Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with guitars

Guitar Shopping Made Easy, I Hope

ubiquity — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:03:18 -0800

Help me find a killer acoustic guitar for my 27 year old son. Today my adult son informed me that what he'd really like for an end-of-year present is an acoustic guitar. He loves music and already plays in several other instrument groups, so this is a great idea. But I know nothing about guitars. Ideally, I'd like something decent, new, between $200 and $400, that I can buy on-line and have delivered to Dallas, TX by Dec 24. If necessary, I could go to a physical store on Dec 22 or 23, but just to pick it up. I don't want to have to actually try out guitars as part of this process because I wouldn't know what I'm doing, and subjective stuff like that will be different for him anyway.

I have already looked at a previous AskMe on this topic, but it's almost 7 years old, and heavy on the notion of trying it out. If trying it out is an absolute necessity, I will probably just give him the money and let him do it himself, but I'd rather not do that.

Acoustic duo.. help

pwally — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:55:56 -0800

Looking for the best songs to play with two acoustic guitars, any genre. Also, are there any resources out there that specifically teach how two acoustic guitars can play together? Any good youtube videos out there? My only request is that nobody brings up Dust In The Wind...

Buying guitars: is it normal to get the one you see and play in the shop?

fry — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:45:48 -0800

Buying guitars: is it normal to get the one you see and play in the shop? I don't like the idea of someone else (or lots of other people) playing my guitar, but buying guitars "off-the-shelf" seems to be the norm (from my experience in the UK, at least).

If you buy a new phone or TV, you'd get a new one in an un-opened box. Why is this not the case for guitars?

Even with online guitar shops, most of them also have brick-and-mortar shops. The last guitar I bought online had marks and scratches, and had obviously just been taken from their actual shop and shipped off.

Are custom guitars any good?

VTX — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:45:54 -0800

Some random guy on Craigslist makes guitars. Should I buy one? I started learning to play guitar as a hobby. I bought a cheapo Squire Strat I found on craigslist and it has been serviceable but I'm to the point now where I think I'm going to stick with it long-term and I want to buy a higher quality instrument. I've more or less set my sites on an Epiphone Les Paul standard or the standard plus top but I need to spend some more time playing one to be sure. I've been keeping an eye on craigslist to try and find one used for a good price and get a feel for what a good deal is.

I ran across an ad for a guy who will custom build guitars to order. I sent him an e-mail and he said he can probably build what I need for $300 or less (compared to $350-$400).

My guess is that this is a luthier who builds guitars in his garage as a hobby. I would like to get an instrument that, assuming I never become a professional musician, might be the last guitar I ever buy. I also don't want to spend a ton of money and I'm totally okay with upgrading easy stuff later on (the pick-ups in particular).

Assuming that this guy is legitimate, I would probably want to see some examples of his work before I bought anything but I don't know that I have enough experience to determine the quality of his work. The question is then, in general, is getting a guitar from a home craftsman like this a good idea? Will I end up getting a better instrument (in the ways that are important to me) than a mass-produced one? Please share your experience as someone who has bought a guitar like this or makes them themselves.

Acoustic guitar with electric pickups?

CKmtl — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:15:52 -0800

Is Tracy Chapman's guitar in this video (best shots are in the first 10 seconds) a custom jobbie, or is an acoustic with electric pickups a thing that can be bought off the rack? I'm considering picking up the guitar again, after giving up on it ~15 years ago. The one I had back was a rather low-end beginner thing that didn't sound too good.

Anyway, the guitar in that video strikes me as awesome with its 2-in-1 versatility. Doubly so if one such thing would cost less than buying an acoustic and an electric separately (especially since I'm more interested in the acoustic side, and the electric would probably just be a once-in-a-while thing).

So, is it a thing that a good music store would be have hanging around? Or be able to track down for me if I ask for a _______? Or is it an altogether bad idea for a second-attempt learner?

Guitar recommendations, give me yours!

dejah420 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:49:08 -0800

Electric guitar for small hands, help me choose one? Husband and Son have asked for Rocksmith and an electric guitar for the Xbox 360. Rocksmith was easy...but I don't know anything about guitars. A couple of people have said that the Ibanez GRX20 has a smaller neck, and would be easier for Boy to play, but I can't find anywhere that lists the width of guitar necks, nor do I know if Ibanez is a good starter brand.

Hive mind, can you help me pick a relatively inexpensive electric guitar that can be played easily by a 9yr old, a woman with small hands, and a regular guy?

Trumpets & Violins

ericthegardener — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:49:26 -0800

I've always enjoyed mariachi music when I've heard it, but am now wanting to explore a little deeper. Keeping in mind that I know next to nothing, steer me towards some of the greats. Love the upbeat stuff, but I especially love sad songs. Bonus points for artists on Spotify. Good books on the origins of Mariachi wouldn't go amiss either. Thanks!

Guitar for a 5-year old. Which one? Where to buy?

feckless — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:12:26 -0800

Planning a birthday present for my daughter, who will be 5 soon. She's been interested in guitars, and I'd love to get her one to mess around on. Ideally it would be small, not too expensive, but good enough to feel 'real'. I don't know much about guitars. What's a good one to buy? Is there an online outlet for such things you would recommend?

Please help my dad get a fair deal on a used Fender Telecaster.

peripathetic — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:34:49 -0800

What's a fair price for a second hand US made Fender Telecaster 52 Reissue and what's the market like? I'm hoping to prevent my dad from getting ripped off. My father (in Malaysia) contacted this guy (in California) to help him procure a used Fender Telecaster. I've read the e-mails between this broker and my father, and the tone of the e-mails written by the former is setting off alarm bells for me. The broker claims that market conditions are not "ideal" for second hand Telecasters without stating why, and recommended that my dad get a Fender Telecaster 52 Reissue. The language used by the broker's a bit too "used car salesman" to me--"I need to purchase it outside the shop and pay cash"; "I'm doing this personally for you in good faith"; "the value (of the Telecaster 52 Reissue) will only appreciate"; "timing is absolutely essential"; etc.

I know absolutely nothing about guitars, but I don't want my father to be taken for a ride. Dad is looking to spend about $1000, and the broker said that it would be possible to get one around that price. How easy is it for him to get a used Fender Telecaster 52 Reissue for about $1000? And where can I shop for one by myself?

Fretting about fretting.

gonzo_ID — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:23:31 -0800

I want to become a luthier. Please give me advice. I come from an industrial design background and I love playing guitars. I think I want to put the two together and learn how to design and build guitars as a business.

I've read a couple (5-6) of guitarmaking books and knocked about with fixing up a couple of old broken guitars, but there's a couple of things I think I want to do/know:

1) Get an apprenticeship with and existing luthier. How would one approach established luthiers on order to gain a little in-workshop experience when armed only with passion and keenness? Are there any hard and fast rules?

2) Is there money in being a luthier? Not you're "I'm gonna be famous and loaded with my new Bugatti" rich, but the "I can pay the mortgage and go on a camping holiday once a year" kind of rich.

And advice or thoughts based upon experience would be greatly appreciated. I'm at the very early stages of this idea and it makes me feel very excited about doing this, but I'm trying to be honest and realistic with myself as I want a balance between doing something I enjoy with the amount of money I make doing it.

Many thanks. x

Meow, meow, meow, plink, plonk, plink.

magnificent frigatebird — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:46:32 -0800

Where is this image from? Somebody posted this picture on Tumblr without attribution, as usual. Any idea where, when, why or by whom it was made?

How old is this Marshall amp?

Zero Gravitas — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:24:16 -0800

Can you accurately date this Marshall amp for me and/or give me a rough price estimate? The serial number is 5266. According to the amp tech who restored it, it's a Marshall '1974' 18w 1x12. These were made from '66-'68 and are apparently quite sought after.

I haven't found a lot of info, other than that Marshall are currently re-issuing this very model.. Also, that there appears to be an active cloning community.

A friend of mine gave this amp to me a couple of years ago. I told him that it looked like an old Marshall and was therefore probably quite valuable. He still gave it to me, for which I am eternally grateful to him, since it's the best amp I've ever played. He, in turn, found it in the dumps and brought it home. In case you're wondering, I'm not going to sell this baby - at least not for any reasonable amount of money. I love it too much and it would be disrespectful to my friend.

Bonus question: Are there any well-known guitarists who were/are known to use these amps?

I want this one to go to 11

spicynuts — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:05:14 -0800

Help me restore this amazing Orville by Gibson ES-175 to it's former glory. I can't believe this but a friend of mine found an amazing Orville by Gibson ES-175 just laying in the trash bin of her apartment building INCLUDING HARDSHELL CASE!!! The guitar is the same model as this except it's blonde and not sunburst. Even with shitty old strings it sounds lovely un-amped. It is missing one pick-up, a volume pot, a tone pot, the pick-up selector switch and the truss rod cover. Below is a list of what I'd like to do. Any suggestions or instructions are greatly appreciated!

1) New custom pick - ups: please give me interesting custom pick-up manufacturer names. I already have looked at Manlius, RD and of course the usual DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan and other boring stuff you get at GC. What I'd like to do is stick a muscled up PAF clone in the neck slot and then something that is classic humbucker but has a big high and mid punch in the bridge. What I'm going for is sweet, sexy 57-ish jazz tone but also tight, punch in the face, cut through glass over-drive tone.

2) Replace all the pots - I was even thinking of some push-pulls to synch with pickups that can operate as single and double coil. Not sure, Either way I need sources for good pots and instructions on how to install

3) Same thing with pick-up selector switch

4) Need some help with what kind of solvent/cleaner to use to really spruce up and clean/polish the finish to a nice luster. Also, it looks like someone moved the bridge at one point so there is gunk or glue remnants behind the bridge. How do I get that off without damaging the finish?

5) Advice on how to clean frets and fret-board

6) Should I stick with the stock tuners?

7) Anything else I should (I will have it professionally set up and the truss rod adjusted once I'm done with the refurb)

I will post pics during the process and when done.

Question about speaker resistance and stuff...

gally99 — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:42:35 -0800

Using two cabs with my guitar amp- which outputs should I use? I have a Peavey Butcher. Speaker outs each have two labels:
1: single 16 ohm or first 16 ohm
2: single 8 ohm or second 16 ohm
3. single 4 ohm or third 16 ohm
4. no single cab or fourth 16 ohm
I usually get by fine with a single 8 ohm 4x12, but I'd like to play around with my other cabs. In the manual for the head, under connecting multiple speaker enclosures, it basically says 'if you're using cabs that aren't 16 ohm then there's too many combinations, you do the math'.
So, if I want to use two 8 ohm cabs, which outputs do i use? What if i want to use an 8 and a 16?
I can always rewire my cabs to all be 16, but I'd rather not.
Thanks!

Want Martin to Arrive in One Piece!

Danf — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:52:59 -0800

Flying With a Guitar? By brother wants his D-18 back (a late 60's one). I am flying Horizon Air later this month to LA on a Q-400, apparently not changing planes, and I am wondering the safest way to take the guitar along (it's got a very sturdy case).

Should I check my roll-along luggage and carry it on (it would be gate-checked most likely) or is it safe to check it and have it marked "fragile?"

It's been literally decades since I have taken a guitar on an airplane. Any advice/help/anecdotal information is welcome.

What is a mint 1975 guild d40nt worth?

Rlocurto — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:56:14 -0800

What is a mint 1975 guild d40 NT worth?

Guitar ID?

fire&wings — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:35:54 -0800

Guitar identification... Photos here and here. What is that? Person playing it is Kazu Makino from Blonde Redhead if it helps..

I Wanna Rock

troywestfield — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:26:51 -0800

What guitar/gear should I buy? I'm a rhythm guitarist. Current setup is a Fender American Standard Strat through a Fender Deluxe amp. I like the versatility in sound, but wouldn't mind adding something beefier and chunkier on the power chords. I'm dreaming of something like Weezer got on My Name is Jonas, or like Sugar got on The Act We Act (achieved through a Mesa Boogie amp, I once read). I believe those sounds have something to do with tracking the part several times, and if all I need to do is record the part six times on six tracks, please let me know. But is there something else that would make me happier? Different guitar? Different amp? Different pickups? A certain pedal? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Is it possible to tune this toy guitar?

TheManChild2000 — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:05:04 -0800

Are Hearthsong's "Play & Learn" kids' guitars tunable? Wife bought Kid3 a junior sized classical acoustic guitar from Hearthsong. The sticker inside says "Play & Learn" and nothing else. The website says they sell Hoehner guitars but this guitar doesn't say Hoehner anywhere.

The fret buzz and etc is insane on this thing, and I've never seemed to have been able to tune it. Are these even expected to be tunable?

What's This Guitar-Filter?

provocateur — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:21:41 -0800

Can anyone identify this guitar? It's a Gretsch, obvs, but which one? It was spotted on "Important Things with Demetri Martin" on Comedy Central. That is all.

Guitar-Album-Intro me !

querty — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:44:01 -0800

Guitar-Album-Intro me ! Looking for guitar intros/solos that starts off an album, stuff like:

Anberlin - (Debut) | off the album "Cities"

Converge - First Light | off the album "You Fail Me"

Requirements : Must be Track #1. No Vocals. Rock / Metal / Prog / Punk preferred... GO!

Tremolo arm for my seven string?

pocketfluff — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:09:42 -0800

Help me find a tremolo arm for an Ibanez 7 string guitar! I recently bought an Ibanez Gio GRX720 seven string guitar from ebay, but annoyingly it didn't come with a tremolo arm. As it was made in 2002, and as I'm a complete newbie to tremolos, I have no idea what I should buy or where to find it. I've done some searching on google, but my skills are obviously not up to it... The bridge is a Standard 7, if that helps. Does anyone have any advice? Ta!

Looking for a Hagstrom Super Swede

bigspoon — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:19:58 -0800

Where can I get a hagstrom super swede electric guitar in vintage sunburst? I've checked all the local/online vendors and no one seems to have this in stock. Musician's Friend has it backordered until july, but does anyone know an online distributor or somewhere on the east coast from northern virginia to new jersey that has it now?

Can I or someone else repair my Godin Multiac?

Grangousier — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:33:21 -0800

Problem with Godin Multiac Nylon String Synth-access guitar - specifically the RMC pickup. A mishap (falling off a guitar stand) resulted in the bottom two strings on my Godin Multiac (this guitar) giving severely attenuated signals. I'd like to be able to check whether it's a loose wire or something I can remedy myself, but the access plates on the back don't let me get to the pickup wiring and I can't work out how I might check it. Is there a trick to getting at the pickup electronics on this guitar? Does the bridge come off in a replaceable way at all?

If even that much is beyond me (which is probably the case) does anyone know of someone in the London UK area who has experience with and can repair these guitars? (I got in contact with someone in Manchester a while ago, but nothing came of it. I'd rather it was someone local).

An email to Godin didn't garner a reply, but I didn't think it would.

Kid rock!

cedar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:31:10 -0800

My teenage son (fifteen) has decided he wants to play the guitar. What guitar? He is a smart and determined kid and I want to give him a decent start, but I'm not about to run out and buy a Strat.

It is my understanding that he is better off learning the fundamentals on an acoustic, so I need a lead on a sub-1k guitar -- one rugged enough to survive the idiocy it will undoubtedly be subjected to and one that is easy to make loud.