George's Guitar Emporium

[George]

Very cool, shakes! That thing looks nice enough to put in the living room with the good furniture.

And it looks like it could also be a home stereo to stream tunes via bluetooth when you're not playing guitar through it.

I need to learn more, as something like this could be a problem-solver for me in a couple of ways. Thanks for posting about this.

[shakes]

A number of the reviews I read were by people who were buying it to use as a bluetooth speaker first and an amp second. I don't know if its good enough to replace a stereo, but its definitely going to sound way nicer and way louder than any of the other portable bluetooth speakers I've seen.

[Random]

A friend of mine tests out a $299 "Sterling by Music Man SUB Ray4" 4-string bass:

[George]

Hey, how'd I miss this thread getting bumped up top?

^^ He's made an appearance here before, right? He's quite the player.

"Cheap" guitars (and basses, of course) just seem to be getting better and better.

I should probably post an update or two about my guitar-related foolishness since I last posted in here, but I think I stopped when it seemed like all I was doing was bragging about my many cheap-ass guitars, and nobody wants to read that...not even me.

Bicycles and Grand Theft Auto V have taken a toll on the time I spend playing and messing with guitars, but they haven't entirely eliminated the enjoyment I get from making music - at least not yet.

[Random]

Yeah, I think I bragged on his "homebuilt" (from parts) bass previously.

He's one of those people that just gets​ music.

[George]

Is anyone here using GarageBand for home recording?

I know there's a ton of info on the web about it, but just wondering if any of you guys whom I know and whose opinions I trust and enjoy had any comments, pro or con.

I have GB on iPad, but it seems like more like a little entertainment toy sort of thing than an actual way to record multi-track songs, as compared to an iMac with a big screen and lots of USB ports to plug stuff into. My bank account is wincing at the thought of it, but from watching a bunch of GB videos on YT today, I'm starting to think an iMac might be a great, if shockingly expensive, purchase for me (and our kids with regard to their musical development...but mostly me, to be honest).

[George]

Another quick point: those who care know that there's a "Fender sound" and a "Gibson sound" with regard to electric guitars. Sure, there's a lot of overlap between the two, but as a generality, that's a true statement. I, obviously to anyone who has read this thread, love Fender-style guitars and enjoy humorously poking fun at crappy old Gibsons in a friendly Ford vs. Chevy kind of way.

Fans of that Fender sound, step this way please, for all your music streaming needs: www.surfrockradio.com I've been playing that a lot in my office at work lately and has me reaching for a guitar when I get home from work more than I used to, when time allows.

If you don't immediately hear what I mean when you first tune in, give it some time. Right now (Saturday afternoon/evening), for example, they seem to be playing a bunch of '50s doo-wop that isn't representative of the surf/spy/space instrumentals they usually play.

[George]

Guitarist roll call! Who is still pickin' & grinnin'?

I've been drawn back to music by our kids. One is taking drum lessons and loves AC/DC (Marvel movies had a lot to do with that, I think). The other plays clarinet in the school band and is very interested in guitar. So far she knows the names of all the strings and a handful of chords. The last time we sat down to play we worked on movable E and A-shaped barre chords. From clarinet, she knows some theory, such as how there are no half-steps between B & C and E & F. Stuff like that helps.

I've been going through and cleaning out a bunch of stuff I've had stored away for years in the basement. Found some cool stuff I haven't seen in a long time and and have gotten rid of some other stuff, including giving a Strat-style body and a Telecaster-type body to my local thrift/charity store mixed in with some other household stuff. Seems weird but it was easier than trying to sell used, off-brand, oddball parts that friends gave me because things didn't quite line up right with Fender-spec parts. It was better than throwing them away, I figure. I still have the unknown-brand (but not Fender) white Strat body I mentioned above, back in 2014, and I hope to get it put together one of these days.

Here's a guy I like to watch on YouTube. His videos are lessons for people who can already play and can recognize what chords and notes are being played without him stopping to explain "This is a D minor chord. Put your fingers here, here, and here" and so forth.

Old channel, now dormant but tons of great classic rock content:

https://www.youtube.com/user/privettricker

Current channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA6...v6kC5J6vpGBdDQ

And, just for grins, here's the ever-cheesy Johnny Falstaff demoing my favorite guitar accessory - the Hipshot B-Bender. Skip to about 1:38 for the music.

[Tom Servo]

Still playing, still not anywhere near as good as I'd like to be, but that's mostly because I'm not disciplined about my practicing. Slowly getting better with each passing day though, and most of the time the wife can tell what song I'm trying to play when she hears it.

[George]

Ah, I bet you're better than that as long as you've been at it.

Surprise her with this song!

Spoiler: