(Part 2) Top products from r/Guitar

Ableton is a great DAW and is my preferred software choice for recording/editing.

You can use the TASCAM to capture your performances and transferring those .wav files into Ableton for editing but you'll have a much better experience recording directly into your computer.

You can go a few different routes here. You can pick up an audio interface that accepts an XLR connection for a proper microphone like a Presonus Audiobox and an SM57 which will allow you to capture as good a single channel signal as you can really get outside of a big recording studio.

OR you can go with something cheaper like a Blue Snowball USB microphone. These things actually sound surprisingly good and have multiple settings for directional and omni modes for different situations.

Once you have a way of capturing audio directly into Ableton you can start building up your songs layer by layer. Experiment with things like EQ and compression/delay/etc to make your guitar tracks sound nicer. There are built in patched in Ableton for EQ like "Acoustic Guitar" or "Electric Guitar" and just dragging one of those onto your channel will be a great place to start.

That's a skill in and of itself but you have to start somewhere so start experimenting.

When starting out applying EQ to tracks I'd start this way :

• Solo the track so you're only listening to the single layer
  
  
• Create a single EQ filter with a high Q value so it creates a really sharp and thin "peak" and drag it upwards so it's amplifying a very narrow band of frequencies quite a bit.
  
  
• Drag that "peak" left and right while the audio is playing and listen for something that jumps out at you as unpleasant. Now drag the peak DOWN to bring those frequencies down in the mix to remove whatever harshness you discovered. Bring down the Q value to make that trough a bit wider and smoother.
  
  Do that 3 or 4 times on a channel and you'll have something that sounds a bit nicer. If you do too much it'll sound hollow and empty so make subtle adjustments as much as possible. Don't dump that "bad frequency" all the way to the bottom, just bring it down a little bit so it doesn't jump out at you.
  
  You won't be creating drastically new tones this way, just polishing them so they sound nicer.
  
  Having a good pair of headphones or even some inexpensive studio monitors will also be extremely helpful so you can accurately hear what you're producing.
  
  Use the built-in metronome and record with headphones (so the click doesn't get picked up by the microphone) to keep things tight.
  
  Once you've finished your audio and it's how you like it THEN film your video and just play along with the click. Don't use any audio from the video recording and just pair the two back up in editing.

If you enjoy acoustic style playing, I feel it can be beneficial to developing a better playing style as you branch out to electric. Acoustic guitars require a little more attention to finger placement and fretting technique. Mistakes are more noticeable and you can fix those problems early before they become bad habits. Electric guitars tend to "cover" those mistakes more easily with all the effects and distortion (once playing at a high level they become more noticeable again). Things like hitting extra strings, fretting a note that is dead, etc.

I definitely regret not learning more on an acoustic first. I jumped straight into electric and never really looked back.

As for gear and making the transition to electric, it depends on what you want to do with your guitar playing.

If you are going to just play and practice by yourself at home, I recommend at least researching amp simulator software for use on a PC and getting an affordable audio interface.

I recently bought a brand new Jackson 7-string guitar for $180 (it's actually not bad either was on sale), an audio interface for ~$75 (included free DAW software, was on sale as well), and purchased a large amp/cab/effects bundle on Revalver 4 for $100. I already had headphones and a PC. I also bought studio monitors but that's neither here nor there.

I know that's over your budget but you can try most amp sim software packages for free and you can buy the amps, cabs, and effects a la carte for pretty cheap prices (a few $ each). It unlocks a huge range of sounds and possibilities and you can learn the types of amps and sounds you like. If you ever want to buy a real amp/cab, then you have a direction you would like to go.

Just for comparison, by the time you buy a guitar, some floor pedals (can range from $50-100 each), and a practice amp (which may or may not sound good at this price level), you are probably over your $300 anyway. With the software/interface option, you can have like 15 amps, probably like 25 cabs, lots of microphone sims, and tons of effect pedals inside the software for like $350.

I'm into metal as well and I've found the high gain amps and sounds in Revalver to be pretty good. Different amp sims do certain things better than others.

Good luck on your journey

https://www.amazon.com/IK-Multimedia-digital-guitar-interface/dp/B01KPYGBR6 - this is what i bought (at 100$, its 84 now), because i wasn't sure if i wanted to play on the go or at my desktop. it also comes with amplitube (though a watered down version) but i got really sick of all the nickle and diming they do. It turns out i play almost entirely at my desktop so i would have gone with something like this instead: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1500654678&sr=8-7&keywords=focusrite+usb+audio+interface .

you could technically accomplish the same thing by getting a converter for 1/4"->1/8" jack and plugging it into your soundcard, but it has a lot of issues and sounds shitty. The audio interface essentially takes the signal from your pickups and makes it clean and readable for your computer. With this (often called DI or direct input) signal, you can use software that emulated the circitry of tube amps to produce very very accurate replications of tones.

https://www.positivegrid.com/bias-fx/ here is the sim i would recommend. I played around with a few others but this is the best sounding, and most straight forward one (others try to nickle and dime you all over the place). it's nice because you can get a week trial of it before u have to buy too! Basically you only need a guitar, instrument cable, audio interface and a computer. you can get free trials of everything else before you buy to see what suits your needs.

there's a million demos of it, but here's a good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D00Xn1vfyU

The beauty of all of this is that these all interface seemlessly with digital audio workspaces (DAW's), which are used for recording. You can setup each track to have different amp/effects/ect and can also play around live with the effects for practicing. I often use these for writing too, because i can record a rhythm section, then loop it and noodle around with leads or harmonies (essentially making a looper pedal that sounds way better than any pedal on the market). there's a ton of videos that can help with all of this, I would suggest checking out Ryan Bruce (aka fluff) on youtube, he has a couple entry level recording tips videos! I'm happy to keep talking about this if you have any questions! break through that bleek streek!

work through the original Aaron Shearer books (I linked book 1, there are 3, you should at least go through the first two and maybe some of the supplemental ones) . If your classical technique is decent then you will breeze through them pretty quickly but you might pick up a few subtle things like playing rest-stroke with your thumb at the same time as free-stroke with your fingers and vice-versa. Once you are good there there are two books you should buy: Pumping Nylon for the various exercises it has. They are very good if you play them regularly. Then buy The Library of Guitar Classics. It is a big spiral bound book of repertoire that looks like a lot of those piano-rep books. It has music ranging from easy to very hard and from the renaissance period all the way through the romantic era with pieces by Tarrega and Albeniz. There is a lot of really good rep in there. There is also a second volume of the book that is almost as good. When it comes to more modern music buy the Villa-Lobos book and work through some of that stuff. It is a great book that was edited by - if I remember correctly - Frederick Noad. There are also some really good books with the complete Bach cello/lute suites (although some of that can be found in the books I already mentioned).

If you REALLY want to kick your ass, see if you can dig up a copy of the Abel Carlevaro right hand book. It is like the Giuliani 120 studies on steroids. I have never struggled that hard to play an arpeggio in my life! I think it is this book but I am not sure. I had a really old photo-copy of it and I don't know where it came from.

It's worth talking to him and seeing which body shape he likes best. You can find Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, Mustang, SGs and even Les Paul styles for about the same price. Starting with something that you really like and identify with can make a huge difference to keep motivation at that harsh beginning.

Anyway, here's my recommendation:

• Amp: Fender Frontman 10G 10W - $59.99
  
  You can't really get a good amp and it won't make that much difference at the beginning so it's best to focus on the guitar for now. I started with an amp similar to that one (maybe even worse) and it was perfectly capable for years.
  
  
• Guitar: Squier Affinity Stratocaster - $155-$179.99
  
  A very solid choice for a first guitar. You can get the Telecaster version for about the same price but that specific Strat is on sale today at MF so it might be worth picking it up.
  
  Here you also have the choice of spending a bit more and going for a $180 $200 guitar, such as the Yamaha Pacifica, the LTD EC-10, a Jackson JS22-7 or even a Jazzmaster, which is my personal favorite choice. All these other choices depend drastically on the style of music he likes to listen and play. That's why it's worth talking to him beforehand.
  
  Anyway, considering you're going for the first strat, here's the other recommendations to finish the package:
  
  
• Elixir .09 strings- $9.99
  
  Some people love them, other hate, but it's fact that they're great for people starting out and even just playing/practicing in their bedroom. I use these as my every day strings. They don't rust and contrary to regular strings that will last you 2-4 weeks, these last several months.
  
  
• Dunlop Pick Pack Variety - $3.99
  
  Just so he can test and choose between several picks.
  
  
• Planet Waves 10ft cable - $7.99
  
  Just a solid and simple cable.
  
  
• Snark Tuner SN-1 - $9.15
  
  Fantastic, accurate and reliable little clip-on tuner. I've been using these for years and they're very well regarded.
  
  Total: $246.11
  
  
  EDIT: Of course that after I finished typing this whole post I went to check the value pack kit posted here and realized that the first Squier kit is basically what I selected plus a nice discount. Well, fuck me... I'm still keeping the post up.
  
  By the way, if you do get the kit at $200, consider getting a setup done to the guitar for about $40~$50. All guitars usually require it but it's much more important on these cheap ones. They usually play like garbage out of the box and to be playable they require a basic setup.

You're welcome! Well I'm actually about to buy a Vox amPlug after this week, which is a 2x AAA battery powered gadget that plugs into the jack output of your guitar, apt hen you plug in any headphones and you've got a great tone and practise rig. I'm getting this one, but this other one would be good for jazz.

I'm a rock and metal player, but I have dabbled in jazz. An Epiphone Dot is the perfect place to start. Granted it's not the cheapest, but it'll last you a very long time and it sounds fantastic. Other than that, a Squier Telecaster is great choice because they're so versatile.

In terms of amps, Fender is almost certainly your best bet if you're looking for beautiful cleans. Fender amps range from practice to recording to full-on gigging amps, so there'a bound to be one for you. Until then though, a Vox amPlug or a Marshall mini stack would be a great way to kick start your guitar playing.

a lot of those bands use guitars like Les Pauls and SGs with a HH pick up configuration. i personally would point you toward the epiphone Les Paul or SG. They are made from mahogany which will give you a darker sound for heaver stuff. http://amzn.com/B007AGR6KE this is an epiphone SG that would kick ass for your first guitar or a cheaper one here http://amzn.com/B0002D01IG that would work alright, on the les paul side here is a great one http://amzn.com/B0002CZURO
but for a cheaper one i would recommend this one http://amzn.com/B0002CZUV0 . however, the same guitar comes with a bundle with an amp and everything to get you started for 200$ here http://amzn.com/B00A6D50L0 . also because your going to be getting into guitars im going to point you to some places for you to learn how to to play and reliable places to buy stuff from

for lessons http://www.justinguitar.com/

for guitar tabs http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/

to learn how to read a tab http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/for_beginners/how_to_read_tabs.html?no_takeover

places to buy stuff

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/

http://www.zzounds.com/

http://amazon.com/ <it works but i would not use it as my primary for guitar stuff

also try to stay away from guitar center until you have a good knowledge base or they might just rip you off. Sam ash is a good store and any localy owned shop will probably do you good. if you live in the Atlanta GA area i highly recommend Ken Stanton Music but they only have 5 stores :(

oh yeah also your going to need to replace guitar strings when you do buy one (well you don't need to but i would do it) so here is a video on how to do that http://youtu.be/DrLKlJS1wEo . now your going to have to buy new strings at some point. The 2 brands i highly recommend is daddario and erine ball (i personally like daddario) a pack of string from them is like 5-6$. now strings come in different sizes for beginners i would recommend a set of 9s like these http://amzn.com/B0002H0A7E or these http://amzn.com/B0002M6CW6 . just follow the video on how to replace strings and you will be good.

you will need a tuner also. for a beginner i would get on that clips on the head stock like this one http://amzn.com/B005MR6IHK also with that you need to learn what notes to tune a guitar to E standard tuning is EADGBE (Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie) but with your music taste you are going to need to learn E flat and Drop D aswell. E flat is (Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb) and drop D is just E standard with the 6th string tuned down to D (DADGBE). any way that should be enough to push you in the right direction for learning guitar. hope it works out for you. if you have questions you can just PM me or something.

You can't buy a factory made classical guitar that is truly high quality. Yamaha makes great beginning classical guitars. I wouldn't pay over $500 for anything with a "brand name," if you're looking for a nice classical then start looking for luthiers or a dealer in your area that sells luthier guitars(either should let you try their guitars before you buy).


D'addario Pro-Arte strings are generally regarded as the all-around best classical guitar strings, and fortunately they're also the cheapest. Go with normal or hard tension if you like more resistance.


The book Pumping Nylon is a great technical resource for classical guitarists at any level.
http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Nylon-Scott-Tennant/dp/088284721X

http://www.amazon.com/Library-Guitar-Classics-willard-Series/dp/0825614759/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

^ Volume 1 and 2 of that guitar classics book are great for finding rep out of, they have great music from different eras, composers, and difficulties.


More specifically, studies by Sor, Carcassi, or Brouwer are great for beginning pieces. You can move from there to pieces by Tarrega, Villalobos, possibly some easier Bach like BWV999 or Cello Suite#1. Really anything you want. For best results, seek our recordings and videos of well-renowned(not just some shmuck on youtube) guitarists. Use these to make sure you're not playing wrong notes, inspire your own interpretation, and possibly steal their fingerings if it's a video.

I'd recommend Jazz Guitar: Complete Edition by Jody Fisher. It covers all the important topics in a fairly straightforward way and comes with a CD of examples and backing tracks. It's aimed at intermediate guitarists, but your experience should be sufficient.

The old standard was Mickey Baker's Jazz Guitar, but I'm not a huge fan. The learning curve is extremely steep and there's not a great deal of theory or explanation. It'd be a really useful companion to lessons with a teacher, but I think that most beginners would really struggle with it.

A good alternative to the Jody Fisher book is A Modern Method For Guitar by William Leavitt. The learning curve is fairly gradual, but it's tough going - everything is written in standard notation and there's no real instruction as such. It seems to be inspired by the Suzuki method. Everything is taught through progressively more demanding examples. You probably won't get stuck on anything, but you will need to do a bit of thinking to figure stuff out for yourself.

If you want to learn jazz theory in depth, I'd strongly recommend Jazzology by Rawlins and Bahha. It's the clearest, most elegant explanation of how everything fits together in jazz. It's not specifically written for guitar, but the theory is universal. The Jody Fisher book covers all the theory that you really need to know, but Jazzology would be a really good supplement if you like to understand things in detail.

In your jazz guitar journey, you'll probably come across The Real Book. It's an essential reference text, containing lead sheets for hundreds of the most popular jazz tunes. It's how most of us learned our repertoire and most of us still have a copy in our gig bag pocket. Today, you have a huge advantage in learning tunes because of the fabulous iReal Pro. It's an app version of The Real Book, but it can also play backing tracks for any tune in any key and at any tempo. It's an absolute boon when you're learning to play solos.

Finally, I'd suggest just listening to a whole bunch of jazz, not just jazz guitar. You should know Joe Pass, Ted Greene and Wes Montgomery, but you should also know Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie.

Are you looking for just a good chord chart for the tune? That one was mediocre. I can give you a more accurate chart, no problem.

Or, are you looking for an EXACT transcription of what Les played on the Bing recording? I could make that as well, but honestly, I usually charge people (guitar students) to do it.

Aside from very popular recordings, most chord charts and TABs online are highly inaccurate. Often the "official" transcriptions you see in books aren't right either. I'm a huge Les Paul fan, particularly the pre-multitracking era (Les Paul Trio, this Bing session, etc). I've seen him play live a few times as well. Congratulations, you have good taste!

If you'd like to advance your skills in trad/swing/jazz rhythm guitar to get the skills to play through the chart, check out these books:

http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804

http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bay-Jazz-Guitar-Method/dp/0786600365/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411405636&sr=1-1&keywords=ronnie+lee+guitar

http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Rhythm-Guitar-Chord-System/dp/0871665158

Give me a few minutes and I'll post a chart.

Okay then what I would do is buy a guitar headphone amp they are cheap like less then $20 USD, and plug it into the out for the fx loop, and your headphones into that. This only utilizes the preamp portion of you amp but it is probably the most cost effective. If you do this and the guitar headphone amp has a gain option turn that all the way down. A similar option to this would be to plug your fx out into a DAW or some kind of audio mixer this would also give you the option to record yourself on a computer without being effected by room acoustics. If you want to you can use the other output but that will damage your headphones unless you buy a line level converter. Then the analog from the converter to a headphone amp, and from there to your headphones. This would require you to do some simple wireing, but hey if your up for it why not try.
I also want you to make sure you know the people on this thread including me are NOT professionals and you should do you own research and only do what you feel comfortable doing with your money and equipment.
If you would like to do more research here is a good place to start.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level
Also here are links to example of the things I mentioned
Guitar headphone amp - Monoprice 611500 Mini Headphone Amplifier for Guitar, Clean https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJHE5E6/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_95ZExbPNDRWFP
Electro-Harmonix Headphone Amp Portable Practice Amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UIBQEI/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_E6ZExb9S9N2V7
DAW - Focusrite Scarlett Solo (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_N7ZExbDTYTZC7
Mixer - Behringer Xenyx 302USB Mixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EHILV4/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_58ZExb4RMVW9V
Line level converter - PAC SNI-35 Variable LOC Line Out Converter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EAWS3W/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_O9ZExbPEZPHXN
Hope I helped in some way and hope you find your solution!

If you're new to guitar, don't worry about a 'routine'. Buy a classical guitar songbook, or better yet, a classical guitar lesson book. A really good one is by Noad, and has good classical pieces to learn: http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Frederick-Noad/dp/0825636795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317996077&sr=8-1

Rather than focus on scales (which are very uninteresting), try working through a book, or pick a few classical guitar pieces to work on. I think this is the best way to hone your chops, but also keep your interest. You want to be motivated to practice, and scales just don't do that for me.

Classical guitar, if you work at it enough, will naturally build your finger dexterity. In contrast to scales/fingerboard exercises, you are able to see improvement in very definable ways--that is, from one piece to the next. That's where the excitement and drive to play comes from for me.

Good luck!

plug something like this into this and then run it via USB to your computer. any mic and interface will do, but those 2 happen to be pretty basic and easy to handle. as for software, i recommend Reaper as you can use it for free for awhile and pay once you've decided it's worth it (which it will be, so make sure at some point you throw 'em the cost).

point mic at amp speaker, select track on Reaper and press record. rock out like the glorious rock god you are, and then press stop. File menu>render (i think, can't remember right now)>pick format and save.

very, very rough walkthrough!

Learning to read music is probably most important. While there is more and more classical repertoire available in tab, the tendency is to get stuck in someone else's fingerings. People talk about classical as being very rigid and set in its ways but the freedom to play a note wherever it works best for you is one of the great strengths of the guitar. This is something that tab can take away from you. The "correct" position that is variously so lauded and derided is - at least today - a compromise of ergonomics and technical requirements. The guitar is not a very ergonomic instrument so apparatus usually needs to be brought in to play in order to get it in the right position but this position varies considerably from player to player. The main concern is that the music is playable; much of it would not be without full control of technique. "Proper" position is something that takes years, even decades, to figure out, I know players in their 60's who will tell me "I found this new support that works with my footstool, now my height is nearly perfect!"

Resist the temptation to attempt pieces that are too advanced too soon. You're going to do it, every player is, but the frustration of moving so slowly with little to no results is dangerous. I've heard so many students come in and play Asturias or Bouree (or any of the other "standards") without any concept of the pieces in a musical sense. They play the right notes mostly but there is no division of melody and harmony, no concept of counterpoint, dynamics or anything else that makes this music brilliant. These students often become completely dejected when they are told by a teacher, jury or audition panel that they are not nearly as good as think they are, in so many words. The problem usually comes from a poorly structured education, either from themselves or teacher(s), and jumping into material they don't yet understand.

I would strongly recommend finding a good teacher because any one book is not enough (there are a few good ones like Aaron Shearer's Learning the Classic Guitar and Pumping Nylon) but none of them cover everything you need and there will be some contradictions. In order to learn most effectively, you must do so without confusion and error. If you learn a mistake or bad habit, it will be more difficult to fix later on than if you never learned it wrong in the first place. If you don't understand what you're doing or why, you won't get very far with it. In the absence of a good teacher, I would get as many reputable instruction/method books as you can and read them all thoroughly.

I've got some experience with an acoustic, I'm looking to move up to electric now. No need to worry about amps, pedals, or anything like that. I have a plan. The main thing I need to worry about, obviously, is what guitar to get. I'm on a tight budget (up to $200, but you can try to convince me to $250). I'm only looking for a simple, entry-level guitar, nothing that requires the mother-of-all-amps or a studio to sound good (I'm a budget college kid :P)

The two I'm considering are the Yamaha Pacifica or the Les Paul Special-II (any other ideas for LPs?). I do want to be able to play a mix of both pop/funk and also classic rock/heavy rock, so I need something with a decent enough pickup set.

Looking at these two models in particular, I've found this:
[For the Yamaha.] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CC3Q74/sr=8-1/qid=1496817722/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1496817722&sr=8-1) No clue what those numbers and letters in the "Style" menu mean... help pls?

...and this, for the Special II Also a bundle option there. Like I said, don't need amps, but still, if my original plan doesn't work, tell me if that pack would be any good.

So yeah, that's more or less where I'm at. Ideas? Suggestions? Anything in particular I should look for? As I said, I have NO CLUE what many of these 112V or J or whatever tags are supposed to mean, so uh... given what I was looking for, maybe you all could help fill me in? As I said for anything on the instrument that depends on amps, pedals, etc., don't worry, that's covered.

EDIT: Formatting derps.

If it were me I would for sure get one overdrive pedal. At your level I would probably get a cheap clone like the Joyo Vintage Overdrive or Caline Pure Sky. You can use it to fatten up lead lines or solos. Many worship songs have a 'hook' part where you need to be heard.

For the second pedal I would consider a multi-effects like the Zoom G3 or G3X. I've used one for many years now. It is a fantastic jack of all trades type pedal. You can get an external tap tempo and use it as a very powerful delay and reverb pedal kind of like a Line 6 DL4. It has a tuner. It has a solid looper. You can use it as a recording interface at home. You can use it as an acoustic or bass DI. It has amp sims for recording or playing direct at church. I did a full review on mine here.

Then for your third pedal get whatever you want. Maybe another overdrive / distortion to provide a different flavor or level of gain. Maybe a modulation. Pitch shifting is pretty cool, I know a lot of guys that use a EHX POG variant a lot in worship. Maybe a dedicated reverb pedal for ambient swells. Lots of possibilities.

The established brands like Ditto, Boss, etc are going to be $100+. You might take a chance on something like this, but I've never heard of them before.

You might also consider getting a cheap audio interface like this. Though, again, you may actually get better value by spending a little more money. Many interfaces come bundled with DAW (Ableton Live, ProTools, etc) software licenses, like this Focusrite.

It's not as easy as plugging a loop pedal into your chain, but you'll be able to do a lot more with your investment if you climb the DAW learning curve. There's plenty of free VST plugins for pedal and amp emulations out there. Even some free open source DAW, but I haven't researched what's available in some time. Ardour appears to be the top google result at the moment, though I'm not sure how suitable it is to playing live (vs. only recording for playback).

Focusrite Scarlett Solo and Scarlett 2i2 (Link 1). On amazon for around a benjamen. I would also get a DI box like link 2 to be in front of the Scarlett. This setup is pretty cheap but more than capable of recording, or playing through a laptop at Church. THe scarlet has output on back. hope that helps. I have both of these, great value.

Link 1: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1472744892&sr=1-3&keywords=scarlett+2i2

Link 2 : https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-DI400P-BEHRINGER-ULTRA-DI/dp/B000KUA8G6/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1472744729&sr=1-1&keywords=di+box

In my opinion Troy Stetina's Fretboard Mastery is still the most comprehensive, well thought out and explained, and easy to understand guitar theory book. If you could only get one book, this book would cover all you need to understand the instrument.

Beyond that Troy's Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar is very good book of technique building exercises, Dave Celentano's Monster Scales and Modes is a short, easy to read, and good book for referencing some of the most commonly used scales and modes, it also has some short but good description of when and where to use certain scales/modes.

For a more reference/appendix use, I like the Guitar Grimoire books as they have very complete information and are laid out in a fairly easy to read and easy to understand fashion.

I spent a lot of time looking at different boards, including the pedaltrains and ended up building my own. I just couldnt validate the cost for what amounted to a $70+ box with some velcro on it.

I bought two 25"sq plywood boards at home depot and some industrial strength velcro, along with a visual one-spot power supply. All in all i think I spent around $50 for all the supplies i needed, and had the luxury of customizing it to fit my needs and spray painting it whatever color i wanted. For portability, just put some cabinet handles on the sides

All in all I'm pretty happy with building my own, it was a fun DIY project. My only complaint is on the one-spot PS, which works great for everything except my Digitech loop pedal. With that plugged in I hear a weird hiss and the clicks from the built-in metronome even when its off. I ended up running that on its own power cable to fix it.

If youre interested, i used this guide as my basis although my board looks totally different, its angled more with a hollow middle to run all the cables, and a hole out the back for the plugs. Definitely get the industrial strength velcro if you do, i can flip my board upside down and nothing moves at all.

Ok so by the looks of it he's got the effects pedals covered, I would go for something else and let him get anther pedal on his own. These are my recommendations that will benefit his current setup.
This is a nice expensive version of this and this is a midway between the other two. These are power conditioners they will help his equipment operate more efficiently and quieter and will last decades(you can use them for home theatre use as well)
I would also recommend nice cables like these they are lifetime warranty. Here's another very useful maintenance kit that will last a very long time. If you pick the 110$ furman you can get all three.

I have a bottle of Dunlop Formula No. 65 Polish and Cleaner, it does a fantastic job. My guitar has a similar finish to yours and after wiping and buffing it for a couple of minutes it looks like it just came out from the store. I usually do it when I change the strings.

You can get the whole set for $20 on Amazon. You might as well get a bottle of lemon oil for your fretboard, it makes it a lot smoother and nicer to play. The Dunlop one is the cheapest last time I checked, but you might get a better deal by getting a bigger bottle of mineral oil which is pretty much the same thing.

Also read the instructions on the bottles, you don't want to damage the finish of your beautiful guitar.

LISTEN. Immerse yourself in all the masters, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Tal Farlow for example, and try to figure out their different licks/riffs by ear.

Also, while listening is probably the best way to do it, I really think that you (and everyone else, obviously) should take advantage of all the great books out there to help. This Mickey Baker book gives great, jazzy sound chords and lessons on soloing. So yeah, hoped it helped in some way.

I use a mic to an interface to my laptop, which is the standard route.

For the mic, I use an sm57 for higher volume stuff (if you ask any musician what mic they would use if they could only have one mic for general recording, 80% will say an sm57). For lower volume stuff, I use a large diaphram condenser mic (requires phantom power)

For my interface, I have an old Tascam 1800 (it has 16 inputs, I used to use it to record percussion and orchestral parts.

For software I use Cubase and Reaper. Cubase is expensive and difficult and I kind of hate it but it works really well once you figure it out. Reaper is free and fairly simple to use.

This is a fantastic less expensive interface for recording guitar

This is the Shure sm57 microphone

Link to Reaper's site

Link to Cubase's site

Best of luck!!!

The short answer is: by going slow and slowly building up your speed with a metronome.

A more complicated answer would give you various exercises and stuff to play. That was one area where I struggled when I first wanted to build my speed up - I knew sort of what methods I needed to apply to my practice. But I didn't know what exactly to practice. I found this book: https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Mechanics-Lead-Guitar-Stetina/dp/0793509629/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 pretty helpful in getting my mechanics on point and to make me comfortable with playing fast. I like it because it's got lots of focused little exercises to work on and I can take notes and stuff in the book.

Steve Stine's youtube is also a good free resource for some speed building exercises.

If you're serious about fingerstyle playing, enough to spend some money, I recommend picking up Solo Guitar Playing Vol. 1 by Noad. I haven't come across a more comprehensive analysis of technique, down to hand placement and individual movement of the fingers. I picked the book up after 8 years of playing and was learning fundamental techniques described within the first few pages. It's also a great introduction into reading sheet music, not quite as fast paced as Modern Method for Guitar, the other commonly recommended book.

I second the JustinGuitar recommendations. His Practical Music Theory and Chord Construction Guide eBooks are great introductions to music theory.

Here's an album I did a while back of some basic jazz guitar chord shapes. I've outlined some nice-sounding but simple voicings of Maj7, min7, dominant, and m7b5 or half-diminished chords. Most of these voicings also include the 9th and/or 13th, so you can use these as jumping-off points to learn how to alter chord tones for different voicings and tonalities. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and all the chords are in root position on the 5th and 6th strings, but it'll get you started.

Once you get these down, the next thing to work on would be some drop 2 voicings on the higher strings. I like to take a chord, Fmaj7 for example, and learn a voicing that has each note of the F major scale in the highest voice. So the root, 9th, 3rd, 11th, etc. The goal is to be able to play the entire scale using different inversions of the same chord. Here's an album outlining the inversions for that example. Transpose to other keys and work out how to alter these voicings to achieve minor, dominant, and diminished tonalities.

The voicings with 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the highest voice are drop 2, which means you stack the chord in a closed voicing and drop the 2nd highest voice an octave. For example, a root position Fmaj7, normally spelled FACE, becomes CFAE when voiced as a drop 2. This is particularly useful for jazz guitar because it eliminates the need to do huge stretches to achieve dissonance with 2nds.

I'd also recommend picking up the Mickey Baker jazz guitar book (amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464620721&sr=8-1&keywords=mickey+baker)

This post ended up being significantly longer than I planned, but I think it'll give you a good solid foundation to work off of. Hope you find this helpful!

Edit: This is not necessarily a "how to get ready for this particular gig" post, but more of a "this is a jumping off point for jazz rhythm guitar in general" post. Obviously talk to the band, get a set list, and practice practice practice.

It sounds like you have things hooked up in a way that might work, but clearly you're still clipping. You could try plugging into a line-in, but if you have a laptop you probably don't have one.

I don't like to send people off to go buy gear if they don't absolutely have to, especially not people with $80 to their name. But, if you really want to record, it looks like you'll have to purchase something. Exactly what you want to get depends on how good a recording you want to make. The absolute low end of the spectrum is a Behringer Guitar-to-USB Interface. The interface itself is supposed to be pretty good, but the software not so much.

I recommend Noad. There are two volumes. This is a classical guitar book, but covers almost everything.

You'll also need a dedicated fingerstyle blues/folk book. These tend to be more fast and loose, and hence they can be light on actual instruction. Best is probably the Tommy Emmanuel technique book.

I also really like Pumping Nylon by Scott Tenant.

The all-time best right-hand exercises are by Mauro Giuliani and Fernando Sor. Some of these are included in PN.

You're right, the instrument does not factor in as much as one's interest. Totally right.

Of the packages listed, the first Yamaha one for $159 looks very nice. You'd definitely get more than your money out of it. Yamaha has a great rep. for longevity.

I own this Rogue for $79 and love it to death. I taught Grade 6 and students were allowed to play whenever they wanted - it never got any rest from students or teachers.
I'd get this Snark tuner, this guitar strap, these strings, this string winder, and finally this stand. Oh, and these thin picks.

That gives you a grand total of $119.24. I've either owned or used all of these products and can vouch for them.

Now, the other thing I'm thinking of... there's this instructional book on Google Books, where you get the first 64 pages for free. It's a great resource, but the name escapes me. If I think of it, I'll write back. I hope this helps.

Silk and steel strings may help you achieve your technical goals. You don't need a nylon string guitar to learn the method. The most significant gain of going that route is the generally larger string spacing.

If you do go for a classical guitar, a pro setup on the least expensive solid top guitar you can find, with some really good strings should hold you over for a long while. Just make sure it has an adjustable truss rod. Upgrading to a bone saddle/nut will improve the tone of the best or worst guitars for a very low price.

This book: Solo Guitar Playing - Book 1, 4th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0825636795/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6XrmDbNG3FF0H

Probably the most commonly(successfully) taught/learned classical method book ever to have existed and is geared towards a total beginner.

Rock on dude. \m/

Sure thing. Musicians have a lot to learn from each other. You can get a guitar USB interface for pretty cheap these days eg: http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453972513&sr=8-2&keywords=guitar+interface
I have a more expensive one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OZE9SA/ref=s9_hps_bw_g267_i1

Great to have because it opens the door to using your computer as effects pedals and amplifier too. A lot of the software for that is free! :)

Lets talk about what /r/guitar has against it.

• It's inconvenient and a lot of work to set up, most of us don't have computer and gear we can devote 100% to home studio use.
  
  
• Its loud, neighbors, housemates, family etc...
  
  
• The equipment to record is much more expensive.
  
  
• With modeling software you can easily experiment with an endless amount of effects and you can apply them after you record.
  
  If you have thousands worth of gear and a properly setup home studio, awesome, mic away and make a professional sounding track. If you'd like to demo a few things, then for $30 you can be playing into your computer in 5 minutes.
  
  Edit to add a video that illustrates my point perfectly.

I use the following items:

1. Reaper DAW
   
2. M-Audio MobilePre 2 interface
   
3. Shure SM57
   
   Reaper is an affordable, robust solution for recording audio. It is more than enough for the average home recording enthusiast. Aside from that, you will want to get an audio interface of some kind. The MobilePre that I have is very basic, but good enough for my purposes. Finally, a solid mic like the SM57 will serve you well in a multitude of recording scenarios.

I recently bought a new guitar off amazon, after playing one at a friends place and I really liked the sound, however I've got a question about a similar model. Why does this guitar seem to have something before the final place the strings go, while the guitar I bought doesn't?

If it's cosmetic, that's good. I bought the one guitar purely based off of the color. Any help?

Thanks! The most robust book I can think of off the top of my head is Pumping Nylon. It's a great publication with loads of exercises.

Having said that, if you have the patience the most enjoyable way is to learn classical pieces. I understand that sheet music is hurdle (or deterrent) for lots of folks. I used to sit down with a legend for standard notation and mostly rely on the ear!

No good comes from waiting. I take classical guitar lessons at a university and wish I had started sooner. The only thing I'd be wary of is developing poor technique early on, which can be killer to fix later. Just watch out for your left and right hands. Make sure the thumb of your left hand is always on the back of the fingerboard (not curved around) and that your right hand is not perpendicular to the strings but in line with your wrist; like this. I know you said not to name books, but this book is the one that has been teaching me classical guitar and it's great. Now as for spanish/flamenco style guitar, I play a little and am learning, mostly from this video.

Sorry, I know you said not to post anything, but I got excited.

I'd recommend checking out a Joyo Vintage Overdrive, they're $30 and there are tons of reviews online.

I own their Ultimate Overdrive and I think it's amazing, honestly I think it's one of the better pedal values out there right now.

This one... or this one... are probably the cheapest I'd trust.


The interfaces have some options that you might need, or might not, depending on your preference. Things like mic pre-amps, or phantom power for condenser mics, are important for most. The number if inputs is only important if you're using more than one mic at a time, or want to record multiple instruments at once, and MIDI is important if you want to venture into that at some point.


They also come with 'lite' versions of some very good DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software, that will get the job done and might actually be preferable to Audacity or Reaper.

Pure theory alone will not improve your technique on any instrument, but will enable you to understand the mechanics of the music being played, and communicate it to another musician. You might consider applying your knowledge to extended chords and harmonies available in Jazz. Books by the following would be useful:

• Mickey Baker - Book 1 and Book 2;
  
  
• Ted Greene;
  
  
• Mick Goodrick;
  
  
• Frank Gambale - Book 1 and Book 2
  
  ---
  An answer with useful music theory resources that I gave recently:
  
  https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/4h5i2y/question_which_book_should_i_read_to_understand/d2njtxs

Is this guitar suitable for a beginner or would I be better off going for a used one? It looks like it's at a great price and I've been hoping to get into learning for a while now. I was planning on perhaps using this with Rocksmith. Thoughts?

I'm similar to you, OP. I use amplitube 3 through Logic Pro X. I actually love it. My question is, how important is the interface? I have a pretty cheap, $40 interface, does it make a huge difference? Should I invest in a more expensive one?

EDIT: Here's a link to my interface, in case anyone was wondering.
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCG102-BEHRINGER-GUITAR-LINK/dp/B000PAPO9W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1457459185&sr=8-4&keywords=guitar+usb+interface

My suggestion is to learn on your own, and if you choose to go to college, pursue a major that has more profitable career options. Minor in music theory and invest your free time in practicing your instrument. Here is a reading list I recommend to start getting into serious music study and guitar playing:

• William Leavitt's Modern Method for Guitar - all three. buy it on amazon, this is your guitar bible
  
• Chord Chemistry by Ted Greene
  
• The Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick - Seriously one of the best practice guides around. It is light on content, but explains how to practice and challenge yourself.
  
• A Real Book, for reading practice
  
• Tonal Harmony by Kostka
  
• Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Music, by Kostka
  
• The above books by Kostka will cover most of the theory content in the general undergraduate requirements for U.S. music programs
  
• Elementary Training for Musicians, Paul Hindemith - Very good book, particularly work on the sight reading material
  
• Progressive Sight Singing One of the most important skills for a well rounded musician
  
• Paul Gilbert's Terrifying Guitar Trip - Out of place with the above, but easily the best technical guide to guitar playing I have ever found. Even applicable if you don't want to play rock guitar.
  
  That was a fucking wall of text. Hopefully I didn't come off like a negative asshole or bore you to death. If you have any questions or complaints, let me know!

Here's a list of basics that I bought recently to give you an idea:

Feeler Gauges

Hex Key Wrench Set

String Action Gauge

String Winder

Contact Cleaner for Electronics

Neck Rest

I already have various sized screw drivers, but if I didn't that would be on the list as well.

The above would be enough to do a basic setup: adjust truss rod, adjust action, get into the guts and clean the electronics. Everything will fit in a beat up old shoe box haha.

Along with YouTube videos, this book is a good reference guide. It has everything from basic repair and maintenance information all the way to repairing a broken neck or trying to repair a messed up truss rod.

It's quite possible to teach yourself, of course. The question is really how quickly do you want to progress? A teacher is your single best resource as they can give you feedback that a book or video just can't. So, if you can find a teacher in your area that teaches the style you want to learn, I would definitely go that route.

With that being said, as far as books are concerned, anything by Fredrick Noad will be helpful - especially his 2 book series on solo guitar playing.

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Book-4th/dp/0825636795

As for playing the classical guitar using an acoustic guitar approach, keep in mind you're conflating a couple of different things. A "classical" guitar is the instrument - nylon strings, wider neck, lighter body. Classical guitar is a style of music (and differs from Spanish guitar, but that's another conversation practically).

So, yes, you can learn to play folk, blues, jazz and any other sort of genre on a classical guitar. And you can learn classical guitar music on an accoustic (or even electric) guitar, though it won't sound the same and might be a bit more difficult.

http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Volume-1/dp/0825636795/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I've been playing classical for about ten years, and I'm currently studying it at a conservatory. This is what I learned out of, and I think its a great method. There are plenty of methods out there if you don't like this one: Shearer, Duncan, Tennant, and others. If you want something older look at the methods by Sor, Giuliani, or Carcassi. There are tons more, just look around for what you like. All of these require being able to read music, if you want to really do classical guitar, you have to start reading it. Don't let that discourage you, though, classical guitar is well worth the effort.

High pitched hum/hiss I usually say check the preamp tubes. The sound in the video is a little hard to know exactly what's going on with just a quick listen, but generally with a tube amp the order of operations for problems is tubes >power supply > electrical parts > mechanical parts. Tubes are cheap and easy fix. If you have spare preamp tubes laying around, try swapping each one with a known good tube one at a time until you find that it doesn't make noise. If you find the problem tube, swap another one (second known good tube) into the same slot if possible to be sure. Since it gets worse with the presence control, try swapping in the tube that is associated with that control. You could also pick up a can of deoxit or some other contact cleaner and spray your pots and jacks. The best way to do the jacks is to spray some on an instrument cable and just plug it in and out a few times then let the amp sit for a bit before turning it on. If the amp has an effects loop or pre/power in/out jacks of any kind and they get some oxidation on them they can cause noise.

Links!

Chord Chemistry - Ted Greene

The Advancing Guitarist - Mick Goodrick

Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar: Book 1

Also, remember that 85% of odd jazz chords that come about, you should be able to work out. -Maj7? Min7 chord with a sharp 7. 7b5? 7 chord with a flat five. Chords with tensions can generally be played without the tensions, so G13 can easily be G7. However, you will loose some nuance. As for jazz solos? Totally not a jazz guitarist. My rock soloing didn't go well with my jazz teachers. However, I was given some fantastic advice: Even if you don't play a style, solo in it like you would normally because that is where you are comfortable. If you find the groove, you'll fit.

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG

$100 seems like a lot, but this thing is some of the best bang for your buck you'll get out of a recording interface, and it's got the added capability of doing a microphone as well, should you ever want to record an acoustic guitar or vocals.

http://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S6-Original-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000RW0GT6 this is a very high end beginners guitar. I put down much nicer guitars for this thing after years of playing. It's a beautifully made one from Canada.

Also, replace your strings pretty quickly on all guitars. Put on Some Elixir strings. Factory strings are almost never as good as what you can buy.

DUDE! I HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION. GHS make this product called "fast-fret". I clean my strings before I play with this and they feel really new always, if you keep it up. Sound diminishes over time; but at least I get more time to play.

http://www.amazon.com/GHS-A87-Fast-Fret-String-Cleaner/dp/B0002D0CQC

If you keep them in cases when not in use, you can get a humidifier and hydrometer to accurately measure humidity. I just have an empty old spice deodorant casing with half a sponge inside of it that I re-damp every few weeks and stick it in my case. It may not be the most accurate, but some humidifiers are literally the same exact thing. Like this one https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Waves-GH-DAddario-Humidifier/dp/B0002D0COE

I'm pretty sure there are combo units for an actual room. The Guitar Center near me has one in their acoustic room that measures humidity and turns itself on every so often.

You can try one of these : http://www.amazon.com/Vox-amPlug-AC30-Guitar-Headphone/dp/B000ZMYRJS

They come in different models, with different sounds. If I remember correctly, you can just plug any pair of headphones with the regular jack made to be plugged into smartphones and mp3 players, and play just like that. They work on batteries and sound pretty good for such little things.

A interface is a separate piece of hardware not just your PC. Here's an often recommended one.
I mentioned it before but you can get a cheap adapter to plug into your microphone port but your sound quality will suffer. Some of the plugins on that site have free trials so you can try that out with an adapter to decide if you want to commit and spend the money on an interface.


One of the main benefits of a plugin is that you can record and practice silently but it still sounds like a believable version of a cranked large high watt amp. You also have the option to go back and completely change the effects used after something has been recorded.

If you want a GREAT electric on the cheaper side by Epiphone, they make this guitar which was actually suggested to me as a beginner. It's an amazing guitar, and I've been using it some for Rocksmith until my lessons for Acoustic begin in August.

You'll want contact cleaner. Deoxit is great for cleaning potentiometers, as well as other electronic connections. Look at the picture of the pot that seb_m posted; see that little notch on the bottom, right-hand of the picture? That's where you'll want to spray the contact cleaner. Then you just turn the pot back and forth a few times to work it around.

Wow thank you for that mountain of information :D I will look into all of the stuff you mentioned and keep you updated
Edit: Right so I've done some more searching and I think I found some gear that I want
Guitar :https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0002D01IG
Amp:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002S0NOUS
What else do I need and are these good choices?

Yes, they've got both the lead line (melody) and the chords above them. They're really the industry standard for jazz — you'll see them on any music stand for a gigging combo. 6th Edition is probably the best place for you to start. (A given song might look like this.)

Lots of great books out there. I don't see anything for classical guitar on your list, but I highly recommend The Christpher Parkening Guitar Method Volume 1, and Volume 2, as well as [Pumping Nylon: The Classical Guitarist's Technique Handbook] (http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Nylon-Classical-Guitarists-Technique/dp/088284721X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416410512&sr=1-1&keywords=pumping+nylon+by+scott+tennant) by Scott Tennant.

Les Pauls are solid guitars don't get me wrong, but Squier has undergone a big quality upgrade in the last few years. Out of the two you just mentioned I'm a fan of SGs from what I've played and plan on getting one in the near future. You can get one for under 200$ with a little digging. This ones an Epiphone but you're paying for the name with Gibson as well. http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Electric-Guitar-Cherry/dp/tags-on-product/B0002D01IG

I love Snark tuners. They're awesome and cheap

http://www.amazon.com/Snark-13-JQCT-G3R2-SN-1-Tuner/dp/B003VWJ2K8/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1369762112&sr=1-1&keywords=snark+tuner

Epiphone make great guitars, the SG model is great for beginners in particular
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002D01IG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496891962&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=epiphone+sg&dpPl=1&dpID=31z7C9nNdGL&ref=plSrch

Gotcha, so an interface like this one is the way to go, and then I can just focus on a guitar that makes me happy.

I wish the nearest store wasn't two hours away.

Much obliged. I actually ordered an Epiphone LP Special II Les Paul just a few hours ago. Assuming I actually stick with guitar this time around, I figure I'll have enough experience to walk into a guitar shop a year from now and pick exactly the guitar I want.

Any recommendations on strings/tools? Should I plan to turn my neck in X months? I noticed from a review on this particular guitar that the strings are lighter. Should I invest in a set of heavier strings and truss/rod adjustment now? I've held other guitars years ago and in a very amateur appraisal remember liking lighter strings because I didn't have to press so hard to get a note. I don't remember much more so hopefully this won't make Rocksmith impossible to play.

Mickey Bakers Complete Course in Jazz Guitar

While the book is labelled as a jazz guitar resource, really what you're getting is a set of really good lessons which will instill a lot of habits that strong playing skills are based on. I must warn you though; the lessons can be tedious (he makes you transpose a lot) but they're very effective if you follow through with them.

You can use grade 0000 very light steel wool to clean your fretboard. I personally use GHS Fast Fret to finish cleaning the fretboard and give it a nice shine and smooth feeling.

Edit: downvotes? Classic /r/guitar lol.

Go play at open mics. This is great for networking with other musicians/bands.

You could also get a cheap recording setup, record band demos, and email those to venues. My old band recorded on a laptop from an SM57 going into a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and we edited/mixed/arranged/exported all the audio through Audacity (free). That's it. Excluding the laptop and mic cables, all this costs around $250 Hell, there's even cheaper alternatives available if you're super strapped for cash.

As for actually finding venues that exist near you, try going to Indie on the move and type in your area and it'll give you all the venues that exist within however big a radius you put.

Hopefully this helps!

Get this. It turned my rosewood fret board back to brown. It was white with dust. This kit is pretty awesome.


http://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-System-Guitar-Maintenance-Kit/dp/B0002E1H9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368930336&sr=8-1&keywords=dunlop+cleaning+kit

A classical guitar book would start from the ground up in notation rather than tab and have lots of sight reading exercises.

Personally, I think Frederick Noad's Solo Guitar Playing is awesome. It's how I got started.

If you already have a theory background and already have some of the mechanical techniques of the guitar down, you could probably move at a good clip through it.

Really thoughtful present! I will say, however, often the headphone out for amplifiers is shockingly bad. It just sounds overly distorted, fuzzy, and not very inspiring. I'd recommend looking into something like this as well to keep a nice sound :)

http://www.amazon.com/GHS-A87-Fast-Fret-String-Cleaner/dp/B0002D0CQC

This stuff is amazing and makes the fretboard feel soooo good.

I use fast fret for string cleaning and its great. i have four acoustics and sometimes won't play my 12 string for a month at a time, this stuff takes the rust right off and they'll sound bright and new again.

There are a bunch to use. I use Dunlop System 65 and a clean cotton cloth. It hasn't failed me yet. The cleaning spray will help with the back of the neck, and use the lemon oil on fretboard (note: DO NOT USE LEMON OIL ON THE TELE's MAPLE FRETBOARD) and wipe off the excess. If the fretboard is really cruddy, use a clean, damp cotton cloth and a bit of water to loosen up the grime, then let it dry and apply the oil.

Get a Real Book. There isn't anything in the way of explanation or instruction, but you'll learn many tunes and you'll begin to see common progressions (e.g., ii-V-I) and modulations (e.g., between relative minor and major) quickly. Also, you'll expand your chord vocabulary substantially if you master the many alterations and interesting extended chords that show up in there. Substitutions are a little harder to see w/o direction, I think, and sometimes aren't included in the charts.

I've been wondering the exact same thing! I use a Rocksmith cable currently but been looking at this focusrite interface for a while. If anyone could weigh in on if it's worth it I'd appreciate it!

As far as acoustics go, the Seagull S6 is a lovely moderately priced instrument, 400 bucks or so which is a tad pricey perhaps. Plus it's made in North America. The reviews at Amazon are compelling: http://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S6-Original-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000RW0GT6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Thanks for the tip are you talking about something like this? It really sucks because all I want to do is play but it seems I'm relegated to power chords only lol.

If you like the tube screamer, this is an amazing clone that is a fraction of the cost. I prefer this to a tube screamer.

Joyo Vintage Overdrive

If you have half an interest in acoustic, look for the Yamaha 700 series or a Seagull. Both really good bang for buck.

You could wipe them down daily with GHS fast fret. It's a little expensive on Amazon so I'd recommend going to a store to pick it up. It helps clean the guitar strings and keeps them fresher longer. I've read online that the liquid in there is just wood/mineral oil so I've been reusing the applicator with that liquid and haven't noticed any difference.

I use this GHS string cleaner I love it

http://www.amazon.com/GHS-A87-Fast-Fret-String-Cleaner/dp/B0002D0CQC

You want a Snark. I prefer to tune by ear (use a tuning fork for the reference) but I got a snark for noisy environments. Best I've ever used.

ok so this one is slightly out of your price range at $410, so if that knocks it out for you i understand. But this guitar has been recommended by several sites and players, and is made by Seagull (they make very high quality stuff.) its listed as an entry level instrument, but with my experience its actually a phenomenal guitar, especially at $400. So my advice would be to get this one (the seagull S6), and to spend the extra money for a guitar that will sound better than most other guitars, even those that are more expensive.


here's a link to one:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S6-Original-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000RW0GT6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421298981&sr=8-1&keywords=seagull+s6

I think that would do what you need it to do, but it looks like it's made of cheap plastic so I'd be concerned about the reliability. Also, there is no XLR input which you may need if you're ever going to use a mic. This one is better, and not that much more expensive:

http://www.amazon.in/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_267_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=417iR4TN3eL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1G9DV800T3VX33YWSS20

Are you buying the interface for recording??

Deoxit D5 is the best contact cleaner for dirty pots. I tried substitutes (radio shack...) and they just don't cut the mustard. I haven't cleaned a twin, but on other amps and guitars I've gotten it to work without taking the chassis out. Turn the amp off, spray a good amount between the knob and the amp. Turn the knob back and forth a few times and leave it to dry for a minute or two. Power it on and see if it worked.

This would be a good option. I can attest, that this thing sounds good, to a surprising degree. Not the cheapest, but not bad.

http://www.amazon.com/Vox-amPlug-AC30-Guitar-Headphone/dp/B000ZMYRJS

I don't know how to make your playing interesting but to get faster I recommend Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar book

DVFORGE

Behringer

Generic

Alesis GuitarLink

ESI UGB96

I'm sure there's more, but those were quick and easy to find. They 1/4"->USB adapter has been around a while.

Nope! I got my Vox headphone amp for $35 on Amazon. I love it.

First I would suggest getting this book , its a great reference for maintaining and doing a setup on the guitar .
http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Repair-Guide-3rd/dp/0879309210/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372530336&sr=1-1&keywords=guitar+repair

And maybe this to clean the guitars
http://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-System-Guitar-Maintenance-Kit/dp/B0002E1H9W/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372530451&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=dadario+guitar+cleaning

Are you sure it's a coil split and not series/parallel or OOP?

Because those require the middle position.

For the other thing, your pots need cleaning. Some DeOxit will clear that up.

http://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S6-Original-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000RW0GT6 one of the best you'll get for under $500

Best compromise: one of these on amazon. This way you can practice anywhere, and just keep it in your guitar's case. Also lets you try out different amps, and then you can decide which to buy in real life

If you're looking at a tubescreamer, check out the Joyo Vintage Overdrive. It's an inexpensive TS clone that sounds exactly the same as a Tubescreamer, in fact it has the original chip in it that many people say is better than the current Ibanez reissue.

Multi gauge. http://www.amazon.com/Estone-String-Action-Measuring-Luthier/dp/B00HTUAX1K

Pick punch, make picks out of credit cards and such.

http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Punch-The-Original-Guitar/dp/B005FIFM14/ref=zg_bs_11967641_68

Maintenance kit http://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-System-Guitar-Maintenance-Kit/dp/B0002E1H9W/ref=zg_bs_11967641_80

iRig http://www.amazon.com/IK-Multimedia-Studio-Quality-Guitar-Interface/dp/B00BIRR1TC/ref=zg_bs_11967641_85

Or

Cheap or used interface like a Line 6 GuitarPort, UX1, Behringer U-Phoria UM2, ETC

The seagulls are great guitars that fall right in that price range. I'm planning on getting one myself in the near future.

http://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S6-Original-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000RW0GT6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309656601&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/The-Real-Book-Sixth-Edition/dp/0634060384

It's a collection of jazz standards. A must-have for anyone who plays even a little bit of jazz, but it's definitely not something you could learn jazz guitar from without another aid.

1. Can't help you there buddy
   
   
2. Shure SM57. This is pretty much the standard microphone for guitar recording, though bear in mind that you need an audio interface to be able to plug it into your computer.
   
   
3. Only solution I can think of would be if your amp had a 3/4" direct input and you hooked the clarinet up to a mic.

Hello,

I'd recommend a LP style guitar, and a Marshall or valve amp (up to 30W) depending on what kind of audience you're playing to.

Guitar similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002CZUV0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1418668301&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

And an amp similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005ODB36S/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1418668401&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

I use a Snark chromatic tuner. Probably the best tuner I've used. This one is good for guitar. There's also the SN-2 which works for many more instruments, but costs a bit more.

Metal. True Bypass also. I just bought it off of Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Joyo-JF-01-Vintage-Overdrive-Quality/dp/B004FEGXDK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396909281&sr=8-1&keywords=joyo+vintage+overdrive

This technique might work for "this" guy, but don't play like him if you want proper right hand technique. I would try Pumping Nylon for classical songs and exercises.

1. Get Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar
   
2. Practice.
   
3. ???
   
4. Profit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTXU2DG?psc=1&smid=A2UPVLUE7LUM25

Would that work? I use my computer for gaming and the likes, etc. so would I have to keep unplugging and plugging in my headphones to different ports just to be able to hear everything?

What about a headphone amp? Is that any good? I mean, I'll probably be using the headphone jack on a actual amp anyway. I don't wanna make too much noise.

youll probably never really have to buy another guitar if you get a cedar top s6 by seagull. The quality in tone at the pricepoint is uncomparable. The guitar sounds better than most $2000 martins too so Im not sure why they are still so cheap

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000RW0GT6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484224724&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=seagull+s6+cedar&dpPl=1&dpID=51rQhkceweL&ref=plSrch

Wikipedia, for sure. It's got great information on every kind of chord, what modes are, what makes an arpeggio, etc etc

I don't use many guitar books, but I'm still working through Speed Mechanics, and it's been several months since I bought it. It's just exercises, though, so it's not really 'helpful', per se.

Since you only need one input, save yourself a few bucks and get the Scarlett Solo

If you can find an hour a day for this which is available at larger guitar shops, it will keep you busy learning the basics for a year or two. A good investment.

You don't need theory for this book. It might teach you some.

Have you checked out this book? It has some good stuff in it.

https://www.amazon.ca/Pumping-Nylon-Classical-Guitarists-Technique/dp/088284721X

These all get mentioned as good entry level guitar on Reddit:

Sub $200:

https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-SPECIAL-II-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0


https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-SG-Special-Electric-Guitar-KillPot/dp/B0002D01IG


https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0064RVAUC

Sub $400:


https://smile.amazon.com/Ibanez-RG-Series-RG450DXB-White/dp/B00B7AJZL2


https://smile.amazon.com/Yamaha-Pacifica-PAC112V-Electric-Sunburst/dp/B001HV67L2


https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-Paul-100-Electric-Heritage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUTM


https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-Electric-Guitar-Coil-Splitting-Handed/dp/B007AGR5JQ ($419)

Yeah you totally could. I run 7 nine volt pedals off of one source with no extra noise. Might I recommend the Visual Sound combo pack? It comes with a bunch of different cables to chain everything together.

Does anyone have any experience with something like this headphone amp?

Is there a difference between this and this? It looks like the second is acoustic-electric, but I feel like I'm missing something here.

I can confirm that this works, as this is what I used to use. However, it is not grounded so you will get a lot of hum.

Cheapest way to go without hum, as far as I've found, is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCG102-Guitar-to-USB-Interface/dp/B000PAPO9W/ref=pd_cp_MI_3

It is only $35, which is way cheaper than most audio interfaces out there. Of course, it's also only useful for guitar, and it's not as nice as higher end interfaces. If you want to get rid of hum, though, it's invaluable.

Is this the right one? http://www.amazon.ca/Shure-SM57-LC-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B0000AQRST/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456793609&sr=8-1&keywords=Shure+SM57

it says this one is LC Cardioid dynamic idk if that matters.

It would probably be better than nothing. I think a sound hole humidifier would make more sense in a soft bag. Only thing with those is make sure they have good reviews, since they sit in the sound hole of your guitar a leak would really suck.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Waves-Acoustic-Guitar-Humidifier/dp/B0002D0COE/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1418155460&sr=1-1&keywords=planet+waves+humidifier

Yeah there's not much around me in terms of music related shops, I'll just pay for the shipping and get it from Amazon, I have my eyes on the Oscar, the sg and the les paul

> You'll also need some kind of tuner.

and I'd recommend a snark tuner

This stuff works very well. I think Radio Shack sells it.

Have you thought about micing your amp? I much prefer this method over using "line outputs". You can pick up an SM57 and an audio interface for a decent price off Amazon. This way you can setup your computer to play audio through the interface (and into headphones) when recording.


As far as the delay in Audacity, you can set up "Latency correction" in "Edit -> Preferences -> Audio I/O".

It's not particularly expensive and your guitars will probably fare a lot better for it. you can either humidify them in their cases with something like this, or humidify the room you keep them in. They should really be kept around 40%-55% humidity to keep the wood from cracking, the frets from poking out the sides of the finger board, or in a worse case, the bridge popping off.

Guitar Rig has much better sound than the Pod Farm, IMO. Once you hear both you'll stick with Guitar Rig, unless cost is an issue.

If you use either Guitar Rig or Pod Farm in a DAW software you would monitor from there, if you use it standalone you will still monitor it from your PC, at least that's how I do it. You interface should allow you to monitor as if you are looping through your PC as an effect and output whatever processing you have there, plus the iTunes in the background, once you have it set up properly.

You will be able to listen to iTunes together with the monitoring sound.

You will be underwhelmed by the Pod, it's a POS. I have both the POD and a much cheaper Guitar Link from Behringer and I can't really tell the difference, so I just use the guitar link all the time.

I've got Nelson's book too. It's a good book too, but I think it's not a patch on another Stetina book... "Speed Mechanics" : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speed-Mechanics-Lead-Guitar-Stetina/dp/0793509629

(Damn, Troy... you should be paying me man!)

you have 2 options for what I think you want

you can run straight into the computer from the headphone jack of your amp, or modeler, or you can run guitar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCG102-Guitar-to-USB-Interface/dp/B000PAPO9W

and then apply amps/effects inside the computer software without plugging into an amp first

You really need to go to a guitar store before you throw down $X for a guitar... ignore the color and the logo... I just sold my MIM Strat because it felt awfull (neck is to small for my hands) turns out I really like the wider Gibson/Epiphone style bodies.

Also, don't spend $300 for your first guitar.. maybe in a year (if you last a year) upgrade.

Here's an Epiphone for $149 (on sale, Its a $300 guitar)

http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1451256946&sr=1-2&keywords=epiphone

I have one in Wine and its a solid guitar.. but you really have to put whatever you want to buy in your hands and feel it for yourself.

Pick yourself up one of these and start playing around with the tunes.

Frederick Noad [Solo Guitar Playing] (http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Book-Edition/dp/0825636795) is all you need. Start with Book 1 and you'll be reading music and playing Bach before you get to Book 2.

Hosa D5S-6 Deoxit Contact Cleaner 5% Spray http://amzn.com/B00006LVEU

I just bought a can of this myself for my amp

I wouldn't get either of those pedals.

Just get a basic delay pedal and a vintage-style overdrive pedal.

something like this for a bit of echo: https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Yellow-Fall-Vintage-Analog/dp/B00GRRN2RI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466494900&sr=8-1&keywords=analog+delay

and something like this for a bit of dirt: https://www.amazon.com/Joyo-JF-01-Vintage-Overdrive-Guitar/dp/B004FEGXDK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466494843&sr=8-1&keywords=joyo+overdrive

You need a digital interface, which will turn your guitar sound into data that your computer will understand.
I use the scarlett solo and it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1521813146&sr=8-13&keywords=scarlett+studio

I run my pedal board straight into the instrument input. If it sounds a bit odd to you, add some reverb, since a guitar going straight into a computer can sound kinda dead.

Here's one:
https://www.amazon.ca/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804
I did get the name wrong to a degree.
But importantly, this link has a fair amount of material that explains the book:
http://www.jazzandhotguitar.com/

I'd echo some other sentiments here: get a middle of the road multieffects pedal to start. Eventually you'll develop a slew of presets that you like the sound of. Once you know what you enjoy playing, then you can start purchasing specialized pedals that do their jobs better than the multieffects pedal.

I started off with a Digitech RP-90 pedal. It was cheap, it worked well, and it still has one or two presets that are really stellar.

When I moved on to building my first pedal board, I went with the smallest Pedaltrain available, and I picked five or six effects. First was a Decimator, which lets me play my hollowbody at loud volumes without microphonic feedback. I also picked up two overdrive pedals, one to color my sound, and one to provide boost for soloing. Then I've got a distortion pedal, a tuner, and finally a fuzz.

Here's what it all looks like: http://i.imgur.com/HO86o.jpg

I've got this guy powering it - it's about as cheap as they get but it works well. The specific pedals themselves: Zvex Fuzz Factory > PolyTune > MI Audio Crunch Box > DigiTech DigiTech Bad Monkey Overdrive > Danelectro Transparent Overdrive V2 > ISP Decimator (used for microphonic feedback on my hollowbody). No complaints, and no noise issues to speak of.

In all I probably spent around $300 on the great pedalboard setup, vs <$100 for the Digitech. I'll probably add a delay next.

You could leave that pedal plugged in, turned on, etc. for 50 years and it will be fine, except maybe a dead battery. Try one of these if you have more than a couple pedals: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RNB720/ I love it.

I also use the dunlop kit listed here - http://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-System-Guitar-Maintenance-Kit/dp/B0002E1H9W. Haven't felt the need for anything else, after cleaning they're shiny and feel great. The fretboard cleaner isn't meant for maple fretboards, but other than that no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-Hal-Leonard-Corporation/dp/0634060384/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495028237&sr=8-1&keywords=hal+leonard+real+book

If you're into jazz, get yourself a Real Book! It's reasonably basic sheet music, and full of classics.

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-Hal-Leonard-Corporation/dp/0634060384

For jazz get a Real Book.

Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar

Buy a copy of Speed Mechanics for lead guitar and look through that. Keep the your thumb on the back of the neck as much as humanly possible. Use your pinky. Work on minimizing and isolating your movements.

Minimum movement would be one thing: http://justinguitar.com/en/TE-004-MinimumMovement.php

And there's alternate picking.

http://www.insaneguitar.com/mc/alternate.html

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/guitar_techniques/alternate_picking_technique.html

You could check out Troy Stetina's Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar: http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Mechanics-Lead-Guitar-Stetina/dp/0793509629

I took a couple courses in classical guitar and we used this book. It's a very traditional, bottom-up way to learn, starting with open strings, then 1st position and so-on. You get out of it what you put into it. That means taking as much time as necessary with each section, even if it means spending 2 or 3 weeks on a single chapter.

Solo Guitar Playing

Mickey Baker, should be first on the list:

http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804

Found this on Amazon:


http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1367886351&sr=1-2&keywords=guitar

Do you think that, this one would be good?:
https://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-SPECIAL-II-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1481998052&sr=1-12&keywords=electric+guitar

Just got this one it's coming in on Monday.

http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Electric-Guitar-Cherry/dp/B0002D01IG/ref=sr_1_11?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1300205958&sr=1-11

or this:

http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Collection-Electric-Guitar/dp/B000GBZ2F6/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1300205958&sr=1-3

(and also check out Rondo)

Considering A/C is typically a dehumidifier, especially in an A/C controlled environment.

EDIT: /u/freelandford means you should have a humidifier for your guitar, not a dehumidifier.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Waves-Acoustic-Guitar-Humidifier/dp/B0002D0COE

Am I able to use this guitar humidifier on my classical guitar? The product specifically advertises its use should be for acoustic guitars.

Fast Fret works for me...


http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Fret-String-Neck-Lubricant/dp/B0002D0CQC

http://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-6500-System-Guitar-Maintenance/dp/B0002E1H9W

i think it's this one https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCG102-BEHRINGER-GUITAR-LINK/dp/B000PAPO9W

That power should work, but get one of these instead.

http://www.amazon.com/Visual-Sound-Spot-Combo-Pack/dp/B000RNB720

hmm, what about this? http://www.amazon.com/Vox-amPlug-AC30-Guitar-Headphone/dp/B000ZMYRJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413249871&sr=8-2&keywords=vox+ac+30+plug+amp

Snark: http://www.amazon.com/Snark-SN1-SN-1-Tuner/dp/B003VWJ2K8

It's fast and accurate. It's all I ever use now. Tried 2 different Boss and a Korg.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/JOYO-JF-01-Vintage-Overdrive-Guitar/dp/B004FEGXDK/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOX-WAH-V847-Classic-Wah-Wah/dp/B000TGHVGQ/

Try this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004FEGXDK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469223619&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=joyo+vintage+overdrive&dpPl=1&dpID=41YfoJzac3L&ref=plSrch - sounds almost identical for less than half the price!

I have a Scarlett 6i6 but I started with a Scarlett Solo. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTXU2DG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005OZE9SA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=12Q6J7G6SP9P07ZC0HNZ . The Scarlett line seems to be the go-to interface for anyone not looking to spend $1k+.

It's a bit more but I'm finding my Scarlett Solo does the job.

So would I connect the mic to something like this and that to the PC?

I live in the southwest where its incredibly dry. I find myself having to use a guitar humidifier at least once a week. I usually just leave it inside my guitar for about a day at a time. This is what I use.

Really makes quite a difference.

For those who may be reading this that play Fingerstyle or Classical, I can't recommend Scott Tennant's book Pumping Nylon enough.

get a snark. cheap and tiny but they work fine for just playing at home. then you don't even have to worry about being plugged in.

batteries (rechargable?) or two power supplies, yeah.

OR maybe one of these One-Spot power supplies...but you'd have all these extra connections. After that are VooDoo Labs Pedal Power type power supplies, with isolated outputs... a bit pricier.

Might want to give it a shot.

I run a tuner, wah wah, DS-1, Danelectro vibrato, and a CH-1 through it, no issues at all.