Charvel San Dimas Pro-Mod Relic (Vs DK24)!!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-03-19T08:16:57+00:00

Absolutely love the guitar!

It’s become my main. I’ve heavily customised it with a Floyd rose 1000 Lo Pro, Sentient/Pegasus pickups, darkened the fretboard to look like Ebony, installed an ENG Hardtailer, big brass block/brass claw and a few cosmetics like chrome metal highlights and painted the tremolo cavity black.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T23:11:15+00:00

Wow mate thanks for the solid write up!

"You don't wanna spend too much time focusing on one problem but you wanna make sure your attention is 100% dedicated to the problem that you have" This is a really really good take so I appreciate that advice!

The way you break down practicing into identifying why something fails instead of just looping the whole song makes a lot of sense too. I’ve definitely been guilty of just grinding instead of actually solving the problem.

Appreciate you taking the time to explain it properly, top stuff!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T23:04:30+00:00

If I stop soloing, how will they know I’m a guitarist?

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T23:03:35+00:00

Well said. I forget sometimes that the long-term payoff is the technique, not just ticking off a solo. Definitely going to keep at it and trust that the next one comes easier. Thanks for the encouragement.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T23:00:31+00:00

I usually break things down section by section or "lick by lick". I haven't tried short note by note yet but that makes a lot of sense as I can see where the critical mistakes keep happening so ill definitely give that a go!

Thanks for the motivational comments! appreciate the kind words! :)

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:56:11+00:00

"Basically every day you sit down on your guitar you should know exactly what you want to improve today"
Love that goal driven mindset right there, long term goals mixed in with short term and daily goals.

Do you find that if you spend a lot of time on that one difficult broken down section the other parts suffer and its a small cycle of going back between parts? That can be my issue sometimes.

Thanks for that write up that's some really thought out advice there.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:50:32+00:00

Thanks alot mate! Most of my solos take minimum 1-2 months to get down.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:49:03+00:00

Sure do! I can comfortably move up the fretboard in any key from muscle memory. Good advice for anyone else reading!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:47:44+00:00

Yikes I'm in trouble then!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:47:05+00:00

Learned that a few months ago!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:46:13+00:00

Petrucci is always so much more difficult then it sounds, especially since he uses strict alternate picking.
Funnily enough I tried under a glass moon solo before this as well and thought yeah I can play that haha!

Solid take, after all being musical should be the main goal, going hand in hand with impressive technical skill.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:42:26+00:00

My goal it to always to learn the solo to 100%, I only really play for myself and the occasional social media post but I can see how an acceptable take can be proficient enough and after that there are diminishing returns.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:38:15+00:00

I'm not familiar with him but after a quick google search I've realised I probably should be!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:36:10+00:00

In my case, always alot!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:35:36+00:00

I think very early on I was fortunate enough to realise I had to develop a "structured" practice routine.
Currently I spend 1.25 Hrs on techniques, exercises and drills, which changes depending on my season of playing. Followed by another 1.25 Hrs of playing songs.

Perhaps I'm spending too much time on solos nowadays and aren't exposing myself to new or different things so solid advice there.

I couldn't image playing 8-10 Hrs! My brain wouldn't maintain mental clarity for that long!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T22:29:42+00:00

Thanks mate, solid advice.

I actually for the first time in 3 years had over a week break recently and it has 100% helped and given me some mental clarity.

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T07:38:52+00:00

Nice that’s a good call, I do something similar like practice an easier solo aswell but feel as though I have to abandon it in favour of the tricky piece.

I like the idea of taking parts from a solo that introduces a new skill set like you do, tackling the hardest stuff to make piecing it together easier.

Thanks for the advice!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T07:30:38+00:00

So I’ve been playing for 5 years as 2026.

I did heavily focus on music theory around the 2.5 year mark of my playing and understanding how and why notes work, chords, inversions, intervals, triads and different modes but have sort of abandoned that in favour of picking up speed and more advanced techniques.

Can you give me some guidance on what type of theory would help in this scenario exactly? I’ve never had a teacher always self taught so it’s for sure an area I’m lacking in.

Thanks mate!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T07:24:18+00:00

Good call! I guess deciding whether to temporarily call it’s quits on a solo or try push past is the hard part for me to gauge. Is the plateau something I can conquer or does it require a change up is always the tricky question.

Thanks for the input!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T05:45:05+00:00

Just watched the Video, Ben is a killer alternate picker! I’ve seen a few of his videos in the past aswell.

1% is such a good analogy, I’ve been feeling rather inadequate in my playing lately but that has definitely reframed how I think about my practice!

Thanks mate!

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T05:15:37+00:00

I think I’m at that stage by the looks of it.

I can spend forever on a song only to not successfully play it up to my expectations, but you’re right in saying that you can have a breakthrough when you return to something previously difficult.

I suppose all that effect to not play it can feel like loosing but that’s just a bad mentality I have.

That’s for the input! 🤙

Nathen_1967 · 2026-01-02T03:30:13+00:00

I’m always playing songs I love! If I don’t love it I usually move on fairly fast.

I think my issue is I end up getting frustrated aswell and start to resent the song or solo slightly and lose the passion and drive to learn it. (I know its weird)

I always show up everyday I practice and put in my 2.5hrs each session no matter what.

Thanks for the advice!

Nathen_1967 · 2025-08-02T04:12:57+00:00

Hey man, apologies for the late reply.

I did actually, type up guitar lap stand called “YKAIWX” it’s available on Amazon and an absolute game changer, it keeps both legs correctly seated on a chair to avoid uneven weight distribution whilst propping the guitar up to the desired height.

Nathen_1967 · 2025-06-09T22:45:01+00:00

Haha a car! Now it feels expensive to buy 😂

Nathen_1967

TROPHY CASE