New Guitar - Holy Shit.

[Dog--]

I've been playing for about 4 years and I've always had this one black guitar (no-name), my parents bought it for me for $100. It's a generic regular looking guitar (like a strat), and it's flat black. Pretty shitty.

So then for last Christmas my parents bought me this Jay Turser (another kind-of-no-name, but I've seen them around), it's a green metal flaked colour with a red pickguard (green and red and I got it for Xmas, lol).

I recently got a job (about 4 weeks ago), and in all that time I earned $420. I went to buy this headphone guitar amp (you put batteries in this thing and plug it into your guitar then headphones into it, and it's pretty sweet. Better then both of my amps, actually. But my amps suck ass).

I bought it, and while I was there I was looking at the guitars, and I've been looking for a cheap Les Paul for a little while now, and I seen this sweet ass Epiphone Les Paul Studio (limited edition). It was only $409. Brand new, too.

Happiest day of my life. New amp (may just use headphone, but it's better then both of my amps), new guitar. And I also tried this new pick. I usually use .71mm or 1mm picks, and I bought this 3mm tiny little thing, which kicks ass. So good. I'm using my indestructible 3mm pick from now on.

Enough talk, behold my amazing axe.

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/3954/crim0011dx6.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2713/crim0012yz8.jpg

Sorry for shitty pic, my camera blows.

My first actual good guitar. I've honestly never played a good guitar (guitar shop too far away to go to regularly, and none of my close friends play guitar, except one, but it's a Fender Squier (read: shit).

 

[Shamrock]

My friend has a white Les Paul. It is rather awesome.

 

[Slug Advisor]

My next major purchase shalt be a guitar, unless I can be convinced that a Wii is worth buying.

 

[Hazar]

don't like the less paul shape tbh

thinking of getting a new guitar myself though

 

[99.vikram]

I've never touched a guitar so bear with me - how does an electric guitar sound if you unplug it? Does it play like an acoustic guitar?

 

[Slug Advisor]

I've never touched a guitar so bear with me - how does an electric guitar sound if you unplug it? Does it play like an acoustic guitar?

Barely sounds like anything, but you're basically just tugging strings.

 

[theotherguy]

That's too bad. You could have gotten a much better Agile for the same price.

 

[theotherguy]

As far as I know the Studio versions are the same as the more-expensive Classic ones, but they lack the nice finish. Good choice, there.

No, they aren't. Classics and standards have pearl trapezodial inlays and have bindings along the sides. They have better finishes and are generally better constructed.

 

[Dog--]

My next major purchase shalt be a guitar, unless I can be convinced that a Wii is worth buying.

I have both, and let me tell you - Buy a guitar. Wii's suck right now tbh. No good games yet.

don't like the less paul shape tbh

thinking of getting a new guitar myself though

Go die! Les Pauls are the shit! Buy one! My only regret is that I couldn't get a sunburst colour for it, since this is a special edition they only had one - this blue one. Still sweet, but sunburst would've kicked ass.

I've never touched a guitar so bear with me - how does an electric guitar sound if you unplug it? Does it play like an acoustic guitar?

It sounds like if you just got someone to hold a guitar string tight and plucked it. When it's quiet you can get sound from them (sometimes I used practice without any amps to get me plucking skills better - it makes me pluck harder, it worked well)

That's too bad. You could have gotten a much better Agile for the same price.

Bah. Les Pauls always have been my favorite guitar (look - wise), plus all my favorite musicians play them. Then I finally get a chance to play one, the second I played it, I bought it. It KICKS ASS. With the tone jacked it kind of gives a slight wah-tone, which I like. I'm thinking of saving up for a decent multi-pedal multi-effect board. They had one there that was $200 used, and it was pretty nice. It didn't even look used.
http://www.musik-service.de/Korg-AX-1500-G-multi-effects-prx395498674en.aspx - That one..

 

[NeptuneUK]

Les paul ftw

 

[MrBobbert]

have a friend with a really nice les paul, I haven't bought a new guitar in a while, though i guess 4 is enough for now lol. My first one was kinda like the fender squire, its a jaguar.

 

[Slug Advisor]

I have both, and let me tell you - Buy a guitar.

Right, and for my first ever guitar would you recommend acoustic or electrical?

 

[Dog--]

I like Rock and Prog Rock and some Metal, and I play electric (obviously)

But I also play electrical classical, electrical techno (I like playing synth on a guitar), and I think it's awesome to play things like Beethoven's Fifth or Fur Elise with some electric guitar tone and maybe a bit of wah or something.

Although, playing an acoustic will make fretting on a electric ridiculously easy if you make the switch, I have a giant mexican acoustic (one of the ones you need to tilt up just to see the front) and I played that for a while and after playing it and switching back to electric, an electric seems very easy in comparison to fret. Acoustic's also make you callus harder and faster, but the speed you get your calluses will also make it hurt more. So as far as callus and transitions go, I'd say play an acoustic until you get a feel for a guitar, then make the switch.

In the end it's what you like to play, maybe you like the clean sound of an acoustic, maybe you like the rocking tone of an electric. I'm an electric player, although my acoustic doesn't gather much dust either.

 

[Markdude]

They're discontinued now, but I got lucky a few years back and grabbed a Gibson Les Paul Special when they were on sale for $500 new. I'm not talking about one of the classic models with P-90s, but a modern issue that's basically a stripped down Standard without as nice a finish. A great workhorse guitar. Not quite full-blown Gibby quality, but definitely a few steps ahead of Epiphone.

http://www.musicwarehousetownsville.com/shop/images/P/glpss.jpg

But my favorite axe is my PRS SE Singlecut. Extremely great value for the money. Obviously not quite as good as the American made counterparts, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better value for the money. I bought mine for $600 new, and also recently installed a DiMarzio Air Norton neck pickup. Great action and feel, great electronics, and the finish is surprisingly nice too.

http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/admin/pages/upload/Solids/PRS/sesinglecuttobsb_m.jpg

 

[Shift]

Never tried a Less Paul, they look ok, hate the shape of the Epiphone though. I adopted to go for the less mainstream guitars, currently using a Parker Fly p38 with a modded dual volume control to act as a killswitch and a Peavey Raptor Series (dont make them anymore). I do have two strats but they're are just for pissing around on at home.

My co-guitarist is using a Manson custom-made with mirror finish, with inbuilt fuzz factory, and us other one I cant even remember the name, like only 5 left in the world or something lol.

 

[Fliko]

Never tried a Less Paul, they look ok, hate the shape of the Epiphone though. I adopted to go for the less mainstream guitars, currently using a Parker Fly p38 with a modded dual volume control to act as a killswitch and a Peavey Raptor Series (dont make them anymore). I do have two strats but they're are just for pissing around on at home.

Les Pauls are pretty different to play from Strats; they're necks are usually really fat, and a different scale length.

Personally, I've always liked my shit guitars, they play just aswell as my non-shit guitars, just a little muddy on the pickups but they feedback like a dream.

 

[Shift]

Well my peavey was only like 100 quid, was like the first guitar I got, ive modded it a lot since then but I still use the same single coil pickups and switches, because it gives such a killer tone, especially on clean. So not all cheap pickups etc are bad.

 

[theotherguy]

Bah. Les Pauls always have been my favorite guitar (look - wise), plus all my favorite musicians play them. Then I finally get a chance to play one, the second I played it, I bought it. It KICKS ASS. With the tone jacked it kind of gives a slight wah-tone, which I like. I'm thinking of saving up for a decent multi-pedal multi-effect board. They had one there that was $200 used, and it was pretty nice. It didn't even look used.
http://www.musik-service.de/Korg-AX-1500-G-multi-effects-prx395498674en.aspx - That one..

Agiles are basically off-brand les-pauls. I have played both an Agile 3000 and a Les Paul Studio and found the 3000 to be better. I played a 2000 and a Studio and couldn't tell the difference. I played the 3000 and a Les Paul Standard and couldn't tell the difference.

The real difference? List price.

Agile 2000 is $200, Agile 3000 rarely goes for above $500, plus you get better pickups, pots and finish.

Epiphone studio goes for $400-500, standard goes for about $1000

Hey, if you really want the brand that badly, go for the epiphone or gibson, but if you want a great guitar for very little cost, buy off-brand Agiles.

 

[Dalamari]

My Gretsch cost me about $500...almost got an Epiphone Les Paul, that is until I played one

Still, for a next step I'd recommend a proper Gibson Les Paul or a really nice amp, no point in getting a nice guitar if the amp can't back it up.

 

[theotherguy]

My Gretsch cost me about $500...almost got an Epiphone Les Paul, that is until I played one

Still, for a next step I'd recommend a proper Gibson Les Paul or a really nice amp, no point in getting a nice guitar if the amp can't back it up.

Agreed. I thought I was set on an epiphone les paul recently, until I played the studio and the LP100 and found them to be really cheap-feeling and playing. Especially the LP100. That guitar is a piece of garbage.

 

[Dog--]

Hey, if you really want the brand that badly, go for the epiphone or gibson, but if you want a great guitar for very little cost, buy off-brand Agiles.

Well, even so, it's a small shop and I'd probably have to have one ordered or something. I don't care, I love the sound the Les Paul dishes out anyways. To each his own.

 

[Dog--]

Looky here.

yai, yai, thread revival, but I got another.

12 strings of greatness. My cameras sucks balls, so I couldn't get a close up of the inlays (which are really cool looking), it's an electric acoustic, and it's rather bad-ass. My first (real) acoustic guitar. Fender.

That white duct tape looking shit on the right side of it is just flash/reflection, like I said, my cameras blows ass. It has white trim around the edges and is all black.

EDIT: The inlays look like this, except y'know, even.

 

[soulslicer]

12 String Guitar?? I thought only harp guitars had that kind of thing.

But how does one play 12 strings anyway?

 

[Dog--]

Well, for the high E and B strings, there is just 2 strings beside each other, so you get two strings that sound exactly the same for each. For the others they are normal strings in normal standard E tuning, except they have a smaller string beside them that is an octave higher.

So for E and B you get double the sound of one string (like fretting E on the B string and playing that E and E for a normal guitar), and for G D A and E you get the normal sound of each string plus is higher octave. VERY hard to tune. I broke two strings just for the G (the highest pitch of all strings) I actually had to wait for the string to stretch for 15-20 seconds in between turns of the tuner things..

Each string has a string right beside it (pretty close together so you can fret two string with one finger). It goes like (from high to low). E, E (same exact note), B, B (same exact note), G, G (first G string (furthest away from your face if you were playing) is normal, the next one is an octave higher G), same goes for D A and E.

As for fretting it, each string is actually 2 strings, so when you fret a note you have to make one finger go on two strings.

It takes alot of getting used to, VERY hard to play, I still 'mess' up alot, although it not because I don't know where the notes are or anything, its more like my fingers aren't strong enough to push down two strings at once to get both of them ringing at the same time. I'm slowly getting used to it. And one good thing is that the more I play the stronger my hands get and the easier electric will be. (as if it wasn't easy enough in comparison)

Takes forever to tune, I must say, but you get such a beautiful sound from the guitar (octave harmonies), it's an electric acoustic, so maybe tomorrow I'll hook it up and record some random crap so you can hear it.

EDIT: Here I suck ass at explaining things, just look at this picture if you don't understand. I actually ended up using an .011 gauge string for the high G.

 

[Shift]

12 String guitars are quite difficult to play properly but the sound is absolutely incredible, do intend to get one eventually, mainly for studio usage, and decided to get a new guitar, looking at the Danelectro's, tried one out and I dont think I have ever come across a tone and amazing as that, and only for 200 quid second hand.

 

[Dog--]

Here is a recording of me on the 12 string.

Sorry for the shitty quality, I still have to learn the program a bit more.

You'll notice alot of mistakes, I only got it yesterday so I'm still getting used to pushing down on two strings at once.

First I play the standard 6 guitar strings, low to high, then I play their octaves, then I play each string together with it's octave (notice E and B strings are the same, no octave just double string), then I play a bunch of random chords, then I do a little improv (made up on the spot), then I play Closer to the Heart. It's tough fretting two strings at once, especially when they have such high tension..

http://www.tempfiles.net/download/200810/18590/12stringdog--.html

 

[i am HOLLYWOOD]

I know alotta people arent fans but i really do enjoy my Epiphone Les Paul 100. They're very nice guitars.

Grats man, hope you enjoy the thing : )

 

[leib10]

Sorry. Not really a big fan of Gibsons or Epiphones. Highly overrated and often highly overpriced guitars.

 

[undertone]

Sorry. Not really a big fan of Gibsons or Epiphones. Highly overrated and often highly overpriced guitars.

It depends on the sound you're going for. Some people find the sound they want in overpriced guitars

 

[leib10]

For instance, I have a Schecter that can do anything my friend's Les Paul Studio can do and better. There are simply equally good or better guitars out there for a lot cheaper. I think a lot of people buy Gibsons for the brand name and the fact that they're classic guitars, not for practical reasons.

 

[Dog--]

Personally I bought it for it's sound, I like it, and I also like the body and headstock. I would've been perfectly content with LP Pickups and some knockoff guitar that looks like a LP.

But this thread is about my 12-string now, anyways.