What is your next guitar/gear purchase gonna be?

[technomancer]

I keep struggling between wanting to become more of a minimalist and having less stuff in general, and well.... that needs to apply to my guitar stuff also... lol

I will literally never understand the attraction of minimalism... especially when driven by the "if it doesn't bring you joy" crap. I am brought joy every time I select a guitar and amp and play them together, and picking which one is part of it

 

[MFB]

I will literally never understand the attraction of minimalism... especially when driven by the "if it doesn't bring you joy" crap. I am brought joy every time I select a guitar and amp and play them together, and picking which one is part of it

A lot of time we end up with so many toys that we then suffer from choice paralysis, and end up not even playing with one in the first place because we couldn't pick one, and helping to remove ones you don't use eliminates/eases that; in my case, I have three guitars - one in E standard, one in D standard, and one in what will be B standard, which covers all the bases I'd want. Aesthetically, sure, there's DOZENS of guitars that I COULD own and I'd think, "wow, this is cool!" but when it plays exactly like another one I already own and doesn't cost me anything, just to reduce the play time of that original one - why should I? Just because it's "neat"?

 

[technomancer]

A lot of time we end up with so many toys that we then suffer from choice paralysis, and end up not even playing with one in the first place because we couldn't pick one, and helping to remove ones you don't use eliminates/eases that; in my case, I have three guitars - one in E standard, one in D standard, and one in what will be B standard, which covers all the bases I'd want. Aesthetically, sure, there's DOZENS of guitars that I COULD own and I'd think, "wow, this is cool!" but when it plays exactly like another one I already own and doesn't cost me anything, just to reduce the play time of that original one - why should I? Just because it's "neat"?

Why shouldn't you? Different guitar / amp / pickup choices all sound different and options are good. I can not say I have ever not played because I needed to pick a guitar / amp / tuning. That said you do you.

Prime example: I currently have 4 LP-style guitars here. They're all in standard and they all sound radically different.
Gibson LPC stock
Gibson Standard stock
Edwards LPC with Psykes set
Edwards LPC with EMGs

 

[budda]

Been wanting to have a guitar in D standard/Drop C without having to use the pitch block in the FM3 since it gets a bit wonky on clean and overdriven tones. Rather than buy another guitar (blasphemy) I'm thinking of grabbing my first guitar from my mother's place and fixing it up. It's an old Jay Turser strat copy.

Swap out the saddles, replace the nut and tuners, and get an HSS or HH pickguard since I've got tons of spare pickups laying around. I'm sure the fretboard and frets are kinda gnarly, too.

That or I should give in to GAS and reserve one of those Ibanez GRG121SPs in that sick color flop finish.

Is the pitch block detection selecting the input? Also make sure you cant hear the guitar itself over the fm3. My axe3 had no issues tracking to B on guitars.

 

[narad]

Why shouldn't you? Different guitar / amp / pickup choices all sound different and options are good. I can not say I have ever not played because I needed to pick a guitar / amp / tuning. That said you do you.

I think you do you is right. But one take on minimalism is to not let your things own you, which mine definitely do. The problem is they're just not quite the right things... a lot of the things I have, I have because the thing I really wanted wasn't readily obtainable. I have some valley arts because it's going to be years before I find the valley arts I actually really want, etc. Or in the case of customs, prohibitively expensive to achieve via a simple order vs. piecing together from parts. I've got enough ESP parts for 4 guitars at this point lol If only the right pieces could come together in the right one, there would be one instrument that "sparks joy". Well that's my case anyway.

If your surplus of gear gives you only more freedom without weighing you down, not taking up mental space/time either, then I think you're achieving a lot of the goals of minimalism without being minimalist in any way, i.e., it's a solution to a problem you don't suffer from. But I think it's also easy to see how others can / meet others who very obviously do.

 

[technomancer]

I think you do you is right. But one take on minimalism is to not let your things own you, which mine definitely do. The problem is they're just not quite the right things... a lot of the things I have, I have because the thing I really wanted wasn't readily obtainable. I have some valley arts because it's going to be years before I find the valley arts I actually really want, etc. Or in the case of customs, prohibitively expensive to achieve via a simple order vs. piecing together from parts. I've got enough ESP parts for 4 guitars at this point lol If only the right pieces could come together in the right one, there would be one instrument that "sparks joy". Well that's my case anyway.

If your surplus of gear gives you only more freedom without weighing you down, not taking up mental space/time either, then I think you're achieving a lot of the goals of minimalism without being minimalist in any way, i.e., it's a solution to a problem you don't suffer from. But I think it's also easy to see how others can / meet others who very obviously do.

Could be, as guitars and gear are a hobby for me that I do for enjoyment. I build amps because I like to. I put together / and or buy guitars because I enjoy it and usually because the specific guitar fills a specific niche.

I think the biggest issue I've had because of gear is "Crap we're moving and I need to haul all of this to the new house"

 

[MFB]

Why shouldn't you? Different guitar / amp / pickup choices all sound different and options are good. I can not say I have ever not played because I needed to pick a guitar / amp / tuning. That said you do you.

Prime example: I currently have 4 LP-style guitars here. They're all in standard and they all sound radically different.
Gibson LPC stock
Gibson Standard stock
Edwards LPC with Psykes set
Edwards LPC with EMGs

I think you do you is right. But one take on minimalism is to not let your things own you, which mine definitely do.

That's also definitely part of it, like, I can't imagine owning four models of the same guitar in the same tuning and they all sound fractionally different to each other and thinking, "today, I want to use, this one" for whatever reason. My Tele sounds good as is, and I wouldn't want another one with say a bridge humbucker vs. rail just for the sake of that difference when my rail is already hot like a humbucker, it doesn't serve any purpose, so therefore, not buying one.

I also can't imagine having to do the same thing with amps, like, again - there's a bunch of cool ones out there, but the physical space they take up and the cost makes it impractical to own a bunch when you could buy something like an Axe and get "all of them" in one small footprint. Especially if you have an apt or something that doesn't really allow for playing/opening them up like a house would; I honestly can't imagine subjecting my neighbors to hearing me practice, you couldn't waterboard me at Gitmo to do that.

 

[narad]

That's also definitely part of it, like, I can't imagine owning four models of the same guitar in the same tuning and they all sound fractionally different to each other and thinking, "today, I want to use, this one" for whatever reason.

Aren't you ever just sort of in a "gunmetal blue" kind of mood?

 

[technomancer]

That's also definitely part of it, like, I can't imagine owning four models of the same guitar in the same tuning and they all sound fractionally different to each other and thinking, "today, I want to use, this one" for whatever reason. My Tele sounds good as is, and I wouldn't want another one with say a bridge humbucker vs. rail just for the sake of that difference when my rail is already hot like a humbucker, it doesn't serve any purpose, so therefore, not buying one.

I also can't imagine having to do the same thing with amps, like, again - there's a bunch of cool ones out there, but the physical space they take up and the cost makes it impractical to own a bunch when you could buy something like an Axe and get "all of them" in one small footprint. Especially if you have an apt or something that doesn't really allow for playing/opening them up like a house would; I honestly can't imagine subjecting my neighbors to hearing me practice, you couldn't waterboard me at Gitmo to do that.

And this is where we differ
1) different tonalities is the purpose
2) modelers never sound like an amp and cab in the room, period. I've owned them all but not going to argue about it again
3) everything else in your post comes down to your personal situation, so again you do you

 

[Chri]

Is the pitch block detection selecting the input? Also make sure you cant hear the guitar itself over the fm3. My axe3 had no issues tracking to B on guitars.

Yeah, it’s set to input 1 and not the block input. It works fine for even going down 5 semitones when distorted, but clean and slight distortion have some warbling to them.

I’ve tried all of the pitch tracking parameters and at different combinations along with the hi/lo cuts. Could maybe be a limitation of the FM3 DSP? Though, I remember not being satisfied using the Digi Drop for clean-ish tones either.

It’s fine enough when playing along to a track, but if I’m wanting to mess around soloed that’s when it’s noticeable.

 

[MFB]

And this is where we differ
1) different tonalities is the purpose
2) modelers never sound like an amp and cab in the room, period. I've owned them all but not going to argue about it again
3) everything else in your post comes down to your personal situation, so again you do you

For #2, yeah, and I wouldn't disagree with this either, it's a 'sacrifice' I'm willing to make for convenience, which leads well into #3 because I definitely wouldn't force it onto anyone, and why anytime I see your/narad/budda post in here I'm not surprised in the least I might not get it but at least I get to look at something and also go, "oh, neat!"

 

[Shask]

I will literally never understand the attraction of minimalism... especially when driven by the "if it doesn't bring you joy" crap. I am brought joy every time I select a guitar and amp and play them together, and picking which one is part of it

Others have touched on this, and I dont get into the extreme minimalism like only having one fork in your house, but the main idea is to only keep things that you actively use. You should not clutter your space and mind with things that you do not use. Why have a closet full of clothes that dont fit you, when all it does it cause you to have no space for the clothes you do actually wear? Why do people have a garage full of boxes of stuff they never use, and then have to park in the driveway because their car wont fit in the garage? Worse yet, you have to pay for a storage facility because you have so much stuff you run out of room for it. Why keep those old VGA serial port cables when no monitor sold in the last 10 years use them? etc...

In the case of guitars, when you have so many guitars you dont know where to store them, changing the strings and maintenance take more time than you actually play them, and your stack of pickups could fund your retirement, then the stress of dealing with them overtakes the joy of owning them.

I find it all more relevant as well as I get older, my kids get older and you get rid of their stuff, kids move out of the house, get sick of cleaning everything, etc..... It is more peaceful to your mind to have to worry about less stuff. Not to mention, all of the stuff is causing the extreme consumerism and debt you see getting worse by the year. It makes zero sense to constantly be stressed on finances because you are in massive debt, for a house full of things you dont even use.

 

[MoistTowelette]

Welp made an impulse buy and ordered a red layer 8 string. It's one of the most appealing body shapes I've seen for an 8 string. We'll see how I like it when it arrives.

Edit: Uhh never mind I guess. Another reverb sock account has been nuked

 

[Shask]

That's also definitely part of it, like, I can't imagine owning four models of the same guitar in the same tuning and they all sound fractionally different to each other and thinking, "today, I want to use, this one" for whatever reason. My Tele sounds good as is, and I wouldn't want another one with say a bridge humbucker vs. rail just for the sake of that difference when my rail is already hot like a humbucker, it doesn't serve any purpose, so therefore, not buying one.

I also can't imagine having to do the same thing with amps, like, again - there's a bunch of cool ones out there, but the physical space they take up and the cost makes it impractical to own a bunch when you could buy something like an Axe and get "all of them" in one small footprint. Especially if you have an apt or something that doesn't really allow for playing/opening them up like a house would; I honestly can't imagine subjecting my neighbors to hearing me practice, you couldn't waterboard me at Gitmo to do that.

I recently got into the Synergy system, and I am liking it. You still get the small footprint and variety, but it is still all tube. I have several large tube heads sitting around that are definitely taking up more space, and are not currently getting used.

 

[Shask]

Why shouldn't you? Different guitar / amp / pickup choices all sound different and options are good. I can not say I have ever not played because I needed to pick a guitar / amp / tuning. That said you do you.

Prime example: I currently have 4 LP-style guitars here. They're all in standard and they all sound radically different.
Gibson LPC stock
Gibson Standard stock
Edwards LPC with Psykes set
Edwards LPC with EMGs

I currently have 16 guitars, 2 basses, and an acoustic. I enjoy them all for one reason or another, but to hell with changing strings more than once every 2 years, lol.

 

[technomancer]

I currently have 16 guitars, 2 basses, and an acoustic. I enjoy them all for one reason or another, but to hell with changing strings more than once every 2 years, lol.

I use elixirs... they last long enough that it really isn't bad Then again I also used elixirs before I had a pile of guitars so just an added benefit now

 

[Shask]

I use elixirs... they last long enough that it really isn't bad Then again I also used elixirs before I had a pile of guitars so just an added benefit now

Each guitar has its own tuning and string gauge, so that would work on some, but not others. One set in particular that I use a lot is 10-48, which is hard to find.

I think I have 2 guitars for every tuning between E and B. Something like that.

 

[profwoot]

Just bought a Warwick Corvette Standard 5-string. I've been listening to lots of Karnivool lately, and playing bass almost exclusively (because it turns out the Strandberg endurneck is not compatible with my left thumb, which I'm super bummed about, and bass seems to not aggravate it at all).

Thought about getting a Warwick Thumb but between the expense and the bad ergonomics it seemed risky. Hoping the Corvette is sufficiently growly.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

just ordered new gotoh tuners and a graphtec nut for this poor neglected GIO GRX20. I'll be ordering a trem bar once I can figure out what size threading it calls for, I think I'm just gonna have to go to the hardware store and try bolts in the trem block until one fits (unless someone has a smarter solution that isn't digital calipers).

I will literally never understand the attraction of minimalism... especially when driven by the "if it doesn't bring you joy" crap. I am brought joy every time I select a guitar and amp and play them together, and picking which one is part of it

Obviously this is highly personal, but the attraction for me is that when I have too many guitars, amps, dirt pedals etc to choose from I spend more time worrying about which combination of things sounds "best" and get way down the rabbit hole on that when what I really wanted to do was play riffs. I find I'm at my most creative when I have a smaller palette of choices I know intimately well. Also, limitation can be a source of creativity by forcing us to innovate within the boundaries of what we have rather than constantly trying to expand those boundaries beyond our ability to bump up against them. I can see how folks would find the latter approach more freeing, but I'm definitely not one of them. Even spotify stresses me out lol

 

[technomancer]

just ordered new gotoh tuners and a graphtec nut for this poor neglected GIO GRX20. I'll be ordering a trem bar once I can figure out what size threading it calls for, I think I'm just gonna have to go to the hardware store and try bolts in the trem block until one fits (unless someone has a smarter solution that isn't digital calipers).


Obviously this is highly personal, but the attraction for me is that when I have too many guitars, amps, dirt pedals etc to choose from I spend more time worrying about which combination of things sounds "best" and get way down the rabbit hole on that when what I really wanted to do was play riffs. I find I'm at my most creative when I have a smaller palette of choices I know intimately well. Also, limitation can be a source of creativity by forcing us to innovate within the boundaries of what we have rather than constantly trying to expand those boundaries beyond our ability to bump up against them. I can see how folks would find the latter approach more freeing, but I'm definitely not one of them. Even spotify stresses me out lol

Yep definitely falls under the you do you thing. It's like there are guys that can't use a modeller because there are too many options, or guys that don't like an amp with a lot of knobs. That's fine, those things are not for them.

I do confess I am bad with pedals though... I tend to buy them and barely use them and then sell them later when I want to pick up a new guitar or amp I really need to build a board or two to help with actually using some stuff I have on the pedal front. After I finish the outstanding amp builds I have around