All About Guitars

Archive for May, 2009

It is obviously evident you have now made your choice to buy a musical instrument. Its purpose can either be for exercising what you already know or what you want to know. With money at hand, do not be very eager to rush to a seller. Think before you act. Whether you are aiming at getting an entirely new instrument or a fairly used one, think of the following ideas.

The best option is to seek for something new. It pays to have something original. Plus, you have that satisfaction that your item is of the greatest quality; given that you are the first to ever use it. But if you think that a brand new instrument will push you out of your financial arrangements, go in for a fairly used one. Some of these used devices are also of great superiority. You must also realize the modernity has made it possible for every person to set up a business of creating a company. With the prevailing hardship, most people will want to go for cheap but low quality devices (such as Chinese goods- without any prejudice).

Think of how much you have or will want to set aside for the device. Take not that all brands of a particular device will never be priced the same. An electronic guitar will not be the same as a simple one, or a trumpet will be cheaper than an oboe or a trombone. Electronic instruments will of course be more complex and delicate and they will be energy consuming.

Think about any possible repairs. How much will it cost to repair that particular instrument? Keep in mind that the compact nature of some instruments will make it almost impossible to repair. The cost of repairs of some instruments may equal half of the amount of the initial cost of the instrument. An example is a piano. Will it be easier for you to effect repairs? Note: most string instruments will only need a replacement of the strings, which you can easily do, than electronic instruments.

Think about the portability of that instrument. If you will have to move from time to time with your luggage, will it be convenient to move with your instrument? Handy instruments such as flutes and guitars will be easier to transport than large and often delicate instruments such as pianos.

Think about the size of the instrument. If you intend that your children play it, think of how they can easily move it, or if they are reachable to all parts of that instrument. Also ensure that they will have interest in that particular instrument.

To whom are you buying that instrument? If there is no previous knowledge about that instrument, will it be easier learned? If you intend that members of your household must make use of the device, be prepared for the cost of instructions. Keep in mind that wind appliances will be easier learned than the keyboard. Look for an instrument that is extremely common because instructors on it will also be frequent.

The only basic obligation expected from you is to make a thorough enquiry on what you intend to buy. It will cost you little or nothing in terms of the loss associated with making the wrong choice. There is information everywhere and at every time. Visit internet sites, libraries and music magazines.

Stacey Day
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/getting-started-for-musical-instruments-124808.html

There are a few guitar companies that are well known for their quality and their list of celebrity players. PRS Guitars is one such company. Paul Reed Smith, owner and creator of PRS Guitars, made his first guitar while he was a student at St. Mary s College in Maryland. He continued to build guitars after college and after he d complete one, he would bring it to concerts and convince the musicians to try them out and give him feedback.

Smith eventually encountered Carlos Santana. The end result of this meeting was that Santana ended up trying out his guitars. (He tried three total.) Santana was impressed, and this ultimately changed the direction of Smith s life. Santana put Smith in touch with a man named Ted McCarty, who eventually became his mentor.

Ted McCarty is a veteran of the guitar industry. He was the president of Gibson for a number of years and he created the Gibson Explorer, the ES-335, and the Gibson Flying V. Like Santana, McCarty also realized that Smith had talent and took him under his wing. The two collaborated and developed a series of guitars together. These guitars are now included in the PRS Guitars line.

Perhaps it was due to McCarty s collaboration with Smith that ultimately lead to the trouble. But, Gibson sued PRS Guitars over their Singlecut guitars, which they claimed were remarkably similar to the Gibson Les Paul style. Eventually Gibson lost the case, but PRS could not make the guitars while the court case was going on. But the case was resolved in Smith and McCarty s favor.

PRS Guitars have a list of current stock models and private stock guitars that are all listed on the website. There are the Singlecut guitars that were previously mentioned, the SE Series which is a lower end model and slightly less expensive, the Santana SE, and the 513 Rosewood Guitar. However, these are just a few examples of the extensive list provided on the site.

There have been a lot of famous artists who have played Paul Reed Smith guitars. These include Carlos Santana, Al DiMeola, Peter Lindgren, Tim Mahoney, Dave Navarro, Mark Tremont, Larry Hanson of Alabama, Larry Lalonde of Primus, Neal Schon of Journey, Rich Williams of Kansas, Steve Stevens with Billy Idol, and Vince Neil of Motley Crue. For more information on the artists who play PRS Guitars, visit the website.

Here is what one person has to say about their PRS Guitar:

About the PRS Custom 20th Anniversary

I love the way this guitar looks. I had wanted a quilt finish, but the exact spec would have taken 3-4 months on a special order and cost lots more, so I got this one, and haven t regretted it for a second. Fabulous rich sounds – as soon as I took it to the first rehearsal, everyone in the band could tell the difference (had previously been playing US Standard Strat and Les Paul Studio). Lighter sound than the Les Paul, but so versatile. The tone control is useable and the choice between single/double wound pickups makes a real difference. Magical.

William McRea
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/a-brief-history-of-paul-reed-smith-guitars-55014.html

ESP, short for Electric Sound Products, started as a shop in Japan by Hisatake Shibuya in 1975. At first they just sold replacement parts for the guitar but in 1976 they started making guitars. These products were only found in Japan until the 80s when the replacement parts found their way to the U.S.

The company was pretty much obscure in the United States until 1983 when these replacement parts line was introduced. Then in 84 and 85 ESP began creating custom guitars for certain artists such as Bruce Kulick of KISS, Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, and Vernon Reid of Living Color. In 1986 George Lynch discovered the shop in Japan while searching for a replacement guitar part. The end result of this encounter was his Kamikaze model. The Kamikaze was ESPs first signature model.

Over the years, the company has evolved. They have gone from an exclusive producer of replacements parts for the guitar to a high quality electric guitar manufacturer. In the early 90s the company faced some changes to their United States division. At the same time that they discontinued the replacement parts for the U.S., they started expanding their guitar line. Also, ESP moved their headquarters a few times before settling on their Los Angeles, CA location in 1993.

Now, ESP is a fast growing company in the guitar industry. Their current line of guitars boasts many celebrity endorsees. These include Lynchs Kamikaze and James Hetfields Truckster model, created in honor of the companys 30th Anniversary. Other models include the AX series, the Standard Series, the Mirage Series, the Xtone Series, and the Signature Series.

ESP boasts a really long list of artists who play their guitars. In fact, the nature of ESPs popularity is tied into the fact that many renowned artists love their guitars. These artists include James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet or Metallica, Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Jeff Hannemen and Tom Arraya of Slayer, and Richard z Kruspe of Rammstein. For more information on the artists, visit their website.

It isnt just famous artists who love the guitars. ESP guitars receive great reception from guitar players of all ages. Heres what one person has to say about ESP guitars (Source Harmony Central):

Concerning the ESP B-154

The sound is just awesome. I play hard rock and metal and have played for 5 years now. I am just happy with this. I use a Behringer V-Amp Pro Pre-amp, with a Behringer BX4500H amp and a 1500 Watt slave amplifier.
It is impressively noiseless!!! It has a bright sound, but it depends on what EQ settings i am using. With setting it correct, you can get a “thick” sound like the one in the Metallica track Enter Sandman.

The sound generally is very good. Definitely worth all money!

William McRea
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/a-brief-history-of-esp-guitars-54175.html

Ben Edward’s spellbound guitar learning system has taken keen guitar learners to new heights. This radical guitar learning method has the potential to produce really fast rewarding results. This revolutionary phenomenon in the guitar world is called jamorama and it has brought forward to the guitar players new and awesome materials.

The jamorama is loaded with 148 commanding video demonstrations with 26 broad Jam Tracts unavailable elsewhere. It is filled with 1000s of lines of tabs and simple training demonstrations of how to read guitar tabs and play by hearing. The brilliance of Jamorama enables to play practically any song upon hearing that was apparently impossible to you.

The 26 different jam tracks are an emulsification of rock; country, blues, jazz, hip-hop and dance serve you to jam along with the Jamorama Band and help you utilize the things that you have learned to put into practice. That way you will see your guitar skills boost to heights that it had never gone before. Jamorama will also help you master music notations, recognize chord structures and write out songs that you have heard on the CDs pr radio. This entire guitar learning method is fun and an adventure ride, just as many of its users have experienced earlier. If mastering the guitar is what you seek, its high time for you to take a look at the rocking Jamorama.

The creator of this amazing learning system, Ben Edwards, is a well-reputed guitar teacher. His music history dates back to the time when he used to be the lead guitarist for the popular band “Degreesk”. He performed several international tours and had completed his bachelor degree before joining the band. Ben Edwards’ inspiration to teach guitar led him to come up with the awe-inspiring guitar-learning tool – Jamorama.

One of the key things that Jamorama emphasises on is your fluency. Jamorama also helps you to improvise on songs that you hear and play them without any difficulty. Each of the songs in Jamorama had been made in small parts, thus making it very easy for learners to practise and then put all the pieces together. Jamorama will help you save your valuable time, money and irritation. It allows you to practise fast, slow, any tempo you desire and thus help you reduce the mistakes that you make while practising your lessons.

The jamorama consists of two quality books that will guide you through all the way through your guitar-learning ladder. It contains 148 chronically arranged video lessons that have been professionally edited. It also contains two computer games “GuitEarIt” and “JaydeMusica”! It helps you train your amateur ears to recognise between different guitar chords. The game is not only fun to play but it also speeds up your guitar learning by training your ears. JaydeMusica is a professional game where you learn how to read the music notations. The other great features of Jamorama are its 26 unique Jam Tracks, a metronome, really cool guitar licks, and some additional materials.

If all these fascinating facts about Jamorama still don’t appeal you, then one have to say: you learn your lesson only when you’re through with it. All the top guitar websites contain the comments and reviews on Jamorama. If you can afford thousands of dollars to queue up to the guitar teaches and come up with nothing why not only spend a small amount of money online and see if Jamorama really works.

Wouter Van Dyck learned to play the guitar himself 3 years ago. Now his playing in two bands and has a group of his own. If you want to now more about learning to play guitar you can visit his website www.jamorama-review.info

Wouter Van Dyck
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/learn-to-play-guitar-with-jamorama-137247.html

Electric Guitars

The Electric guitar hasn’t been around nearly as long as the Acoustic and Classical guitars. In fact, the Electric guitar was created just 70 years ago (the 1930s) by Adolph Rickenbacker. Since that time, the Electric guitar has greatly evolved to the where it is today. In this article, we’ll go over the history of the Electric guitar.

The History

Guitars, or similar instruments, have been around for thousands of years. The Electric guitar was first manufactured in the 1930s by Rickenbacker. Original Electric guitars used tungsten pickups. Pickups basically convert the vibration of the strings into electrical current, which is then fed into the amplifier to produce the sound.

The very earliest Electric guitars featured smaller soundholes in the body. These guitars are known as semi-hollow body Electric guitars and still are somewhat popular today, mainly due to the fact that they are flexible guitars.

However, with the use of pickups, it was possible to create guitars without soundholes (like the Acoustic and Classical guitars have) that still had the ability to be heard, if plugged into amplifiers. These guitars are called solid body Electric guitars.

The Electric guitar’s popularity began to increase during the Big Band era of the ’30s and 40s. Due to the loudness of the brass sections in jazz orchestras, it was necessary to have guitars that could be heard above the sections. Electric guitars, with the ability to be plugged into amplifiers, filled this void.

The Electric guitar that is most prevalent today is the solid body Electric guitar. The solid body guitar was created by musician and inventor Les Paul in 1941. It is a guitar made of solid wood with no soundholes. The original solid body guitar created by Paul was very plain-it was a simple rectangular block of wood connected to a neck with six steel strings. Les Paul’s original solid body guitar shape has, of course, changed from the original rectangular shape to the more rounded shape Les Paul guitars have today.

During the 1950s, Gibson introduced Les Paul’s invention to the world. The Gibson Les Paul, as it was and still is called, quickly became a very popular Electric guitar. It has remained the most popular guitar for 50 years.

Around the same period of time, another inventor named Leo Fender came up with a solid body Electric guitar of his own. In the late 1940s, Fender introduced the Fender Broadcaster Electric guitar. The Broadcaster, which was renamed the Stratocaster, was officially introduced to the public in 1954. The Strat, as it is now known, was a very different guitar in comparison to the Les Paul. It had a different shape, different hardware and was significantly lighter. Fender’s Stratocaster Electric guitar is the second most popular guitar in the world, second to only the Les Paul.

Over the years, other companies, such as Ibanez, Jackson, Paul Reed Smith, ESP and Yamaha have all produced solid body electric guitars of their own. However, most Electric guitars still feature the familiar shape of a Les Paul or Strat guitar.

Gray Rollins
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/a-look-at-the-history-of-the-electric-guitar-102105.html