Category: Community

The wider world of folks who talk about guitars and tone, or who simply make awesome music :)

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2019 Review: The Guitar Community

When I was growing up and first getting into guitar, all we had was word of mouth and the odd album tab book with dodgy transcriptions in it. Things are so different today. We’re not just living in a golden age of guitars and gear, we’re living in a golden age of access to information, demonstrations, opinion and actual professional experience.

As you go through the lists below, you’ll spot that everyone I’ve listed here is someone that I follow because they’re people that I’m learning from in one way or another. Right now, it’s practically all educational content. I hope you don’t mind; it’s an honest reflection of where I am at the end of 2019.

One of the things I want to do in 2020 is expand this list to also include people who are just out there to make and release music: bands and artists.

Continue reading “2019 Review: The Guitar Community”
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Tuesday Talks: Falling Back In Love With The Guitar

Mary Spender’s latest Tuesday Talk is all about her ups and downs with the guitar over the years.

She also talks about the fast-approaching 100th episode of Tuesday Talks, and the special guest she wants on that landmark episode.

Watch the video to learn who she’d love to interview for the 100th episode, and join the discussion on YouTube to help Mary make it happen.

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Some Thoughts About Gear Opinions

Whenever new gear comes out, people ask about it on forums and Facebook groups. Money is tight for most people these days, and many people aren’t covered by the great 14-day return distance-selling laws we enjoy in the UK.

The new Fender pedals are an interesting case in point.

Fender’s put a lot of effort into getting the word out and promoting these from launch. Not only have we seen demos appearing on YouTube, but they’ve also been running online ads for them too.

So when someone recently asked for opinions, it wasn’t a surprise to see people quickly respond with their thoughts. But how many people have actually played them?

At the time of writing, I’m the only person who posted in there and said “yes, I’ve played them.” That’s 1 out of 28 responses.

And that has me thinking. I joined forums and Facebook groups to learn how to get more out of gear, and to learn how to solve some of the problems I’ve run into over the years. Just how many people are offering their opinion (often with complete confidence) without having ever tried or owned the stuff they’re talking about?

It’s something to be aware of, as you look for helpful advice on getting the sounds you want at home.

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Wampler Q&A

Brian Wampler – the genius behind Wampler Pedals – has posted a Q&A video up on his channel. He talks about the hardest circuit to work on, collaborating with other pedal builders, introducing midi to future Wampler pedals, and what makes him decide to revise a pedal circuit.

One of the great things about the music world is how accessible people like Brian are. He talks about how everyone’s comments online and via customer support reaches him, and is a major influence on what he does.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Brian’s video,

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Spectre Sounds Viewers Comments

Over at Spectre Sounds, Glen has posted his latest answers to comments left by his viewers. This week, instead of answering the questions himself in his own inimitable style, he’s asked a bunch of his friends and famous YouTubers how they would answer instead.

The question that caught my eye was about whether or not to go with Apple for recording music (rather than use Windows). A lot of Apple’s decisions in the last few years have been very unhelpful to creatives in many fields, including music. On Twitter, I see a lot of people talk about moving away from Apple when it’s time to buy their next computer. Over the next couple of years, I guess we’ll find out how many people actually take that step.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Glen’s video.