Itās been two years this Christmas since my third attempt at guitar began. Iāve come so much farther than i thought possible; much to the credit of this community and Justinās teaching methods.
I began with an electric (PRS Zach Meyers SE) mostly to get the grunt learning and finger pain behind me with an electric and the PRS served me well there. 7 months later I wanted a small acoustic to just pick up and grind on and had a lot of expected family travel and my Parlor PRS P20e fit that perfectly for the last 18months.
Unexpectedly, the acoustic experience was immersive to the point that the Zach Meyers didnāt get much attention. Taking the acoustic live to the retirement home since this past May, really built up my repertoire but I felt like I really needed more horsepower, as it were for live stuff.
So the quest for a full size acoustic began in July. Lots of guitars have been played. Lots of reviews and talk to other local folk. It came down to a Taylor 724CE purchased after a 3 hour session in the shop to see if this was the one. I immediately handed it over to my wife for safekeeping as it would be my Christmas present from herš.
It debuts live at the retirement home Jan 3! And not just that, but my son took my not so subtle hint and his present to me was the Beat Buddy drum pedal from Singular Sound. So for the last 6 days i have been learning how to play to a drummerās beat. Itās so cool! Dirk the drummer (my name for the drum pedalš) will play The Lodge with me this coming week as well. Suffice it to say using a page turner on the floor for my scores AND the Beat Buddy with the footswitch; there is a LOT going on. It will definitely be a show! Could be a train wreck.
Today, I started figuring out how to record in my tiny closet studio with the pedals. Bare feet are key for no look pedal actuationš. I think Iāll go sock footed at The Lodge as even out in the open with pedals you canāt feel the pedal well with shoes.
Congratulations on the new guitar. Iāve long had a soft spot for Taylors and have owned a couple in the past. Thatās a particularly fine looking 7 series.
Iām glad youāre having good results with the Beat Buddy. I bought a Beat Buddy Mini, and found it to be way too much of a hassle to change settings between songs. I spent more time fiddling with it than playing. So I put it on āpermanent loanā with one of my young Masonic Lodge brothers.
Beautiful Taylor. I have a 114e. Iāve never even held one of the higher-level models. Enjoy.
Your experience confirms to me that Iām taking the right approach. I sure hope I bond with one (soon!) as well as you have with yours. And thank you for your suggestion on the other thread.
Does the Beat Buddy have any way to store presets? I have also found this same problem with drum machinesā¦
They generally have a complicated menu system where you have to navigate through levels looking for the one you want. Thatās what I like about the Boss RC-5 loop station. I can save a drum beat in a memory slot, give it a name and get to it with a quick turn of the knob.
Thanks @tony ! From the moment i picked one up i could tell the quality difference just in the tuners! Although looks is not THE criteria for a buy it is definitely a reason NOT to buy. Koa is a special look and Iām struck by matte finishes. But feel and sound are the real strengthsš.
Thanks @markr31 , I hear you on the Beat Buddy. I quickly realized for even thinking about using it live you need the footswitch. It allows 4 different functions, 2 when itās playing and 2 when itās not. On not playing once you make a playlist, i have one footswitch set to advance to the next song. This pretty much keeps me from fiddling with it while in a set. It does take some prep to get it live ready but I wouldnāt call it onerous. The only experience i have with playing with others is original songs. I feel playing with a drummer and being in time is really where i need a lot more work and this is perfect for that. My playing already sounds better just after a few days. The whole adding fills, changing drum parts, pauses, and outros is all mind blowing but itās like anything else new. Just a little time and it gets easierš.
The Beat Buddy can be a deep rabbit hole that will suck time but once you root around you will find it incredibly useful. It does help to be computer literate and the Loader program they released this year is way simpler to get what you need done than the original Beat Buddy Manager. Late adopter for the win!
Thanks @judi ! I bought my PRS Parlor online from Sweetwater and had never played it. I think there is a place for that kind of blind purchase. Reputable brands and merchants help a but they donāt allow a connection. I knew my Parlor was not going to be the one so I went with it and took the risk. If you are looking for that one to be THE one, I think you have to spend time in a lot of shops and once you narrow to 2 or 3 then spend some time with them and then youāll be sure. No doubt about it though if Iām on a trip that can support some guitar practice, the Parlor is the one going with me!
Youāve already gotten some good advice on your thread, enjoy the exploration and donāt rush it! Good luck!.. Rod
Playlist is what you need to create using the Beat Buddy Loader program. I have bought some of the premium content with the real song name but Iām also using the default library stuff like Odd Time 6/8. Take the sd card out put in the pc fire up the previously down loaded Loader program available on their site.
Select the left option, there are only a left, right and middle. Click playlist, name it and start finding all the content you want in the order you want, save it. Throw the sd card back in the beat buddy and your playlist will be the first item to select. Then use the foot switch to advance to each item once a song is stoppedā¦. Rod
Yeah, those features (like saving a playlist) werenāt available on the Mini. You had to dial it in every time. I had the foot switch, but it was very limited.
Great story Rod, congrats, canāt wait to see the gear in action. The Taylor looks nice, Iām currently considering a Taylor at the moment so will be interesting to see what you think.
Thanks @oztelemann for that link! I didnāt look at it as carefully as i should have and thought it was the one on singular soundās website. That fella has gone to a LOT of trouble creating that super useful reference.ā¦Rod
Happy NGD Rod. All looking good sir and I hope we get to hear both geetah and drums soon.
BTW way, got meself a sweet PRS SE P20e for Christmas, satin TSB very very nice !
Congrats on the P20e @TheMadman_tobyjenner ! Iāve found it to be a rugged travel partner and all around ready to go companion. I lowered my action about 6 months in to playing it and wore out many a set of strings on it. Iām keeping it for sure. Video will be out later in the week. Just hope it does not involve flames!
Thanks @LievenDV ! The amount of brain cells Iām killing will hopefully be replenished with ones that know what they are doing! Listening for the beat while singing and playing is transformational and Iām only a few days in! Plan on locking in on this space for a long while!ā¦Rod
Happy New Year, Rod and happy NGD. I love the colour.
Good luck for today with your new setup, Iām sure it will go well and the peeps will love it. Donāt forget that recording so we can hear your new guitar in all its glory.
Hi Rod,
Thanks for the link here as I may have never seen your posts here.
The Taylor looks great and I love them. Pricey, but you have to pay to get quality. I have a Taylor 12 sting that is pretty nice.
I always tell folks that play to a metronome, they should try playing to drums. One never knows when the opportunity may come up to play with a band and this will prepare one for that. I also think playing to the beat of drums get you more into the groove and vibe of a song. Of course those are simply some of my thoughts on the subject and are subjective.
Enjoy the NGD and many happy returns on these investments!
LB
ā¦Rod