What are cowboy chords?
Using nothing but cowboy chords is arguably the easiest way to play guitar. And in fact, most people play guitar using nothing but these chords.
Cowboy chord is another name for open chord. It is a chord played on the guitar that uses open strings and only requires three of your fret hand fingers to make (index, middle and ring fingers).
How many cowboy chords are there? Eight. Five major and three minor.
These are the chords:
- E major
- E minor
- A major
- A minor
- D major
- D minor
- G major
- C major
Cowboy chords are used in many songs. Everything from Louie, Louie to Fortunate Son to Sweet Child O' Mine to Take On Me to Another Brick in the Wall to Yellow Submarine... and believe me, I could list many more. Every one of those songs uses a variation of the 8 cowboy chords.
Cowboy chord use is why your only acoustic guitar should be a 12-fret
Where acoustic guitars are concerned, there are the traditional 12-fret kind, i.e. your standard full-size dreadnought or smaller parlor acoustic guitar, and then the cutaway kind that gives you access to frets higher than the 12th.
If you want an acoustic that rings the best (and you should), go with a 12-fret. Chances are very likely you're only going to play cowboy chords on it, maybe use a capo from time to time, and that's pretty much it.
Seriously, think about it. Are you going to do high-fret soloing on your acoustic? Of course not. Get the 12-fret.
Cowboy chord use is the reason many vintage guitars only show wear at the first 5 frets
On both the front and back of the neck, it's usually true that on well-used electric guitars, the most wear is shown from frets 1 to 5. This is totally normal. In fact, it's so normal that it's expected.
It's rare you ever see worn frets after fret #5. And where the back of the neck is concerned, any gloss from frets 1 through 5 will be dulled away after years of use. This is true no matter how the neck was finished, be it nitrocellulose lacquer, urethane or something else. The only real difference is that nitro will flake off and expose the wood grain while urethane won't and instead just show a duller look.
Cowboy chord use is also why it's OK to do a partial refret if the guitar needs it
If you or someone else is going to refret your guitar and all the wear is at the first 5 frets, then a partial refret of the neck is fine. No need to spend the extra money on 21 to 24 fret wire replacements if only the first 5 are worn out.
Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. If on a refret you're going to switch fret material from nickel/silver to stainless steel, you might as well do a full refret there. But for nickel/silver (which the vast majority of electric guitars use), a partial refret is fine. After installation of the new frets, a fret leveling and a proper polishing with 0000 steel wool, you'd never know that new frets were installed at the first 5.
Bass guitars for church and worship players
I don't talk about bass guitars very often, but as much as people say that bass players aren't needed anymore, they are - especially in a worship setting.
The place where you see bassists quite often are in churches. Stage types for churches come in all sizes, from small cathedrals all the way to full blown arena style venues that somewhat resemble a rock show (yes, really).
Bass players look for very specific things with certain basses for use in worship settings, and these are some that fit the bill nicely.
(Note: I'm purposely listing 4-string models but may do an article later on basses with more strings, such as the Schecter Stiletto Studio-6.)
This is absolutely perfect for church playing. The look is right, the EMG 35HZ pickups are right (responsive, quiet and a very nice place to rest the thumb), the shape is right, and most importantly the price is right.
The Stiletto Custom-4 is a no-brainer buy for church bassists.
This is another no-brainer buy for bassists, but for a totally different reason compared to the Stiletto Custom-4. The GSR200 model has two major selling points. First, it's cheap. Second, it's pretty much the best bass for the price it sells for. There are other basses as cheap as the GSR200, but you get the most for the money with the Ibanez. And by "most for the money", I mean "everything works like it's supposed to and won't fall apart in a year".
The other nice thing about the GSR200 is that it's arguably the best cheap bass that covers the most tonal range. Why? The P/J pickup layout and four control knobs (volume and tone for each pickup.) That's actually really good on a bass priced as low as the GSR200 is.
When you look at this one, you'll probably say to yourself, "This looks almost identical to the Ibanez GSR200. Why show it?" The reason is something I guarantee you missed. The P pickup. On the Ibanez, the P pickup is mounted flipped while the Yamaha has a traditional Fender Precision Bass P pickup orientation.
Why does this matter? Because some bassists rest their thumb on the P pickup, and many are used to the Fender style orientation. But then there are other bassists who actually prefer the P pickup flipped because it feels better to rest the thumb with the pickup mounted that way.
Is the P pickup's tone affected based on orientation? No. I'm sure some bass players would disagree with me, but I've never heard a significant difference in a P pickup's tone based on just that.
Oh, and there is one more cool thing about the Yamaha over the Ibanez. Truss rod adjustment. It's at the heel and done so in the best possible way. There's a channel there where you can insert a wrench very easily to make relief adjustments. No need to take the neck off, no truss rod cover plate to remove (it's always open), and you don't even need to detune the strings. The channel was very smartly designed with proper length and a raised "lip" so you have plenty of room to get a wrench in there with absolutely no danger of scratching the body. It really doesn't get any better than that.
Squier Vintage Modified '70s Jazz Bass
You can go cheap and buy the Squier Affinity Jazz Bass, but spend a little extra and you get a much better bass with the VM '70s Jazz from Squier.
The Affinity model gets the job done, but you will probably find yourself fighting with the instrument from time to time, and that's no fun at all. The VM model just outright feels like a proper Jazz Bass. Yes, it's Squier, but it easily captures that "feels like Fender" vibe. Everything is where it's supposed to be and it is a mod-friendly Jazz, so it's ready for upgrades later on.
VM '70s Jazz is one that can easily be used to gig regularly and reliably with. Can't say the same for the Affinity.
If you play bass, you knew the tried-and-true Fender Jazz Bass would make an appearance here, and for good reasons.
The trusty Fender J Standard (and yes I am specifically talking about the Mexico made J) is a bass you can rely on. It just works. But that's not really its main selling point.
What really makes the J Standard a good buy is the unbelievable amount of mods and upgrades out there for it. Unless stated otherwise, anything third party made that "fits Fender Jazz Bass" will fit the Mexico made J.
I'll say it another way. If you want a Fender you can mod, get the J Standard. If on the other hand you have no intention of modding the bass, get the USA made Professional Jazz instead.
What about the more ritzy expensive stuff?
If you're more than just a casual bass player, you've probably drooled over an Alembic or maybe a Sadowsky, Pedulla or Dingwall bass. These are all fine instruments, but are out-of-reach for most bass players. Not everyone has $3,000 or more to drop on an instrument.
My advice for church and worship bassists is to use a bass that looks nice but isn't a trophy queen. Church gigs are still gigs whether you get paid for it or not, and you need a bass that can take a knock.
Remember that getting a ding or a nick in a bass you paid $600 or less for doesn't hurt nearly as much as one you paid over $3,000 for.
Guitar deals for Black Friday 2017
There's some good ones this year, and you'll definitely want to check these out. If you get the jump on them before November 24 (which is when Black Friday is for 2017), you won't have any problem getting any one of these.
Gibson Les Paul Studio Gold Series
Definitely one of the best looking Les Paul guitars I've seen. It's done so well that you forget the fact it's a Studio and not a Standard model, which basically means no body/neck binding. And since it's a Studio model, it's priced lower than the Standard. You really don't get all that much more with the Standard other than a higher price tag, so this one is a really good deal.
It should also be noted that, thankfully, there is absolutely none of that wacky robot tuner garbage nor any other "improvements" on the Studio model. It's a true Les Paul, the way it should be. No awful surprises here.
This is a guitar I've mentioned recently, and as luck would have it, it's an unbelievably good Black Friday deal. The price is LOW and the quality is HIGH. Great guitar to give as a gift or to have as a spare. It's also mod-friendly, so if you want to swap out the pickups and tuners (not that you need to,) no problem.
Protege by Cordoba C100M Full Size Classical Guitar with Gig Bag and Tuner
Where nylon string (meaning not steel string) classical guitars are concerned, I like the fact this one comes with everything you need. Guitar, gig bag and tuner. Do you need anything else? Nope.
If you've never played a classical guitar before with nylon strings, they are very easy to play - especially for those with sensitive hands and fingers. The nylon strings don't hurt the fingers at all and are easy to press down to the fingerboard.
This guitar is already priced low, but right now it's priced even better.
This guitar is Les Paul shaped, but the neck is a thin-U shape contour with extra jumbo frets on the fretboard. That basically means if you like a Les Paul but prefer the thinner neck with bigger frets for easier soloing, this is the guitar for you. Yes, it has the same 24.75" scale as a Gibson Les Paul, yes it does have body and neck binding and yes, it has traditional passive electronics (which makes for easy modding.)
Again, this guitar is priced low, but with the 20% extra taken off, it's a steal.
How to sound like Dimebag Darrell
This sound is actually not difficult to achieve when you know how it was done.
There are a lot of metal guitarists that think that Dimebag's tone was amazing, specifically on the Vulgar Display of Power album.
I'll tell you how to get that guitar sound, but before I do, know this: It's actually a really crappy sound.
Why is Dimebag's sound so crappy? Because on its own, it's nothing but awful '90s era solid-state digital junk. Dimebag was known to use Randall solid-state amps and Korg (yes, Korg) digital pedal effects.
Today, we have proper digital amp modeling technology that actually sounds right, such as with the DigiTech RP360 or even the cheapest Fender Mustang amplifier. But back in 1991 when Vulgar was recorded, guitar tech was in this weird state where it was a mishmash of '70s solid-state and late '80s/early '90s digital nastiness.
On to the tone...
I'll use Walk as the example and explain how to get this. First I'll describe the guitar you need, the rhythm sound, then the lead sound.
Which guitar to use?
All you basically need here is any guitar that has a pair of high-output pickups. Even a cheap Squier Mustang HH would work.
If however you also want to capture Dime's lead tones, you'll need a guitar with a proper Floyd-Rose style tremolo system. And by proper I mean the kind that won't fall apart in a year from regular use. The guitar I suggest here is Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR.
Rhythm
It's very obvious the guitars are doubled to add in mids and bottom end. My ear hears this immediately, which tells me one recorded guitar on its own during recording sessions wasn't good enough.
If recording at home, this isn't a problem to recreate. Just record the rhythm guitar twice and then adjust levels.
In a live situation, the easiest way to simulate this is to use a digital delay pedal like the BOSS DD-7. What you do is add one very short repeat, almost like a slap-back delay. The end result of this is a tone that has more mids and bass. It won't sound exactly like doubled-up guitars, but it will be real close.
Lead
On Walk, this is nothing but neck pickup. It was EQ'd to be nothing but midrange frequencies. There is no bass and not much treble going on either.
If you're a metal player, you know what "scooping the mids" means. This lead tone is the exact opposite of that. Instead of mid down/bass up/treble up, it's mid up/bass down/treble down. This is what was done in the studio to allow the lead guitar sound to cut through the mix and be heard.
A ridiculous amount of distortion was used for the lead tone. At no time during the solo does Dime pause significantly between notes, because it's probably true if he did, a BUZZZZZZ (pickup noise) would have been heard from all the crazy amounts of gain used. You'll also notice at the end of the solo, the lead guitar is very quickly cut out of the mix, again to prevent hearing that BUZZZZZ...
As idiotic as this sounds, the way to get this sound live is to actually use a second gain pedal. Overdrive, specifically. Yes, I am literally saying to overdrive your distortion.
Before telling you what pedal to use, know that distortion + distortion is bad. It won't work, sound terrible and the sound coming out of the amp will actually get quieter.
The pedal that will work best for layering over your distortion for a Dime style lead tone is a cheap BOSS SD-1 Super Overdrive. That pedal has exactly what you need. Drive, level, and most importantly, tone.
If you're crafty enough, you could actually use the bridge side pickup and make it sound like a neck pickup. How? Turn the tone control on the overdrive pedal down. Will it work for you? It might. If it doesn't, just switch to your neck pickup instead. No big deal.
Will distortion + overdrive be a buzzy mess? You will get some buzz and there's just no way around that. When adjusting your overdrive, don't just crank it up all the way. Use only what you need to get the sound you're chasing after, and remember that when soloing, don't stop between notes or buzzy nastiness will break through.
Solos aren't that long anyway, so you can kick on the overdrive for the brief time needed, then kick off when going back to the rhythm sound.
...and that's it.
There's really no magic to Dimebag Darrell metal tone. It was early '90s nastiness combined with doubling up guitars. You can use any guitar you want as long as it has high output pickups. And for the solo stuff, Floyd-Rose is needed for that.
Seriously, that's it.
These are the best looking guitars you can buy
Some guitar players just want a guitar that has the right look first before anything else. This is a list of the best looking guitars you can buy right now, some of which you can get for cheap.
Attracting men vs. attracting women
Guys buy many things to impress other men. Regardless if the man is straight, bisexual or gay, he will, unless told otherwise, always go for stuff to impress others of his gender.
Examples of guitar looks that guys like and women hate:
- Coffee table - This is any guitar that resembles the look of a coffee table. Girls hate these things because they believe the idea of wearing furniture is stupid. And I have to admit, they're correct.
- Flame top - There is no shortage of these. Again, this is about showing wood grain. Girls hate these too.
- V shape guitar - There are tons of these too. This is not a sexy shape as it's obviously angular and not curvy.
- "Relic" - Absolute woman repellent. Guitars that are purposely made to look old and beat up make women look the other way instantly.
...but it goes beyond just what women like
The amount of people who are not musicians greatly outnumber those who are. That being true, non-musician types have a very different idea of what they think looks good where guitars are concerned.
Relic styled guitars are, again, the kind that make non-musicians cringe the most. Even someone who is into steampunk fashion would look at a relic'd guitar and say, "Why would anyone be stupid enough to buy a new guitar purposely made to look old and beat up? That makes no sense."
Aside from the relic crapola, if a guitar is styled to the point of looking like a toy, that is also something non-musician types consider to look totally stupid.
So what's a good guitar look?
A good looking electric guitar has these qualities to it:
- Solid color that is not "loud" (no super bright neon colors)
- Tasteful array of shiny bits
- Curvy body shape
- A sense of elegance
It's the last one that most guitar players have a difficult time understanding. Elegance where guitar styling is concerned means beauty that is subtle.
A no-brainer where the elegant guitar look is concerned is just to look at hollow body electrics such as Gretsch Streamliner series. All of the Streamliner guitars have elegant styling. There's nothing "loud" in appearance, nothing in-your-face and colors offered are chosen carefully. Examine the styling used, and you can easily see why Gretsch is a proper gentleman's guitar.
Examples of good looking guitars that regular people can afford
Epiphone Les Paul Standard, Gold Top
The gold top Les Paul is can't-go-wrong styling. The Les Paul shape has always taken to gold very well. And the chrome and white works with the gold very nicely. In addition, this style of LP works anywhere for any type of music. Country, jazz, rock, metal, whatever. This just works.
Fender Stratocaster, Lake Placid Blue
The ladies in particular really like this color. They see the sparkly blue and say, "Ooooh, pretty..." If you're going to buy a Strat and want a look that the girls like, get this one.
Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar, Surf Green
The surf green solid finish in combination with the shiny bits (particularly the upper and lower chrome control plates) grabs attention in the right way with this Jag. This guitar always gets stared at in awe, even in Squier flavor. It has styling to it that's genuinely attractive. Weird styling? Yes. But weird in a good way.
(Side note: I don't like the Jag in this color, but even so, I know the guitar has a good look to it.)
Fender Classic Player Baja '60s Telecaster, Faded Sonic Blue
Faded Sonic Blue is obviously a color the ladies like because it has a bit of that "baby blue" going on with it. And there is no denying this absolutely counts as an elegant Telecaster look, especially with those brass saddles.
Gretsch Streamliner G2655T, Gold Dust
I mentioned the Streamliner above and wanted to show it. This particular one in "gold dust" finish (which by the way is on the front, back and neck) is a good example of a great Gretsch look. It's definitely elegant, and the pearl block inlays are a very nice touch.
Does the look of a guitar truly matter?
Yes, provided you pick a look for the right reasons.
These are the two rules to always keep in mind when buying a guitar:
- Never buy a guitar to impress other dudes.
- Never buy a guitar to impress other guitar players.
Keep these rules in mind, and you will always make better guitar buying decisions. Following those rules means you will not make the mistake of buying guitars like any Dean Razorback or EVH striped crap.
What kind of guitar look works everywhere?
The gold top Les Paul above does.
But there's also the basic black electric guitar. You can consider that the "little black dress" of the guitar world.
Fender designs with the one-piece maple neck do carry the basic black look best because it gives it a "tuxedo" style look. On the cheap side there's the black Squier Affinity Strat and black Squier Affinity Telecaster. For mid-priced basic black, there's the Fender Standard Stratocaster and Fender Standard Telecaster. For upper-tier priced there's the USA-made Professional Stratocaster and Professional Telecaster.
"But I never see these guitars in the guitar store."
That's right, you don't. Guitar stores as a rule stock the dopey, flashier stuff. In the rare instances they are in stock, they sell quick because there are a lot of guitar players that really like basic black. You will probably have to order yours online. And yes, it's worth it - even for a cheap Squier.