How should i take of my guitar?

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~ Pianist

How should i take care of my takamine gs430s acoustic guitar?
I just bought it today and i heard that the cedar top is very thin wood so it dents and dings easily. I just want it to last. Like after i pratice with it, should i put it back in the Hardnut shell case? or should i just leave it on the guitar rack? And more tips much appreciated=)

Answer
Only leave it in the rack if you're sure nothing will hit it while you're gone. Otherwise the case is always your best bet.

And never leave your instrument where you wouldn't leave a baby. What's the difference between a baby and a guitar? A baby will get better if you drop it on the floor.

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What do I need to start a guitar rack system?

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Mike

So basically I've seen some musicians have these large system racks which do all kinds of fx on the music. I'm not really interested in making something that is huge, expensive and complicated for a big time band or anything, I'm just interested in making a small one to experiment with different sounds that could possibly lead me to using more complex equipment. I basically wanting to know some tips for beginners on starting a simple rack so that I can use with my guitar and how to wire it properly and maybe add more equipment for it in the future.

Answer
First thing you need is a rack to hold all the gear.

The main reason a lot of guys do a rack system is so that they can get there own preamp and power amp separate, instead of having an combo or head that already has it's own preamp and power amp sections.

So, you will need a preamp and a power amp. For example, a Mesa 2:50 power amp and Mesa Triaxis preamp. What's nice about this, is that you can get a couple different power amps and use the same preamp, so you can have 1 power amp that is lower wattage for recording and another like the 2:50 for playing live.

This is also optional, as you can still use a regular amp and have rack effects, but I see most guys who do the rack thing, doing so because they want the pre and power amps.

After your amp is situated, you can think about effects.

One thing most guys get is a Power Conditioner from Furman, which is simply a glorified power strip, but is designed for gear like guitar equipment and has special features like front lighting and things of that nature.

Next is the effects. Most common rack gear is a Noise Suppressor (ISP Decimator Pro Rack G), an EQ (I don't have one to recommend), and a TC Electronics G Major unit. A unit like this is a really nice multi-effects rack unit. There are also separate effects that you can buy and several different brands to choose from. I also see a lot of guys with rack mount compressors.

Personally, I like having the ease of a combo amp and pedals so I can turn them on/off during a song. There is no difference in foot pedals and rack effects, except for quality, but that being said, there are really high quality combo/head amps as well as pre-amp and power amps... likewise, there are really nice foot pedal effects and rack effects, but at the same time, both have some brands that are just terrible and don't get be fooled by prices either.

Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the ISP Decimator rack usually doesn't come with a foot switch, however, I think you can plug in 2 guitars to the unit, or have them make one that allows 1 input for your guitar and the other designed for the effects loop, which is quite nice. You would have to run 3 long cables from the effects loop to your ISP pedal... cables can cost upwards of $60 for longer good quality cables, so it's nice if you have a rack system, all the cables will be smaller and stay behind the unit, which means you get less signal loss as well as less wires coming out into your space that you can trip over.

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What do I need to start a guitar rack system?

guitar rack image

Mike

So basically I've seen some musicians have these large system racks which do all kinds of fx on the music. I'm not really interested in making something that is huge, expensive and complicated for a big time band or anything, I'm just interested in making a small one to experiment with different sounds that could possibly lead me to using more complex equipment. I basically wanting to know some tips for beginners on starting a simple rack so that I can use with my guitar and how to wire it properly and maybe add more equipment for it in the future.

Answer
First thing you need is a rack to hold all the gear.

The main reason a lot of guys do a rack system is so that they can get there own preamp and power amp separate, instead of having an combo or head that already has it's own preamp and power amp sections.

So, you will need a preamp and a power amp. For example, a Mesa 2:50 power amp and Mesa Triaxis preamp. What's nice about this, is that you can get a couple different power amps and use the same preamp, so you can have 1 power amp that is lower wattage for recording and another like the 2:50 for playing live.

This is also optional, as you can still use a regular amp and have rack effects, but I see most guys who do the rack thing, doing so because they want the pre and power amps.

After your amp is situated, you can think about effects.

One thing most guys get is a Power Conditioner from Furman, which is simply a glorified power strip, but is designed for gear like guitar equipment and has special features like front lighting and things of that nature.

Next is the effects. Most common rack gear is a Noise Suppressor (ISP Decimator Pro Rack G), an EQ (I don't have one to recommend), and a TC Electronics G Major unit. A unit like this is a really nice multi-effects rack unit. There are also separate effects that you can buy and several different brands to choose from. I also see a lot of guys with rack mount compressors.

Personally, I like having the ease of a combo amp and pedals so I can turn them on/off during a song. There is no difference in foot pedals and rack effects, except for quality, but that being said, there are really high quality combo/head amps as well as pre-amp and power amps... likewise, there are really nice foot pedal effects and rack effects, but at the same time, both have some brands that are just terrible and don't get be fooled by prices either.

Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the ISP Decimator rack usually doesn't come with a foot switch, however, I think you can plug in 2 guitars to the unit, or have them make one that allows 1 input for your guitar and the other designed for the effects loop, which is quite nice. You would have to run 3 long cables from the effects loop to your ISP pedal... cables can cost upwards of $60 for longer good quality cables, so it's nice if you have a rack system, all the cables will be smaller and stay behind the unit, which means you get less signal loss as well as less wires coming out into your space that you can trip over.

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What guitar stand should I get for guitars with strange shapes?

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Zack

I bought one recently that I thought would hold my dean dimebag and my bc rich warlock but it didnt it still held my jackson dinky and my fender strat but I need a guitar rack that holds about 7 guitars regardless of their shape i only have 4 guitars right now but I plan on getting more eventually and they'll mostly be bc rich so obviously I would need one that would hold bc rich's strange shapes

Answer
I assume you mean you've got some pointy flying-Vs or something. The only configuration I've ever seen for a seven-guitar stand is this kind...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/rockstand-by-warwick-7-guitar-folding-stand/455002000000000

Which seems like you could make it work, but maybe not. If not, I'd say you'd need separate stands where the instrument hangs by the neck rather than being held up from underneath, like this...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/on-stage-stands-gs-7155-hang-it-single-guitar-stand/451003000000000

(That's a cheap one, they come much better around $30-40). The most elaborate of this system I've seen holds three instruments, so you'd need 2 or 3 of them for a collection of 6+ guitars.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hercules-stands-gs432b-tri-stand-guitar-stand/453084000000000

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What is the best way to store guitars?

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Guitar pla

What is the best way to keep your guitars? I have five guitars and what is the best way to keep them safe and secure? a guitar rack, individual stands, etc...

Answer
I put mine on a stand just to look at and play when I feel like it
but for long time storage a case is the best ^^
five guitars would love to be sitting on a nice guitar rack
individual stands would be fairly crowded :]

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How do you hook a guitar rig rack to an amp head?

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marshall.b

Soon I will be getting the Krank Rev SST amp head and cabinet and I was wondering how you would hook up the guitar rig to the amp head and cabinet. On my rig I am going to have a Line 6 Digital Wireless System, Behringer Racktuner, BBE 482i Sonic Maximiser. How would I hook all of these to my amp head and cabinet?

Thanks

Answer
If that Krank head has an effects loop then you would send the signal from the "send" on the head, into your rack, through all the effects, then back to the "return" on your head.

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What guitar stand should I get for guitars with strange shapes?

guitar rack image

Zack

I bought one recently that I thought would hold my dean dimebag and my bc rich warlock but it didnt it still held my jackson dinky and my fender strat but I need a guitar rack that holds about 7 guitars regardless of their shape i only have 4 guitars right now but I plan on getting more eventually and they'll mostly be bc rich so obviously I would need one that would hold bc rich's strange shapes

Answer
I assume you mean you've got some pointy flying-Vs or something. The only configuration I've ever seen for a seven-guitar stand is this kind...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/rockstand-by-warwick-7-guitar-folding-stand/455002000000000

Which seems like you could make it work, but maybe not. If not, I'd say you'd need separate stands where the instrument hangs by the neck rather than being held up from underneath, like this...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/on-stage-stands-gs-7155-hang-it-single-guitar-stand/451003000000000

(That's a cheap one, they come much better around $30-40). The most elaborate of this system I've seen holds three instruments, so you'd need 2 or 3 of them for a collection of 6+ guitars.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hercules-stands-gs432b-tri-stand-guitar-stand/453084000000000

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What can guitar effects switchers be used for?

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scuderia_f

I understand that a guitar effects switcher can help to better organize your pedals and your use of them. What else can they do?

I am running under the impression that they can also:

1) Be used to run pedals in different combos without having to unplug and replug pedals from one combo to another

2) Turn pedals on and off without having to stomp on each pedal individually

What else are they used for?

Answer
There are several features that these units offer. They usually have a universal power supply that can power several different pedals. They allow you to select any or all pedals with one switch. Each switch (patch) has an independent volume control allowing you to have one patch be louder or softer than another (great for having a lead boost). The ability to run to more than one amp so you can set up a stereo image. The ability to set up an external loop for rack mounted gear. Some have MIDI capability. Most have a buffered input and output to normalize the signal to match your amps input and effects send and returns.
Remember that some units are very basic and only offer a few of these features, whereas some are more complex and offer all this and more. Do your home work, decide what you need, and make your decision accordingly

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