Who plays an instrument and what are you learning/playing?

[Whispers]

Indeed! Now I just need heavy-assed strings so I can tune down two whole steps to C! xD

I had my guitar in C a little while ago, but I brought it back to Eb and finally settled on E due to the floating tremolo. Can't change tunings much past drop D with a floating tremolo without having to reset the bridge.

[Session]

Whispers Wrote:Indeed!??Now I just need heavy-assed strings so I can tune down two whole steps to C!??xD

I had my guitar in C a little while ago, but I brought it back to Eb and finally settled on E due to the floating tremolo.??Can't change tunings much past drop D with a floating tremolo without having to reset the bridge.??

I wish I knew exactly how to do all that- I play guitar also...but I'm not the best.

[Whispers]

Yeah, it's best to start with a fixed bridge.??Something like a Gibson - few Gibsons have tremolos on them.??Epiphone is the Gibson inexpensive brand, but not cheap like Fender Squiers.??Don't buy a Squier.??D:

The thing with tremolo bridges is that they need a counter balance.??Fixed bridges are attached to the body of the guitar so they can't move.??Tremolo bridges, however, are free to move so they have springs in the bottom of the guitar to bull the bridge in the opposite direction the strings are pulling it in.??With a basic tremolo like on a strat you can just make the springs extremely tight so the bridge rests flush with the body (although some guitarists like a bit of give so they can pull the bridge instead of being restricted to lowering it).

A floating tremolo, however, allows you to pull up on or lower the bridge to raise or lower the pitch at your whim and do cool things like Dimebombs and such.??For this you need to counter balance the springs to match the tension of the strings exactly.??Failing to do this causes the strings to not return to pitch when you release the whammy bar.??To make matters worse you want to have the bridge set at the perfect angle in the first place.??You can counter balance the springs easily enough, but if you have the bridge angled too far in one direction your action risks being too high or too low.

So, you have to tune your guitar one string at a time checking the other strings every time you bring one string to tune.??This takes forever.??Once you finally have all the strings in tune you check your bridge.??If it's angled too far forward you need to tighten the springs because the strings are currently creating more force.??If the bridge is angled back then the springs are overpowering the strings.??Once you turn your spring-tightening screws x amount of half turns (or quarter turns once you're really starting to dial it in) you do it aallll over again!??xD

Depending on your string gauge strings can exert 20 pounds of tension each creating 120 pounds of tension for a six-string guitar using a light gauge.??That's a lot of force to bring into balance an requires a fair amount of patience or an expendable amount of cash to spend at a music store to have some other guy do it for you.??=p

It's really easy to do it's just rather meticulous and time-consuming.??It's just as easy to grab your MP3 player or turn on the TV while you do it.??That's what I do: grab my MP3 player and listen to what I like learning/playing while re-intonating my guitar.??Get the juices flowing while I wait.??

[Killouz]

I play guitar that I broke last Hero Meeting :@ *wasnt too drunk*

[Chained Chaos]

Oh, I forgot to mention the sweet deal I got on my ESP. I had friends down at the local music store -- a fairly large, two-story building filled with all sorts of instruments, rooms in the back and upstairs for all sorts of lessons, practice rooms, amps setup everywhere, reasonably big sheet music section, etc. etc.

I'd head in there pretty often, so I knew a good number of the employees. One in particular, Jimmy, was a pretty awesome guy. He knew I was looking for an electric, something with a decent capacity for metal, so he called me over one day and clued me in to something he thought I might be interested in. He technically wasn't supposed to say anything about it, or put it out on the floor yet, for that matter. Basically, some guy came in and bought the guitar, and it went into his closet. Never even played it, or took it out of the plastic it came in. Few weeks later, it turns out he needs the money for something else, so he brings it back -- but with a tiny, infinitesimal nick in the finish. On the back of the neck. That you had to look at in just the right lighting to see.

So, by their standards, they technically had to resell the guitar as "used," which meant half price.

Mwuahaha. :3

[Whispers]

That's one thing I hate about giant music Wal-Marts like Guitar Center.??I love going there because of all the perks and decent prices, but so many idiots grab a guitar because it looks cool and they end up putting a ding or two in it.

My ML had a tiny little ding in it that I didn't even notice until I set it on its back on the counter and my brother saw it when the light hit it.??I didn't get half price for it or anything, but they did give me an awesome guitar hanger!??=D


That's a really cool-looking building, too, that Ted Brown's!??

[Chained Chaos]

Yeah, I've seen so many kids drop guitars due to carelessness, then sloppily put them away only to remove another one from the wall. It's a shame that manners aren't a given these days. =/

That's a sweet guitar hanger, though. I could use me some of those. My guitars usually end up propped in a corner somewhere. XD

Ahh, and yeah. Ted Brown's was a pretty cool store. Always thought it looked snazzy. ;P

[Whispers]

Yeah, it's nice that they put the more expensive guitars out of reach of the everyday crowd, but that just puts the things that everyone buys in the hands of careless people.??I was honored when dude at the guitar counter asked if I wanted to play the new Les Paul when they came out earlier in the year/late last year.??I loved it and instantly understood why they keep it out of reach.??That thing was godly.??

Guitar hangers are life-savers.??Cases are cumbersome when you're not transporting your guitar and stands fall over, trip you, and take up space.??Wall hangers remove all of that and turn your guitars into art!??Especially this one!
A display case is nice if you want to spend the extra amount of money as they offer a few extra levels of protection from damage, dust, and moisture.??I'd just build my own, though, for that kind of money.??

[Silk]

I play to play Bass Guitar as soon as I get off my ass and learn. <3 Might take a while. I do actually own a bass though.

[Whispers]

Silk Wrote:I play to play Bass Guitar as soon as I get off my ass and learn. <3 Might take a while. I do actually own a bass though.

You didn't answer the questions!!??What kind of bass is it???What do you know/play on it?!??So help me, Silk, you will answer my questions!??*grabs needle and thread*