I still like to play with toys… and there’s a great little amp that looks like a toy, but is packed with features. I’ll tell you about it in a moment.

I’ve got an EVH Wolfgang and a VOX Valvetronix AD60vtx and they just go great together, but it felt like sometimes I’d play and have fun… and sometimes things just wouldn’t come together (couldn’t play worth a darn, couldn’t get the right sound, or it just didn’t feel “right”). Have you ever had times like that?

But I found something simple and easy that has renewed my enthusiasm… and expanded the depth of my guitar playing. Don’t laugh… but I’m going to tell you about the Fender G-DEC.

I know it looks more like a kids toy than a serious amp. Afterall, you can’t get much out of 15 watts… or can you?

I found the amp is great for beginners and even for those that have been playing for a while. The box says it’s got the “Drummer and Bassist Included” and all that is need is you. It’s true. My wife got it for me for Christmas (yes… I opened it early) and I can’t stop playing it. In fact, my legs want to give out from the hours of standing and playing this week.

If you’re a beginner… you absolutely need this amp. It will make your playing sound balanced and be a real boost to your confidence. I bought my 8 year old a Fender Mini Strat and I know he’s gonna have a blast with this amp… as it covers over a multitude of sins.

If you’ve got more experience, this truly makes for a fun practice amp. It comes with 50 presets that you can fully customize and has lots of effects. You can change or remove the drums, you can remove the bass, you can change the effects and keep playing… all in real time.

It can really crank out some of those old Fender surf sounds (Dick Dale blast-back time) and it emulates other amps well. It’s got a little AC/DC in there, some Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Clapton, Queen, Van Halen (well… kinda), several Country varieties, Jazz and Latin.

I find that I take the amp songs and settings that I don’t like (I used to not like latin, but with this amp I’ve changed my mind) and then play some songs there to add variety in what I play… by doing this, I actually get a different kind of experience in my playing. You can also store another 50 of your own settings and the G-DEC has a MIDI input, so I’ve got a friend that is the absolute MIDI expert, and we’re looking through his thousands of files to see what we want to add to this amp.

The other night I was playing to the “surf” setting and before I knew it, a couple hours had passed. Then we cranked out Clapton the next night. Last night it was Dixie Rock (I couldn’t imagine ever playing this style… now its enjoyable).

There’s no way that this amp can keep up with a real drummer in the room… but when you’re just by yourself, you can get almost “loud” and really enjoy the sound you get. With the door open, your neighbors walking down the street can hear it… and it’s just loud enough to impress your friends.

The Fender G-DEC amp runs about $300, some places have it as low as $270. You can find the description at Fender’s website. It’s money well spent and I believe you’ll have a great time with it.

Copyright 2006.

There are many common misconceptions by people about learning the guitar. However, they are all incorrect. Here is the reasons:One: You should practice on an acoustic guitar.NO!: It is better to practice on an electric guitar since it’s easier to play, has lighter strings, lower action, and a smaller neck. It’s also a little more interesting for first time players as you can add distortions and effects and keep the learner more interested.Second: The best way to ‘get’ a famous band sound is buy a pedal that has player presets.Truth: Although some multi-effects DO have some important presets, it is far better to learn the correct technique rather than trying to imitate the sound. Generally the sound of the incredible players comes from their spirit, their skill, and choice of guitar and amp. (Rarely do these guys use digital effects to create their sounds.Three: You have to have a gigantic amp to get a large sound.NO!: Some of the most huge sounds that have been recorded have been done with smaller 10 -20 watt amps with the tube made very loud. Many infamous bands have many amps on stage that are empty of speakers and a small amp hidden behind the stack that is mic’d up to the PA system. Some bands are also using digital recreations (POD, Digitech etc) of their amps in the studio but most purist players still use a real amp and analogue pedals.Fourth: You should use lots of ‘string wrap or turns’ around the machine (tuning) head to get stable tuning.Wrong!: Although B.B. King does use this method a better way is to have about 3  ‘turns’ of string on the machine head and about 3-4 turns on the higher strings. However, the best way is to have NO turns of string at all, buy using locking machine heads such as spertzel or grover *machine head where the string is literally locked into place without any string wrap.Myth: Single coil pick ups sound the best but they are too noisy.Truth: Yes and yes (possibly depending on your opinion) but there are many ways around this problem. The best way is to use hum canceling single coil pickups such as “fender noiseless” or any of the di marzio or Seymour Duncan hum canceling models that will sound JUST like  a vintage strat but without the noise. The other way is to put a “dummy load” pickup in the guitar. ie: a pick up that is wired in the guitar (sometimes under the scratch plate of a strat type guitar) but does not produce any sound , it just cancels the hum and noise.Myth: Cheap cables are just as good as expensive ones and I save money.Truth: It is way better to buy a good quality cable that has, quite often, a good guarantee. It will often last a long time and the difference in the quality has a huge bearing on the actual sound produced by your guitar and amp. It is no use having a great guitar and amp set up, and using low quality cable. Its like buying a Ferrari and putting re-tread tires on it. Always buy the best quality cable you can afford. Quite often you end up buying one good cable instead of cheap ones every 6 months, rendering them not cheap at all in the long run.Seven: There is nothing you can do about strings rusting and losing their tone so may as well buy cheap ones or no name brands.Wrong!: there are several ways to make your string last longer. The simplest is to always clean your strings after playing with a lint free cloth such as a handkerchief and use a string product such as “finger ease” or “fast fret” which coats the string with a protective chemical.The other way is to use long life strings such as ‘elixir’ or similar brands which use a Teflon coating to prevent string corrosion and loss of tone. Yes these strings are three times more expensive but they do, in my experience last eight (8) times longer and rarely do they break as often as regular strings.