Gear is definitely important, for sound, image and partially for technique/proficiency. But it's basically what Chief said, if you can make a terrible instrument sound good, you're good. I own a Gibson LP 2012 50th Anniversary version. Chocolate brown, no fancy finish, it's pretty worn and I love it. I also have a little Vox 40+ (practice amp, I rent/borrow gear for gigs) and a terrible Yamaha multi-effect. I do most of my setups on amp or digitally cause that Yamaha f-ing sucks. I'm still a student so when I win a lottery or get my first payment, proper gear will be the first thing I'll buy _________________ Finally updated the overall chart
I have some Korean-made Fender electric/acoustic bass that I occasionally noodle around on. When I do plug it in, my fiance has an Alesis Quadraverb and a Boss RC-300 that I can play around with. We run it through some Fender keyboard amp. She's got quite a few other instruments and things lying around, but that, the mbira, and the marimba are mostly what I mess around with.
I agree that gear means squat if you can't play and sometimes people get really good at knowing gear and are missing the whole aspect of soulful playing.
It's a bit like an artist who only has charcoal or a pencil to create with. A great artist could create something absolutely beautiful with nothing else. Maybe even the medium is a sidewalk or a napkin... and still it's amazing.
But artists often like to play with their palate or medium too... and when they do, they often explode into something amazing.
I mean, that's the whole spirit behind the MTV Unplugged series... can the songs/artist sound just as good/stand on their own, completely stripped down?
I agree that gear means squat if you can't play and sometimes people get really good at knowing gear and are missing the whole aspect of soulful playing.
It's a bit like an artist who only has charcoal or a pencil to create with. A great artist could create something absolutely beautiful with nothing else. Maybe even the medium is a sidewalk or a napkin... and still it's amazing.
But artists often like to play with their palate or medium too... and when they do, they often explode into something amazing.
I mean, that's the whole spirit behind the MTV Unplugged series... can the songs/artist sound just as good/stand on their own, completely stripped down?
i agree with pretty much all of this.
all around, some great points raised about learning to play your instrument, and i 100% agree with that.
.......but the gear is fun too. and so many of these great albums we listen to wouldn't be nearly as special without the tools these folks were using. jimmy hendrix is a household name in part because of how he turned glitches into sound effects. pink floyd was using the best gera on the planet. ok computer and kid a are gearheady albums to the max. boards of canada. you name it. heck - shoegazing, post-rock, ambient and electronic music are so tied up in the gear, they couldn't exist without it. so gear is a fun part of the process, and if you get turned off by geekspeak, maybe find a different thread. i dunno. i suppose neil young's aesthetic revolved around one old beat down guitar, so if your strokes run that way, all the better for you.
learning to make a bad instrument sound good is a great goal. making a great instrument sound good is pretty awesome too though. i've heard plenty of bad musicians make great guitars sound terrible and great musicians get crud guitars to sing.
Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:
I have a real shitty drum kit that I've been playing for years. My thinking is that if I can make IT sound good, then I must be a pretty damn good drummer by now. There is a hole in my 10 inch tom, my crash cymbal broke, and I never replaced it so, I only have the one ride cymbal, my kick pedal is basically broken in half (but still works) and my hi hat is all sorts of weird. I can probably do more with less than most people.
that's really cool.... really great, but like... why punish yourself? chops before props - i dig it, but it doesn't have to be one or the other. then again, i suppose that's your style. rugged. raw. all that. and that's cool too. i don't think you should mortgage the house to pay for the custom or noth'n like that, but when i can afford to upgrade a little here or there, i like to... there's nothing more inspiring than a new amp or a new guitar or a new delay pedal. i can't imagine playing on a cruddy drumset just cause.
YoungPunk wrote:
I almost learned how to make bassoon reeds, does that count?
i bet i could spend a lifetime pondering this question and make no progress.
ETA: i would argue as well that every piece of gear - whether it's a guitar, a snare drum or a delay pedal - has to be learned, practiced and studied. throwing a bit of delay on your guitar isn't going to make you suddenly sound good if you don't know what you're doing with it. in a way, it's a whole other instrument and ought to be respected as such. the edge didn't make his career by slapping a delay onto the end of his chain. he learned how to maximize the potential of his delay, essentially writing songs around the delay rather than the guitar. _________________ follow me on the bandcamp.
that's really cool.... really great, but like... why punish yourself? chops before props - i dig it, but it doesn't have to be one or the other. then again, i suppose that's your style. rugged. raw. all that. and that's cool too. i don't think you should mortgage the house to pay for the custom or noth'n like that, but when i can afford to upgrade a little here or there, i like to... there's nothing more inspiring than a new amp or a new guitar or a new delay pedal. i can't imagine playing on a cruddy drumset just cause.
1. I play drums for a hobby. I don't play in a band or consciously attempt to write any music for artistic or monetary value.
2. I'm in college and spending money on anything other than food, drink, and shelter is very limited. I spend any fun money on going to concerts generally.
As soon as I get a steady job and a little extra scratch, I know I'm going to spend it on fixing my drum situation.
My dream would be to have this kit. Kick drum sound is a little flat to me, but my god, the toms are god-like.
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