Archive for the ‘Guitar Accessories’ Category
I would like to begin by saying whether you have an electric guitar, bass guitar or acoustic guitar use caution when changing out the strings. To make changing the strings easier it is recomended to have an electric guitar tuner and wire cutters. Although it is not necessary but it helps if you have a string-winder also (a string winder is a device that will aid in winding the string at the tuning peg).
The big difference in changing guitar strings on an acoustic guitar rather than a an electric guitar is that the strings are held in place at the saddle by pins. First remove the old string by releasing the tension at the tuning peg, lifting the tuning peg lift the ball end of the string out of the hole.
Replacing the string is done by reversing the steps for removing it. The one thing you must keep in mind is after putting the ball of the new string into the hole you must pull the string tight towards the tuning pegs while you are pushing the pin tight, this keeps the top of the loop against the pin allowing you to correctly tune the string.
Everyone has a particular band they really like. Listening to them from one song to another you often hear the electric guitars like you have never heard them and wondered how they got that sound.
There are many factors or guitar accessories that give them the sound they achieve. Quality cables are often overlooked as something that can give you better sound, bad cables can distort the sound by driving the mids up at the same time driving the the highs down.
There are many different pedals that can have an influence on the sound you are hearing. Fuzz, wah-wah, volume, tone, are just a few pedals, there multi function pedals, tremolo pedals the list goes on.
As yo advance in your music career you might want to try a few of these to enhance your sound.
Now that you have learned how to adjust the saddles on your new bass guitar you should take the following steps to set what is called intonation. Intonation is the term that refers to the open note on each string should be the same as the note on the 12th fret.
This is not as scary as it sounds, and like adjusting the saddles on the bridge is a very easy fix. At the very end of the bridge there are screw adjustments that will draw the string either in or out to adjust the intonation.
You will need a philips screwdriver and a bass guitar tuner like the one you received with your bass guitar package. Place your tuner on the head of your bass guitar and play the open string, lets say the A string tune the string so that it is dead on then play the note on the 12th fret, the notes should be the same, if they are not in tune adjust the screw until they are the same. After you are done with the first string do the same thing with the rest.
Wether you paid one dollar or one thousand dollars for your electric guitar or electric bass guitar they all have something in common, they all need maintenance at some time or another. Here are some simple tips you should apply for keeping up your guitar or bass.
If you find your strings are either hard to play or have lost their luster try wiping the strings with a polish, or if that doesn’t work replace the strings then wipe them down regularly. Is your bass guitar looking dull and dirty clean the wood with a polish that is recommended for guitars, and don’t use just any old cloth, again use one that is recommended for your guitar and won’t scratch it.
Where you keep your guitar or bass can have a big impact on the way it looks and plays, don’t keep in a place where there is too much moisture. The humidity should be about 45 to 55 percent in a room where the temperature is 65 to 75 degrees. Not enough humidity will cause the wood in your guitar to dry out and crack, while to much humidity will cause the wood to swell and crack.
An acoustic electric guitar is an acoustic guitar with a pick-up in the bridge and an equalizer built in to the side. The equalizer requires a 9 volt. Depending upon how much you spend the equalizer can vary from usualy a 4 band, or 5 band equalizer.
Whether you already own an electric guitar package or are looking to purchase your very first guitar, an acoustic electric guitar package, or acoustic guitar package(another name for it), might just be the right thing for you. Let’s say you already own an electric guitar package with a 10 watt guitar amplifier, you can pick up the acoustic package with a 20 watt guitar amplifier. You’ll be surprised at the sound you will achieve with the 20 watt amp, and you will also be suprised with the different tone the acoustic has over the electric. I’m not saying one is better than the other, all I’m saying is that they produce different sounds.
As a beginner you will appreciate the fact that you can practice or play with or without an amplifier. The other guitar accessories you get in a package you might not think are necessary until after you get your guitar home. Let’s say your playing and yu want to put your guitar down without a stand where are you going to put it. the rest of the items in a package you can figure out for yourself.
Whether your playing an electric guitar or electric bass guitar there are certain accessories that are a must to have. The first and most important thing you need is an amplifier for an electric guitar or an amplifier for an electric bass guitar (there is a difference). Next unless you plan on walking around forever with your guitar attached to you, your going to need a stand. How about tuning, unless your one of those gifted people with perfect pitch that can tune a guitar by listening to it your going to need a tuner. Some of the newer digital tuners make tuning your guitar very easy.
Rather than waiting to find out after you get your electric or bass guitar home that you need the guitar accessories outlined above, why not look around for an electric guitar package or a bass guitar package that has everything you need already. One of the biggest advantages of buying one of these packages is that they are normally cheaper than buying each item seperately, even the guitar is cheaper in a package. A package will also have a gig bag and a few other things that are nice to have.
Whether your looking for a new guitar as a beginner or intermediate player an acoustic guitar package may be just what your looking for. Sure you can buy an acoustic guitar or electric guitar seperately, but sooner or later you will find yourself back at the music store to purchase other accessories that you could have bought at the time you purchased your guitar and at a much less price.
What makes an acoustic guitar package so special is the versatility, If you bought an acoustic guitar with an equalizer that means it can be plugged into an amplifier if your playing a gig, or play it by itself as the sound will come out of the sound hole. Buying a package you will already have the amplifier for those times you need more power. A guitar package will also give you a gig bag and a stand. The gig bag can be for transporting you guitar to a gig, or just for storing it in your room, while the stand likewise can be used to hold your guitar while playing a gig inbetween sets, or at home if you don”t want to keep it your guitar set up ready to play instead of in a gig bag. A complete guitar package will also come with a guitar tuner, guitar strap, and guitar polish and rags.
One of the things to consider when you are buying an electric guitar is what style guitar do you like. Another thing to think of is your playing style, are you a rhthym guitarist or more of a lead guitarist.
For a lead guitar you can’t beat the sound of a Telecaster guitar, for rythym a stratocaster can’t be beat. Don’t over look the style and sound of a (Les Paul) LP Guitar. Whatever style you decide on don’t overlook the accessories that are also considered necessities, amplifiers, gig bag, guitar tuners, and even guitar stands make owning a guitar more enjoyable. If you don’t purchase these items at the time you buy your guitar you will at some time be back to buy them, or you can look for Electric Guitar Packages that would include all these items plus more.
There is a t-shirt with a saying on “Tune It Or Die”, truer words were never spoken. Whether you play an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, or a bass guitar the one thing these or any other musical instrument have in common is the fact that they need to be in tune.
In the old days keeping your guitar in tune was done with the aid of a pitch pipe. This is a device you blew into for the note you were looking for. Each note had it’s own pipe,but depending upon how soft or how hard you blew the note would change, unfortuneately I tell you this from experience.
Presently exists digital guitar tuners that make tuning your guitar easier than ever. There are several types of digital tuners in different price ranges to fit any budget. Some require plugging into them with a standard guitar cable while some clip onto the head stock and require no cable. There is also a pedal tuner that you can keep plugged in and bypass it if you want control of tuning while you are playing a gig.