Six String

Greg, I've had some issues like that also, and my advice is to cheat, cheat and cheat. Well maybe cheat is not the right word. How about "explore other voicings"? Finding places in the song where you can switch to using open chords (or modified barre forms) to give yourself a break from the full barre form for a few bars can make a world of difference. Us older guys can likely build the stamina to play a song or three with straight barres, but when you need to play 3, 45-50 minute sets, it becomes like a marathon and you need to find ways to adjust your pace to reach the finish line or risk crashing and burning. Our set has several songs where I play barres during the parts that benefit from that big full sound, and swap to open or partial barres to give my left hand a break during other passages. I'd cripple myself trying to use barres all the time they could be used. Edited to add: You may want to explore Steve's advice on a thicker neck. I KNEW I liked thinner neck guitars, until several years ago when Sweetwater offered a too good to pass up deal on a 50's Tribute Les Paul. I hesitated to buy it, because I liked thinner necks and when I first got it I hated it. Fortunately for me, that guitar sounded awesome, so I kept playing it alongside my thin neck guitars, and over time noticed exactly what Steve mentions. This was at the point in LMG that practice sessions started getting longer, since progress was coming faster and lessons sounded something like music. I remember telling my wife after a long session with that fat 50's neck that my hand felt better than after playing my preferred thin neck guitars. Since then, I've gradually traded off most of my thinner neck guitars for thicker necks and with the method above haven't had hand issues (knock wood) for a while now.

That is a very cool axe. Congrats! As far as Rock-a-billy, Youtube seems to be your best bet unless Jamplay or Guitar Tricks has a series on the genre. Good luck and also congrats on the retirement.

Cool Greg. I had a Mini that served more often as our first "PA". I don't play a lot of acoustic and typically don't plug in when I do, so the Loudbox was among the gear I sold to fund my Helix LT. Everyone I've talked with about the Loudbox has been really happy with it. Fishman hit a winner with these amps.

What? Red Puma's are Rock and Roll.

I use M-Audio BX5's. Got them on sale at GC for $75/each, so about 1/2 price at the time. Based on prices, it would appear that near field monitors have to be one of the highest profit products in all of the audio world. The water gets deep really fast. If you can, try to go listen to a bunch at your nearest guitar center. Then as stated above buy the ones you like best that fall in your price point. Good Luck!

Thanks all. I still have a long way to go, but also can't believe how far I've come since my Wife gave me LMG for Christmas in 2011. I actually started the Course in Jan 2012. I'd owned guitars for decades before that and I'd made 3-4 attempts at lessons, but never really learned to play. Working through LMG and following Steve's advice to seek opportunities to play with other musicians as soon as you can, I went to my first ever jam with a drummer in Sept 2012 and couldn't really play a thing other that a few chord progressions but it was a start. In January of 2013, I started going to an acoustic guitar meet up where they focused on simple strumming along with open chord type songs where I met other players and got invited to other jam groups. By the end of 2013 I had gotten through LMG Session 10, and worked through the Hal Leonard Barre Chord book. This is the point I sort of went off the reservation and focused on learning to play songs via Youtube, Tab, learning from others pretty much any way I could learn to play recognizable songs. I played with a couple of different jam groups through 2014 and 2015 and my first "gig" (aka playing a party at a friends house)was in July of 2015. I remember on the old forum thinking I'd never be good enough to play for people when I'd read posts about a forum member playing in a band, but today here I am doing just that. If you want to, you can make it happen, just keep pushing forward.

I used an iPad with chords for about 4 songs. I've memorized all the rest. Most songs, only have 2-3 rhythm patterns so it's not as hard as it initially sounds. I think for many songs the hard part is playing that simple pattern consistently and staying in the groove for 4 or so minutes.

A couple of months ago, I got an opportunity to sit in with an established band whose rhythm guitarist had moved out of the area. I told them at the outset I didn't think I was ready for a gigging band but would love to sit in while they looked for a replacement. After the first session though they told me I was in. Since then its been a whirlwind of work to try to get down 3 full sets of songs. They added maybe 6 or so I'd played with my previous band so that helped some, but it was a lot to learn in 2 months. Our first gig was Saturday at a local winery. That's me on the right. Here is a link to a short video that covers most of the songs we did. Hope you can access it.

I've been there and I wish I could give a recipe that would work, but what I will say is that the problem is probably more a tone issue than a volume issue. A rhythm guitar tone that cuts through the mix at gig volume usually will sound terrible playing at home unless you play with a backing track at pretty high volume all the time. The converse is a tone that sounds awesome at home, often gets lost in a live mix. Try to get them to experiment with boosting the mids, rolling off the bass, treble and gain a bit, instead of turning up the volume and see if that helps. A drive pedal with a mid boost is another option to explore. Oh, and for most rock situations two rhythm guitarists is one too many, unless one is playing an acoustic. Just my humble opinion.

Diane, this was awesome. You guys sound great. You need to keep it going! I just did my first show with my new band, Rockland Express on Saturday as well and I sang Wagon Wheel! We did a 3 set show at a local winery and for me it was a first paid gig, though my payment came in the form of some Band T-shirts and free wine for my guests. In addition to that, the band was paid a few bucks which went in a fund to cover future costs. This is more or less my 3rd band. The first two efforts I was in much more of a chief cat herder role trying to plan around everyone's schedules to make practices happen and find opportunities to play. This band was already out and gigging before their rhythm guitarist moved away. I responded to their ad saying I wasn't ready for a gigging band but would love to sit in while they looked for a replacement. I sat in once and was drafted in. It was lot of work for me to learn 3 sets worth of songs, but it should be a lot easier going forward. I especially like not being in charge of the practice schedule.

This is the clearest explanation of the issue so far.

All, I have to argue that a DAW/multi input interface is not the best option for recording practice. It can be used for that, true, but you don't need that complexity or quality just to record a passage you are working on. I have the capability to simultaneously record 16 tracks through our mixer or 2 track through a Presonus interface to a DAW if I want I high quality recordings, with the ability to do post production. However, it takes time to set that stuff up properly which all too often would discourage most people from using the powerful tool of recording yourself practice. A highly portable tool where you can push one button and get a passable recording is the best option for this kind of recording. A Zoom is both handy and high quality (tracks could be imported into a DAW later if wanted), but a phone APP is more than adequate for recording and playing back practice to help you find and fix problem areas. Either are way more portable to record a jam or group practice away from home than a DAW/Interface/Laptop. IMHO a DAW is far more useful for recording when you have the piece pretty well down and want to take the time to create a really good recording of your performance.

For just practice I use an iPhone app called "Just press record". Works exactly like in sounds. If you want higher fidelity recording to share with others, the other options presented here are definitely better options but if you just want a quick way to record you playing with minimal investment this works fine. I was looking at buying a Zoom, but this has worked for me so far.

Yeah if memory serves, the American Professional came out in early 2017, so if you had a 2016 and wanted an AmPro, they most likely sold you the wrong guitar. I've played the American Professional Telecaster and really like it a lot, so it would have been my choice over the earlier American Tele. Now if I'm remembering incorrectly and the AmPro was introduced in 2016, I'd have been fine with that. I don't think they have changed the specs on the AmPro since it was introduced, so I wouldn't be worried about a "fresh" one, but I absolutely would prefer the AmPro over other Tele's I've played, except maybe the Baja 50's Tele.

What position was the guitar in when you set the intonation? It needs to be in upright playing position while you make the adjustments. If you had the guitar flat on a bench doing the intonation, try it again with the guitar in playing position and see if that helps. If you set the intonation with the guitar in playing position and are still having this issue, you may need to sink the pick ups a tad. If there is not enough space between the string and pickup, the magnets in the pickup can exert enough force on the string to affect intonation (which is why you need to set intonation in playing position so gravity is not also acting to move the string towards the pickup.). The pole pieces on all my guitars are pretty much flat and I've seen no reason to adjust any of them. I'm satisfied with the tone and the string to string volume is well balanced. While I haven't fiddled with pole pieces, I do angle the depth of the whole pickup to get the optimal volume balance from low E to high E. (ie the Low E side is set deeper than the high E side). Remember that recommendations are just a starting point, not a mandate. Every guitar is different and a slightly stronger magnet may dictate a tad more distance or vice versa. It may take a bit of trial and error to get it dialed in but once you figure it out, you'll have your own personal reference points to work from. Good Luck and good for you learning to do your own set ups.

Congrats Ice, really happy you had a good time playing live again. Hope you can post some snippets of the show. I'm about two weeks out from my first gig with Rockland Express, and it looks like we'll only have one more practice between now and then. I've improved by leaps and bounds since hooking up with these guys, but sure wish I'd met them a few months earlier. I know it won't be a total train wreck, but you don't become a super tight band in just a few practices ever other week or so for a couple of months, especially when you have a newbie like me in the line up. Just have to push past the butterflies and do it. This one is gonna be, what its gonna be and we'll get better from there.

I could use a few of those for my Gibbys and Epi's.

There are many factors mitigating towards professionals going to tiny effects pedal sized amps or a modeler going directly to a PA (FOH). For one venues are demanding much lower stage volume and the entire business model of the music industry has shifted so few acts will ever have the finances to conduct the type of tour that was common when I was a kid. Except for a few huge acts, the days of massive tours with 3+ tractor trailers of gear are over. Emerging musicians today need to go where the big gigs are, and they often need to get there on their own dime, so small light systems that will get them the sound they want become more and more attractive. Expect to see more and more professionals using a rig compact enough to travel as carry on luggage on a Regional Jet. To Randy's comment about having to have an amp that's true, but at a mid sized to larger venue you actually could walk on stage with nothing more than a modeler and a guitar and rely on the house system for amplification. So yes there is amplification but the artist didn't have to lug it there.

Congrats! Again. Beautiful Guitar! Again. I'm with CapM - looks like some hints of spalting on this one. New Content. lol

Another awesome one CapM! We've discussed how difficult it is to write good lyrics in the past. Its cool you got to record this and that this guy that can write, but apparently is not a musician/composer got to hear your musical creation from his writing. Win-Win!

So did the Fishman get fixed? Did they explain the issue, or did you just get it back in working order with no clear explanation, as so often seems to be the case with these things?

The HD500X was a gateway drug for me. I was hard over on tube amps and individual pedals, for years but once I went with the HD500X, I played it nearly exclusively for about 2 years, and just sold one of my tube amps and traded the HD500X up to a Helix LT. As far as I can tell, my pedal addiction has been supplanted by the methadone of the Helix. Its nice to be off the madness of trying to choose one pedal to drop $100+ bucks on from 100 fuzzes and 1000+ Overdrive/Distortions. I now have a bunch of them built in the Helix and use the Klon and OCD dirt models and Big Muff Fuzz model along with 3-4 different amp models from about 60 on hand, for just about everything. I should credit CapM's AxeFx recordings as an influence in my decision to try modeling when I found a product that seemed more suited to my goal of playing live (not to mention more in my price range). I liked what I heard from CapM's modeler but a rack unit seemed more suited to studio work (plus expensive), so I didn't take the plunge for a while after he convinced me tube amp sound didn't just come from tube amps.

And on the other end of the spectrum we have done away with biodegradable, renewable paper bags for petroleum based plastic bags that will litter our planet for generations. Executives in all kinds of industries need to get on board before its too late. Paper bags come from fast growing pulpwoods, so its less of a daunting issue than growing new trees for guitars.

I would love to see that performance. I think you could do a live lesson on how to create similar charts (maybe for a somewhat simpler song) and another on using them in a live situation.

Was it just me or did it seem like some of the vintage acoustics had opening bids that seemed low, while more recent electrics had opening bids that seemed optimistic?