Guitar Insight

Guitar-Insight - Guitar Lessons On line

2011-07-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

THIS SITE HAS MOVED TO GUITAR-INSIGHT.COM

Guitar lessons on line have many advantages to traditional lessons. First off, there are many websites such as Guitar-Insight that will offer you FREE guitar lessons on line. You may not have the money or time in your schedule for traditional guitar lessons, but with electric guitar lessons online you make your own practice schedule. You learn what your interested in, when you want to learn it. Traditional lessons can become boring and tedious and can cause you to get bored with guitar. Having guitar lessons on line helps keep you from getting bored, you can learn whatever you like as you please, this helps to keep guitar a fun and exciting experience as you grow as an aspiring guitarist.

Or if your here to learn how to setup your guitar and get your guitar to sound its very best then read on...Every player has a special tone in their head, that they someday hope to achieve. Seeking that tone for many, is a constant struggle. I've never spoken with a guitarist who is fully satisfied with the tone he has. There is always something missing. It can be annoying and it will get frustrating. Coaxing that perfect sound out of your guitar can be a real struggle. Constantly trying different settings, different pickups... pedals.. speakers, amps..even different body woods, but the sound is always just out of grasp. Even with the best of equipment getting that certain tone can be a real challenge.

Guitarists are a strange breed... put 20 guitarists in an empty room and ask them which strings they use, leave and come back an hour later and they will still be discussing strings. Using words such as smooth or warm sounding. These sound more organic, or these sound sterile and shrill. It's hard to describe a guitar tone, but people try and everyone's perception of these characteristics may be different. One mans warm and organic may be another mans sterile and lifeless.

Well whatever sound you hear in your head, I hope after reading through this site.. you'll be a little bit closer to that sound and understand a little bit better about why it sounds the way it does. Work with your equipment, not against it.

Yngwie Malmsteen

2009-09-07T13:44:00.001-07:00

Here is a video montage of Yngwie Malmsteen... Hope you enjoy!

Red Hot Chili Peppers Psyched to Hit the Studios

2009-08-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month the Red Hot Chili Peppers briefly announced they would be reuniting in October and now the band has explained they are ready to rock the world once again.

With each musician following their own path during the past two years, it seemed as if a reunion would be unlikely. Drummer Chad Smith revealed they would enter the studio this fall but didn't shed any details. Recently, singer Anthony Keidis and bassist Flea told Rolling Stone they are definitely going into the studio and this time, with a lot of enthusiasm. "We’ve decided to write some songs," said Keidis. "We imposed a two-year hiatus, which we felt we needed, then we went back to the round table and the decision was, ‘Let’s do this.’"

Adds Flea, "After being kind of burnt at the end of our last tour, I feel major enthusiasm and vigor."

The yet-untitled album has no official release date yet but the band has been noted to be hanging around with longtime producer/friend Rick Rubin recently. Rubin produced their last record Stadium Arcadium in 2006 which sold over 7 million copies to date and had three #1 singles on the US Modern Rock chart. Since their last tour, Chad Smith joined the rock supergroup Chickenfoot while Flea enrolled at USC to study music theory so it should be interesting to see what influences the band brings to the studio.

Hopefully we'll get some of those good catchy guitar riffs with a bit of funk thrown in...

Guitar Diagram

2009-08-29T22:26:00.001-07:00

A Complete Guitar Diagram to help anyone who doesn't quite know all the parts of their guitar yet.

Hope this Guitar Diagram helps!

A complete diagram of the electric guitar, to help anybody who doesn't quite know the names of all the parts just yet. Hopefully some of you newbies can make use of this electric guitar diagram.

Lesson: The Perfect Vibrato

2009-07-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

You'll often hear guitarist claim that "Tone is in the fingers" and to an extent that really is true. You can have all of the best gear in the world, but if your technique is suffering then you won't sound anywhere near as good as you could.

Another example: I like Joe Satriani, If I collected every piece of gear Joe has and I played through it, I would still sound like myself! One technique that can greatly improve your tone is practicing you vibrato. Vibrato is the swelling of a note due to lateral movement of the strings. Okay put simply, vibrato is when you are slightly bending the string back and forth to achieve a nice smooth pulsating pitch. This creates a much more expressive sound. So how do you get this perfect Vibrato? By practicing!

I've seen some of the fastest guitar players shred at blazing fast speeds but when they go for that last note, their vibrato is awful. It sounds like they had just kicked a cat... or something, you get the picture! The point I'm trying to make is, you need to be in control of your instrument. When you are you can really make your guitar scream! You are in control and you can freely express yourself in your music. A great vibrato separates the amateurs from the seasoned guitarists!

The vibrato technique is fairly simple and often overlooked. Many guitarist perform vibrato using their fingers to manipulate the note. This is wrong. You need to use your wrist, you will gain much more control using this method. Another very popular question is: How far should you bend the string during vibrato?

Well the answer to that varies quite a bit. Try not to think about it, just practice and let your ears guide you, practice your vibrato until you are happy with the results and you enjoy what you are hearing. When performing vibrato I normally bend the notes a half step, but it may be different for each song. You need to learn to vary the pitch and speed fo your vibrato to suit the mood of whichever song you are playing.

My favorite type of vibrato is slow and wide, but many prefer a more aggressive style. A common mistake many guitarist make is trying to perform the vibrato too fast, the bend is way too narrow and performed too quickly. This kind of vibrato can sound really annoying, especially if done throughout a song. When performing vibrato try ti di si at an even rate and an even change of pitch, this will create a more uniform vibrato that is much mroe pleasing to the ears.

Once you have mastered the art of vibrato, practice adding vibrato to your bends. This will add a whole new dimension to your playing!

Lesson: Sweep Picking

2009-07-30T21:40:00.001-07:00

In this lesson we are discussing a type of economy picking often referred to as "Sweep Picking". This technique allows you to play a series of notes that would be next to impossible to match using other techniques such as alternate picking. Sweep picking is a hard skill to learn but once you've got the basics down it is actually pretty easy. You just need to start out slow and work on your coordination between your right and left hands. Always practice using a metronome.

More often than not if you are trying to learn to sweep pick than you are interested in playing shred/metal guitar. Sweep picking is used more in metal than any other genre. Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Angelo Batio are two guitarist who have mastered the technique of playing blazing fast arpeggios using sweep picking.

Okay, now how about we begin the lesson?

The basic idea behind sweep picking is playing 2 or more notes in series on adjacent strings all in one fluid picking motion.

The tab above is a very basic example of a sweep picking exercise.Remember, when sweep picking you do not lift up your pick after each note, let your pick "Sweep" over each note in one fluid motion. It is kind of like doing a slow motion strum, only you are accentuating each individual note and not letting notes ring out. Do not fret each note as if you were playing a chord, fret each note only as you are playing the note and then release onto the next note in the sweep. Practice sweep picking down and up, pay attention when you are changing directions. You need to keep a steady rhythm.

Sweep picking can be one of the most rewarding techniques when properly executed!

Lesson: Palm Muting

2009-07-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

From a heavy, chunky rhythm tone to a slightly muted clean tone the palm mute is used in almost every genre of music. This is definitely a technique worth learning and perfecting.

So here goes, this lesson - Palm Muting

The palm mute is commonly used in Metal oriented music from chugging to galloping rhythms. It can provide a really heavy, chunky tone and with distortion it will give a percussive sound. If your an aspiring metal guitar this lesson is a must read!

Rest your picking hand on the bridge of your guitar, this is the area by your picking hand where the string comes off the body. Use the picture as a reference. Keep your palm resting on the bridge of the guitar and strike the strings with your pick. Do this while fretting a chord and hit the strings pretty hard. If your using distortion you will get a heavy percussive tone. If your palm is too close to the bridge the sound will be too muted but if your palm is too far toward the neck of the guitar you will have a really loose sounding palm mute. Practice different rhythms and picking techniques while palm muting. Try Chugging rhythms and gallops. Speed up and slow down. The palm mute is a popular technique for heavy metal rhythm guitar.

Remember to practice, it's the only way you will ever get better!

Guitar Related Resources

2009-07-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a compilation of some great resources that I believe you may find helpful. I'll try and keep this as organized as possible for your convenience.

www.ProjectGuitar.com

A Great resource if your into setting up and maintaining your own instrument or if you are building your own guitar.

Guitar Lesson: Natural Harmonics

2009-07-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

A harmonic can often be compared to a "Bell Like" tone and is used in various genres of music and when implemented into a song they can easily add that special something to a riff or ad flare to your solos.

Well I'm sure you already know this lesson is about Natural Harmonics. Many guitarist often wonder how these sounds are made, some may not even realize it is the guitar making this sound. In this lesson I'd like to show you what a Natural Harmonic is and then guide you through the process and help you learn how to produce natural harmonics.

A natural harmonic is produced by lightly touching your finger against the string of the guitar over various fret bars and then picking that string. You do not want to use a lot of pressure, do not press down hard and fret the string like you normally would, you need to basically let your finger rest upon the string and then strike it with you pick as you normally would.

Okay now place you finger above the 12th fret of the Low E string. Lightly press down above the 12th fret and strike the string. As soon as you strike the string with your pick remove your fretting hand. This allows the harmonic to ring louder and more clearly. You will still produce a harmonic if you don't remove your fretting hand but it will be muffled and not as loud, but if you lift your hand too soon you will hear the string played open.

Timing is key and only practice makes perfect. Don't get frustrated if at first you can't produce harmonics. This technique will come naturally over time. Once you've mastered natural harmonics you can move onto artificial also known as pinch harmonics.

Remember to Practice, it is the only way your going to get better!

Lesson: Pinch Harmonics

2009-07-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well this lesson is about pinch harmonics. Pinch harmonics are something I hear a lot of guitarist asking questions about and many don't understand how to produce them on command. So I figured I'd do a lesson to help clear anything up that some of you may not understand. So here goes!

What are Pinch Harmonics?

Pinch harmonics also known as squeals are a commonly used technique in various genres of music, but may be very dominant in many metal songs.

Okay now you know what a Pinch Harmonic is, you should already understand the basics of harmonics and natural harmonics. If you have no idea what a natural harmonic is then jump over to my Lesson on Natural Harmonics.

Here is what you need:

- A humbucker equipped guitar will make the learning process easier.

- An Amplifier. (Although experienced player can pinch harmonics acoustically as well)

- Alot of Distortion
(you can use amplifier distortion, but make sure you have plenty of gain, so as to make it easier. Experienced players can produce these harmonics clean but it is quite a bit harder).

- Any Pick of choice

First off you need to try and find a strong natural harmonic somewhere on the neck. Common natural harmonics are at frets 3 5 7 9 and 12 on any given string. When performing pinch harmonics it is all about technique, so pay careful attention to how you hold your pick.

The thumb needs to hang over the pick just a little bit.

Pick the Low E string at the 3rd fret.

Now... Pick the Low E string again except let the lower fatty part of you thumb brush along the string as you pick. If you head a shrill scream that is your first pinch harmonic, good job! If not keep practicing.

Now you want to continue practicing until you can do a pinch harmonic fast and on command at any given moment, all in one fluid motion. You can use pinch harmonics in a riff or to add flare to a solo. The Possibilities are endless.

Also check out the Lesson on Divebombs also known as a Whammy Squeal.

Lesson: The Major Scale

2009-07-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

This is a lesson about the Major and Minor Scales. You will be learning what a scale is, how it is constructed and how to implement the scale up and down the fretboard.

One problem many guitarist face is they think there is only one way to play the scale. They learn the scale one way and always stick to that way and say "This is the major scale"

e------------------------------5-7-8-------------------
B------------------------5-6-8-------------------------
G------------------4-5-7-------------------------------
D--------------5-7-------------------------------------
A--------5-7-8-----------------------------------------
E--5-7-8-----------------------------------------------
(the example is in C major)

Well guess what, this is also the major scale!

e-------------------------5-7-8---------------------
B-------------------5-6-8---------------------------
G-----------2-4-5-7---------------------------------
D-----2-3-5-----------------------------------------
A-3-5-----------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------
(the example is in C major)

Okay here comes the lesson....

So what is a scale?

A scale is a group of notes that can be used to create melodies. The group will usually consist of 7 notes. The first note in the group is referred to as the ROOT note. Like in the examples above, the first note also known as the "Root" note is a "C" so this is the C Major Scale.

So what is the purpose of scales?

Well, simply put, to create melodies, chords and songs. AS lead guitarists we all use and abuse these scales to express ourselves.

First up, we have the MAJOR scale:

It will usually give you a more happier sounding sound than its counterpart, the MINOR scale.

There is a certain formula involved to create this scale, and it goes:

Whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step.
Or you can say: 2frets, 2frets, 1fret, 2frets, 2frets, 2frets, 1fret

That is how you would construct your Major Scale.

So, when you start off on a C. Your formula will go C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C

It is better to learn the notes of the fretboard than just memorize a scale and its box patterns. This will help you construct songs, melodies and solos a lot easier, your songs may also flow better. You will also gain a feeling of new found freedom when soloing if you stop limiting your use of "box patterns" to memorize scales and begin learning notes.

Pickup Height

2009-07-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Pickup heights play a big role in the sound of your guitar. Raising the height of the pickup increases the output and lowering it.. decreases the output! I prefer my pickups pretty low so I can start with a good clean tone. With the pickups lower you get a woodier more resonant tone. This also increases sustain because you don't have as strong of a magnetic pull (The pickups are further away from the strings). The height of your p'ups is all individual preference and there is no "better" height. There are quite a few reasons as to why you would want to change the height of your pickups.. such examples may include:

-Balancing output between neck and bridge pickups.

-Some strings are louder than others (raise the p'up at an angle or slant)
Or Adjust individual pole pieces

-Increase the output of the p'up for added gain.

-Your sustain is lacking and you want an improvement.

Adjusting the height of a pickup is a fairly simple procedure. You simply tighten or
loosen a screw. Clockwise Raises the pickup while counter-clockwise lowers the pickup.
Careful though, if you lower it too much it could detach from the mounting ring or
pick guard.

The arrow points to the appropriate screw that adjusts the pickup height. There is another screw on the other side. Each pickup is adjusted by two screws, one at each end. So you can set the p'up at a slant. To better balance heavier lower strings with thinner high strings..

How to Solder

2009-07-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Solder is an alloy used to join electrical components together. Once the solder is cooled and dry it provides a good electrical connection and good strength. Soldering is a skill used by both the pro's and the do-it-yourself-ers for a variety of applications. It is essential in repairing, building and modifying electrical components. Soldering is pretty straight forward but this guide will help give you the insight to create good, strong solder joints.

Tools -
An obvious tool that you will need is a soldering iron. Look for an iron between 15 and 30 watts, any higher and you risk damaging your electrical components.

Next, you will need some solder. Rosin Core is recommended, the smaller the diameter the better. Proper solder should be 60/40 or 60% Tin and 40% lead with a rosin flux core which helps the solder to flow more easily.

It's also a good idea to keep a wet sponge handy to clean off your tools, be sure to keep your soldering iron clean. Failure to do so can cause bad heat distribution and cold solder joints.

Preparing the Surface -
Before you solder make sure all parts are clean and free from any kind of grease or oxidation. An unclean surface can prevent the solder from adhering as well and joints can easily un-bond. A "Noob" mistake many novices make is to overheat components as they try to make the solder stick to an unclean surface. This can cause irreversible damage and components will have to be replaced.

Tinning -
It is good practice to "Tin" both of the contacts before you solder them. This is putting a thin coating of Solder on each surface you are trying to solder together to help fuse them. For example if connecting a wire to a potentiometer. You should strip away any insulation on the wire that may be in the way and Tin or coat the end of the wire. You should also put a small drop of melted solder onto the pot. This will make the soldering process much easier.

Soldering -
This is the fun part, when you are actually joining the two components together. With the Soldering Iron you are ready to heat the components up. This should be done by resting the Wire lead against the potentiometer and heating both components up. WARNING: Both components will become very hot. DO NOT TOUCH!!! The heat from a soldering iron is hot enough to melt skin. Believe me I've got scars.

Once the components are good and hot you need to take your strand of solder and rest it against the heated components. The solder will flow freely around the lead and adhere to the potentiometer. Once the lead has been covered and a good amount of solder is contacting the pot remove the soldering iron.

Don't move the new solder joint for a few seconds or you will end up with a cold solder joint. A cold solder joint does not conduct electricity very well.

Cleaning up -
I recommend always cleaning the tip of your soldering iron after each use. The best method I've found for doing so is using a damp sponge when the Iron is still hot. It is a good idea to clean excess solder off the iron after each individual joint. So you should be cleaning the tip multiple times per use.

Ten Guaranteed Ways to get a better guitar tone!

2009-07-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

1.) It all starts with the amp. Countless times I've seen people buy new expensive guitars expecting amazing tone. Only to bring it home and plug into their line 6 amp and "Grunge" pedal expecting Teh Bro0talz tone. The majority of your tone comes from the amp. I'm not saying upgrading your guitar is a waste of time because it isnt, but unless your fully satisfied with your current amp and tone, the amp should be the first upgrade. An amazing guitar with a cheap amp will sound cheap. A decent guitar into an amazing amp will sound great.

2.) Use your guitars volume knob. Many players set their volume knob to maximum and forget it, never changing it. Constantly wondering why they cant get a good clean tone from their high output pickups. During the "Classic Rock Era" a time of single channel amps, a guitarist would set his volume on full and set the amp for the best lead tone Hossible, roll his volume down a bit for a crunchy rhythm tone and down a bit more for clean tones. If your finding you can't get a good lead tone and clean tone with the same amp settings invest in a good overdrive pedal. Set your amp to a crunchy rhythm in which you can roll off the volume for a good clean tone, more often then not rolling down your guitar volume knob on a cranked tube amp will give you an incredibly rich, more dynamic clean tone than you could achieve with the amp down and the volume maxed. When you need a boost for solo's kick on the OD pedal and it'll take your crunchy rhythm tone onto a searing lead tone. This is a secret amongst many guitarist such as Zakk Wylde.

3.) Less Gain! Use less gain than you think you need, the more gain you add the more compressed your signal becomes, compressing the signal can result in a thinner tone. Not only will you get a bigger fatter sound but you will get less hum and less of that annoying squeely feedback. Your tone will also have alot more clarity, no more muddy bass!

4.) Tube amps are preferable in most situations to a solid state amp. Tube amps also sound best when cranked, also known as power tube saturation. Match your amp to the gig. Don't bring in a 100watt stack to a small bar. Bring a 15 watt head. Believe it or not that is more than enough. Dont Scoop your mids. This is another common mistake many guitarists make. It may sound good in your bedroom but in a live situation your sound will get lost in the mix and the band will sound like a mushy mess. The guitar is a midrange instrument, scooping the midrange away takes away all live presence, lows are eaten up by the bass guitar and kick drum while the highs are taken by the cymbals.

5.) Tone comes from the guitarist, even more than the equipment. This is one of the most ignored aspects of guitar. People become obsessed with a certain guitarist, buy all of his signature gear. Expecting great tone... and they just dont get it. Tone is in the fingers, from how heavy you fret the strings to your pick attack these subtle dynamics create a unique tone. No amount of equipment can substitute for actually learning to play guitar. You can copy anyones rig, learn their most used scales and tricks but you still wont get their exact tone. Close yes, exact no.

6.) Pickup Height - Drop 'em Down! There's no need to have your pickups right up against the strings. Many people don't even realize that adjusting your pickup heights will affect your guitar output or how "hot" a pickup is, which also affects your tone. With your pickups raised high up against the strings you not only lose sustain because the magnetic field from the pickup interrupts the string resonance but you also lose dynamics and clarity. You will notice more touch sensitivity and a livelier more "woody" natural tone. Light picking produces a clean warm sound while letting loose and digging into the strings produces a balanced overdriven tone. Neck pickups in general can be lower than bridge pickups to maintain a volume balance. This is because the broader vibrational arch of the string above the neck pickup is located closer to the center of the strings length which produces more output and a fatter sound.

7.) Believe it or not, one of the most overlooked factors in your guitar tone is your pick! Each different size, shape, density and material will affect your tone in different ways. Changing picks is cheap, costing next to nothing. There is no risk to your guitar or your amp. Not even a warranty to void. Thinner lighter picks usually provide a lighter softer tone but can be just as well for rhythm playing. Heavier picks move more string with less resistance providing a meatier more aggresive tone. The shape of the point also affects the tone alot. A sharper point provides more high end harmonic content while a smooth edge provides a warmer more muffled tone. Changing picks is fun, can improve your technique and is a lot easier then swapping out pickups or modding your amp.

8.) String gauge plays a huge factor in the tone of your guitar. Larger strings often equate to a larger "fuller" sound and light strings result in a thinner tone. This depends alot on your playing style though and there are times where a thinner tone simply cuts through the mix better. For example a blues guitarist may want heavy gauge strings (SRV) as he wont be doing as much legato work. Metal players may want lighter gauge strings for easier legato and tapping, alot more sophisticated lead work and a slightly thinner tone which can also help keep your tone from becoming muddy sounding. Larger strings also provide more output. This is easily noticeable when you play your guitar acoustically, the heavier gauge strings will be significantly louder. This can help beef up lower output pickups. Experiment and have fun, find a set of strings that suits your playing style.

9.) Swap out those old pickups! Changing pickups is a reasonably easy modification that can increase the value and sound of your instrument. Check out many of the major brands such as Rockfield, Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio. They offer many options on new pickups.You can get lower output pickups for a cleaner tone with a vintage vibe or hotter pickups for a more "modern" metal tone.

10.) Set up your guitar properly. Improper or poor setup can not only damage your guitar but it can make it next to impossible to play. Even less fun when your trying to have fun playing it. Simple things such as setting intonation and adjusting the neck can greatly increase your axe's playability. Setting your action by adjusting the height of your bridge can help reduce fret buzz if your strings are too low or help increase playability if your strings are way too
high.

Guitar Tone Woods

2009-07-16T13:02:00.001-07:00

Many guitarist don't realize how many different parts of the guitar interact with one
another and influence the over all tone. A commonly over looked aspect of the guitar
is the wood it's made up of! Believe it or not something as simple as the kind of wood a guitars body and neck are made up of will influence the tone. A softer more porous wood will resonate and sound different than a harder, more tightly grained wood.

Common Body Woods:

Alder is often used because its a relatively common wood and fairly light weight. Its an easy wood to finish, usually a tan color with few grain lines. When you tihnk of alder think of a Fender strat, a majority of stratocasters are alder. This wood is a good balance of lows mids and highs. Right in the middle of the tonal spectrum, a very balanced sound.

Ash: Ash is a relatively dense wood with a bright tone. When you think of Ash think of a Fender Telecaster. A majority of tele's are made up of Ash. It has an open grain and is a pain to finish, alot of lacquer is required, but it does look good with a clear coat.

Mahogany is similar to maple in weight and density. It providesd a soft, warm tone with rolled off highs and a good amount of low end chunk. Great sustain, but not well suited to clear finishes. When you think of mahogany think of Gibson.

Basswood is an incredibly light and soft wood. Usually has an ugly greenish color to it and does not take abuse very well at all. Think about Ibanez guitars like an RG when you think of basswood. A mellow tone with a lot of midrange.

Common neck woods:

Maple is a common wood for necks and fretboards.It has a bright tone, nice grain
patterns and moderate weight. Tonally it has a lot of sustain and a fair amount of bite. Its easy to finish and very durable.

Rosewood is definitely one of the heavier weighing woods. A strat style guitar made of rose wood would weigh in around 7 pounds. The sound is very warm, although the high end sounds are dampened. Finishes can be a bit tricky to apply. Usually not used for bodies just the fretboard.

Ebony is commonly only used in fretboards. It is a dark very durable wood with a
smooth finish. Ebony is also very bright with a long sustain to it.

Ambient Effects

2009-07-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ambient effects should be placed last in the signal chain because this will provide the most natural sound. As we are trying to simulate these sounds such as reverb that you may hear down a long corridor or delay such as screaming across mountain tops. These are both self explanatory and can add a lot of character to a dry clean tone that you find may be "Lacking" something.

Time Based Effects

2009-07-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

Time based Effects:

Time based effects usually effect the signal in a more noticeable way when compared to other stomp boxes. Essentially they work by mixing part of the original signal with a portion of atime-manipulated signal. These work well in an amps effect loop. Such effects include:

-Delay: is exactly as the name implies a delayed version of the original signal repeated.

-Chorus/Flange: These are used to create a "Fuller" sounding tone hence "Chorus". Compared to flange chorus is more subtle, although these two can often be used interchangeably. Flange has a more vintage tone and a noticeable whoosh when a considerable amount is used.

Pitch Shifter: Well exactly as the name implies, the original signals pitch is shifted and mixed up or down an octave.

Signal Conditioners

2009-07-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Signal Conditioners:

Signal Conditioners do not change the basic nature of the sound, they only increase gain or modify tone. This includes all distortion and equalizarion boxes (Wah included).

-Compressor: reduces dynamics by creating a threshold. Anything above this threshold becomes attenuated to a more level signal. Often used to increase sustain.

-Equalization: has the ability to boost or cut different frequencies of the guitars tone. Able to give you a mid-heavy blues tone or a scooped metal sound.

-Distortion: Adds dirt to the signal creating a more hi-gain tone, as gain increases so do odd order harmonics.

-Wah Pedal: Active EQ circuitry varied via foot pedal with a resonant frequency from
500-2k hz. A wah may typically be used after distortion but one example of someone doing things differently is Jimi Hendrix as he put his before the gain.

Guitar Effects

2009-07-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Effects and Placement
Many guitarist have a few pedals, many often have enough pedals to acquire the need for a pedal board. Knowing how these effects interact with one another, is crucial in order to get that "Holy Grail" tone that we all hear in our heads. After all each pedal will affect other pedals down the chain. Im not saying that there is one single specific setup that will work best for everyone. That just cant be, considering tone is subjective but there are some common guidelines on what .sounds good and what sounds bad.

A good signal chain may go as follows:

| Compression
| Wah
| Distortion/Overdrive
| EQ
| Chorus/Flanger
| NoiseGate
| PitchShifter/Harmonizer
| Volume Pedal
| Delay
| Digital Reverb
| Cranked Marshall

There are quite a few different categories or types of effects and each pedal can be broken down into one of these categories. These categories include:

- Signal Conditioners/Equalization
- Time Based Effects
- Ambient Effects
- Other

Guitar Wiring Diagrams

2009-07-16T12:40:00.001-07:00

Many guitarists are afraid to touch the wiring inside the guitar. They don't understand how simple it all really is, there is no need what so ever to take your guitar to your local shop or tech for something as simple as changing pots or pickups. For the same price it would cost you to take your guitar to the local shop, and have him solder in your new pickups you could have easily bought a soldering iron and roll of solder and you will have acquired a new skill in the process and its fun to experiment with different wiring options available to you and the different tones your axe may be capable of. Doing it yourself also provides a feeling much better than watching someone else do it, a feeling of self accomplishment.

2 humbucker 1 vol 1 tone

Les Paul wiring- 2 humbucker, 2 vol, 2 tone

Basic Telecaster wiring

Basic Strat Wiring

Guitar Pickup Output

2009-07-16T12:38:00.001-07:00

Pickup output, is hotter always better? Many guitarists fall into the fad that the hotter the pickup the better. Many want the highest output pickups imaginable, but there are advantages and disadvantages to using hotter pickups. First of all, with hotter pickups you lose a lot of the high end harmonic content and dynamics. Clean tones aren't as clean, even with the volume knob rolled down. Another fault in the higher output is always better theory is that since there is more output that means a lot more compression. This leaves less "space" in the sound and your over all tone doesn't sound as big as it could.

Now I'm not saying high output is bad. It just
depends upon the application in which you intend
using them. Through a lower gain amp or a non
master volume style amp you really only have two
choices...

1.) Get an Overdrive or Distortion pedal to add
dirt to the signal.

2.) High output pickups to hit the preamp tubes
harder adding gain.

In this situation a hotter pickup would require less boosting which maintains a
quieter signal with less hum.

But to all of you metal heads out there consider this. With all the hi-gain amps out there overflowing with gain try installing a lower output pickup. The result? A Cleaner more dynamic tone with more clarity and a bigger sound, as it wont be so compressed at the preamp stage. I've found that running high output pickups into hi-gain amps results in a muddy, thinner, compressed tone. With lower output pickups you get all of this and a usable clean tone, who would've thought....

If you don't believe me, Lamb of God uses a Paf Style Pickup by Seymour Duncan it is their "59 model.

Here is a list of low output guitar pickups that I would highly recommend using:

Seymour Duncan:

59"
Alnico II Pro
Pearly Gates

Dimarzio:

Paf 36th Anniversary
Humbucker From Hell
Air norton
Paf Pro

Guitar Necks

2009-07-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yours guitar's neck may be the single most important part of your guitar. After all you want a neck you find comfortable, you are going to be spending a lot of time holding it. More often than not, if you don't find the neck comfortable then your technique will also suffer. If your technique suffers your overall tone will not be as good, it might not be as clean of a sound. Many players love thin necks... they say they play faster. The Ibanez Wizard is one of the more common "thin" necks and has a somewhat cult following among shredders who like light strings, low action and a thin neck.

Of course this setup requires an extremely light touch, not as much room to dig into the strings without getting some buzzing. With this setup you may be capable of playing faster but also lose some control over dynamics as you can't really hit the strings too much harder than you normally would.You can only go softer and with an already light touch that could be a challenge. On the contrary a lot of people like a big fat "baseball bat" neck. Something you can really wrap your hands around and feel. Its not common to see people with thicker necks also prefer heavier gauge strings and a generally higher action. Many believe there isn't any other way to play the guitar and if you do your sacrificing tone. Look at SRV he played a pretty fat neck, huge strings and a high action. He has some good tone going on. But Eddie van Halen, Billy Gibbons, Tony Iommi and Brian May all played really thin strings and I never hear anyone complaining about their tone. So my suggestion to you is try it all, stick with what you like. Legato is easier to obtain on lighter strings while a more percussive style of guitar is easier with heavier gauge strings. You need a guitar set up to suit your individual needs and style.

If you are experiencing any buzzing or strings cutting out during bends be sure to check the Proper Setup page to see how you can setup your guitar neck to play its very best. So many times have I seen brand new "Factory inspected" guitars arrive with less than adequate setups. Its not hard to do and as long as you take your time and follow my guide you wont mess anything up and I guarantee you... You will have a better playing, better sounding instrument.

Types of Guitar Bridges

2009-07-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

There are basically 2 types of bridges. Fixed bridges also known as Hard Tail bridges, which mount directly to the body and Tremolo bridges which are mounted to the body by a set amount of tension via springs. Tremolo Bridges have the ability to bend the pitch of notes by varying string tension, allowing for whammy dives and other fun stuff not possible with a fixed bridge, but at a sacrifice to tone and sustain as there are more components for the vibration from the strings to have to resonate through.

Tune-o-matic Stop Tail

Tune-o-matic String Through Body

Wrap Around Bridge

Fender Style Hard Tail Bridge

Telecaster Hard Tail Bridge

Floyd Rose Tremolo

Fender Style Tremolo

Kahler Tremolo

Types of guitar Pickups

2009-07-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

There are 3 basic pickups in use today. The single coil which is found mostly on Fender type guitars, the P-90.. Gibson's take on the classic single coil tone and the Humbucker.

It all started with the Single Coil design, with output usually lower than that of P-90 and Humbucking pickups, it doesn't push the amp quite as hard resulting in a cleaner tone. Low output and brighter edge allowed for good clean tones but somewhat "thin" distorted tone when compared to a higher output humbucker. Prone to 60 cycle hum when gain is applied or when around fluorescent lighting.

The P-90 which was Gibson's take on the single coil is a really nice, versatile pickup sitting in the sonic territory somewhere between a Single Coil and a Humbucker. Widely used in classic rock. A Fatter sounding single coil or a cleaner sounding humbucker. The lows are low but tight and the highs are there but not piercing, an almost piano like quality. Still single coil by design so it is also prone to 60 cycle hum.

The Humbucker found on many of Gibson's guitars such as the Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V... is exactly what its name applies. Two single coils side by side wired with opposite windings and polarities resulting in a quieter signal, resisting the 60 cycle hum the single coils fell prey to, it "bucks" the hum. This lead to hotter windings to push an amp harder. Sacrificing clean tones for overdriven tones leading the way in the advancement of Rock n Roll.

History of the guitar

2009-07-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

The guitar can be dated back to over 4,000 years ago and there have been many ideas on its ancestry. Many believe it is a development based on the lute or Greek Kithara. The oldest preserved guitar is over 3,500 years old.. now that's vintage! It was found buried with an egyptian minister, Sen-Mut around 1500 BC. It can be viewed at an archaeological museum in Cairo.

Now for a more recent history of the electric guitar, this is what you were probably expecting. It all started in 1940 by a guy known as Leo Fender, most of you probably recognize his name. He had been building custom amps and guitars for awhile, but he was about to invent something the world had never seen before. An amp with tone controls. In 1951 he showed the world something new. The broadcaster, the original Telecaster or tele. This was the first solid body electric guitar to be mass produced and marketed. In 1951 he had invented the Precision Bass and by 1954 the stratocaster.

In 1952 the Les Paul had come into production, this was gibsons first attempt at a solid body electric guitar. Gibson had decided to use Les Pauls' guitar design after previously turning down his idea, calling it "A Broom stick with pickups on it". They barely even used Les's original design. They just wanted some publicity, associating with a famous player. Thus the Les Paul was born with a Mahogany back and Maple top it provided to be the back bone of Rock n Roll.