Gear talk III - Beginner/Intermediate Amps (India)

Getting an electric guitar obviously means you gotta run it through something that amplifies the sound.

If you're a newbie you might be expecting the imagery of the wailing distorted sound as the example of the electric guitar sound but when you do plug it in you get to hear something like... well a plugged in acoustic (crudely put)

While most people get into guitar and spend quite a bit of money and attention on getting their fav axe but then the amp is actually sidelined. The amp has as much a role to play as your guitar in getting out your "sound".

Good amps cost a fortune. There are tub amps and there are solid state ones and there are hybrid ones. There are branded ones, custom shopped ones and yada yada.

Cut to the chase. You are bound to be pushed a Marshall MG series by your vendor when you get to looking at amps. These are quite decent for the beginner guitarist. Most tone freaks would look down at you for even looking at them, but don't worry, these are hardy, light and compact and come with the elementary things needed to get you started on hearing at least the basic tone and some variations.

If you have set aside some budget check out the MG DFX versions and not the vanilla MG series which only come with two channels. Clean and overdrive. DFX comes reverb, delay, chorus and flange. (what are these? well check em out) Could set you back by about 7 - 9K depending on the wattage. Quite frankly? I like the tone. Not bad at all. Sure they don't have the swell or attacking tone like Tube Amps, neither do they have "the real" crunchy clean tone, but hey, for the price and access this will do great. You'll realise when you start gigging that Marshall MGs are kinda the default amps in the circuit in most of the gig pads. So much for the tone freaks. Bah!

But hey, in case you already have a basic amp and are looking for something more and also given that you have started using some effect pedals...(these days the digital muti-effects have kinda taken over by storm) If you are one of those with a Muti effect pedal and have managed to dial in some good tones. I would reckon its time for you to check out the world of monitor amps. Why? They bring out the tone of the effect pedals as you have programmed it instead of colouring it with their own tone.
For this end, I've found the "Stranger Cubes" quite amazing. Especially the Cube 40. While the older versions of this legendary monitor amp were quite amazing, the new ones are not bad either. Check it out after you've plugged in your effect loop into it. Let me warn you however, if you plug in your guitar straight, you'll end up with a jangling basic clean sound only. This amp the cub 40 would set you back by at best about 6K. Worth it.

Just one more tip, if you're the type who's a stomp box freak, then the stranger might not be the best bet for you. Go for a Marshall or a even a Laney cause the added colour is what makes the tone juicy and not the straight in from stomp boxes.

Hope this helped. Have fun!

Making music on the guitar is easy...

Its so darn easy. Once you learn the basic chords on your fret board and also get your right hand to play the rhythm and then you learn how scales work and modes function and then you are able to understand rhythmic structures of the tunes and intervals and also a you know the fretboard well enough and are able to freely use techniques to make the guitar sound good. You're ready to create rock and roll. And oh! you also have the inspiration to write poetic phrases about life...

Pretty much easy ain't it?

Alternatively, you are one of those who have it to do all that even without knowing what the hell it is and yet sound good.

Go ahead choose your pick.

Gear Talk part II - A little ahead of beginner

Well this is the time when you've gone beyond the first three frets and a few of majors and minors also probably playing some bar chords and some riffs on the acoustic.

There's a huge choice out there. Many kinds of axes, by now you've probably looked at all your fav axemen and the brands of guitars they wield. Come to think of it your fav guitar whatever it is that you've seen, will cost a bomb. So where do you start?

Here's the trick. Depends on the kind of music you love to listen to and play actually.

If you're stuck in the 60s and 70s and trip on classic rock, blues or funk and you have a bit of shortage on budget, then your entry level choice of electric should be the Fender Squire. Its economical, its got the tone for the entry, its got the looks as well. It'll only set you back by Rs 8,000 or 9,000. And the more important aspect, you can use this same guitar later to do some basic mods on pick ups and get a hotter and closer tone. And not to beat it, it looks pretty much like the Fenders you've seen.

The choice in this is between a maple finger board or a rose wood. Ask yourself who is your fav artist? what does his axe look like? Its got a light colored finger board(maple) or dark coloured (rose wood) take you shot and go buy. Make sure you check out the guitar well, play on the higher frets to check for unnecesary buzz or noise which means that needs a fix. Or more important check the action. Action means the distance between the strings and finger board. This should not be high should be easily played with a deft touch.

If your budget is not so short and you can take it higher (say in the range 15 - 18 K) then I recommend you go for the Greg Bennett AV series. These are serious Gibson Les Paul copies. If you get and AV 6 this one axe will take you through your first dash of stage performances and even maybe your first recording. This is one hell raising classic rock axe. Comes with Duncan designed pick ups. If you are shorter than 19 then an AV 3 would be just the pick. These are extremely playable guitars, check em play em, buy em. Oh these guitars and very good looking and extremely good sounding for the price. What's more, they score on playability as well.

Now if your axe man is a shredder or heavy metal or modern jazz ... (except malmsteen who also plays strats) you are looking for a modern tone. This you'll get in an Ibanez. These are a bit more expensive than the Squires, but will last longer and are also good quality entry level axes. Budget? Around Rs 15K. Here which ever model you go for, just zoom into an axe with two pick ups and both humbuckers. Ensure you do the playability check and have fun.

Well this reads quite good. Thanks a lot Lalitha. This article came out in Mid Day yesterday. To read it just click on the picture.

Gear Talk - Part one for the newbies

Starting a series on gear. Each post which will have gear related thoughts will precede with "gear talk" Hope this helps.

Okay so where do we start? If you're a beginner or just about starting to think that you might want to play the guitar. Well the starting point is obviously this:
You need to get yourself a guitar.

Now that by itself is a pandora's box. Choices in the market, kind of hands you have, budget, kind of guitar ...

First and foremost. Take advice from your teacher and get him or her to make a selection. Now that's an assumption that you've got a teacher already. If not, no worries. Here's the long and short of it.

First of all, walk into a guitar shop. Ideally if you had friends who play even a bit check the credentials of shops they've been to. They'll tell you, oh that @#@ is a swindler, the other fellow has no choice etc etc.

Once you got a reasonable shop. Go there. Before that, two things you need to fix for yourself:

1/ How serious are you about this. I mean really. Every newbie wants to play like a god sure. That's air guitaring and its great no expense. This you're gonna pay. So you want to just strum around or you think you're a little bit more serious than that? If its the former, just get a plain acoustic, if its the latter, go for an acoustic with pick ups.

2/ What's your budget? Around 3 K will get you a decent acoustic, around 6K will get you one with pick ups and a tuner.

Once you're through the above and you walk in. Ask for either, ask the chap to TUNE THE GUITAR to standard tuning. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Once its in tune hold it. Hold fret 12 with your left hand and strike with a pick on your right hand. Does it ring out out clear or is there some buzzing noise? Play from fret 12 - 18. If its okay then I guess it passed that test.

Next just play with the strings with just your pick. Leave the left hand aside. Are you okay with the sound? Try and few guitars with the same thing which guitar seems to have more resonance? pick up the one that rings out the clear plus of course your own choice.

Brands? Givson, Pluto, G&B, Granada are kinda ruling the roost.

Make sure you inspect the guitar physically for any damage on the body or frets.

Bingo. Another thing you could get done once you've decided on your guitar, change the strings. Get a set of 12's (string gauge 12 - 52) these are thick strings and give you a clear ringing sound. to start with you will be learning open chords and nothing better than make them sound nice and warm as well.

Have fun.

Eureka followed by a dark storm

For someone who gets into music and starts doing things with it. Life becomes a humongous complexity. I infact, it goes into a brooding complex cycle. There are sudden spurts of enthusiasm, followed by passage of complete chaos.

Why should this happen? One of the reasons I feel this happens (at least to me) is because of the obsessive quality of music. It gets to you before you get to it. So you feel high when you suddenly get an insight into some nuances that you've been studying and practicing for a long long time... its great when it comes together. But then, that lasts a short while. That's cause it is followed by the next level of learning and slogging and frustration that you have to go through.

And to make life harder, there are many elements which one needs to learn in the path of learning music. Its not just about your chosen instrument. Its also about how sound comes together to form music.

By sound, I mean, the oversimplified things like melody, rhythm, percussions, grooves, percussive elements... and more importantly, the "tonal variations" something that you'll always be grappling with till you find your tone.

So in my case, if I had to learn how to play the guitar, I also have to parallely learn how rhythms and counts work, how bassline work, how harmonies work on one hand and on the other, what kind of tones, amps, pedals, mixes ...

I am sure anyone reading this post will realise that I am going through that phase of emotional frustration! You bet. But then, the motivation to get to that next eureka is what's getting me on.

How is it to be creating and playing all by myself?

Recently, especially after the soaring rankings on reverbnation and suddenly gathered fan following out of the blue, some pipples asked how easy it must be to not deal with egos and opinions since I was the sole creator cum decision maker of my music.

Well yea. Sure. There are no diverse opinions. I don't have to worry about contradictions and rejections. But, come to think of it, this is actually tougher than working with a band. In my case, I have to think it all out, it really gets to you when you don't come out with parts which don't fall in place, I have to PLAY it all out accurately, and I have to mix it to.

In my case, I try to finish entire tracks at one go. And I like emphasising on all parts of the music rather than just the soloing. Come to think of it I love the bass as much as I love to solo as I believe the rhythm section holds the key to making music. So switching between guitars and different frets and strings and also adding keyboard backings actually is a real pain. And one falters often before getting each part right. Imagine the fingers and eyes getting used to doing one thing and then switching to something else and pushing yourself to do that as well.

And add to that you gotta change your mindset which is the real ball buster.

Its really really difficult. This becomes a whole lot easier with many ideas coming in and making it.

The real trip is in making music together. Its not about isolation, its about energy coming in from various sources and adding to the initial spark.

I guess like everything else in life this is about give and take. You give some, you get some.