Guitar advice

[Laughing Penguin]

I know at least a few people around here play, so I thought i'd ask...

During a recent cleanup around the house, I've unearthed my old electric guitar. Now, I haven't even laid eyes on this thing in a very long time, so picking it up now is pretty close to what it was like picking it up for the first time. I don't even have a full set of strings for it right now (the top 2 would seem to break very easily, as I recall, one of the reasons I stopped playing with it).

I read once that with starter guitars (and i'm pretty sure this qualifies) that it can be worthwhile to have someone who knows better to help set it up. Especially considering that it's been squirreled away for so long and the issue I used to have with strings breaking, do you think it would be worth bringing it into a shop to have someone get it back into fighting shape? If so, how much should I expect to pay for such a service?

Also, if i'm starting to pick it back up again, does anyone have any resources they'd recommend to get my feet wet again? Websites, books, anything? I don't think I really have the budget to pay someone for lessons right now, so anything I could use to poke around on my own would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Aggort]

I strongly urge you to get that thing tuned. It was horrible for my friend who had gotten into playing only to find out his guitar wasn't in tune.

[Wackman3000]

It will need more than a tuning, depending on how you stored it. Chances are if you just threw it in a crawlspace or something similar, you may have warping on the fretboard and all along the neck.

Take it to a decent shop around your area (do some research locally) and get an honest opinion as to it's actual condition. If it's too far gone, you might be better off with a new one.

In all honesty, learning to play on a crappy guitar is a nightmare. If it goes out of tune constantly or doesn't produce a good sound, all it does is lead to the user getting defeated much earlier.

As for learning to play again, I found myself to become a decent little side guitarist by just reading the tabs of songs I liked and practice practice practice. Don't really remember any of the good websites for the tabs, but I'm sure a quick google search should net you some decent results.

[Thanasimos]

My advice for how to deal with the guitar -- well, I don't have much. Chances are your neck is in poor shape, and it will certainly need to be tuned. If the strings are breaking too soon, check out the saddles for wear and either file them down or replace them. If you don't have a good sense of relative pitch, steady hands, and a fair bit of time, taking care of a lot of stuff, like intonation (which will to be done) will be best accomplished at a shop, as well as adjusting the truss rod to correct neck issues, etc, if the neck isn't so far gone that the truss rod can't do jack.

As for learning how to play... I've spent my last year or so doing that for real, after about a year and a half of only knowing how to throw down power chords (but man, was I as good at that as, well, any other noob). I recommend checking out the tabs for a lot of songs you want to learn and learning how to play them. In addition to that, I recommend just listening to songs and throwing solos down on top of them, even if they're just crappy solos. That will get you familiar with scales and the fretboard, and should develop your ear. Furthermore, don't ever be afraid to experiment and write a lot of your own stuff, even if you think it's crappy and you don't want to share it with anybody.

Just, whatever you do, never be satisfied with your current ability!

[Laughing Penguin]

Storage-wise, I think I'm in pretty good shape. It was actually just leaning against a wall in a gig case in the spare room of the house for the last few years, cleaning up in there just gave me an eye line to it, sparking this thread. As far as conditions go, that seems to be about as good as anywhere else I may have put it.

So I think i've pretty much decided to hand it over to someone who knows what they're doing, I just need to find a shop that will be open this weekend. Do you have a rough idea what that might end up costing me?

Just, whatever you do, never be satisfied with your current ability!

heh... the way I play, this will be the easy part! Thanks for the advice so far!

[TheEpicOfTyler]

If it was in a hard case there might not be much damage from storage, but you're best bet is to get it serviced. It can do wonders even if you think it sounds fine.

$40-$50? I haven't had it done in a long while. The last time I had it done was with some pickup installations and a new input jack so I can't remember what the actual set up fees were.

[Virtual Pariah]

Where are you located? That will give you a better idea of what a good setup will cost you.

Best thing I can tell you is to, pick up an Alfred or Mel Bay instructional book for starters.
You can find some lessons online at various sites. One of the ones that people don't think about is Youtube. You have people who film what they have learned and try to pass it on. Some are pretty good.

I'm of an opinion that personal lessons aren't worth the money anymore. With video and the net, you can find what used to cost some good money to learn.


Another tool I can point you too is:
Powertab Editor

It's a freeware tab editor/midi tool. It's very helpful.

Basically, have fun, don't get stressed, and if you need some direction you can PM me and I'll try to help.

[Laughing Penguin]

Originally Posted by Virtual Pariah

Where are you located? That will give you a better idea of what a good setup will cost you.

I'm located on Long Island, NY. I took it into a shop today and was quoted $50 for the new setup, and he noted the issue I was having with breaking strings. I should have it back in a few days, depending on their tech's schedule this week. The guy working the counter seemed to think the guitar was in really good shape though, so I don't expect too many issues.

I actually have a couple of the Mel Bay books around here from when I took lessons back in college (also unearthed in the cleaning), so I have something to start with on my own, although I may buy a stand for it. "Out of sight, out of mind" and all that, if I have it staring at me all the time, i'll be more likely to pick it up again.

Thanks a lot for the advice, and the link... I will definitely check it out! I'll post an update when I get the guitar back!

[Virtual Pariah]

Check this guy out.
good stuff

[Laughing Penguin]

Originally Posted by Virtual Pariah

Check this guy out.
good stuff

I will! Looking around, I see a bunch of free lessons too (perfect for my current budget... heh). Do you think the subscription is worth it should I get more into it over time?

[Virtual Pariah]

Play with the free stuff for now.
There really isn't any need to pay for the information.

Once you are comfortable, get out and play with some friends.

[boratika]

Take a lesson from Matt Berry:

[Handmade.Mercury]

WTF?

too short

[Laughing Penguin]

Originally Posted by boratika

Take a lesson from Matt Berry:

You know, I've seen this man in a few things over the last few years, and he was funny in absolutely none of them. Not even a little bit.


Anyway...

the guitar is still out for setup/repair, in case anyone's interested. It was supposed to take a couple of days, but it's been gone over a week, and I can't seem to get any info on the status (the shop sent it out to their tech, who apparently hates returning phone calls). So, at the rate things are going, i'll likely have lost any motivation to play by the time it actually gets returned to me. Frustrating, to say the least. I'll post an update if I ever get one though...