keithb

OK, since I'm snowed in this weekend, I figure it's a great time to get some work done on the project guitar. The inlay holes in the Ibanez neck are too deep for the Stewmac inlays I bought. What would you guys recommend to build up the hole bottoms? Epoxy? CA + sawdust?

Taking Frank's advice, I drilled a small hole through each inlay and eased them out - worked perfectly. Thanks guys! I'll post pics when the project's finished.

Thanks for all the advice - I'm going to give removing the dots a try sometime later this week, I'll let you know how it goes!

I recently bought an Ibanez Universe UV7BK (the green/black model) for cheap - the finish is really messed up and I don't think Guitar Center realized it was a UV. I'm going to go with a clear finish, but the green dot inlays will look really strange - any hints on replacing the inlays without doing a re-fret? Any good sources of inlay material? Thanks!

OK, here are the photos (kinda big, sorry for the slow loading time). I'd be willing to sell the whole guitar for $350 + shipping. It plays well and stays in tune, sounds good - clear and aggressive. Good guitar overall, but I don't really play it, so it's got to go! Prices are as follows (very negotiable on everything - tell me if something is outrageously overpriced Very Happy ): Neck - some fret wear, but not bad, very playable, not damaged other than missing Ibanez logo: $150 Body - obvious finish problems (looks like someone tried to repair the finish in the past), underlying wood seems to be in good shape. Two nicks that look like they may have penetrated to the wood, then been repaired, includes trem studs: $100 Pickup - scuffed surface, some flecks of green paint (?) in a few cracks and crevases. Sounds great (these were Blaze 7's, right?), plenty of wire: $50 Edge 7 bridge/nut/etc - some surface rust, otherwise fine (will include trem studs if needed): $50 7 Tuners - all sealed design, finish is worn, but no rust and they work fine: $50 for the lot Buyer will pay shipping on any/all items. I'd prefer to sell it as a whole.

I have a UV7BK that's seen better days that I am thinking of parting with: All hardware is present, some surface rust, but nothing really bad. Only one pickup (bridge) Finish is pretty messed up, but the body appears to be in decent shape. Neck is in good shape Plays well and stays in tune.... Pics upon request! Anyone interested?

Start with the minor pentatonic scale. Then learn the 5 'patterns' (they're not modes!) of that scale. Then learn the minor (Aeolian) and major (Ionian) scales. Then learn the rest of the modes of the major scale. Practice them with different fingerings, in different keys, etc I agree with j789 - don't get hung up on C major == A minor, etc, you'll just confuse yourself. Also, here's a clever mnemnic for the names of the modes: I Don't Practice Like Michael AngeLo (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) - credit goes to Junebughunter for that one

On his website, Neil Zaza notes that he recorded most of his (excellent) album 'Staring at the Sun' with a Transtube 1x12 and an extension cab.

For Spanish/Flamenco fingerstyle, check out Strunz and Farah - although they aren't really too traditional, definatly GREAT music. For Folk fingerstyle, check out Harvey Reid, especially his 'Guitar Voyages' album.

Might wanna polish up the playing and the tone a bit before trying that live.....

30 min per day is not enough to build your skills. Also, look into taking lessons a good guitar teacher, I find I practice a lot more when I have someone giving me assignments, etc. Just to give you an idea, here's how I practice every day: (all times are approximate, of course) 10-15 min warmups 30 min exercises focusing on wherever I feel I need help (right now, pull-offs and 4th finger independance) 30 min scale/mode practice 30 min chord practice 60 min practicing songs and practicing improv So 2.5 - 3 hours of "strict practice" per day, and definately longer on weekends, plus random jamming, etc (I can't seem to put my guitar down ) And yes, I DO have a life outside of playing guitar!

I agree, it's fine. VanKirk doesn't know what he's saying I use that sort of 'universal' wall-wart all the time.

Eh, that's not that weird. My father and two of my sisters have thumbs like that. Mine doensn't bend that far, but I'm guessing it's just heredity...

I use four types of vibrato (I think they've all been mentioned already, but whatever ) 1 - Using only my finger(s) to move the string up and down along the fret 2 - Using wrist/forearm motion to move the string 'back and forth' like violin or cello vibrato (this one sounds pretty nice because the string moves up and down in pitch) 3 - Using a twisting motion of my wrist/forearm with the fingers fanned out (think of twisting a door knob) - I think this is the 'BB King' style mentioned before 4 - Everyone's favorite - the whammy bar! With a free-floating trem I can get ultra-fast, ultra-wide, slow and subtle, or anything in between

nyjbkim, Gator Grips seem to be pretty consistently flat to me. Dunlop has a whole bunch of pick materials available now, looking through my pick bucket I can see Dunlop picks in nylon, Tortex, Gator Grip, Ultex and delrin (along with Fender mediums, Dunlop Jazz IIIs, Ibanez picks, etc, etc) I can never decide on which picks I like

I hold the pick between my thumb and first finger, much like krazyderek in the third picture. I also have problems with my pick moving around, but I've solved them by changing picks (Dunlop Gator Grips don't seem to move as much). My other guitarist swears by Gorilla Snot (a sticky substance you smear on picks to make them grippier) but I can't get used to it... There is hope! And never grip too hard, especially to the point of swelling!

Yeah, I guess F flat is a lil weird

Quick lesson: Bass clef is also called F-clef because the two dots like surround the F line. The treble clef is also called G-clef because the end of the little swirl is around the G line. The flat and sharp symbols right after the clef tell you what key the music is in, and by doing so tell you which notes are sharp/flat. For example, if there is a flat symbol on the F line, ALL F's are flat. This way, the music doesn't get cluttered up with accidental symbols. You may also see a 'natural' symbol - it looks like a square with a line attached to the bottom-right corner and a line attached to the top-left corner. This means to play the note as it is written. For example, if there was a flat sign on the F line, you would play all F's as F flat, but if there was a natural sign written before an F, you would play it as F natural, or 'normal' F instead of flat. Hope this makes sense!

Sweeeeet. I'm getting way too excited about going to see them in Boston this Thursday

That's a great lil amp. Check out Neil Zaza's album Staring at the Sun to hear him give it a real workout! Good luck!

If you run Windows, check out AP Tuner - a free, versatile tuner.

While this might melt solder, I doubt you'd be able to weld with it. And considering soldering irons are dirt cheap, it's probably not worth the risk...

I'm sure this would work, but you'd still need to clean up the back of the pocket somehow, either with a router or a chisel, so I doubt there would be any time savings.

Sounds to me either like controlled feedback, or a few harmonics hit along with a whammy bar dive and a volume swell.

I'll usually just record while I'm playing (I use Cakewalk SONAR) so I don't forget what I played, and I also try to write out the tab to anything worthwhile. Blank tab books are readily available. You might also check out the excellent Power Tab software.