What do you play?

Wow lots of musicians here. I play guitar And mandolin

I am a guitar player turned baritone ukulele player.

Yes, I play blues guitar, manly slide.  Have an album out if anyone is interested :slight_smile:

I play bass and guitar and sometimes will write in software too. Gigged from 19 till I was about 28 in various projects. Just picked myself up one of the new fender marauders and a mustang 3 amp. been asked to join two new projects so it may well happen again. I get very fussy. I won’t just play, it has to really exite me musically to want to do it. Could never go the covers band route it would bore me to tears

I played bass for about 10 years in various metal bands, later had to quit as work took it´s toll in sparetime :(  have to find a bit to start playing again!

I bought a ukulele a couple of years ago, thanks to a thread that was started on here. I’ve played a few sets, and am improving, I’ll never be a Jake Shimabakuro but I really love that instrument. I’ve had a guitar for years but could never get into it, for starters my hands were to small, so a ukulele was perfect. Also play harmonica at a good standard.

Stefan

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=349695771754110

 This should work one electronic song I made a while ago. Primarily I’am a musician secondily I’am a bass player. :slight_smile:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=349686261755061

@TomStrasbourg:  I can identify with the GAD, even at this early stage.  I haven’t even had my guitar a week, and already I’m drooling over pics of Taylors and Seagulls online. :slight_smile:

Been playing guitar for quite a while, and bought myself a 5 string banjo about a year ago. 

I’ve added a uke since this thread came out in 09. I was surprised to find it a nice little instrument to play Spanish type stuff on, on the lower register. First thing I transcribed was ‘while my guitar gently weeps’ although it doesn’t sound quite as good as the Jake Shimabukuro version;) 

I’m planning to get a Uke soon. It seems like such a fun little instrument.

If you can play the guitar it will take ten minutes to play by ear, obviously longer if you bother learning the chords, I just use it for doodling on and for that it is great. If you play lead it’s a nice finger exercising tool, which is mostly how I use it, no need to plug in, stand up whatever, I just pluck it off the the top of my bookshelf where it lives if I can’t be bothered getting my strat.

I used to play a trumpet, then I focused on my first love --SINGING! (I’m a bass.)

Mostly a cappella and close harmony. (I just LOVE Doo Wop and Barbershop.)

I have been know to dabble with a chromatic harmonica from time to time.

I have been messing about with a friend’s acoustic guitar and have decided I want to take the plunge and buy my own to learn on. Any recommendations for a good and fairly cheap acoustic guitar for a beginner?

Any shop should be able to tell you. I recommend avoiding chain music stores and going for local smaller stores. They should be able to talk you through a good purchase definatily check around. If you’re in the State College PA area the guy with long red hair (he’s my brother) at Rainbow Music is a wizard at helping people find what they are looking. I guess the reason I say that is there are lots of good choices and a lot of ins and outs that make the diffrence between a good guitar for what you’re looking for and the perfect. It might also be advisable to go a few notches above what you’re looking for because you’ll almost certainily want something more after you’ve played for a while. One last piece of advice. Guitar quality works on deminishing returns. What I mean is the quality increase from 300 to 500 is bigger then 500 to 800 and after about 1000 you’re paying a lot for improvements most people can’t even notice or really care about. So something in the middle price range is probably what will make you happiest. And just like snuff if you like it and it works for you that is what matters. And try before you buy because each guitar like a person is an individual and sometimes what shouldn’t be great has a tone to die for and sometimes something that should be great just isn’t. Hope that helps.

Check pawn shops is your area for a good price on a decent guitar. Take someone with you who plays and can recognize a good instrument.

All of the above is good advise.

A well made reasonably priced acoustic, in my opinion, is Seagull.

The great thing about picking up the guitar nowadays is that it’s far easier to buy a good instrument to learn on than it was 35 years ago when I started. Electric guitars were either the real deal or what we used to call ‘copies’ which were cheap things that looked like Strats or Gibsons, usually LP or SG and they were pretty diabolical. Now you can get really great instruments for a fraction of the price of a name guitar. Same with acoustics. My advice would be whatever you do go to the store with someone who plays, most stores are friendly and live on their reputations so ripping beginners off is relatively rare, but having a player with you is very handy when the guy in the store says ‘I’ll leave you to play it awhile’, because whatever he has said about the instrument will have gone straight out of your head, because it’s always slightly intimidating buying something you know nothing about, and your friend can then give it the once over and let you know if it’s going to be any good for you to learn on. 

The only part of Bob’s post I would slightly differ from is that large stores, with big turnovers of stock are sometimes great places to get deals if they want to move old stock off their shelves - but, you do need someone with you who knows their stuff. Smaller stores can be great but sometimes they will price a bit higher and might not have the choice. Don’t buy the first pertty thing you see and take your time; you are doing them the favour not the other way round. In most respects think about buying your first car from a dealer, lots of the things you would tell a young person about to get their first car holds true for musical instruments.

And when you can play a bit, and you want your second instrument, find out whats on the banned tunes list in the locals stores before you go and debut your painstakingly learnt ‘Stairway to heaven’ for the sales staff;)

Gibson SG 61’ reissue, Fender tex/mex strat, Epiphone Casino, Epiphone EJ200 jumbo, Ibanez acoustic electric 12 string (she is a beaut, but I always break that frickin high G) I am going to restring her this week and tune it down a half step at least. A Dean ganjo, and a Fender Jaguar bass.