Gear isn't all that important, is it?

[the_blue_bomber]

i play a squier. top of the line squier mind you

Same here.

[bfitz]

i play a squier. top of the line squier mind you

Same here.

Ditto!!

I have emptied an awful amount of funds on gear in the last few years but it has been worth it because i have a versatile rig.

TT with tele and squier strat for blues and classic rock and recording
RV with squier for funk and an EMG strat for more heavy modern sounds
Ad5 with tele for small coffee shop gigs
Bass amp with squier jazz bass for the band im currently gigging with

then there's me!! who in the last year has been learning more and more from lessons and jamming with people i've never jammed with before playing music i've never played and trying to break moulds that i sometimes find myself locked into. 4 years ago i played metal only, now im drifting into blues, funk, (attempting to drift into jazz), dance music and instrumental stuff. I jam with my peers as well as older dudes who have been playing for years and years and younger guys who are often really adventurous with their sounds. I think i like the idea of being a rounded guitar player but there is so much that i still dont know but its getting there thats the fun bit and i really cant see myself ever hangin up my boots on this i just love the guitar!

i think we all try to get somewhere we want to get with gear its like the first time you ever see a strat or a les paul, they are desireable things because our hero's used em. I know i dont need any more stuff because my rig has all i need, the only thing i need is to keep developing as a player!

[a.hun]

Gear isn't all that important, is it?

i play a squier. top of the line squier mind you

And again. Really like what I can do with my CV Tele.

Well for me gear isn't all important, but yeah, I'd have to admit to being pretty obsessed with instrument amps. More so than with guitars and basses for some reason. That is mainly because I really like what they let me do though - making music. I discovered long ago that great sounds help me play well, and bad sounds don't. And I can get great sounds with good - but relatively inexpensive guitars and basses, as long as they are going through decent amps. I really don't care what name is on the bits of kit that get me good sounds, as long as they work. Amps don't even have to have valves in my book. If it works it works...

Thankfully I'm not someone who is never satisfied, always moving on gearwise. I'd hate to be that way so I'm really happy that I can truly enjoy what I have. Sure I've added to my amp (and instrument) collection once in a while when I could afford and justify it. But that isn't usually because of dissatisfaction with what I'm already using, simply to get more different sounds. I still use all the amps I own, including my lowly Peavey Classic 30 combo which I've always had a soft spot for.

But ultimately they are all just tools to help me enjoy making music. I'll quite happily turn up at a jam session and use whatever gear is laid on.


Andy.

[nguideau]

There's some truth to that, but hey, there's nothing wrong if you have fun learning about gear, tweaking it, trying new things, etc. For some people, I'm sure that's as much fun as playing, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

[Tango]

I would like to say no........but I can't

[TESLA_EL34]

i also play kind of cheapish guitars....
but i care about my amps and tubes...

[ronnes]

i have some cheap guitars and expensive ones...but i tend to always grab for my Squier Stratocaster(90´ japan) before my heritage... i dont know... it could have been just as easily the other way around, but i just like the squier better it only matters what you think fits you! price could be high or it could be dirt cheap...

but on the other im just as diseased as the next one...GAS is a pain in the ASS! but also quite fun...

who wouldnt want a 50´s telecaster or a very early black Les Paul custom!!

if i had the opportunity to choose either a cheap guitar and an good amp or expensive guitar and cheap amp i would have chosen cheap guitar cos´ i think it is easier to mod a guitar than a amp, and ive always modded my guitars to suit me

[baytamusic]

Well, since it's been brought up, I think amps are way more important than guitars. An Epiphone Les Paul Custom will sound better through a nice tube amp than a vintage Les Paul Custom through a Crate practice amp.

Of course having a great guitar and a great amp is even better, but if you suck you suck. I'm borderline suck but as Tim Gunn would say "I make it Work".

[Deacon Blues]

i think about this question all the time.

i read an interview with tom morello and he talked about how one day he just gave up on trying to find that illusive tone in his head. he just said "look i have a high quality rig," im going to force myself to find tones that work.

i feel kind of the same way. i really like my RV and i know that although there might be sounds out there that i might like more - i have neither the time or the $ to discover them.

[Bink]

I would like to say no........but I can't

Yeah, that's kinda where I'm at...!

Having nice tone, inspires me to play so it is important to me.

Having said that, my favourite strat is a Squier with Tonerider pups in it! (it is a Jap Squier from the early 90s though).

[buzzbomb]

I will admit that, for me that is, there is a little materialism in the mix. It feels good owning something nice. it is also inspiring to plug in and know that it is up to me to make a great sounding amp sound great (or at least decent). Suck sounds like suck thru anything. I will also admit that I have heard tones that are way better than what I can produce made on equipment that I would consider crap. I record our jams alot and try to listen to the end result objectively. Helps more than changing sounds/amps all the time, anyway creativity can often come from working with limiting parameters and not from chasing the holy grail or a Waiting for Godot situation. That said the TV50 has been amazing for me, alot of different sounds in that amp.

[jojo68]

Many of our fans are musicians. I do think alot of tone really does come from your fingers. Around here the crowd def. knows what's up with gear/tone for the most part. We've gotten people screaming that they want an orange amp between songs and the "we're not worthy " bowing down thing too.

[Gtr_Pkr]

Gear has definitely been a means to an end for me. I've got gear for the AC/DC tribute band, Gretsch and Marshall, and then gear for playing other music. I wanted to sound like Tom Morello, so I bought a Whammy Pedal. I love the Fender sound, so I bought a '59 Bassman clone and some cheaper Tele's and a Strat copy. When I want a different tone, it usually required getting some different gear. I can now say that whatever tone pops into my head, I can achieve it with a combination of guitars, amps. and pedals. Some may say that gear is not important.....well, it sure helps to keep things interesting and fun.

[Deacon Blues]

but it sure helps to keep things interesting and fun.

exactly.

i think that modern guitar players who have eclectic taste in what they listen to and what they make need a broad palate of accessible and high quality guitar sounds

i remember when i got my first expensive piece of guitar equiptment and my parents gave me the "what do you need that for" lecture.

i told them that the music that inspires me, and the type of music i aspire to make, wasn't made by people using poorly made tools with construction issues and limitations. audio fidelity is a polar thing to me - something is either good or it isn't.

thank god for craigslist though...i would have next to nothing without it

[voodoorider]

I have tooooo many guitars, and have many more on my wanted list! If the money is there then make the most of it i think! If you want to own a certain guitar, amp or pedal then work to get it parting with them is very hard though, i've managed to sell... none.

As for obsessing over gear rather than playing, i think it's nice to want stuff, but unless you're making serious investment, playing your gear is important too, or it all becomes kind of pointless i think? I play quite a lot too, so i never feel like just a collector!