Gearhead vs Player

Pierre

Pierre

Stratologist
Ok I'm not sure if this forum is good for that thread so, sorry if it's not.
Are you more of a gearhead or a player?
I started playing guitar in February though I was strumming random stuff before (I've been a drummer for 3 years... Wait don't leave yet!). But I have a POD 2.0, a 40 watts Peavey, a 16 years old Japanese Charvel, and I bidded (unsuccessfuly) on another guitar (I want a hardtail) and I may bid soon on pickups :laugh2: I see it as kinda wrong: I'm a student, I live in another country than my family... And I have a very limited amount of money. And it's not like I'm amazing at guitar. I just like having good gear.
Note that it's not making me play less in anyway, I still love playing and learning.
How about you?
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

I think we're all a bit of both. Personally, I love to play, and I like having the gear that will let me play whatever I'm in the mood to play. Thus, I have a nice collection started. If that makes me a gearhead as much as a player, I'm fine with that.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

there is nothing wrong with being a gearhead...I love guitars, and amps, and tubes, and pickupsm and pedals, and even cords...Everybody on this forum could get by with one guitar and one amp, but none of us want to!
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

To me, its all personal preference.

I would personally prefer to have mediocre playable gear, and have smokin chops. HELL! I'd prefer to be a killer player AND have killer gear . . . .
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

Same here. But it seems that the direction I take is always opposite to this. It's very frustrating but I can't help it! I'm not amazing nor pretty bad for my level, but my gear is quite above average for 3 months. And it's about to get better muahahaha
I don't buy superfluous stuff though. Only what I really want and feel will improve my tone.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

MikeS said:
I think we're all a bit of both. Personally, I love to play, and I like having the gear that will let me play whatever I'm in the mood to play.
Click to expand...

+1. Sure it'd be great to have one guitar that could do everything, but that's just not going to happen ;). A strat fits some styles better than an LP and vice versa, so I like to have a decent variety of axes and an amp/pedal setup that's pretty versatile. I never know what style I'll want to play when I wake up in the morning.

Plus I love learning about all the facets of gear, from guitar body woods to tube types, etc. It's all part of the experience.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

I'm both. Here's the thing, you can learn to play extremely well on a cheap guitar and make it sound good. But getting higher grade equipment makes it easier. Especially if there is a specific sound you're looking for, and a guitar that fits you and sounds good only amplifies your playing ability. You will still sound like crap playing an expensive guitar if you don't practice.

In addtion to playing, gear trading and modifying, upgrading is a hobby of mine.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

the guy who invented fire said:
there is nothing wrong with being a gearhead...I love guitars, and amps, and tubes, and pickupsm and pedals, and even cords...Everybody on this forum could get by with one guitar and one amp, but none of us want to!
Click to expand...


Couldn't agree more :) I love guitars..... but more importantly I love playing them. Yeah I am a bit of a junkie. I own 22 Guitars, 3 Amps and an assortment of other items that influence my sound. I do not let this distract me...... I really really try hard to play Every day... for at least 1 hour. The fact is it has taken a very lond time for me to buy what I naw have. Even though I have my favorites, It would be difficult to just have one guitar :)
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

i'm definitely more a play but i know quite a lot about gear and i'm pretty interessted about gear in all of it's forms
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

I guess I am what you would call a gearhead. But I dont own many guitars or amp, but I have gone through quite a few to end up with the ones I got now. But the main thing has always been playing. I started with a Cort solist copy and a Roland digital amp, and played them for about 3 years before I could buy my first Les Paul, and Marshall half stack.

So chops before gear anyday. But a combination is the best!! :)
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

I started playing guitar when I was 9, which means 25 years of guitar playing.
I played in bands from the time I was 15 till now, but also was a lifelong gearhead.....err gearjoneser! LOL In my 20's, I was broke as a joke, eating Ramen noodles and tuna, but was always swingin deals just to aquire pro level stuff.

I put off marriage and kids, and chose the life of living in rehearsal rooms and cargo vans up until I was about 30, when I got more serious about trying to make more money and become an adult. So, making decent money not supporting children, I became a bit obsessed with owning dream gear, which I plan on keeping for life.
Now, to be honest, I'm bored with gear and am just focusing on being an active player, having a healthy relationship, and thinking about my future and finances.
I still love being a gearhead, but holy crap, if you saw the mountain of sh!t I have, you'd understand why I'm done obsessing over it. The stuff on my gearpage is about 3/4 of what I own, and what I've owned over the years could fill a house! Now, I just play it and be happy to have stellar tone!
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

I've been only playing for 8 years. I am much more of a gearhead than I am a player. I wouldn't say I'm close to "pro" material yet, but that's what time and hard practice gives (and I am getting better every day).
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

Xeromus said:
I'm both. Here's the thing, you can learn to play extremely well on a cheap guitar and make it sound good. But getting higher grade equipment makes it easier. Especially if there is a specific sound you're looking for, and a guitar that fits you and sounds good only amplifies your playing ability. You will still sound like crap playing an expensive guitar if you don't practice.

In addtion to playing, gear trading and modifying, upgrading is a hobby of mine.
Click to expand...


+1. Ninjas are also awesome.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

Yeah Joneser I hear you:D
Well I also had a mountain of gear, had so many guitars that I hardly remember them all.
Uh.
Pickups, trems, pickguards, knobs, switches, wire, accesories en masse.
Pedals, amps, necks, bodies, tubes, projects of all kinds.
I was always making some odd mod on something, I love tearing things apart, rigging stuff up in different ways.
Now I have cooked seriously down on all that, I get my electronic side worked out on an daily basis now, I still repair and setup guitars from time to time, but now I simply concentrate bigtime on playing again, to much gear is boring me out of my skull to be frank, well to talk about it in lenghts is boring me to be exact about it, one can only speculate so much before it becomes pointless, what was so important about it??
I know how to get the sound I want, and I also know why I don't get it all the time, more playing, more work on music.
I still like to tinker, but that is a sidething now, I like to play, and I play alot again just like back in the days where I started out.
I record stuff almost everyday, it is what I like best.
I use simple useful tools, that way I have what I need without it getting in my way.
The conclusion for me was a focus on how to play well, I don't like to have it easy, I like the effort of playing, so the gear I use now kinda reflects that.
Details and nitpicking has little room these days;)
So I got myself out of the gearholyquest church:D
This is not meant as pointing fingers at anybody, we are all different beings, this is my own thing regarding gear and music and it works for me.
And I am still having some fun doing new stuff in the company, I am still curious about new stuff, but it is not that all consuming obsession anymore, it is too hysteric for me in the long run.
Sadly I got no spare time for a band right now, but playing is more important than gear:)
Player.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

When I started I was 6 years old- had junk gear.. When I was 13 my mom and dad bought me a wonderful Les Paul Standard that I played for the next 10 or 12 years. During this period I had one guitar, one Randall RG80-112SC amp (that my old man traded for after he realized my kick ass Marshall combo took tubes which needed to be replaced- he honestly thought he was doing me a favor getting me something more reliable), an old MXR Distortion +, and a Cry Baby Wah. That was it. Honestly, I never even thought of getting more gear. No one I knew who played had more than one guitar and one amp. I was pretty satifisfied even though I thought the Randall didn't sound very good. When it is your only real option you get by. I thought I was lucky for having a kickass guitar that was better than anyone I knew. I didn't have a GAS attack until I was out of college for a couple years with some $$ in my pocket. Now, I refuse to play solid state because I put up with that crap Randall for all of those years. Man did that thing SUCK....
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

10 years of playing and none of my equipement is pro ... nor do I have a lot of it. Basically if I have what I need to get the job done ... and that's fine by me.

If I can take my 2 import guitars and solid state amps and produce decent - good tones out of them with fairly decent playing ... I wonder what I will sound like when I finally get a decent tube amp. Hmmm. I can tell you this ... when working with middle of the road guitars ... it's amazing the difference a switch to better pickups will make in regards to tone.

Personally I lust after a lot of premium gear and would love to own it ... but I simply don't have the money to get it (talk to me in 8 months ;) ) ... I have no clue whether or not that makes me a gearhead or a player.
 
Re: Gearhead vs Player

I'm glad someone started this thread. I've got some strong views on this topic. I'm still at school so lots of gear isn't really an option for me but I do try. I think being a 'gear junkie' is part of being a modern guitarist. Personally I define 'gear junkie' as someone who cares a lot about the equipment they use and how to get the best out of it, not just someone who has a lot of gear.

There are loads of kids at school that can play a bit but they still sound ****, despite practising all day, every day. I think I'm about the only kid in the whole school (it is quite a small school to be fair) who spends as much time reading about guitar as I do playing it.

Every time there's something on at school it's always the same. All the kids have nailed their parts and got them tight, spending hours of practise time then turning up at the gig/whatever and just plugging into whatever amp's available, turning up until they can hear themselves and throwing everything away.

Gear junkyism is essential to being a guitarist.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Snake Aces
Fresh Strings, Fresh Outlook
Replies
6
Views
256
Snake Aces
Snake Aces
xxxplorer
Went in for strings, left with a Les Paul
Replies
13
Views
403
xxxplorer
xxxplorer
Ashurbanipal
Wishful NGD and ruminations - Yamaha FG9 and FS9
Replies
6
Views
426
Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal
lespaul59
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus pickup swap question/help
Replies
6
Views
101
lespaul59
lespaul59
Snake Aces
Good Looper vs Recording for simple task
2
Replies
38
Views
377
Mincer
Mincer
Back
Top