Fretless

Nairon, The best use of your budget will be to spend 50% on gear and 50% on acoustic treatment for your room. More on this in a minute. The Scarlett Solo, 2i2 and similar 2-channel audio interfaces are great for home users because they are of high enough audio quality, audio routing in and out, and robustly enough made. These open the door to being able to use most of the microphones on the market. Choosing a USB mic negates the need for an audio interface but that will confine you to just that mic. It is not a wise route to go unless your total budget is so small that you canno

Over here in mainland Europe we are still in lockdown, as of last week it has been extended another 40 days. That makes it impossible to get out other than to the doctor or the nearest food shop. Still, that doesn't stop me looking forward to the day we can start to meet, rehearse and perform again. Keep well, keep safe, keep healthy, one and all.

You can usually change the valve (tube) in slot 1 to a less powerful one to get a quieter sound. I have done it in my Fender '57 Custom Reissue, changing the 12AX7 for a 12AY7 but I don't know what a 65 Deluxe Reverb can use, probably a 12AY7 or a 12AT7.

Handbrake is open source software and free. https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

I used Handbrake to rip the DVDs (on my computer) so that I can have the course on my iPad.

I am late to the party, having just listened to all three entries. Well done all of you, that is some quality playing!

Hang on a moment Eduardo, I was thinking you had so many instruments between you but now you say your wife is not a musician. What is that telling us about the owner of all those instruments? By the way, that Guild is a wonderful guitar. Good choice!

My choice would be for my HSS strat as it has been the most enjoyably versatile guitar I have owned. Coupled with the Mesa Boogie which is in itself a versatile amp, the tonal possibilities I have at my disposal mean I can cover country (which really requires a Tele), jazz, rock, funk, pop and other genres with it. I appreciate Nairon is talking about his acoustic guitar and do not want to argue whether an acoustic is better than an electric as they serve different purposes. I started learning on electric and it is still my personal preference.

If you take one machine head out and make sure that the measurements of the replacement are the same as the existing one, they should fit just fine. Check not only the bore diameter but also the peg length, the height the string hole will be above the base of the machine head and the location of screw holes. For example, Schaller shows not only a photo of its machine heads (one model is on this page) but if you scroll down you will see the drawings withg all the measurements for you to check.

Over the years I have had about 25 guitars. Sure, you can try one out in the shop but I found that living with one for a year really helped me understand what I did or didn't like about a particular guitar, plus, I was free to do proper set ups, swap out nuts and strings and so on.

As a Boogie owner of some 30 years I am saddened by this news. Randall Smith has been an innovative leader of Mesa Boogie, not the same story as Gibson Brands.

Thank you for the lovely theme, Neil, and Mandy for oganising us all!

Here's thinking of you on Christmas Day, Mandy. With all the Covid-19 restrictions it cannot make it any easier for you but I do sincerely hope you find someone to share some time with this Christmas.

Mandy, it is so nice that you felt you could open up here and let us know what has been happening. I take that as a sign that you know we are here for you. We cannot do it in person so you will have to imagine a group hug from all of us, holding you in our hearts and prayers. Many of us have lost loved ones so have some understanding of what you are going through but I have not lost a spouse/soulmate so I can only imagine how hard it feels right now. Take it easy and take your time with returning to playing your guitar - it will call for you at the right time. If you want to chat via