Guitars, Technology, and Life

As is probably evidenced by the 3 articles I posted in quick succession today, I am indeed back to updating my blog. I will probably start documenting some of my more eccentric hacks and configuration files here, simply for future reference for both myself and anyone interested. I may also start reviewing some of the software I use daily (and also get into a review of Star Wars: The Old Republic, which I'm pretty much addicted to at the moment). We shall see what I get done while I'm on semester break.

I do also plan to start documenting useful practices/websites for guitar, as well as a review of aLaska Piks (fingerpicks) once I get my batch. Once I get my hands on some of the new Ernie Ball Cobalt strings (as well as a pack of Earthwood strings), I'll also put a review up, comparing them to my current strings (Ernie Ball Coated Regular Slinky (0.10"), and Ernie Ball Coated Acoustic (0.11")). I've also ordered a glass slide along with the strings (though the Cobalts aren't in stock yet, and are effectively delaying my order until their arrival), which I will compare with my current steel slide. I also hope to find a decent audio recorder at some point, which I will also review (possibly with sound clips - we'll see how it sounds!).

Outside of Guitar & Technology, I also hope to bring some of my Japanese/Mandarin practice to my blog. I'll aim to review/discuss books and software I find useful for practicing those languages, and possibly also write a brief introduction or so to either language. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comment section below.

I sincerely hope this post doesn't become like the last "and I'm back" post, though I can't make any promises. I think I've come up with a fairly varied series of topics, meaning I will probably not run out of stuff to write. Once I figure out a decent method for posting code snippets on blogger (trying out one on my Custom Dates post), I'll also probably move some of my scripts over from pastebin. Basically I'm hoping to turn this into a hub for my technological, musical, and language-oriented knowledge. Once I've cleaned up my github a bit, I'll also be posting a link to it here, since it should offer the most up-to-date scripts and settings.

Theme Overhaul & Update!

Well, now that there's the ability to customize templates, I've made the entire blog a little wider (lets you guys read my code snippets fully). Also, I've gone with a layout and colour/background combo that appeals to me. If you guys have any complaints about any elements of the blog, leave me a comment and I'll take it into consideration (I can't promise every complaint will be acted upon, but the major issues should be resolved). Consequently...if you like the blog like this, let me know!

I'll be updating the guitars post in a few days once I get to my third guitar, for anyone interested. I am also currently learning Japanese and have learned a few things (SCIM, anyone?), which I'll be posting up here soon (I can also post up a link to my vocab list for anyone who's interested - just leave a comment).

Looking forward to getting some feedback,
Lswest

Guitars

Well, I've been playing guitar a lot lately, and I just got a new steel-string, so I thought I'd share them with anyone who's interested.



















Above is my newest steel-string acoustic electric guitar. It's a special edition DynaSun Burst 4 channel equalizer. Sounds great, is extremely light (has a plastic back instead of a wooden back), and is louder than I expected with the off-set sound holes. Definitely a good guitar (at a very affordable price) for those, like me, who are mainly hobbyists and not looking to spend 1,799USD on a Cole Clarks FL2AC like Jack Johnson uses.

























The above is actually my first guitar. It's a nylon-string Granada (no idea what model, sorry). It sounds great, and is really easy on the fingers. The neck is a bit wider than would be ideal for songs involving capos, but that's hardly a problem. Quite a bit more expensive than the one above, but it's lasted well (only replaced the strings once, and rather recently at that).







Newest addition (as of September 2010). A Squier Made By Fender SE Special Strat (part of the strat pack). I bought this guitar because I was interested in getting started with an electric and had very little in the way of a budget. This pack (199€) is pretty good for anyone who's starting off. If you plan to play gigs with this, I recommend instead to buy a bullet strat by Squier and a better amp. The guitar itself is pretty decent, but I did have to adjust everything intonation-wise to arrive at a "pretty decent" sound. If you're looking for a really good beginner guitar and don't have much in the way of free cash, go for a Squier bullet pack or this pack.


If, however, you've got a bigger budget, check out a Fender Mexican Strat and a Spider Line-6 amp, for example. Plenty more expensive, but I've heard plenty of good things about both.

I also have a fourth guitar (a Tradition TG550 steel-string), but I have no pictures of it handy (it's in another country). I may update this post with stock photos if I find some good ones. Also, I have to apologize for any issues with the pictures, I used my Milestone to take the shots.

If there are any specific questions you've got, feel free to leave me a comment!