Encore Lounge Music Gear

Even if you are left-handed, you can find a custom designed left handed electric guitar to suit your natural ability. Left-handed people do not have to play right-handed guitars, so can choose a guitar based on their hand strengths. While most of the guitar scene performs on right-handed instruments, left-handed guitars are similarly used with the same features in reverse. This is so the pick end is played with the left hand, and the fretting end is played with the right hand. When a left-handed electric guitarist plays, the neck is pointed to the right of the body, with the guitar appearing as a mirror image of a right-handed electric guitar.

As with any electric guitar, ensure your guitar is properly tuned before playing it. It is best to select a simple method and stick with it, until you are able to learn other learning methods with experience. When playing an electric guitar upside down, be careful of the knobs as they may prevent you from strumming. Famous left handed electric guitar players include Jimi Hendrix and Albert King.  Albert King played upside down with a right handed guitar with his left hands, which is also another suitable option. This results in the normal low E string being the highest string, and the high E string becoming the lowest string. Jimi Hendrix similarly played guitar left-handed, however took a right-handed guitar and restrung it to be played left-handed.

A restrung or specifically left-handed electric guitar has the strings in the correct position, with the low chord on top and the high on the bottom. The bridge is altered to make the lower strings longer than the top strings. A nut is changed to handle new widths also. The controls are reversed on electric guitars to handle the strings naturally, just as a right-hander would play a normal guitar. To hold the left handed electric guitar, hold the guitar pick in your left hand between the knuckles of your thumb. Position is over the guitar’s sound hold, by striking the lowest string with the edge of the pick. Practice using your wrist only, by ensuring the pick strikes the string in a downward motion, and then an upwards motion. Play simple scales, with your right index finger held firmly on the first fret to strike the bottom string with the pick and then alternate playing consecutive strings. Lastly, learn how to play chords, which are sequences of two or more notes with G major being the easiest.

Overall left handed electric guitars are suitable for both left-handed people and those who play electric guitar upside down as they rock to the music.

An acoustic guitar amp is an electronic amplifier designed to make the signal of an acoustic guitar louder so that it will produce sound through a loudspeaker. Acoustic guitar amps modify the instrument’s tone by emphasising or de-emphasising frequencies and adding electronic effects.

An acoustic guitar can be amplified by using various types of pickups or microphones. The piezo and magnetic pickups are the most common used for acoustic guitar amplification. Piezo pickups are generally mounted under the bridge saddle of the acoustic guitar and can then be plugged into an amplifier, or mixer. Conversely, magnetic pickups are generally mounted in the second hold of the acoustic guitar.

There are many great ways of producing a realistic amplified acoustic guitar sound. They vary in terms of equipment required and type of expense. The three parts of the amplification include Transducers, converting the guitar’s sound into an electric signal, Preamps, conditioning this signal so that it is appropriate for amplifiers as well as Power Amps, which amplify the signal.

When shopping for your acoustic guitar amp you need to consider what you will use it for, how loud you need to be, if you’ll be competing with electric instruments in a band and what kinds of inputs you need. For example, if you only need to plug into a standard guitar cable then you will only need a quarter-inch input, whereas if you need to use external microphones you will have more options. The outputs are also a significant consideration. It is good to use a balanced DI feed if you intend to use the amp as an on-stage monitor. Tuner outputs risk degrading the signal by running your tuner in-line with your acoustic guitars cable. It is useful to consider buying an effects loop with a level control, if your sound depends on external effects. The last consideration is the physical size of the amp. Some amps are too large to be transferable to certain venues. Therefore, it is ideal to purchase lightweight acoustic guitar amps.

There are various types and brands of acoustic guitar amps. The retailer, Fenders Australia consists of many types, such as the Acoustasonic SFX II, Acoustasonic Jr. DSP and Acoustasonic 30 DSP in their Acoustasonice Series Amplifiers. Roland Australia also has top acoustic amplifiers such as the AC-60 which uses the latest in DSP technology to deliver a rich, pure acoustic sound with projection far beyond its compact size. So there you have it, all the features and considerations when buying an acoustic guitar amp!

What a great way to have freedom of movement when you perform with a cordless microphone. There are various types and uses of cordless microphones.

Firstly, they depend on batteries so you need to ensure that you have a well charged battery set that can last the duration of the event. You need to switch off the transmitter and turn on the receiver in order to use the automated frequency selection function that is present on most devices. This will allow for a free frequency to be found that is used for communicating with the microphone, hence the term ‘wireless’. You need to set the volume of the receiver to minimal values before turning the transmitter and the synchronisation button on. Once the signal appears you are able to adjust the volume to the desired level and adjust the gain. This is a crucial step as this will determine the quality of the sound. Ensure you test the sound quality by walking around the room and making sure the signal is suited.

The uses of cordless microphones are endless, including uses for singers, DJ’s, MC’s, performers and public speaker more broadly. They are great as karaoke microphones as well as for gym classes. Things to consider when using the cordless microphone include the frequency range of how far you can travel without the signal loss. Also the frequency type, UHF, VHF and Gigahertz determines if you want a fixed frequency or digital frequency. The two types of cordless microphones include the Cardioid cordless microphone which are directional and don’t pick up sound from the rear, as well as the Omni-directionals that pick up signals from all sides.

Cordless microphones are useful as they allow you to speak with your hands-free and simply clip onto your clothing. You need to ensure the battery life is ideal, so batteries lasting more than 10 hours are best. Battery level indicators are a great way to monitor the batteries life.

Brands of cordless microphones to look out for include Shure as well as reliable brands such as Sony, Sennheiser and Samson. There are various types that you can select from. The Pyle Professional has a built-in channel lock, two 9-volt batteries and 2 cordless microphones. The Microphone System NX984, consists of wireless enhanced mobility with two professional microphones. Lastly, the Hisonic 32-Channel UHF has long-rang transmission, multiple frequencies and a compatible headset to suit most occasions.