Street Cred

Re: Street Cred

I say hell no, you've worked hard to afford your gear and have sunk money into your passion/hobbie/profession.
The only caviot I can see is when people bash the player with more modest gear. (Which judging by your post you are not doing)
I'm sure the guy with the MIM or Squire strat through a Peavey Cl50 probably has Bogner/Les Paul dreams but has not taken the plunge yet or otherwise can't afford it.
I mean, I wouldn't feel guilty driving a Ferari even though a Corolla can do the same (Basic Transportation) job just as well, and more economically to boot.
But if performance matters and you are happy with your rig, and your kids (if any) have food on the table. I say MORE POWER TO YOU!!!:bowdown:
 
Re: Street Cred

Gr8Scott said:
Noone should feel guilty for playing good gear. Sure there's millions of better players out there who struggle along with poor stuff, but they've made choices to spend their money on other things and not on gear like others have.
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... or they're dirt poor and can't afford to buy anything better. You can't choose how to spend money you don't have.
 
Re: Street Cred

My first electric was LesStrat. I had very little extra $$$ at the time. I played him stock for awhile. Then I changed pickups, and gradually changed almost everything. He was playable immediately, but got better with the mods. God opened the door for it when I had little resources.

A year later, He opened the door for me to get a Parker Nitefly NEW for about 45% of retail. I won't get into the details, but it was not supposed to be possible to make the purchase at the time the way I did.

Last year, my bro-in-law sold me a Parker Fly Deluxe with MJ's magic pups in it for about 20% of the new price, and threw in the hard case. Another opened door that I passed through with no regrets. I had a Brobucker built for it a few months ago.

Most of you here have more skill than I. So what? I didn't steal my equipment, and I put it to good use.

My Pop got his first Fender American Jazz bass about 3 years ago. He played a Mustang for 30 years. He has Strat with an early 70's body, but about a '61 or '62 neck. It has Van Zandt pickups. It's a GREAT guitar. He had several offers to buy it the first couple of gigs he played with it. A collector (who had offered to buy it earlier) told him after the show to KEEP IT, because "the neck is worth about $3k."

Now, he plays one paying gig per month (and it's minimal), and plays several times per month in various nursing homes. Oh, yes, he also has the Nitefly now.
 
Re: Street Cred

OlinMusic said:
So here is my moral dilemma:

I am happy as sin with my current rigs. Should I feel guilty? Is it un-rock n roll to have expensive crap, and not just purely focus on the playing/writing portion?
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To me, Rock N' Roll is just about getting a job done: Entertainment. Whether your tastes are expensive or you live on the street, you won't feel guilty about your gear cuz quite frankly, what you feel fit ta do with your gear is your business.

Also, it depends what street you're from. Some schools look down on 'poor' gear and some schools can resent exquisite gear. What street are you from? Or do you do for self?

'Fashion' rules in some settings. Once again, it's all about peoples taste. Personally, if I see a guy with traditional, well-respected name brand gear, I kinda get the the feelin' the guys' into his gear as much as his technique- which there is nothing wrong with. If I see some dude with popular, trendy gear I get the feelin' the guys' into an image more than what I'd consider truly, deep music. Personally, I am more receptive to a player whose gear looks like it has mileage and a sense of "Are they gonna get through the set with that?", because to me the image ain't always pretty but they seem to be playing for sheer enjoyment of the art form.

Playing and writing is one half of rock n' roll, your gear collection is just part of YOUR rock n' roll fantasy. You surely can't feel guilty about that.
 
Re: Street Cred

I have to say THANK YOU to everyone, it seems you all overwhelmingly agree. I can't say who meant more to me, but from a personal level I can relate the following...

In my career(s) I have found feedback the hardest thing to get. People have all kinds of biases, and managers / agents - forget it! They do no twant to spend time counseling their clients. Being able to turn to a group of peers like you guys really means a lot. It has not only been fun and informative for me musically, it has helped me solve pseudo-musical conundrums such as this.

I was on the fence - sell almost all my gear and go scant, though I am as happy as can be OR keep with what I want to do---> keep what I have and maybe sell and go to a Bogner Ecstasy.

Just merely accepting my situation and knowing I have better and better choices to come not only puts my mind at ease, it ends my guilt complex. Amazingly, I got a piece of mail right after this post that says I have come into a windfall of a cash I wasn't expecting.

Ironically, I have enjoyed many gigs lately where I am just the front man and no guitar is involved. It made me wonder why i have all this gear. The answer? I have a lifelong obsession with the guitar that WILL NEVER END. THIS is my therapy / addiction / etc and compared to many players I know I can say, it's clearly better than a drug habit, no?

I NOW see myself standing pat and perhaps adding - Fender Deluxe, wireless mic - otherwise, my funds are for travel, showcase, lawyer, etc.

For some this thread may have hit home as I saw personal opinion playing strongly into it... for some it was just a response to a thread. Regardless, it meant something to me, as lame as it may sound.

Thanks so much.
 
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Re: Street Cred

Hey -

it is way cool - most musicians want good instruments. Just like I have professional tools for my work I do. Yes, I have alot of gas too, but I am not going to be doing anything about it until I square away my finances. I definitely look up to guys like you that have talent and are willing to try and do something about it - getting out there and having fun is step one and the only one that really matters. All the other steps are icing on the cake.

Me? I have been living in the slums for quite a bit and don't have the cash. Step 1 for me is to make sure that I have the time for my next purchase, and that I have the cash for the insurance for 5 years or so; then I would buy that dual recto or bogner or gibson or what have you and do some recording on decent equipment. For now I am fine jamming on my epi and ovation. So ya, there are people like me with a boatload of talent that just are not getting out there - in reality though; big whuup! I mean, playing for fun or playing air guitar or whatev is cool but I definitely look up to those who have taken the time to record their stuff and have made the effort to play in front of a crowd. One in five people play an instrument in the US; so that amounts to a gigantic ton of guitarists - some with connections, funding, talent etc etc

Priorities, priorities. Lord knows rocking out and playing for friends at the local club isn't to be the next famous rock star millionnaire!! Of course it is great to win the lotto; if you don't buy a ticket, you can't go around saying "if life was fair I would win the lotto" for sure!
 
Re: Street Cred

Hey Olin, I have checked out your website, and I see you play in the Hollywood area a lot. That must be one of the toughest cities to play. I have seen a few shows here and there in LA, and it seems that the crowds are too timid (too hip? yeah right) too blase' [sp] to clap or cheer...even when they felt the music was very good. They get going for a group that they have been told is great by the media before a show!. I might be wrong about the nature of the LA crowds, but I hope it is not a contributor to your recent introspection.
 
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Re: Street Cred

As a gear enabler, I'm probably not the best to weigh in. But, I will cuz that's who I am.

I do not worry about what others think about my gear... why? Cuz no one ever sees my gear. I've not played out in a year and a half. I'm more conscious of making amps that others find appealing and want to buy. I do it because of this bizarre and incredible feeling of satisfactoin when I get an email from someone telling me how incredible their tone is with one of my amps.

I'm with a lot of others. If it was not gear collecting, I'd be buying motorcycles or old hotrods or something else to appease my obsessive compulsive streak.

For the young guys that are struggling on a $500 rig, my thoughts are with you. I've been there. I've been so poor that I had to write hot checks for my little girls birthday party. Now I'm not poor. Yes, I have more good gear than I deserve. I'm a rhythm player that could probably be happy with one acoustic, one amp and one electric guitar. But, I collect gear, buy and sell on a whim, have a lot of fun doing it. No apologies will ever come out of me and I certainly hope O doesn't ever make any either.

Now back to making purty amps for doctors and lawyers... ;)
 
Re: Street Cred

It IS, you are ON THE MONEY, LA is so hard, but it's my town from the Dodgers / Lakers to the great Shwarma and Starbucks every 5 feet ( 4 within 2 miles of my place).

It does kinda get to me. I play a lot of gigs to keep active - I am doing everything from fronting rock bands, to dance tracks I placed in Europe, to singing in a Foreigner Tribute - as long as it's live (or being placed) I will do it.

I was supposed to be on tour with a band now, but thankfully I am not. I have seen where they have headed (re: a-holes + the amount of coke they snort - not my thing. I am in the midst of recording and re-recording material and shopping my own deal again. I sold my Marshall 6100 to get Pro Tools 002 - a smart move on my part. I have also gone back to using less digital and more mic'd amps, much more vocal harmonies, etc. I just haven't posted a lot of the stuff.

I am currently making my way down to OC more. I worry about the fashion angle because I am pigeon holed as it is - "retro" or R&B-ish etc etc. I play with amazing players, I studied with a jazz legend for a while, and I have a blast in every show I play... but I can tell you fashion comes in a lot. Pull out a vintage Marshall and you are hot sh*t. Bring anything but a Polytone / ES-??? to a jazz gig and you are BS (I gave up on jazz for this reason). Then on a recent punk gig it's Recto or 5150 cranked to hell and nothing else matters (I quit that gig, I was interested more in LA's burgeoning punk scene.) I nearly traded my Framus for a Recto just to keep up with the sheer volume - then decided hell no, the Framus is high gain + TONE. I like tone.

Punk really is a scene now, people show up to be part of it. At the same time you have too many players who are anti-technique AND WORSE - anti-pocket. I am a blues rock player at heart who loves R&B/Funk. To me everything starts with 12 bar blues - I care about few things else if you can nail that with fever from Berry to G. Moore.

So yeah, I end up lost a lot. Yesterday I played with a former member of Royal Crown Review (remember "Hey Pachuco"?) I asked him how did you do what you did? He said, they played everywhere you can imagine - metal clubs to parties - they even opened for KISS in the midwest. He said stick to your guns, that's all you can do. Then again, he isn't rich and doesn't have a deal - so hmmm what to think?

I like getting everyone's advice because sticking to your guns can be the right or wrong thing. With gear I can tell you this - someone in a band b*tched and moaned I need to play Marshalls though I was a Mesa Mark / Heartbreaker die hard! Well, guess what? Got me a Plexi and never looked back. Then again, this guy also said Bogners suck - well, he is right on Marshalls, and WRONG on Bogners.

Here's the thing - i see all the wananbe rock stars, coke heads and their Rock / Blues riffs writing "rock" songs and trying to bring rock back and whining about the industry. You have the 15 yr old girls in AC/DC and Hendrix shirts who don't even know what Band of Gypsies means..lol (best paying gigs btw). I see older cats who refuse to keep their look and put on a show, and also - whine about the industry. I am looking for feedback because I know the answer lies somewhere in COMPROMISE, it's not all black and white. Good gear, good look, good tunes, good times, getting out there and shaking the walls to the ground!

PS - thanks for checking my samples, I feel they aren't event nearly representative, short of the first few songs.

PPS - thanks for reading my "novel" of a thread. hahahaha - writing is very therapeutic.
 
Re: Street Cred

Olin. I am just an ass with an opinion, but it has been said that "a weed is just a plant out of place". Do you think that you could get more done in Vegas? People are there to be entertained. Velvet Revolver played San Manuel this month in San Berdardino (Highland), an hour or so from LA:

The Nuuuuge! August 31:

http://www.sanmanuel.com/page.htm?pageId=9502

Los Lonely Boys, August 17:

http://www.sanmanuel.com/page.htm?pageId=9502
 
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Re: Street Cred

LA is a brutal scene. Good luck with it. You are in a world so far away from mine it's not even funny. You seem to have built yourself an image. You seem to have gigs. Now what's it take to get to the next level?

That Vegas comment might have some merit. Anyone ever heard of Danny Gans before he started playing Vegas? Not too many. (haha, did I spell that right?)

There are a lot of old rock and rollers that would completely dig hearing a lot of great rock songs when they are in Vegas. I'm not sure of the venue, but Vegas is 99% image. Ya never know...
 
Re: Street Cred

Hard earned money for expensive( well hi-end quality) instruments/gear is faaar mooooore better tahna 100k $ Car!!!So many people are driving very expensive cars and find my 2000$ Guitar expensive!!!WTF?i mean they drive something 50 times more expensive than my Amp ,and my amp still owns in sound and speed !!!:fingersx:
Anyways ,be happy with your gear Bro!!.You live as a musician ,and any worker needs hi-end tools to get the best result.We all search for the "tone" ,thats why were here and thats why we buy allways new stuff and spend money for that.And that is the way of being in music!!!
Well ,i cannot find a better reason to work hard and earn big money.Family ,future and pleasure is the way to go.And music is my greatest pleasure!
 
Re: Street Cred

Olin, play with your heart and your ear, and use the gear that gets the sound(s) in your head. If you have the $ to do that than good for you.

I've listened to your tracks at soundclick as well and enjoyed them.

Here's A little side note that applies to all art professionals:
When our work is our passion, the majority of us have to do a bunch of crap (or at least some) to enable us truly express ourselves/do what we want to do. But that good bit is way worth it!
 
Re: Street Cred

Gr8Scott said:
Guilt and happiness don't mix.
If good stuff makes you happy, don't let guilt rain on your parade.
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No truer words have been spoken.

I don't consider myself a "musician" or an "artist"...I don't gig out & I'm not in a band. I play when I can & should probably practice more than I do. I have more gear than I "NEED" & the wife cares to see or hear.

In the end, I'm just a guy that loves music & tries his best to make some. Every now & then, I play something that actually approximates it :D

Music comes from the heart...play with your heart & follow your heart. Don't worry about what others think about your image or your gear. As long as it sits well in your heart, you're on the right track to happiness!

:beerchug:

Besides, nevermind your gear....you have more explaining to do for that outfit you're wearing on the website!!! :D
 
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Re: Street Cred

Nothing to feel bad about.... Being creative and having tools thak make you creative are good things.
 
Re: Street Cred

My opinion is that you do what you can with what you have. If a guy has the money to buy a Komet or whatever and he/she can make it do what they want want it to do then great. If you can only affoard a used Crate or Peavey and you can make it sound like you want then go for it. Often it seems as though players are looking for gear that fits their playing, but I think it should be the other way around, a player should be able to make the gear fit them through their playing...a player makes the gear work. The gear doesn't make a guys playing work...that applies musically and in terms of stage appearance/presentation.

Be true to yourself. Be yourself musically and be responsible financially. Some guys feel better about a piece of gear because they've paid more money for it. Some people just have that way about them. Others feel better by spending as little as possible and they make it work. You often see that work out in their lives too by their cars, houses, and the rest of their junk.
 
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Re: Street Cred

I guess it might be uncool if you spend hours in gear shops and play for 5 minutes a week, but just because you have expensive gear it doesn't mean you're not playing as hard as you would be with cheap gear.

Sometimes I feel I concentrate too much on my rig, which is bad and it's something I try to shy away from, but then again tone is such an important part of music and if we all had the same rigs it'd be like going into an art gallery and every painting was in black, white or grey.
 
Re: Street Cred

I don't think anyone ought to feel guilty about their gear being expensive, at the same time no one should be embarassed about having more frugal gear.

After gigging for about 4 years, I got a Mesa Tremoverb combo and spent the better part of 10 years twiddling knobs instead of just playing the guitar and carried 3 guitars to the gig with me, so I could have the so called "exact" tone required for a certain tune. I was miserable with tone psychosis.

My financial situation changed and I was forced to give up a couple of guitars and the T-verb...I was depressed about it for a while and went through a couple of amps searching for good tone with mixed results. I also had to mod my Strat to get some more tones out of it.

Fast forward to now......I believe I have the best tone that I've ever had...... I know my guitar inside and out, which makes my playing better. I do play through a cheaper amp (V-32 with a good speaker) and it is easy to dial in a great tone. I use a few stomp boxes and life is good.

In short, play what you need, not what is fashionable. If you need a Dumble and a custom made axe, go for it. If a Squier Strat and a Roland Cube gets you there thats cool. Lots of different tools for different jobs......Joe
 
Re: Street Cred

I had a great Rivera Knucklehead. Twiddled the knobs too much. It had tone controls that were waaaay too interactive. I could never keep it dialed in. I also had a Two Rock Custom Reverb that was like that. Knob twiddler.

Less is more in my book. Simple is good. No more knob twiddlers for me.
 
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