[el_pablo65]

After 20 years in the shadow of Chicago, I'm back in NC (where I grew up) and very out of my element. I didn't grow up in this part of NC, but hey, Asheveille is close and it seems pretty cool. Anyway, long time stalker of this board and I've stolen many a chord sheet from the tabs pages over a few years now.

Started playing guitar at 51 years, about two and a half years ago. I try to play something every day and I've gotten really good at the little bit I know. All I know, however, are a few basic chords. I have a Fender DG-7 and a First Act Volkswagen model electric. I just bought my first amp, a Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 modeling amp. I started playing as a result of the Rocksmith video game and have ditched that for a self taught approach.

I could use help, everywhere, especially making sense of all the effects options my new toy has. It has a good clean sound and I'm using that the most, but it has a ton of dirty sounds and I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with any of them; what sounds good with what, etc. More than anything I'm looking for jam sessions with other newbs, but that seems a stretch. Anyway, any tips or advice greatly appreciated. I'll keep at it.

[el_pablo65]

oh yeah, musically:

On the bus since '86, lots of east coast shows. Most of my post Garcia stuff was near Chicago, Alpine Valley, etc. Grew up on classic Beatles and Stones stuff. I like Americana type tunes with as many chord changes as I can find.

[joethepainter]

Hi Pablo, welcome to the forum.
As far as your specific questions, I'm not familiar with your Peavey amp at all, but I would find a model based on 65 Twin, or Deluxe Reverb, and use that as my base amp tone. You'll have to dial it in, of course.
Probably want to start with bass 2, mid7-8, treble 7-10. Listen to recordings and compare. Stick with a good, clean tone while learning, it allows you to focus on the most important parts of your rig...your brain and fingers.
Also, if you are getting into this and having fun, you may want to consider upgrading to a Fender strat, a MIM standard can often be found on CL for ~$300 or so. Find a good guitar tech to set it up properly, ~$60.
I think it's beneficial to start with a decent guitar.
Finally, YouTube is your friend. So many free good lessons, it can be overwhelming, but with due diligence, can be very rewarding.
There's also sites like truefire that are absolutely worth checking out.
HTH. Good luck, have fun!

[Staemius]

Hey Pablo - welcome to the board and welcome back to WNC. My band (Phuncle Sam) has been playing Dead in Asheville for 14 years - also check out local bands Ton of Hay and Dirty Dead. Happy to try to hook up with you sometime and jam.

[tcsned]

Welcome aboard! I’m a few hours north in the New River Valley in Virginia. I love this part of the country. If you ever make it up this way drop me a line!

[el_pablo65]

Thanks guys. I will most definitely be checking out Phunkle Sam on 8-4 in Ashville, so I will seek you out. And tscned, I work for a company out of Norton, Va, so I go through there here and again.

Just started trying Althea and I'm super psyched about those chord combos and just looked into 1/2 step, which is probably 5 new chords for me. I just play every day.