Vox seems to have replaced the DA-5 with a Mini 3. I have no opinion on that matter.
The problem with reading Dave Hunter and listening to all the examples, is that I really, really, really want a Tele now. I’m stuck between three… and one’s out of stock.
http://store.guitarfetish.com/XV-JT90-Offset-Hybrid-GFS-Pickups-Vintage-Sunburst-Alder-Body_p_1113.html#
http://store.guitarfetish.com/NEW-XV-820-Solid-Poplar-Rocket-Red-Rosewood-Fingerboard_p_1135.html#
http://store.guitarfetish.com/XV-825-KEEF-Model-Solid-Ash-GFS-Mini-Humbucker-Rosewood-_p_1245.html
I like the offset body the most, but the overwound bridge pickup is bothering me for some reason. The Keef is excellence, but out of stock. The Rocket Red is… well, it’s a tele.
Here is the link: http://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/online/guitarists-bucket-list
Take a look - and since some of these are pretty darn geeky, feel free to ask if you have questions; I am sure I or another Doper can 'splain their significance. For instance, #13 is “Pay for a Neck Reset” - Martin acoustics didn’t come with adjustable truss rods in the neck until the mid-80’s I believe - they used non-adjustable T-bar or square-tube metal stock. So the necks would stay straight, but after a few decades, the dove-tail joint where the neck attaches to the body can weaken, affecting the neck angle. So a super-common repair on an older guitar (not just Martins; the dove-tail joint can weaken on any guitar, really) is to reset the joint: heat and loosen the glue, separate, sand or shim the joint as needed; reglue. It means you own a cool, old guitar that was loved and played enough to warrant a neck reset…
I would add these two:
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Know how to dial in your tone on a simple tube amp, a fuzzbox (optional) and your guitar’s on-board controls (learning how to do this made me a much better player)
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Learn how to play the type of music best-suited to a guitar you’ve always loved the look of, but have never truly mastered (I would love to sound great playing a Selmer Maccaferrior big jazz archtop - but my playing style isn’t suited to those designs…)
re #1: Wouldn’t a '58 or '60 be pretty much the same thing, collectability aside (I thought all three years were very collectible, but what do I know) ?
re #18: Is your “daily driver” a car?
Went ahead and got the JT90. Remember how I’ve been pissing, all these months, about how I can’t get the amp to sound ‘right’?
It was a Tele sound I wanted all along. I want to make it. I want to hear it echo off my walls. I want to mainline some rock.
In other news, fuck barre chords. I don’t think I really have to expand on that topic. I do believe, though, that I have graduated to ‘I can play the guitar. Poorly.’
Here’s the ancestor of the 'master, though.
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2009/Feb/Fender_Custom_Shop_Telemaster_Prototype.aspx
Done 9, 20, 19, 24, 29, 38 (Got this Alder tree that fell down… It’s about fifty years old.), 40, 45 (My next door neighbor for many years was a master guitar player. Part of the reason for why I’ve done several of these already… he worked in Broadway, among other things, and threw legendary New Year’s parties. Except when they were at our house. He’s probably the reason I never picked it up seriously, by the way: he was so damn good and so effortless. (I don’t want to say who he was, but he did have a platinum record for being a studio guitarist on something.) 53 (But not because of music), 61, 64 (And yes), 66, 81 (My acoustic) Not 82, for various reasons, Not 93, because I still have it (see my acoustic) 96 is probably going to happen in a few days because a friend is dumping his pedals and he’s insane and it would be wrong not to.
Edit: Yes, I know the 'master there is a ‘what if’, but I’m betting it’s a reason the JT90 exists. Interesting that the comments mention Mr. Malden.
Even a bolt-on with a truss rod (like my H&D) will eventually need a neck set. Neck blocks compress and tops belly over time pretty much independently of the technology. But it sure is easier to reset a bolt-on, so my wallet will someday appreciate that.
You should try a maple fingerboard sometime, if you want that really glass-cutting sparkley Tele tone. I love mine.
So I’ve been meaning to post an update since everyone helped me buy my Tele back in the fall. In brief: one of the best purchases I ever made.
I love the variety of sounds I can get out of the Tele - OCD - Blues Jr setup. Twist a few knobs and it’s like I’m playing a whole different instrument. It’s really inspiring to me–if I’m not sure what to play, I fiddle with the tone and see where that takes me.
I also ended up picking up an MXR Carbon Copy delay. It’s been great for the country leads and licks I’ve been working on, and with it and the OCD I’ve been able to dial in a very nice Reverend Horton Heat tone. (I do love the Reverend.) Of course, the first thing I did was turn the delay up and figure out the main riff from U2’s “Bad”, which probably happens within fifteen minutes anytime someone plugs in a delay for the first time. (That or “Run Like Hell”.)
Also of interest: my main axe is a well-loved Alvarez acoustic that my dad got my mom for Christmas when I was 12 (in 1987) but slowly became mine. I was curious about its provenance, so I searched for its model #, 5019. The only thing I could find under that number was the “Midnight Special”, which mine is decidedly not. After some emailing back and forth with Alvarez, the best thing we can come up with is that the label is a misprint.
You’ll reach a point with barre chords where they’re so natural, your teacher tells you “Nah, take that one four fingered - you need the flexibility for the next shift. How come you barre so much, anyway?” It’s one of those Zen ‘first there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is’ kinda things.
Le Ministre, who spent most of this afternoon’s lesson showing off three new arrangements that got picked to pieces and improved… Oh, yeah, and I got told not to barre so much.
Glad you like the setup, Doc! I play a Tele -> [overdrive pedal du jour] -> BluesJr myself, and one of my overdrive stomps is an OCD and it’s pretty cool. I think I mentioned back when you bought your setup that the OCD seems to be happier with my humbucker guitars than my Tele, so when I use the tele I add a slight clean boost before the OCD and life is good. You should try that setup if you can, it really warms up the tone (and as a Rev Horton admirer, you’d probably enjoy that quite a bit). The OCD really strives for that “turn down your guitar volume to clean up the tone” thing, which is awesome, but I think low-output single coils confuses it a little, and a bit of a goose to the signal before the OCD straightens things out. Give it a go if you get a chance.
This is true, but I don’t like the feel of maple. But it is something I can do later.
[QUOTE=WordMan]
Here is the link: The Guitarist’s Bucket List - Fretboard Journal
[/QUOTE]
Not many matches for some of us from the English Hooligan school of guitar.
Some of them aim a bit low too…
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Spinal Tap quotes. Two? I might run dry before I got to two HUNDRED.
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Should be Miserlou surely?
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Stairway… Should be: Be able to play all of Stairway (including the solo and recorder parts) studio and live versions, while drunk, in your sleep.
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Little Wing? Try Won’t Get Fooled Again (and the neighbours were quite complementary :))
Some of them I don’t get at all
- James Taylor? I never intend to play anything by him.
Substituting - 80. Play When I’m Cleaning Windows on a ukuele banjo. That’s more like it.
Getting ready for a long meeting, but much to comment on:
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**E-Sabs **- once you go Tele, all other guitars feel different (I know, it’s a silly truism for pretty much any design, but it means something here - getting good on a Tele changes how you approach other guitars). I love Telemasters’ look and would love to play one.
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**squeegee **- '59 became the magical number because of some design changes (the neck profile was slimmed a bit vs. the '58, but chunkier vs. the '60 - but not quite like the Historic reissues they have today; the frets were bigger; stuff like that - oh, and the red dye changed in '60, yielding the nicknames clownburst or Campbell’s Soup burst) and some early players used ‘59’s - I think Keef, Joe Perry, Beck, Billy Gibbons’ Pearly Gates and a few others were on '59’s - Pages #1 was thought to be a '59 but I think is a '58.
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Your daily driver is your car - so yeah, owning a guitar worth as much as, or more than your car. Check.
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**DoctorJ **- wonderful news; welcome to the Tele side. Amazing how staying simple can broaden your playing, right?
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**Small Clanger **- oh, there’s bunches I would vary or flat-out disagree with, but enjoyed the list. It is more of an “are you a Guitar Geek?” checklist and you can score yourself. And trust me, I don’t need a checklist to know how I measure on that type of scale…
WordMan - do you and I still fit ON that scale? I would have assumed we were way beyond the red line at the point where the mercury’s about to bust the thermometer…
Oh, and aceplace57 wants to know about fingerings for guitar chords.
Roland Cube of some sort … they go from the micro Cubes and minCubes all the way up to a Cube 60 and the BIG Jazz Chorus JC120. For you, I’d recommend one of the small (maybe a 20) Cubes.
::snort::
So true…
Ladies and Gentlemen, your advice please.
First, a short history : Back in Sept. I had to quit playing, as my left (fretting) hand and wrist were killing me - numbness in some fingers, pain down the tendon on the back of my index finger, and hurt in my elbow. Long story short, I had a subluxing ulnar nerve, which has been taken care of (hooray, night time bracing!).
But, I’m still left with the tendon issues. I asked the advice of my doctor, who told me that it’s probably position - related; I briefly showed him how I position my guitar (generally across my lap, sitting), and he immediately said yes, that’s a bad place to be…the tendons across the back of my hand are too stretched in that position (think of me almost making a claw, the way I had to curl my hand to fret). As this is the way I’ve been playing since I was 18 (So, 13 years) it’s going to be a hard habit to break. I want to know how I can still find a good position sitting, without torturing my poor hand. I tried a little this morning, both sitting and standing, but I’m not sure I’ve found a better position, yet.
I would also like advice on positioning my guitar while standing; I’m still pretty poor playing that way, since I’m not really used to it.
And finally, (I swear!), how can I really go about finding some people to jam with? I can practice with a backing track all I want, I’d really like to play off others, and improve as much as I possibly can. Drummers, bassists, other guitarists, vocalists, etc. I’m still pretty shy playing in front of others, and I’ve only focused on learning music (rather than just playing tabs) over the last 2 years or so…I need something to push myself. I’ve gone the craigslist route, but I had bad luck (you know, it would help if they read my ad, instead of just going "Omg i liek metal too, rocks. Lets play! " or “Emo band looking for singer”. Did I post singer? …I digress. I appreciate any advice you all can give!
I’m glad to hear your ulnar nerve issue has been taken care of. Hoo boy!
Tendons take a long time to heal up totally, and you are going to have to be really gentle with them for a while. Good that you consulted with your doctor - is there a physiotherapist or other body professional with whom you are working? It could be very useful.
This is an excellent time to hook up with a guitar teacher. I say this kinda thing often enough around here, everybody thinks I’m a harpist, not a guitarist. You wouldn’t come back from a busted knee to run a marathon without getting some good training advice, would you? Same thing with the guitar… I have said my say. 
I have a couple of things to recommend that you try out - there’s the Dynarette cushion, or a standard footstool. I use both in combination. Guitar on the left leg, balance the weight of the neck with the weight of your upper right arm on the bout of the guitar.
The idea is to get the neck of the guitar at steeper angle to the floor. Think 65 degrees rather than 45. Your wrist should be straight when you play. If you’re doing wrist curls to finger the guitar, then the tendons on the inside, the palm side, of your wrist are going to be tensed, while the tendons on the outside, the knuckle side, are going to be too relaxed to balance the rest of your hand.
In general, sitting is easier than standing, ergonomically speaking. The guitar is more stable, which means the arm is all about finding its place against a stationary object, as opposed to the arm being involved in holding as well as playing.
The position of the ‘face’ of the instrument is hugely important as well. Consider the soundboard and fingerboard as a plane - if that plane is perpendicular to the floor, the weight of your arm is pulling your fingers across the strings. That means that nothing about the weight of your arm is helping your grip, and part of your arm’s task is to hold itself up in order to touch the guitar.
Instead, hold the guitar so that the treble strings are further from your chest than the bass strings. Or, another way to put it - sit up straight, place the guitar about mid-thigh on your leg, but bring the upper bout all the way back to your chest. This means that the plane of the fret board/sound board would meet the plane of the floor at about 110 degrees, rather than 90.
Why? This obtuse angle allows you to transfer some of the weight of your left arm into the fret board. Picture an umbrella with the hook handle. Hang that umbrella on the edge of a table. It will balance, because the hook of the handle is transferring the weight to the tabletop. If you were to then tilt the table, at some point the umbrella would slide off. We want your guitar at the angle just before where your fingers would be pulled off the fret board by gravity.
Do not, by the way, ever allow your left elbow to rest on your knee (If you’ve got your guitar on your left knee, that would be impossible, anyway.), the chair, the arm of the couch, the floor, the anything. You want that weight, transferred through the curvature of your fingers (and not the wrist - remember, the wrist is straight.) to be what makes the strings make contact with the fret board. No gripping allowed. Your thumb is there to give your LH poise, balance and stability. It is not there to grab your guitar’s neck.
This is also a good time to examine the set up of your instrument - nut & saddle as low as you can get away with, low tension strings, everything rigged up so the LH doesn’t have to work to play.
Janet Horvath’s Playing (Less) Hurt has some really useful information.
Ask your doctor/physiotherapist/massage therapist about a http://www.diamondathletic.com/browse;cat,9;Wrist-&-Hand-Braces"]wrist brace for night time, or even for during the day. Treat that arm really well - ice from time to time, heat from time to time, gentle and relaxing stretches, carry your groceries in the other hand or in a back pack, or in a granny cart.
Good luck with it; I’ve been there, and it’s no Goddamn fun whatsoever but there is a way back.