Guitar tips and general chat.

Who here plays guitar? And aren't guitars just godly? i mean all types Classic acoustic, steel/electro acoustic and electric are just fantastic to play in their own ways.

I set this forum up with the intension of getting some tips for myself and just to talk about guitars, the reason i chose Giantbomb to do this is because i feel more comfortable with the user base and a lot of the people at dedicated guitar web sites can be very judgmental about your gear or so i have found. 

So i will start:

I have found that when playing with heavy/mid distortion, what I'm playing is never really all that clear, for example i get a lot of hum of other strings even when I'm muting them. What can i be doing wrong? ( i have also found that if i turn up the volume the amp does become clearer) 

I like to play a lot of Fightstar's and killswitch engage's work so if you play these and have found anything useful could you share it with me.

My current set up: (the one i mostly use) 

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Black beauty, 11 gauge strings

Amp: Line 6 Spider 3 75w ( i know a lot of people don't like this amp but i got it at a bargin price and i think it is a really niffty box)

(also if you have anything that could me as a guitarist please share)

EDIT: Yes i know practice makes you better. 

There is a guitar forum here... just sayin'.  
 
Tips? Learn all your scales. 

I have a cheap ESP Explorer copy with Ernie Ball STHBs because I tune to an experimental BF#BFAE. Has fucking evil chording and good string transitions that work for me. I think of it as the lower ends of Isis and the higher ups of Opeth. I don't have the best amp ever but I work on a VOX Valvetronix AD 30W hybrid amp combo. Has my necessary effects and amp sounds; Mesa amp sounds like crap though.
 
I also have a cheap Squier bass which I will not really replace because I love it. I have a cheap Ibanez amp combo but I transfer the preamp to my VOX for a really good dirty yet clear tube sound. I don't need a Sans-Amp when I can just improvise.
 
Now I am planning to get either a seemingly good and cheap (in spec) First Act Sheena or a Squier Jagmaster. I also will install an EMG 81 to either of the bridges.

I have found that when playing with heavy/mid distortion, what I'm playing is never really all that clear, for example i get a lot of hum of other strings even when I'm muting them. What can i be doing wrong? ( i have also found that if i turn up the volume the amp does become clearer) 

Yes, learn scales.

I would say to learn scales, but I never learned them. 
 
I'm completely self-taught, and I just know what sounds right.  I know the correct sound of scales, so I don't worry too much.  Regardless of all things, the only tip that I give to everyone learning to play or flat-out just playing is this:  develop your own style, your own techniques, and your own sound. 
 
There are people that will bitch about "oh, this guitar is superior to that guitar", but it's all subjective ideals in the end.  Personally, I love Ibanez guitars, as they give me the deep crunch that I want in palm mutes and the tone is thick as hell.  Then again, I also run those through Crate cabs with an Orange head, and it sounds killer.  The best way to describe it is a mix between In Flames and Breaking Benjamin. 
 
That's not the flavor that some people like, though, but that's fine.  Don't let guitar elitests tell you that your sound is wrong, because it's YOUR sound. 
 
Other than that, I learned basics from playing tabs and other peoples' songs.  That took me a long way, but the rest of it was learning basic chord structures and then the rest was just me fooling around with the guitar and learning how to make different sounds.  Some issues of Guitar World helped quite a bit as well. 
 
I'm not personally looking to be some super speed demon of riffage or anything.  I know that if I want to, I can play whatever I want to play, so long as I take the time to just do it.

@ThePhantomnaut: Thats sounds like one evil tuning, Dropped C is my personal favorite.

@jakob187: I love Ibanez as well especially the RG or S series. You hit the nail on the head, guitar technique is subjective, but then again learning to change your technique an adopt a more conventional playing style does come with its rewards. 

Scales, learn them.

Train your ears, nothing beats learning a song by ear, it will help you get the music you have in your head out through your amp.
 
Also play with others, a duo, a band or whatever you can find, it's really what defines a good musician and a bad one, whether he/she can play with others and make it sound good.