Can't go wrong with either one of those guitars, I'd recommend the Squire strat as the neck feels better in your hand IMO. If you're wanting to play hard rock/metal stuff the inbanez pickups typically handle high gain tones better and the fretboard is flat to accommodate fast playing.

If you don't mind spending a little more money I'd highly recommend the BOSS katana 50. It's a tad much for bedroom playing but it's got a ton of features to dial in a litany of tones and you can customize them with a computer software they have.

Anyone else wasted this whole quarantine bullchit and not make any guitar gains? Wrote like 2 songs but too lazy to record and mix.. Bored af of working on technique

I remember when I was like 15 I had the focus and mental energy to play for 6 hours a day and actually improve, now I lose it after 30 min..

After spending a few weeks learning how to get a decent tone on the axe fx, I’ve been having a blast playing along to songs and working on technique. Averaging three or more hours a day, most since I was a teenager. The one thing I haven’t been doing is writing, but that’ll come in time.

It's hard to recommend stuff without a budget.

I would recommend buying used gear for sure. Lots of people buy guitars and amps with the intention of learning to play and it ends up sitting around gathering dust.

For guitars I would get a used Ibanez, a mexican strat, or an epiphone les paul.

For an amp, I would go with a Yamaha THR10.

350 dollars max (for everything)

Thx for the suggestions.

That's cool man, sounds like you got the axe at the right time.. What's your go to lead tone amp?

How did you specifically get it dialed in and did the studio monitors make the process easier?

I’ve been switching in between a Diezel Herbert (using that a lot) and a Marshall AFD type tone, depending on the mood. I’ve got a few other tones (EVH 5153, Recto, etc), but those two are the most fun right now. For leads, the Herbert just seems to have a mid range thickness that makes it stand out. I can’t imagine how good the real thing must sound in the room.

My biggest problem with the unit at first was that all the high gain tones were either too fizzy, or the bass flubbed out. It was driving me insane to the point where I considered returning it. I’m glad I stuck with it, as a few things seemed to help

1. I tried out a LOT of the built in IRs, and picked one that used an overhead mic, and one that was close mic’d. I went into the deep parameters and played with the amount of “in room” sound that came through. (That in itself solved a lot of the issues). I also adjusted the smoothing/mic distance until it sounded closer to how a cab should sound (to me). I wish it didn’t require all that, but I guess it’s good for having complete control over the sounds you want.

2. Started to understand the balance between “input gain” and “master volume” and how too much of one or the other can put you in the fizz or the flub, depending on the amp. Some amps aren’t meant for cranked input gain and vice versa. That’s my own fault for not having experience with a lot of different types of amps.

3. Most of the amps need the bass turned down, and that’s the opposite of what I’ve been doing since I live in a condo and can rarely turn my amps up loud. That bass gets cranked to help fill the void of the power tubes barely working. Clearly, the amps on the axe don’t need that. Again, my lack of knowledge is to blame.

4. After setting the amp eq, the 10 band is a fine tuner, not the major tone shaper (which I was doing)

The monitors are fantastic, they’ve made every part of this process fun. The level of detail in music and the tones,
is so shocking. One of the best purchases I’ve made in years. I especially like that I don’t get the same level of ear fatigue as if I was playing through an amp and cab.

N. 2 is a game changer. Leon Todd has a video about how much master volume can change the tone (depending on the amp model).. Btw try the Shiva for lead tones, very underrated amp..

Awesome. With analog there's always the temptation to buy another pedal or amp but the Axe helps rein that in because every tone you want is in that box so it's just a matter of dialing them in. It's great you're learning quickly.

I've mentioned this before but since you've got a ridiculous amount of CPU to play with I'd experiment with running two amps in stereo, maybe one cleaner sounding and the other more saturated, one darker using more distant mics and one brighter with close miking and play around with the levels until you like the blend. I got the idea from a Steve Stevens demo. It creates a complex tone that you can't get from one amp. A stereo rig like that in the analog world costs a lot especially once you factor in different cabs and mics, isolating everything, etc. The Fractal makes it a piece of cake.

Great suggestion, I went in and tried it without tweaking much, and it’s a really good singing tone

Lol. I just got one amp to finally start sounding good, I’m not sure I can handle two


If I’m not back in two weeks, I’m still adjusting levels

Definitely don't want to overcomplicate things for you but I think when you try it you'll really like the results. Once I dialed it in I haven't changed my rig in a year. The only thing I added was a Metropoulos boost pedal which is always on because it sounds so good and another boost with two gain stages (RC) so it's more like a 3 channel amp: off, gain 1, gain 1+2. I'm done. Haven't considered any new gear.

I have the one tube preamp tone (along with some EQ) going into separate power amp models and double mic'd 4x12 IRs in stereo panned around 10 and 2 o'clock. One is darker with a little more gain and the other is brighter and more open sounding. Sounds massive when combined especially with stereo delays. The Axe-FX III makes this kind of setup easy and of course you can do even more tweaking with different preamp tones.

We were talking a while back about Bonamassa's old rig with 4 amps — two on at the same time. Same concept.

wait.. wut



I mean, he's so expressive though

As much I can't stand JM the person, as a guitarist he kinda fits my definition of a natural. His phrasing, his ability to do Charlie Hunter-esque bass lines while comping and soloing over it at the same time, and his songwriting/melodic sensibilities are all very impressive to me. His playing seems almost always on point and very musical for lack of a better term.

Yeah I was thinking to myself it'd be a great time to make some gains but the motivation just hasn't been there. I used to bang out 1-2 hours everyday when I was first starting but now I'm to the point where I can learn songs pretty easily, but it's hard to force myself to get more into theory and start making my own.

I keep meaning to buy a looper but can't seem to pull the trigger on one

Need some help from you guys. I've wanted to pick up the guitar since I was a teenager but never really had the time, and I was a drummer. I've been ready to commit for awhile now, but have held off due to some mixed advice. I've been doing as much research I possibly can, and have gone to a few local shops (unfortunately bad experience due ti someone trying to take advantage of a "novice"). I know I want to start with electric, and my tastes are all over the place on sound (I enjoy good music regardless of genre). Budget is pretty wide open within reason. I have money to pay for it, but I also don't feel the need to invest thousands until I have time and training. I really like the look of les pauls , but I'm open to anything

I appreciate the advice in advance. I've been bombarded with so many conflicting suggestions lol

Brah i'm in the fuk theory crew.. You don't need that chit to write music at all.. Also tried to learn it like 10 times throughout the years but always get bored when I have to memorize anything.. Loopers are actually a better way to jam out some ideas and then actually write a full song from there.

Since you're starting at 0 there is no point in trying out different guitars to see what feels comfortable… So I would just get a Squier strat or an epiphone les paul, get it professionally set up and go from there.. A properly setup $200 guitar is amazing these days.

If you're serious about playing I would also get a small versatile practice amp like the katana or you can just use software for effects which is way cheaper but you need sound monitors.

Also in terms of picking electric or acoustic, I think you'll eventually dabble in both in your guitar journey.. I started classical, developed pretty good fingerpicking skills but then moved to electric, but still like 50% of what I play is finger picked and my songs are structured like classical music, even on the electric.. So what I'm saying is whatever instrument you start with is probably going to be ingrained into your muscle memory for good and you will hear its remnants decades after, even if you switch styles and instrument.

I wanna get serious about recording and writing music, I noodle around too much.

Ordered everything in this video, any other suggestions. I need to actually spend time composing and songwriting.

Yeah I feel that. I know I'll never commit to fully understanding theory, but the thought of "figuring it out" feels overwhelming. Like some people noodle around enough and learn the neck that way but my analytical brain needs to know the structure of it. Also knowing chord progressions and how to implement them and what voicings to use ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh makes my head want to explode

for instance Mark Holcomb doesn't know chit about theory yet wrote this



I can't fathom how someone just comes up with progressions like that without any knowledge of theory

Just bought this ugly ass guitar, should be here in June lol


By training his ear.. Figuring chit out without tabs and slowing music down.. Relating shapes and patterns to sounds and not memorization and theory.. Theory and ear training are both paths that require patience and practice but imo ear method guitarists always write better chit..
I feel like the only advantage theory gives you is easier communication with other musicians.. As a bedroom guitarist I probably have 0 use for that..

How long have you been playing? It's been a year and a half for me and I'm starting to be able to cover some simpler songs that I like but I also feel I need to learn the theory but honestly just haven't had the discipline to do so. I'm learning on my own through tutorial videos and tabs and like you say, theory just seems so monumental and daunting from the 'outside'. I keep dragging my feet but I'll get to it eventually.

Has anyone here used the 2i2 by Focusrite? Been thinking of getting one to better be able to record covers / practice vids at home. I currently just record them on my iphone with the mic headphones attached but the sound isn't all that great. Would the 2i2 at $150 (new 3rd gen.) be a good value for money option for this?

Those entry level 2 in/2 out interfaces are all similar in quality. A good microphone for miking acoustic guitar or vocals will make much more of a difference along with decent mixing skills.

Keep in mind some guitarists like to bullsh*t fans on how much theory they know. I don't think there's anything wrong with learning theory provided it doesn't detract from your enjoyment of picking up the instrument. For me it took a lot of the guesswork out of music and I could quickly identify the sounds I like and it helps with ear training. I don't see any downsides.

I've noticed this a lot especially in the Metal world. They know a decent amount of theory all they really need. Now they're not theory gods and so usually just say 'I don't know much about theory'

2:47 "I couldn't show you the major scale if you put a gun to my head."

Not even 5 minutes later…

"Now combine the major third with the flatted fifth…"

Yeah I get that, it's just impressive how much practice it must take to get to that point. I agree about them writing better music

About 3 1/2 years, and I'm with you on the discipline part. It feels overwhelming diving into it so I'll just practice some songs I'm working on covering usually

Yeah that's my thing I dont like it to be just a guess work/trying things out until it sounds good I like to know why it sounds good. But I definitely get some people just have the knack to figure it out on their own

Thanks for the input! Should have specified that this would be for electric only as I don't have an acoustic yet and I definitely don't plan on doing vocals lol.
Nice man, can't wait to see where I'll be after 3.5 years. What kind of stuff have you been playing? For me it's mostly been some easier metal songs. As for the discipline, that's the hardest part of getting good at anything.

If it's just to mic an amp or go direct for modeling software then a simple interface is fine.

The only reason to spend more is for more inputs, better preamps for condenser mics, and lower latency. I use a Steinberg UR44 for 3 stereo pairs in and also wanted something that could run off its own power supply.

yeah that's what some of the review vids were saying. Seems like a good entry point for someone in my position. think i'll have to cop it

This man puts out some great content.

lol