1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

Move Forward Guitar
MFG Guitarist’s Resource Guide
I’ve written this guide based on what I’ve used and find valuable.
This is by no means a definitive list. If you would like to recommend
additions, or if you’ve had a bad experience with anything listed,
email me at: [email protected] (At present Move
Forward Guitar and myself have no affiliation with any of the
companies or products in this guide)
Guitars
Too many good manufacturers to list.
Here is what I use:
Acoustic: Taylor Guitars
Electric: My main guitar is an American
Deluxe Fender Strat with Seymour
Duncan pickups (SSL-1’s in the Neck and
Middle and Twang Banger in the bridge)
Picks
Dunlop Nylons
I use Eric Johnson Jazz III’s but they probably aren’t a good option for beginners.
For beginners I recommend .60mm or
.73mm
Capo
Kyser Quick-Change
Tuners
Handheld: Korg CA-40 Chromatic Tuner
Apps: iStrobosoft
Pedal: Boss TU-3
I use all of the tuners above
Other tuners to check out
TC Electronic Polytune
Korg Pitchblack
Guitars Cables
I’m not that particular on cables. I’ve
been using Planet Waves Custom Series
cables and haven’t had any issues with
them.
Apps
These are apps that I use regularly (ios)
iStrobosoft (tuner)
Tempo-Metronome (Frozen Ape)
Guitar Straps
Acoustic: I’m not big on any particular
brand. There are a lot of good options out
there. Just make sure it’s comfortable,
easy to adjust, and has a tight fit on your
guitar pins so that it won’t fall off.
Electric: Planet Waves Lock Straps (if your
guitar doesn’t have good balance, you
might need a strap that has more friction
to keep your guitar from sliding around)
This is what I use and really like but there
are a lot of good options out there. One of
the main reasons I like these straps so
much is that I don’t have to get separate
strap locks.
Guitar Strings
Acoustic: D’Addario Phosphor Bronze
Acoustic Light .012 to .053
Electric: D’Addario Nickel Wound XL
Regular Light .10 to .46
These are what I use and really like. They
are a good quality string at an affordable
price. Everyone plays differently and has a
different feel and touch though, so it’s
good to try out different brands and
gauges.
Software
Band in A Box
I use this to practice soloing/improvising
when I don’t have a jam track in the right
key or with the right chord progression
Smart Music
This is full of exercises you can learn and
play along with. It also has a lot of jazz
songs and progressions to work on your
soloing and improvising.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Method Books
A Modern Method for Guitar by William
Leavitt
Great book for learning how to read music
Guitarist’s Guide to Music Reading by
Chris Buono
A really good book on reading guitar that
gives a lot of useful exercises
Matt Warnock eBooks
Matt Warnock has some really good
eBooks on his jazz guitar site
Fundamental Changes in Jazz Guitar by
Joseph Alexander
A really good book for someone just getting into jazz guitar soloing. One of the
best that I’ve seen for going step by step
through the process.
YouTube Channels
justinguitar and justinguitarsongs
A lot of good lessons including lessons on
how to play popular songs
guitarjamzdotcom and martyzsongs
Marty Schwartz is the biggest teacher on
YouTube. There are a lot of good lessons
on blues and lessons on how to play
popular songs
ProGuitarShopDemos
A lot of good gear demos
PrymaxeVintage
A lot of good gear demos
Lesson Websites
Justinguitar.com
Excellent site full of free lessons. Justin
Sandercoe is a really good teacher.
Truefire.com
This site is full of really good lessons
taught by some amazing guitarists. One
problem is that there are so many lessons
taught by so many different teachers that
it can be a little overwhelming trying to
find the right lesson for your needs. Definitely a really good site though.
Artistworks.com
This site has some amazing world-class
players teaching on it. Each teacher
teaches a specific style and in a very specific way so it’s definitely not for everyone
and I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners.
Mattwarnock.com
Great free site for anyone interested in
jazz guitar. It’s all pretty much focused on
jazz guitar so I wouldn’t recommend it for
beginners.
99centguitarlessons.com
Mostly jazz lessons. Has a lot of good
lessons that you can buy individually (not
really 99 cents though) or you can pay for
a monthly membership. If you’re buying
lessons individually, it can be a little tricky
knowing if you will find the lesson useful
until after you’ve purchased it.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Lesson DVDs
I’ve spent a lot of money over the years on
DVD’s and have been disappointed by the
majority of them. Most of them over
promise and under deliver. The only
exception that I’ve found is one DVD I’ve
purchased from Justinguitar.com (Justin
Sandercoe). Justinguitar.com has multiple
DVD’s available. Although I’ve only purchased one, I found it valuable enough
that I feel comfortable recommending
checking out the rest of his collection.
Other Websites
Reverbnerds.com
Site all about creating ambient sounds on
the guitar
Reverb.com
A place to buy and sell used gear
They also have a useful blog on their site
including this post
http://reverb.com/blog/reverb-picks-thebest-forums about what they consider the
best gear related forums
Harmonycentral.com
Tons of gear reviews and much more
Proguitarshop.com
I’ve bought a lot of gear from them and
have always had great service. They also
have really good prices.
Prymaxevintage.com
Good prices on gear and I’ve had good
experiences buying from them
Pedals/Effects
These are pedals that I’ve owned and
really like. The ones with (**) next to them
are currently on my board.
JHS Double Barrel**
Excellent dual overdrive. Can get countless tones out of this pedal.
JHS Panther
This is a really good analog delay with
tons of options. I really liked this pedal,
but didn’t need it enough for my sound to
justify the price.
JHS Pulp n Peel
Really good option if you need a subtle
compressor. It also has a high quality
buffer in it, which helps prevent tone loss
from long cable runs.
JHS Prestige**
Excellent booster/tone enhancer. It also
acts as a buffer when it’s engaged and the
knob is turned to zero
Ernie Ball VP Active/No Loss Volume Pedal
(JHS Mod)**
I’ve had this on my board for quite a while
and really like it. I mainly use it for volume
swells but it also has a high quality buffer
in it, which helps prevent tone loss from
long cable runs.
Boss GE-7 Magnum Mod (JHS Mod)
Definitely a good option if you need an
EQ. I found that I didn’t need it to get the
sounds I’m after.
Line 6 M13
Really like this multi effects unit. Countless
options for sounds you can create and
tones you can get. It also has a really good
looper. The only reason I don’t have this
anymore is because I moved to the
smaller M9 unit to save space.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Pedals/Effects cont.
Line 6 M9**
See M13
Xotic Effects SP Compressor**
I really like this compressor. Can add
subtle compression or really squash your
sound.
TC Electronic Flashback
Good sounding delay with a lot of
options. The looper function on it isn’t
very practical for live use.
TC Electronic Flashback X4
I really liked this delay unit and it has a
really good looper, but didn’t need it since
I have the Line 6 M9.
TC Electronic Ditto Looper
This is a really cool simple looper. I liked it
mainly for practicing. I’m sure I’ll get this
again someday.
TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb**
I’ve used this reverb for a few years and
really like it. I think it’s one of the best for
it’s price range.
MXR Carbon Copy Delay**
I love this pedal. It has an extremely warm
organic sound. I’ll probably always own
one.
Fulltone OCD
Really good overdrive pedal. I don’t use it
anymore because I have the JHS Double
Barrel. Definitely a good option for it’s
price range.
Fulltone Octafuzz
I really like this pedal because you can get
some crazy sounds with it.
Mission Engineering EP1-L6**
I use this as an expression pedal with my
Line 6 M9. It works really well for that.
Ernie Ball VP Jr.**
I use this for controlling the looper
volume on my Line 6 M9. Definitely a
better choice than Line 6’s expression
pedal.
Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy
Really good analog delay
Electro Harmonix Big Muff
This pedal produces massive
fuzz/distortion. Only problem is that it’s a
huge pedal and takes up a lot of real
estate on your pedalboard.
Catlinbread Montavillian
A nice unique delay
Pedalboard
(This is talking about the actual board that
the pedals attach to. It can be confusing if
you are new to pedals since the board
itself is called a pedalboard, but a board
loaded with pedals is also referred to as a
pedalboard.)
I build my own pedalboards (just simple
ones made out of plywood), but if you
don’t want to build your own, pedaltrain is
a good option.
Pedal power
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus
This is excellent for powering your pedals.
I’ve used this for a few years and haven’t
had any issues with it.
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Beginner Pedalboard
If you are looking to put together your
first pedalboard but don’t know where to
start, here is my recommendation:
**listed in effects order (cable from guitar
goes into tuner then other pedals are
connected in order with patch cables then
a cable goes from reverb into amp)
Tuner: Any of the pedal tuners I previously listed
Overdrive: Fulltone OCD
Delay: TC Electronic Flashback
Reverb: TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb
Pedalboard: A piece of plywood with
industrial strength Velcro on top (other
side of Velcro goes on bottom of pedals)
Pedal power: Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2
Plus (if you can afford it) if not a temporary
solution is a Visual Sound 1 Spot
Patch cable (for connecting pedals
together): Fender Performance Series
Instrument Patch Cable 6”
This is just a basic recommendation for
getting your feet wet. The only way to
know what works best for your sound is to
try out different pedals.
Favorite Musicians
This is a list of my favorite musicians. This
isn’t a list of who is the best because that
is very subjective, and in my opinion, a
very pointless argument.
Guitarists (in no particular order and
definitely not a complete list)
Derek Trucks
Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Dave Matthews
Oz Noy
Wayne Krantz
Jonathan Kreisberg
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Jonny Greenwood
Pat Martino
John Scofield
Joe Pass
George Benson
Wes Montgomery
Django Reinhardt
Martin Taylor
Pat Metheny
Charlie Hunter
Jimmy Herring
Al Di Meola
John Mclaughlin
Jim hall
Lage Lund
Tommy Emmanuel
Eric Clapton
Omar Rodriguez Lopez
Isiah Sharkey
Jairus Mozee
David Gilmour
Carl Verheyen
Jeff Beck
Duane Allman
Marc Ribot
Nir Felder
Andreas Oberg
Fareed Haque
Other favorite musicians/bands
John Coltrane
Michael Brecker
Marco Benevento
Brian Blade
Sonny Rollins
Charlie Parker
Miles Davis
Ben Harper
Ben Howard
Damien Rice
Citizen Cope
Phosphorescent
Howlin Wolf
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014
Dave Matthews Band
Benevento Russo Duo
Skerik
Jeff Buckley
Robert Johnson
AA Bondy
Mimicking Birds
Joshua James
Chris Pureka
David Ramirez
Led Zeppelin
Radiohead
Thelonious Monk
Wayne Shorter
Zechs Marquise
Robert Randolph
Albert King
BB King
Freddie King
Buddy Guy
Daughter
Herbie Hancock
Iron and Wine
Keaton Henson
T-Bone Walker
Joe Henderson
James Carter
Deantoni Parks
Stanton Moore
Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
Johnny Cash
Dizzy Gillespie
Wham!
Muddy Waters
The Allman Brothers
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Elmore James
Louis Armstrong
Father John Misty
Many others…
Representing my local scene (Seattle)
Noah Gundersen
Allen Stone
Motopony
Campfire OK
Deep Sea Diver
Jess Lambert (I guess this is the one affiliation I have, my wife,
and oh yeah… I’m her guitarist)
Lemolo
David Bazan
Hot Bodies In Motion
© Move Forward Guitar LLC 2014