Choosing a Guitar Amplifier

Finding the Right Guitar Amplifier Sound

Sounds! Sounds! Sounds! How do you get the right guitar amplifier sound? You gravitate towards the big names! The music shop is in a frenzy cacophonous uproar. Twenty guitar amps are going off simultaneously. Someone is in the corner doing bad guitar solos. Opposite corner, someone’s banging out helicopter rhythmic heavy metal with dark clean tones. Perpendicular to the stereotypical metal guy, a dorky indie kid is playing some bar chords. Madness!

Choosing a guitar amplifier can be like stumbling drunk into a darkened room fumbling for the light, yet amplifier choice is just as important (even more so!) as choosing the right guitar. The guitar amplifier will set your sound more then your guitar.

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New Guitars!!!

Pro Guitar World has updated its guitar product listing. We have added the following guitars to our line-up:

Electric Guitars
Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar
Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar
Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Custom
Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s Neck Electric Guitar
Fender Classic Series 1972 Telecaster
Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Electric Guitar
Schecter Synyster Custom Electric Guitar
Epiphone G-400 SG Electric Guitar
Gibson Faded SG Special Electric Guitar

Acoustic Guitars
Takamine G320 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
Breedlove Passport D20 FS
Mitchell MD100S Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
Seagull The Original S6 Acoustic Guitar

How To Play Guitar - Getting Started

Learning how to play guitar is something that many people are interested in. Many of us grew up listening to great rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, Beatles, or Cream, and always wished we could play guitar like our heroes. Now that were older and have worked hard to establish our career and family, many of us have decided that it is time to learn how to play guitar. Before you take that first guitar lesson, there are several things you should do to be prepared.

First, getting your first beginner guitar can be a very daunting task. While it is not necessary for you to know a lot about guitars, you should at least know that there are three basic types. There are electric guitars, acoustic guitars, and classical guitars. Technically classical guitars are also acoustic, but because they have nylon strings instead of steel strings, they are classified differently. Most of your heroes probably played an electric guitar, and there"s no reason for you not to. Don"t buy into that old theory that you have to start with an acoustic guitar. They all play the same, and the electric ones are easier to handle. Let"s face it, they sound cooler too.

Most entry level guitars are made overseas, and are of similar quality. When you are just starting to learn how to play guitar, the quality is not important, and you should not spend too much on a guitar because as you improve, your tastes will change and develop more.

Second, decide if you will be taking traditional guitar lesson at a music store or lesson facility, or use one of the many excellent online multimedia guitar lesson methods available. Private lessons are great, of course, but can be expensive and require a time commitment on your part. Obviously either method requires time on your part, but at least if you have something you are learning from at home on your computer or DVD player, you have the option of taking a lesson whenever you want.

Finally, be ready to practice. If you want to learn how to play the guitar, you have to practice a little bit every day. It doesn"t have to be a lot, 20 minutes will do. The main thing is the consistent practice on a day to day basis. I have yet to see a student who wants to learn how to play the guitar, and practices regularly, not have good results. Above all else, have fun with it. There is no hurry, and the joy will get from learning how to play the guitar will be with you for the rest of your life.

What to Look For in a Guitar Humidifier

Dry winter weather or enviornments can cause serious damage to acoustic guitars, in the form of cracks in the wood. This damage may require expensive repairs or reduce the sound quality of your fine instrument.

One way to supply additional humidity to your guitar is through a device known as a guitar humidifier. These devices are designed to release humidity inside the guitar through the sound-hole. Sound-hole humidifiers all utilize some type of water reservoir with an absorbent medium such as a sponge, water absorbent floral foam or absorbent polymer. The medium is then surrounded by some type of cover which holds the water absorbent medium in place and restricts the flow of water evaporation from the medium. To get inside your guitar, they slip between your guitar strings and are held in place there. Depending upon the brand of humidifier you purchase, it may or may not touch the wood inside your guitar. Dampit is designed to lie inside your guitar, while Planet Waves and Oasis are completely suspended from the strings.

Water holding capacity and the restrictiveness of the outer cover are the greatest factors in determining how often you will need to refill the device. Needless to say, you can"t stick a quart container of water inside your guitar, but there are several humidifiers that will hold an ounce (30 cc"s) or more such as Oasis or Planet Waves. If your guitar needs several cc"s per day of water vapor, a humidifier that holds only 5-10 cc"s will need to be refilled every few days.

Planet Waves and Dampit utilize holes in the outside membrane to release water vapor. Oasis uses a fabric which allows the water vapor, but not the water, to pass through the material to keep your guitar humidified. One downside to evaporation holes is the risk of water leakage. Very careful handling can minimize, but not eliminate this risk. Oasis is a water-tight, sealed unit which eliminates the risk of water leakage.

When to refill your humidifier is one of the great mysteries which have been solved by Oasis. Since Oasis is a flexible sealed container, is shrinks as the water inside of it evaporates through the fabric. When Oasis begins to look like a prune, you need to refill it.

All of the sound-hole humidifiers work. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. As with any new product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.

Choosing the Right Guitar

When you decide to learn to play guitar, choosing the right guitar is a very important choice you have to make. There are quite a few different types of guitars out there, and they all have distinct sounds to them. If you just choose any guitar you can find when you learn to play guitar, you may get discouraged when it doesn"t sound like you expected it to sound. The types of music that you want to play will decide what kind of guitar that you should pick. That poses a problem, because when you first learn to play guitar, you rarely know what type of music that you will be playing or even if you"re going to be playing it long enough to make it worth your investment. Luckily guitars are not that expensive compared to other instruments.

The different types of guitars are acoustic, electric, classical, flamenco, semi-acoustic, 12-string, and bass guitar. Even though there are a few different types of guitars, there are two main types which are acoustic guitars and electric guitars. It seems to be the consensus that when you first learn to play guitar, you should start with an acoustic guitar. You can play them pretty much any place and they are much cheaper than electric guitars. If you buy an acoustic guitar, don"t buy a cheaply made one. It won"t be fun to play and it won"t sound very good, which means you probably won"t play it and it"ll end up in your garage somewhere.

You don"t have to pay a whole lot of money either. You can get a quality cheap "no-name" guitar for under a couple hundred dollars. You shouldn"t buy a guitar because of the name brand. You have to make sure the quality of wood is good. Most guitar players will tell you to stay away from plywood. Make sure it feels good and that it is well-made. You should also play it or let someone else play it before you buy it to make sure it sounds good.

If you choose to get an electric guitar, you will also need to buy an amplifier and effects, which could get very expensive. If you want to play the harder and louder music like rock and roll and you have some extra money on your hands, than go for it. When you first learn to play guitar, the extra noise that the electric guitar brings could annoy you in the beginning.

So when choosing you guitar, keep in mind the type for music that you will be playing. If you don"t know yet or if money is tight, you should invest in a quality acoustic guitar. Remember, not to choose a cheaply made guitar or you"ll probably give up sooner or later because it won"t feel or sound good to you. Make good decisions now and you"ll be a successful guitar player in no time at all.

For more helpful tips and information, go to my blog on how to learn to play guitar.

Learn How To Play The Guitar - A Checklist For Online Lessons

"I wish I would have stuck with or learned how to play the guitar when I was a kid!" Does that sound like you? More an more men and women in their 40's and 50's are picking up a guitar and learning how to play guitar. Some are starting from scratch, others have put it down to pursure careers and families, and now have the itch to play again. Whether you're 15 or 50, rank beginner or semi-skilled, you've probably looked around the internet to see what online guitar lessons are all about. Here are some things to look for.

Does the product offer written, audio, and video demonstrations of the material? This is especially important if you've never played before. You won't be able to tell if you're doing it right from a book, and your ear isn't developed enough to accurately hear if you're playing the example correctly. It helps immensely to be able to see someone else do it.

Is the product designed for a player at your level? Don't buy a shredding lead guitar player package if you've never even strummed a chord. Learning how to play a guitar is like most things, you have to start with the basics. Everything builds upon everything else.

Is the course created by, or taught by, a professional guitar teacher? Furthermore, can you verify that the person can actually play the guitar well? Most online websites have little audio samples of the course designer. If there's not one, maybe you should ask why.

There's of course, no substitute for private lessons, but that can be expensive and inconvenient. Online materials are getting better and better. If you're seriously looking to learn how to play the guitar, you should be able to find just what you need.