Back playing after 2 years!

[cerpintaxt]

So, let me set the scene.  I was in a band up until about 2 years ago; used to gig practically every other week and it was cool. I loved playing (been playing for 18 years now), but since the band split up and my life changed a bit I lost all my inspiration and I totally neglected my guitar playing.

I owned a 1998 USA Telecaster which I played through a Laney LC15R which broke down (like many others!) and an 30W 80's tranny Marshall "Master Lead Combo". I never really liked the Tele' as much as I should but could never bring myself to sell it. Anyhoo, last month I decided that it was high time I started playing again so I sold my Tele' and the broken Laney for a total of £600, which I've used to get new gear that will inspire me to play more.

A bit of hunting around on eBay, plenty of research and good luck has got me

A mint condition white Vintage VS6 SG copy for £130
A practically new Blackheart Little Giant combo for £130
New BKP Riff Raff and Stormy Monday pickups £220.00
500K CTS Audio taper Pots
Switchcraft jack, switch
Russion PIO caps, 0.022uF

Think I'll spend the rest of some decent Award Session leads and a couple of those BYOC pedal kits, starting
with the Triboost.

Pics and first impressions to follow, but I had my first play on the unaltered Vintage through the amp last night, and I'm really stoked to be playing again. The guitar feels almost right and the amp is fantastic  8)

Just a note about Bareknuckle Pickups...fantastic service! I ordered on Friday and they came on Weds. They look mint and can't wait to wire them up and try out the free rotosounds as well!

[Denim n Leather]

Welcome back!

[choucas09]

Fill your boots mate.

[Dazza1004]

how's your playing after all that time off ?

[Tellboy]

Having a 'break' can sometimes be a good thing! Welcome back.

[cerpintaxt]

how's your playing after all that time off ?

Lousy! :lol: Nah, it's not too bad.  The worst bit is my finger tips used to be really hard and now they're soft and girly so they actually hurt today!!

I used to play in a kind of deep funk/heavy soul band and got kind of stuck in that style of playing. I want to get more into playing the music I really love, which is psychadelic/classic rock, southern rock, stuff like that.

It seems like a great time to start playing again as well. There's so much decent kit about that I hadn't seen before.

[Matt77]

Welcome to the forum.
We are all pretty friendly round here.
Apart from Shobet, but he's entertaining so we frequently ask the mods to retract his bans

I have a BYOC tube screamer pedal which is pretty good.
I got it from Horsehead from this forum and it has done me proud since I had it.
But it's pretty, much redundant since I bought my Fulltone OCD.
I hadn't really thought about selling it, but if you are interested send me a PM.
I'm not looking for much at all.
Alternatively, if you want one because of the fun in building it, I can recommend them.

[BigB]

how's your playing after all that time off ?

Duh... 2 years ? that's nothing. I did stop playing for almost 15 years... :mrgreen:

[cerpintaxt]

crumbs  :? how come? What made you take it back up?

@Matt, yeah it's a great forum; quite chilled out for a guitar forum. I find some of them full of militantly opinionated teens who should spend more time playing than argueing with people on forums. Obviously the fact that everyone on here must have been chasing that "holy grail" of tone at some point counts for alot in my book.

I've learned loads of things just reading through various posts - 50's wiring, award session leads, the obviously splendid work done by Feline guitars and HTH/Martamp. This truly is a tone-seeker's forum  8)

Quite interested in your offer of the BYOC OD2. You'll have a PM on it's way ;)

[38thBeatle]

Welcome to the forum from me too.

[BigB]

crumbs  :? how come? What made you take it back up?

Band that felt apart when it was about to take off - after 4 years of hard work and full time dedication. Was 26 by that time, been trying to make it big for 10 years already (left school at 16) and getting tired of not having a life.  It was also becoming clear that however hard I worked I would never become more than a very average guitar player, and I just couldn't stand it. Ego problem ? yeah, for sure  :?

I guess it took me quite a few years to overcome this little (err...) ego problem and realize I needn't be the NextGuitarHero to enjoy playing the guitar - and how much I missed it.

My son helped a lot too - about 2 years ago he stumbled upon the last demo we'd done with the band, listened to it, and then told me with much details what a dork I was to quit playing. So I restrung my good ole Vox, joined the very first band I found, and here I am - still as bad and lousy, but happy again 8)

Sorry, this is kind of "me and my life" stuff and probably very boring, but since you asked... :mrgreen:

Anyway... Hopefully you didn't wait _that_ long to come back to playing, so, well, welcome back, and enjoy :D

And yes, has you noticed, this is probably one of the friendliest and most helpful guitar-players forums - educated (well, not me but...) and tolerant peoples with a sense of humour.

[Matt77]

I read a quote from Billy Gibbons that stuck with me
Something like "don't try and be the best one, just try and be a good one"
Wish I read that 10 years earlier as it would have made me so much more relaxed about playing in front of people
egos are generally problematic

[dheim]

I read a quote from Billy Gibbons that stuck with me
Something like "don't try and be the best one, just try and be a good one"
Wish I read that 10 years earlier as it would have made me so much more relaxed about playing in front of people
egos are generally problematic

you talk and THINK like this when you grow up... when you're 18 you feel like the immortal center of the universe and just want to let people know what you already know very well... that you're the best!
ok, this is a bit exaggerate, but not too far from reality.
or maybe i'm just trying to convince myself that being 33 is cool.

anyway i had a period of inactivity (almost 1 year, if i remember well) that started when i changed town and started to work... i left my (already agonizing) band and didn't even carry my guitars with me... some month later i tried to play a little but results were so sad that i stopped again...
then i had a sudden GAS attack, bought a dean caddy and a poor man's POD (zoom something), and started to have fun again... i started to play "seriously" again when i bought myself a PODxt. you can hate those digital things, but the red bar-steward saved my life!

[BigB]

I read a quote from Billy Gibbons that stuck with me
Something like "don't try and be the best one, just try and be a good one"
Wish I read that 10 years earlier as it would have made me so much more relaxed about playing in front of people
egos are generally problematic

you talk and THINK like this when you grow up...

Ain't that what growing up is all about ?

when you're 18 you feel like the immortal center of the universe and just want to let people know what you already know very well... that you're the best!

Duh... I whish I'd ever felt like being "the best".

Err, wait... At least for me, now it can only get better :lol:

or maybe i'm just trying to convince myself that being 33 is cool.

I feel younger than ever now I'm 43 - and back to ROCK'N'ROLL :mrgreen:

[roland_rat]

welcome to the forum :shock:


Nice to here you are back playing and enjoying it.