Guess I’d call myself an intermediate guitarist. Self-taught by ear before the internet or tab existed. The internet is a great tool and I wish all of this information was available when I was a lad. I’m patting myself on the back for the stuff I got right and shaking my head about the stuff I’ve played wrong for decades…sometimes in front of an audience at high decibels lol.Sold all of my electric gear years ago focusing on Bluegrass, learned to play banjo and mandolin but recently returned to electric. Just joined because I recently purchased a Katana amp and needed an account to download patches but I may stick around because this seems like a nice crowd.
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Welcome to the forum Mark
Well, I don’t understand how joining can help you download patches, but okay. I have a Katana and haven’t downloaded anything for it yet. 
Welcome, to the Community which is filled with wonderful folk of varying abilities.
waving from northeast Michigan
There are patches on the website.
LOL, I never knew this. That’s what I love about this place, always something new around the corner!
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Welcome to the community.
Welcome to the community
A
Hi Mark,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun 
Greetings,Rogier
Welcome Mark,
sounds like you could post some nice song covers all by yourself…
Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin - Wow!
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Hey Mark–your strange trip sounds like a riff on Jerry Garcia’s voyage from bluegrass, to rock/bluegrass and other places too
“If it sounds good, it is good”, but that doesn’t mean it cannot get “gooder”.
Welcome to this leg of your trip,
Bruce
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Hello Mark & Welcome!
As you’re probably aware, Justin is a big fan of the Katana line & so many of us here own 1 (or 2, or 3) of the Katana products. If you have any questions about using yours, search for a suitable topic or post a new one & the answers and/or suggestions will flow to you!!!
Good luck with your Journey!
Tod from New Mexico
P.S. Gear pics are nice - guitars, banjos & mandolins! BTW, what kind of mandolin do you have? Mine is an Epiphone F5-G that I really need to practice more with… I learned the basics years ago when it was given to me - but have forgotten most of the chord shapes! Sweet sound, though!
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Welcome Mark
This is probably the most wholesome and friendly forum on the internet, certainly that I have ever experienced.
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Thanks and I don’t want to brag but I can also play the fiddle well enough to torture small animals 
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Thanks for the advice. I don’t think I’ve got pictures of my instruments but I need to get some snapshots of some that I’ll be selling soon. My mandolin is a Loar f-style. I started out with an Eastman A-style but sold it to buy the Loar, bad choice though the Eastman had a lot more bark. Similarly with my banjos, I’ve got a high-end Deering and a very inexpensive Fender that many banjo players look down their noses until they hear it.
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By the way…
Which Deering banjo? I’ve wanted a ‘Calico’ for a long, long time but they’re cost-- prohibitive!!! I had a six-stringed banjo for a short time… didn’t really get that into it so I returned it for a guitar!!! I do wish to eventually learn to play a traditional resonator 5-string… I keep telling myself “After retirement” which is still 2-5 years off… been considering an Ibanez B300 in Natural finish, looks ‘playable’ to me! Have you ever played an Ibanez?
Also, you say you taught yourself to play banjo? What method did you use? I’m curious…
Tod
My Deering is a Golden Era, don’t think they make them any longer. It’s really beautiful, plays and sounds great but I prefer the cheap Fender it really punches through at jams. I’m self taught on the guitar, banjo I used DVD’s from the Murphy Method for Scruggs style and clawhammer I picked up a little here, a little there. I like Murphy’s approach to teaching by ear without tab although some of her covers (such as Foggy Mountain Breakdown) are slightly different than what most people play. They’re not wrong per say just different. But I still recommend her DVD’s she’s basically teaching you how to improvise around a melody. If you pursue going down the bluegrass rabbit hole I urge you to quickly get into a jam atmosphere. Bluegrass is meant to be social and playing with others will improve your skills quickly. I can’t say that about rock, too many Prima Donnas.
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Hello Mark.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space.
https://community.justinguitar.com/categories
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
Also, please make sure to read the community etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.
Richard | JustinGuitar Approved Teacher & Moderator & Official Guide |
Hi Mark, welcome to the community forum.
Welcome to the community!