For a long time I thought about getting the J. Mascis Jazzmaster. But Guitar Center has a deal right now, $680 for a Player II Jazzmaster in British Racing Green. I thought that was a sick color so I ordered one.

Thoughts?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49555027)

Ultimately I decided I didn't really give a shit about the rhythm controls if this is my first guitar, down the road I can get a better JM if I get into playing a lot

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49555081)

Then again, my guitarist idol is Kevin Shields and he apparently uses a large quantity of stock Jazzmasters in open tunings

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49555127)

I got into building/modding/customizing because I don't like a lot of the stock options (or the stock prices). You can always go Custom Shop but it's egregious flame that starts around 5k. You can 'build' a Custom Shop spec guitar for like 1000 dollars in parts and a little bit of labor. It's just one way to cheat the system. They think you're too lazy to do a little work. I also do all my own setups. It took me a while to learn but if I don't set up the guitar the way I want I get annoyed. I don't like other people doing it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49555184)

However, it seems I must now go through some humiliation ritual of setting it up? I thought this thing would be close enough where all I have to do to get going is to tune it, but no. The spics at the factory didn't set the pickups to anything approximating a correct height. This is my first guitar, no idea what else isn't in spec

And of course the thing doesn't come with a manual, they just tell you to go to their website where all they have are shitty PDFs, none of which are less than a decade old

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49567632)

Jazzmasters would be a great first guitar.

100% get a professional setup on the guitar, you will not know how to do it, and for $60 or so it will play and sound much better (make them work on the "action" to get it nice and low)

Important next question - what are you playing it through? AMp? Modeler? Computer thing?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49567639)

The plan for now is to use Rocksmith to figure out how to play, I already copped the cable for it and the 2014 PC version (I don't want to pay for some gay subscription if I don't have to)

If I get okay at playing I'll get an amp but don't really have any idea which one yet. Thoughts?

I already have some pedals in mind because I know I'll want to play some shoegaze

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49567650)

So both are possible. If somehow you're really dialed in and motivated you could figure it all out. It isn't the hardest challenge man ever climbed. But I assume bloomington doesn't know anything so he is going to be a fish out of water. I personally had to go through a lot of professional setups and see what they were doing and check and recheck and sank a lot of time into it before I figured it out. Took many years, but I am kind of dumb and not very handy.

A cheap guitar from the store is going to be harder because you're coming from a bad starting point. Definitely take it to a luthier.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568002)

One thing I really recommend that you might not hear too many other places: string gauge should be based on the size of your fingers and your individual finger strength. A lot of guys when they're first starting out go for a string gauge that's too high because there's this bizarre "tough guy" machismo that stems from Stevie Ray Vaughan playing the heaviest strings possible and having a high action on his set up.

Now if you're a bluesman with big hands this is OK at best but even Stevie went down later in his career because his fingertips were sawing off. For most people, this is a bad idea and even some guitarists who are experienced and claim to know what they're doing this is still an atrocious idea and they're just doing it to seem cool.

Anyway I recommend going with a lower string gauge. For a long time "9s" were the standard size in the classic rock era. At some point in the 90s everyone switched to 10s. To my knowledge there's only one benefit of a higher string gauge and that is tuning stability if you have big ass fingers pressing down hard as fuck, or if you are wailing on the strings with your right hand. With lighter strings if you have a heavy touch you will bend them out of tune.

I personally use very light strings with ultra low action. This is because my hands are weak and I am lazy and I like to play fast. I have huge palms but tiny fingers idky. If you have fat as fuck fingers you will want to go higher. Just depends on your touch. Imo the lower you go with the action the easier it is to play. I like to play easy because 'fighting with the guitar' is dumb and gay and people only do it for show. A lot of the really fast technical players from the 70s for example used light strings and low action, but to each their own I guess. Just don't be that douchebag who shows up and says "I play 13s because of Stevie and I'm manlier than you" because no on respects that guy and it's just something kids do to be cool.

Another thing you should do is buy a pick/plectrum that goes with your string set. I'll make it easy for you: 8s-9s red, 9s-10s orange, 11s - yellow, 12s- green, 13s - blue/purple. This is for Tortex. Just get a tortex everyone uses tortex they have the best grip and don't degrade.

Final recommendation - get 9s and an orange tortex. This is a good starting place. If you have huge hands move up. If you play light and fast move down.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568069)

I personally play 10s because i squeeze 9s so hard it sounds bad. Im a deadlifter. I wish I had the touch to play 9s

And for action I like it set to “I can hear the buzz from the guitar in a silent room but not through the amp”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568086)

Cr amp buzz is totally unacceptable but you want to go as low as possible otherwise. I like to go low until it's too low, then move it up a little. Stop going up when you feel too much tension.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568092)

I already bought a grab bag of Fender picks, I'll put Tortex on my list

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568093)

My favorite thick picks for fast articulation:

https://www.jimdunlop.com/flow-jumbo-grip-420-pick-4-2mm/

https://www.jimdunlop.com/flow-gloss-pick-2-0mm/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568206)

Then learn the pentatonic scale. It’s the same scale with two notes removed. That will let you “solo” over basically anything.

https://bradleyfish.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/G-Major-all-patterns-scaled.jpg

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568026)

https://chord.rocks/guitar/scales/c-major

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568136)

Impossible for them to be set to a correct height when they aren't set to any one height at all

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568050)

I'm not taking a pic but low E is too close to the bridge pickup on mine. It's closer than high E, which should not be the case from what I've read and seen in the video above

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568332)

The Walmart Air King of guitars?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568335)

I recommend getting an amp. A beginner guitar player needs to spend hours fucking around with the guitar, having to turn on a screen and a PC to play all the time sounds hellish. You will stop playing with that shit in the way. An amp is just quicker to get in a quick session and sounds better. Rocksmith should be a supplement

It was mentioned above, and I can highly recommend a fender hot rod deluxe- like this https://reverb.com/item/93768231-fender-hot-rod-deluxe-iv-3-channel-40-watt-1x12-guitar-combo-2018-present-black

Legendary amp. Really great clean tones and reverb. Some people don’t like the distortion channel but I think it’s completely fine. Great pedal platform when you want to do that (I recommend a chorus and delay pedal first)

I have a hod rod deluxe that I got for $325 on Facebook marketplace. It’s stellar. Would be amazing as a first amp. Also beginner amps tend to be trash

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568257)

I need some time to figure it out. And I don't have a ton of time right now; I only bought the guitar because it seemed like a hot price.

If all goes to plan I absolutely will buy an amp. And a Fender Shields Blender, and a reverb or two, and...

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568331)

Remember an amp like the hot rod already has a pretty good spring style reverb (think Khruangbin sound etc), but maybe a nice space reverb or strymon reverb would be cool - but they cost 300-500 etc. don't skimp on a good delay either. And I am biased toward chorus, a phaser or flanger is nice too.

See if you can find a used line 6 stomp or stomp xl. They can make any sound that Shields did, hundreds of pedals and effects and some very good amp sims. Line 6 just released the new generation of helix unit (which I got - the Helix Stadium XL) so maybe people are dumping their Stomp pedals a little bit

But the stomp has all of this shit, and really good sounding. Can run 8 amps and effects at once, more than enough https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Line-6/Used-Line-6-HX-Stomp-Effect-Processor-121803216.gc?source=4WWRWXGP&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=GC_G_TM_PLA-PMX_Amps-Effects_Effects_N-U&utm_term=121803216&utm_content=tm&utm_id=23033736937&utm_creative=&utm_marketing_tactic=amp-effect&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23023666752&gbraid=0AAAAADtcCuxaodLn2nfM6wvPq7mWUMvcQ&gclid=Cj0KCQiApfjKBhC0ARIsAMiR_IuXIo_kFajn218PdGNFfUelwNwgI6hz-6_q_LNtsYxXsD2rmMO0S_EaAjXmEALw_wcB

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5816169&forum_id=2).#49568444)