<![CDATA[SixStringJones]]>https://www.sixstringjones.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SROK!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F240d0fe5-14d4-417a-80fa-6da3a5096cd7_1280x960.jpegSixStringJoneshttps://www.sixstringjones.comSubstackThu, 05 Nov 2026 08:03:14 GMT<![CDATA[Pros and Cons of Vintage and New Amplifiers]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/pros-and-cons-of-vintage-and-newhttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/pros-and-cons-of-vintage-and-newMon, 07 Sep 2026 17:57:33 GMTI apologize for getting sidetracked in my writing recently. I was preparing for a gig that I was hired to do. I haven’t played a gig using an un-mic’d amp in a larger space for some time, and looking around my music room, I realized that, while I have two amps that should be able to handle it, one had not been played in at least 5 years & needs maintena…

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]]><![CDATA[A New Way To Get Started Memorizing The Fretboard]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/a-new-way-to-get-started-memorizinghttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/a-new-way-to-get-started-memorizingMon, 03 Aug 2026 15:44:32 GMTI’ve been playing guitar forever. I’m sure some folks don’t like my playing, but I think everyone would agree that I am not a novice player (finally, after 40 years). Sadly, though, in spite of probably being able to play 200 songs or more off the top of my head, many with note-for-note solos included, I never memorized the fretboard. I’ve only just sta…

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]]><![CDATA[My Top 10 Guitar Learning Resources]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/my-top-10-guitar-learning-resourceshttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/my-top-10-guitar-learning-resourcesTue, 30 Jun 2026 15:11:05 GMTOne of the great things about guitar is that no matter how advanced and experienced you get, there’s always more to learn. Whether you’re trying to perfect a specific technique, or pick up a whole new genre, or study a certain player, there’s a seemingly endless list of teachers to help you meet your goals. It can take years to find one that “fits your …

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]]><![CDATA[5 Ways To Build Vocabulary, and Why You Should Care]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/5-ways-to-build-vocabulary-and-whyhttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/5-ways-to-build-vocabulary-and-whyTue, 16 Jun 2026 21:57:50 GMTWhat Vocabulary Is

If you listen to an entire album of music where one guitarist plays all of the leads, you’ll notice some patterns or repetition in their playing. And, if you learn multiple solos note-for-note by the same guitarist, you’ll stumble across instances where you say “oh, I already know this lick from the last solo!”? What you’re noticing ar…

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]]><![CDATA[Play The Gigs You Don't Want]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/play-the-gigs-you-dont-wanthttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/play-the-gigs-you-dont-wantTue, 09 Jun 2026 02:20:56 GMTI am not a fan of country music. Never have been. But I played in a country band once, and did it for over a year. I am also not religious in any way, but I played in a Christian thrash metal band for 6 months. I’ve backed lots of musicians whose music I wasn’t a fan of, or who I didn’t like personally… or both! I would do it again if given the chance (…

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]]><![CDATA[Jam and Open Mic Etiquette]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/jam-and-open-mic-etiquettehttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/jam-and-open-mic-etiquetteThu, 04 Jun 2026 15:54:02 GMTIf You’re Nervous About Going To Your First Jam

The first jam I ever played at was run by a local music store owner & guitar teacher. He was also a great guy. I was not a student, but I frequented his shop. The jam was held at a burger joint & bar, and it was open to all ages and skill levels.

The first time I went, I was really nervous. But when I came …

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]]><![CDATA[6 Guitar Brands To Check Out If You're Avoiding Fender]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/6-guitar-brands-to-check-out-if-yourehttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/6-guitar-brands-to-check-out-if-youreMon, 01 Jun 2026 15:50:55 GMTThere has been some recent controversy surrounding Fender. It turns out that, while their Stratocaster body shape was not originally protected explicitly by copyright, Fender recently won a lawsuit in Germany supporting the idea that the Stratocaster body is a unique work of expression, and that Fender’s pocketbook should be protected from forgeries and…

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]]><![CDATA[My Take On AI]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/my-take-on-aihttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/my-take-on-aiWed, 27 May 2026 15:51:36 GMTAI and This Newsletter

First, I am a real guy, and I’m writing this by typing with my own, personal fingers. Up to this point, nothing in this newsletter has been generated by AI. Second, it’s probably worth noting that I’ve worked in tech as my main source of income for since the 90’s, and I currently use AI quite heavily for work, and I’m quite happy t…

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]]><![CDATA[Tuning Isn't Hard, It's Just Imperfect]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/tuning-isnt-hard-its-just-imperfecthttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/tuning-isnt-hard-its-just-imperfectMon, 25 May 2026 15:21:43 GMTAnyone who has done any woodworking project of any complexity, like building a birdhouse, or a bookshelf, or even put in wood flooring, knows that wood is not perfect. It warps, it gives, it twists, and it expands & contracts. When tuning a guitar, I always have a little voice in my head reminding me “remember, it’s just wood”, and that helps me muster …

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]]><![CDATA[Don't Sleep On Cheap Guitars]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/dont-sleep-on-cheap-guitarshttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/dont-sleep-on-cheap-guitarsSat, 30 Sep 2023 15:41:10 GMTWhen I was young and broke, I was playing a lot of acoustic jams, because I didn’t have money to spend on amps, pedals, cables, etc. Unfortunately, I was playing a guitar that I really hated. It has some sentimental value - I still own it - but I haven’t played it in 20 years or more. For other gigs & studio work that required an electric, I was actuall…

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]]><![CDATA[Are You Using The Right Strings?]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/are-you-using-the-right-stringshttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/are-you-using-the-right-stringsThu, 21 Sep 2023 16:11:08 GMTMy goal is to make sure you’re getting all you can out of your experience with the guitar. I love it so much that I want everyone to love it as much as I do. To that end, I want to address a question I’ve been asked a thousand times:

“What strings do you use?” or, similarly “What are the best strings for playing <whatever>?”

SixStringJones is a reader-sup…

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]]><![CDATA[The 2 Most Important Things For Any Guitarist]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/the-2-most-important-things-for-anyhttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/the-2-most-important-things-for-anyMon, 18 Sep 2023 13:33:09 GMTI’ve been lurking and occasionally contributing to various forums where beginner guitarists ask questions, like on Reddit or Quora, for years. After some time, it seemed like most questions fit one of these themes:

  • Which strings, guitar, pick, <other product here> is best for playing rock, blues, metal, <other genre here>?

  • Which scales do I need to learn …

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]]><![CDATA[Keeping It Fresh Through Continuous Learning]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/keeping-it-fresh-through-continuoushttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/keeping-it-fresh-through-continuousThu, 14 Sep 2023 13:20:06 GMTI’m a strong believer that if you’re not getting outside your comfort zone on a regular basis, you’re probably not growing and progressing very much. I’ve been playing guitar since the mid-80’s, and my passion for the instrument is just as strong as it ever was. The reason for that is really clear to me: I can’t ever know everything there is to know abo…

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]]><![CDATA[Liftoff...]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/liftoffhttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/liftoffTue, 12 Sep 2023 13:07:55 GMTWelcome to the first post on SixStringJones.com!

This newsletter is meant to inspire players to dive deeper, keep going, and broaden their horizons into new techniques, new genres, new repair & mod projects, and more. It will include personal stories, bios, history, interviews, technical workouts, song and solo analysis, and all things from the universe …

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]]><![CDATA[Coming soon]]>https://www.sixstringjones.com/p/coming-soonhttps://www.sixstringjones.com/p/coming-soonMon, 11 Sep 2023 23:01:38 GMTThis is SixStringJones.

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