You’re between beginner and intermediate. I’ve done some teaching and what ur describing would be considered first year issues. But it sounds like with the right instructor u would be at intermediate fairly quickly. With intermediate you should feel comfortable with switching “cowboy chords” and be playing 4 chord songs and basic melody lines. Can play with others with decent amount of practice and rehearsal. Advanced you should be able to do an involved setlist and be able to improvise and switch keys with relative ease on the fly. Be able to play with strangers with lil rehearsal. Expert… be Yngwie J Malmsteen

As a side note. I think the thing that would probably help you a lot for understanding without memorizing is understanding a few tricks to mapping out ur neck. CAGED system is very helpful in understanding the fretboard. Also the concept of understanding if you know cowboy chord shape you can use it for any other chord in different positions throughout the fretboard. Example: if you know and standard A chord… move it up 2 frets, you’re now playing a B chord. Move that same shape up 1 more fret, you’re playing a C. Same with any other chord… D cowboy chord shape moved up 2 frets is an E chord…. 1 more fret is an F chord. Ur just following the Chromatic scale

You only want to loop noisy pedals. Your compressor will typically be early in ur chain before drives. You will place the noise reducer before ur drives and u want it returning back to ur noise reducer after the last drive pedal ur reducing noise with. After that if you have modulation like Vibe or chorus and then last is time based pedals…. Delay and reverb. This is a rule of thumb and not set in stone but a signal chain is typically Guitar > buffer/tuner > dynamics (compressor, pitch shifter, drop, EQ) > noise gate (4cable method) > drives> [noise gate out] > volume > modulation > time based > amp

I more mod my guitars than anything. My Epi Les Paul Custom Pro I had a custom Pickguard and Poker chip made for it by Flatt Guitar out of Spokane. I also put Seymour Duncan JBs in it and Grover Keystone tuners. Also been modding my Tele. It’s pretty much done but I’m waiting to get my Pickguard done for it

@Robbie Macdonald it’s subtle but I think adds a nice custom touch

Good tip. I always play with a click track. Has significantly helped my timing. Next pedal will be a Walrus Rehearsal just so I can click anything im working on

I use to have a guitar repair business. I learned with the proper tools I could fix just about anything with a guitar. However, I also learned if you like tinkering on guitars don’t do it professionally… it’ll spoil the fun