Trainers

[Bathead]

Any opinions on the Tascam CD GT-2 guitar trainer? Or other brands of similar devices?

[robert]

I have not tried these. I would be curious to hear what people think too.

[sven]

My humble opinion is that these came out before there was good guitar trainer software out.  If you have access to a pc or lap top which obviously you do.  You can get software to slow down tracks, loop parts etc for way less.  there'd have to be lots of bells and whislte on this to make me consider it.  they have a box and an amp that does some of the same things.  I don't know why anyone would want the amp.

Just my opinion of course.

[Bathead]

My humble opinion is that these came out before there was good guitar trainer software out.  If you have access to a pc or lap top which obviously you do.  You can get software to slow down tracks, loop parts etc for way less.  there'd have to be lots of bells and whislte on this to make me consider it.  they have a box and an amp that does some of the same things.  I don't know why anyone would want the amp.

Just my opinion of course.

As to the bolded part - The main two reasons I was considering this machine is - A. being able to use headphones with it (I feel a little self-concious playing aloud in my apartment,my neighbors probably can't hear me, but it still bothers me and inhibits me, not a good thing), and B. - The fact that, as I'm sure everyone here who's tried to jam with any of their music CD's it can be a pain to have to retune your guitar for just about every song. The Tascam trainer has a feature where you can change the pitch of the CD instead. That would make life a lot simpler for me, it would nake it easier to jam along with all the Backing track and music CD's. The other features you mention are secondary. Unless this software you mention can do this too.

[sven]

yeah I hate it too but I'm used to it.  sometimes i just learn it in the wrong key and transpose it up or down a half step.  Or i learn it out of tune. what a pain.  so I guess if you can tune the track without too much hassle that would be worth something.  It might be a worthwhile bell.  But seriously i'm used to retuning the guitar, and if you're (not saying you are) a beginner its not bad to practice that too.

[Bathead]

yeah I hate it too but I'm used to it.  sometimes i just learn it in the wrong key and transpose it up or down a half step.  Or i learn it out of tune. what a pain.  so I guess if you can tune the track without too much hassle that would be worth something.  It might be a worthwhile bell.  But seriously i'm used to retuning the guitar, and if you're (not saying you are) a beginner its not bad to practice that too.

Not really a beginner per se. I first picked up guitar over 40 years ago, played on and off for about a year, due to the fact I had a really crappy pawnshop special with heavy guage strings that hurt my fingers when playing chords(didn't know about lights), because it only had four strings and people looked cool when playing, I switched to bass , I mistakenly thought it would be easier. It wasn't, but it was more fun. Never really seriuosly worked at bass either, but I had a friend who was an excellent guitar player, over the years he helped me to learn the bass, mostly by jamming with him. Only occasionally picking up a guitar now and then just to fool around. Over 40 years I did learn a lot, so I believe I may have an advantage this time, when I say I'm looking at it as more or less starting from scratch, that's not totally true, I do have some idea what I'm doing, I'm not a total noob. I'm just trying again to finish what I started so many years ago.
Now that was all a rather long-winded way to say, I'm looking for any possible adantage here, and as one method includes jamming along with my favorite music, (a method my previously mentioned friend used to perfect his technique). If this device will make this process less frustrating, then I figure it might be worth the expenditure.

[weelie]

I think there was software available when these came out. But the freedom of a PC is something that has a value, I feel.

I bought Transcribe! some years ago. I can very easily tune a songs up or down to pitch on it. It also shows me how much it is off. Well I do run my guitar through my amp speaker, so I don't hear both the track and my playing through the same headphones, but that hasn't been a problem for me... at least not yet! It might be in the near future, with a third member about to arrive in the household. 

Of course this is free software: http://www.xs4all.nl/~mp2004/bp/

The Tascam was worse for slow down sound than the software (Windows media player, Amazing slowdowner, Transcribe!...) I've tried, at least the when the first Tascam came out, but haven't tried it since.

[Bathead]

I think there was software available when these came out. But the freedom of a PC is something that has a value, I feel.

I bought Transcribe! some years ago. I can very easily tune a songs up or down to pitch on it. It also shows me how much it is off. Well I do run my guitar through my amp speaker, so I don't hear both the track and my playing through the same headphones, but that hasn't been a problem for me... at least not yet! It might be in the near future, with a third member about to arrive in the household. 

Of course this is free software: http://www.xs4all.nl/~mp2004/bp/

The Tascam was worse for slow down sound than the software (Windows media player, Amazing slowdowner, Transcribe!...) I've tried, at least the when the first Tascam came out, but haven't tried it since.

Well, I have heard that the device has a problem with the music coming out kinda "warbly" when slowed way down, but that isn't really a concern for me, the slowdown feature is not why I'm considering this device. At the risk of me repeating myself, it's the ability to hear both CD and guitar thru the heaphones and being able to tune the CD instead of the guitar.

[Bathead]

Just thought y'all should know, I have this device on order, I'll be getting it next week.
If you folk are interested, after a while I could let y'all know how it works out. Sort of a product review, if you will.
 Any interest in that?

[sven]

absolutely.  thats what Im here for.  to find out stuff.  thanks

[zagatron1]

I've never even heard of such a thing until now. The only trainer I ever had was a BSR turntable. Yes, the 33-1/3, 12" LP was my friend


Special note~For some of you younger guys that don't know, BSR (Burmingham Sound Reproducers) was a company that made automatic record changers.