As a rock guitar player myself, I could probably take the easy route and tell you that your guitar amp's sweet spot is found simply by setting everything on ten! However, we all know that doing this can sometimes induce ear aches and noise complaints. Let's take a bit more of a scientific approach instead.

The first thing you absolutely need to know is the difference between volume and gain.

Volume -- What you are basically doing when you turn that volume knob is control your amp's power section signal or the loudness of the amp. This know is going to let you control how loud or quiet your guitar will be.

Gain -- Even though you are hearing your volume increase as you turn up the gain, what you are really doing is adjusting the input sensitivity level. This is used to break up your tone and give you the distorted rock sound.

There are many different approaches to finding the best mix of volume and gain settings. When I am dialing in a tone on an amp, I like to begin with my volume knob and first set the desired output level. Next, begin adding gain by slowly turning your gain knob up. Take the gain up a notch or two and play your guitar for a while. Listen carefully to the tone and make a mental note on the quality of the tone. Keep doing this until you have found your desired tone.

You may find that a setting that you love today, sounds horrible the next day because of various factors like possible ear fatigue. This approach is something that you might have to do a number of times before you finally settle on the right mix between your gain and volume settings. However, taking the time to hone in on this will surely result in the perfect guitar tone.

© Corey for The Guitar Resource, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: guitar amps, guitar tone, tube amp

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1. Figure out exactly what you need and what your budget allows.

The first thing you should be thinking about is what kind of music you will be wanting to play on it as well as how much you can afford.

If you decide that you want to start learning rock music, you will definitely want to be looking at electric guitars. Because of this, you will also want to factor in the price of an amplifier to go along with the guitar. For budding folk or country musicians, you may be looking into acoustic guitars. This will make things a little easier on you since you will not have to look at amps as well, but at the same time, there are a lot of different acoustic guitars out there to choose from.

2. Do you research.

You should take your time and do some research without jumping into anything to quickly. You do not want to just buy a guitar impulsively; a guitar is a big investment, so you really want to be sure you get something you like and you do not overpay for it. It is a good idea to read up on them first, comparing prices and features before settling on a guitar. Online sites like harmony-central.com and right here at frugalguitarist.com are excellent places to start your research.

If you want to get the most bang for you buck when buying a guitar, you should consider researching a beginner guitar from a major brand name. Major brand names are generally more expensive than knockoffs, but with knockoffs, you can pay the price of shoddy wiring and other flaws. Even though beginner guitars from major brand names are cheaper than more advanced guitars and you can trust that they will be well put together. That way, you can start simple, get used to your guitar, make sure you want to progress with your guitar playing, and then eventually move up to more advanced and expensive brand name guitars. A good example of an inexpensive beginner guitar is a Fender Squire.

The other advantage to choosing a wewll known brand name guitar is that when you do get to the time that you want to sell or trade it up for a higher quality guitar, it will be a lot easier to sell and hold its value better.

3. When possible, try before you buy.

You always want to test the guitar out in person before buying, to ensure that it is in perfect working order. One thing you will want to do is to shake the guitar vigorously as you listen for rattling. Another thing you will want to do is check the intonation of the guitar. Checking the intonation is quite important. To do this, you should play the harmonic at the 12th fret, and ensure that it sounds the same as the open string. You will also want to check for buzzing by strumming the guitar loudly. Obviously buzzing, rattling, and incorrect intonation are all to be avoided when buying a guitar.

If you are really on a budget, you could consider buying a used guitar. You can look online for used guitars at places like ebay.com and other online marketplaces, or you can check out pawnshops and music stores. You want to be careful buying a used guitar, though, and carefully check it in the ways mentioned earlier.

In addition, buying a guitar should be fun! So have some fun with it--after all, you get to look around, explore your options, and test out various guitars. In addition, it is a great feeling when you finally find the guitar that feels perfect for you.

About the author - For the past twenty or so years, Corey Palmer has been playing as much guitar as he can make the time for. For him, happiness is hands on a guitar neck!

© Corey for The Guitar Resource, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beginner guitar, buying a guitar, choosing a guitar, guitar shopping, shopping for a guitar

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The most effective guitar practice is the one where you simply let your fingers do the walking.  Many people, when they are starting out playing the guitar want to constantly stare down at their hands as they play, strumming the chords slowly while they visually pick out the best way to pluck the strings.  This is every beginner’s biggest problem, and the only way one can break themselves of that habit is to let the rhythm flow through them.  The best guitar practice techniques involve playing as often as you can, and mastering a song before moving onto the next one.

While this may seem like a common sense solution, many burgeoning guitar players give up the activity because they want to be great right away, and when they are not feeling like they are spending too much time on the very basics of the craft.  Certainly learning to play the guitar is no easier than learning any other instrument.  There will be set backs, there will be times where the last thing you want to do is practice guitar playing because no matter how much you practice, the music never seems right.  Sticking with it is the most effective guitar practice and sooner or later, you will notice a change.

It bears keeping in mind that even the masters, even the people who earn their living playing the guitar have to remind themselves how to play every now and then.  Of course, the professional guitar player is getting his practice while he is performing.  It would be totally incorrect to assume that the pros did not practice guitar every day, for hours at a time to get to where they are in the music world.

If you are looking for specific guitar practice techniques there are several drills that can be done, and those types of drills are generally posted online, free for anyone who wishes to give them a whirl.  The difficulty of the drills will of course vary depending on the level of talent they are aimed at.

About the author - Corey Palmer has been playing guitar since the mid eighties and suggests that if you are just starting out, find some easy guitar songs to learn and use the internet or guitar teacher to help you out.  Anyone can learn to play.

© Corey for The Guitar Resource, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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