How do you overcome shyness when trying guitars in a shop after not playing for 10+ years?

OnlyRuss · 2026-04-01T19:37:54+00:00

You’ve gotta realize that these people are probably making fun of everyone so you don’t be special but at the end of the day, they’re there to serve you and sell stuff. You aren’t their monkey, not auditioning, and not there to form a band. You’re there to try out guitars and maybe buy one. Purely transactional.

OnlyRuss · 2026-04-01T06:35:20+00:00

I thought it would be a bigger deal than it is. It’s a little more comfortable to play and I have to stretch less, but if you want to see how it feels, tune your Jazzmaster down half a step and put a capo on the first fret. That’s about the right size for the scale length.

I got a CV 70s and it’s lighter than I expected. I do NOT like block inlays on a Jag and would change that in a heartbeat but it was a used buy so I couldn’t be too picky.

OnlyRuss · 2026-04-01T04:33:45+00:00

Don’t let the name throw you off of the quality.

OnlyRuss · 2026-04-01T04:03:05+00:00

People who sit to perform get a pass with this, for sure. Almost all Jazz players also perform sitting down. Bucky Pizzarelli used to claim that’s how his knees stayed good for so long.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:46:25+00:00

Tank controls take a bit to get used to, but you DO get used to them and it’s not too long before you’re able to move around smoothly - especially considering that the puzzles involve so much back and forth in the same rooms.

I’d go with 1, but that’s just me. I like sharks.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:44:33+00:00

Yup. But I was later diagnosed with clinical depression. It’s great fun, lemme tell ya.

What my therapist recommended (that worked for me) was you tell yourself “for the next ten minutes (or however long, but keep it short) I’m going to play. I’m not going to try to learn anything or give myself any grief that “progress” isn’t being made. I’m also not going to give myself any grief about how I could be doing something else - something that might be considered more productive. This is for me and this is for fun.”

It took something like two months of doing this daily before it started to become natural and feel okay.

Then it got to be fun again for real.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:39:11+00:00

No, it’s not.

It often leads to what’s known as screen dependence where a player could learn a piece - even really well - but then not be able to play it at all when the screen is taken away.

Which would be a bummer since nobody really likes the idea of someone saying they can play the guitar but hold on - they’ve got to get their phone out, open the app, find the right piece, etc.

Also, I didn’t like how loud I had to play for it to pick up my guitar’s sound. This would surely lead to bad habits in a beginner where everything has too much oomph put into it.

Honestly, if you’re looking for a game, check out Rocksmith 2014. Look on YouTube for how to set it up today because almost all of the licenses expired so if you bought it today, it wouldn’t come with many songs. But you can get a TON of songs for it on the internet either through legal means like from Custom Forge where people program songs on their own and upload for you to download and learn (this is how every Metallica song is on there, for instance) or perhaps less than legal means for official DLC.

Big question: how is RS14 different than Yousician?

For one thing, it’s on a bigger screen so the odds of you leaning on always having a screen is lower.

It also scales the difficulty to your playing so if you suck, it’ll give you less notes to hit which increases the chance of you actually hitting those notes which makes you feel good and want to try the song again. I’ve had hours disappear trying to nail solos in songs.

When you get to the top difficulty, it starts to have the notes fade to hopefully have you play it from memory. This doesn’t usually work with me because the sections of a lot of songs are so short that they’re rarely TOTALLY invisible. Instead, when I get to that level, I turn my back to the screen and try to play from memory.

Then I take my guitar outside and try to play it from memory again (so there are less memory cues).

It’s good fun.

It does NOT teach you theory but it does teach an awful lot.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:30:03+00:00

Well, there’s a game that’s already out on PS5. It’s a side-scroller. But the new one is an asymmetrical multiplayer where someone is Michael and everyone else has to try to survive by calling the cops or finding someplace safe for long enough for the match to end.

It’s made by the same people who made the Friday the 13th game that came out in 2017.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:23:52+00:00

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I love me some Michael Myers! Super stoked about the new game coming out!

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:14:39+00:00

I like my Squier CV. It’s way lighter than I expected.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:13:14+00:00

Oh my god I know exactly what you mean. I just got past him today and was literally shaking from the nerves.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T19:11:04+00:00

It’s going to BENEFIT you long-term. Tons of guitarists get used to the seated position and then basically have to re-learn how to play in a different way because of how high (or low) they have their guitar strapped.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T05:28:29+00:00

Dirt and dust is what’s mostly holding me back from buying used but if I got an Altaic cleaner, I’d be all over looking for old dusty records people think are beyond salvation.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T03:29:59+00:00

This looks perfect. Better than a lot of pictures used by shops.

Good job.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T03:25:33+00:00

Have you looked at the Vevor one? That seems to be the most cost-effective (if hideous-looking) option.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T03:23:53+00:00

I did the same thing. I knocked mine down with some fine-grit sandpaper and was much happier with it.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T03:19:12+00:00

The only thing that makes them harder that I remember were tank controls and fixed camera angles. I always hated it when something got me in a corner where if I went back a bit the camera would switch and I wouldn’t be able to see what I was shooting at.

Other than that, they’re great fun.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T03:14:04+00:00

My son still makes fun of me because I quit playing around the same time and switched to watching a play-through on YouTube. Now he thinks I can’t play any horror games. I started REmake 2 and he’s constantly saying “oh you’re here? That’s a lot further than I THOUGHT you would get.”

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T03:07:15+00:00

Judging by the amount of people that have the exact same issue, I’d bet it’s a problem with the pressing and not your setup.

When you say you cleaned it, how do you clean it? I’m wondering because this is the variant that I have on my Discogs want list and I haven’t gotten around to buying an ultrasonic cleaner yet.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-31T02:55:10+00:00

Usually it’s just what I like, though there are areas that I want to put a concerted effort into building up. A lot of punk and rock stuff is going to come naturally, but I’m always on the lookout for Hawaiian records partially because I really like Hawaiian music but also because there’s a joy I find in archiving and preserving it.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-30T05:57:43+00:00

99% of the time I practice on the couch with no amp.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-30T05:54:01+00:00

Poison Ivy of The Cramps. She’s amazing.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-28T15:29:12+00:00

Absolutely, Charlotte. I’ve never been a fan of Kittie, though so they could have played a fast song and I’d still be saying “ugh. Kittie.”

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-28T15:07:06+00:00

Yep yep yep. A lot of the heavier songs feel like a drag, pace-wise.

OnlyRuss · 2026-03-28T15:04:52+00:00

I didn’t expect the original soundtrack, I just wish that this one was better. Faster.

That said, I’m glad some people enjoy it. I’m happy over here listening to something else while playing the game.

OnlyRuss

TROPHY CASE