David Ellis has a new video out that will teach you all about using guitar picks to play bluegrass. David will cover how shape (round vs. pointed) and size (thick and thin) can affect tone. You may want to use different picks for different pieces of music (rhythm vs. lead). David will demonstrate with each of the picks so you can hear and see the difference. We’ll also cover some tips for holding the pick that will help you dial in your sound.
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I wanted to share a post from the Fender Lounge Forums. Here is the original post by ashtone
“We’re almost at the first anniversary of the devastating flood that ravaged Nashville last year. I was invited to go down there the day after the storm with Vince Cunetto to triage guitars for one of his “Country Superstar” friends. I disassembled irreplaceable guitars for three days, and it was an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Since this is the guitar forum, I’m posting a link to my photos of some guitars I worked on. There will be a link in the amp section to the photos of some amplifiers. The epiphany I had was that we are stewards of the guitars and amplifiers we love, and our possession is temporary. Temporary in that we all gotta go someday, but our gear “lives on”. All you can do is have a good Will in place, and pass them on to another good steward.”
He also linked to an album on Photobucket with 41 photos from that time. Here is a sample photo:
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Recently on the Telecaster.com forum, someone asked Jody about his guitar tone in a free video. I wanted to let everyone else in on the answer. The video being referenced is posted below.
Question: Your tone in this clip just knocks me out. Is there any way to get that great sound (specifically the bridge pickup tone in the first minute of the vid) at bedroom, small practice amp levels? Practicing would be a lot more fun if I could hear that fat growling tone.
Jody: I did that shoot with a Peavy Classic 30 at a very reasonable volume….we don’t crank it in the studio because of bleed into the little clip-on mike for my voice. I dialed up the dirtiest sound (you can’t get dirtier with the volume and tone knobs of the guitar, just cleaner) with the pre-amp and master volumes on the amp, then all the other tones came from turning down the guitar! The Custom Shop NoCaster that I’m playing has a special (stock for that guitar) something-or-other in the wiring that allows you to retain high end as you turn down…..then if it’s too thin, you just roll off a little! Thanks for the interest, guys!!!!
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Their is a great thread on the Guitarists.net forum on finding people in your town to play with who have similar tastes.
“I’ve recently noticed that around my area where I live, there are almost no guitarists, or even musicians for that matter, that share my taste in music. Its really weird. I like to play classic rock thrown in with jazz, blues, and some funk I guess, along with pop style music. I will even throw a little metal in there every once in a while. But around where I live, there are like no musicians that I know that share my tastes. They are either hardcore metal (and only metal) or hardcore country (and only country, which I play but only for church, I don’t like playing it outside of church). And everyone who isn’t a musician likes rap and R&B. Does anyone else have this problem? Its not like I have anything against any of these genres, I consider myself to be pretty well rounded in what I like, but I don’t PLAY all of these styles, the ones I listed are the only ones I like to play. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has these problems. “
Which is a problem that I’m sure a lot of people struggle with. But the thread takes an interesting turn. Judging by most people playing in music stores and looking for musicians on Craigslist, the music world has gone metal.
“Sometimes it sure seems like metal players outnumber other guitar players like 10 to 1 or more, at least based on some forums (including this one, sometimes). I find it a little odd that, for instance, the vast majority of new people who come on here want to play metal, and the vast majority of bands on the local craigslist are metal or some near cousin, but metal is invisible in the real world. I mean, if every single kid in Guitar Center is playing metal, how is it that metal bands are not selling out football stadiums? “
and a possible explanation on why it hasn’t gotten bigger
“I noticed too that there is a huge underground culture for metal but it’s just not covered by mainstream media, I question if they want to be discovered like that anyways, a lot of them seem to like the underground scene, and yeah it does feel like they outnumber everyone else because if you go to my guitar center or Sam Ash if they are under the age of thirty they play metal, and after five years of playing I have yet to see otherwise “
And the rise of music blogs and forums over the past 10 years has allowed fans of metal to interact despite geographic distance. In general I think it’s always been true that niche factions of anything can survive as long as it’s fans and followers have a certain level of tenacity. I recently heard Chuck Klosterman talking about a battle among the writers of Lost about whether to go with a more drama soap opera style of writing or science fiction style. And the ultimate decision was to go with sci-fi because the fans are more loyal despite being a smaller sect of the population. He compared their passion to that of heavy metal fans. So even though metal fans may make up a small portion of the music listening public, what if they are just that more inclined to play instruments as well because of their immersion in metal culture.
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>If you’ve owned a guitar for any length of time, it’s happened to you. Someone walks into your house, sees your guitar in the stand, and asks if they can play it. Depending on the situation and the person you usually oblige to avoid seeming like a jerk. But this is on the low end of the anxiety scale when it comes to lending out your gear. The Music Player Forums have a post currently going about lending your gear out to other people. It’s one thing to let someone play your guitar while you’re standing close by. But what if someone’s guitar or amp just broke and they have a gig tonight? Do you trust them? Will they watch out for belt buckle scratches or sweat and grease getting on the guitar like you would? For each person and each situation it may be a different answer. But it definitely can be an uncomfortable position to be in.
A sample reply from the thread:
“Maybe if we`re in the same band and I will be there for the gig. Even then I REALLY try to avoid doing that. Last night I did a short acoustic open mic set. Someone showed up without a guitar and the guy who was on after me loaned his acoustic. Well about two songs in the borrower started doing hand percussion on the guitar, with his knuckles. That would be it for me right there-give it back. Now.
Guitar straps, cables, picks-if they aren`t the really expensive ones-that`s different, mostly no problem lending those.”
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