Set Number: #5 - September 2006
Guitar Guru: Fredrik Pihl

Question: If you could only have one pedal to use to solo with what would it be. i've got enough for one good one so please dont hold back with prices. Jack Hood

Guitar Guru: If I could only buy one pedal I would probably buy a good delay pedal, for soloing. The most important thing is to have a good amplifier though. But I would reccomend you to check out the T.C Electronics Gmajor effect. It's a bit more expensive than just one pedal, but there are plenty of effects, and
possibilities to equalize you sound. I use it when playing live with my band Indemnity.

Question: Whenever i try to do an exercise that is meant to build your speed up, or just anything that i'm trying to speed up in general- the speed never really seems to stay with me. for example, if i get part of a solo up to the regular tempo its supposed to be played at, it usually seems like thats the only thing i can play that fast- and when i try to work on getting something else up to speed it seems to be the same everytime, and that i'm not really getting faster in general. Is this normal? or am i just seeing things weird? Joe Gettler

Guitar Guru: Well, everytime we're about to learn something new we should always start slow to prevent any mistakes from developing. We all know that for sure. Speed was something that evolved naturally for me. It's just something you will get sooner or later, so don't worry too much about it. But in order to make progress faster I would recommend that you play for about 2 hours every day, if you aren't doing that already.
It's better to play 1 hour every day, than 8 hours, 2 times a week. And remember, everyone can learn how to play fast, but it's how we use the speed that makes the music interesting. Best of luck!

Question: I was thinking about purchasing the YJM strat very shortly and i had a few questions about the guitar that i thought could be answered. Can u still get a good hendrix tone (a la little wing tone) out of the
guitar with the yjm sig pickups? What exactly does a brass nut do to the tone? Does it makes the guitar
sustain better? What color do u think looks the best, the vintage white w/ rosewood or maple fretboard, the sonic blue w/ the rosewood/ maple fretboard, or the red w/ rosewood/maple fretboard? Chas

Guitar Guru: I'm sorry, but I can't really help you with this question. I've never tried the YJM strat myself (since I'm not a Fender kind of guy). For the Hendrix tone, I would reccomend you to try the guitar in various amps at your music store, to see if it's possible. I'm sure you can get some kind of Hendrix sound. Otherwise you simply have to change the pickups. But then on the other hand, if you're looking for a Hendrix sound, maybe the YJM strat isn't the best option. But like I said, I've never tried the guitar so I can't really help you. Compare the YJM strat with regular strat's to find out the difference between the sound and tone. For the colour I would absolutely go for the white/yellow colour that Yngwie is using, with a maple fretboard. It looks the coolest..... that's what I think anyway!

Question: Hi there, i was wondering what would be a good song to learn for a beginner like myself, to help me build up speed, confidence and technique? Monty

Guitar Guru: I would go for some Paul Gilbert stuff or maybe Yngwie. When I started to build up my speed I was very much into Yngwie, and it helped by playing some of his stuff. But you should try and learn some of your favorite artists' stuff, even though it might seem totally impossible at first. Get the first and earliest album of that artist, because that's usually when he is least evolved in his playing. Break down the solo's into small segments and learn them piece by piece. Find out what technique is being used for each part of the solo. Is it picking, legato or maybe sweeping? Some songs that helped me in my techniques in the early days was Technical difficulties with Paul Gilbert/Racer X, and Far beyond the sun with mr. Malmsteen. Hope this helps. Good luck sir

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