Welcome to the mini-series called “How do you work this thing?!”. If you are just getting into the electric guitar, it can be pretty overwhelming. All of the knobs and switches on the guitar are enough, but you also have to deal with guitar pedals, effects, and amps. That can feel pretty overwhelming and intimidating at first. One of the reasons for this is because there are just so many options to choose from nowadays.
Early this year, Chelsea decided that she wanted to make a concerted effort to learn the electric guitar. She has been playing acoustic guitar for a long time but always kind of shied away from the electric guitar because of all of the technology involved. As we started to go through how all of her electric guitar gear worked, I thought to myself, “we should be filming this”. That’s exactly what we ended up doing.
There are five video lessons in this series. The first one on how to work your electric guitar and the second one is on how to use your amp. The last three are on how to use drive pedals, delay, and reverb. Our goal for all of these videos is to give you the information you need to start experimenting with your own gear and dialing in your favorite tones.
This first lesson shows you how to get the most out of your electric guitar by walking you through the difference between humbuckers and single coils, how to use the controls on your guitar, and when to use certain pickups for different tones. Chelsea is using a Stratocaster with single coils, and I’m using a Paul Reed Smith with Humbuckers. Your guitar might be a little different from the ones we are using, but the basic ideas will be the same.
Give the video a watch and send any questions you may have to us via the comments on this page or an email. support@guitarfam.com You can also book a 1-on-1 lesson with me here on the site if you need a little extra help. The first one is complimentary, so don't be shy. We look forward to hearing from you.
Nate & Chelsea