101 TIPS FOR GUITARISTS

101 Tips for Guitarists

From buying to selling and everything in between

By Brian Kelleher for

Copyright © 2022 by Brian Kelleher for KillerGuitarRigs.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Contents

Buying Guitars ..........................................................................1

Tip #1 - Pick the right kind of guitar (electric, acoustic or classical) ........................................................................................... 1

Tip #2 - Go to a store if you can..................................................... 1

Tip #3 - Bring a clip on guitar tuner to the store 1

Tip #4 - Bring someone who knows about guitars if you can 1

Tip #5 - Get the one you want 2

Tip #6 - Get one that’s set up well, or ask them to set it up 2

Tip #7 - Consider a used guitar 2

Tip #8 - For a first electric guitar, don’t bother with an amp spend more and use your computer as an amp. ......................................3

Tip #9 - Buy a good guitar, ignore the brand................................3

Tip #10 - If you’re buying online, check the return policy..........3

Tuning Guitars .........................................................................4

Tip #11 - Start with the sixth string (holds the most tension)......4

Tip #12 - Always tune up................................................................ 4

Tip #13 - Wait for the string to settle ............................................. 4

Tip #14 - Use the neck pickup....................................................... 4

Tip #15 - Don’t tune while there’s background noise..................5

Tip #16 - Make sure new strings are well stretched before tuning 5

Tip #17 - Consider getting your guitar intonated if it won’t stay in tune 5

Tip #18 - Keep the guitar out of direct sunlight 5

Practicing Guitar 7

Tip #19 - Practice with a metronome............................................ 7

Tip #20 - Start slow ......................................................................... 7

Tip #21 - Don’t move on until you can play the thing correctly............................................................................................ 7

Tip #22 - Don’t practice things you can already do 8

Tip #23 - Practice one thing at a time ........................................... 8

Tip #24 - A little every day beats a lot once a week ......................8

Tip #25 - Keep track of your progress ............................................ 8

Tip #26 - Don’t mix up practice and playing................................9

Tip #27 - If it ain’t working, move on ............................................ 9

Tip #28 - Record yourself ............................................................... 9

Tip #29 - Practice standing up 10

Tip #30 - Practice not looking at your fingers 10

Tip #31 - Learn to sing while playing 10

Tip #32 - Don’t jump straight to solos 11

Tip #33 - Learn songs appropriate for your level 11

Tip #34 - Play with others 11

Tip #35 - Consider lessons ........................................................... 11

Tip #36 - Practice with a goal....................................................... 12

Tip #37 - Consider practicing outside your typical genre..........12

Tip #38 - Keep trying new things................................................. 12

Guitar Amps............................................................................13

Tip #39 - Get the right amp for the music you play...................13

Tip #40 - Future proof your choice ............................................. 13

Tip #41 - Bring your guitar to the store ....................................... 13

Tip #42 - Get the right speaker size............................................. 14

Tip #43 - Get the right wattage .................................................... 14

Tip #44 - Solid state vs tube 14

Tip #45 - Modeling or no? 14

Guitar Pedals 15

Tip #46 - Start with a tone in mind 15

Tip #47 - Get to know the correct pedal order 15

Tip #48 - Don’t forget the loop .................................................... 15

Tip #49 - Don’t neglect clean power 15

Tip #50 - Improve your clean tone 16

Tip #51 - Avoid tone suck 16

Tip #52 - Consider a buffer .......................................................... 16

Tip #53 - Don’t cheap out on patch cables.................................17

Tip #54 - Dial in your amp when playing out ............................17

Tip #55 - Put your tuner first........................................................ 17

Getting Tone...........................................................................18

Tip #56 - Do you have the right gear? ......................................... 18

Tip #57 - Start with everything at 12 ........................................... 18

Tip #58 - Lower the gain for clarity ............................................. 18

Tip #59 - Don’t be afraid of the mids .......................................... 18

Tip #60 - Move the amp ............................................................... 19

Tip #61 - Ignore “recommended settings” online ......................19

Tip #62 - Don’t forget to dial in your guitar................................19

Tip #63 - Consider the speakers................................................... 20

Tip #64 - Consider moving pedals to the loop ...........................20

Tip #65 - Consider your string gauge .......................................... 20

Writing Songs 21

Tip #66 - Start now........................................................................ 21

Tip #67 - Write a lot...................................................................... 21

Tip #68 - Save your ideas.............................................................. 21

Tip #69 - Learn a little theory ...................................................... 21

Tip #70 - Train your ear ............................................................... 22

Tip #71 - Write with others .......................................................... 22

Tip #72 - Experiment with alternate tunings 22

Guitar Maintenance................................................................23

Tip #73 - Wipe the strings down after playing............................23

Tip #74 - Change the strings regularly ........................................ 23

Tip #75 - Learn to change the strings like a pro 23

Tip #76 - Clean the fretboard when you change strings 23

Tip #77 - Condition your fretboard 24

Tip #78 - Get a small guitar toolkit 24

Tip #79 - Keep a humidifier in the case with your acoustic 24

Tip #80 - Don’t be afraid to get your guitar setup ......................24

Tip #81 - Find the right action for you........................................ 25

Starting A Band .......................................................................26

Tip #82 - Know what kind of music you want to play................26

Tip #83 - Write a great ad and put it everywhere .......................26

Tip #84 - Prioritize people you can get along with ....................26

Tip #85 - Find a decent practice space ....................................... 27

Tip #86 - Figure out who the band leader is...............................27

Tip #87 - Start with covers if you have to ....................................27

Tip #88 - Pick a good name.......................................................... 28

Tip #89 - Record often.................................................................. 28

Tip #90 - Find your audience ...................................................... 28

Tip #91 - Never assume it’s anyone else’s job to get people to a gig................................................................................ 29

Selling Guitars 30

Tip #92 - List the essentials: condition, weight, feel of the neck, action, and setup. .............................................. 30

Tip #93 - List every single defect, scratch and crack..................30

Tip #94 - Shoot pictures near a window......................................30

Tip #95 - Get every angle possible............................................... 31

Tip #96 - Keep the box! ................................................................ 31

Tip #97 - Be realistic with your pricing....................................... 31

Tip #98 - Respond quickly to enquiries 31

Tip #99 - Meet in a safe place 32

Tip #100 - Watch out for internet scams 32

Tip #101 - If you ship it, spend the extra for tracking and insurance 32

Foreword

One of the great things about being a guitarist is it feels like there’s always something new to learn.

Whether you’re a beginner to the guitar or a full time gigging musician, there’s always some new trick or forgotten wisdom to be passed on to you that can make life that little bit easier.

With this book we have included a lot of things that should be hugely beneficial in getting new musicians up and running, but we’ve also tried to splice in a few hacks to make life that little bit spicier for the haggard guitar veteran.

Enjoy!

Buying Guitars

Tip #1 Pick the right kind of guitar (electric, acoustic or classical)

Many people repeat the old myth that you “should” start on an acoustic guitar - but that’s nonsense. If you want to play metallica, it makes no sense for you to start out with an acoustic. You’ll get bored fast! Start with the style of guitar that you’ll spend the most time playing.

Tip #2 Go to a store if you can.

You can get a lot of great deals online, but if you have a good local guitar store, it’s going to make buying a guitar much easierespecially if it’s your first guitar. Having somewhere to take it should it have issues is much better than mailing it back, and getting to know people in the store can give you an “in” with local musicians.

Tip #3 Bring a clip on guitar tuner to the store

Unless the people working in the music store spend all day tuning guitars, you’re going to find almost every guitar out of tune to some degree. Bring a clip on tuner with you so you can quickly tune up and get a faster idea of whether this is the guitar for you!

Tip #4 Bring someone who knows about guitars if you can

The people who work at guitar stores can be very helpful, but with the big box stores you might find yourself stuck with someone who just wants to make a sale. Reach out to your friends and see if someone has a brother or sister who knows about guitars who would

come to the store with you and help you pick out the right instrument for you.

Tip #5 Get the one you want

Some people will tell you a Les Paul is the best guitar, other people will tell you a Bullet Strat is the perfect guitar - don’t fall for it. Buy the guitar you want. If your dream is a Dimebag Dean From Hell, get the Dimebag Dean From Hell. You’re the one putting down the money, don’t find yourself bringing home a guitar and realizing it’s not what you really want.

Tip #6 Get one that’s set up well, or ask them to set it up

Probably the biggest challenge for a beginner guitarist is being able to fret a note on the guitar clearly without buzzing. However, if your first guitar has too big of a space between the string and the fretboard (called “high action”), it’s going to be extremely difficult for you to do this cleanly.

When you’re shopping for that first guitar, try to find one with decent action, or ask the store if they can set up the guitar for you to play well before you take it home.

Tip #7 - Consider a used guitar

While buying a brand new guitar sounds great, you can get some amazing deals in used guitars. For example, in Guitar Center’s “used” section you will frequently find well loved guitars for a little more than half of what you would pay for them new. If you have a tight budget for a first guitar, the used room should be a consideration.

BuyingGuitars

Tip #8 For a first electric guitar, don’t bother with an amp spend more and use your computer as an amp

Many people budget $200 for a first guitar and $200 for a first ampbut these days you’re much better off putting the whole $400 into a decent guitar, and then using software on your computer as an amp. Budget interfaces (which allow you to connect your guitar to your computer) are everywhere, and pawn stores often sell used Focusrite Scarlett interfaces for $40 or so. A great investment!

Tip #9 Buy a good guitar, ignore the brand

Guitar brands are something people get hung up on - they think they have to have a Fender/Squire or a Gibson/Epiphone to have a decent guitar, but these days there are a ton of great budget guitars in all different brands. For example, Orangewood is a small company out of California making excellent budget acoustics. Eart from China makes great budget electrics. Yamaha are more well known for keyboards and motorbikes, but their Pacifica line is fantastic value for the money. Take each guitar on it’s merits, not what’s written on the headstock.

Tip #10 If you’re buying online, check the return policy

Buying a guitar online can be a great way to make money, just make sure to check the return policy of the store you’re purchasing from. You don’t want to find out too late that they have a $100 restocking fee, or expect you to cover the cost of shipping a defective guitar back. Best to stick to a trusted retailer such as Sweetwater.

Tuning Guitars

Tip #11 Start with the sixth string (holds the most tension)

When tuning a guitar, always start with the sixth string - the thickest one. This string holds the most tension of all strings, and tuning it will have the biggest effect on the tuning of the other strings.

Tip #12 Always tune up

When you’re tuning your guitar, you may hear a ding as the strings loosen and the pitch suddenly drops - especially if they’re new strings. If you’re tuning up you can continue to bring the guitar back up to pitch, whereas if you’re tuning down you’ll have to adjust over and over. Therefore, you should always tune a guitar by bringing it slightly below pitch and then tuning up to pitch.

Tip #13 Wait for the string to settle

Striking a note on a string will cause the string to go very briefly sharp before settling at it’s pitch. For this reason, you should always tune a guitar by striking the string, waiting for the pitch to settle and then tune against the decaying note.

Tip #14 Use the neck pickup

This one is an old jazz trick. In the bridge position, your pickups are more prone to picking up higher frequencies that may confuse your tuner. Switch your guitar to the neck pickup (and consider rolling off the tone) to give your tuner just the information it needs to tune your guitar.

TuningGuitars

Tip #15 Don’t tune while there’s background noise

Trying to tune a guitar while other instruments are being played in the background is a near impossible task. Your pickups and thus your tuner is quite prone to picking up the frequencies of the other instruments and getting confused. You’re better off to wait your turn for a little silence to tune your guitar.

Tip #16 Make sure new strings are well stretched before tuning

One big mistake beginners make is to put on new strings and tune each string before putting on the next, or putting on all the strings and then setting about tuning.

New strings need to be stretched out before they’ll keep tune, so make sure you stretch out your strings as much as possible while installing them, and then as you tune, bring the string to pitch, give it two good pulls at the top of the neck, and then tune it again before moving on to the next one.

Tip #17 Consider getting your guitar intonated if it won’t stay in tune

Getting the open strings in tune is the first battle in a good sounding instrument. If you find your guitar still sounds like it’s out of tune when playing chords even as the open strings are in tune, it’s time to adjust the intonation of your guitar. There are many guides for this online, but if it’s a persistent problem or you’re not confident in doing it yourself, consider bringing the instrument to a luthier for a setup.

Tip #18 Keep the guitar out of direct sunlight

Heat and cold are the enemies of a guitar. Leaving a guitar in the sun or cold for a prolonged period will make the wood expand and

contract, knocking your guitar out of tune. If at all possible, store your guitar somewhere that it won’t be exposed to the elements - especially before a gig!

Practicing Guitar

Tip #19 Practice with a metronome

There are many reasons to practice with a metronome, but the biggest one is to develop your internal sense of timing. This will help you lock in with other musicians when you join a band, as you’ll find it easy to stay close to the beat. Another advantage is that you can learn pieces at a slow speed, then use the metronome to slowly increase the speed until you’re at the correct pace. This is key for getting pieces up to speed cleanly.

Tip #20 Start slow

A lot of players are in a race to shred as fast as possible, but every shredder will tell you the key is starting slow. When tackling a new piece, start off at a slow speed until you can play it completely cleanly with no issues, and then increase the speed 5-10 bpm at a time, making sure you can still play the piece perfectly, until you get it up to the correct speed.

Tip #21 Don’t move on until you can play the thing correctly

One mistake players make is getting something “good enough” and moving on to the next thing. Over time this will result in sloppy playing across the board, and can really hold you back. If you want to learn to play something, put in the extra effort to learn to play it exactly right. It will pay off massively.

Tip #22 Don’t practice things you can already do

Practice isn’t playing, it’s practice. Other than practicing pieces for upcoming gigs, you should always practice things that expand your playing. Practicing something you can already do is easy and can be fun, but you’re not moving your playing forward. Keep challenging yourself!

Tip #23 Practice one thing at a time

Avoid the temptation to take on a new practice piece that involves you learning several techniques at a time. While it’s tempting to attempt a giant leap in your playing all at once, you’ll find yourself the proverbial jack of all trades, master of none. Instead, isolate the thing you want to learn and then build a little practice routine around that one technique until you’re ready to move on to the next.

Tip #24 A little every day beats a lot once a week

The way you become a better guitarist is by consistent practice. Everyone’s experienced that feeling where they spend half an hour on something one day and can’t crack it, but then they pick up the guitar the next day and it’s easy! However, if you’re only practicing once a week, you’ll find you’re not carrying over that progress, and often are almost starting over. Therefore if at all possible, try to carve away a little time every day to practice the guitar, even if it’s just 1530 minutes to run over some fundamentals.

Tip #25 Keep track of your progress

Learning guitar can be a slog, and many people quit as they’re not seeing the progress they’re making. Motivate yourself by keeping track of your progress. This can be in the form of taking some videos

of your playing, or you can keep notes of the speeds at which you can play certain pieces, and then watch them go up! Feeling like you’re progressing will keep you wanting to play more.

Tip #26 Don’t mix up practice and playing

Playing and practicing are two very distinct modes of guitar playing. If you want to just sit down and jam out for a while, or play along to some of your favorite songs - great! But don’t think that because you’re noodling on guitar for an hour a day that you’re practicing! Sitting down with a goal, tackling specific guitar issues, learning new techniques, perfecting them with a metronome - that’s practicing, and that’s how progress happens. Make time to play, but make sure to make just as much time to practice.

Tip #27 If it ain’t working, move on

We talked earlier about that strange phenomenon where you spend half an hour trying to get this one lick, give up in frustration, and then nail it at the first attempt the next day. Sometimes your brain just needs time to process that new information. For that reason, if you get really stuck on something and it’s just not happening, be open to moving on to something else and coming back later. You may save yourself a lot of time and frustration.

Tip #28 Record yourself

Something that the newer generation of metal players have said was massively beneficial to their playing was recording themselves and playing it back. Sometimes when you’re listening to yourself while playing, it can be hard to hear some of the mistakes you’re making. Recording yourself playing along to a piece you’re trying to learn, or even just a click, allows you to check yourself against the metronome,

and to hear any places where maybe your playing isn’t as strong as it could be, giving you things to work on moving forward.

Tip #29 Practice standing up

When you’re sitting down with the guitar in your lap, the positions of both wrists are completely different to how they are when you’re standing up. Many guitarists find themselves in an awkward situation where they nail something sitting, and then go to play it at a band practice or in a live situation and can’t get it right - because their hands are both in a totally different angle, and it’s harder to do the same things correctly. If your goal is to play in a band where you’ll be standing, devote at least part of your practice time to playing standing up just as you will when it comes time to perform in public.

Tip #30 Practice not looking at your fingers

When you start out playing guitar, it’s natural to stare at your fretting fingers to ensure they’re in the right place. However, you’re going to want to get into the habit of being able to find notes on the fretboard without staring at your fingers all the time. Once you feel comfortable switching between chords, start practicing the same thing while looking away from the guitar.

Tip #31 Learn to sing while playing

As a guitarist, you’ll make yourself infinitely more appealing to bands if you can provide backing vocals, or even lead vocals. Same for if you want to play solo gigs, or even just pull out a guitar at a campfire. However, singing while playing guitar isn’t something that just happens - it takes practice to detach those two activities from each other. Start off with some easy songs and get that skill under your belt early on - it’ll pay off in dividends.

Tip #32 Don’t jump straight to solos

A lot of people think you have to be able to play solos to be a good guitarist, and forget that 95% of the time you spend playing the guitar will be rhythm. Some beginners try to learn lead parts way before they’re able, and honestly it’s just wasting time. Focus on the fundamentals, focus on the parts that you’ll spend the most time playing, and then get good at lead when you’re ready.

Tip #33 Learn songs appropriate for your level

There’s two mistakes people make here - starting off on songs that are too hard, or playing for years and only learning easy songs. When you’re starting out on guitar, set your sights on songs you can actually learn and maybe even master, but once you get better - challenge yourself!

Tip #34 Play with others

One of the best ways to get better at guitar is to play with other people. Not only does it make guitar more fun, it forces you to play on beat, and to not get hung up on mistakes. Find people you can play with and improve together.

Tip #35 Consider lessons

Everyone hits plateaus in their playing, and while there are hundreds of hours of free lessons on YouTube, it’s very much unstructured, and nobody there can tell you what to learn next. Consider taking a few lessons to have someone critically assess your playing and give you a clear path to improving what needs to be improved.

Tip #36 Practice with a goal

In order to move forward, you need to know where you’re going. Don’t just try to play faster, try to play as fast as a certain song. Don’t just try to learn as many licks as possible, try to learn licks that fit the style you want to pull off. Always have a goal you’re working towards - reaching that goal will provide tremendous motivation, and keep you moving forward.

Tip #37 Consider practicing outside your typical genre

This is something that drummers have always known, but guitarists are only just catching on to. Just because you don’t like a certain type of music doesn’t mean there aren’t techniques or skills you can’t learn from there and bring back into your playing to make it more interesting. Try learning a few songs in genres that aren’t necessarily your favorite - you might bring some spicy licks back to your own playing.

Tip #38 Keep trying new things

Always move forward. Don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t be that guitarist that keeps playing the same 10 12 songs over and over. Challenge yourself, test yourself, keep trying new things, and keep the guitar fun.

Guitar Amps

Tip #39 Get the right amp for the music you play

Before you decide what amp has the best features, you need to work out what kind of tone you really want. If you’re looking to play high gain metal, a Fender Twin Reverb isn’t going to give you that tone. Similarly, if you play with a lot of pedals, you’re going to need an amp with a great clean tone and lots of headroom - what’s known as a pedal platform amp. Figure out what type of amp you want first and foremost, and move from there.

Tip #40 Future proof your choice

If you’re about to spend $500 on a bedroom guitar amp but are also thinking about joining a band soon, consider getting something larger. A smaller quieter amp will get drowned out in a practice space, and you’re going to end up needing to buy another amp quite quickly. Similarly, if you’re coming to the end of your gigging life, a full stack isn’t going to be a good bedroom amp. Think about the future when buying an amp, not just right now.

Tip #41 Bring your guitar to the store

If you’re going to a store to buy an amp, bring your guitar with you. An amp in the store might sound awesome with this one Ibanez with active pickups but horrible when you plug in your telecaster. It’s common for people to bring their guitar to the store with them to test out different amps, don’t be afraid to be one of those people - the guys at the store are used to seeing it.

Tip #42 Get the right speaker size

Different speaker sizes have different tonal qualities, and in an effort to deliver cheaper and cheaper amps, some manufacturers are bringing out amps with smaller and smaller speakers. Don’t just look at the price tag, do your research and decide if that 8 inch speaker will give you the tone you’re looking for.

Tip #43 Get the right wattage

Wattage roughly correlates to volume, but in its most basic sense, you want to avoid getting a 100 watt amp for home use, or a 10 watt amp for the practice room. Make sure the amp you’re buying is the right volume for your environment, and don’t assume a high wattage amp will sound good at low volumes in your bedroom.

Tip #44 Solid state vs tube

I won’t go into the arguments for both, but choosing between solid state or tube for your amp is going to have a big effect on your tone. Don’t listen to the people who say tube only, do your own research and decide what works best for you.

Tip #45 - Modeling or no?

Almost every amp manufacturer has some level of digital modeling or profiling available somewhere in their amp range. If you really only want the sound of a JCM800, get that JCM 800, but if you expect you’re going to want a wide range of tones, consider an amp with a digital component, or even just a Kemper with a powered speaker.

Guitar Pedals

Tip #46 Start with a tone in mind

Pedals are fun, and chasing tone can be an adventure all on its own, but if you’re completely new to pedals, start out with a tone in mind. It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole buying a bunch of pedals that other people like, but really you want to start first by establishing your own sound and adding to it.

Tip #47 Get to know the correct pedal order

Pedal order is critically important. Of course all rules are made to be broken, but the classic pedal order exists to maximize the benefits of each pedal and avoid any unwanted overlap between pedals. The order is, broadly speaking, tuner, then dynamics (compressors)/filters (wah)/pitch shifters/volume at the start of the chain, followed by gain, modulation, time and then potentially another volume pedal at the end.

Tip #48 Don’t forget the loop

A lot of people think of pedals as going on their board, but most amps have an effects loop at the back to allow you to put some effects such as reverb and delay after the preamp to avoid them getting squashed by compression. Learn the best use of your loop and choose what goes where to maximize your sound.

Tip #49 Don’t neglect clean power

The biggest issue for pedal players is getting clean power, especially when you have distortion or compression in your chain. If your power

isn’t clean, you’ll end up with a buzzing phasing mess. Avoid daisy chaining your pedals with cheap knock off pedal wall warts, and invest a little money in a good pedal power solution, such as anything from Voodoo Labs or Truetone. Avoid cheapo options like Donner or any other no name brand on Amazon.

Tip #50 Improve your clean tone

If you’re using a lot of pedals, everything sits on top of your clean tone. Make sure you’re starting out with a clean tone that complements your pedals instead of trying to add pedals to compensate for a poor clean tone.

Tip #51 Avoid tone suck

If your pedalboard has a lot of pedals, you’re going to hit a point where the accumulated cable runs plus the different buffers within the pedals will have a noticeable effect on capacitance, resulting in a loss of high end on your signal and what most people know as “tone suck”. If you find yourself getting into a situation where the clean signal degrades noticeably, perhaps look into bypass loops or loop switchers for your more problematic pedals, as well as swapping out pedals for true bypass where possible.

Tip #52 Consider a buffer

Following on from the point above, if you want to preserve your tone across a sea of pedals, consider investing in possibly the most boring pedal after a tuner, a buffer. You’ll need to experiment to find the sweet spot for it in your chain, but it can have a large effect on the capacitance of your signal, resulting in a restoration of your disappearing tone.

Tip #53 Don’t cheap out on patch cables

A lot of people think of patch cables as a cheap accessory that links your pedals together, but if you get a loud buzz in the middle of a show, you’re going to be switching cables like a maniac trying to isolate the bad cable and replace it. Avoid this as much as possible by investing in good quality patch cables and treating them well - you don’t want to have to ditch your pedalboard mid gig over a bad cable.

Tip #54 Dial in your amp when playing out

One thing that seasoned gigging players will tell you is that your amp sounds one way at home and another way at shows. Realistically, when you add a lot of volume to your amp for a bigger stage, you’re adding a lot of compression that results in additional high end, and throwing a loads of pedals on top of this can result in disaster. The way around this is to EQ your clean signal to tame this excess compression and high end as soon as you turn up the volume when playing outside your normal volume. Your audience will thank you.

Tip #55 Put your tuner first

There’s a number of reasons to put your tuner first, but the most obvious is that you don’t want to tune your guitar with a lot of other effects on top. Other than that, tuner pedals often have built in buffers, and putting it first also means that you can leave the rest of your pedals ring out while you tune your guitar. Simples!

Getting Tone

Tip #56 Do you have the right gear?

You’d think this would go without saying, but if you’re looking for a shredded modern metal tone, you’re not going to get it with a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb and a tubescreamer. The first step in getting a tone out of your setup is making sure you have everything you need in your setup to get there!

Tip #57 Start with everything at 12

This is a trick that many new guitarists don’t realize - they start with everything at 10 and then take away whatever they feel like they have too much of. However, amps don’t really work that way. The proper way to dial in a tone is to start with everything at 12 noon and then add/subtract a little here and there until you get to where you want to be.

Tip #58 Lower the gain for clarity

I love a massive amount of gain as much as the next guitarist, but if your tone is all fuzz and no clarity, you’re going to get completely lost in the mix. You would be surprised how little gain some of the most popular high gain bands use - because they roll off the gain to ensure you can actually make out what they’re playing. Experiment with your tone to find the balance.

Tip #59 Don’t be afraid of the mids

Guitar is a mid range instrument, but many guitarists (I’m looking at you metal players) will roll down the mid range for a more focused

scooped tone. When you do that you’re basically removing yourself from the mix. Instead, experiment with the mid range of your tone to find a place where everything you’re doing can be heard.

Tip #60 Move the amp

A big mistake people make is setting their amp flat on the ground and trying to EQ it from there. First off, an amp on the ground is going to have a weird bass output due to reverberations from the floor. Secondly, if your tone is pointed at your legs instead of your face, you’re not going to be able to accurately tell what it sounds like. If you’re playing a combo, consider getting a tilted stand for your amp so that you can hear yourself properly instead of having to ruin the front of house mix in order to get a good stage mix.

Tip #61 Ignore “recommended settings” online

Every amp reacts to EQ differently, and the bass/mid/treble controls that you read online might sound great on a Fender Mustang but sound awful on a Marshall Valvestate. Avoid the temptation to dial in online tones, and instead learn to tone match yourself.

Tip #62 Don’t forget to dial in your guitar

The best EQ you have is right there on your guitar. If your tone is a little dull, move to the bridge pickup. If your bridge pickup is too bright, roll off the tone a bit. If you want a little less bite, roll off the volume. A lot of the best tone shaping tools at your disposal are right there on your guitar.

Tip #63 Consider the speakers

One thing that more people seem to be talking about more these days is the effect of your speaker choice on tone. The same amp head through five different cabs can sound completely different, and the same cab with different speaker configurations can have wildly different tones. Before you jump to changing out your amp, consider a speaker change.

Tip #64 Consider moving pedals to the loop

We spoke about this in another section but it bears repeating - some pedals will sound much better going through your amp’s FX loop than right into the front. The reason for this is that your amp’s preamp adds a lot of compression to your signal, and this can be detrimental to space and time effects, specifically reverbs and delays. You can improve the tone of both by putting them into the loop assuming they’re going right in the front.

Tip #65 Consider your string gauge

Another one that’s come up a lot lately is the effect of string gauge on your tone. Kurt Cobain famously used 10s on his Fenders to get a bigger tone as the only guitarist in Nirvana (prior to Pat Smear joining the band), but did you know that a lighter gauge can actually give you a much tighter tone which really combines well with humbuckers? The gauge of your string will also have an effect on your playing, which of course affects the tone. As Dave Friedman says - everything affects everything!

Writing Songs

Tip #66 Start now

The best time to start writing songs is today. Songwriting is a craft that takes a lot of practice, and you don’t want to wait until you’re already in a band before you start learning that craft. Start writing songs now and when it comes to crunch time, you’ll already have a feel for your own style.

Tip #67 Write a lot

The best way to get good at writing songs is to write a lot of songs. Make a song out of every idea, get used to the process, experiment with different styles and instruments. Try everything until you find what works for you.

Tip #68 Save your ideas

It’s amazing how often an idea that only sounds ok now actually sounds pretty great when you come back to it in six months. You might also find that an idea that doesn’t make much sense on its own is actually the perfect riff to go right into another song you’re working on. For this reason, save all your ideas. This can be as simple as recording a voice memo on your phone or as involved as using your interface to record them on your computer. As long as you’re saving your ideas you’re in a good place.

Tip #69 Learn a little theory

Back when I knew nothing about theory I played in a band with a friend of mine who had taken some formal music education, and it

was amazing how he could find the perfect chord to fit into a riff I was struggling with. You don't necessarily need to take any classes in music education, but a little theory goes a long way in helping you to find new and interesting ways to flesh out your musical ideas.

Tip #70 Train your ear

Ear training is something that’s slowly coming to more guitar based players, but it can be a game changer in terms of taking the ideas out of your head and putting them on the fretboard. If your creative process is being slowed down because you’re struggling to find the notes you’re looking for, ear training can be massively beneficial.

Tip #71 Write with others

Finding a writing partner can be hugely beneficial for your writing. Many of us know the feeling of a song getting stuck because you can’t find the right place for it to go next, or the chorus just isn’t coming to you. Having someone else to break those logjams can be huge for your writing, and having someone else’s opinions or having them add their flavor to your songwriting often results in much more interesting songs.

Tip #72 Experiment with alternate tunings

A great way to get out of a creative rut on the guitar is to experiment with alternate tunings. Some guitarists such as John Browne from UK prog outfit Monuments only play in alternate tunings as a creative way of tricking their brains into doing something new. If your playing is locked into standard tuning, you’ll find a ton of inspiration from having unexpected notes show up all over the fretboard, and this can lead to a lot of “happy accidents” that result in creative approaches to playing guitar and writing songs.

Guitar Maintenance

Tip #73 Wipe the strings down after playing

Many people don’t realize that even “clean” hands will have some amount of dirt that will stick to strings and deaden them, as well as natural finger oils that will corrode strings. To combat this, wash your hands before playing, and wipe down the strings after every practice session with a cloth to extend the life of your strings.

Tip #74 Change the strings regularly

It can be hard to really pinpoint when your strings lose their shine, but everyone knows the feeling of a new set of strings on their guitar.

To get ahead of this, change your strings on a regular schedule (e.g. every two weeks) instead of just waiting until you realize they need to be changed.

Tip #75 Learn to change the strings like a pro

There are a handful of ways to make your string changing process quicker and easier - incorporating them into your string changing process will save you a lot of time and possibly even money. Check out our guides for changing acoustic strings and electric strings

Tip #76 Clean the fretboard when you change strings

Over time, gunk from your fingers or even just from the environment in which you store your guitar will build up on your fretboard. This can also lead to your strings getting dull and corroding faster. The best way to combat this is to take a minute to clean the fretboard

between frets each time you change your strings. A little goes a long way on this one.

Tip #77 Condition your fretboard

The wood on your fretboard can easily dry out over time, resulting in cracking bubbling. While most people remember to clean their fretboard when changing strings, consider getting an appropriate oil for your fretboard and conditioning it on a regular schedule.

Tip #78 Get a small guitar toolkit

It’s surprising how much faster and easier changing your strings gets with just a few simple tools. Even just a string winder will speed up your process massively. Guitar toolkits can be purchased surprisingly cheap, and typically cover useful tools from string changes to minor action/intonation adjustments, or oils to keep your guitar clean.

Tip #79 Keep a humidifier in the case with your acoustic

Much more so than electric guitars, acoustics are prone to warping when they dry out, and this can have a detrimental effect on the playability of your instrument. If you keep your acoustic in a case, consider investing in a humidifier for your guitar, or even just a few humidipacks for the case.

Tip #80 Don’t be afraid to get your guitar setup

Many people make it a point of pride that they do all their own guitar maint anance, but there’s nothing wrong with taking your guitar to a proper luthier every now and again to give it a little tender care. While you can change your strings and maybe adjust the action here and there, they will be much more adept at doing the fine tuning

with intonation and your nut slots that will get your guitar the last 10% to perfect.

Tip #81 Find the right action for you

A lot of people aim for low action because they hear that should be their goal, but actually low action isn’t right for everyone. Find the right action that works for your playing style and you’ll find your guitar sounds and plays much better.

Starting A Band

Tip #82 Know what kind of music you want to play

One mistake that many people make when forming a band is starting out with a vague goal like “let’s get together and jam and see where it goes”. With some notable exceptions, this is a terrible ideaespecially for your first band. You really need to have a reference point to make the most of your band rehearsals, and from the point of view of getting people to respond to your “musicians wanted” ad, having some indication of direction is vital.

Tip #83 Write a great ad and put it everywhere

There are a lot of great guides online about how to write a great musicians wanted ad so I won’t go into it here, but I would say it’s important to put in the time getting the ad right so you attract people who will want to play with you, and then it’s important that you put it everywhere - don’t just put it on a local FB group and hope people see it, put it on craigslist, put it in every music store (not just guitar stores), put it in genre specific FB groups and forums etc etc. The more places you put your ad, the more chance you have of finding great band members.

Tip #84 Prioritize people you can get along with

This is something I learned from a friend of mine who is a touring musician for hire and spends probably eight months out of the year on tour with various bands. Playing actual music is probably the smallest part of the day as a working musician. You still have to hang out with the other people in your band on the way to the gig, on the

StartingABand

way home, traveling all day in the van etc etc. When you’re putting a band together, you’re going to have a much better time with the great drummer who’s easy to be around versus the amazing drummer who nobody can stand.

Tip #85 Find a decent practice space

If you’re all teenagers then practice where you can, but if you’re serious about your band, find a decent rehearsal space that’s clean and comfortable, and sounds good enough that everyone can hear each other. Legend has it System Of A Down wrote their first demos in a 1000 sqft practice space - big enough that everyone could have their own space to work on their parts, but also hear each other clearly and make each part work with each other. You might also want to consider a facility that gives you the opportunity to easily capture demos when you need to.

Tip #86 Figure out who the band leader is

This is one many younger bands take a long time to figure out. Most big bands have one leader, the person with the vision, the one person that gets a final say on what makes it into a song and what doesn’t. Bands that work as a complete democracy often end up hamstrung because the bassist hates the singer and won’t agree to any of his parts, or the drummer suddenly wants to put jazz in everything. Accepting that one person is the band leader helps everyone know their place in the band, and means you can work towards one goal instead of several.

Tip #87 Start with covers if you have to Don’t be afraid to start out with a few covers to oil the wheels of musicians who’ve never played together. When you put together a

new group of musicians, it can be difficult to start out that first practice trying to piece together a song while learning everyone’s skills, wants, needs etc. Feel free to come into that first practice with a couple of songs in the style you want to end up at, and knock them out with each other just to get familiar.

Tip #88 Pick a good name

A lot of bands end up with terrible names because they fall into the trap of “it’ll do for now”, and then they’re six months down the line with a little following and a buzz around the name “Toad The Wet Sprocket”, and it’s too late to change it. Put a little time into finding a good name - and make sure it’s not already used on Spotify or any other place people will be looking for your band.

Tip #89 Record often

It can be hard to hear what everyone else is playing in the practice room when you’re concentrating on your own part, so if at all possible, try to record your music as often as possible. It’ll give you an opportunity to clearly hear what everyone else is playing, and you might all find that listening to a certain part outside of actually playing it reveals it isn’t quite right. Further, it can remove the “red light fever” for some members where they get intimidated by recording.

Tip #90 Find your audience

Once you have some decent recordings in hand, try to build a buzz online by going to the groups and forums that your audience hang out in, and become part of those communities. Don’t just drop a link to your bandcamp and run - hang out and become someone that

StartingABand

people know, and they’ll be more interested in listening to your music.

Tip #91 Never assume it’s anyone else’s job to get people to a gig

A big mistake smaller bands make is getting a slot on a gig and then not bothering to let EVERYONE know they’re playing. Some bands take the attitude that their only job is to show up and play, and the promoter is the one who’s going to figure out getting an audience there. On the contrary, the only reason that promoter has you on the show is so that YOU bring your audience. Every promoter I know who books small bands has a “fool me once” policy with bands who don’t promote their own shows to their followers - if you don’t put the show poster on all your socials, you won’t get asked back.

Selling Guitars

Tip #92 List the essentials: condition, weight, feel of the neck, action, and setup.

Nothing’s worse than a guitar listing that has no information. The guitar looks good but you have no way of knowing if it’s been looked after or left in the sun. On the other hand, when someone has a comprehensive listing, you know what you’re in for. If you want to get the best price for your guitar - and cut down on time wasting emails - give as much info up front as possible, starting with the condition of he guitar (more on that later), the weight, how the neck feels and what profile it is, the current action and the last time you had it set up. Ten minutes adding all these details can save you weeks trying to sell the guitar.

Tip #93 List every single defect, scratch and crack

The last thing you want when you’re selling the guitar is to meet the person to close the sale and have them complain about the condition. Not only that, but if you’re up front in the ad about every defect (including pictures), you’re going to sell the guitar faster as people will know you’re legit and not trying to hide anything.

Tip #94 Shoot pictures near a window

Realistically, it’s the pictures that sell a guitar. You can have the best listing in the world but if the pictures suck nobody’s going to even read it. Make things easy for yourself, prop the guitar up near a window and get as many bright and clear photos as you can.

SellingGuitars

Tip #95 Get every angle possible

You want to leave nothing to chance here, so try to take photos of every part of the guitar - front and back profiles, the headstock front and back, the net, a couple of the neck and frets, the pickup, the controls, the back, the horns, the strap buttons etc. The more pictures you include the less that’s left to the imagination.

Tip #96 Keep the box!

Having a case to sell a guitar with is awesome, but keeping the original box will save you a lot of money, time and hassle should you come to ship the guitar. If your guitar came with a box, find a way to stash it somewhere so you already have what you need if you ever need to ship a guitar.

Tip #97 Be realistic with your pricing

There’s two approaches to pricing - price it low to sell or get ready to hold it for a while to get maximum cash. Either way, don’t eyeball the price, and don’t go off the list price on Reverb. Guitars on Reverb are listed at prices that are expected to come down, log into your account and look at the sale prices for that model to get a better idea. Also check out Guitar Center used and knock off about 10%, check out Ebay, look on craigslist - get as many points of reference as possible and then price accordingly.

Tip #98 - Respond quickly to enquiries

Responding to people can be a pain in the ass, but you want to keep your buyers hot, so respond to any enquiries as quickly as possible, otherwise people will lose interest. This is also one area where you

might have to bite your tongue and suffer the occasional fool with the dumb questions. It’ll be worth it once you have cash in hand.

Tip #99 Meet in a safe place

If you’re new to selling stuff online, this one is key. Don’t invite anyone to your house, don’t meet them at “their house”, don’t go to some random parking lot or near a dumpster. Meet someone out the front of a large store where there will be cameras. If you live in a very high crime rate area, the local cops might have an “online purchase safe exchange spot” set up specifically for people to meet strangers from the internet who want to buy their stuff. No guitar is worth getting shot over, be safe.

Tip #100 Watch out for internet scams

If you’re selling a guitar on Facebook marketplace, you’ll probably get a few messages asking you the condition, asking your bottom price, and then agreeing to have you meet their cousin to hand over the guitar but first they’ll pay you online, they just need your phone number, email address, dog’s name, social security number etc. etc. Read up on online scams and don’t fall for them.

Tip #101 If you ship it, spend the extra for tracking and insurance

There is nothing worse than mailing a guitar to someone and getting an email every few days saying “where is it”, only to have the post office refuse to help you because it wasn’t tracked and insured. If you’re going to the trouble of shipping someone a guitar - protect yourself. Tracking and insurance isn’t that much more, and it can save you a lot of money. Do it.