fumblefingers
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Posts posted by fumblefingers
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I own a 2014 Gibson J-45 Custom that I purchased new and love, and have always wanted a Les Paul. I am looking at used guitars. I am hoping people here can perhaps offer some suggestions on what to look for, and the subtle differences I may not immediately notice. I'd like to buy something fairly new, say from 2016-2021. First off, are there any glaring problems with any of these years? Further, a lot of the guitars say "make offer," and I'm not sure what a reasonable offer would be. I don't want to insult somebody, even if it is a business.
For instance, there's a 2016 Limited Edition Les Paul Standard which had been for sale a while and it is asking $2,195 or make an offer. It's got some cosmetic blemishes like minor nicks and scratches. This is for sale locally. I prefer something I can buy in person and pay cash after inspecting it, rather than go through Reverb and shipping it without ever laying eyes upon it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: To give you an idea of how I'm not really good at noticing details initially - when I purchased my J-45, I didn't even see that there were lacquer runs on the back, which should have been repaired before it left the factory. I've just accepted it now, but I would have sent it back initially. This may affect the value of it should I ever want to sell it.
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On 12/10/2021 at 12:15 PM, jdgm said:
One very simple exercise could be as follows.....
Curl fretting hand round neck, thumb behind, and put all 4 fingers on 1st 4 frets of thickest string. The idea is now to take them off one at a time (4-3-2-1), leaving the others on, and pick each note cleanly with a downstroke. Do it slowly, trying not to ground your hand at the base of the fingers on the other side of the fretboard, and keep your hand parallel to the neck so the fingertips press down from directly above the string while your thumb behind the neck keeps the hand steady. It's not music but it is a good exercise for hand position, strength and picking co-ordination.
There are plenty of ways to vary it. Do it ascending and descending so you begin to gain some finer control over those fingers, do it on different strings, do it with upstrokes and downstrokes alternately. If you start on the thinnest string with your 4th finger on the 4th fret and include every open string, you can play every note down to the low E on the thickest string.
And you can't beat practicing chord changes; things like all the open chord combinations. 3 chords in different keys for instance - E A B7...A D E7...G C D7...C F G7 etc, slow and make it sound clear as you can every time. Also when I started, I practised changing to/from the E and A barre chord shapes but up at the 5th fret, and gradually came back down the neck as I got better at it.
Good luck!
🎸
Thank you so much. THESE are the kinds of exercises and things I need to start doing.
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On 12/10/2021 at 10:29 AM, Larsongs said:
Many Acoustic Guitars come with built in Tuners.. Why don’t Electric Guitars too?
I use a Snark but hate the way they look! Fugly! I take it off after tuning if I’m on Stage.. They’re not a great look..
Manufacturers have recommended Specs for Set ups.. The OP may be better off having a Guitar Tech do the Set up…
I would like to take this guitar to somebody, but the problem is I'm not a very trusting person and nobody has touched it since it was factory new. I'm afraid somebody might mess it up.
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On 12/10/2021 at 7:08 AM, Larsongs said:
Did you ever tell us what kind of Guitar you have? We might be able to advise what the Manufacturer recommends… Or you could check the Manyfacturers website.. Or call them & ask…
Sorry. Gibson J45 Custom. 2014 vintage.
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On 12/10/2021 at 5:39 AM, Karloff said:
well you can take it however you like and obviously you did. I prefaced it as I did because of the subject of your post then your comment of tuning it "the best I can" made it sound like you are just starting out. sure everyone these days uses tuners, they are quick & easy. convenient. didn't mean to insult you.
It's ok, I am at peace with my suckage. I have no aspirations of anything other than playing sounds which please my own ears. I went ahead and downloaded a tuner to my smart phone, and I was actually pretty surprised by how close I got it. My ear is not the greatest.
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When I first bought my guitar, the action seemed so good compared to the old piece of junk Matao I had first started playing on. But it still seems high and difficult compared to other guitars. Also had a guitarist play it a little bit and he said the action seemed really high and difficult. The original inspection checklist says:
Action 12th L 6 H 4
Action 1st L .22 H .11
Does the action seem acceptable?
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Appreciate all the comments. I am looking to do things a bit differently than last time, just mix it up a little and challenge myself more.
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11 hours ago, Karloff said:
I really don't mean for this to come across like it's going to but if you can only tune up "the best you can" without a tuner, then there are issues greater than finger strength & dexterity .
Sure you did, that's why you said it, and even prefaced it like you did. But there's a reason Rick Beato and everybody else who can play the **** out of a guitar has a Snark on the end and are tuning it to that. I can tune mine pretty close by ear, but using a tuner helps me get it closer. I'm just not as good as you, man.
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I just played around on the guitar for almost an hour. It is out of tune and my tuner's battery is dead. I tuned it by ear as best I can and will get a battery tomorrow. My fingers are a little sore, but I'm going to build my callouses up and play this winter. I have some time as it's my off-season.
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14 hours ago, merciful-evans said:
What music do you enjoy FF? What is it you want to play?
I like most music from the 60s to the early 2000s. I grew up listening to classic rock and pop. I guess I just want to be able to play most chords and not struggle moving around the fretboard for starters. I've never cared about shredding at all, but would like to move into some tasteful guitar solo covers. But again, just improving on the fretboard is my goal.
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14 hours ago, badbluesplayer said:
My son got a $300,000 PPP loan for one of his restaurants. Played his cards right and now he'll send me a $20.00 gift for Christmas. You should have your own business. But then you won't get to complain about anything. Like my son - never complains about anything. Never did.
Funny, I DO own my own business. But I don't have employees so I wasn't a recipient of the free sh!t. Since your son got a bunch of free sh!t, it seems you're a bit touchy about it. Are you a free sh!t kinda guy?
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I don't think a membership is required. It's a cover of Hank Williams' Jambalaya by Reina del Cid and her sidekick and lead guitarist Toni Lindgren.
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I apologize for the Asperger's reference. I had read one time that clumsiness was a feature, and I am really disappointed in my fingers. In fact, my "fumblefingers" screen name says it all. I don't understand how people have total control of their fingers and land on the strings perfectly. I struggle so badly with it that I want to scream in frustration. They have to be so precise that I feel I'll never get there. I have been practicing on and off for 14 years. I have not played in over a year. No callouses anymore, nada. I figure I need a new routine.
The way I practiced before was teaching myself songs - the easier ones with the traditional "cowboy chords" - and then feeling the satisfaction of playing them to where they sounded legit - easy songs like "Pigs On The Wing" by Pink Floyd, "The Needle and The Damage Done" by Neil Young, etc. But I am so tired of playing those types of songs and learning that way that I want a whole new routine.
I started watching videos on music theory with Rick Beato and wonder if I should learn how to read music in order to understand things better. I don't even understand the fretboard, meaning if I'm not playing a chord I have no idea where to even be. I don't "solo" at all, which makes me think that scales are something I need to learn. There is so much to know. The best I can do is sometimes recognize chords I play in different songs and go, oh, that's the same chord as another song, etc. But my ear needs improvement, too. I absolutely love the sound of the guitar, but feel I'll never be able to play it like I want. When I watch other people play, it's almost like they are typing - they don't have to look at their hands and their mind is just controlling everything.
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I have taken a hiatus from my guitar out of frustration and boredom. I feel like I never improve. I read that you can play for as little as 30 minutes a day and get better. Not me. I seem to be stuck in suckville. My fingers are slow and weak, and I have horrible dexterity. I'm starting to suspect undiagnosed Asperger's or something. My fingers are just plain clumsy. What's weird is that I was an athlete growing up with some of the best hand-eye coordination of anyone. I could square up a baseball and a golf ball with the best of them. This has not translated into anything good on the guitar. Suggestions appreciated.
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You can say "supply and demand," but the demand was driven by the most reckless, irresponsible money-printing that the world has ever seen. On top of all the UE benefits and stimulus checks to everyday Joe and Jane Sixpack, you had almost 3/4 of a TRILLION dollars in what were called "PPP loans," which are not loans at all, but forgivable gifts to people who don't even need the money.
I recently heard from a guy who bought 5 brand new trucks for his business, a 2nd home, and all sorts of other toys and stuff with the money, all legal. You see, all he had to do was take the millions of dollars they deposited in his business account, then use it for payroll while he took the normal payroll proceeds and pocketed them, and continues to this very day. This program alone - almost a TRILLION dollars - is single-handedly responsible for destroying the quality of living for many people while raising the standard for those who never needed it in the first place.
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The video says "age restricted" because they filmed it on the train tracks which is dangerous.
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Suggestions on Les Paul purchase
in Gibson USA
Posted
Appreciate the replies. I am always nervous about these sorts of purchases. I'm just a guitar lover, not an expert by any means. As it is, when I purchased my J-45 I couldn't decide what to buy. I just "ended up with that one" sort of thing. It becomes a "paralysis by analysis" situation since there are so many guitars for sale out there. It's hard enough to decide upon a color and finish, let alone all of the different years, components and such.
Kind of related is the fact that I have a motorcycle collection I am going to be getting rid of. I am getting older and don't ride as much anymore. I kind of want to just buy some guitars with the money I get from them all. I am not a very good player, but I have noticed that I enjoy practicing more when I really like the guitar. After the Les Paul, I kind of want either a Hummingbird or an SJ to go with my J-45. I play the acoustic a lot more than the electric.