Ultimate Rhoads

it's only been about a year but the LP finally looks right.





before trimming & shaping the ends.

Cool! You look like you're making some spares?

camdenlp wrote:Cool! You look like you're making some spares?

possibly a couple to sell but I got the python on clearance so I bought a couple extras.

Very nice. I think I'll have to come up with a custom strap when I build my bass down the road.

I've got a python strap for my LP in my avatar but it's so so...is yours real python skin?

camdenlp wrote:I've got a python strap for my LP in my avatar but it's so so...is yours real python skin?

I wish... that stuff is quite spendy now. it's print.

Yeah, there's a guy in the UK on Ebay that makes them. $175 USD for the strap. I'm sure it's worth every penny, but I would rather spend my cash on guitars and the like. Hell, I hardly ever use a strap anyways. I'm a sitter...lol

camdenlp wrote:Hell, I hardly ever use a strap anyways. I'm a sitter...lol

I was always a sitter with the guitar... the other day I was working on a basic Major arpeggio on my bass and could not for the life of me make my pinking finger lay across two strings and fret the notes. I strapped the bass and stood up, suddenly I could finger it right... so I guess I need to work at being a 'stander' now.

Paul Wolfe wrote:

camdenlp wrote:Hell, I hardly ever use a strap anyways. I'm a sitter...lol

I was always a sitter with the guitar... the other day I was working on a basic Major arpeggio on my bass and could not for the life of me make my pinking finger lay across two strings and fret the notes. I strapped the bass and stood up, suddenly I could finger it right... so I guess I need to work at being a 'stander' now.

i'm strictly a stander these days but it could be your posture while sitting. neck 45 degrees to your body & get the elbow out away from your side.

blues_n_cues wrote:i'm strictly a stander these days but it could be your posture while sitting. neck 45 degrees to your body & get the elbow out away from your side.

I do think it has a lot to do with my posture while sitting AND using a chair with arms... I played on a stool last night and it worked fine...

Most computer chairs have removable arm rests. That's what I'm using as a guitar chair...

Paul Wolfe wrote:

blues_n_cues wrote:i'm strictly a stander these days but it could be your posture while sitting. neck 45 degrees to your body & get the elbow out away from your side.

I do think it has a lot to do with my posture while sitting AND using a chair with arms... I played on a stool last night and it worked fine...

oh yah.. ya can't use a chair w/ arms... try an old folding chair & a foot pedestal or 2 Enclycopedia Britannica letters A & C circa 1958- that's what I started on.. or a cinderblock on it's side.

another thing too -to know your posture & arm position is correct- play a full F barre chord in the 1st position(1st fret) & hammer on/pull off the pinky on the little e sting on the 3rd fret. & do it cleanly
i won't lie- this is a bitch but is easy "if" your thumb is behind the neck,elbow out,& neck in the proper 45 degree angle..... it's the only way but it works & a true test of holding your guitar "properly".
it's a great chord & makes everything else on the neck effortless.

watch Randy- His elbow was always out away from him in the lower 1/2 of the neck- & he slung the axe low.

Back when I bought my Gretsch it came with a 125th Anniversary stool... I pulled that out of the garage and find I'm very capable of hitting what I want now...

It's funny that you mention left hand positioning... for years I played the 'right' way and worked hard to be able to do the baseball bat grip so I could fret the low E with my thumb! Now I can do both comfortably.

Paul Wolfe wrote:Back when I bought my Gretsch it came with a 125th Anniversary stool... I pulled that out of the garage and find I'm very capable of hitting what I want now...

It's funny that you mention left hand positioning... for years I played the 'right' way and worked hard to be able to do the baseball bat grip so I could fret the low E with my thumb! Now I can do both comfortably.

it's very hard to do 4 up 3 down upscale runs or 3 down triplet runs w/ the thumb wrapped.

i was telling this guy earlier on another forum....
Randy,Slash,Jimmy Page,Ace Frehley- virtually any low slung Les Paul player, there's a reason the left foot is up on a monitor & that guitar is straight up on that hip. it's so you can do those long ascending runs w/ the thumb behind the neck.


now if ya watch vid of Rik Emmit of Triumph(particularly rock & roll machine or street fighter) he straps his guitar up high like a country player & his thumb is always behind the neck. (n/m my Avatar lol) . it also makes it better for vibrato.