“So you want to be a rock and roll star?
Then listen now to what I say
Just get an electric guitar
Then take some time and learn how to play
And with your hair swung right
And your pants too tight, it’s gonna be alright
Then it’s time to go downtown
Where the agent man won’t let you down
Sell your soul to the company
Who are waiting there to sell plastic ware
And in a week or two if you make the charts
The girls will tear you apart
The price you paid for your riches and fame
Was it all a strange game? You’re a little insane
The money, the fame, and the public acclaim
Don’t forget who you are, you’re a rock and roll star”
So You Want to be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star – The Byrds
It seems like everybody who I talk to who plays the guitar tells me exactly the same thing … “You can’t have too many guitars!”
I guess that they would have to be right since I now have eight guitars, four amps, eight pedals and … each one of them sounds entirely different from the other.
For what it is worth, I have started to buy more used gear, generally on ebay but, I did by one guitar locally via Facebook. It is also important to note that I have learned the hard way that you do get what you pay for. Excellent condition quality used gear can cost half of new while at the same time being a far better guitar or amp than a lower quality new component that would cost you the same amount of money. Or, in some cases … even more.
It was time for pedals … distortion, overdrive, fuzz, reverb, chorus, boost, looper, and wah. I haven’t figured out the wah yet (trying is on hold). I liken it to rubbing your belly while patting your head and jumping from foot to foot.
Then there are the power supplies, a line conditioner, and various cables and connectors. I bought cheap with each of these and then later determined that you get what you pay for and upgraded them all. Even a cable can change the sound.
Each fully electric guitar and may have eight or more adjustable settings. Add in pedals (often more than one) that each have multiple adjustable knobs and then put all of it on an amp with adjustable knobs times two or more separate channels. Now you try finding that signature Clapton or Neil Young sound.
My new tube amp? It is tube on the clean channel and solid state on the “voices” which are 16 amp models that have been pre-programmed in. Effects such as delay, reverb, and more can be used on either channel. I am in love with this thing and now I know why most guitarists prefer tubes over solid state! The sound is awesome and it plays very well with my pedals.
Really, playing and electric guitar is really no different from playing an acoustic other than the electronic settings but, if only it were that easy. You are going to encounter technical issues due to guitar setups and components and then there is unwanted (and not normal) noise such as hissing and humming.
Is it being caused by a grounding issue, the guitar, the cable, or the amp? How about your t.v., WiFi, fluorescent light, cordless phone, or dirty power? 100 different possible causes. If, like me, you are short on knowledge and patience … it’s a frickin’ nightmare! Thank God for Google!
In the end, it comes down to just a few simple things …
Practice consistently
Be patient
Experiment
Be willing to ask for help
I now find myself at stage 4 and I have hired an instructor. I did sell a couple of guitars and two amps. Of course, this left slots for replacements. You will be relieved that this will finish this article series unless I make it to a stage. In other words, this is The End (The Doors – C, D. G, G7 – EZ).
Craig M. Jamieson
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