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If you are interested in rocking out or playing guitar in a band, the electric guitar is the right choice. Today I will attempt to detail the pros of an electric guitar when compared to an acoustic. First of all, the electric is much nicer to your arms and fingers. You don’t have to strum or pluck hard at all in order to get a loud sound from your amplifier. It has been said before that the acoustic guitar is more difficult to play than the electric. Reasoning is that the electric has lighter strings which are easier to press down. Also it can be safely said that you can do more to manipulate the sound of your guitar with an electric than an acoustic. Electric guitars were made to be played with an amplifier whereas many acoustics where made to be played without any assistance. There are more knobs and buttons associated with an Electric guitar but I assure you it is worth it. If you take some time in the beginning to become properly acquainted with all your guitar and amplifier has to offer, it will make learning down the road far easier.

If you think of your favorite rock song, there is a good chance that your favorite part of the song is one of the guitar solos. Guitar solos are generally kept to electric guitars. If you would like to one-day rock one of those solos, then the electric is the right choice for you. Keep in mind that acoustics tend to be strummed more and you tend to play chords more on acoustics whereas electrics you tend to play guitar leads and chords.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, guitars, shopping, vs

Lets start out with a simple question: Which is better, the acoustic guitar or the electric? In your mind I’m sure you have already chosen your answer if you have had experience practicing and playing both types of guitar. However for those of you who are not sure whether they should take up acoustic or electric, read on. There are several benefits to both types of guitar. The only guitar I have ever owned has been an acoustic guitar. Right off the bat there are a few distinct advantages to an acoustic. First of all, the only thing you have to buy is the guitar itself as opposed to an electric guitar where you have to buy the guitar and amplifier etc. Also when you are bringing your guitar anywhere, it is much more convenient to simply be able to play your guitar without having to plug into a power source somewhere. Acoustic guitars are great for playing at the beach or anywhere for that matter. It is also quite nice to be able to pluck the strings of an acoustic guitar and to hear the beautiful harmonious sounds and the vibration that comes from nothing more than your hand stroking across the strings. I personally enjoyed the soothing feel of an acoustic guitar compared to an electric. In the end, it really comes down to what kind of music you want to play. If you want soothing relaxation or romance music, the acoustic is right for you. However if you want to rock out with some metal, then you have no choice but to purchase the electric.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, guitars, shopping, vs

I can't help but recognize that everyone likes to get a deal. Furthermore people tend to be ecstatic when they can find a quality product at a favorable price. Today I wanted to begin blogging by discussing the cheapest possible way to procure musical equipment, or anything else for that matter. The medium that I speak of is Ebay.com. Surely you have heard of the online sales giant but if your knowledge of Ebay is similar to most peoples, you might not realize that Ebay is a great place to get both new and used musical equipment alike. If you were in the market for a used Les Paul guitar you would probably go to Ebay right away. However people tend to forget about Ebay when they are considering purchasing something brand new. When I typed into the search on Ebay.com "new Les Paul" I was astonished to find 355 results from the search engine. This is where most people give up on Ebay and go to a brick and mortar storefront. With Ebay you will have to do a little more legwork yourself - you will have to comb through several auctions to find the best possible price. However if you can do so, you will pay significantly less than you would at prominent music supply shops and online venders.

For those of you reading, I urge you to take the Ebay test. If you have a musical item of interest, go browsing on Ebay. You will likely find that there are some great deals to be found on new and used equipment alike.

Labels: ebay, guitars, les paul, shopping, thrifty

I am a hobby musician. I’ve been "playing" guitar for several years on an old acoustic guitar, but I know the electric guitar would suit my style better. So, I jumped online and began shopping around.

First of all; there are too many choices to make when it comes to buying an electric guitar. What brand, what kind of pickups, the wattage on your future amplifier, how many add –ons do you need, and on and on… That being said; finding someone who can help, someone who wants to help, can be very important. You don’t want to spend $1000 as a beginner, when you may find that the setup you got into isn’t the one you’re really into (especially as a hobby player). That’s where the help comes in.

You go to your local guitar shop and start with some basic questions. The sales people there are willing to help as long as it suits them. Very rarely will you find someone who’s willing to say, "I think you want this, but it’s not something that we carry: check these guys out." Usually the sales person is trying to convince you to buy something that the shop has in stock or will earn them a nice commission. This can lead to buying more than you need or the guitar that they want… Not good at all.

Shopping online has its own pitfalls. The information on any guitar can be too limited and sometimes online research is too time consuming. Great; the guitar I’m looking into has EMG 85 and Gibson Dirty Fingers Pickups, but what does that even mean to me? So, you want to talk to someone, right? Well, call those 1-800 numbers and get your fingers ready to do some talking because in most cases you’ll be pushing button for several minutes before you speak with a human being. After you get through you’ll be speaking with a salesman again who may not know how to help you.

All of this adds up and can deter the hobby player from buying a guitar at all. I found my own solution which I can describe in one sentence. Guitar Packages at American Musical Supply. Ok, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted or needed yet, so I called that dreaded 800 number and guess what? A person answered the phone (there are PEOPLE there 24/7)! It was a sales person, but a very knowledgeable one. Furthermore, when I asked some questions about the sound of a specific guitar I was put in touch with a real musician who had experience with that guitar!

I ended up with an Epiphone Les Paul Special II Players Electric Guitar Package that just rules! I knew I liked the Les Paul Body style, but sound is a bit more important to me. I explained just what I was looking for and that’s what I got. Even more; I got a guitar with the sound AND looks I was after! The package came with everything I needed to get going; the guitar (of course), amp, gig bag, tuner, picks, strap, and even an instructional DVD (which my friends tell me I should get around to checking out). All that and I had the choice of buying on the phone (great for questions that come up on the fly) or online. I can keep gushing: their easy pay plans are awesome (check it out, really – most musicians can’t find two pennies to rub together).

For a beginner or a hobby player the guitar packages are the way to go and for my business American Musical Supply has some of the best customer service around!

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, amplifier, electric guitars, emg 85, Ephiphone Les Paul Gibson, ephipone les paul special performance pack, gibson, gibson dirty fingers pickups, guitar packages, guitars

I'm currently watching "Heavy; the story of metal" and it got me thinking...

What bands are heavy metal, and what bands are not? For example, a band like Motorhead is obviously metal... but what about Van Halen? I'd say they are more hard rock. But many would say they are metal as well.

Is metal a big enough style that it'll be around in 40 years? (obviously not in the form it is today.) Personally, I see metal as the one style of music teenagers will ALWAYS relate to. One day they are into hip-hop, then pop, unplugged rock (college radio, alternative rock type stuff,) and on and on... but metal has always been found in the hallways of high school America since the 70's and 80's.

Should they have their own hall of fame/awards show? Too many great artists get overlooked because the mainstream industry ignores them for what ever is popular at the time. Case in point. The Metallica/Jethro Tull Grammy award fiasco. Many of the hair metal bands are all sold short of their talent (Queensryche, Def Leppard, etc.) and of course Black Sabbath having to wait way too long before being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.

Heavy Metal is a lost art form. If those bands wanted air play they needed to sing a ballad and a lot of them caved in, while others didn't make much of their time in the spotlight.

Ok, but what about some of the bands of today... Disturbed is the new version of a metal band that could test time. They are just one great album away. Sickness was good, but it's far from being in the same category as "Master of Puppets" or "Paranoid." But before a lot of metal bands would keep on punching out albums without a ton of air play and make it. Now a lot of bands that don't get air play seem to quit after one song doesn't bring in the cash.

I think bands are given one shot by major record labels, and then they are given the axe which means no air-play, but they continue to produce albums. You just never hear about them again unless you are in an area they are based in. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath all were established. I think Metallica did more for the "non-glam" metal then just metal overall, which is why I think so many of their fans became upset at them. Metallica was "ours" and not the masses. The masses were too busy listening to Ozzy, Ratt, Van Halen, and so on. So when Metallica went more commercial, a lot of fans felt they turned their backs on them. The people who built them and created all the buzz about a band who (at one time) had 3 albums on the top 100 without hardly any radio play. Then "And Justice..." came out, and with the song "One" radio took notice. Then came the commercially done black album. At that moment, the old fans could see the writing on the wall... Metallica was moving on, into a new direction. Then came "Load" and the deal was done. Metallica was no longer the great garage band that was making it... now they were just like every other metal act. And because of that, Metallica (as much as I still like them) will NEVER be the band they once were.

So with the "non-glam" bands, people started to branch out to bands like Megadeath, Anthrax and Pantera after finding Metallica. Which translated into those bands having hits as well as getting airplay?

So it begs the questions what is metal? Well metal may just be picking up your favorite axe and playing that heavy riff in your garage. Playing Iron Man or Seek and Destroy on a ESP LTD KH202 Kirk Hammett Electric Guitar may be just what Metal means to you... Metal is the chance to turn on that amp and pluck those strings. Metal is the chance to look authority in the face and say...well you know the rest!!!!

Labels: alternative rock, college radio, guitars, heavy metal, hip-hop, kirk hammett electric guitar, metallica jethro tull grammy awards, music genre, unplugged rock

For the beginning guitarist, a guitar package is a wise investment. Guitar packages come with everything one could need when learning to play the guitar. The main choice when looking for one of these packages is between an electric and an acoustic package. When making this decision, consider what type of music you want to learn. The future rock-and-roll star may want to focus on an electric guitar package because of the included amplifier, making it easier to play along with a band or add effects such as overdrive. If you are striving to become the next singer/songwriter or play traditional tunes, an acoustic guitar package maybe what you are looking for.

You may notice that there are many electric guitar packages to choose from and the differences tend to be personal preference. The guitars themselves really depend on the look of the guitar and the pickup configuration. Two of the most popular styles of electric guitar would be the Squier Stratocaster (Fender) and the Epiphone Les Paul (Gibson). The Stratocaster displays three single coil pickups that provide a smooth mid-range type of sound and the Les Paul features two humbucker pickups that exhibit a hotter, edgier sound. It is really hard to go wrong with any electric guitar package choice.

Acoustic guitar packages tend to be a little easier to decipher because of their what you see is what you get contents. The acoustic guitar usually comes in two choices: Acoustic and Acoustic Electric. The acoustic electric guitar is just like the standard acoustic guitar but includes an electronic pickup system that allows you to plug the guitar into an amplifier.

Both of these package types usually include a wealth of accessories including picks, straps, cables, amplifiers (with electric packages), tuners and more. Some great online stores provide quality choices of each type of package including American Musical Supply and Electricguitar.com.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic electric guitars, electric guitars, Ephiphone Les Paul Gibson, fender, gibson, guitar packages, guitars, humbucker pickups, les paul, shopping, single coil pickup, Squier Stratocaster Fender, wish list