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TOPIC: Fun with electrics

Fun with electrics 14 years 3 months ago #2195

I decided to do something alittle different, and blew the dust off my Washburn electric. Unfortunately, my Fender G-DEC was having technical difficulties, it wouldn't power up. (This just reinforced my opinion of electrics, if you lose the amp, or your cord, your dead in the water). I got into the box, and found a blown 500 milliamp pico fuse. I replaced the fuse, and had some fun with Amazing Grace with it. I'm amazed at how cool the electric sounds, and how easy it is to improvise with. Just playing scales with it is fun, and the G-DEC has so many different effects, 2 hours went by in no time experimenting with the settings on the amp, and just having fun with the G major scale.
I will work the electric into my practice sessions. It is definitely a totally different dimension, with tons of cool possibilities. And i don't even have an effects pedal yet.
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Re:Fun with electrics 14 years 3 months ago #2202

It must be me, of course, but whenever I try to play my electric (a nice Stratocaster) it sounds like a cat in a fan belt. It's not the guitar as my teenage son and his friends play it and it sounds fine (one of his friends runs through Cream, Hendrix, Zep riffs with it, he sounds great, makes me crazy). I just don't seem to get along with it!

My son has an Epi SG, also a really nice electric, but he tends towards metal stuff. Ug.
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Re:Fun with electrics 14 years 3 months ago #2203

They don't require alot of finger pressure like acoustics,so the movable barre shapes are alittle easier, (like the E and F shapes) and you have to be careful about bumping strings you don't want to play, because that mess will come out thru the amp. Also, you have to mute at the proper time because of the sustain, or the chord or note will just keep ringing, but this is more about technique than anything. (like palm muting) I've found that you can't play the electric with the same techniques as you would the acoustic. The electric, in many ways, requires alot less skill in my opinion. The hardest part is knowing which pickups to use to get a fatter or skinnier tone(bridge, neck, or both) How much overdrive to use to get the right crunch, and which effects to use. If you can play the barre shape chords, you can do I/IV/V blues shuffle rhythms alot easier, you can mute the chord with light finger pressure, and the fingering on the shapes stays basically the same, and you can move all over the neck. You could do this with the acoustic as well, it's just harder because of the pressure needed to properly sound the chord clearly.
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Re:Fun with electrics 14 years 3 months ago #2204

Oh yeah, Ed, i forgot to mention, i sound like a cat tripping over himself in a washing machine! (not that i ever put a cat in a washer---no cats were injured during my guitar playing)
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Re:Fun with electrics 14 years 3 months ago #2212

I like playing my strat too. It had been a while and it was a lot of fun sweepin' off the dust. It's true that at times it seems easier to play the electric. Certain effects can hide most imperfections. But there's a definite amount pleasure to be had making music that sounds good with your own two hands. So yes, I use them too. Playing "clean" is a lot less forgiving. Every mistake is amplified (pun intended). But for pure practice, for maximum improvement, clean is the way to go. Not to mention have you heard Clapton's tone? Man, I'd love to sound like that. Never happen but it's fun trying.
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Re:Fun with electrics 14 years 3 months ago #2217

Clapton's a hard act to follow. But you're correct, it's alot of fun playing with them. I bought the Washburn WI-14 and Fender amp a year ago from a detective @ work for $200. It came with the gig bag, and a bunch of song books-Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and some metal bands i really don't follow.
It's an entry level axe, when i get better i'll look for something better. I want to practice the pentatonics and get them under my fingers, since many of the rock leads are derived from there. Now i gotta find a stomp box....
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