I started Beginner 1 on June 15 and moved to Beginner 2 on Aug 15. I remain in Beginner 2 with the Blues module still to complete. I prefer to work a lot on the so many pieces already introduced before I move forward. Also, I am not a fan of “pure strumming” songs like Three Little Birds, so I learned one power cord riff very early (Holy Diver) and my first other full song only recently.
I started with a Shecter Omen 6 which has sub-par production quality and terrible pickups and an Orange Crush 20. Now my 11 yo is using them because the wrong neck of the Omen is a good fit for his hands. After trying all sorts of guitars, I found the Telecaster the most comfy and bought a Player Plus with series mode (like humbucker). I also got a Blackstar HT5 Mk II amp.
And so… references to Telecaster Player Plus and Blackstar HT 5 Mk II
I absolutely love the following sounds:
1/ Enter Sandman: full on gain, Voice 1, American voicing, scooped EQ, series/humbucker mode.
2/ Highway to Hell (working on it now): 9 o’clock gain, Voice 2, British voicing, slightly more treble than low or mid. Tele bridge pickup.
3/ Holy Diver: 1-3 o’clock gain, voice 2, British voicing, neutral EQ. Series mode.
Clean channel:
1/ Hey Joe: Voice 2, neck pickup
2/ U2 One: Voice 2, neck pickup
I do prefer the gain channel to the clean channel but with the Fender the clean, too, sounds good.
I will get a Fender Micro Mustang soon for even more convenient practice and to experiment with Fender clean amps and to start learning effects.
But I absolutely love the Tele+ gain channel on the Blackstar.
Of course, home is VERY different from a band setting. The Blackstar amp has low end that would get lost in a mix but is perfect for home. Ditto, you don’t need a full on humbucker to get a thick sound at home either. And the Tele bridge is so mean, it is great for AC DC:)
So what have you found to LOVE in your setup so far (relative to the Justin course songs)?
