jimmarchi1's forum posts 8022

They made him TNA's version of Stone Cold for years and recently he fought Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

The Undertaker still wrestles? AMAZING! He was my boy in the early 90s (after the ultimate warrior got boring)! If I had been old enough to gamble I woulda bet on that Goth-ass Mofo!

The most interesting thing about Sting for me was that he played with his thumb, the way I taught myself. I always thought I invented that style until watching him play.

Actually sting is from a long line of thumb guys on both bass and guitar... Paul McCartney of the Beatles started as a thumb man and still is very thumby on acoustic guitar. Wes Montgomery, all those wicked jazz licks... all thumb. There are lots of guys, I am just too tired to think of them right now. I love playing with my thumb. Sounds awesome and is just right for certain kinds of lines.

The DX model seems much easier to program than the DX7 from which it's inspired. I think the only thing that might keep me from getting one is the price – $799 is a hefty tag, considering you can pick up a DX7 for around $250.

What do you guys think?

I haven't seen a DX7 in good working order for $250 in years... but 800 clams is a lot! The interface better be really intuitive.

Also, that keyboard is pitiful looking! I would expect that an upgrade to the 80s DX7 would be a great Yamaha P-85 style keyboard with realistically weighted keys, good velocity and aftertouch... I want bigger and better, not smaller and more portable.... a bigger keyboard would give more real estate for buttons, sliders, knobs, a nice diplay and jog shuttle... c'mon Yamaha, that looks like a toy.

I think I ALMOST get it now, dude. I feel so old when I have to follow links like the second one.... so old.

I haven't liked him since he went red and black Wolfpac. The less he says, the better.

http://www.ringsidecollectibles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/539644-sting_nwo.jpg

By the way, that was hysterical. I'll bet a lot of our younger members don't even get the joke though!

I would also add that Sting is a hell of a prose writer. His autobiography, "Broken Music," was one of the best things I've ever read by any popular musician. (Admittedly, the bar is pretty low in this category. But it's still a very well-written book, IMO.)

Sting had enough schooling to become a teacher in England. I'm pretty sure that Nikki Sixx, for instance, would benefit from a few grammar lessons from Mr Sting at 'Sumner' school (oh man, that pun was bad, but I had to)....

inb4 Rainbow Machine Master Race

WTF?

who said no one likes Sting... in the words of Stu Copeland, he's a petulant schoolboy.... and I think he's a pretentious tool as a person (and his classical guitar playing and lute playing is a joke, though I appreciate that he's aware that there was pop music before recording technology)... but he's a talented songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist worthy of respect in pop/rock/elevator-jazz genres!

I really enjoyed the album with 'fields of gold' for instance and occasionally still put it on! And the Police. What a significant part of the soundtrack of my childhood. Who can deny the might of the 1st 4 Police albums?

I agree with Nik though, I most respect Stingo's dedication and work ethic. I think he's a Thomas Edison (as am I), 99% perspiration! and I respect that more than anyone born with brilliance!

anymore a Fender branded tele could be built in the same plant a squire branded one anyway...

just in the Russians I can think of civil war, green, black...

Whats funny is that I have played almost every EHX made muff variant over the years before deciding that they all sound the same (or can be set to sound the same) as that first 90s black Russian one I bought in '97, at least in a band context. And also that I don't like them. Took me forever to stop flirting with the silliness of the big muff pi.

hell if I know! I usually run this signal chain: good guitar----> polytune----> vox ac30

if a pedal costs more than 200 bucks I won't buy it. That much money can be the nest egg for a new guitar or can even buy a fixer upper amp at the guitar shows! I would sooner buy upgrade speakers than a fancy effect pedal. purchasing a good celestion or vintage Jensen will do more for your tone than ANY stomp box. I can't believe the kind of money I made when I started liquidating my vintage fuzz pedal collection last year. They were all fun, iconic 60s and 70s effects, but they're just gimmicks. People go crazy for talent-boxes to stomp on.

I stay away from Epis that aren't 90s. When I was a student they weren't too bad. The early Korean ones that used to hang in George's Music in say 1992 were damned good. By the time I wasin highschool I stopped enjoying playing the Epis at George's or the GC that opened around that time. I started asking the GC guys to get me a real Gibson off the expensive wall. I think the Epis were still made in Korea then, not China, but they just weren't as playable? I would say any Epi after '95 be cautious about unless you play it first.

An LP studio from the early 90s is a consistently good guitar at a good price if you like single cutaway carve tops. The later in the 90s you go the more mediocre they get. By the 2000s the only consistently good studios are special edition models that are no longer a great steal. If its dated after, say, '97, try before you buy.

The more wood you have on an instrument and the greater it's contact is to itself, the better the sustain "the notes ring out longer naturally". With modern electronics and amps this isn't too much of an issue though. Dimebag Darrel Abbott for example used some bolt on guitars but he had that amazing scream from them still. A delay with the right settings allowed his to ring out forever. What I believe is more important is that your dexterity and comfort are fitted.

I think bolt ons scream just as well as set-necks if the neck is fitted well. Maybe better. My Stratocaster is a lead guitar monster when I want that kind of sound and that kind of fender neck feel. I think Dimebag is a bad example to use given the extreme amounts of gain he used to achieve his sound. it is a viable signature sound in his genre, but its a very genre specific tone that relies heavily on processing. Even in lower gain sounds, its not fair to use Def Leppard with their racks of gear when advising someone who is sharing a budget tube head with his buddy what guitar to choose to get a nice, full hard rock kinda lead.

Myself, I like to let my hands and the wood do the work. If the amp exhibits some nice natural compression at all levels I'll take it, but otherwise I just want the thing tog et out of the way and to either provide overdrive or not. But I am a vox guy in the Brian May sense of vox.

I prefer 2 options on all my instruments that lower the sustain. I like bolt on necks so that I can easily replace the neck if something happens to it (twisting is an issue in dry Texas weather) and I like super skinny necks. I'm 6'3 and 310 lbs. My hands are large enough that from pinky to thumb is 9 inches. Most people try to throw me fat necked instruments and I cannot stand them. My fingers bend in towards the center of my palm when I bend them, so making large stretches on a neck is not an option for me. I also have a death grip on my neck when I play. A larger neck makes my grip weaker and I feel some techniques become harder for me to do without a strong pinch.

Interesting about your hands. I have very straight, very thin, very flexible fingers. Also while my hands extend 8 inches from palm to middle finger they are MOSTLY middle finger. I also do not grip the neck hard unless I a annoyed with the drummer. I have a super-light 'grip' that doesn't 'grip' really at all. I kinda float. Jazz background. I love bolt-ons... own 3 good ones... they are way easy to work on... but if you maintain your set-necks well they last forever too. I have never needed to straight-up replace the neck on a bolt or had a Gibson become unrepairable. And I have lugged both types of guitar on tour through all sorts of climates in vans or hot trailers!

Something I shoulda said about gibsons is that for some reason their headstocks are prone to snapping off if they are dropped or hit. I hate this tendency because Gibson clones (other than epiphones), guilds and gretches... hamers and PRSes? don't do it unless you are really trying to bust them. I don't know what it is. SO that's Gibson's big downside for a guy who likes the encks big, wants buckers AND isn't opposed to a set neck.

I think in closing, that thing you said about lots of wood causing notes to ring out longer? If its lots of resonant wood that acts as tone filter the notes ring out longer and more musically. Even on a fully solid-bodied instrument. I really find that the better a guitar sustains, the louder it is and the more interesting its sound UNPLUGGED? The better it sounds plugged in. You can't put harmonic complexity back in. Everything about a guitar is a physics experiment in loss of energy.

18, currently....

Try one out at the store, specifically on the bridge pickup. It is worth every penny

I tried a few, but the ones with humbuckers simply sang more than single coils. I can't imagine why, but everytime I played a single-coil, all I heard was a really thin sound.

Wow, dude, when I was 18 I was such a hooligan. Hats off to you for not knowing the LA street people by name at your age. You sound like a good kid.

see, even an American standard tele has mediocre pickups unless its a special version equipped with fancy custom shop stuff. Your average tele pickup should be thinner than a bucker, but it should sing in its own way if its a good pickup. Also, scrawny necks kill sustain.

They usually are for a specific tuor on guitar geek.... also, if it was an older rig, like Dime's (hes been dead ahile now) then the accuracy is maybe not so good. anything before maybe 2003? hit or miss!

hahaha! Cruisin' the strip with the old man. There's something very "Ray Donovan" about the image that conjures for me.

I think you'll make out well doin' it down and dirty in Hollyweird. I don't know whats so distasteful about it to you though. Hollywood has veritas like the Bowery in NY or K&A in Philly (though good luck finding a guitar in Kenzington). Hollywood is really a great place to find a guitar. So many have been pawned by good musicians with bad drug habits (or just bad management) after their failed showcase at the Whiskey!

How old are you?

Anyway Narcist, report back on how your Guitar Center Pasadena trip goes.

I used to want to be a collector but these days I just want a few work horses. I've sold off one of my Takamines and now Im even trying to part with the GE-400. Most people dont know what it is or they think it's fake so they don't want to pay up :)

y'know, collector might have been a strong word... I acquire guitars frequently, some I tire of and don't play enough so I let them go.... no sentimental value! some have to go due to financial woes (my ex-wife was good at generating those situations), then some I play the shit out of and keep and the number of ones I love keeps expanding. I don't have many I would voluntarily part with right now so I feel like a collector. I think I've played 5 different guitars this week alone. I really rotate thru.

I think the mustang bar is a pop-in like a jazzmaster or jaguar, not ascrew in.

My buddy Kenny who works for Collings now used to play a squire hello kitty strat... in a speed metal band :-) I wonder if that's him? I almost bought one for shits and giggles.... maybe I still should!

Trusarts cost quite a stack of greenbacks (not the speakers) and I don't know they are any good as I never have picked one up at a guitar show... I've played the Normandy semi-hollow. It was a good guitar with a unique sound due to its construction. I came close to buying it but it was heavy and bulky for my taste despite its great sound and sexy look. Hindsight being 20/20 I kinda regret letting that guitar go, it was being sold used for a solid price by the good folks at Atomic Music. They probably woulda cut me a better deal if I had asked. Oh well. I just didn't bond with it.

I would play this guitar if it felt good and sounded right.

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/rabbit5.jpg

I would play the angry-rabbit-caster on principle... I am thinking of getting my credit card out right fucking now to order one!

but I get what you are saying to a certain degree... I never like to look at the serials or the hang tags when I try guitars because I don't wanna buy a guitar just because it is a good deal for such-and-such expensive model. I am in the guitar collecting and playing business, not the speculation business (not usually). That said, you will know certain guitars even blindfolded just by shape or finish texture.

The chick they used to have for the metal bands did such a better job.

REBECCA DIRKS??!!

You know that's who he meant... again, Rebecca, if you're reading this I am a nice single dad with good guitar chops and a great gear collection who also enjoys dabbling in journalism :-) We have a lot in common. Give me a ring some time!

He doesn't seem to know a whole lot about the bands or gear they use and he bypasses all of his ignorance with "Cool man" or "Cool, cool".

this... he doesn't research the bands if they're not hyper famous... or he's just a total moron who can't think of anything to say... either is bad! I can't stomach any of the rig rundowns anymore. I miss Rebecca Dirks. She was nice eye candy and very intelligent and well-prepared. If you are reading this Rebecca I am single again and my kid is adorably cute!

You need to go in and have someone put guitars in your hand to see which one feels right to YOU. Do it blindfolded so you can't make any other judgments or decisions beyond how it feels.

that's a lil extreme, but go play a ton of guitars without paying attention to price, from the bottom to the top of the spectrum... if I think a guitar is ugly I am just not going to buy it even if its a really good player and sounds pretty good, aesthetics are important to me as they are to you, Boom.

But seriously, go play some bucker equipped teles and strats at varying price points, go play some Ibanez prestige guitars, play bottom of the line gibbies and even a few historics to feel the difference... make sure to try an SG standard... play some ernie ball music man guitars too and even try some Chinese Epiphones to see what you think of those... try a Charvel or Jackson out! Don't forget Gretsch. Both the Professional series and the cheaper elctromatics.

at the average GC your brand options are limited as are your used options... the sunset strip GC is an exception to that rule though, so consider braving it... on the east coast I would send you to a laundry list of places, but I haven't been to California in a decade so I don't know what store to recommend with a great variety other than sunset GC. Sorry.

https://reverb.com/item/346159-axl-usa-torino

A little conservative in appearance and only a 1 pickup model in the spirit of the LP jr, but the axl stuff is really well made, has a really comfy heel shape for a single-cut with nice, medium shaped necks that are really comfy for everyone. Also, I am a sucker for an intonatable wraparound bridge. If you play mostly rock n roll rhythm this will do the trick for sure.

https://reverb.com/item/655579-hamer-special-1993-cream

I'll bet you could haggle this guy down as the 90s specials are not very collectable, but they are great doublecuts for the money! I promise you there is not a USA Hamer madein the 70s, 0s or 90s that will let you down even if you can't play it first. Everyone who likes Gibsony features likes Hamer once you get them to try one.

https://reverb.com/item/624087-yamaha-sa-1000-1982-brown

or get your chuck berry on with this great old Yamaha... japan produced better semi-hollows, but not at this price point, the pre1985 Yamaha stuff really plays and sounds great.

Guitar Geek is usually spot on with current rigs, stuff that predates the site's inception is variable.

Seriously though, that takamine looks like a decent guitar. Too bad it has a strat trem. I will tolerate it on a strat because its part of the strat thing, but they are not great unless you put 5 springs in them and use them sparingly or block them up completely. That guitar woulda benefited from string-thru-body and a Hamer sustain block sort of hardtail I'll bet. I'm sure its a fine instrument though.

Can you really trust a man who types like that? or his takamine? That seller is probably crazy and has a bad case of the rabies.

While the MIJ takamine electrics seem like cool guitars and the couple I've tried in used gear emporiums played well if you are into their thing, japan produced better all-arounders in your price range, especially now that said takamines are becoming collectable.

don't pull your punches

I actually tried one of these in MD

http://www.normandyguitars.com/

Fun axe. I shoulda bought it.

http://www.jamestrussart.com/

http://www.zemaitis-guitars.com/

Dusenbergs are nice but overpriced. They are like Gibson/Gretsch mutant-hybrids. This one has a James Trusart vibe going with the patinaed metal. Its more of a showpiece than a real #1 for a gigging musician.

Awww man, I remember some great times I had eating Benito's Veggie Burrito and cruisin' for guitars and amps! I got this great Marshall cab on sunset back in the day. Used it as my #1 4x12 for a decade after having her shipped back to philly. Ya never see a cool cab with vintage celestions like that in person anywhere but LA, NYC and Nashville man.

Ya just gotta stare back at the gun-toting pawn store guys. You're a budding hard-ass rocker! Put on your leather jacket and look like you know what you're doing and be ready to haggle.

As for the trannies and junkies loitering around Benito's Burritos? Love those folks. They are harmless and often very witty and amusing. Just hide cash in your boots and keep your wallet in your front pocket. You should go to Bennito's or Del Taco before hitting the GC and pawn shops in Hollyweird just to get in the spirit!

Good answer.... survey SAAAAAAYS....

go Gibson or Japanese Gibson copy. Fat neck. You are built like me. You will find a skinny neck to be fast but fatiguing. I am about 8" end of wrist-joint to middle finger with the mini tape measure on my key chain. Good idea measuring. You might wanna ask guys online about the neck profile of the guitars they are selling. Especially the Japanese ones. The lower models are mostly medium or slender neck shapes. In person, tell the guys at Guitar Center you are looking for guitars with more of a 50s neck shape. They should get it.

I assume you are young so will not experience back issues for many years (hopefully), but I would still try to stay under 9lbs with your guitar purchase. In pauls 8.25 to 8.75 lbs seems to be the best weight range for solid sustain vs complex harmonics. Also, a really heavy gibby will hasten that mid-life back strain! Trust me, I lived it when I was in my late 20s.

Is there still a big GC on sunset in LA? I remember liking that one! Also, all the Hollywood pawn shops have great shit at solid prices or they used to anyway.

"Before mine eyes did one present himself, Who seemed from long-continued silence hoarse."

I haven't met too many boy guitars, but I think yours is a Virgil for sure!

Pet peeve I have, which is pretty common: guitarists who start wanking on their guitar, and I go to ask them a question, and they either outright ignore me as if they're "in the zone" or they look up and stare at me with these dead eyes and keep playing.

It's creepy, and it happens to a lot of fellow guitarists I know, and it annoys the hell out of me.

Guys who really know what they are doing, even famous guys, will chat with you interminably and kick you tips. I once had an hour long conversation outside the TLA with Dean Deleo after an army of anyone show. Super nice guy. Boy were his bandmates pissed! They were ready to leave, but Dean was 'in the zone' sharing his insights with a younger player and tuned his brother and friends out. Granted Dean was no longer holding his guitar at that point, but he gave me the impression that he would take time out from noodling at a guitar store to chat with you.

When I was younger I was 'that guy' in guitar stores. I thought I was hot shit and would go in just to show off. I was a tool and not half as good as I thought I was (though I was flashy back then before I grew the hell up and sopped showing off). If someone has a legitimate question these days I will pause and answer it and non-verbally make it clear that I am willing to stop playing and converse for a little if they want. That said, do NOT ask me "how are you doing that?" or "what song is that?"

so that's another pet-peeve... guys who ask dumb questions at the music store! if you need guitar lessons, offer me some money and make an appointment and if you want to know what I'm playing? Half the time so would I! I am just fuckin' around across as much of the neck as possible to test out a guitar or amp. I am not playing someone's greatest hits and I am not there to entertain the throng for free. I am shopping! You know, like when you were a kid and your mom would drag you to a department store and tell you to wait and behave while she tried on 100 bathing suits that all mystically 'make her look fat' ???? I am sorting a pile of instruments to see if there's one that MAKES ME SOUND FAT across the entire fretboard.

good luck at guitar center... tell them you are not buying or they will be up your ass pushing something that gets them a good commission or whatever it is their personal preference is... also, you are going to take a bath on a used guitar there

if you decide to buy online, stick to the 20-odd guitars I pulled for you... I selected a pile of guitars to help you out because based on year, model and good quality pictures they are most certainly decent guitars in the style you want that can be set-up to play and sound how you want. Also, check all those reverb listings to see if these people offer 7 day return. I forgot to, but most reverb sellers do. If you don't like a guitar you can send it back and you are only out shipping.

Where do you live? I might be able to recommend some stores in your area that are better than GC....

hahahaha, oh god that was a riot!

There have been a couple forum topics asking "what guitar should I buy?" Soe of us have made suggestion and addressed what we consider to be the needs of beginners and intermediate players, but there are some things you need to address with us (the experienced dudes) in order to get a really satisfactory answer. Here goes!

1) what kind of music do you plan to play with it or do you need a jack of all trades?

2) what kind of amp are you using?

and most importantly...

3) what's your build?

For instance, I am about 6' tall in my dan post boots, weigh 135 lbs soaking wet with an un-athletic physique but have surprisingly strong shoulders, arms and hands. Though I am pretty strong for such a fine-boned individual I am prone to lower back pain and need to be careful about messenger bags (man purses) and back packs. Heavy guitars are not good for me as an only instrument because of this. I also have some of the longest, skinniest fingers you will ever see... growing out of very square (but slender) palms.

If you are 5'6", stocky, have short, chubby fingers and no history of back problems you may not play well on my Fender Esquire with the giant neck... and the light weight may not be a selling point for you! You can support a lot more guitar than I can because you have a heavier build and a lower center of gravity! If you have small palms you may want a slimmer neck profile. If you have short and skinny fingers you might want a thinner nut width with tighter string spacing.

You are asking because you don't know these things, but if you describe your needs and yourself you can get better guitar answers from those of us who have owned a lot of guitars....

Get it, guitar seekers? You need an affordable desert island axe? Tell us about yourself!