New kid on the block...
Bass guitar wasn't the first musical instrument I ever played, but it is the one I love playing the most and the one with which I feel I can best express myself. I also play acoustic guitar, and I enjoy it, but I don't think of myself as a guitar player. I always think of myself as bass player temporarily playing guitar. I've never been in a band where I played guitar, though I've sat in on guitar with other musicians for fun. Last year, we had an event at work that required some musical entertainment. And a group of us got together for a few rehearsals and played a set of covers for the event. A bassist had already signed on, so I sat in on acoustic. We were well received, and this year, we've been asked to play again.
I decided to step out a bit and play electric this time around, but I didn't have an electric at the time, other than my weird old Kay semi-hollowbody--a guitar found in a dumpster and given to me by a neighbor, who thought I might fix it up and enjoy it. Back in the early 90s, I briefly owned a Squire Telecaster, so I started reading reviews on the net and found most people had high praise for the Squier Telecaster Custom. Since I'm not really a guitarist, I didn't want to drop a lot of money on a guitar. But because I am a musician, I knew I wouldn't be able to play something crappy. So the goal was to find something cheap that didn't suck.
After reading some reviews, I went to a local music store and tried out the Tele Custom; I liked it instantly. I'd always liked the 70s style Tele's, but I feared the humbucker in the bridge would ruin the classic Tele twang. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, on this guitar at least, it doesn't hurt at all. And, in contrast, soloing the neck pickup provides a really beefy sound, good for leads. The two pickups run together give a nice rhythm jangle. The instrument itself plays well and is suprisingly well put together.
Slumming on guitar provides its onw set of challenges. Since I'm a bassist, I'm used to pressing the strings down a lot harder than is necessary on the electric guitar. On the acoustic, this isn't much of a problem, as acoustic strings are fairly heavy anyway. But the Tele came with cheap, insanely light strings. After a consultation with my friend Page (of Vore fame), I decided to try some Dean Markley's on it. I gave their Blue Steels a shot. I bought a "JZ" set (short for "jazz," I think), which are 12-54's. They only make one heaver set in that line, the "DT" set, designed for metal guys who tune way down. I strung up and intonated the Tele last night. I have a rehearsal today, so I'll get to put them through their paces, but so far, I'm quite pleased. The sound, which was good even with the flyweight strings, is much improved, and I'm having a much easier time keeping it in tune.
I decided to step out a bit and play electric this time around, but I didn't have an electric at the time, other than my weird old Kay semi-hollowbody--a guitar found in a dumpster and given to me by a neighbor, who thought I might fix it up and enjoy it. Back in the early 90s, I briefly owned a Squire Telecaster, so I started reading reviews on the net and found most people had high praise for the Squier Telecaster Custom. Since I'm not really a guitarist, I didn't want to drop a lot of money on a guitar. But because I am a musician, I knew I wouldn't be able to play something crappy. So the goal was to find something cheap that didn't suck.
After reading some reviews, I went to a local music store and tried out the Tele Custom; I liked it instantly. I'd always liked the 70s style Tele's, but I feared the humbucker in the bridge would ruin the classic Tele twang. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, on this guitar at least, it doesn't hurt at all. And, in contrast, soloing the neck pickup provides a really beefy sound, good for leads. The two pickups run together give a nice rhythm jangle. The instrument itself plays well and is suprisingly well put together.
Slumming on guitar provides its onw set of challenges. Since I'm a bassist, I'm used to pressing the strings down a lot harder than is necessary on the electric guitar. On the acoustic, this isn't much of a problem, as acoustic strings are fairly heavy anyway. But the Tele came with cheap, insanely light strings. After a consultation with my friend Page (of Vore fame), I decided to try some Dean Markley's on it. I gave their Blue Steels a shot. I bought a "JZ" set (short for "jazz," I think), which are 12-54's. They only make one heaver set in that line, the "DT" set, designed for metal guys who tune way down. I strung up and intonated the Tele last night. I have a rehearsal today, so I'll get to put them through their paces, but so far, I'm quite pleased. The sound, which was good even with the flyweight strings, is much improved, and I'm having a much easier time keeping it in tune.
posted by Wheat at 6:45 AM
1 Comments:
Necessity is the mother of invention, and Frank Zappa, of course, was the father of the Mothers of Invention.
(Sorry to resort to a cliché, but I had to do something to purge the New Kids on the Block image you inadvertently placed in my mind. And Zappa, well, you know…)
Rock on, Wheat.
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