Mario M.

What string gauge would be good for an ltd ec-1000t? 24.75 neck scale.

I currently have 10-52s but I think they're a little to thik.

 

Joey Spirito

That depends on the music you will be playing with it. Are you a blues, rock, or metal player?

Mario M.

I am learning to play guitar. Currently Taking lessons, so most of the time I'm playing through a clean channel but sometimes I like to play around with high gain settings. 

I believe I had 11/49s before but I thought they were to lose, and the low E strings was giving me an awful fret buzz, so I put thicker strings on my low strings. The tension seems fine, the tone is better but they feel thick and awkward compared to my ibanez.

Joey Spirito

Ah I feel ya man. We all start there. So you've done the right thing! Strings that are comfortable are exactly what you need to start out on. Later on down your road of being a musician you will find that other gauges of string may be beneficial for different turnings. 11's are good for Slash music because he is tuned down a half step on all his strings. May not make sense to you now but it will down the road. But personally. I like the Cobalt Super Slinkys. They last forever AND they physically louder than any other string you will put on your guitar because of the cobalt in them. Give em a shot.

Michael W.

Hey, does anyone have a good warmup/practice exercise for the right hand.  I am working on A Minor Pentatonic and my picking is a big problem right now.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Joey Spirito

Yeah man I got you. The pentatonic scale is made up of 5 notes in the scale from octave. Hence 'pent'atonic scale. Now without going into too much theory, I'll just call the notes in the pattern via finger number and string by note. Your guitar should be tuned in E standard. So the string order from thickest to thinnest string is E A D G B e. Your index finger will be 1, middle finger 2, and so on. So your standard pattern is E1, E4, A1, A3, D1, D3. E1 and D3 are the same note just an octave apart. To get your fingers moving we are going to make your scale you have learned into a "blues" scale. Don't worry! We are only adding one note =] and that is A2. So once you get used to that here is your riff to help your picking and finger mobility at the same time. And take it PAINFULLY slow at first. Your pattern will be E1, E4, A1, A2, D3, D1, A2, A3, E4, A1. I know that is a lot to take in. But once you get that down and find a good rhythm to it I promise you will be on your way to getting a great song down in no time. And don't forget your up strokes! =]

Joey Spirito

Hello everyone and thank you don for the first request. But before I get to that I did just upload a YouTube vid on changing guitar string properly and talking about the basic hardware so you guys understand a little bit more of exactly what you are wielding. Now I would post a link but apparently I can't because I'm not an approved member. So go on YouTube, search Broke Chronicles, or you can just search my name Joey Spirito, and it should pop up =] PLEASE view comment and subscribe. Help me so I can help out all of you and spread as much word around with just a couple of vids. As for you don my next vid will be exactly what you just asked and I'll try to record it tomorrow since I have the day off. Oh and please be understanding of the vid quality. I'm not loaded...at all. I just have a 4s to record on and no amp. I'm upgrading as soon as I can so just bare with it and things will get better. Thank you guys and enjoy the holidays!

Don H.

Great piece brother.  Changing strings is something that always scares me.  For some reason I am convinced I am going to do some irreversable damage to my guitar. That video makes it seem pretty simple.  I do have a question.  I have been using the Ernie Ball regualr slinky's.  Do the Cobalts make that much difference.  I was thinking about trying them on my ESP with a Floyd Rose but my guy at my local shop said he would have to change the tension in the springs if I went witht he cobalts and I wasn't even sure what he meant by that or if it was a good thing or a bad thing?

Joey Spirito

It sounds like someone is trying to get some extra cash out of you. Slash changed his strings from reg slinkies to the cobalts if that tells you anything. The cobalt element is more magnetized and reacts better with the magnets in your pickups to give you a louder and clearer sound. YEAH SCIENCE! 

Joey Spirito

oh don I was thinking about what you said about the tension for your strings. now it would make sense if your going from thicker or thinner strings to whatever new strings but if if you have 9 and staying at 9 ( the smallest string gauge size) then no you do not need to adjust anything. But remember changing strings on a FR model does require you to cut off the ball at the end because your FR will clamp onto the strings at the end. I hope that helps you a little more.

Don H.

Thanks Brother--It is awesome that you are willing to help us newbies out!  I have taken a few lessons but they seem to all want to start with theory and drills.  I understand the need for this but I want to learn a few songs/chords/licks that can get me really excited to dive deeper than just playing a cricle of fifths over and over again.  I travel a lot for a living so I don't have hours each week to practcie which I know will make it difficult to learn.  That is why I put a premium on playing things that are fun to me.  Can you recommend any beginner rock songs (AC/DC, Stones, Sabbath, etc..) that invovle a few open chords to play the bulk of each song?  I think that would really get me in the mood to want to practice more.

Joey Spirito

Hello brotheren in the guitarist community! I see we actually have some subscribers and members of this group, which is fantastic news! I just wanted to get to know what you guys are interested in seeing. I can show you chords, chord progressions, and scales. I can also pass great links to learn those inspiring songs you wanted to learn that brought you to this amazing instrument. Respond soon so I can help you ASAP =]