Another "Help me Brad Warren" thread.
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4038 Registered: Oct-06 | My family is bugging me for xmas gift ideas, cause I never want anything, and I've been wanting to take up the guitar as a hobby for a while. What would you recommend? I figured you would be knowledgeable on guitars Brad, anyone else feel free to chime in too though. I went on guitar centers website and I didn't know what I was looking at with 6-string, 12-string, acoustic-electric... just want something beginner level to see where it goes. I've always been fairly musically talented, played drums and sang for years. Guitar center has a pretty wide price variety, quite a few under $100 even. Are those junk or would they be adequate for a beginner? I plan on learning to play thru youtube lessons  |
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Diamond Member Username: BestmankindPost Number: 23540 Registered: Oct-05 | guitar hero. |
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Gold Member Username: Snowball123West Allis, WI Post Number: 3301 Registered: Oct-07 | DJ hero! |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4039 Registered: Oct-06 | I guess I could consider dedicating more time to video games instead of learning to play the guitar... but for now I'm still thinking guitar. Thanks though guys. |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 5404 Registered: Dec-06 | Amazing guitar for the money: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Dean-Vendetta-XM-Electric-Guitar-103933354-i1147572. gc |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4040 Registered: Oct-06 | That guitar looks mean. Would you recommend an electric guitar for a beginner though? I guess I assumed for some reason that learning acoustic was a natural starting point, but maybe it doesn't matter? |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 5406 Registered: Dec-06 | Acoustics are much harder to play and are better suited for intermediate to advanced players. If you were to go the acoustic route, Epiphone (by Gibson) is by far the way to go for beginner priced models. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4042 Registered: Oct-06 | Wow, shows how much I know about playing the guitar. Glad I asked. I did some reading, and I guess I'm still more interested in learning acoustic for some reason. I have visions of sitting under a tree in the park strumming away and girls walking up and begging me to f@#$ them. That's how it works right? Can't plug an electric guitar into a tree!!!! I've got some deciding to do, I'm gonna look around and I may be back with more questions. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4043 Registered: Oct-06 | Oh, and thanks for the info Brad. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceTC Sounds/DLS Post Number: 2958 Registered: May-04 | "I have visions of sitting under a tree in the park strumming away and girls walking up and begging me to f@#$ them." ROFL!! If only it worked like that. Then every guy would be an expert at playing the guitar. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4046 Registered: Oct-06 | Oh, Brad, on an unrelated note, I think I'm about to buy this. Do you approve? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115654 |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 5407 Registered: Dec-06 | Yep. Acer makes solid craptops and you can't go wrong with AMD/ATI. For a 15.6" with those features and Windows 7 installed... that's an amazing deal. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4047 Registered: Oct-06 | Cool thanks, I've been waiting to find a sick deal right around $500. Why'd you say "craptops"? You just prefer desktops? |
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Diamond Member Username: WingmanaliveWww.stainles... .ecrater.com Post Number: 21577 Registered: Jun-06 | Man at first I thought Brad was being sarcastic. Now I don't know what to think lol. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4048 Registered: Oct-06 | You can never tell with Brad Warren, he's a pretty sneaky character. Stealth for sure. |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 5408 Registered: Dec-06 | I always call them craptops. Picked up that term from Peyton. |
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Gold Member Username: RideredderCornell, IL USA Post Number: 1740 Registered: Sep-05 | http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Les-Paul-Special-II-Player-P ack?sku=518677 This is the guitar that I started out with. Not a bad deal for the package. I paid $280 for that package seven years ago. I still play it every day. Only problem I've had with it is the cable that comes with it is garbage. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4066 Registered: Oct-06 | Got my "craptop" today. Windows 7 looks pretty cool. 45 installed programs, not so cool. Holy f@#$ing bloatware!!! |
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Diamond Member Username: WingmanaliveWww.stainles... .ecrater.com Post Number: 21640 Registered: Jun-06 | That's microsuck for ya! |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4067 Registered: Oct-06 | Yeah I hear ya Paul. The bloatware was the one and only negative comment in the reviews for this craptop, and probably a big part of the reason why it was such a great deal at only $499. Brad, do you recommend uninstalling all the bloat one program at a time, or using programs like CCleaner and Autoruns (i just learned about these) to do it? |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 5432 Registered: Dec-06 | Hey Ehren what up. Autoruns is a sooped up startup manager and isn't an uninstaller. CCleaner isn't either, it just cleans extra un-needed files so you can keep your C drive size manageable. Especially for people like me who always make a smaller seperate partition just for Winblows and never install anything else there. The logic behind this is two-fold: 1. If you crash and burn due to an unfixable worm or virii, or something else goes horribly wrong and you need to reinstall Windows -- you just drop a new install on C and everything else on your other partitions is left untouched. This one trick would save SO many people grief, and I have been telling people to always do this for at least eight years. Can't even tell you how many people have called me to cry about all the "irreplaceable stuff" they lost, but let's safely say 100+. 2. You can create (at Windows install) many partitions which keep things organized. In my case I have C,D,E,F,G,H. So in those different drive designations I can keep music, videos, important docs, important pics etc., and know just where they, and ONLY they, are. Anyways, what you need is a free program called PC Decrapifier. Read the steps and download it here: http://www.findmysoft.com/how-to/Get-Rid-of-Bloatware-from-New-Windows-7-PCs-wit h-PC-Decrapifier/ |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4068 Registered: Oct-06 | Thanks Brad, 'ppreciate it!! I haven't had time to do much more than the initial setup so far as I've been fighting a cold AND working overtime :/, but I'll DL the decrapifier ASAP. Out of curiosity, if you don't mind my asking, how'd you become so knowledgeable about computers? Do you have a degree in computer science or something? I guess I'm just curious because I know you've had a very successful career as a musician, but you're also a computer whiz and I think you own or are involved in some sort of computer biz. Music is so creative and inspired, whereas the world of computers is much more scientific and mechanical, just seems like a very interesting contrast.... you're like the dos equis guy. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4069 Registered: Oct-06 | Ya know, it just occurred to me, I don't recall locating a Win7 disc when I opened everything. I'll have to double check when I get home... maybe newegg owes me one? |
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Gold Member Username: The_image_dynamicSan Diego, California Post Number: 5436 Registered: Dec-06 | Windows 7 usually comes preloaded, meaning no actual disc. As far as how I learned computers. Back in the late 90's I was touring every year for 7-8 months at a time and one of our techs had a craptop that I would mess around with. I didn't know anything, but the internet fascinated me in a way that nothing else had before that. I soon got my own craptop and would spend 10-12 hours on it every single day. You have a lot of free time on the road. That went on for about five years. I learned from my mistakes, and also from some friends that were IT guys that would help me along the way. Then in 2002, I started a very succesful website with a friend, and wrote a computer column there for four years and ended up helping over 50,000 people with their issues. I started testing software for an independant research firm and would run all of the latest programs for 6 weeks at a time to learn all the good and bad things about it. During that time I came up with my "eight programs that will insure you never have a computer issue ever again" which I mostly still use to this day. |
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Gold Member Username: PitbullguyThe Chicago area Post Number: 4070 Registered: Oct-06 |
Does that mean I'm SOL if/when I need to do a complete reinstall of Win7? Also, I downloaded and ran the decrapifier, but somehow ended up with 46 programs afterwards (was 45 before).... lol I'm soooo clueless  |