That's some nice playing. Thanks for sharing. Your band Seven Kingdoms sounds good too.

Nice arrangement on a classic song.

That's some good music on your Soundcloud. I like your style.

Hi Joom.I think I am getting to be an old rocker myself these days. The kids say I am ancient and I find that I just don't understand or appreciate the popular music of the youth of today. That isn't to say that I am stuck in the past though. I think there is a lot of great new stuff out there, even some here on this forum. I will check out your stuff when I am on a proper listening device.

Cool.  Thanks for the lesson.

Girls definitely can rock.  I have seen some female guitarists in extreme metal bands that were just as brutal as any guy, and maybe more so since it takes a little extra to be a standout female in a male dominated scene.

Glad you guys are helping to offer a way for more girls to get into guitar playing.

I think it would be the Daisy Rock Pixie Cupid Red Hot Luv Acoustic Guitar for me.  It looks better than my sparkly blue flying V and what a theme for serenading my significant other.

Super Strat wiring!  Get eleven different combinations out of your guitar.   http://www.1728.org/guitar2.htm



If you want to start adding switches, you can do all kinds of stuff.  Maybe add in a Varitone circuit?  If your guitar doesn't look like a Rich Bich, it doesn't have enough tone switching options.  Even this is still lacking.  But then when you find the perfect tone combination... don't ever touch anything, because you will never figure it out again.

I am hoping that you guys might give me your opinions, even if you only know someone who has them.

I am thinking of trying the Alumitone Deathbucker in a pointy build that I am finishing up but don't have a pickup for.  Not a lot of reviews out there.

I have only planned one guitar purchase in advance where I had a budget and specific one in mind before going to the store.  It was a Warlock, a limited run at a really good price and the last one I could find in stores.  I still tried half the guitars in the store up to just a little higher than comparable price to make sure it was the one I wanted.

Otherwise, everything was the result of going in and just finding stuff that ended up coming home with me, sometimes planning to buy something like a cheap guitar or a new effect but not more specific than that, other times... it wasn't my fault that they had something cool for a really good price.  That is why I try not to go to music stores too much.

But without picking specific models and assuming that I wouldn't have access to my current gear for this situation, I would have certain things I would look for based on that scenario:

A six string (vs. 7 or more that seem to be becoming popular these days), maybe an SG style or an Explorer style. Probably spend about half the budget here. 

Tube amp.  Probably have to be very small to fit the budget.

Two pedals, I would probably go with a Pro Co, Boss Metal Zone or similar distortion and a basic chorus pedal.

Ideally I would be able to try the whole setup together since I was making it all one purchase.

Just looked up the Probucker pickup and Epiphone says it is basically made just like the Gibson Burstbucker (which is an attempt at recreating the original PAF), same specs and materials, only the Probucker has a four conductor wiring so it can be split.  Epiphone also claims that the pots are better quality now, full size instead of the cheap mini's that they and most other manufacturers started using.

On the downside if you want to mod it, they use their proprietary quick connect, which although I haven't seen it, possibly makes for more work to add in anything that is not part of that system.  But if it sounds good with those pickups and the pots last, then that should not be a worry and even if they do need changing, I am sure you can still clip the connectors and find a wiring diagram online.

As far as looks go, I don't really like the lemony burst.  I like it lighter at the edges and a tad bit warmer in the center.  That would be purely a personal thing though.

Is there maple under the black like a Gibson Les Paul Standard, or is it just solid mahogany?  Could make a bit a difference in tone if you want the traditional LP sound.

The electronics are fancier on the Pro, but likely still sub-par and if they are going to be replaced soon, not really worth paying extra for.  I would say if you like the way the black one looks, use the £80.00 difference towards upgrading the electronics.

What does it mean on the Plus Top Pro that the neck is "Hand Set Mahogany"  I think all set necks are glued in by hand.  One of the few processes that would be tough to automate.

I believe it really comes down to a matter of which one you think looks better, otherwise they are similar.  Of course playing each of them could make a big difference in which to go with.

I would like a tube amp, partly just because they are easier to fix.  I have three solid state amps currently: A keyboard amp for my keyboard which works ok for that purpose, a Rocktron 50 watt model from the nineties, very heavy gain and lots of volume when it worked normally.  Now it only works when it is open and I poke the pc board with a chopstick (amp repair guy said it probably costs more to fix it than I paid for it), and a Fender Starfire amp someone (who had good intentions, but no clue about guitars) gave me as a gift which worked twice before starting to cut out.

Plus I like the way you can overdrive the tubes and the way a tube amp sounds.  Of course it does mean having to replace the tubes every so often when they burn out, but people say you have to replace guitar strings too... we shall see.

I would like to get a nice entry level tube amp and I will be looking forward to seeing your reviews throughout the year.

I agree with the above, any used set will work for starters and just upgrade parts as needed.  Quality pedals, cymbals, and stands can be transferred to a high quality set if you decide to do that later.

I bought one of the fairly cheap all inclusive sets online $300 US (due to no local store at the time and only expecting to be able to use them for a year because my temporary living situation allowed it for that long) and it was ok for banging on, getting a feel for where the drums are, how hard to hit and stuff.  The cymbals sound like garbage, but if you play them to death while learning and then buy a good set, your good set will last longer.  The hardware was functional but low quality and I don't expect the set would hold up long if used for playing out, but it was not so cheap that it was like a toy set.  Poorly machined rims, flimsy throne and a poorly made hi-hat pedal were the biggest issues.  For slightly more I have seen much better brands/quality used, but sometimes they don't include pedals and other hardware.

Drums are an easy way to drive people crazy.  Even electronic sets can still be heard throughout walls and ceilings/floors, the beating of the rubber pads, though not nearly as loud as acoustic drums is still there.  It also sounds less musical for those who are not playing.  On the plus side, you can run music or metronome to play along with through headphones instead of having to blast it over the drums and if you are in a house your neighbors probably won't notice.

That is a very cool video response (and pretty awesome that he took the time to make it for you).  I like his thoughts on business and his honesty.  The pedals sound and look cool too.  As if I didn't have enough stuff to want already.  Your blog is also very interesting.  I still need to catch up on the guitar stories and stuff.  Need more time in the day!