New Guitar Day: Yamaha PAC612VIIX
For better or worse I got myself into a new hobby: electric guitar!
I had actually considered classical guitar for some time as I really liked pieces by Vivaldi and Tárrega, but after realizing that a lot of the plucking techniques seem to employ long fingernails, that idea was quickly thrown out. A combination of watching Bocchi the Rock!, hearing guitar covers of songs I like on YouTube (such as Unmei no Hito, future gazer, and Minato), and my itching whim to do something new in the last months of my gap year led me to start electric guitar.
Initially I was considering the Yamaha PAC112V and Ibanez AZES40 as intro guitars, but after scouring Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace I found a gorgeous like-new Yamaha PAC612VIIX in teal green metallic finish. The seller was out of the country so I had to wait a month before purchasing it, but for $475 I got a higher quality guitar and perfectly matching Yamaha gig bag (Yamaha EG-SC) that would have costed me almost the same as buying a new PAC112V or AZES40 and gig bag online.
For the amp I purchased a four-month-old Yamaha THR10II that also looked brand new for $225. I didn’t really care for the wireless features of the upper models (and I couldn’t find them used in the Boston area anyway). Admittedly the speakers pale in comparison to the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR in my home theater setup, but it works great as a beginner practice amp.
I also purchased some accessories. Instead of paying $60 for a guitar setup, I wanted to learn how to do it myself, so I also bought guitar maintenance items.
- Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
- Picks: Dunlop Nylon 0.38mm and Tortex 0.60mm
- Guitar Strap/Strap Lock: Ernie Ball PolyPro and Fender Strap Blocks
- Cable: Ernie Ball Braided 10ft
- Tuner: TC Electronics Polytune Clip
- Guitar Maintenance:
- MusicNomad FRINE Fret Polishing Kit: for cleaning/polishing frets
- Dunlop System 65 Guitar Tech Kit: lemon oil to apply to fretboard and string conditioner to extend string life; also comes with string winder and two cloths. The polish contains silicone unfortunately.
- MusicNomad Truss Rod Gauge: for adjusting truss rod relief
- D’Addario String Height Gauge: for adjusting string action, pickup height; also has useful hex tool
Setting up the guitar took a lot more work than I thought it would…but now I know how to adjust the guitar to my liking, especially as the seasons change. I am still having trouble with intonating the low E string, but luckily most chords and pieces I’ve encountered don’t really use that string very much.
I’ve actually already practiced for several days now using JustinGuitar.com, a fantastic free guitar course. As expected my fingers are hurting, but I can hear and see myself improve! I have played cello before, so some things like rhythm and fingering come more naturally than if guitar were my first musical instrument.
