When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

[astrozombie]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

on the other hand, that polo shirt dude did manage to make that floyd sound like a Kahler.

impresive.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

The whole thing just kinda reminds me of the endless rounds of American Idol auditions you suffer through before you get 1 or 2 who can actually sing. Dont they know they cant sang??

To those who say he can spend his money on what he wants. Thats true enough. No argument there. Im just not sure why he would. The whole idea escapes me I guess.

I guess another unmentioned topic would be, why are these clips in the form of gear reviews? I have no idea if that random star is any good or not. What constructive information does the viewer gain from these video posts?

 

[BloodRose]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

I hope it found a good home if you sold it. 2 guitars ive been dying to look at are those gus g 600nts and the michael kelly patriots. The only thing in the gus g model Ive seen around are the 200 bolt ons. I picked one up off the stand at GC, thats about it. The 600 id like to spend a little time with though. Of course, I really plan on buying neither, at the moment at least. Something may end up being a reward christmas present on down the road when I get my chops back from a several year playing drought and I feel my playing warrants it, but not until.

My herd is pretty much non-existant now. I sold 2 guitars last winter and I just sold my Squier deluxe a few weeks back.

Im down to a Jackson DK2T and an Alvarez acoustic. Thats it. Heh, dont even have an amp. Just a POD Studio UX1 that I bought with some of the money I sold the squier for. I still have a v-amp2 that still sees very little light of day. I know, high end stuff right there.

I had one of the GUS G's with the trem and red flame top. Awesome guitar! alil neck dive.. And Michael Kelly Patriots are amazing guitars for the $$.. I have a Patriot Custom and keep telling myself I should sell all but that one... tonepros bridge, coil taps..

 

[GoDrex]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

A Korean LTD is "high end"?

I was talking about the 5150 III head. I'd say it's a pretty high end amp.

Anyway, sure who cares what he buys? But the question was should he chill on the gear a bit and focus more on playing and the answer is yes, because he has nice gear but he can't make musical sounds. If he's just in it for the enjoyment of acquiring gear, that's a fine, but it should be about playing, IMO. He's got what he needs to do that. Balance is everything. Actually he should give me his amp as payment for guitar lessons.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

this video is a good example of why i laugh when people say i'm lucky to work in a guitar store

i mean, yeah, i am lucky, but still. it has um...anti-perks

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

I always wondered why they offered those with trems. I saw an interview with gus where he flat out said he doesnt like them. Im not sure if they make them with trems anymore or not.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

When is the line drawn?

Somewhere out there Gus is weeping.



http://www.youtube.com/user/commercialking

Lots of demos. Charvel, Wolfgang, LTD. I see a 5150III head.

So, the question is. Do you think there is a point where you should just stop on the gear obsession and just get down focusing on the guitar as an insturment? Im not trying to poke fun here and I know we've all been there, so none of us is immune, but it does pose that question.

I was finally able to view this.. awhile back, I was checking vids for Gunslingers and this dude had some up.. I thought from the name commercialking that maybe he was trying to be like The Tone King..

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

If I was there in person, I'd be tempted to break off that whammy bar & hit him over the head with it.

^ This. :jester::lmao:

 

[tc]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

this video is a good example of why i laugh when people say i'm lucky to work in a guitar store

i mean, yeah, i am lucky, but still. it has um...anti-perks

Have you seen the videos about working in a music store? Someone posted them here a while ago and I laughed my ass off!

I always wondered why they offered those with trems. I saw an interview with gus where he flat out said he doesnt like them. Im not sure if they make them with trems anymore or not.

From what I know...nope they don't anymore.

Just to clarify, the Gus G Star is kind of cool but not my thing. I meant the Charvel Star he has.

 

[LuredMaul]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

reminds me of my days of playing out.....when you see another band loading in and all gear is "New" they are going to suck on a level that's amazing.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

Sheesh, who cares? Look at cars and their owners .... some of the most expensive cars are owned by people who would be lucky to have their bums in the driver's seat for two hours a week, and some of those people are terrible drivers.

Money, ownership of expensive items and skill are things that are not necessarily aligned in ways that seem logical. There will always be people living their dreams no matter how unrealistic it may seem to others. Yeah, it can be offensive if they stick it in your face, but if you're confident in yourself and your abilities there's no reason to get upset about such things. Besides, people who buy all the good stuff can be useful to know, because sooner or later they get bored and want to move on to something else, and then you might be able to pick up a great item in near-mint condition for a good price. Ownership is just a part of consumerism and the wonderful way we live. I didn't watch the clip in the opening post, but i'm sure it's guys like that who keep retail stores alive, competitive and flourishing, which helps us all when we need to purchase something.

 

[sbecker67]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

I don't get the presumption that a person's gear must be relative to their playing ability. The only thing a person's gear should relate to is their abiltiy to AFFORD it, period.

I wonder if isn't just jealousy that perpetuates this notion.

Personlly, I don't care what gear a person uses. I'm only impressed by what they are able to produce from it's use.

 

[GoDrex]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

this seems to be being taken very seriously

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

haha nobody is taking it seriously...dude is just what i call an anti-role model

Do YOU wana be the ******bag with the gay shirt and the dumb beard sucking it up on a pointy shred guitar you don't know how to use?

No?

Then save your money and practice on the gear you have :smokin:

 

[John_L]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

reminds me of my days of playing out.....when you see another band loading in and all gear is "New" they are going to suck on a level that's amazing.

I used to work at a radio station dealing with live performances. If you had a bunch of arrogant SOB's with lots and lots of expensive equipment then you knew right off they were Bit Crap. On the other hand a bunch of nice people with older equipment, great show.

I think it's called the Muse effect

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

I don't get the presumption that a person's gear must be relative to their playing ability. The only thing a person's gear should relate to is their abiltiy to AFFORD it, period.

I wonder if isn't just jealousy that perpetuates this notion.

Personlly, I don't care what gear a person uses. I'm only impressed by what they are able to produce from it's use.

Probably because it skips what would normally be a common sense progression. I know I went through it and so did everybody I personally know who is into guitars and gear.

Step 1
You decide that (insert guitar player here) is your idol and you have to learn to play that stuff. So, you get that 200 dollar amp and guitar package and start the learning process. If you get bored or decide its not for you, you're out 200 bucks. If you progress and decide this is cool and you must progress farther, proceed to the next step.

(Mine was a martin stinger strat copy and a rascal solid state amp with no distrotion to speak of)

Step2
You're sticking to it and making progress, but your limited by your gear, so you upgrade to a nice mid-price range guitar and maybe a good higher wattage solid state/modeling amp or an affordable tube amp. At this point, there is really no looking back. You're addicted and have been at it for a few years and now your really getting good. You're now really serious, so you hooked up with some buddies and now you are again limited by gear and need to upgrade.

(This is when i bought my first guitar with my own money. A Charvel strat with a licensed floyd and a fender amp.)


Step 3
You are in a band and need to keep up with the drummer and bass player. There are gigs in your future so, viola, gibson les paul and marshall half stack. You have arrived.

(this is when I got a gibson les paul studio and a peavey 5150 half stack.)



Ive since demoted myself from Step 3 back down to Step 2 and my stuff reflects that, though its obviously of my own choice. No band, no gigs plus long hiatuses from playing at all means I dont need or warrant the high end gear, so I dont have any.

Though, id have to say the Jackson DK2 I currenty have would eat the Gibson LP I had for lunch, so im not really hurting at all for a #1 guitar. Wouldnt mind having a solid #2 though. :naughty:



Of course, wouldnt it be somewhat obvious that possibly all that cash might be better focused on something more constructive toward the current situation. Something like, I dunno, ummm, guitar lessons maybe?

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

yeah

i'm selling most of my collection to focus on my chops

new gear doesn't play itself, unfortunately.

this is not a sarcastic post

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

the ******bag with the gay shirt and the dumb beard sucking it up

 

[blueman335]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

I don't get the presumption that a person's gear must be relative to their playing ability. The only thing a person's gear should relate to is their abiltiy to AFFORD it, period.

That's true if you're a bedroom player and live in a vacuum. But when you're gigging and jamming, you make a statement, loud and clear, when you show up with high-end gear. Walk in the door with $5,000+ worth of guitar and amp and it draws attention to you and sets expectations. Whether you intend to or not, you're saying: "Look at me." If you play like a hack, people will make fun of you all night. I have no sympathy for guys with more money than talent. You can't buy your way to being a good player. Hey, it's a free country: they have the right to buy whatever they want, and we have the right to laugh at them for going in public and not knowing how to use it. :9:

Plus, the average bar gig is a smoke-filled room with poor acoustics, and an undersize, crowded stage, playing for a bunch of inebriated people who are not exactly discerning musically. Things get kocked over and broken, beer gets spilled, and you're loading up your gear at 2:00AM in a dark parking lot. Is this the kind of place to lug around a small fortune in equipment? Do what you want, but it makes a lot more sense to play mid-priced guitars at most bar gigs, and if they get damaged or stolen, you don't suffer a major financial setback. Save your best gear for corporate or private gigs. They also pay much better.

 

[blueman335]

Re: When gear addiction long surpasses your ability

Of course, wouldnt it be somewhat obvious that possibly all that cash might be better focused on something more constructive toward the current situation. Something like, I dunno, ummm, guitar lessons maybe?

Bingo! And instructional DVD's and books, CD Guitar Trainer, online lessons, etc. Get good, and then buy that expensive guitar, and show off your chops and your guitar in public. You're the whole package. That's when you earn respect.