Why I joined, and what I'm looking for here

Fran

• Why you joined and what you want
• Any specific suggestions or requests

I joined because I am in the "private collector" or buy and sell category and a friend of mine who is a long standing member of this forum recommended I joined, I was surprised that I had never heard of The Fretboard before.

What I want is to look for interesting guitars to buy and possibly to sell some of those I wish to part with.

I am too new to even consider suggesting any improvements to this "forum" let's see if you are as good as my friend said you are first.

Can I get a pass to the cantine now?

Maxf

Like many, I started playing again (after maybe a 15 year break) in one of the lockdowns.  Fast forward and I’m progressing and have a couple of guitars (a tele and a Taylor gs mini).   

I joined to chat to likeminded people, maybe pick up some tips (especially on getting to grips with theory) and also for the classifieds, as I have room for another guitar I’m sure.  

In terms of improvement - honestly it’s early days for me so seems a bit churlish to suggest improvements but I’ve been on various forums for years and even the noticeboard days prior and most have slowed down hugely with Facebook groups taking over - here doesn’t seem to have done, so ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ springs to mind.   

Kandinsky

I joined this forum because I was told by my luthier/guitar tech mate that this was the best forum on t'intertnet.
I invariably follow his advice where guitars are concerned. I never knew this one existed until a few weeks ago and started lurking before deciding to join today.

I'm obsessed with guitars having played for 46 years it gets worse every year, the last few years in particular after a health problem forced me to spend 75% of the last 3 years in bed. The best medicine for that is sitting up and playing my guitars for a few hours every day.

I'm sure there's some other folks on here that also believe the best view in the world is down the fretboard of a guitar, so I'm here to join my long lost tribe.

I hope to share and receive tips and experience on all things guitar related.

I've also a few guitar mods I'd like to do and I'm confident that the answers to any questions lie in the collective experience of this forum.

No suggestions to offer; so far the forum seems to have done perfectly well without my tuppence worth and I'm sure it will remain that way. I'm just grateful that some good souls have taken the time and effort to create this corner in cyberspace.

DigitalDave

I joined after stumbling across the forum while researching some gear and of course Dr Google suggested the site...

Like many others I regularly dip into eBay and Gumtree to see if any exciting guitars are up for sale.  Recently I've also had a glance at Reverb, purely for research your honour and it's great to know there's yet another place to indulge the senses.

A pleasant surprise to see the discussion threads on playing, theory, gear etc.. I look forward to contributing in some way.  Also very interested to see a composition challenge for the creatively minded.  I'm sure I'm missing a lot so I'll get on with catching up.

Well done on a great site and speedy admin/mod response to my signup issues, Cheers

Ell

I joined due to being on the hunt for my first guitar as I couldn't find the specific one I want the past 3 days and had about abandoned all hope. Fingers crossed here holds the gem. (kid dreams & adult money are lethal) 

Now suckered into the finished customs thread and I'll no doubt stick about for advice and the community as it seems a really cool place for both beginners and people who have been playing years.

stufisher

I've been a member of FB for just over a year so time to share my thoughts.

I joined because I decided to restart playing guitar after a 40 year sabbatical and I needed to get to grips with modern tech, options, do's and don'ts etc.

I joined a couple of other forums first but they left me feeling frustrated and disappointed by the lack of engagement and speed of response.

FB has exceeded all of my expectations. I value open, honest debate, humour, technical insights, personal recommendations, knowledge-sharing, equal rights and freedom of expression. 

Whilst speed of response is important for me I also value highly the information in historic threads. The knowledge base is vast and I know it's Impossible to read everything but everyday I try and read something completely random so that my own journey is enriched ... after all, everyday is a school day!

Yes, there are probably techy-tweaks that could make FB more facile but honestly, return on effort would be poor. It's a knowledge-based forum with a trading bolt-on ... so typical commercial drivers have no place.

For me, as a newbie it took a couple of weeks to find the ropes but once I'd explored FB extensively I got comfy with how it works. I'd just leave it be now TBH.

One thing that I don't understand though is what constitutes a 'fret'? There are folks on here with tens of thousands of frets ... I seem to be static on 20-odd although I know I've contributed much more than that. I'm not actually bothered, just curious (always) and like to understand, so some kind of explanation would help me.

Finally, thanks to everyone for your help, advice, honesty, fairness and welcome in my first year ... long may it continue.

Stu

Geordie_Jo

I joined the forum after a friend of mine suggested it’s great way to discuss, find out and buy guitars amongst other guitar enthusiasts. My partner doesn’t share the sanest Husain for guitars as I do so it’s nice to have like minded people to interact with on a night ha. 

I’m still trying to grasp the posting pictures on comments thing and not really sure how I’d go about creating a discussion or selling post as yet but I’m sure I’ll crack it eventually. Although once that’s figured out it might mean selling some of the stuff I’ve had stashed away in boxes for years actively avoiding selling. Catch 22 situation!
Anyway, nice to meet you all. I’m Geordie_Jo and I’m looking forward to chatting to people regularly. In the meantime I’ll read up on all the guitar related things I’d never thought to ask about, but after seeing peoples discussion, realised I now need to know. 

Mellish

@Geordie_Jo ; creating a discussion is easy.

Check the coloured bar at the top. You'll see "Home" your username and a bunch of other stuff.  Far right is what you want. Click on that and then you can start your new discussion or New Thread.

 

Geordie_Jo

Mellish said:

@Geordie_Jo ; creating a discussion is easy.

Check the coloured bar at the top. You'll see "Home" your username and a bunch of other stuff.  Far right is what you want. Click on that and then you can start your new discussion or New Thread.

 

Great, all sorted. I’m now a contributor! Thanks 

Axe2Grind

I joined this forum in the hope to find like minded guitarists/musicians engaging in guitar chats, jams etc which sadly hasn't happened for me so I tend not to visit this place much. Its a shame as all the other guitar forums that I've been a part of and felt a part of have sadly folded over the years. 

Mellish

@Axe2Grind ;

That's a shame and I wonder if you're like I was. When I joined, within 2 weeks I wanted to leave, wanted my account deleted. It didn't happen, and I'm glad it didn't.

I stayed and I made myself get involved. I joined in, started threads, got to know other members, made friends. And now? You couldn't drag me out if you tried. I love this place. 

Get stuck in, give it a chance, and it may work for *you* too.

 

mrkb

Axe2Grind said:

I joined this forum in the hope to find like minded guitarists/musicians engaging in guitar chats, jams etc which sadly hasn't happened for me so I tend not to visit this place much. Its a shame as all the other guitar forums that I've been a part of and felt a part of have sadly folded over the years. 

Have you tried starting a thread to see if others in the area want to meet up and jam? There’s quite a lot meet-ups that go on, but it always needs someone to initially raise their hand and start a ‘who wants to jam’ thread.

EricTheWeary

@Axe2Grind like a lot of social media you have to apply your own mental filter and just read the bits that interest you. Plenty of guitar discussion and music making going on but it just tends to look buried beneath the cars and chocolate,etc,etc, chit chat. People do meet as well whether that's jams, selling guitars at motorway service stations or at guitar shows. The forum usually has a stand at the Birmingham show (Feb 2023 next one). 
I just have the habit of looking at it on my phone in quiet moments and replying to whatever is going on and then realising I've posted several thousand bits of nonsense...

Mellish

@Axe2Grind ; why do you feel the forum doesn't work for you?

I felt like it was not for me, as I said earlier. I felt I'd made a mistake. But members asked me to stay, and I did. I've been here just over a year now. A newbie compared to some, but now I feel a part of it. 

One of the things I do (rightly or wrongly) is welcome those newly signed up.

Sure, you can leave, if that's what you want. But if I'd done that, I'd never have known what a great place this is.

 

somersetluthier

I joined for a few reasons. I'm a qualified luthier having learnt to build guitars in the US...I went to the Galloup School of Luthery in Michigan in 2016/17 and I now have a workshop in Somerset carrying out repairs, restoration and servicing of stringed instruments. In fact one of my customers told me about this site. I'm also a vintage guitar enthusiast.

I'd like to contribute a little to threads about guitar repair and guitar building generally, and vintage gear. I'm also looking out for gear from time to time and may sell things too as I'm also a player and in a gigging band. 

BigAl100

Hi There Folks,

Well, I joined simply because I enjoy guitars, chatting about guitars and learning...learning ... learning.

I'm a casual player, juggling life and family alongside my passion for electric guitars (46 now). For many years, I've been a metal player, but calming down in my years now to more rocky sounds and tones....and melody and rhythym!! .

I do not have have a large understanding, but really enjoy asking questions and working things out. I really enjoy taking guitars apart, cleaning, adjusting, tweaking things and then playing. 

So, I am looking for a friendly and open community that can be patient with my silly questions and to enjoy some discussions. I am looking to learn and enjoy these really cool topics along side some like minded folk.

 

jennywallace

I joined to read and take part in interesting discussions about guitars, which along with wildlife, is my main passion in life. Only been playing 5 years, but it's very quickly become a huge part of me, which is cool. I'm a big tinkerer and modder of guitars, as well as playing and already have completely filled the bedroom with gear!

Orobas_BC

I joined too have discussions about gear both guitar and bass as I'm a huge gear head I am the bass player and vocalist in a Blackened Deathcore band called Blood Church.

HarrySeven

Orobas_BC said:

I joined too have discussions about gear both guitar and bass as I'm a huge gear head I am the bass player and vocalist in a Blackened Deathcore band called Blood Church.

Hiya Chris! Welcome to thefretboard!

Faye

I joined because I like obsessing over everything to do with guitars, and chatting about it with others. I'm on a couple of other forums, but they mostly have US members, so a lot of the talk about particular shops, guitars for sale, luthiers etc passes me by. I'm hoping a UK based forum will be more relevant and useful.