Randy120

My condolences to you for the loss of your father. You can do it. Play slow and gentle. It is good physical and mental therapy. Have fun!

@Oldjock It sounds like a good trip.

@Triple-o I think the problem is caused by humidity. Low humidity dries out the guitar and the top sinks. High humidity makes a wet guitar that expands the top. Bob Taylor has a series of videos about this and how the guitar is repaired.

This is a tasty new 12 string from Taylor. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/150eWSB--taylor-150e-sunburst

@William Nelson You live near Nashville time to get busy!

@William Nelson I have been thinking of a 12 string for quite a while now, but I haven't purchased one yet. I would say the Taylor 150e is a good choice, and I have considered it. Unfortunately there is the guitar I could afford, or the guitar I really want. For me I would like to purchase the Taylor 562ce. The 562ce is significantly more money, but it is very highly rated. The design of the 562ce makes it easier to play, and it is obviously a high quality guitar. I know what your saying about maybe the guitar sitting in the case because it isn't the first guitar you pick up, but what if the 12 string is so good you want to pick it up more often? Martin also has a low end 12 string, but I did not like the layered neck material at least on the one I tried. Another option is to check out used ones at your local music store.

@Nutty 1 Clever version of this silly song. I like your guitar.

Gibson probably replaced their old server, and the files were not moved to the new server. The Gibson page was redesigned so it wasn't practical for the web developer to keep the links active. The Arlen Roth lessons were really good. It is a loss for learning guitar players, but Gibson's main business is to make great guitars. There is L&M Guitar, Fretboard Theory, Unstoppable Guitar System, and a lot of other free resources on YouTube for those who want to learn.

@Oldjock You will regret trading in the looper. The looper in the ME-80 is limited and no effects. You will want to use the looper with the effects pedal.

@Nutty 1 Well done Mandy! What kind of guitar are you playing?

@Eracer_Team-DougH That's rough. It definitely doesn't seem to be any advantage to the local store. We are fortunate in New Hampshire with no sales tax. I am always surprised when I visit someplace and pay sales tax. We pay our real estate and meal taxes here though.

Some good tips.

@Eracer_Team-DougH Is that the exchange rate plus import duty? I imagine Sweetwater doesn't ship for free to Canada either.

@Eracer_Team-DougH You need a better music store. Does Sweetwater ship to Canada? Even accounting for the exchange rate those prices seem high. Of course those items are imported from China; not the USA. You have my sympathy.

@ChrisJ032 The ME-80 has a 38 second loop; the GT-1 has 32 seconds. I want to add a Ditto looper because you can't use effects during looping. Both loopers are appropriate for practice. I have a looper in my other delay pedal, but again no effects during loop so I want to add a looper. The GT-1 has 108 effects compared to the ME-80 with 59. I couldn't find a clear answer on amp models for GT-1, but there are plenty. The ME-80 has 9 amp models. The GT-1 has 99 presets, and 99 user programmable. The ME-80 has 36 presets, and 36 user programmable. The GT-1 uses 4 AA batteries for 7 hours; the ME-80 uses 6. The ME-80 will be larger if that means anything to you. Both pedals are stereo. I am sure you would be happy with either. It will come down to which interface you prefer. As @matonanjin writes you can experiment with a lot of effects for a little money before trying to build an expensive pedal board. I have three other pedals, and I was thinking about a pedal board before I purchased the GT-1 for $199. Flashback Delay $99 Boss CE-5 Chorus $119 East River Drive $69 Total $287 The pedal board I didn't buy $120 and up. The math is pretty clear.

I watched the finale last night. The series was well worth watching. You can still see it On Demand and streaming on PBS.

@NeilES335 I still have my Fender G-DEC 30 which I used for a along time with just clean and delay. However, I didn't have the skill to use the other effects during the early years. My Peavey Classic 30 II has built in Reverb and a drive channel, but I wanted more. I purchased a few pedals, but it soon became obvious I would spend a lot of money buying pedals and a board. I decided to buy the Boss GT-1 and I am glad I did. The GT-1 sounds much better than the G-DEC. I spent the last few nights playing with the Leslie rotating speaker emulation which sounds incredible. The GT-1 also has a volume/expression pedal built in so I can do the swells that Steve Krenz frequently uses. Even my friend who usually plays clean acoustic was thinking of buying the GT-1. I want to add a Ditto also, but I can't think of many other pedals I would need.

@Nutty 1 Yes these pedals are not the usual suspects. I use Delay a lot. My amp has built in reverb, but it is barely noticeable unless it's cranking. A DI (Direct) pedal is really good for a lot of things. I have been exploring my Boss GT-1 pedal which has more effects than I will ever need, but I would consider this a "character" pedal like Rhett describes because there really is no limit to the sounds it can produce. Keep exploring!

Rhett Shull recommends these pedals for your board.

Very nice Kevin!

I would say the odds are pretty good.

@matonanjin As a rocker I would think Hendrix and Lennon's guitars are important, but maybe they are the most important in rock music history. Jimmie Rodger's isn't seen playing live in the documentary so it is hard to judge his chops. The documentary is about country music so it is more about the roots of American music than what would happen decades later. You will have to judge for yourself when you watch the show. I was just curious what a Rodger's guitar would be worth and this article was the first thing I found.

I enjoyed the first episode last night. Of course Martin and Gibson were part of the story. When they showed Jimmie Rodger's guitars I started wondering how much his guitars were worth. This is what I found. The Most Valuable Guitars in America

For a single guitar player it makes sense to play the C when playing the notes associated with a C chord. If another guitar player or bass player is playing C then you could start with a different note in C. Most of the sheet music you see is made for multiple instruments playing different parts. The best solo guitar players play rhythm, melody, and lead which covers all the notes in C or any other chord. The open C chord and many other chords have multiple root notes. For the C chord the note C is located on 5th string and second string so you can play inversions.

My first guitar is an Ovation Standard Balladeer which cost $599. The guitar is still here, plays beautifully, and is always in tune so I am glad I spent the extra money. I could have spent less and I could have gotten a much lower quality guitar. There is a wide range of prices in this guitar list. Sweetwater didn't call this the cheapest guitars of 2019, and ultimately the list is a sales tool. One of the big reasons beginners quit early is a poor guitar which doesn't play easily, sound good, or age well. I started with an acoustic, but I have learned for beginners the electric guitar is the better choice because they are easier to play. The Squire models and some Epiphones not listed are perfect starter guitars which cost less than $200. I assume most people in the forum already purchased their first guitar, and some regret the purchase. But there are many here looking for another guitar.