Burning through gear. What I’ve learned.

[KingsXJJ]

Plenty of gear for plenty of folks. First thing, learn your fingers. Technique can make most things sound good. Just look at Leon and Pete Thorn and many others.

Get your style and technique down fully. Then explore.

What I’ve found: there are some really nice pedals out there. If you want to build an analog and digital board and run in to an amp you can get really great results if you choose items that fit your style and technique. Yes, I am repeating you should know yourself then you’ll know gear and what works for you.

The same is somewhat true for modelers. If your selective, these things have become incredibly useful and sound fantastic. If you just want to cut to the chase, get fractal. It’s the best available IMO. A cheaper alternative is the new NUX 4K Amp Academy Stomp. You’ve never heard $300 sound so good. Others like Hotone and newer products from Valeton might be worth looking at too.

Don’t let the snobs or set-minded folks tell you otherwise…. You don’t need a certain piece of gear to sound great. You just need what suits you… once you’re in your own personal sweet spot.

 

[Mongillo19]

Self reflection is a good thing from time to time

 

[sashimi]

 

[KingsXJJ]

Self reflection is a good thing from time to time

Just sharing some insights with others. I’m good.

 

[FuzzyAce]

First thing, learn your fingers. Technique can make most things sound good.

 

[CBHScott]

 

[KingsXJJ]

You’ll see some unworthy responses but the advice is solid and true for amps as well.

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

Crème de la crème

 

[timbuck3]

Plenty of gear for plenty of folks. First thing, learn your fingers. Technique can make most things sound good. Just look at Leon and Pete Thorn and many others.

Get your style and technique down fully. Then explore.

What I’ve found: there are some really nice pedals out there. If you want to build an analog and digital board and run in to an amp you can get really great results if you choose items that fit your style and technique. Yes, I am repeating you should know yourself then you’ll know gear and what works for you.

The same is somewhat true for modelers. If your selective, these things have become incredibly useful and sound fantastic. If you just want to cut to the chase, get fractal. It’s the best available IMO. A cheaper alternative is the new NUX 4K Amp Academy Stomp. You’ve never heard $300 sound so good. Others like Hotone and newer products from Valeton might be worth looking at too.

Don’t let the snobs or set-minded folks tell you otherwise…. You don’t need a certain piece of gear to sound great. You just need what suits you… once you’re in your own personal sweet spot.

What about line6

 

[EOengineer]

Any gear can sound great in skilled hands, and even accidentally sometimes. That includes a lot of gear we routinely flog around here. The player is WAY more important than the gear, much to my chagrin.

 

[gearJunkie]

Great gear can make a mediocre player sound like a mediocre player with great gear. Ask me how I know.

 

[Piing]

Junk tones, like farts, are nasty no matter how skilled is the author or how expensive the gear. We still enjoy records of good music with junk tones, though, like when don't abandon the ship when she releases gas.

 

[KingsXJJ]

What about line6

LOL TB3. If it works four you, use it. Whatever gets you to playing.

 

[Antipodes]

Junk tones, like farts, are nasty no matter how skilled is the author or how expensive the gear. We still enjoy records of good music with junk tones, though, like when don't abandon the ship when she releases gas.

So this is that fart porn South Park were on about all those years ago!

 

[TSJMajesty]

I'll add a few things, from the financial side of things.

I keep an eye on 4 models of EBMM guitars, and it's amazing to me how many listings are for mint items, some several years old, many of which give some reason or other of "needing to sell", usually to pay bills. Others say the guitar just wasn't for me, I don't play it, etc.

I've seen 2 EBMM JP15's, in the BFR specialty color "Solar Flare", one that sold, and one that's listed atm. Assuming 8% sales tax, the one that sold was a ~$1200 loss (he showed his receipt showing he paid full price), and the other one will probably be similar, if not worse, since we're coming into holiday shopping season. That's a lot of money to piss away!

A trip to a well-stocked music store to learn whether you'll truly bond with a certain model, even if it's hours away, will cost a LOT less money than losing a grand on a $4000 guitar, because you didn't like it.

Cash is king. I would never consider financing a guitar, even if they're offering 0% interest, or paying full price on new, because you can always get at least 10% off, just for asking. (Except at SW, which I suspect is because they'll finance anyone.) And I'm not talking about some specialty item here, something in very limited supply, because they don't need to offer 0% on stuff like that. Those guitars are exceptions to my advice, because you're gonna pay full price no matter where you buy it. PRS Cleo, EBMM 10th Anniversary Majesty, etc.

Those guitars you'll likely make (an honest) profit if you turn around and sell it, but selling a 2016 Majesty in mint condition for a few hundred more than you paid, is not profit, when you consider inflation.

I look for deals in mint condition when searching used, and for new, I try to find ones that have been sitting unsold. If you can resist having the most recent offerings, you can usually find what you're looking for at a good discount.

If you even think you need to keep a guitar in mint condition, because you might need to sell it, where's the joy in that? Hanging on the wall to show off for your friends? My advice is if you don't have enough cash in savings to offset those kinds of thoughts, maybe you should just be content with what you have, or go out and buy a really cheap guitar or 2 from GC. Because if you're tight on money, and end up having to turn around and sell it, you'll just make your finances worse.

Use your money wisely!

My 2c.

 

[ragingplatypi]

In my burning through gear I’ve learned that when a technology is replaced by something truly better it’s useful to move on, but for things that have not been improved it sucks to rebuy something at a higher price.
Specifically, as much as I loved my old modelers, I’m not going to go back to them. But I sold a nice condenser mic and nice preamp that were gathering dust for a few years, only to have to buy another condenser mic and preamp a few years after that.

 

[laxu]

I hooked up the Hotone Ampero 2 Stomp up to my Fryette PS-100 and Bluetone diagonal 2x12 with V30s. It sounded absolutely killer for the types of tones I'm going for. Bogner XTC, Mesa JP2C, Mesa Lonestar etc.

The Tonex One sounded great too, the Hotone is just helluva lot easier to work since you don't need a computer to freakin' turn off a delay or modulation.

The one thing where you don't want to cheap out on is your output devices. Headphones, studio monitors, guitar cabs, poweramps...that's "buy it for life" stuff. My Genelec studio monitors are 9 years old, I have some headphones as old as 14 years still in use.

The other thing is the ability to play louder. Not window rattling loud, but just louder than might be appropriate at home. I have to travel for work every few weeks so I go visit my parents, where I have my "big boy rig" stashed in their basement/ I can play it as loud as I can bear. I still don't play that loud, but the fun factor is just 10x from the lower volumes I need to use in my apartment with smaller cabs or studio monitors/headphones. There's just no substitute for real guitar cabs in a room at a decent volume.

If this is never an option for you...just buy a good set of studio monitors and a digital modeler. Attenuators are a huge waste of money if you have to squeeze that amp down to very low levels.

 

[gearJunkie]

The one thing where you don't want to cheap out on is your output devices. Headphones, studio monitors, guitar cabs, poweramps...that's "buy it for life" stuff.

The other thing is the ability to play louder. Not window rattling loud, but just louder than might be appropriate at home.

Attenuators are a huge waste of money if you have to squeeze that amp down to very low levels.

 

[Stone]

What about line6

Yes it is returnable

 

[Jarick]

My biggest hot take, the popular opinion isn't always right. Lots of gear everyone loves that I don't like and vice versa.