try learning arpeggios (those are the notes from a scale that make up a chord). Once you learn those, you can use them to build your speed by learning sweep picking, which is basically arpeggios, played super fast, by just gliding your pick up or down several strings. This can be a very hard technique to build up though, so it'll take time to do well. Other technique for building speed is learning legato. You play fast by not picking every note, but doing a combination of pull-offs and hammer-ons. Players like Satriani do this a lot, and it'll give a different sound. Here are some links: You can find some good Iron Maiden tabs at guitarinstructor.com: http://www.guitarinstructor.com/search/advancedSearch.do?keywords=iron+maiden&x=0&y=0 They also have backing tracks there, too, which are helpful. For speed building, in addition to what I said above, there are a bunch of speed exercises. I like Troy Stetina. I've got some of his DVD and books (that come with CDs). Here's a YouTube sample of his Guitar Shred video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvGZn1bR95s If you like his stuff, he's got video lesson for sale (at reasonable prices) here: http://www.guitarinstructor.com/product/viewinstructor.do?contributorid=68884 - he goes over practice riffs, arpeggios, alternate picking, sample licks, etc. I also like Frank Gambale speed building lessons. I got one of his early chop building videos from the 80s, and man, it's hliarious. So cheesy looking, but his stuff worked for me. Here a sample of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GZDqBoSh7c Lick Library has a lot of good speed learning DVDs too, like Andy James has a bunch of metal-based speed learning DVDs. I think he also did a DVD on learning Petrucci's playing style, too. http://www.licklibrary.com/tutors/andy-james/dvds Here's the link for Transcribe slow down tool. Try the demo for free. Totally worth the $40 (us dollars: http://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/download.html A lot of people also like Amazing Slow Downer. It's good too, but I liked the Transcribe demo better. http://www.ronimusic.com/ If this is all overwhelming for you, then I'd recommend checking out http://www.justinguitar.com/ There are a ton of lessons from beginner to intermediate there. Stuff from learning basic scales, to arpeggios, playing with songs, etc. I don't know your skill level, so you may need to learn some basics, like how to bend strings, how to apply proper vibrato, etc. A lot of metal also use techniques like pinch harmonics and tapping. Justin isn't a metal player, but he's got some useful lessons on those. He can explain things pretty clearly. And also try searching on YouTube. I know this is a bit beyond what you asked for, but once you get to the ability to start playing solos of songs, especially metlal stuff, it takes a lot of skill. At the very least, learning slowly by playing the song at a slow pace will help a lot. But I found also learning scales and doing exercises will help your coordination so you can learn solos quicker in the future. Good luck! Oh hey, I forgot to mention that Lick Library has a series of DVDs on learning Iron Maiden. I really like Lick Library stuff. It's a great way to learn stuff. Here is a sample of second DVD on Iron Maiden: First DVD is here: http://www.licklibrary.com/store/danny-gill/15562/learn-to-play-iron-maiden-dvd

Thanks for those links. Love that exploded view of the trem systems. I bookmarked that.

No idea. The idea of those guitars seems pretty cool, but I guess my main question is of the quality of the guitar itself. My gut says they won't be built that good. Although hard to know unless you try one out. I'd see if the neck was playable, not warped and the frets are okay, and that you can get decent string action on it. If you get one, I'd take it to a music store and pay a guitar tech set it up for you. They'll adjust the truss rod on the neck if needed, fix the notation, dress the frets if the frets are sharp (a lot of cheap guitars have sharp frets), and adjust bridge saddles, etc. After that, it should be playable. Most budget guitars aren't properly setup when they come from the factory, so you need to have someone do it for you (or do it yourself if you know how and have the equipment). Guitar Pro is a handy app. I use it often for guitar tabs, so that's a nice throw-in to the bundle. The lights on the fretboard may be handy, but you may outgrow it. Reading scale charts in tab on the computer or tablet is pretty easy, as well as chords. You can just buy Guitar Pro on it's own for reading and playing tabs. After awhile, you won't really be looking at your fretboard anymore as you get better. I'd personally lean toward getting a decent guitar and get traditional in-person guitar lessons from someone. You can get a way better guitar for $400 than the Fretlight in terms of build quality. I recently tried out a Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus at Guitar Center that felt and played great and I was shocked to see it priced at $399. A real Fender, not a Squire. It's made in China but by the same factory that built the popular Classic Vibe Squire Stratocaster and Telecasters. These Squire Classic Vibes are great, too, if you want more vintage style guitar. Even though it's a Squire, they rock. The Modern Player offers more versatility (humbucker with coil tapping switch, two single coil pickups, etc). Even though I have some expensive guitars, I'm tempted to buy one of them. Anyway, while I'm not a master guitar player, I did teach a lot of people while I was at college, and that first 3 months is critical in learning a guitar. That's when most people quit but if you have a teacher, it can keep you motivated. Unless you sure you are good at self-learning on your own, then I'd suggest spending the money on a good budget guitar and get some lessons. Having someone early on correct your bad mistakes can be huge. Even if you just take lessons for a short while, then continuing on your own via DVD or online guitar lesson sites, I'd say that's better. Besides those two Fender line of guitars, I'd also look at PRS SE, Sterling Music Man for other good quality budget guitars. Past 10 years, the budget guitar quality has gone up a lot.

Thanks for info. That DC sounds like a pretty versatile guitar. Funny you mentioned the weight and pre-amp boost, which reminded me of my '84 Gibson Victory bass. I love that thing, and the active boost is nice, but while it's my favorite bass, I hardly play anymore because it so heavy (and this thing is huge, too), and got a budget Ibanez bass for when I need to lay down a bass line quickly. I've got Kahler Spyder on my '88 American Fender Stratocraster (serial number is from the US series, not MIJ). Interestingly, it's stock, the Strat was built that way. Unfortunately I lost the tremelo bar. Gotta find a replacement somehow. No idea how the Kahler Spyder compares to the Kahler on the DC, but I wonder if they are similar. Haven't heard of Blackburn (gonna look it up), but Indonesian made guitars can indeed be nice. Not surprised it's your main axe now. I have a G&L Tribute Legacy made from Indonesia, and the craftsmanship surprised me for a budget guitar. Resonates extremely well, nice swamp ash body and has really nice fitting of the neck to the body. I placed a custom-made early Van Halen-era replica humbucker (from HighOrderPickups.com) in it and it's one of my favorite guitars.

Spider's are fun amps. Since the Spider has effects on it, you can try experimenting with your foot pedals and kick in some of the Spider effects (like phaser, reverb, chorus, etc). I forget it the noise gate on the LIne 6 is always on, which isn't a bad thing, but be prepared if and when you go to a new amp, that it probably won't have a noise gate built-in it, so it may sound louder, more noisy. THat's just the case with a lot of tube amps unless you buy a noise gate pedal, which can come in handy, but not totally necessary for blues or lower-gain rock. (On high gain tube amps, like stuff for metal, I do see noise-gate bulit in, since those amps will be using with heavy distoration). If you wanted to upgrade to another solid state amp, I recommend checking out the Fender Mustang amps (not to be confused with Fender Mustang guitars), It is a modeling amp, but unlike most combo modeling amps that only do high-gain really well, the Mustang really shines on that hard to get lower-gain, on the edge of breaking up tube sound that you get when cranking up vintage tube amps. It's been a popular amp for Fender for blues and rock guys, who don't want the hassle of dealing with a tube amp. Can get really good approximation of classic Fender tube amp sounds. And since it's a modeling amp, it can get cranked up Marshall sounds (and other amps), too, and plus, you can play at low bedroom levels for practicing and it sound good. Something a tube amp can't do. I know people who gig with them live, and it can get pretty loud. Comes with software so you can edit patches using your computer, too. On the flip side, there is the Fender Super Champ X2, which is a real tube amp, but a hybrid as it also has some modeling in it using the voice knob. It gets you the classic vintage Fender Super Champ sound, and then you can flip the knobs to get emulated amp models of other Fender amps, as well as classic amps from other companies (like Marshall, Vox, etc). It's modeling isn't as deep as the Mustang, and I think it may use older modeling technology than the Mustang, too (unless they updated it recently) but it gives you the option to have a real tube sound, and then flip to modeling for more versatility. Just depends on what you prefer -- a real tube amp that gets a real tube sounds and also does some modeling, or a modeling amp that has the lastest Fender amp modeling technology, with lots of patch editing features. (Update: The Super Champ XD used the older modeling tech, not the X2. The Super Champ X2 model is newer, uses the newer modeling tech, and can use Fuse software just like in the Mustang amps to edit the modeling patches.) But, yeah, those of course are not your only choices for a blues/rock amp. Lots of other great choices out there.

Yeah, so many choices so experiment. What sounds good also depends on the amp you use. Back when I started playing, there was really just Boss, Digitech, Ibanez, DOD, and Vox and Dunlop as the main ones making pedals. Nowadays there are so many, from big companies to boutique pedal companies. It can get overwhelming with choices. I've been liking stuff from TC Electronics and (EHX) Electro-Harmonix lately (and still use big brand stuff I mentioned above). I see a lot of people using Digitech Hardwire line of pedals, too. Oh yeah, you could also get a looper pedal. They are so much fun, and can help you improve as well. Tradtionally they've been expensive but companies have released more affordables ones, like the Ditto Looper is really popular, as well as the Jamman Express XT. A friend uses one live so he can lay down a rhythm and then solo over it. Don't know why I waited so long to get one. It helps me a lot with practicing scales over chord changes. Some people say this should be your first pedal (after a tuner).

As for types of pedals, for jazz, I'd imagine a compresser pedal is a must, to help with the cleans (give it a boost, even out the dynamics) and a chorus pedal to give the sound a little more beef by adding some modulation. This is often the classic jazz sound. For blues, you'll need some overdrive to add some dirt, to push your amp to break up more (assuming your using a tube amp). The Ibanez Tubescreamer is the classic pedal, and it's spawned many variants, like the well-regarded Klon Centaur. Timmy is another popular overdrive. Soul Food by EVH is newer and is a good transparent overdrive. There are many more. Get something good for low-gain and is transparent. For rock, you'll want to beef up the distortion so you want something that can crunch more, so some of the classic models are the Boss DD-1, Rat, etc. I like the Fulltone OCD for it's Marshalll-like gain sounds. You can mix and match, like some people use a TS pedal (Tubescreamer type) and then feed it into a Rat pedal or Timmy for when they want to rock out more, for more beefy crunch or for solo/leads. I like using a booster/compressor pedal for this, too: RC Booster, BB Pre-amp, Boss Super Overdrive, Keeley Compresser., Zvex Super Hard on. Feed one of these into your overdrive/distortion, or put it after. It'll change the sound depending on where you place it. When playing live, you'll want to boost your signal at times, either to cut through the mix, or for to use it for leads, so it's good to find a pair of pedals that you find work well. Sometimes pedals don't play well with one another so you have to experiment. If you doing Hendrix or Queens of the Stone Age (or Smashing Pumpkins), then I'd suggest a fuzz pedal, like a Big Muff, in addition, but it's only if you are playing tunes that need that sound. A lot of Hendrix stuff can get by with a Marshall-type distortion pedal like the Fulltone OCD (or cranking a Marshall stack). Add a reverb or delay pedal to fill out the sound like EHX Holy Grail, Hardwire DL-8. TC Electronics Flashback, etc. As with distortion/overdrive, there are lots of choices. Also, wah pedals are really fun, like a Cry Baby. Great for Hendrix/Robin Trower stuff. You could look at volume pedals, too, which also can help you boost, or lower your sound for rhythm, solo, or to help cut through the mix. If you play at a lot of different locations or playing through different gear, an EQ can come in really handy, as your gear may sound drastically different from place to place. Having said all of that, I've really fallen in love with the Zoom Multi-stomp pedals. They emulate a lot of the classic pedals all in one box. Plus you can chain several of them together, all in one patch. I can connect a Tubescreamer to a chorus, compressor, delay and a eq, one patch, have a chorus, compression in another, a pitch shifter with a fuzz pedal in yet another patch, use a Klon with a rotarty effect in the next patch. It even has amp/cab modeling in it, but I mainly just turn that off (but handy if you want to plug in direct to a PA or recording straight into a computer without needing an amp). It really cut down my need for a lot of pedals. I got the Zoom MS-100BT which allows me to buy even more emulated pedals through their iOS StompShare store. If you don't have an iOS device, then look at the Zoom MS-50g which is similar but without the bluetooth/iOS store functionality, or get the Zoom MS-70CDR for only delays and modulations. Right now I'm using a distortion pedal in front of my amp, and a Zoom MS-100BT in the effects loops for delay and modulation, but the new distortion pedals they released via Stompshare are really good. I might buy another Zoom MS-100BT to put in front of my amp and ditch my distortion. You could also look at the Zoom G3/G3X/G5 if you want something more robust. They have more footswitches on it and looping abilities. For me, if I need more footswitches, I'll just buy another Multi-stomp, or take a look at the new budget Zoom G1on. I'd probably suggest doing a hybrid, to cut down costs and give you more flexibility. Get some traditional pedals, and mix it with a multi-effects unit. I use to buy a ton of pedals, and you can easily spend over a ton of money.

Nice. Thanks for the update and congrats on your (son's) guitar. I'm sure you'll have fun rocking on it, too.

How do you like your DC400? I've always been impressed with Carvin gear. I came across a used Carvin CS6 that felt spectacular, with similar craftsmanship to PRS. I always regret not getting that guitar. It felt so great with stainless steel frets and ebony fretboard. Wasn't cheap - around $1000 used, but still heavily discounted comparing to getting one new, customizing it direct from from Carvin. Too bad all the L.A. Carvin stores closed up, can't walk into their stores and check out their stuff anymore. Anyway, just been wondering about the DC line (and I've eyeballing their Carvin Bolt kit line, too).

Yeah, just use whatever gauge you like. As a beginner I had 9s. Then several years later I moved to 10s, and even tried 11s as I wanted to be Stevie Ray Vaughan or Hendrix, but i quickly learned I don't have massive hands like those guys do. Also, about 10 years later, I started developing tendonitis and CTS-like systems -- heavy gauge strings, small hands and too many hours of practice with no breaks, wasn't a good combo for me, so I just now use 9-gauge strings and I'm perfectly happy. Much easier on my hands and wrists. When I'm using a Telecaster-type guitar, it's also much easier to do behind-the-nut bends with 9-gauge strings. As for as brands, I went with Ernie Ball first. They were the cheapest. Later when I got older, and I started getting D'addario as they stayed fresh longer. I also use Elixir strings or Cleartone, as they'll stay fresh for a really long time, at the sacrifice of some sparkle, but they are really durable (months or years even). Interestingly, i thought I forever ditched Ernie Ball, but when I got my Music Man guitar recently, I just fell in love with the sound of Ernie Balls again (it came with the cheap Regular Slinky strings), and I think they are better made now. They seem to last longer than before (I read they package their strings differently now so they stay more fresh). They still will get worn out like your usual non-coated strings, but they sound pretty good for budget strings.

Well, I'm not surprised you liked the Vox better. Vox stuff kicks butt. They actually are tube/digital hybrids. There is an actual tube in the preamp, a 1-watt tube, which drives it's signal into all the digital stuff. The digital circuitry can change the bias of the tube even, so it can model different classic tube amps. I think they call it Valvetronix or Valve Reactor technology? I have one of their high-end Vox modeling amps, a VTX 60, and it rocks. Can do that Van Halen brown sound really well. Too bad they discountinued the VTX line. Mine was $999 MSRP but got it for around $799. While Line 6 can make some good stuff, like their high-end modeling gear like their PODs, when it comes to amps, I found the Spiders not as satisfying to the more tube-like Vox amps. If you're going wear headphones only and only for recording, then the difference isn't as big and in fact I may go with the Line 6 PODs as they got a ton of patches and extras. But for amps, either bedroom quiet or loud with a band, I much prefer the Vox stuff. I've only heard the VTX and budget VT line, but I'm sure the newer VT+ stuff should be good, too. They all use that Valvetronix Tube-hybrid technology, even the budget stuff. I'm pretty sure even that VT+20, so while smaller and cheaper, it probably does sound more satisfying than the other amps you tried. You got good ears. Unless you've been playing awhile, not everyone can notice the subtle nuances of a real tube, even though, in this case, it's just a 1-watt tube being masked with all the digital modeling stuff, but it makes a difference, IMO. There's enough of the tube-like warmness and a hint of sparkle, that puts it over the edge of completely digital solid state amps. Vox also made the floor versions called the ToneLab SE, but they have been discountined, and not sure if they replace anyting with it. It's their version of the Line 6 floor line of PODs. I really liked the ToneLab SE a lot, too.

Hmm... I had some high-pitched squealing noises in my pedals, but it's been awhile. Usually I think of feedback, my amp is too close, or mic. I think I also had a Digitech delay pedal that caused the loud squealing. I had some issue with the power adapter, the wires got frayed and it caused not enough current to go to the pedal and it caused that high pitched sound. Maybe check your power adapter. Are the wires fine? Does power adapter have the right voltage? Here's a pedal maintenance guide. Take a look at that as it describe various issues and noises. http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Pedal_Troubleshooting_and_Maintenance_101_Part_3 Here's the part on high-pitched squeals: Not sure if you want to open up the pedal since you just bought it, though. Maybe get a replacement pedal or new power adapter.

I think that Fender Squier Strat Mini is based on the popular Hello Kitty model, which gained a lot of popularity awhile back, but was discontinued. There are a lot of YouTube videos of people playing the Fender Squire Hello Kitty model, so you probably do a search for that for reviews, It should be similar to the Strat Mini. The ibanez Gio Mikro might be the better buy, though, as I heard the Gio budget line of Ibanez guitars have decent build quality. They are made in Indonesia I think, instead of Japan, but the Gio line of guitars have received good reviews. Famous guitarist Paul Gilbert, who has his own line of expensive signature guitars with Ibanez, also plays a budget Gio Mikro in one of his instructional videos. He has huge fingers so the guitar looks really tiny on him. I know Fender released short scale Strat and Telecaster called the Fender Modern Player Short Scale series. These are 24inch scale guitars, but come with 11 gauge strings (might be too strong for a kid), and as far as I know, these are only available in the UK. Haven't seen them around in the US yet (no idea about Spain, either). You could also look at Fender Mustangs. These are 24inch scale guitars. There are Squier Mustang models, too, and you probably could be light gauge strings on them. Fender Japan has a number of shorter scale guitars of various sizes, but as far as I know, they are hard to get, and have to be imported. Maybe your kid will be genius guitar player, and speaking of Paul Gilbert, here's an 8-year-old girl playing Gilbert's "Scarified" on a full-sized Ibanez guitar. Freakin' amazing, her fingers are so tiny!

Haha, nice. Glad to hear the guitar is encouraging to play more (and smile, too!). Yep, getting a professional setup is a good idea. I'm sure it'll play a lot better afterward. DiMarzio makes great pickups. I buy them or Seymour Duncans when I want to make a pickup change; in fact got a pair of DiMarzio humbuckers in my new guitar and I'm loving them right now.

I own Ibanez guitars but don't have experience with that model. It's from their GIO budget line, but I've heard good things about it. Supposed to be one of the better made entry-level guitars. Better made than the entry-level stuff from other companies. It got good reviews on Musician's Friend. That's a killer deal you got. And I love the look of the guitar. Kind of a Gibson SG/Les Paul hybrid. (you got me thinking of getting one!) If it plays fine to you, then you should keep it. My first guitar was around that price, and I still love it. I bought it over 25 years ago as kid and even though I own more expensive guitars, something about your first guitar is special. (And for whatever reason, my $40 guitar now sells for $400 to $700 if in mint condition because it's considered vintage and a rare made-in-Japan model, but mine is no longer in mint condition. LOL.) As far as upgrading, only do it if you feel the need. The first upgrade would be pickups if you don't like the sound. If it doesn't stay in tune well, you can look at replacing the tuners. Some people also swap the electronics in budget guitars (ie. replace the pots and switches, getting a new jack, etc). But honestly, since you got it so cheap, and if it sounds and plays decently (and stays in tune), just save your money and enjoy playing it. Use your money on another guitar, whenever you feel like upgrading. Just buying a set of new pickups will cost way more than your old guitar. I've thought about upgrading my $40 guitar many times -- I've toyed with the idea of getting a new set of humbuckers, putting in new tuners, a new nut and bridge, but then I think, I could just buy a new guitar, and I do. Just use your Ibanez as a backup guitar whenever you decide to get a new guitar. For me, I used to think my humucker pickups in my guitar sounded "weak" and wanted a more metal high gain sound. I'm glad that I never made that change. I've got several high gain guitars now, and I now love the under-wound vintage sound of my $40 guitar. It's so different, great for different types of music. I've come to appreciate the sound of those humbucker pickups -- found out they are actually two Fender Mustang single coils put together, and give a good rock tone. Do you like the sound of the guitar? According to the reviews, it says it has a nice tone, decent output and can get a good chunky sound. You can go in many directions with new pickups (from more vintage rock, to really high gain metal). But remember it'll cost about $70 per pickup new, or maybe $40 to $50 used, and plus you'll need someone to install them, unless you're good with the soldering iron (it's not that hard).

Congrats on your guitar! And, yeah, buy what feels good to you. It's probably because you've played on an acoustic for a long time that the LPJ feels more familiar in your hands. Les Pauls have wide flat necks ( flat on the fretboard side)-- a lot easier to do bar chords and such, in fact the Les Paul was designed as a jazz guitar (since that's what Les Paul, the guitar player, mainly played). Strats tend to have rounded/curved necks (although they can come in a ton of different variations). I think you mentioned that your LPJ has a satin neck? Yeah, my Gibson Les Paul Standard has a satin neck, too. I didn't like the regular finished necks on LPs, and got the Gibson LP Faded model with comes with a satin finish and it I like it so much better. Much faster to move my hand around since I have sweaty hands. You picked a great neck. :) If you ever decide to get a second guitar, you can also look at PRS guitars, especially the PRS SE line which is the budget line. They have similar necks to Gibson/Epiphone Les Pauls. They are usually relatively flat on the fretboard side. The back of the neck tends to be thinner than LPs but it depends on the model (the John Petrucci model thinner than the regular SE Singlecut). SE line of PRS guitar have great construction (tend to be better than Epiphone).

Unless you're gigging a lot, and letting others move/setup your equipment, you can just get by with a soft case (ie. gig bag). I've got hard shell cases for most of my guitars, but they are in my closet, and I mainly use my soft cases now. Soft cases are much lighter, can strap it to my back so I can walk around with it, and easier to take in and out (just unzip it). If I was still playing with my band and going out on gigs, I might go back to hard shell cases as we pile up our gear in a truck and you don't want your stuff to get smashed. But if you're just playing with friends, or mainly home, a soft cases is more than fine (and much cheaper, too).

Well, since I started out as a drummer, I just sit on drum thrones while playing guitar. You can adjust the height and you can find used ones everywhere.

Yeah, PRS SE tremolos hold up pretty well, from my time in the store with them, and also based on reviews from various YouTube videos. The Anderton's music YouTube channel (with Rob Chapman) did a comparison of the SE and the high-end PRS line and they abused the trems, and were surprised at how well the SE held up. Not as good as the higher end PRS, but pretty close. I also agree with the other poster about G&L guitars. (G&L is Leo Fender's 3rd guitar company, after he sold Fender and left Music Man). I got a budget G&L Tribute Strat and the tremolo is pretty darn nice for a non-Floyd Rose tremolo. I got the G&L with an H/S/S pickup configuration, so I could stick in a custom Van Halen humbucker pickup, and I can do dive bombs. Can't go too crazy, though, but it's good enough for me. The budget G&L tremolo holds up way better than my Fender Strat vintage tremolo on my other Strat. I hated the vintage tremolo so much that i just boarded it up so it's basically a hard tail now. Also I got another Fender Strat, a USA model from the 80s, with a Kahler floating tremolo which is basically Fender's answer at the time for Floyd Rose-equiped guitars. Cool to do Hendrix-type stuff, without going out of tune. You could also look at Music Man Sterling guitars. Like PRS, Music Man was only a high end guitar company, but like PRS and their SE line, Music Man recently put out a budget line under the Sterling moniker, and they've been getting some praise. Built in Asia (Indonesia I think?). Take a look at the AX40 or AX40d Sterling Music Man guitars. They are based of the popular Music Man Axis guitar, that was formerly Van Halen's EVH model. The AX40 and AX40D have licensed Floyd Rose tremolos. I tried an AX40D in the store, and I was surprised at how similar it was to the Axis (which is a $2000+ guitar in the US). The AX40D comes with the same Dimarzio (EVH) pickup used in the USA-made Axis, so it sounded really good. The cheaper AX40 has a different (lower cost) Dimarzio pickup. You can really abuse these guitars for all sorts of whammy tricks. I haven't tried the cheaper AX3 Sterling models, though, so can't comment on those.