I usually take the major chords in a chord progression (ones without capos) and move it to either second or fourth position (open strings still remaining open) it gives quite a misterious sound. Try C major.

This is somethinjg that I use too. It creates some weird sounding dissonance along with the open/drone strings. Also, I will try to pair minor chords in succession to add to the overall feel. But for me, there is no substitute for experimentation. I will hear things in my head (voices!) and then I just mess around until I figure them out.

I apologize in advance for the novel I'm about to write.
Alright. I'm playing some doom oriented music. I haven't played anything in years, and I've never been very good at knowing what equipment to use. Basically, I'm a total newbie, and don't know a whole lot about equipment. I know what kind of set-up I want as far as amps go. I'm thinking a Fender Twin Reverb, an Emperor 2 x 12, but I'm not sure what type of head I want to use. ALSO, I need a new guitar. I'm thinking an LTD special, but I don't know for sure. We're playing somewhere in the neighborhood of drop G, but I've also played a bit in drop A. I know the lower I tune, the sludgier it's going to get, but I actually prefer a cleaner crunch. Basically the sound we're going for is somewhere between Thou and Cult Of Luna, as far as guitar tone. Any suggestions?

Does anyone else starts to write own stuff once listening to certain records? Helstar's Nosferatu was playing and I suddenly came up with a few notes and developed this piece into a cool shredfest. I'm pretty proud of myself actually.

I used to do that listening to Exodus, or Emperor or anything lol

You probably want a solid mahogany body, without a maple top. LTDs handle downtuning well. LTD Vipers are great, they're similar builds to Gibson SGs but the affordable LTDs are far superior - that seems to be the type of guitar you're going for, though you could certainly go with a different style, just avoid a maple top if you want a sludgy tone without much crunch. Most stoner/sludge guitarists prefer SG-type guitars, though Matt Pike plays maple-topped LPs and he is pretty much the god of tones.

I wouldn't recommend a Fender amp for sludge. You're going to need to figure out your budget for amp shopping though. Emperor cabs are great and they can make something perfect for what you want if you know what you want, but it might not be wise to invest in one if you don't know anything about the gear you want to use. Old Marshall 4x12 cabinets can handle pretty much anything, they can be found pretty cheap, and they're always easy to resell for roughly the same price when you want to get something else.



I wrote some great stuff that sounds like Helstar after listening to that record!

Has anyone had any experience with the differences between the Boss HM2 and The Behringer HM300? I've been lookin into videos and reviews to see the differences but the major thing I hear about is that the HM300 lacks in the low end dept. (at least in comparison to the HM2). I just wanted to know so I don't have to spend $100 when I could spend $25.

Anyone knows in what tuning the guitars on Sentenced's North From Here are?

I've been messing with the Phrygian scale to get away from abusing Harmonic Minor all the time. It's a really cool sounding scale.

They are very similar, though I think the HM300 has a bit more mid-high and a bit less low. I haven't compared them side-by-side though. You get more low-end distortion on them with looser strings from what I remember.



C#

Can anyone tell me why my left pinky has less dexterity than my right pinky? When tapping both my pinkies on something, I can usually tap fast with my right pinky, and my left one soon is engulfed in a slight burning sensation before becomin near useless, while my right one can go on forever

Looking into buying an HM-2. I already have the Behringer HM300, which sounds great and works just fine, but the HM-2 is a pretty iconic image and it's just such a cool pedal. Trying to find one for 60 bucks or less though, need to save money for school, and lord I hate dealing with ebay. If anyone wants to sell one or has any leads, I will love you for such information.

I've settled on drop D and scooped tone as my default tuning and setting.....I know how laughably generic that is, but it does provide me with the proper balance of heaviness and clarity.

Can anyone recommend me some good/easy acoustic songs for a beginner? I've been learning some acoustic Agalloch.

Slowdive - Dagger, if you like singing along. Ulver - Høyfjeldsbilde if you don't. With the Ulver, there are two guitars in the song. In the intro part, learn both of them separately first, soon enough you can play them simultaneously.

My guitar teachr and I came up with a schedule I should/could follow. If I would it would take about 2+ hours each day of practicing. Quite much, but atleast I'll play consistent then.

Not sure what you mean.

If you are a right-handed player, then you are probably tapping with your right pinky, and doing hammer-ons/pull-offs with your left.

At least, that is what comes into my mind based on what you said.

If this is the case, then the fact that your right pinky can tap quicker than your left can hammer-on/pull-off isn't unusual. Your left needs to do more work without as much leverage as your right. My advice is to simply work slower and build up slowly. It will keep both hands in sync and build strength in your left pinky over time.

Some guitar players even minimize their use of the left pinky entirely because it is tough to keep up the quick motion with that finger. I remember Dave Murray mentioning that he does this quite a bit. Personally I like to keep that finger involved, even though it can be tough.

Good luck

There is nothing inherently wrong with Drop-D or any other tuning for that matter.

There's great music recorded in standard tuning, and great music recorded in all the others.

I tend to move between a few different tunings. Do what feels right, and don't be afraid to switch it up. I find sometimes switching a tuning draws out different riffs and such.

Be prepared to either have almost inaudible bass or guitar when playing as a full band with scooped drop D. Guitars fit best into the soundscape of a rockband as a mids centered instrument. Maybe it doesn't sound as "fat" on it's own then but played tight together with the bass it sounds really good.

Jesus, talking about tunings...I have three electric guitars and one acoustic and they are all different tunings. My RG is in B Standard, my ESP changes from E standard to drop/open tunings and experimental tunings, and my UV is in A Standard or Drop A. My acoustic is fucking everywhere though; generally in double drop D or Open G, but it goes everywhere and back again. I still can't pick a fucking tuning.



I dunno if you like the music, but Bright Eyes's "June on the West Coast" is great for a beginner - four chords if I remember and the chord changes are very easy but good left-hand warm ups or a good first series of chord changes to learn. Plus, singing along is fun as hell.

While it's very tempting to scoop out some mids to make the guitar sound heavier and to get that percussive effect on your chugging, I'd recommend to leave enough mids to cut through though. As Thrashedtofuck mentioned, you won't hear shit when jamming with a full band. If you want that percussive sounding chunk on your chugging, use your right hand technique to get that(moving your palm a tiny bit away from the bridge, careful not to bend the note sharp though).

Having a slight mid-range bump will make that type of playing style sound really thick and clunky. And you'll sound even tighter than if you were using a scooped tone because when executed correctly, all the mids will be heard and then cut off very distinctly. Take Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth or Mille Petrozza for example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEJuL1EF ... ure=relmfu Listen to Jon playing in this song to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

I've been looking to buy a new guitar, considering I currently play on a $200 ESP Viper-50.
Particularly I've liked Gibson Guitar's sound, but I am a bit noob at this. A guitar that's very good at picking up low tunings with baritone strings. So far I've seen the Gibson Explorers and Standards, but they're too expensive.

Is there an inexpensive gibson guitar (~$1000 or less) that delivers the sound of all their other guitars, just not as expensive? The body style can be anything except V-shape. Thanks in advance.

No. Gibsons are extremely expensive, especially relative to the workmanship of their lower end guitars compared to other brands at the price point. I have a Gibson SG Special, which has a $999 retail price, and I think it's an overpriced piece of shit with workmanship on par with my BC Rich Bronze series. I have an ESP MH-401 that cost roughly half of that new, and the workmanship, overall quality, and hardware is so much better. The guitar plays and sounds better (I have tried both with a variety of setups/tunings/styles).

The Gibson guitars that your idols play (like Dissection) are likely older models. Gibson probably saw the biggest decline in quality with the spread of mass-mass-production in the late 90s/early 00s, and they also changed their marketing strategy and raised prices knowing that people pay for their name. Gibson's name is the most overpriced, overrated piece of guitar hardware. Older Gibsons are nice, but the nice ones tend to be very expensive. I would avoid the brand as a whole unless you have unlimited money.

ESP's Viper series, being modeled after the Gibson SG, has a scale length of 24.75" - I recommend checking out and considering switching to 25.5" scale lengths, which you'll find on most other guitars that you would look at for metal. A little bit more room on the fretboard is nice for big guys. Your current guitar also has extra jumbo frets - if you go to something with flatter frets like most Gibsons, you'll notice your fingers catching on the fretboard as you slide, and it plays differently. Playing with smaller frets is noticeably different. I think you would like something like the ESP MH series - maple topped mahogany, handles downtuning very well, but the maple top helps bring out the high end when you want it. Even having played higher end stuff of other brands, my main guitar is an LTD and I like everything about it.

Hahah, I knew that Dissection would get mentioned. Believe it or not, that wasn't the initiative I had for being interested in it.
It's a rumor or some sort of upholding that Gibsons play low tunings exceptionally, and since my regular tuning is B standard, I figured I'd ask.

I'm also coming to know that (after my trip to Guitar Center a few hours ago) Gibson is so overpriced just due to the fact that it's GIBSON. It's a well-known firm, which is why people are so over hyped about Les Pauls or something.

An ESP Viper is what I have right now, and I actually like the sound, but I can only imagine how a higher version would play. I'm thinking some sort of LTD though, yes. I'll probably inquire with that, put on some 12-54 guage strings and I'll take it from there. Thanks for the feedback.

Anybody get a chance to play one of those new Ampeg AMG100 guitars yet? I'm thinking of trading my SG for one.

Markov, you should look into Agile guitars.

Gibsons sound sludgy in low tunings, that's great if you play in a sludge/doom band, but I don't think it's going to do what you want.

12-54 is light for B though, when I tuned to B, I would just buy a 10-46 set and add a 64 on the bottom end, making my strings 13-17-26-36-46-64.



Agile guitars are good, especially at the lower price points, but I personally like ESP's builds in the $500+ range more. I would take a $250 Agile over a $400 Epiphone, but their higher end stuff can have odd builds that are a bit awkward, while a Schecter or LTD in the 500-800 range will be better overall IMO. Some Agile guitars are made by Unsung, who have excellent quality production - they made some of the nice Epiphones from the late 90s. As a whole, the brand can be a bit inconsistent though.

Most Agile's also have maple tops that are 1/16", basically for show. Standard maple tops are 1/4" or more IIRC.
http://www.rondomusic.com/alspec.html

Guys, I've had this thought for some time.

You see, before, I always tried to make songs that fitted into one given scale or based on a single progression and never went out of it, not by a single note; but recently I have found that yes, you have to mantain a certain sequence and correlationship between the notes, but it's more important to think about the harmonies and the relationship between the notes being played and the chords beneath them.

For example, I'm playing over these two chords that fit perfectly into a key, but suddenly a wild chord that does not fully fit comes into play. I can change the scale and it will still sound good, because the same notes will be played in the backing and in the leading voice.

What do you guys think about it?

This is some really good advice. Also, I love my ESP. It's a Horizon ebony neck-through passive pickups, circa 1990 or so. I always liked ESP.

Would anyone know how to get a tone like Pestilence's Consuming Impulse or Terrorizer's World Downfall? What was their rig like?

I briefly considered getting a Pendulum (and by briefly I mean I GASed for a trimester). Then again I realised that their warranty doesn't cover international orders, and that their quality control is not so good to begin with. It's a shame though, they're the only guitar builder I know who make multiscale guitars with cool specs that don't break the bank.

Meanwhile, does anyone have an idea as to the maximum string gauge that can fit through Schecter tuners? My Ibanez could barely take a .060 string.

I have an ESP Ltd EC-400 and a MH-417 (7-string) and love them both. EMG active pickups are a must, for me, and I have them in both. Price, quality, and sound all fit my budget. You can find great deals on them online (at least in the US). Guitar Center is where I got my 7.

That's either a key change, or passing tones. It's not uncommon, and it's really not uncommon in extreme metal for lots of chromatic stuff to be mixed in with keys as more of a guideline/suggestion than something strictly adhered to. If it sounds good, play it!



I believe Schecter uses the same tuners on their 8-strings, so probably a .074 or so.

OK. That's one step down, though.

any opinions about the Randall RG75 combo amp?

also which amp would be good for do some thrash metal like Demolition Hammer and/or some old school death metal?
i'm looking mainly for a combo amp that can help with rehearsals(mainly) and maybe some little gigs.

I have a Randall RG100SC combo amp and love it. Had it Since 2004 with zero problems. I use it for Death, BDM, Slam, and Thrash mostly. That one and mine are fairly similar and there's a detailed review of the one I have here: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_amplifiers/randall/rg100sc/index.html

and well for the 75w that the amp have, it would be good for band rehearsals? or i need a 100w combo amp?
also how much it cost the one do you have?

When I bought mine the price was $499. I've seen used ones (RG100SC) for around 200.00 and used RG75's for about 140.00

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Us ... 2456727.gc

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Us ... 2608230.gc

You may or may not get away w/ the 75w single-speaker version for band practice. I'd definitely shell out the extra few bucks for the 2x12" 100-watt unit if you can swing it.

Currently playing along to Virgin Steele's ''Blood and Gasoline''. Seems like a good song to practice singing while playing guitar since the riffs basically consists of simple power chords the whole time.

I second this. ESP/LTD's are great quality guitars when compared to other models in the same price range. I used to play mainly Ibanez guitars but once I got my hands on an ESP, I ditched the Ibanez's and switched brands. Currently I have a LTD M-300FM and I love it. My next guitar will be an EC-1000 Vintage Black. Anyone who's looking for a new guitar that's amazing quality but doesn't wanna spend over a thousand dollars should definitely look into ESP/LTD's. Great guitars. Schecter's are good too, I just personally prefer ESP