Hey CW :D
Yeah, it'll take some practice to get that hand style down on the high frets.
It helps to hold out your whole hand (thumb and fingers) like someones gunna give you 5....
and put it with the meaty part of your thumb (the part connected to your palm) under the neck/body joint.
Keep your thumb out front with the fingers.
It will keep your finger joints from locking and you'll be able to push your hand out furthur and twist your wrist as need be to reach the highest frets.
As to the positives of the Blues - It looks cool in tweed. J/K
Well, I think that it has a slightly different tone than the HR.
The fact that the Drive channel doesn't do much and that it starts to break up on the clean channel as you turn up the volume,
to me makes it more like a real tube amp.
They're both nice amps - it just boils down to what sound you like best I guess.
I've never heard of Fender briefcase amps....?
I know they make actual briefcases that are modeled after tweed or blackface Fender amps.
I can understand that you come here for info.
I didn't mean to sound short.
If you have any questions about anything that you think I can help you with, feel free to PM me.
I'll be glad to help.
And yeah, that's really a good idea - just noodle around with EVERY piece of equipment you can get your hands on. :D
And try out the Epiphone Blues Custom 30 (amp) and let me know how it is.
I have yet to try it.
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Aw, heck, get the Deluxe and be happy with it.
(I like those Artcore semihollows.)
Ya'know, that's pretty presumptuous of you. ;)
In all actually, this is what I might be leaning towards now.. just going out and getting a quality amp. I've spent a lot of money on the Artcore as it is. I'll just keep tweaking myself to find what I can get out of it. It does make some sense to get the best amp I can afford right now (and the Fender amps seems pretty good). Otherwise, If I went with an electric I'd be stuck with another guitar, an even more expensive guitar, into the same little Frontman Fender amp. A quality tube amp should keep me occupied for another 5 years.
Used to be, was a part of me felt like hiding.. but now it comes through. Comes through to you.
Unless you are sure you are a Fender guitar guy -- and absolutely gotta have a Fender now, then skip the electric and go for a Blues Junior and an acoustic guitar. The Artcore is a fine electric, and will keep serving well. The BJ is a great gigging amp with all the tone you need, and will work well with your Artcore. As mentioned above, mic it if necessary. I have a Peavey Classic 50 4x10, which is roughly in the same category as the Fender BD reissue you are considering. The Classic 50 is a great amp. But it is big heavy and really loud. I can use my Blues Junior for 95% of my gigs if I need a tube amp. Saves my back, fits the trunk easily, gets a saturated sound at lower volumes -- sounds every bit as good as a big guy.
On the acoustic -- got to agree that you can do better for the price than Taylor or Martin. And I'm picky about sound. Play a lot of guitars in and above your price ranges. Figure out what you enjoy playing, then get someone to play the finalists for you. Compare those in your budget to allegedly better guitars. You will find great variations in timbre, and sometimes a relatively inexpensive acoustic really will stand out even next to a Martin HD-28 (a fave, but I'm too cheap to buy one) or better Taylor (try the GS series -- they have less of the characteristic Taylor tinny edge). To save money forget the exotic woods on the rims and back. Also go straight acoustic (not AE) to get more guitar for your $$. Electronic technology in acoustic guitars never ages as well as the woods -- the electronics can quickly become yesterday's news.
Have fun with your search.
-=tension & release=-
Do listen to Mr. Nease's advice. Far more reasonable and less presumptuous than mine.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Turns out this thread might've been a waste of time, I went and bought what I felt I wanted all along. I ended up pulling the trigger on a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue last night, and I bought a TS09 Ibanez Tubescreamer, too. I can't wait to plug both of them in. I compared the Deluxe Reissue and the Hot Rod at a local guitar shop for awhile, and I just liked the Blues Deluxe better.
One thing I immediately noticed playing a higher quality amp.. it's a lot more sensitive to what you're doing. That one extra string you didn't intend to have ring out sounds a lot louder/clearer and clearly more out of place. Whereas with my little practice amp, you can get by making a mistake here or there because the sound was so muddy to begin with. But when you hit something perfectly, there's nothing like it. I love the tube-sound, that hollow sound. Of course, I will have to chew on that sound for sometime, because I currently can't afford to eat. It was worth it, though.
Can't wait for it to come in the mail, hopefully it gets here in one piece. Thanks for all the advice, folks.
Used to be, was a part of me felt like hiding.. but now it comes through. Comes through to you.
