I am an old guitar newbie. I even consider myself a perpetual newbie as I have stopped and started many times in taking up the guitar. My problem (if you want to call it that) is that I have a lot of gear, but to the point of too much maybe. It seems that when I go to the guitar room, I almost get overwhelmed by the equipment and just can't seem to settle on one guitar to use and sometimes use a few during my mostly futile practice times.

Would it be best to put all but one or two guitars away and focus on using them for the time being, then bring out the rest as I get better?

Another thing is that I have a lot of beginner books and internet tab printouts, so I have a hard time sticking with one thing to "study."

My wife has asked me on more than one occasion if I was a player or a collector. She also hinted that maybe the guitar "just isn't my thing."


Any thought, ideas, suggestions?


Thanks,
Jim

Sticking to something can be really hard. One of the main reasons I stuck to guitar was I felt like it was in honor of my Uncle Jimbo, who died of cancer when I was in 9th grade. Try to find something to have a reason to "stick" -that always help

I'm only 17, but since your married maybe you can write songs for your wife. It'll be a fun way to get better at guitar

I also have a hard time sticking to tabs in sheet music, so what i do is work on improv and soloing (I play in my church's praiseband where it comes in handy). And you can play almost any song if you know your chords (learn stuff that you like; it'll keep you interested)

Having a teacher helps too if you have the time. I get lessons from a good friend of mine named Joe Bennett, who has been playing since the 50's and was in a band called the Sparkletones.

Always remember that you'll never get worse at guitar- only better.

Sincerly, Jim #2

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Kid: "Hey Smokey! Where did you get your name?"
Smokey the Bear: "Well..."
(former user jimbo612)

Well obviously you have a love for the guitar. You probably boarded more on the collectors side and finally got the itch to really play. Yes I would pick out the guitar that feels most comfortable in everyway to focus playing on. Each guitar is different and bouncing around right now would not be the smart thing. You always here guys talk about there #1 or there player which is there main ax.

I played a Tele for about 13 years before getting my first Strat and though I have no problem I still am most comfortable with the volume/tone configuration of a Tele. In fact I have to sink the middle pup on my Strats as it gets in the way of my picking. Yngwie and Blackmore do the same thing for the same reason. Miami Mike had put up a link of one of my idols Danny Gatto who was a master of the Telecaster playing a Strat and I noticed he removed the volume knob so he would have more space and gave it more of a Tele feel picking wise.

So just find the guitar model right now that gives you the most comfort and then you have to put the work in. There are so many great learning tools today like books, DVDs and websites to get you going. My favorite site is www.licklibrary.com which has a staff of amazing players and a ton of lessons as well as there own DVDs of techniques and full songs by mostly all the big groups and solo artist. A word of advice try and learn a song from beggining to end instead of bouncing and learning a riff or intro . When I was young the Beatles catalog was my Bible and taught me a ton. Good luck you can do this ,and remember what you put in is what you get back.

Lol ... was sorta' confused about the Galaxy Quest reference at first, but then:

"Never give up! Never surrender"! Good call!

Strat2k6 -
As an older newbie myself, I can relate. Been playing all of 6 months or so and already have 2 Am Standard Strats and 1 MIM. (Just something about buying a new guitar.) I've spent a good deal of time learning how the instruments work, how to set them up, etc because I'm mechanically inclined but I suppose it would've been better to strictly focus on learning to play at this point. But I feel knowing how it all works is also important.

But yes, I'd say you should probably put most of the gear away and get down to business! In my day job as a professional photographer, I've seen many photo enthusiasts spend (waste) tons of money and time buying photo gear they didn't know how to use - or even if they needed it. And yep, they seem to spend more time trying to figure out what to use than on actually creating images.

I suspect what I tell them also applies to us ... the most important tool in your arsenal doesn't come in a box - the most important tool is skill and knowledge. (which of course, can only come from practice)

I also agree that the many, many great learning resources can get overwhelming - there's so many it's hard to stick with just one. I started taking proper lessons a few weeks ago and it's been a big help ... if for no other reason than you're sort of committed to the instructor so there's not much room to deviate.

Hang in there!

-phil

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Then again, what do I know ... I've only been playin' for 6 months ... !

I have a lot of gear too and I rotate my guitars,every few days I'll take out a couple of different ones and so on,I'm an equal opportunity picker.As for the books,why not just stick to the genre of music you like and stick to that,that's what I did starting off.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

i am a beginner so my opinion probably isnt as valid as some others but I say, find the one guitar you gel with the best and just kick back and have fun...if you are having fun none of the rest matters....but like another one said...learn a few songs that you know your wife likes or will like...play them for her and she will love them (one of the reasons I started learning music in Spanish! ) and she will come around......but just concentrate on having fun....i have accepted the fact that I will never be a guitar great...and once i accepted that i really started having fun and just learning songs that are fun for me. either way, good luck in your studies and enjoy the ride

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Welcome to the Forum Jim! Great post! +1

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

thanks Solid Body Love Songs I like your posts to you don't shoot down forum newbies and you seem like a real go-to guy.

btw I was looking through that "what are you listening to?" forum and that band MrSolarcoaster sound pretty amazing

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Kid: "Hey Smokey! Where did you get your name?"
Smokey the Bear: "Well..."
(former user jimbo612)

Definitely find one that feels right for you until you get to the point where you need more for diff sounds and tunings.

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My only suggestion is to play only one guitar at a time for a week or 2. Presently I have 2 Stratocasters that I call my own and have two other guitars in the house that belong to my kids. Every once in a blue moon I will play their guitars. Out of mine, I play one of them at a time and rotate every other night. Don't get overwhelmed as to which guitar to play, just play one. If you need to learn pentatonic scales, practice them for one week, the next week switch to chords, and the next learn some blues scales. Find a song you always wanted to play and learn that. Try not to go overboard, just juggle 2 things at a time.

My family does not encourage me all that often. I have been playing since before I was married, took a hiatus from it while in the military, and then got back into it about 4 years ago. My wife has also hinted to me that I should "just give it up". I tell her I will give up guitar when she gives up reading (fantasy and romance books) and doing sodoku puzzles all the time. Most of the time wives are just mad that we are not paying enough attention to them. I usually just wait until my wife in engrossed on a book, then sneak into my music room.

RK

Some people consider guitars art, maybe you fall in that category. I know I love looking at guitars as much as I love playing them.

If you can pay for your "habit" without it taking away from your responsibilities then it doesn't matter. If it interfers with paying bills then it may be a problem but if not do whatever you want.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Thanks for the replies and support everyone. I have put everything away except for my first guitar (a 2006 MIM HSS Strat) and my Jagmaster (the new model, not an MIJ Vista Series unfortunately).

jimbo612, you are wise beyond your 17 years!

I have a couple of songs that I have wanted to learn all the way through, so I am trying to decide which one to tackle first. In the meantime, I am working on some scales, basic chord changes and 12-bar blues shuffles.


Thanks again everyone!



Jim

i had the same problem when i was playing, except the gear stuff. What i did was this, since you mentioned internet tabs and stuff i focused on 2 or 3 songs at a time. Get them down pat like your ABC's, then move on to what else you would like to play. Do some easy stuff, don't go full on Page or Hendrix solo type stuff. As for the multiple guitar stuff, i would just use 2. so that way you can have one in a different tuning, but that's just me. And remember, nobody is born with the skills to do things, you gotta learn it and practice it.

Good Luck!

Rob

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I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk...