Hi everyone, hi Joe,

This is really a message for Joe… if you are reading.

I would be grateful to know your thoughts on this:

I really like the sound of the JS1200, I tried one and I am very tempted to get one. Actually, there is something so special in your tone, I hear it from no one else and I don’t know how much of it is the guitar, but I could recognize an element of it. By the way I feel you’re the best sounding rock guitarist in terms of tone. So anyway, I like this guitar, it looks gorgeous too… BUT… it has only 22 frets, and a square neck joint. I am used to an Ibanez J.Custom RG, which has 24 frets and the all-access neck joint.

I would not like to buy a JS now, only to find out that, at some point, you switch to an all-access neck joint and Ibanez change all the JS models to the all-access neck joint!

So… without asking about Ibanez’s secret marketing strategies… have you ever been tempted by the AA neck joint?

And why 22 frets? Is it because the neck pickup can be placed differently? Do you find that it adds to the tone?

Do you sometimes wish you had 24 frets?

Thank you Joe, thank you Mr Tone.

@ Guitar God Lover,

"does anybody know how to explain rythm on guitar i can play a lot of songs but i have to listen to the songs while i play or my timing is way off. the only things i can play with good timing are fast and quick licks or riffs "

Yes. Start with the basics.

Metronome. Set to something real slow, like 60 bpm, or perhaps 80 at first. Play one note per beat.

What you want is to be totally with the ticks. Your notes must not start before or after the ticks. You must just hear "one sound" (composed of the tick plus your note). Not "two sounds".

When you can do it, slow down the bpm til you reach 40 bpm, or as slow as your metronome will go.

Not as easy as it sounds. ;-)

You will realize that the way to be accurate is to mentally subdivide each beat. This will force you to be steady.

Then you can train with rhythmic formulas, always played to a very slow tempo. Groups of quavers, semi-quavers, demi-semi-quavers, rests of different values, syncopations, "tuplets", etc.

Do it with single notes, even always the same note if you want to fully focus on the rhythm. Then do it strumming one chord, whatever works for you.

When you can do all of that slowly, and keep the rhythm totally accurate, keeping it tight while playing fast will be EASY.

"Rhythm

its the longest word in the english language without vowels, theres an easy way to remember "

Uh?

Isn't "y" a vowel???

In other news: since Joe was kind enough to answer my question, I would like to mention that I have ordered a JS1200 and should have it Tuesday or shortly thereafter.

No amp. I play only at home these days in a personal studio. Digitech RP1 (of which I want to replace the distorsion by something with valves), Morley wah, whammy pedal, into an 01V96 and Dynaudio BM6 monitors.

Sometimes I use Lexicon effects, or if I go into the DAW I may use software effects.

Actually I have a Crate amp with valves but I have too much gear and too little space. Just getting to the Crate is like an expedition.

Superstrings.......What DAW are you using?

-> Soundscape, these days known as SSL Soundscape after SSL bought the company.

www.sydec.be

It doesn't do MIDI, so I also have Cubase and Sonar for that. I use Soundscape for audio.

@ Igneousiceman,

Music theory: I think you owe it to yourself.

I'm very partial to it.

I think what makes some people exceptional is largely the way they compose music and understand music, and theory (and harmony etc) gives a lot of scope for exploring that.

For instance... although Joe is an exceptionally gifted guitarist, I'm not in awe of his guitar playing as much as I am of his creativity. That's the part that makes me go "wow!"

"Hey joe,

I am a big fan and i am 14 years old can you give some advice on modes and scales and what approach i should have towards them i know the major scale but others not yet.. i would also like to know how modes are different to scales? I know that they are but research on the internet suggests that they are they same.. Thanks for that Pat "

Hi Patdoran129,

There are two excellent videos where Joe explains his approach to modes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTQolymKmDA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCdZwASSKuk&feature=related

And as for the relation of scales and modes... the major scale is the basis for a lot of things, and in particular the basis for western music for the last 3-4 centuries or so. It has very powerful harmonic functions (dissonance/consonance, tension-resolution).

The major scale "contains" 7 different modes, one for each of its "degrees" (notes). However, while you may be playing a dorian mode when playing the notes of C major from D to D, this is different from "being in the dorian mode". Because you can play the notes of C major from D to D, and yet you are still in C major, the C chord is still where you "rest" (where you end phrases with consonance), and G7 is still your tension chord (dominant, with the tritone dissonance of B to F).

When you are really "in dorian", the note where you rest is the first note of that mode. (D in D dorian). You are not "referring" to the major scale anymore. The harmonic functions still exist, but you have a different viewpoint. Subjectively, the emphasis has shifted.

From a guitar point of view, it is true that if you know the major scale all over the fretboard, then you are already playing all the related modes. As a consequence, learning them mechanically will be easy enough, all over the fretboard.

However, learning the mechanics is only half of the way. It still takes effort to shift your mental focus to think "modally", and escape from the Major scale "mindframe". (Took me a while to get it, because I am originally a classical guy).

Also, the related modes of the major scale are a good starting point, but there are other modes. Modes can be derived from the minor scales, and looking at different cultures, there are modes that do not "fit" with our major or minor scales. Some of them can be a great inspiration for unusual melodies. For instance, learn the Hungarian minor scale and the modes derived from it, and you will find some superb stunning beautiful colours, a kind of oriental flavour mixed in with a Spanish and European/western ambience.

Of course, there's nothing to stop you from playing one of these more unusual modes over a pedal note or any suitable chord, in a section of a song that otherwise uses the major or minor scale.

I'm sorry I'm not Joe (lol), and I would not reply "in his place" but in the meantime this is something to think about. I hope that he's reading and that he'll reply because he's so good at demonstrating these things. And he does it best with the guitar in his hands so:

Enjoy the videos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTQolymKmDA&feature=related

Yeah right.

Fingers are an illusion created by the mind, and sound takes its source in the mind, not the illusory mind of separateness but the source of meaning itself.

So there.

Got my JS1200 today. There's something to it. It's beautiful to look at, and although I wish the price was an illusion, the guitar is physically present.

I am missing some notes at the top (22 frets only) but the sound I wanted is here. The neck is not what my illusory fingers are used to but this thing sings anyway. And it screams more easily than the other one too.

I think I can develop a relationship with this very red guitar.

Candy apple they call it.

The redness and chrome made me think of a ZZ Top kind of hot rod car, but come to think of it, they could have called it blood red just as well. It's a very simple look, but very beautiful. Quite a contrast from the J.Custom (another red guitar, but a ot more ornate, with see-through paint).

Tracie,

I'm very happy for Chris and you.

I'm a parent of a seven year old. My boy is just fine but I have a dangerous long term illness. I know the anguish of possible separation. I understand the sleepless nights you must have had. You know how a parent knows what another parent feels.

Sorry to hear that your mum also has a trial to go through. I'm sure that she is so happy though, for your boy. This will help her.

When I was a guitar teacher (long story) I had a student boy who had leukaemia. He was so adorable. So hard working, committed, intelligent, and always a pleasure to be with.

He did not make it. Although music is a great healer, it surely helped him along the way, but he didn't make it. It was very sad.

Chris has done very well to beat this. You must be so happy. And him so lucky to have you.

Tracie,

You are too kind. You really are.

I believe I'm going to beat this illness eventually.

I can think of Chris now for inspiration.

[Rant] Need to vent sorry:

Disappointed with new JS1200, strings offset towards the bass side and low E pops out of fingerboard, sliding on fret ends at the slightest excuse.

Going back to the shop tomorrow.

Otherwise a nice guitar but at this price... I expect no defects.

I want a replacement (same model, just a properly assembled guitar).

[/Rant over]

"Got a doubleneck Ovation coming next week. Can't wait. It's been on layaway since Nov. Gotta love tax refunds. "

Cool!!! Congrats.

I'm getting a tax refund too I received the norification today.

£13.99.

@ Wizards Eye,

SuperStrings you're obviously from the U.K. What can you tell me about the Dulwich Picture Gallery? This guy says he want's me to be his U.S. representative. I know It's an email scam because I checked out the gallery and they don't sell anything. Is this a common thing in the U.K.?

Actually I'm "in" the UK but I'm not "from" the UK, and although I've been here a very long time, although I am "integrated" and although my son has a British accent, even though I know London better than Paris ("my" capital), I've never been even close to the Dulwich Gallery, I don't know what they're about or what they do or not do. Sorry!

Email scams are common in the UK but normally they're not initiated here, we receive them from Nigeria. I get them once in a while, like "sorry but could we temporarily place £10 000 000 on your account? Just for three days? We'll give you £3 000 000 for your trouble". Or "our records show that you are the last living relative of Nabango Olawotto, who died in a tragic plane accident. Since he did not leave a will, you are entitled to an inheritance of £25 000 000 (25 million). Please supply us with your bank account number, blah blah blah..."

I love them. Now you have to see this, and everyone else really must see it. I promise you will laugh til it hurts, til you cry. It's an internet game: scamming the scammers. There are lots of stories like that, but with this one you will almost piss yourselves laughing. It's called "the tale of the painted breast":

Getting a replacement JS1200 next week. Since I ranted on here about the bad one, I thought I'd put this in the stream of consciousness.

People at the shop were super nice, agreed that there was a problem and even asked if I wanted to keep this one until the new one arrives. Which I didn't.

I'm still enthusiastic about the JS. I got used to its shape (it's just so natural), its shape fits me better than the RG's. With the smaller distance between the trem unit and the end of the body, the JS neck seems shorter even though the string lentgh is the same, and for a small guy like me it's good when playing in the first positions. I will always prefer the J.Custom neck and the old Wizard neck (pre-Wizard II), but for everything else the JS is superb for me. I even liked the way it sounded unplugged and the pickups are superb.

Hi Kilgelec,

Good decision to learn the guitar. No it's never too late. Career-wise in terms of playing professionally, I won't lie to you, it's a disadvantage. But as for getting good and enjoying it, welcome to a world of infinite possibles!

Your fingers are fat? Think it's bad?

Check out Andres Segovia.

One of your fingers is shortened?

Check ot Django Reinhardt.

Sometimes I feel I can hear what Joe listened in to his own music. For instance "Ride" always makes me think of ZZ Top.

I wonder of the ending of "The traveler" in Strange Beautiful Music has anything to do with "All along the watchtower" from Electric Ladyland?

Hey, I got my third JS1200 yesterday. Had to get three to get an acceptable one (Ibanez quality control is severely lacking on the Prestige range I have to say).

But this guitar is awesome. I love it. There's really something in Joe's sound that I dig and that I don't hear anywhere else. I wanted that thickness of tone. I have it now! I could go on about this guitar. Suffice to say, my number one choice was a J.Custom, more sophisticated, with more detailing, gorgeous woods, better finish etc.

OME,

I got them from a music store. Fist one was ordered for me and I came to collect it. The finish, the grain of the wood in the neck, the sound, were perfect. Neck pocket was tight and deep. Playability excellent. However, I noticed the strings were offset towards the bass side of the neck, so much so that string 6 would often fall off the end of the fret.

No adjustement was possible. (Too long to get into the details).

The guitar guy at the shop saw it and immediately accepted there was an anomaly. They ordered another one.

Some time later I came to pick it up. But it was the same as "mine".

Didn't accept the replacement.

So a couple more weeks goes by... a holiday... and I return to get a new one. It had an ugly wood grain in the neck, not symmetrical, but I could live with that. Took it home. Played great, amazing in fact.

It's only when the light hit it a certain way that I saw a huge defect in the paintwork, just under the neck pickup. Runny paint... when something was reflected, it got all distorted. Very ugly. I was embarassed to pester the guys at the shop again and I've been starting a new job so initially I thought I was going to live with that but it bugged me.

Last week I phoned them and I said look, I think I'll buy another one, I can't ask you to change it again but I might sell it second hand, and if you get a real nice one phone me, I might buy it.

However they spontaneously offered to change it if I wanted, albeit this time with a small restocking fee, due to the long time I left in between.

So yesterday I went to check this one. This one has an ok wood grain, and basically no defect anywhere. I am real happy with it.

By the way this shop has basically gained a customer for life. I don't buy a lot of studio stuff because I already have plenty of equipment, but if I need to buy I'll go to them first. When my son switches from a 3/4 size guitar to a full size for instance, I'll get it from them.

So anyway, my thoughts on this:

- One guitar with offset string. - A second guitar with offset strings (refused). - A guitar with an ugly runny paint job. - One good guitar.

Guitar advertised for £1099, initially purchased for £1049 with a small discount, but a restocking fee of £100 on the last exchange.

In USD, that's a guitar that cost me well over $2000.

This is quite simply NOT the level of quality control I expect from Ibanez. I say it as someone who LOVES Ibanez. At their best, no one touches them. But they're taking the you know what.

My RG570, purchased in 1992 (1991 model) was PERFECT. Still plays amazingly well and it cost only around half that amount then.

My J.Custom (2007 model) is a beauty. Of course it was more expensive. It was a special gift made to myself to try and heal, when I thought I was losing my ability to play (I was diagnosed - wrongly - with rheumatoid arthritis).

Based on these two instruments that I love, I did not expect 3 out of 4 JS to be below standard. It's terribly disappointing.

Kilgelec,

Q: "how did Segovia make an A chord? I'm just using my 1 and 2 fingers not the 3. Is that what he did or was he able to fit those pudgy digits in the single fret space?"

A: I never saw him close-up, only on TV. But from that, and from seeing his fingerings on classical pieces his technique was completely academic. He would have used 3 fingers for that chord. I don't think he would have written fingerings if his technique had not been perfectly maintream.

Don't forget that he was a classical guitarist and that's a context where you tend to stick to "the right way" of doing things(although there are endless discussions on what the right way is).

I've been in the classical guitar world a long time and if there had been rumours about Segovia having unorthodox fingerings, I'm sure we'd have heard about it.

Also, the string spacing is somewhat larger on classical guitars. But then his fingers were massive...

Django Reinhardt, for obvious reasons, is more of an example of unacademic technique. Because there was no way he could have played the same way as everyone else! When my hands were hurting and I thought they'd never work properly again, I thought of him a lot. Django is the obvious proof that mind rules over matter. _________________________________________________

"As far as playing professionally, unless it's determined that I have some supernatural gift, I'm just doing it for personal enjoyment! But maybe..... :) Keep it real dude.... "

A: Yeah... it doesn't really matter, professional or not. As long as your actual job leaves you enough time to play. Guitar teachers run out of time to play just as much as people in "regular" jobs. Even Joe was a guitar teacher!

The fact that Joe was an unknown guitar teacher for years also says something about the sort of talent and... also... luck needed to make it as a guitarist/composer playing your own music. In his case, talent certainly largely created his luck but still, there's a about hair's breadth between success and obscurity.

Tuesdayschild,

Thank you. I feel for your dad.

In my case the pseudo-rheumatoid arthritis is due to my immune system fighting a virus that it cannot get rid of, and it creates a lot of auto-immune reactions that are misleading side effects to doctors.

Some days I can hardly walk, some days I can go to the gym and do squats. It's very unpredictable.

My hands have now been almost normal for about six months!

OME,

I'll tell you something funny: the name of the quality control inspector on the labels was the same on all the guitars.

It has to be said though, Ibanez remain my fave electric guitar manufacturer.

The JS1200 that I have now is an absolute delight to play and a beautiful object.

It's just that from the borrowed Artist model I played when I was young, to my first RG570, 1991 model, to my 2007 J.Custom, the quality had always been absolutely incredible for the price.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone please know if Joe has a set or preferred order for his compression and distortion devices, and if yes which is it?