why do players play through soo much gear?

X

xerxes

X Marks the Toneologist
what i mean is, why do they play through 18 pedals, 14 racks, and 100 heads at once (im exagerating i know)? doesnt it wipe out tone a lot?

personally, i just play right now through guitar---->chord----->amp. lots of other great players do this as well and get amazing tone. isnt it easier to not have to rely on 100 different items when playing?


this is a question and im not trying to put down anyone. :)
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Why not? If they got the toys, they have every right to play with 'em.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Effects are cool; I personally don't really use much, but to the right person it can be their tone.

I'm kinda envious of all those crazy rack/midi people. The sounds they can get must be crazy. Not to mention the versatility of it all. I am happy with what I have though.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

In my experience, most guitarists have little clue how to improve their tone while still being able to employ the effects they want to use.

The thing that really kills me is the people who spend $2,000 on a high-gain head and run it clean, while getting their distortion from a $50 Boss pedal. Often they could get the very same tone just running the Boss pedal straight into the PA.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Half the time, when you see a pro rig with 6 cabs, 20sp rack, and tons of outboard gear, the actual tone is nothing more than a preamp, FX unit, power amp, 2 cabs.
Guys who go with a rig like that have guys to move it all, so they figure "it looks cool, I like it" Personally, I like a guitar into a pedalboard, in which most FX can be true bypassed, into an amp. Those guys like Vernon Reid or Petrucci, with NASA as a rig, actually look kinda ridiculous to me. All those flashing lights for a 45 minute set? LOL
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Gearjoneser said:
Half the time, when you see a pro rig with 6 cabs, 20sp rack, and tons of outboard gear, the actual tone is nothing more than a preamp, FX unit, power amp, 2 cabs.
Click to expand...

I'm soooooo tired of the wall of 40 Marshall cabs and only one of them has a signal (or even speakers, for that matter) in it. I like the opposite look: the guy with a Colliseum Series Mark 3 w/ an EVM12L in it, who sits that little puppy on a chair and proceeds to blow the wall of cabs over with volume. :saeek:
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Me myself use hardly any effects. But when I do its just a ME-50. I like to run stright into the head and get differnt effects from my hands and the guitar.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

i still love the when i was watching one of the late shows and dashboard confessional was playing (whom i dont like their music, but its besides the point). the guitarist (not the singer) had just a guitar run straight into a 1X12 combo amp that wasnt even miked. still the coolest thing ive seen.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

I would have one rack, with a preamp, poweramp, a cab and a pedalboard. Thats the max.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Well, I use a 6 space rack, using a guitar synth/looping/midi system. Why? Well, I like classic guitar sounds just fine, but I also like creating my own. I even like making sounds that are nothing like a guitar, or any other instrument for that matter. I am really not after re-creating classic sounds (there are a lot of people doing that just fine), so I mangle the sound to be what I want.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

Being the old fart that I am, I always ran/run my guitars straight through the good old tube amps. I honestly don't know what the majority of the pedals, racks, etc. out there do and I've never had any inclination to try any of them.

To give a balanced presentation though, I know and naturally, hear many players who use lots of pedals, racks, etc. as part and parcel of their sound and IMO, sound really good too. I guess it all boils down to whatever works for the individual.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

what i hate is morons who play at bars/clubs who spend all their freaking time setting up their rig than playing and then taking time away from other bands because they take the same amounbt of time packing up....
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

i love the guitar-chord-amp, but that doesnt give me enough versatility for what i want.

so i have 3 pedals currently, a mxr dyna comp - pretty much always on, or, use it as a solo boost. Bd-2, depending on the sound i want i use it alone for light distortion, than add the amps distortion as a boost, or vice versa, depends on the amp. That way i have a slight crunch/boost in one dist. a light dist on anohter, and combine them for higher gain/solo. The cgb-95 is ur standard wah. i will eventaully ahve it bypassed. Wah is fun to mess around with and an essential for every guitar player, even though its use is infrequent.

Depending on the amp i have/get, i will add a chorus, phaser, and reverb pedal. if the amp can take care of any of those than i wont get one. prbly the mxr. phase 90 and the EH chorus, small whatever. the reverb wold be a EH holy grail.

in conclusion, i think there is a middle ground, not overboard, yet not bare bones. I like being able to change my sound up a bit foir different songs
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

I'm a Guitar, amp, and pedals type of guy but if I had the money for a small rack for all my special effects (chorus, flange, delay, tremolo) that would be cool. It's kind of a bitch having so many pedals and tap-dancing.
 
Re: why do players play through soo much gear?

When you 1st learn how to play guitar. The next step is to find your sound. The commom thought is to get more gear? So ya go down to the music store to find thatMagic box that's gonna give you your signature sound. A few $1000 later your realize (if your lucky) That your sound is with in you!!
Been there the whole time. ( but it sure was fun buying all that gear HA HA)
Well that's my take on it. I've come full circle
I started out with just a cable into a small tube Webcor reel to reel.
20 years And a few grand in stomp boxes and big amps and
all the gadget Dijour! I'm back with
a cable and a small tube amp. ( What a long strange trip it's been) LoL
 
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