Guitar Nerds Anonymous

Love the Bo Engagedidley lederhosen.

Aopne, Gypsy Jazz....Django? Do you know them or where you reading chord charts?

I was reading charts and failing to figure out Bm6 on a banjo. Got a vid on my home i'll try and post (although I look like a buffoon, failing to keep up on banjo in it...)

Bm13 fine, I'd struggle to sight read that on a guitar, wouldn't know where to start on banjo.

Guitar based goodness for sale here…

http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/256084/

Guitarholics, which multi guitar rack/stand? Always found wall hangers and a bit poseurish and figured this was the way to store out of the way but within reaching distance without having to dig through stacks of cases.

Needs to fit three acoustics, one electric, a bass and a banjo if poss. Ta.

Right, bought a bog-standard 7 guitar rack off gear4music. Sure it'll work fine.

Been busy writing and recording of late and not played out much. First gig in a while next Tuesady in Peckham. Rhsl tonight, really looking forward to it.

Recording acoustic is a funny one. I keep finding "good" guitar sounds then realising that compared to a suitable reference recording they're way too beefy. It's amazing how thin most acoustic guitar recordings are in a band context. The issue I often have is songs that start out with just acoustic and then bring in a full band. The acoustic needs to carry the song under just the vocal them get out of the way when the bass and drums kick in. I guess putting it on two tracks is the way isn't it? I'll try that this week. *talking to myself

can anyone recomend a wall hanger for an acoustic?
I was considering just nailing a hook and hanging from the neck with a bit of rope....

You can get them for like £3 from most anywhere. I used to use tool hangers from B&Q.

cheers!

From music production thread: "Right, fuck this. I need some new musicians to play with. Can't wait any longer. Anyne know an upright bass, guitar or banjo player who might want to get involved with this kind of shiz: Mainly recording and the occasional gig. elvers.bandcamp.com/ contact me on here facebook.com/elversong or elversong@gmail.com cheers. A" hit me up if you are, or know anyone who might fancy getting involved.

I wonder if someone can help - my 12 year old wants to upgrade his entry level acoustic guitar which we bought for about £70. Not being a guitar player, I have no idea what we should consider.

What's your budget? Do you want nylon (classical/spanish) or steel string? what kind of music does he like/play?

He likes things like Snow Patrol... Budget probably up to £250 or so; i'm very happy to encourage him.

Sounds like it's a steel strung you want. Even the cheapest Guild acoustics sound lovely. Not sure how cheap they get these days, mind.

Oh, forget that, they've become bloody expensive.
Fenders are very cheap, and Squiers even cheaper. Can't imagine that £75 buys you a decent guitar, but £125 for a Fender looks like a bargain. My dad bought this when he decided to learn the guitar, and by all accounts it's supposed to be a very good instrument for the money.
http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/acoustic_guitars_detail.asp?stock=10082316325858

Or look for a secondhand Yamaha, pretty consistent quality over the years and usually good value.

Thanks chaps. Any point in going with an electro-accoustic?

I would say no, spend all the money on something with as much solid wood on it as you can afford...

@rickster will be along shortly to tell you what to buy...

with as much solid wood on it as you can afford

I thought a small Martin "HPL" laminate guitar sounded quite nice when I was looking for a travel / couch guitar. Might also be slightly more resistant to humidity and temperature changes compared to a solid wood guitar? Not sure if they can be considered affordable, though.

An (upper) mid-range Yamaha is one of the nicest sounding affordable acoustics I've tried. The few I've tried from different Godin brands (Seagull, Art & Lutherie, ...) also left a good impression. My impression is that generally the lower priced steel strung guitars tend to be heavily built and don't have a very rich tone.

If possible, I think it would be helpful to have a more experienced player with you when you go guitar shopping. Playability and sound differences might not be obvious when you're just starting out.

Solid (not laminate) top shouldn't be an issue for £250. Agree with TS, get the nicest pure acoustic you can then fit a pickup later if he sticks with and wants/needs to play in pubic. Yamaha make some really nice budget acoustics that sound good and will last a lifetime. Fender acoustics are mostly gash. This looks like the sort of thing I'd go for: http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Yamaha-FG700MS-Acoustic-Guitar-Matt-Gloss/774?origin=product-ads&campaign=PLA+Shop+-+Yamaha+-+Brand&medium=vertical_search&network=google&adgroup=Yamaha.+Acoustic+Guitars&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=9328d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=75837674185&gclid=CjwKEAiA7ZajBRCpur2xi47n1zkSJADqV2WluR3IEJoejITr_C-_YGUOJIiQ-9IlCgaiyLZ9u_jofhoCSpXw_wcB#full-des

And get him a parlour/folk guitar, he'll be the coolest kid on the block... ;)

This looks interesting: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Seagull-s6-original-acoustic-guitar-/111515720201?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item19f6dada09

The listing says it is not a standard width neck - what is the significance of this and is this a big issue?

Depends on the size of your hands really, if its got a chunky neck and your son has small hands he might struggle to play it and despite being a "better" guitar than what he has now he won't enjoy playing it.

The best thing to do, unless it's meant to be a surprise, is to head down to a guitar shop with your son a play a few until he finds the one he likes. Shops like Wunjo on Denmark Street will match internet prices and also offer after sales setups etc if needs be.

Went down to guitar guitar in Epsom with the young lad - eyes on stalks.... Useful to see different sizes etc. The Yamahas got a big thumbs up... FG720 is probably the one.

Have spent the afternoon watching Kaki King on youtube... Speechless!

Hey great stuff. Hope he sticks with it.

I've been in the man-cave all weekend mixing. Not much actual playing bar the obligatory sofa noodlings.