Transcript
Move Forward Guitar MFG Guitarist’s Resource Guide
I’ve written this guide based on what I’ve used and find valuable. This is by no means a definitive list. If you would like to recommend additions, or if you’ve had a bad experience with anything listed, email me at:
[email protected] (At present Move Forward Guitar and myself have no affiliation with any of the companies or products in this guide)
Guitars
Too many good manufacturers to list. Here is what I use: Acoustic: Taylor Guitars Electric: My main guitar is an American Deluxe Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan pickups (SSL-1’s in the Neck and Middle and Twang Banger in the bridge)
Picks Dunlop Nylons
I use Eric Johnson Jazz III’s but they probably aren’t a good option for beginners. For beginners I recommend .60mm or .73mm
Capo
Kyser Quick-Change
Tuners
Handheld: Korg CA-40 Chromatic Tuner Apps: iStrobosoft Pedal: Boss TU-3 I use all of the tuners above Other tuners to check out TC Electronic Polytune Korg Pitchblack
Guitars Cables
I’m not that particular on cables. I’ve been using Planet Waves Custom Series cables and haven’t had any issues with them.
Apps
These are apps that I use regularly (ios) iStrobosoft (tuner) Tempo-Metronome (Frozen Ape)
Guitar Straps
Acoustic: I’m not big on any particular brand. There are a lot of good options out there. Just make sure it’s comfortable, easy to adjust, and has a tight fit on your guitar pins so that it won’t fall off. Electric: Planet Waves Lock Straps (if your guitar doesn’t have good balance, you might need a strap that has more friction to keep your guitar from sliding around) This is what I use and really like but there are a lot of good options out there. One of the main reasons I like these straps so much is that I don’t have to get separate strap locks.
Guitar Strings
Acoustic: D’Addario Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Light .012 to .053 Electric: D’Addario Nickel Wound XL Regular Light .10 to .46 These are what I use and really like. They are a good quality string at an affordable price. Everyone plays differently and has a different feel and touch though, so it’s good to try out different brands and gauges.
Software
Band in A Box I use this to practice soloing/improvising when I don’t have a jam track in the right key or with the right chord progression Smart Music This is full of exercises you can learn and play along with. It also has a lot of jazz songs and progressions to work on your soloing and improvising.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Method Books
A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt Great book for learning how to read music Guitarist’s Guide to Music Reading by Chris Buono A really good book on reading guitar that gives a lot of useful exercises Matt Warnock eBooks Matt Warnock has some really good eBooks on his jazz guitar site Fundamental Changes in Jazz Guitar by Joseph Alexander A really good book for someone just getting into jazz guitar soloing. One of the best that I’ve seen for going step by step through the process.
YouTube Channels
justinguitar and justinguitarsongs A lot of good lessons including lessons on how to play popular songs guitarjamzdotcom and martyzsongs Marty Schwartz is the biggest teacher on YouTube. There are a lot of good lessons on blues and lessons on how to play popular songs ProGuitarShopDemos A lot of good gear demos PrymaxeVintage A lot of good gear demos
Lesson Websites
Justinguitar.com Excellent site full of free lessons. Justin Sandercoe is a really good teacher. Truefire.com This site is full of really good lessons taught by some amazing guitarists. One problem is that there are so many lessons taught by so many different teachers that it can be a little overwhelming trying to find the right lesson for your needs. Definitely a really good site though. Artistworks.com This site has some amazing world-class players teaching on it. Each teacher teaches a specific style and in a very specific way so it’s definitely not for everyone and I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. Mattwarnock.com Great free site for anyone interested in jazz guitar. It’s all pretty much focused on jazz guitar so I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. 99centguitarlessons.com Mostly jazz lessons. Has a lot of good lessons that you can buy individually (not really 99 cents though) or you can pay for a monthly membership. If you’re buying lessons individually, it can be a little tricky knowing if you will find the lesson useful until after you’ve purchased it.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Lesson DVDs
I’ve spent a lot of money over the years on DVD’s and have been disappointed by the majority of them. Most of them over promise and under deliver. The only exception that I’ve found is one DVD I’ve purchased from Justinguitar.com (Justin Sandercoe). Justinguitar.com has multiple DVD’s available. Although I’ve only purchased one, I found it valuable enough that I feel comfortable recommending checking out the rest of his collection.
Other Websites
Reverbnerds.com Site all about creating ambient sounds on the guitar Reverb.com A place to buy and sell used gear They also have a useful blog on their site including this post http://reverb.com/blog/reverb-picks-thebest-forums about what they consider the best gear related forums Harmonycentral.com Tons of gear reviews and much more Proguitarshop.com I’ve bought a lot of gear from them and have always had great service. They also have really good prices. Prymaxevintage.com Good prices on gear and I’ve had good experiences buying from them
Pedals/Effects
These are pedals that I’ve owned and really like. The ones with (**) next to them are currently on my board. JHS Double Barrel** Excellent dual overdrive. Can get countless tones out of this pedal. JHS Panther This is a really good analog delay with tons of options. I really liked this pedal, but didn’t need it enough for my sound to justify the price. JHS Pulp n Peel Really good option if you need a subtle compressor. It also has a high quality buffer in it, which helps prevent tone loss from long cable runs. JHS Prestige** Excellent booster/tone enhancer. It also acts as a buffer when it’s engaged and the knob is turned to zero Ernie Ball VP Active/No Loss Volume Pedal (JHS Mod)** I’ve had this on my board for quite a while and really like it. I mainly use it for volume swells but it also has a high quality buffer in it, which helps prevent tone loss from long cable runs. Boss GE-7 Magnum Mod (JHS Mod) Definitely a good option if you need an EQ. I found that I didn’t need it to get the sounds I’m after. Line 6 M13 Really like this multi effects unit. Countless options for sounds you can create and tones you can get. It also has a really good looper. The only reason I don’t have this anymore is because I moved to the smaller M9 unit to save space. © Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Pedals/Effects cont.
Line 6 M9** See M13 Xotic Effects SP Compressor** I really like this compressor. Can add subtle compression or really squash your sound. TC Electronic Flashback Good sounding delay with a lot of options. The looper function on it isn’t very practical for live use. TC Electronic Flashback X4 I really liked this delay unit and it has a really good looper, but didn’t need it since I have the Line 6 M9. TC Electronic Ditto Looper This is a really cool simple looper. I liked it mainly for practicing. I’m sure I’ll get this again someday. TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb** I’ve used this reverb for a few years and really like it. I think it’s one of the best for it’s price range. MXR Carbon Copy Delay** I love this pedal. It has an extremely warm organic sound. I’ll probably always own one. Fulltone OCD Really good overdrive pedal. I don’t use it anymore because I have the JHS Double Barrel. Definitely a good option for it’s price range. Fulltone Octafuzz I really like this pedal because you can get some crazy sounds with it. Mission Engineering EP1-L6** I use this as an expression pedal with my Line 6 M9. It works really well for that.
Ernie Ball VP Jr.** I use this for controlling the looper volume on my Line 6 M9. Definitely a better choice than Line 6’s expression pedal. Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy Really good analog delay Electro Harmonix Big Muff This pedal produces massive fuzz/distortion. Only problem is that it’s a huge pedal and takes up a lot of real estate on your pedalboard. Catlinbread Montavillian A nice unique delay
Pedalboard
(This is talking about the actual board that the pedals attach to. It can be confusing if you are new to pedals since the board itself is called a pedalboard, but a board loaded with pedals is also referred to as a pedalboard.) I build my own pedalboards (just simple ones made out of plywood), but if you don’t want to build your own, pedaltrain is a good option.
Pedal power
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus This is excellent for powering your pedals. I’ve used this for a few years and haven’t had any issues with it.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Beginner Pedalboard
If you are looking to put together your first pedalboard but don’t know where to start, here is my recommendation: **listed in effects order (cable from guitar goes into tuner then other pedals are connected in order with patch cables then a cable goes from reverb into amp) Tuner: Any of the pedal tuners I previously listed Overdrive: Fulltone OCD Delay: TC Electronic Flashback Reverb: TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb Pedalboard: A piece of plywood with industrial strength Velcro on top (other side of Velcro goes on bottom of pedals) Pedal power: Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus (if you can afford it) if not a temporary solution is a Visual Sound 1 Spot Patch cable (for connecting pedals together): Fender Performance Series Instrument Patch Cable 6” This is just a basic recommendation for getting your feet wet. The only way to know what works best for your sound is to try out different pedals.
Favorite Musicians
This is a list of my favorite musicians. This isn’t a list of who is the best because that is very subjective, and in my opinion, a very pointless argument. Guitarists (in no particular order and definitely not a complete list) Derek Trucks Jimi Hendrix Stevie Ray Vaughan Dave Matthews Oz Noy Wayne Krantz Jonathan Kreisberg Kurt Rosenwinkel Jonny Greenwood
Pat Martino John Scofield Joe Pass George Benson Wes Montgomery Django Reinhardt Martin Taylor Pat Metheny Charlie Hunter Jimmy Herring Al Di Meola John Mclaughlin Jim hall Lage Lund Tommy Emmanuel Eric Clapton Omar Rodriguez Lopez Isiah Sharkey Jairus Mozee David Gilmour Carl Verheyen Jeff Beck Duane Allman Marc Ribot Nir Felder Andreas Oberg Fareed Haque Other favorite musicians/bands John Coltrane Michael Brecker Marco Benevento Brian Blade Sonny Rollins Charlie Parker Miles Davis Ben Harper Ben Howard Damien Rice Citizen Cope Phosphorescent Howlin Wolf © Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Dave Matthews Band Benevento Russo Duo Skerik Jeff Buckley Robert Johnson AA Bondy Mimicking Birds Joshua James Chris Pureka David Ramirez Led Zeppelin Radiohead Thelonious Monk Wayne Shorter Zechs Marquise Robert Randolph Albert King BB King Freddie King Buddy Guy Daughter Herbie Hancock Iron and Wine Keaton Henson T-Bone Walker Joe Henderson James Carter Deantoni Parks Stanton Moore Chris Dave and the Drumhedz Johnny Cash Dizzy Gillespie Wham! Muddy Waters The Allman Brothers Frank Sinatra Dean Martin Elmore James Louis Armstrong Father John Misty Many others…
Representing my local scene (Seattle) Noah Gundersen Allen Stone Motopony Campfire OK Deep Sea Diver Jess Lambert (I guess this is the one affiliation I have, my wife, and oh yeah… I’m her guitarist)
Lemolo David Bazan Hot Bodies In Motion
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
