Move Forward Guitar

MFG Guitarist’s Resource Guide

I’ve written this guide based on what I’ve used and �nd valuable. This is by no means a de�nitive list. If you would like to recommend additions, or if you’ve had a bad experience with anything listed, email me at: chad@moveforwardguitar.com (At present Move Forward Guitar and myself have no a�liation with any of the companies or products in this guide)

GuitarsToo many good manufacturers to list. Here is what I use:Acoustic: Taylor GuitarsElectric: My main guitar is an American Deluxe Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan pickups (SSL-1’s in the Neck and Middle and Twang Banger in the bridge)

Guitars CablesI’m not that particular on cables. I’ve been using Planet Waves Custom Series cables and haven’t had any issues with them.

AppsThese are apps that I use regularly (ios)iStrobosoft (tuner)Tempo-Metronome (Frozen Ape)

TunersHandheld: Korg CA-40 Chromatic TunerApps: iStrobosoftPedal: Boss TU-3I use all of the tuners aboveOther tuners to check outTC Electronic PolytuneKorg Pitchblack

Guitar StrapsAcoustic: I’m not big on any particular brand. There are a lot of good options out there. Just make sure it’s comfortable, easy to adjust, and has a tight �t on your guitar pins so that it won’t fall o�. Electric: Planet Waves Lock Straps (if your guitar doesn’t have good balance, you might need a strap that has more friction to keep your guitar from sliding around)This is what I use and really like but there are a lot of good options out there. One of the main reasons I like these straps so much is that I don’t have to get separate strap locks.

Guitar StringsAcoustic: D’Addario Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Light .012 to .053Electric: D’Addario Nickel Wound XL Regular Light .10 to .46These are what I use and really like. They are a good quality string at an a�ordable price. Everyone plays di�erently and has a di�erent feel and touch though, so it’s good to try out di�erent brands and gauges.

SoftwareBand in A BoxI use this to practice soloing/improvising when I don’t have a jam track in the right key or with the right chord progressionSmart MusicThis is full of exercises you can learn and play along with. It also has a lot of jazz songs and progressions to work on your soloing and improvising.

Dunlop Nylons I use Eric Johnson Jazz III’s but they prob-ably aren’t a good option for beginners. For beginners I recommend .60mm or .73mm

Picks

Kyser Quick-ChangeCapo

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Method BooksA Modern Method for Guitar by William LeavittGreat book for learning how to read musicGuitarist’s Guide to Music Reading by Chris BuonoA really good book on reading guitar that gives a lot of useful exercisesMatt Warnock eBooksMatt Warnock has some really good eBooks on his jazz guitar site Fundamental Changes in Jazz Guitar by Joseph AlexanderA really good book for someone just get-ting into jazz guitar soloing. One of the best that I’ve seen for going step by step through the process.

YouTube Channelsjustinguitar and justinguitarsongsA lot of good lessons including lessons on how to play popular songsguitarjamzdotcom and martyzsongsMarty Schwartz is the biggest teacher on YouTube. There are a lot of good lessons on blues and lessons on how to play popular songsProGuitarShopDemosA lot of good gear demosPrymaxeVintageA lot of good gear demos

Lesson WebsitesJustinguitar.comExcellent site full of free lessons. Justin Sandercoe is a really good teacher.True�re.comThis site is full of really good lessons taught by some amazing guitarists. One problem is that there are so many lessons taught by so many di�erent teachers that it can be a little overwhelming trying to �nd the right lesson for your needs. De�-nitely a really good site though. Artistworks.comThis site has some amazing world-class players teaching on it. Each teacher teaches a speci�c style and in a very spe-ci�c way so it’s de�nitely not for everyone and I wouldn’t recommend it for begin-ners. Mattwarnock.comGreat free site for anyone interested in jazz guitar. It’s all pretty much focused on jazz guitar so I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners.99centguitarlessons.comMostly jazz lessons. Has a lot of good lessons that you can buy individually (not really 99 cents though) or you can pay for a monthly membership. If you’re buying lessons individually, it can be a little tricky knowing if you will �nd the lesson useful until after you’ve purchased it.

© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014

Lesson DVDsI’ve spent a lot of money over the years on DVD’s and have been disappointed by the majority of them. Most of them over promise and under deliver. The only exception that I’ve found is one DVD I’ve purchased from Justinguitar.com (Justin Sandercoe). Justinguitar.com has multiple DVD’s available. Although I’ve only pur-chased one, I found it valuable enough that I feel comfortable recommending checking out the rest of his collection.

Pedals/E�ectsThese are pedals that I’ve owned and really like. The ones with (**) next to them are currently on my board.JHS Double Barrel**Excellent dual overdrive. Can get count-less tones out of this pedal. JHS PantherThis is a really good analog delay with tons of options. I really liked this pedal, but didn’t need it enough for my sound to justify the price.JHS Pulp n PeelReally good option if you need a subtle compressor. It also has a high quality bu�er in it, which helps prevent tone loss from long cable runs.JHS Prestige**Excellent booster/tone enhancer. It also acts as a bu�er when it’s engaged and the knob is turned to zeroErnie Ball VP Active/No Loss Volume Pedal (JHS Mod)**I’ve had this on my board for quite a while and really like it. I mainly use it for volume swells but it also has a high quality bu�er in it, which helps prevent tone loss from long cable runs.Boss GE-7 Magnum Mod (JHS Mod)De�nitely a good option if you need an EQ. I found that I didn’t need it to get the sounds I’m after.Line 6 M13Really like this multi e�ects unit. Countless options for sounds you can create and tones you can get. It also has a really good looper. The only reason I don’t have this anymore is because I moved to the smaller M9 unit to save space.

Other WebsitesReverbnerds.comSite all about creating ambient sounds on the guitarReverb.comA place to buy and sell used gearThey also have a useful blog on their site including this post http://reverb.com/blog/reverb-picks-the-best-forums about what they consider the best gear related forumsHarmonycentral.comTons of gear reviews and much moreProguitarshop.comI’ve bought a lot of gear from them and have always had great service. They also have really good prices. Prymaxevintage.comGood prices on gear and I’ve had good experiences buying from them

© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014

Pedals/E�ects cont.Line 6 M9**See M13Xotic E�ects SP Compressor**I really like this compressor. Can add subtle compression or really squash your sound. TC Electronic FlashbackGood sounding delay with a lot of options. The looper function on it isn’t very practical for live use.TC Electronic Flashback X4I really liked this delay unit and it has a really good looper, but didn’t need it since I have the Line 6 M9.TC Electronic Ditto LooperThis is a really cool simple looper. I liked it mainly for practicing. I’m sure I’ll get this again someday.TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb**I’ve used this reverb for a few years and really like it. I think it’s one of the best for it’s price range.MXR Carbon Copy Delay**I love this pedal. It has an extremely warm organic sound. I’ll probably always own one.Fulltone OCDReally good overdrive pedal. I don’t use it anymore because I have the JHS Double Barrel. De�nitely a good option for it’s price range.Fulltone OctafuzzI really like this pedal because you can get some crazy sounds with it.Mission Engineering EP1-L6**I use this as an expression pedal with my Line 6 M9. It works really well for that.

Pedalboard(This is talking about the actual board that the pedals attach to. It can be confusing if you are new to pedals since the board itself is called a pedalboard, but a board loaded with pedals is also referred to as a pedalboard.)I build my own pedalboards (just simple ones made out of plywood), but if you don’t want to build your own, pedaltrain is a good option. Pedal powerVoodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 PlusThis is excellent for powering your pedals. I’ve used this for a few years and haven’t had any issues with it.

Ernie Ball VP Jr.**I use this for controlling the looper volume on my Line 6 M9. De�nitely a better choice than Line 6’s expression pedal. Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory BoyReally good analog delay Electro Harmonix Big Mu�This pedal produces massive fuzz/distortion. Only problem is that it’s a huge pedal and takes up a lot of real estate on your pedalboard.Catlinbread MontavillianA nice unique delay

© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014

Beginner PedalboardIf you are looking to put together your �rst pedalboard but don’t know where to start, here is my recommendation:**listed in e�ects order (cable from guitar goes into tuner then other pedals are connected in order with patch cables then a cable goes from reverb into amp)Tuner: Any of the pedal tuners I previ-ously listedOverdrive: Fulltone OCDDelay: TC Electronic FlashbackReverb: TC Electronic Hall of Fame ReverbPedalboard: A piece of plywood with industrial strength Velcro on top (other side of Velcro goes on bottom of pedals)Pedal power: Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus (if you can a�ord it) if not a temporary solution is a Visual Sound 1 SpotPatch cable (for connecting pedals together): Fender Performance Series Instrument Patch Cable 6”This is just a basic recommendation for getting your feet wet. The only way to know what works best for your sound is to try out di�erent pedals.

Pat MartinoJohn Sco�eldJoe PassGeorge BensonWes MontgomeryDjango ReinhardtMartin TaylorPat MethenyCharlie HunterJimmy HerringAl Di MeolaJohn MclaughlinJim hallLage LundTommy EmmanuelEric ClaptonOmar Rodriguez LopezIsiah SharkeyJairus MozeeDavid GilmourCarl VerheyenJe� BeckDuane AllmanMarc RibotNir FelderAndreas ObergFareed HaqueOther favorite musicians/bandsJohn ColtraneMichael BreckerMarco BeneventoBrian BladeSonny RollinsCharlie ParkerMiles DavisBen HarperBen HowardDamien RiceCitizen CopePhosphorescentHowlin Wolf

Favorite MusiciansThis is a list of my favorite musicians. This isn’t a list of who is the best because that is very subjective, and in my opinion, a very pointless argument. Guitarists (in no particular order and de�nitely not a complete list)Derek TrucksJimi HendrixStevie Ray VaughanDave MatthewsOz NoyWayne KrantzJonathan KreisbergKurt RosenwinkelJonny Greenwood

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Dave Matthews BandBenevento Russo DuoSkerikJe� BuckleyRobert JohnsonAA BondyMimicking BirdsJoshua JamesChris PurekaDavid RamirezLed ZeppelinRadioheadThelonious MonkWayne ShorterZechs MarquiseRobert RandolphAlbert KingBB KingFreddie KingBuddy GuyDaughterHerbie HancockIron and WineKeaton HensonT-Bone WalkerJoe HendersonJames CarterDeantoni ParksStanton MooreChris Dave and the DrumhedzJohnny CashDizzy GillespieWham!Muddy WatersThe Allman BrothersFrank SinatraDean MartinElmore JamesLouis ArmstrongFather John MistyMany others…

Representing my local scene (Seattle)Noah GundersenAllen StoneMotoponyCamp�re OKDeep Sea DiverJess Lambert (I guess this is the one a�liation I have, my wife, and oh yeah… I’m her guitarist)

LemoloDavid BazanHot Bodies In Motion

© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014