Are we too quick to settle for second best?

[nuntius]

do you find you have a whole load of middle/lower range equipment, but if you total up the value you've spent on it you could get some really nice gear?

my ibanez's for example, have cost me about 500 in total, and my amp was 500.

but tbh i hardly play them, i'm always playing my gordon smith because its just right for me.

with that grand i could have got a marshall stack which is ultimately what i've wanted for a long time...

 

[mr breaker]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

not me. I just wait until I'm ready to buy EXACTLY what I want. I'd rather have nothing that a piece of mediocre equipment.

 

[JALIN]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I firmly believe to get the one you want. If you get second best you will never be satisfied and probably end up selling at a lost only to end up getting the one you should have got in the first place.

 

[mjsever]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

It's happened to me way too many times- I buy stuff that's good but not quite what I want, and then I end up being not quite as happy with it... In retrospect with the money I've spend on successively better equipment I could have the ideal setup.

However, there is also something to be said for having played with this other gear; I think I'd rather have had a few years playing somewhat better gear rather than being stuck a few more years with my crappy gear, waiting for that perfect setup. Also, now that I've used a bunch of different amps/guitars/effects, what is ideal for me now is quite different from what would have been ideal for me then. I've also had the opportunity to rent some equipment that I thought I'd love but I ended up hating it.

So don't worry about it, just make sure you're buying something that you like more than what you have! Go ahead and sell those Ibanezes if you never play them; trade up!

 

[y2stevo]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

Yep exactly my way of life...

Also ..

I have A Marshall Stack!!! :laugh:

although technically its a Marshall Head on a Trace Elliot Cab..

 

[UCSDBoy]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

yeah, I know what you mean - but on the other hand you have to buy and experiment with gear to figure out what you really want. =)

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I think it's also "trial and error". Sometimes you have to try a few things out (even own) in order to ulimatley find what's right for you.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

Not me. I don´t settle for second best

If I can´t afford it, I don´t need it (yet)

 

[Artie]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

There's a couple sides to this. I'm not sure how much one could appreciate "quality" equipment, if they haven't used the lessor products first.

Also, if I had a $3000 vintage LP, I'ld be afraid to mess with it. My cheapy Strat, on the other hand, is completely in pieces in my shop now. I'm "enjoying" it in a different way. (Experimentation.)

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

never done it, that's why god invented payment plans

 

[nuntius]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I think it's also "trial and error". Sometimes you have to try a few things out (even own) in order to ulimatley find what's right for you.

well i discovered i hate back routed floyds.

the Ibie RS 530 i love the neck on, but the rest of it isnt that great, the body isnt as resonant as i'd want, its 24 fret so the neck pup doesnt sound the way i want it to.

its got a huge ass trem on it which isnt as high performance as a floyd, and the pups suck.


all in all its a very comfortable guitar to play, a big thick neck, complete contrast to the RG's that replaced the series (not as nice as my smithy but nice), but quality wise and soundwise its not so great :/

my RG as well, god i hate the backrouted trem on that so much now. i play in a band that uses 3 main tunings. standard, open G, and DGDF#AD and its just no use for it. i like the high performance trem on it but the neck on it bugs me too, its too thin


i found that the wolfie gets the best things i liked about the two guitars, just i cant afford it

and my amp, i though was great til i started playing live - i just dont think it cuts it, and if i sell it 300's the best i'll get now :/ not really getting towards that marshall ike out of these guitars and more, just i cant afford it.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I did that forever, untill I found the XXX, and I decided I wouldn't get anything until I had that...so I got a loan...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I've bought and sold a lot of gear, and one thing I've learned is to only put sentimental attachment on the VERY BEST pieces of gear. I consider anything, that's not the very best, to be a "trader." After awhile, your taste gets so narrowed down that you find yourself always selling, adding cash, and buying exactly what you want. That's what I did. Now, I love and play all my gear, but I also look at some as permanent and some as temporary. The better the stuff gets, the harder it is to part with. Also, I've found that I always get exactly what I want when I keep a certain amount of liquid cash available. Instead of jumping on 'anything', I'll keep a few guitars for sale, keep a couple thousand liquid, and JUMP the second I see a premium piece come up for sale. I'm sitting like a hawk on a few pieces right now, but I won't say anything till it's mine, mine, mine!

Gear is nothing more than 'money in the bank' if you only deal with desireable stuff.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

Not me. I don´t settle for second best

If I can´t afford it, I don´t need it (yet)

Same here. If I know what I want, I get it. (although I'm far from rich, so sometimes it takes me awhile)

I figure that I want something, and I buy second best, it'll only cost me more in the long run as I sell what I bought then get what I wanted in the first place.

I also try to plan my rig as much as possible.

I'm not saying there isn't stuff I haven't "grown" out of, or stuff I've bought and then didn't like after a few days, but I still bought what it was I wanted, even though I later found out it wasn't what I wanted anymore.

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I now seek out 2nd best LOL. I chase early 60s and 70s heads that collectors pass by but sound like a million bucks. I have 750.00 in three heads that are as spectacular as any vintage Marshall you could plug into. I have a Tokai Tele that I would put up against any Tele on the market, I paid 249.00 for it and don't miss my USA 62 RI Tele one bit. There is good stuff yuou just gotta ask lots of questions and find old timers who know what is what. I will never chase a high buck vintage amp again, this stuff is more fun for me. I love when folks ask me what the hell I am playing and then after the gig want to know where they can get one.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

not me. I just wait until I'm ready to buy EXACTLY what I want. I'd rather have nothing that a piece of mediocre equipment.

Same here. I'd much rather have a couple really nice pieces of gear than a lot of junk. One thing I will not do is pay for a name. If you look at my signature, you can see that I have two really nice guitars and a good amp, but nothing obnoxiously expensive. No $3000 Gibsons or PRS's, and no VHT's or Bogners. I'd take my Hamer that cost me $600 over a typical $3000 Les Paul any day. If people took the time to look at smaller manufacturers like Peavey and Hamer, I think they would realize that you can get top of the line equipment at extremely reasonable prices...if you look hard enough, there's no reason why you have to settle for inferior stuff.

Ryan

 

[Fatty]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

Same here. I'd much rather have a couple really nice pieces of gear than a lot of junk. One thing I will not do is pay for a name. If you look at my signature, you can see that I have two really nice guitars and a good amp, but nothing obnoxiously expensive. No $3000 Gibsons or PRS's, and no VHT's or Bogners. I'd take my Hamer that cost me $600 over a typical $3000 Les Paul any day. If people took the time to look at smaller manufacturers like Peavey and Hamer, I think they would realize that you can get top of the line equipment at extremely reasonable prices...if you look hard enough, there's no reason why you have to settle for inferior stuff.

Ryan

Those Peavey Classic 50's are VERY nice for the price. (And very nice period)

 

[Young Angus]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I definitely only buy exactly what i want, no matter how expensive it is...it just takes much much longer to get it

But its worth it in the end because you're not wondering "should i have got the other one"

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

I've learned over the last several years to think about resale value. There are only a few guitars that are "hand's off". The Les Paul and the PRS are hand's off. Never to be sold.

On the amp front, I could never sell the 5E3 Tweed Deluxe since I gave it life with my own hands and it was my first of many I hope. Everything else is trade potential. The Bad Cat is about to be on the Hands Off list, but at this point, anything can and might happen. The old Pro Reverb is probably one that won't be going anywhere because of the age, condition and how rare they are.

Guitars that are on the you never know trade list would be that ESP Seymour Duncan Strat. But I'm hoping it goes up in value in a few years due to they are not making them anymore. The beater strat that I Kryloned gold was next to free, so I'm guessing it won't go anywhere for a while. Got a great neck. The Heritage 535 is a great guitar, but it's one that I could live without. I've got too much gear, but I dont' need to sell any of it yet.

But like Gear Ho said, I could unload just about any of it and not much if any.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Are we too quick to settle for second best?

Simply put, One man's trash is anothers treasure. I like high end gear just
as much as any other guy. But when you gig with high end stuff ( especaily
in seedy Lil' clubs) Ya gotta worry about your stuff! This is why I perfer
a well setup beater Squire Strat or Samicks. I've only owned 3 Guitars
that where worth over $1000 AND 2 of Em' Where stolen !! :yell: :evil:
So if 2nd best is good enuff... I'm good to go. And if you think about it.
The only ones you Impress with high end gear is other Musician's and
theif's. The average Joe coming to see you play woundn't know the
differance if your playing a 60's` L 'series Strat from a Tokai lawsuit
knockoff.