Just how important is high end gear?

[Niklas]

What I meant to write was upgrade, not update...

[Crow]

PS, a quick note about humming: This is an easily fixed problem. All it takes is someone kind enough & knowledgeable enough to say, "Dude, your axe hums, but I can fix it," or, "I know a guy who can fix it." You didn't care enough to do that? I'm glad I'm not in your band.

Sorry, but this pishes me off. I truly mean no offense. You were there; I wasn't. But... the general obsession with gear seems insane to me. A band is PEOPLE, not instruments.

[EzraplaysEzra]

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Couldn't stop you if we tried.

Seriously, that's a good rational definition of terms. I would only add that each category is fungible, depending on the individual instrument. A top-of-the-line Fender Tele might not outperform a Chinese-made clone one-on-one, and a pro with good ears will know that.

I absolutely agree with you except for one thing. I think the point of the high-end guitar is the intention of the manufacturer. It says this guitar is the closest definition of what this model means to us as rendered to the best of our talent, or this is the best metal guitar we offer. That doesn't mean your'e not going to find better guitars by other manufacturers and diamonds in the ruff. We can really only go by what a manufacturer considers to be the zenith of the model. Otherwise, we're back to subjectivity and sentiment. To a lot of folks an American series strat would be considered a high-end instrument but others would disagree and I think Fender would contend that they offer much better strats. But if you saved up the $1000 to buy it, it might be high-end to you. Not to mention, another pro with a good ear might not like the same Chinese tele clone you mentioned. As much as it seems counter to how we all feel about our personal instruments, I think the key in understanding what makes something high-end really comes down to the intended length of service and the expectation of the instrument to retain its value. Strange, I know, but tell me another objective indicator. Again, thank you for fanning my fondness for my own opinions.

[TRGuitar]

Wow! I got quite the thread going here. My origional thought was that I could watch a video of one of my favorite guitarists who usually plays this http://www.buckdharma.com/Guitar/pic13.html playing this
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/esp-ltd-ec-100qm-electric-guitar in a shakey video and he still retained his unique tone and I enjoyed it. I think everyone is making good points and basically feels the same though, with a few personal differences.

[Niklas]

Yes, we did. Of course we did. But he didn't leave it in or fix it and I didn't have the time/knowledge to do it for him. He just didn't care.

Funny thing is he was on me constantly on changing/modding my gear, like changing pickups to his likings and to buy pedals. I gladly took his advice and have followed some of them. I'm still good friends with him and we talk a lot about gear. He thinks his bass is a joke. He is more dedicated to his guitarplaying that's way he didn't care too much.

But my point is there will be a difference in sound in a band context. At least I notice it. With my last band when he changed the bass it was a completely different sound. Maybe he played better with the new bass, I don't know, but I promise everyone in the band noticed the difference.

Don't get pissed off. Just relax a little.

[EzraplaysEzra]

TR, you know buck lives in the Syracuse area, he hits a lot of jam sessions in the area.

[Liontable]

PS, a quick note about humming: This is an easily fixed problem. All it takes is someone kind enough & knowledgeable enough to say, "Dude, your axe hums, but I can fix it," or, "I know a guy who can fix it." You didn't care enough to do that? I'm glad I'm not in your band.

Sorry, but this pishes me off. I truly mean no offense. You were there; I wasn't. But... the general obsession with gear seems insane to me. A band is PEOPLE, not instruments.

I don't think the bass was really the issue, to be honest. You have someone in your band who's an amazing player, great. His sound is suffering from his equipment though, which causes someone who's a little bit worse than him to sound a lot better. No problem, just get him a good quality bass (not necessarily expensive) and settled, right?

That's where the issue comes up. It's not the bass, it's the fact that a simple issue like a new bass or a check-up isn't worth solving to him. You spend a lot of time and effort trying to sound as good as possible, and someone doesn't care enough to invest a bit of his earnings into it. That's really just a slap in the face, it's easily solvable without spending fortunes and he simply doesn't care.

[TRGuitar]

Yeah, his inlaws live in Rome. I'm a big BOC fan. The origional drummer and bassist are from here (where I am). Albert Bouchard was the driving force in the band, too bad bands have splits but have you checked out Blue Coupe? Albert and Joe Bouchard with Denis Dunaway from The Alice Cooper Group. They play up here every summer.


It's so cool to meet the people who are responsable for the music that inspires you. I've yet to meet Buck. We did drop out of the same college you know ... LMAO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq2dNtrJDLE

[Crow]

Yes, we did. Of course we did. But he didn't leave it in or fix it and I didn't have the time/knowledge to do it for him. He just didn't care.

Funny thing is he was on me constantly on changing/modding my gear, like changing pickups to his likings and to buy pedals. I gladly took his advice and have followed some of them. I'm still good friends with him and we talk a lot about gear. He thinks his bass is a joke. He is more dedicated to his guitarplaying that's way he didn't care too much.

Strange... Good enough reasons to let him go.

Don't get pissed off. Just relax a little.

No worries. My blood pressure is fine. I stand by my point: listen with your ears, not your eyes.

[Niklas]

PS, a quick note about humming: This is an easily fixed problem. All it takes is someone kind enough & knowledgeable enough to say, "Dude, your axe hums, but I can fix it," or, "I know a guy who can fix it." You didn't care enough to do that? I'm glad I'm not in your band.

Sorry, but this pishes me off. I truly mean no offense. You were there; I wasn't. But... the general obsession with gear seems insane to me. A band is PEOPLE, not instruments.

I don't think the bass was really the issue, to be honest. You have someone in your band who's an amazing player, great. His sound is suffering from his equipment though, which causes someone who's a little bit worse than him to sound a lot better. No problem, just get him a good quality bass (not necessarily expensive) and settled, right?

That's where the issue comes up. It's not the bass, it's the fact that a simple issue like a new bass or a check-up isn't worth solving to him. You spend a lot of time and effort trying to sound as good as possible, and someone doesn't care enough to invest a bit of his earnings into it. That's really just a slap in the face, it's easily solvable without spending fortunes and he simply doesn't care.

That's spot on! Thank you for clearing things up. I should have been more clear in my first post.

But I think I'm a bit of an audiophile. I can't stand cheap earphones or hifi-systems either.

[Cat]

Okay, TR...nice photo...but we can see that your avatar pic is from 1980.

Ha!

Cat

[TRGuitar]

Actually March of 2009 (I checked). Am I holding up that badly? lol

[Cat]

No...ha! But your avatar shot sorta says: "What ch'yu talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

Was the new pic at an outdoor concert? You look the part, dude!

Cat

[TRGuitar]

Definitely outside. Maddison Barracks, Sacketts Harbour NY at the Made in New York Festival. Very hot and very sunny.