I hate being into guitars some times....

[Ian Price]

I really do feel like just quitting sometimes! I 'played' last night and sounded awful. I should have stopped but carried on playing very badly. It soon developed into 'it's the guitars fault' and before I knew it I was thinking of getting rid of the tele (that I haven't had for too long) and trying to find 'the one'. Sadly I think I already had 'the one' and sold it to Dave (sell it back you swine!). I think the issue with the tele is that is sounds relatively weedy and doesn't give me the natural drive I would like from the deluxe. Perhaps a HB guitar is the way to go (or get a piledriver or BG1400 to beef up the tele)

I have come to realise that I am not a great guitarist and never will be but still love playing (and buying). I won't be giving it up any time soon!

Anyone else every feel this way or is it just me?

[MDV]

No.

I'm certain we all have better and worse days, for whatever reasons, but its not a big deal surely?

If my playing's sucking balls I just keep playing and trying to do whatever I'm doing till it doesnt suck balls. As much.

Its a little philosophy or mini-rule, guideline sort of thing I have - Never put the guitar down while annoyed with bad playing, only stop when its at least OK and I'm basically happy with it. I dont adhere to it religiously or anything, but the vast majority of the time I do.

Maybe try that. Its just a bit of tenacity and pushing yourself to be better. Its good for you, honest.

[AndyR]

It's a Baja isn't it?

"I think the issue with the tele is that is sounds relatively weedy and doesn't give me the natural drive I would like..."

That's exactly how I felt about my Baja for the first 3-4 months.

It's not you, some people love the stock tone/behaviour, some people don't. I didn't, it was ok on a "Andrew's playing very well day", but on an average day it was very disheartening. I had the luxury of picking up a different guitar that suited my mood. But it meant I rarely played the thing.

But I fixed it...

First thing (cheap), lift the control panel and look for the treble bleed capacitor across the volume pot. Get rid of it!!

Treble bleed cap = don't lose top when you roll down = weedy tone

Second thing (cheap), fiddle with pickup heights a lot. Nearer the strings = thicker tone. Note, however, this didn't do it for me with the Baja pups (even when I tried them in another tele). I improved it, but not enough.

Third thing - get a set of Blackguard Flat 50s. The basic yummy-baja that you do like is still there, but it's thicker, more responsive and all round yeah...

[gordiji]

it's not just you ian :(

[Ian Price]

Cheers for the advice guys - maybe I need to stop being such a wuss!!!

Andy - thanks for the pointers, it is a Baja. I'll be taking that bleed cap off tonight. I had already changed the height of the pickups but still wasn't impressed. Sterile is the word I would use to describe them! Perhaps some BKPs are in order.

[Philly Q]

Welome to my world, Ian!  :lol:

[Stevepage]

Maybe wire in some new CTS pots?

[Ted 'N' Leo]

Don't worry Ian. We all go through this.

About a fortnight ago I was playing and had the exact same issue, and as yourself, hung up my guitar in shame (blaming the amp though :P). But when I played a week later, everything that was wrong the previous week was corrected.

Sometimes you just need to put the guitar down for a bit, then go back refreshed later on.

[AndyR]

Maybe wire in some new CTS pots?

That's one thing I haven't done on my Baja.

I have swapped out the tone capacitor for various types/values. I've reached the conclusion that I like .047 in a tele (I've tried .022 and .033, they're ok, but not the range I'm used to on Fenders).

At the moment it has a Vitamin-Q paper-in-oil .047 - not sure that works in this guitar for me though, mellows it out a bit too much, I'll probably switch back to ceramic next time. (The Vitamin-Qs work a treat in several other of my guitars though)

[JDC]

I tend to wanna blame picks and string, because knowing me they'll be knackered and need changing but I won't get round to ordering some new ones, would probably help if I checked the tuning too.

When my playing sucks what I mean to do and don't do often enough is get the metronome and practice each hand separately, then put them together and hopefully they are in perfect sync. If not my brain will go "AHHHH stop bloody slurring!!!"

[fr33man1]

Each time i buy a guitar i'm tweaking it to max (pots, bkp pickups) and so on, sometimes even until i forget to play it. Lately i decided to burn my custom' les paul lacquer with my DNA till hell arrives. Best guitar times I get in those 3 years noodling around. As time passes I'm happy with my gear that became more simple but tastier.

Happy gas makes you an happy six string scr@per :D.

I feel like this sometimes too but some other times I'm like turning back and looking who's playing to get that huge sound. It happens, the most difficult is indeed not to give up and strap it back on and play some tasty riffs till it sounds the way it should ;).

[tomjackson]

No sorry Ian, I always sound great :D

Joking aside, what were you playing Ian, just noodling around or have you got something you are working through?

Perhaps lessons would help you get back on track rather than another guitar, I'm thinking of getting back on them soon, the last lot really helped.  Might continue with my grades to get some focus back.

[Johnny Mac]

Its all part of the love of guitars. You'll be ok Ian.

[dave_mc]

yeah i never think of giving up. i've been playing music for so long on one instrument or another that's it's not really even a possibility.

I definitely play worse some days than others, too. having the right gear is helpful, too, if you're not getting enough gain out of the deluxe, how about something more modern? or as a stopgap, even a b00st?

[Ian Price]

if you're not getting enough gain out of the deluxe, how about something more modern? or as a stopgap, even a b00st?

I can see your point but I'm really not keen on losing the deluxe (I can't afford a new amp and keep the deluxe). I think the issue is more to do with the pickups though as other guitars I have played through the deluxe have sounded great. I do have a bad monkey that I use occasionally and whilst it does give more gain it still doesn't sound how I would like it to.