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Are you a guitar player, or a guitar enthusiast?
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gigs for beer money = no incentive to take music seriously in a band setting
Basically, I need to play well to keep my gigs (threat of replacement) as the other band members annoy the leader and make him volatile and wont to fire people. So I focus on playing, really mostly intonation (fretless and upright guy spotted) and on EQ/comp. Other than that, gear is an afterthought. I might buy a six-string if I ever get a gig where I get to play and sing Thundercat-type stuff, but until then, it's two electrics, one loaner upright for me.
I get what you're saying, but I still want to sound professional and play songs tight.
Yes! Exactly! I almost think playing in a band is just a vehicle for him to test new gear, it's not about learning new songs that make you a better musician and playing them tight as a band at a show that makes people happy and gives them a fun night out.
Yes!!! This!!! I've been a fingerstyle player for forty years and I'm getting so much enjoyment right now playing simple songs with a pick and hearing myself play with more confidence, stamina and improving every rehearsal.
Are you a guitar player, or a guitar enthusiast?
i am neither a guitar player nor an enthusiast. i'd put myself in a group that is vaguely tolerant of anything "guitar." 
seriously, i don't have enough GAS or gear enthusiasm to keep chasing stuff, but i have enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) the small run of parts axes i've been into for the last ~5 years or so...i don't know whether that's the same or not (the OP): i enjoy taking a different ax to rehearsals and gigs. it's fun. it keeps me off the streets.
the cats i do my business with are often all about new gadgets and toys, but: they're deadly serious (
) about the music and the band's performance, so it's obvious to me that it's not an either/or, a binary. these guys are real players. referring to them as "enthusiasts" wouldn't be accurate.i've played with all kinds musicians, but i don't recall anyone using the band just to "test new gear."
Did a few rehearsals as a kybd/guitar player with a guitar guy that ALWAYS asked about the guitars and amps I bought, and what year this or that. I suppose to suss out how much I knew about my gear, or how "serious" of a guitarist I was? Or maybe it was this adolescent "look at the new musical toys" kind of thing? Initially, I enjoyed the first inquiry or two. Then I got annoyed because it was clear he was NOT interested in me as a player or musician, nor did he want to learn songs outside of his wheelhouse. Ultimately, I'm really NOT interested AT ALL in talking about my gear in the real world, and the only time I do is on on a forum (like here) if someone is soliciting product or other recommendations or encounters a problem with a piece of gear that I either have or know enough about, to give an opinion on.
Anyway... Maybe we know the same guy.
I am a guitar enthusiast insofar as I have acquired over 30-plus years 20 guitars with different pickups and electronic combinations and whatnot. I also have 30 different overdrive pedals. Ok, but I'm really not buying or selling gear, or spending any notable time looking at it online. My guitar time is spent playing and when gigs occur, doing maintenance (like string changing) in preparation to gig.
I guess in my own way, I'm both an enthusiast to a point and usually very privately so, but I'm also a guitar player. I got into guitar to PLAY, and that remains far and away my greatest interest in it.
My "entusiast/tinkerer" phase has ended for the most part. I have 4 basses, one electric/acoustic Crafter, and one strat. All of these suit my needs and play well for me. I've painted parts, replaced parts, shielded my basses, tried various pedals that all got sold, and learned what I like and what I don't.
So at this point I'm a player. I like to walk into my music room, grab whatever I'm in the mood to play, and play. Only tinker if a problem comes up.
So at this point I'm a player. I like to walk into my music room, grab whatever I'm in the mood to play, and play. Only tinker if a problem comes up.
One can be both a player who diligently prepares and a gearhead. So I would argue that the problem is not the fact that your guitarist is a gearhead. The problem is he is not a serious musician.
I am definitely a gearhead. Many would consider the expanse of my amp collection shameful. I have lost track of the precise number, but it's around 60. My rate of purchase has slowed, but every day I still look for deals on gear on my bucket list.
I am also a retired military musician. Most of my peers had at least a Bachelors degree. Many had Masters and some had Doctorates. I dropped out of a college music program to take an electronics job in the military. Due to a shortage of bass players I was eventually able to win an audition and cross train into the band career field. Although was not really qualified for the job, I had a long and successful career; largely due to my diligent preparation of the music.
I enjoyed the job for a long time but eventually started to burn out. Part of the reason is because I felt that the focus on quality had declined a bit. I was still putting in the effort to be prepared for rehearsals, but many of my more-educated peers were not. We still performed at a very high level, but I often felt like my time was being unnecessarily wasted during rehearsal. My solution was to cross train into an audio tech position. This got me out of most rehearsals and I had a blast for a few more years.
While I enjoy collecting gear, I rarely sell. I still own the first bass I ever bought. The only bass I have ever sold was a rough Kay upright that I bought for $200 and fixed up to the best of my ability. This bass was used to prepare for my military band audition. The military provided all required gear for official gigs, including a carved upright. When I got an assignment to Germany I sold the Kay for $400.
The only rig I ever sold is the first rig I ever bought. It was a new MTI Ampeg SVT and 810. I worked a lot of hours at minimum wage to pay that amp off. I regret selling it, but it was the right decision at the time.
I am definitely a gearhead. Many would consider the expanse of my amp collection shameful. I have lost track of the precise number, but it's around 60. My rate of purchase has slowed, but every day I still look for deals on gear on my bucket list.
I am also a retired military musician. Most of my peers had at least a Bachelors degree. Many had Masters and some had Doctorates. I dropped out of a college music program to take an electronics job in the military. Due to a shortage of bass players I was eventually able to win an audition and cross train into the band career field. Although was not really qualified for the job, I had a long and successful career; largely due to my diligent preparation of the music.
I enjoyed the job for a long time but eventually started to burn out. Part of the reason is because I felt that the focus on quality had declined a bit. I was still putting in the effort to be prepared for rehearsals, but many of my more-educated peers were not. We still performed at a very high level, but I often felt like my time was being unnecessarily wasted during rehearsal. My solution was to cross train into an audio tech position. This got me out of most rehearsals and I had a blast for a few more years.
While I enjoy collecting gear, I rarely sell. I still own the first bass I ever bought. The only bass I have ever sold was a rough Kay upright that I bought for $200 and fixed up to the best of my ability. This bass was used to prepare for my military band audition. The military provided all required gear for official gigs, including a carved upright. When I got an assignment to Germany I sold the Kay for $400.
The only rig I ever sold is the first rig I ever bought. It was a new MTI Ampeg SVT and 810. I worked a lot of hours at minimum wage to pay that amp off. I regret selling it, but it was the right decision at the time.
A favorite analogy comes to mind - It's not the hammer, it's the carpenter.
I definitely understand being upset that someone in your band is hurting the group by failing to put in enough work to get the job done correctly.
Beyond that I don't understand the concept that we should be concerned about the percentage of time someone prefers to spend on gear versus learning. At the end of the day music is a hobby for those of us who don't depend on it for a living, and to me it makes sense for each person to allocate the time they have for that hobby in whatever way gives them the most enjoyment.
Beyond that I don't understand the concept that we should be concerned about the percentage of time someone prefers to spend on gear versus learning. At the end of the day music is a hobby for those of us who don't depend on it for a living, and to me it makes sense for each person to allocate the time they have for that hobby in whatever way gives them the most enjoyment.
I love playing my guitar.
I like gear too but those are really separate things.
I like gear too but those are really separate things.
I'm both a player and an enthusiast, at this point. After 30+ years of playing bass I have a pretty good grasp on the basics and really don't need to practice much anymore. As for the enthusiast aspect, now that I'm older I can afford gear I could only dream about in the past. This has turned into a bit of a curse. Having a bunch of really nice instruments is nice but keeping them all in playing order or simply justifying owning them is hit or miss. Am I investing in basses or just collecting them? I ask myself that a lot (so does my wife).
This is the crux of why I don't really do "bands" anymore...it's VERY hard to get synchronized schedules, even harder to get synchronized priorities and work ethics. Currently, my time is worth a lot to me, and I got tired of wasting time and energy trying to help other people get their act together. The aspirations with my band was signing, recording, gigging (for profit)....so there was a clear directive, but that still wasn't really cutting it. This was all pre-COVID too.
Just playing Devil's Advocate, but if your band's performance is only worth "Beer Money" to you, how much is it worth to venues/audience or other band members? I get the "It's for fun" approach, but you're probably not going to get solid contenders for musical greatness with that as the bar to clear. Just my $0.02
Just playing Devil's Advocate, but if your band's performance is only worth "Beer Money" to you, how much is it worth to venues/audience or other band members? I get the "It's for fun" approach, but you're probably not going to get solid contenders for musical greatness with that as the bar to clear. Just my $0.02
A common lament - especially among original music bands.
OTOH, with blues, classic country and classic covers bands, my experience has been 180.
1st off, I'm blessed and grateful to have been in the game long enough and to live in a large metro area with abundant talent & professionalism.
This means most players have experienced ears to where they pay attention, turn on a dime if needed, and often add an organic level of conversational dynamics that adds something special to the experience for both musicians and audience.
This also means people take the time to woodshed tunes at time and show up prepared - or they simply stop getting calls.
I get calls on bass, I get and make calls on guitar. I work at least 3 nights a week for a set, reasonable club scale + even more reasonable tip split.
I'm blessed and grateful to have not had to attend a rehearsal, outside of for a friend's original's showcase, in 5 years.
I started playing guitar a few months before I bought a bass in 1965. A good friend was really good on guitar and I learned the open chords and Barre chords from him.
The the bass took over and in 1966 I bought a Fender Bassman amp (50-watt tube amp) with the large 212 cabinet. I then found out just how bad my first bass really was. Then I bought a 1965 Jazz Bass - loved that bass. I played it everywhere in high school, some college, toured with it in the early 70's and then it, along with all my touring gear was stolen in 1976.
I was married with two kids by then and had zero $$ to spend on bass and amp. However, my next door neighbor had two guitars so we'd get together and I'd play one of his. That Christmas my wife bought one of them for me. It was a Pan 12-string, which was a Japanese copy of a Gibson Hummingbird. Not long after I started playing it at friends parties, weddings, etc. Continued that until 1985 when I finally did buy another Jazz bass, which I currently still play. But no amp yet so back to bumping the back end of the bass against a closet door to use it as a soundboard and at least be able to hear what I was playing.
I have ended up with a number of guitars though. My 12-string unfortunately died in 2015 when the tailpiece collapsed the bottom of the body from too much tension for too many years. But I do have a Martin Traveler guitar, a Rockstark Strat that was a freebie, a Squier Strat that needs parts for the bridge, and a hand-made acoustic guitar that a luthier down the street from where my son lived in Shanghai, made for him. It is a normal size but has about a 1/2-depth body. It's beautifully made, has really nice action, and sounds great too. But all my guitars were gifts.
I continued playing guitar until 1997 when my oldest son (22-yrs old at this point) offered me an amp he was no longer using. That started me gigging again and put me on the road to slowly upgrading my gear to get back to pro level. Didn't really get there until 2015 when I took delivery of my DNS-410 cab by DNA. I already had a pro amp, the WT500/800 that David Nordschow used to design all the Eden cabs from 1999 until 2009 when he left to found DNA. That amp through that cab is amazing - clean, clear, and articulate with a tight and focused bottom end and it is crazy LOUD while still staying clean and clear. Thought I was done buying gear at that point.
Then I took my set-up into a small brewpub where the group I was joining played almost every Friday night (40+ per year) hosting open mic nights for them, and they wouldn't let me bring in my 410 because, "That's way too much for here". And so I had to play through a small Peavey 112 combo that I just couldn't get a good sound out of. So...here we go again. Bought an Eden EX112 for that small brewpub and it sounded so good I decided to buy a second and use the 2x112 set up for medium-size venues too. And then along comes an Eden TN226 class D amp 9225-watts into 4Ω that I bought from a friend. That with one of the 112's is the perfect small venue rig. So now, I have all my bases covered.
And then I play outdoors and bring my 410 out and I realize just how great sounding it is. At this point I apply for membership into the DNA Endorsing Artist group, got accepted, and bought the DNS-210 with my artist discount. Plan to use that for small and medium-sized venues because no one blinks an eye at a bass player bringing in a 210. Of course my DNS-210 is a wolf in sheep's clothing. My 410 handles up to 1400-watts rms and my 210 will handle half of that - 700-watts rms. Plus it actually goes lower and will reproduce the fundamentals down to 34Hz. It is also so LOUD that it handles large indoor venues too. So now I use that 210 for all my indoor venues and reserve my 410 for outdoor venues and music festivals and I can run my 800-watt Eden amp into both of them.
OK... now I'm good and I bought everyone of the upgrades with gig money. I was feeling pretty good. And then along came Covid...
That pretty much but an end to our gigs. Last gig we did before Covid was in March of 2020 and then that brewpub hired us for an outdoor 4-hour gig in June as their "good-bye party" since they were closing their doors. Like many small businesses, the Covid restrictions put them out of business.
And then along comes the second Covid check in 2021 and I decide I really do want a DNA-800 class D amp that weighs in at 4.8-oz. and will put out 400-watts rms into 8Ω, and 800-watts rms into either 4Ω or 2Ω. I did need to pay some bills, but will have enough left to buy it with my endorsed artist discount. So I contacted my artist rep and ordered it. I heard back from him 2-days later that there were none left at the factory because they were waiting on parts, but that David said he had enough parts himself to build one for me if I could wait for a couple of weeks. I said sure and about 3-weeks later it arrived.
Although my new DNA-800 has a much simplified EQ system, David chose some really musical centers for them. Bass is a shelving control for everything 35Hz and lower, low-mids is 500Hz, high mids are 2KHz, and treble shelves for everything above that. I quickly dialed in the same sound I get out of my Eden amps with it and even with it only delivering 400-watts into my 8Ω cabs I can run my 210 with it for everything butt large venues that are long (long rooms eat sound). Then I'll have to pull my heavier Eden WT500/800 out and use that for the extra power.
So I haven't really turned over a lot of gear. I ended up donating my acoustic B410+GK115bpx stack to a local church and that's about it. I also upgraded my mic from an SM58 to a Sennheiser e-935, which suites my voice better. And for everything except my DNA-800, I bought everything with gig money, so I feel pretty good about that. And I've never been one to play whack-a-mole with basses. My primary bass is my '82 Jazz that I bought in 1985 and my secondary is a 5-wtring that I bought in 2009 specifically for playing songs that require me to use that B-string, I think I'm in a good spot right now. Of course, a Dingwall Leland Sklar signature 5-string would be a good replacement for the 5-string I have now, but that's pie in the sky.
Well...you know... I could look at some 12" stage monitors. Both groups I played in had monitors for everyone, but would be nice to have my own... Better play some more gigs before I do that. Hmmm...GAS always does seem to be hanging out just around the corner...
i played guitar for almost 30 years before i fell in love with the bass. i've been in a couple bands with "musicians" who couldn't be bothered to learn the tunes. neither of the two i'm thinking of were gearheads - they just didn't learn the songs. one was a guitar player, one was a drummer. they'd always promise and never deliver. they weren't embarrassed to play in public with parts of songs they didn't know - they pretty much felt like rock stars. alas, they felt like learning songs was a chore, and as with their chores they would put off and put off doing them, and not do them at all if possible.
after trying to encourage them to learn the songs, then push harder, and even volunteer to work with them with no results, i moved on.
btw, i'm a gearhead who shops musical gear, buys and sells all the time, but i do take the time to learn songs.
my husband is a guitar player, and he never puts off learning songs. he loves doing it, actually.
after trying to encourage them to learn the songs, then push harder, and even volunteer to work with them with no results, i moved on.
btw, i'm a gearhead who shops musical gear, buys and sells all the time, but i do take the time to learn songs.
my husband is a guitar player, and he never puts off learning songs. he loves doing it, actually.