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Quality gear... who knew?

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  • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

    Originally posted by Red_Label View Post
    I don't always agree with you on everything Bill... but your post nailed it here! I've stood on stage with guitars that cost me $200 (MIM strats, Squires, etc), and I've stood on stage with guitars that cost me $3,000. And I don't ever remember thinking "I should have gone with the cheap one today". Granted, part of the experience of owning and gigging a $2K+ instrument is the pride of showing-off your "fancy" steed (like owning a Ferrari or something). But it's also the knowledge that it's unlikely that well-crafted guitar is going to let you down. I can't say the same for the cheap guitars that I gigged. Some did let me down, some didn't.
    It's only natural that your degree of self consciousness is going to be at it's greatest and most irrational when you're on stage in front of many people you've never met personally and have not had a chance to impress with your personality alone, quite the opposite of when you're on your couch at home, playing for nobody who doesn't already know you very well. I can understand the desire to have a impressive appointments on stage, a clean outfit, "purposefully" groomed hair, etc. As others have pointed out, the "pros" use MIA premium line guitars, and part of you might worry that if you are seen on stage with Epiphone on the headstock instead of Gibson, someone in the crowd might think you're a dilettante who has no business being on stage, and it's precisely because of that irrationality that I'm passionate about defending said Epiphones and imports.

    Originally posted by Red_Label View Post
    I was recently discussing my Tom Anderson strat (Drop Top Classic) with a friend (who owns four Andersons) and I told him that one of the greatest things about owning such a flawless guitar is ALWAYS knowing that any weak link in the player-instrument interface is ME. I never have to worry about it letting me down. Some days as a player I'm "on", and some I'm off (not my best). With many lesser brands I would often wonder on those days, "is it me, or is it the guitar that's causing my less-than-satisfactory experience today?" Well... in the nearly six months that I've been playing the Anderson, I NEVER wonder if the guitar is the issue. I have 100% confidence in this tool that I use and I KNOW that if I'm playing less-than-inspired... it's all ME.
    When you're thinking in these terms, there's a problem, because even a cheap guitar satisfies the requirement of giving you six string spanned across a piece of wood with an ample supply of working frets beneath those strings, the guitar should never ever be the weak link if it has no specific identifiable defect that can be repaired by yourself or a luthier.

    Pretty much the only problem I've come across where an import couldn't be made to play perfectly is/was a special case, neck twist on those single piece Tele necks. My MIA Tele is a rosewood fingerboard two piece, so I'm not sure how the MIA Tele single piece compares in terms of neck twist, but it's a common issue from what I understand since a single piece neck as less lateral stability than two or more piece necks. Otherwise, a home done fret job and nut filing and neck adjustment will make an import as premise where it counts as any MIA, assuming the import wasn't set up well enough to begin with, because a big difference in playability is simply how much attention was paid to the setup of the guitar, and not due to any inherent quality of a domestic versus an import which can't be changed or remedied in a few hours or less.

    Comment


    • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

      Originally posted by Securb View Post
      Here are the two songs that were getting airplay when I was in high school

      One summer night in 1982 myself and my best friend Lenny were staggering through Malden Square. The Manager of an all night restaurant called Joe D's called us...


      Are you on guitar? Sounds like some decent thrash type playing. Have you done anything since the 80s?
      Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

      Originally posted by Douglas Adams
      This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

      Comment


      • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

        I knew this thread was going to be a ****show before I ever clicked on it. The minute you start talking about gear quality / price in any kind of quantitative way, there are people who feel compelled to rise up and defend their choices. Here's the thing though:

        Nobody cares

        At all

        about

        your choices.

        Got a new guitar? Sweet! Wanna talk about it? I'm all ears! Wanna go on a multi-post diatribe about how people with different priorities than you are misguided or leading others astray or or or or or ...? Go kick dem rocks, mane. Kick dem rocks.
        Last edited by sosomething; 03-24-2015, 10:08 AM.
        -Adam

        Hear or Follow my music:

        Comment


        • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

          Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Post
          That Anderson is gorgeous, but I can't help but feel you're going to taint how people view their own instruments. You'd have been better off buying 10 $300 guitars that don't make you as happy, then spend your time convincing yourself it was a good decision rather than playing the crap out of the nice one.
          I know... right?
          "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

          http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

          Comment


          • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

            I hear you. I got my first MIA strat for Christmas from my wife. Although it sounded great, I DID swap to locking tuners and a roller nut. Aside from that, nothing. After nearly twenty years I still have the same pickups (PG + and '59), the fretwrok was great new, same pots, everything. Although after 18 yrs. she is getting due for a fret job which actually scares me as there don't seem to be a lot of great techs here in the atl.

            Still my desert island guitar though.

            Comment


            • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

              Originally posted by GuitarStv View Post
              Are you on guitar? Sounds like some decent thrash type playing. Have you done anything since the 80s?
              Thanks. I have done a bit here and there. Some gun for hire stuff. Once the kids were in the equation and I had to get a real job I pumped then hit the brakes on the music. Now that they are out of the house I have time to do more musically.

              Comment


              • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                Originally posted by DreX View Post
                It's only natural that your degree of self consciousness is going to be at it's greatest and most irrational when you're on stage in front of many people you've never met personally and have not had a chance to impress with your personality alone, quite the opposite of when you're on your couch at home, playing for nobody who doesn't already know you very well. I can understand the desire to have a impressive appointments on stage, a clean outfit, "purposefully" groomed hair, etc. As others have pointed out, the "pros" use MIA premium line guitars, and part of you might worry that if you are seen on stage with Epiphone on the headstock instead of Gibson, someone in the crowd might think you're a dilettante who has no business being on stage, and it's precisely because of that irrationality that I'm passionate about defending said Epiphones and imports.



                When you're thinking in these terms, there's a problem, because even a cheap guitar satisfies the requirement of giving you six string spanned across a piece of wood with an ample supply of working frets beneath those strings, the guitar should never ever be the weak link if it has no specific identifiable defect that can be repaired by yourself or a luthier.

                Pretty much the only problem I've come across where an import couldn't be made to play perfectly is/was a special case, neck twist on those single piece Tele necks. My MIA Tele is a rosewood fingerboard two piece, so I'm not sure how the MIA Tele single piece compares in terms of neck twist, but it's a common issue from what I understand since a single piece neck as less lateral stability than two or more piece necks. Otherwise, a home done fret job and nut filing and neck adjustment will make an import as premise where it counts as any MIA, assuming the import wasn't set up well enough to begin with, because a big difference in playability is simply how much attention was paid to the setup of the guitar, and not due to any inherent quality of a domestic versus an import which can't be changed or remedied in a few hours or less.

                Holy craaaap... this thread just keeps getting more bizzare!!!

                1) You just keep spewing more stuff that you don't know anything about... but doing it like you're a Phd on the subject.

                2) Between that and the whole Berklee side discussion... it's getting to be like a padded white room with nary a "med" in sight.
                "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

                http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

                Comment


                • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                  Originally posted by DreX View Post
                  I can understand the desire to have .... "purposefully" groomed hair, etc.


                  It's all about the coif.

                  Comment


                  • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                    Originally posted by Red_Label View Post
                    Holy craaaap... this thread just keeps getting more bizzare!!!

                    1) You just keep spewing more stuff that you don't know anything about... but doing it like you're a Phd on the subject.

                    2) Between that and the whole Berklee side discussion... it's getting to be like a padded white room with nary a "med" in sight.
                    Dr Drex Psychologist Extrordinaire !

                    I wonder if he knows how to deal with the Gila Monster when on stage ?
                    Last edited by GoldenVulture; 03-24-2015, 10:39 AM.
                    sigpic

                    - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...?bandID=804435 -
                    - https://soundcloud.com/mr-ds-bigband/tracks -

                    Warning: May contain traces of NUTS

                    Comment


                    • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                      Originally posted by LLL View Post
                      I didn't go to Berklee or similar. I learned pretty much the same as the Alien on the bike dude did (GuitarStv).

                      What I have been doing in the last 15 years or so (31 years total experience) is of course tweaking guitar tone
                      (learned how to build my own guitars and amps) and the big mutha of them all: recording/mixing/"sound engineering".

                      I play out once in a blue moon (like to help out my bass player buddy with gigs) and contrary to popular opinion, I do not
                      play in an 80's cover band. I used to play in an 80's cover band... in the 80's.

                      Here's 3 very recent clips in no particular order:

                      LLL - The Sails Of Charon

                      LLL - Highland Wedding

                      LLL - BIAS Holy Wars
                      Great chops. If your social skills were as good as your musical skills you might find a friend or two.

                      Comment


                      • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                        This thread has gone from a comment to a discussion, then argument about quality of gear, now it seems it's a call out of members of the forum. Glad nobody knows my name enough to care about the stupid **** I do.

                        My opinion of certain members has gone down since I started following this thread, and I will take any future advice or discussion from them with a grain of salt until my opinion changes.
                        Schecter ATX Blackjack C7 BKP Painkiller (B) and Abraxas (N)
                        Hagstrom Hj800 Jazzbox stock pickups
                        Fender Jazz Bass EMG MJ Set
                        Music Man SUB Ray5 stock pickups
                        Line 6 Helix
                        Dunlop Strings and Picks

                        The opinions expressed above are my own and do not reflect normal levels of sanity.

                        Comment


                        • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                          Originally posted by sosomething View Post
                          I knew this thread was going to be a ****show before I ever clicked on it. The minute you start talking about gear quality / price in any kind of quantitative way, there are people who feel compelled to rise up and defend their choices.
                          I couldn't care less about people's purchase choices after the fact, I care about incorrect and/or misleading generalizations, and how they will misguide the future purchase decisions of others. I've been clear about that from the beginning.


                          Originally posted by Red_Label View Post
                          1) You just keep spewing more stuff that you don't know anything about... but doing it like you're a Phd on the subject.
                          Point out the specific errors, or I will have to conclude there are none.

                          Comment


                          • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                            Chris, I had the same revelation several years ago. My #1 for the last 6 years is a Parker Fly Mojo (see below). I had the Fly Deluxe on the left until about a year ago. The only comparison to those and the cheap guitars I've had is that they have six strings and pickups.

                            Contrary to to the declarations of the Forum Pet(s), I put NO thought into the cost when I'm playing. I AM continue happy reminded how great the guitar is and how effortless it makes playing. It stays in tune with no real maintenance. It sounds great. I don't have to fight with it to get great sounds from it. There are ZERO manufacturer defects.

                            I don't need to convince myself that it was worth the cost. That's self evident.

                            Then again, I'm no materialist. The guitar is a tool. This happens to be a very high quality tool that gets the job done with minimal effort.
                            Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:13; 10:9-10

                            Teknon Theou
                            https://youtube.com/channel/UCo848I2...e4jKB5DNZ4Y7hs
                            Complaining that there are hypocrites in church is like complaining that fat people use the gym. Where else would you have them be?

                            Comment


                            • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                              Originally posted by LesStrat View Post
                              Chris, I had the same revelation several years ago. My #1 for the last 6 years is a Parker Fly Mojo (see below). I had the Fly Deluxe on the left until about a year ago. The only comparison to those and the cheap guitars I've had is that they have six strings and pickups.

                              Contrary to to the declarations of the Forum Pet(s), I put NO thought into the cost when I'm playing. I AM continue happy reminded how great the guitar is and how effortless it makes playing. It stays in tune with no real maintenance. It sounds great. I don't have to fight with it to get great sounds from it. There are ZERO manufacturer defects.

                              I don't need to convince myself that it was worth the cost. That's self evident.

                              Then again, I'm no materialist. The guitar is a tool. This happens to be a very high quality tool that gets the job done with minimal effort.
                              Was the "new" fly one you bought from a family member?

                              I think a point that a certain individual missed is that no one is advocating spending a lot of money on gear, but rather the benefits of higher quality. I paid less than the new cost of an MIM, and only slightly more than the average cost of a used one.
                              “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

                              Comment


                              • Re: Quality gear... who knew?

                                Originally posted by DreX View Post
                                Point out the specific errors, or I will have to conclude there are none.


                                You got me. You win the internet today!

                                "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

                                http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

                                Comment

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