Contentious Music/Gear Opinions

[Reece]

[Mike]

ROLF

Ice. Cold.

[mickie08]

I'm not afraid to share my opinion, that this thread fucking sucks.

I'm not afraid to share my opinon that JCYPHE is correct.

[Justin J]

I'm not afraid to share my opinion, that this thread fucking sucks.

I'm not afraid to share my opinon that JCYPHE is correct.

+1
aeon takes all the fun out of owning guitars.

[stewart]

i like vintage mustangs. i'll buy as many as i want. i'd never gig without a backup. thanks.

[aen]

1. Guitar fetishism, I have come to realize, is quite stupid. Guitars are pieces of wood and metal, it's what is played on them that matters. Owning multiple guitars will not make you happy,

Well, if the rest of your life sucks, true. If things are going OK, a guitar makes me feel even better.

2. Backup guitars are (usually) stupid. Seriously, how often do you really need to bring multiple guitars to a show?

Erm, every time. at least 2 tunings in one set for me, so thats 2 guitars with no backup. I sure don't want to be the dicknose changing strings for 5 minutes while the bar yells "free bird"

3. I find it incredibly pretentious to see these little local bands haul out a backline of like 5 guitars for 2 musicians. They are playing a 30-45 min set and yet they act as if they are playing some sort of high-production rock show.

I sure don't, at least somebody in the room is taking the shit seriously. I for one, want to sound my best on every song, and be able to compensate if something goes wrong. This section of the rant is indicative of a much deeper thread of society's de-valuing of the arts. This attitude of "it's just a local rock show" is a plague. If the musicians and their friends aren't willing to take the music seriously, why the fuck should the audience? They might as well just sit there and get wasted, screaming into their wingman's ear over the poorly mixed din about how they're totally going to bang that chick with the tattoo.

Maybe I'm alone here, but I am dead fucking serious about music. Maybe it's because performing has always been a really tough thing for me to arrange, between being my hometown's first electronic artist (ie, not a DJ) and now having 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a buisiness; gigs have been few and far between. I cherish each and every one. But it's probably because music is my fucking religion. Yes, religion, check my facebook. Since age 16 all I wanted was to make music, and have sex. Soon after that I found that music was the one way that "god" speaks to me, and I can speak to god as well.




AS for #4, I rock as Squier at every show.

Anyway, hope I didn't come off to pissed at you, it's not personal, and you;ve always seemed liek apretty stand up character.

[Sloan]

2. Backup guitars are (usually) stupid..

I usually take three guitars.
1. one has a bigsby and the bridge is old fashioned (not affixed to body), so it will move and cause tuning problems.
2. i will probably break a string on one of them
3. i play 4-5 hours and if using regular strings, they'll get shit in about 2hrs.

[James]

Too many people are afraid to make strong statements on guitar message boards in fear of offending other people. Or perhaps those boards are heavily moderated to the point where all you ever see are 'soft' opinions. So this thread is for you to be as direct as you want.

[Rant mode]

1. Guitar fetishism, I have come to realize, is quite stupid. Guitars are pieces of wood and metal, it's what is played on them that matters. Owning multiple guitars will not make you happy, it will just make you a hobbyist. How many of you really have enough time in the day to sit and play more than one or two guitars enough to warrant their ownership? Get a nice acoustic and a nice electric and be done with it. Use your imagination to get new sounds, not a slightly altered variation of the same instrument.

2. Backup guitars are (usually) stupid. Seriously, how often do you really need to bring multiple guitars to a show? Unless you're some sort of Sonic Youth band with a huge amount of alternate tunings, or an ultra aggressive metal band that snaps strings left and right, there's no need. Symphony musicians typically don't carry backup instruments -- do you know how crowded the stage would be if they did? If you own a decent guitar with a decent setup and don't play like some schizo you should be able to make it through a whole set without snapping strings. If you are snapping strings constantly the problem is the guitar, you, or both.

3. I find it incredibly pretentious to see these little local bands haul out a backline of like 5 guitars for 2 musicians. They are playing a 30-45 min set and yet they act as if they are playing some sort of high-production rock show. Worry about that when you have a guitar tech... I think it makes more sense in the long run for people to have just one, maybe two guitars as their main and only instruments. The only time you'd really need/want a lot of variety in timbre would be when you would record an album -- and guess what, most studios have a whole backline of fantastic varied (expensive!) instruments that you would have at your disposal for that purpose. You don't need to have access to 8 different guitars at home, you really don't. Wouldn't it be cooler anyways to have people associate one or two guitars you like with you anyways?

4. There are two types of guitars: Those that intonate and stay in tune properly; and those that don't. Anything else is just taste. In fact, it is often refreshing to see bands play knock off guitars with cheap pickups in them, because they don't sound like everyone else with their Fenders or Gibsons (of which you see a ton of in EVERY genre -- I realize that in some sub-genres like metal you might see stuff like Ibanez more often).

+1

[Sloan]

This attitude of "it's just a local rock show" is a plague.

WERD

[NickD]

1.Collecting guitars in unneccesary but harmless. I 'need' 4-5 of mine at the very most, but I have double that.

2. Backup guitars are necessary (well one per band anyway). It's very unprofessional to stop and change, but if you want to be unprofessional, that's fine.

3. Each gig, yes. To own, it makes no difference.

4. I kind of agree.

I'm not ashamed to say that I like metal guitars and Les Pauls.

[Aeon]

None of the opinions I voiced were directed at any of you, so I find it rather unusual that you all got your panties in a bunch over what I said.

Let me rephrase a bit: Assuming you play in one tuning for the entire show, having one backup guitar is fine. It makes sense. I totally agree that breaking a string on stage can be a frustrating experience. I do in fact bring a single backup guitar to shows when I play with my rock band. The difference is I keep it in its case unless needed (which is never, at least so far). What I was commenting on was the bands that drag everything they own to the show and set it up on stands behind them. That is a waste of time and makes you look like you take yourself too seriously.

What irks me is the pretension that is prevalent in local underground music scenes. I've seen it where I live, I see it where I've visited. I hate the stereotypical 'rock-star' mentality, but I hate it even more when I see it in no-name bands that just finished their first demo album thanks to their friend that owns a firepod and a few mics. These are the guys that use guitars as a fashion statement.

Someone also made a counterpoint that you don't own only one pair of jeans, one television, etc.. Well whatever, I'm not some sort of anti-capitalist hippy, but I personally don't see guitars as a fashion. To me they are instruments. I guess electric guitars are kinda like something entirely different, but you really don't see pianists, saxophonists, or cellists hauling around multiple instruments to a show.

I realize these ideas are extremely unpopular on a guitar message board, since everyone here would consider guitars and music a hobby/lifestyle/main interest. But come on, you don't want to be one of those 50-year-olds with 25 different guitars, do you? The only point I can see in owning multiple instruments is the aforementioned multiple tunings, heavily modified setups, etc -- and that makes sense. Owning 10 guitars all tuned to E standard doesn't.

[mellowlogic]

You came to a message board for guitar enthusiasts and told us that we shouldn't have more than one guitar.

What did you seriously expect to happen here?

[MaMo]

But come on, you don't want to be one of those 50-year-olds with 25 different guitars, do you?

Are you a woman?

[Justin J]

but you really don't see pianists, saxophonists, or cellists hauling around multiple instruments to a show.

yeah, but check out how much they typically spend on each instrument. and bowed instrument players typically have numerous bows on hand.

[aen]

But come on, you don't want to be one of those 50-year-olds with 25 different guitars, do you?

Well, if they were different enough...

My dad's got like 7 guitars, which I still think is idiotic, because he plays the same blues wank on every one of them.

[Aeon]

But come on, you don't want to be one of those 50-year-olds with 25 different guitars, do you?

Are you a woman?

No, but I happen to think those types of people on TGP and other similar 'dad-rock' message boards are sort of akin to the dude going through a mid-life crisis and going out to buy a sports car. Or the guys that own multiple Harley Davidsons. It is harmless, but it's sad to watch really.

I'm not accusing anyone here of playing John Mayer and Eric Clapton riffs on an Eric Johnson stratocaster. But why not focus your time and attention on playing the instruments you already own, crafting new sounds with what you have, delving into music you hadn't hear before for new inspiration, etc? Getting some sort of new boutique distortion pedal isn't going to make your music any more interesting.

I think Josh Homme said it best in an interview. He said something along the lines of how people should start out with a tube amp with one knob on it and go from there. He is someone who is very secretive about his gear, probably partly because he doesn't want anyone to rip his unique tone off, and partly because he sees gear fetishism as pointless. It's him and his playing that managed to get those sounds, there's nothing magical about the amps or guitars he uses.

I used to own about 6 guitars and nearly twenty pedals at one time. Since then I have culled my collection down to two electrics, an acoustic, one amp, and about 5 good pedals. I am _not_ claiming a holier than thou attitude because of it, but I am personally much happier after having left the 'gear quest' behind. And in my initial argument, I made the point that when I would really want multiple timbres for recording, just about every studio will have a dozen different guitars for me that I can use that I couldn't afford on my own.

[Aeon]

yeah, but check out how much they typically spend on each instrument. and bowed instrument players typically have numerous bows on hand.

Are you telling me that a $1500 guitar isn't of the same caliber as a high-end flute? I realize the nature of the instrument, being stringed and made of wood, will expose it to the challenges of going out of tune frequently, but that's not a good excuse. My first guitar way back when (a Yamaha strat copy), stayed in tune just as well as higher end Fenders.

[laterallateral]

What irks me is the pretension that is prevalent in local underground music scenes. I've seen it where I live, I see it where I've visited. I hate the stereotypical 'rock-star' mentality, but I hate it even more when I see it in no-name bands that just finished their first demo album thanks to their friend that owns a firepod and a few mics. These are the guys that use guitars as a fashion statement.

Lighten up, this is rock and roll. It's supposed to be fun. I particularly enjoy seeing local kids seize the moment, enjoy their time on stage, in front of an audience that may well have payed real money to be entertained. Act out, fucking spazz the fuck out, roll around in glitter and dropkick the drumset because playing on a stage is as much about you as it is about them.

By the way, guys who use guitars for fashion statements are the same people for whom "being associated to one or two guitars" matters.

[mellowlogic]

By the way, guys who use guitars for fashion statements are the same people for whom "being associated to one or two guitars" matters.

This ^

[Reece]

The only point I can see in owning multiple instruments is the aforementioned multiple tunings, heavily modified setups, etc -- and that makes sense. Owning 10 guitars all tuned to E standard doesn't.

This I sort of agree with, you've reeled it back in a bit and it's making more sense. You see those old guy's collections and it's like 10 strats, 10 teles, a couple of what they would consider "odd" fender models and I think what's the point? I can totally see the point in having a couple of guitars that are similar though, firstly you've got a reliable backup that's not gonna fuck up your live sound and you seem to forget that guitars aren't just sound and tunings, they are also feel and comfort, two similar guitars can feel very different and this can affect the way you apporach them when you play and what you find easiest to play on them.

I find bar chords give me hand cramp on my artcore but on my jaguar they're alot easier, so when I play my artcore I play it a little differently.

I agree with spending time figuring out your own gear, I love sitting down with my jaguar and just playing it directluy into the amp to see what I can get out of it.