Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: headtheball on November 14, 2006, 01:09:15 AM

Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: headtheball on November 14, 2006, 01:09:15 AM
We've all been there at least once.

Some genius decides to tell you your rig is "wrong" for the purposes you set it to. Sometimes it's fanboyism, other times they're just aghast that you're "abusing" or "tainting" equipment (Not like RorySRV on the tie-dye strat thread. I mean people who do this stuff sincerely)

I was playing last week, and had some scuttering gobsheen tell me off because I dared to play stoner-ish rock with
a: A hollowbody(My eggle)
b: P-90 pickups(BKP, of course)
c: A Laney VC-30(I don't think he noticed I was running a 1x15 cab as an extension)
d: Only a clean boost and a wah

I think the thrust of his argument would be that I'd sound better (or in his words, not shitee) with a Les Paul with huge 'buckers, a floor full of fuzz pedals and a Marshall. Because that's what someone he's seen plays with instead.

So, anyway, the point. If you're getting "your sound", most people like it and it fits in the mix of the band, do you have the "right" gear, or is there still wisdom in recieved wisdom?
Title: Re: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on November 14, 2006, 02:17:31 AM
Quote from: headtheball
is there still wisdom in recieved wisdom?

There are two kinds of opinions: personal opinions, and expert opinions. Personal opinions abound. Expert opinions are much harder to come by. If you're not soliciting someone's opinion, regardless of what it is, then you don't have to listen to it. If you are, then you've opened yourself up to a lot of misinformation and biased viewpoints.
Title: Re: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: broken cord on November 14, 2006, 03:05:01 AM
Quote from: headtheball


I was playing last week, and had some scuttering gobsheen tell me off because I dared to play stoner-ish rock with ....


LMAO "Scuttering Gobsheen" god I love it :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: jt on November 14, 2006, 03:14:35 AM
:D Do you like your sound ? if the awnser is yes then tell `em to F*** Off !

 :D  8)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: 38thBeatle on November 14, 2006, 07:35:20 AM
I always take the view "well I am up here doing it and getting paid- you are not-I didn't seek out your opinion and therefore I will politely listen to you but I will take no notice of you whatsoever". Having said that, I haven't had one of those for years-mostly I get guys coming up saying that my Strat (or Tele) sounds great -I use a Laney VC30 too btw.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: JamesHealey on November 14, 2006, 09:27:49 AM
headtheball dont worry about it dude..

i used a limited run strat with a miracle man into an engl when i was playing live with my metal band and got told to use line6 and bc rich.. ;)

just ignore them.

and someone else a few weeks later said "didn't know strats could sound heavy, thought only metal looking guitars sounded heavy"..
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Twinfan on November 14, 2006, 09:56:05 AM
I have a "regular" at our gigs who asks me if I'm "still using that shitee Laney" and I "should get a 100 watt Marshall".  According to him, I can't be Angus without a Marshall.  He didn't seem to bothered by the lack of school uniform though which I thought would make more of a difference to the Angus-ness!  Our bass player is just as bad.  He reckons I need a regular Gibson SG not my souped up, BKP'd Epiphone.  The fool...

At our last gig I had a guitarist come up to me between sets and tell me that our rendition of Riff Raff was "absolutely spot on" - especially the tone.

Who says you can't do Angus without a Marshall and a Gibson?
Title: Re: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Philly Q on November 14, 2006, 11:04:25 AM
Quote from: headtheball
So, anyway, the point. If you're getting "your sound", most people like it and it fits in the mix of the band, do you have the "right" gear, or is there still wisdom in recieved wisdom?

If you're getting "your sound" and you're happy, then you're definitely using the right gear!  Lots of people are never happy with their sound.

As for using P90s to play stoner-ish rock, it's good enough for Bruce Franklin.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Kilby on November 14, 2006, 11:07:41 AM
If they know so much whay are they always in the audience ?

I wouldn't dream of slagging of somebodys setup, unless they where doing something truely bizzarre (like using Line 6 & BC Rich kit ;) )
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Elliot on November 14, 2006, 11:34:12 AM
I hate that about guitar players, especially the spotty teenage variety who are experts on everything - you don't hear violinists saying 'only a stradivarius can do that, if you haven't got one don't even bother trying'.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Hell Hound on November 14, 2006, 12:37:29 PM
I'd say :"Screw him!"
I know a guy who play in a Slipknot/punk/core kind of band, and he use a P90 loaded SG, tube overdrive into a mesa dual recto. His sound is one of the best I've eard in years for that kind of music :evil:
I personnaly don't give a shite about what people tell me about my gears, I know more than most of them (I admit I'm a gear freak hehe)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Ratrod on November 14, 2006, 12:50:38 PM
I was at a jam session in our local bar this sunday. A guy asked me if he could try my amp n' stuff. It's a Fender HRDLX on a 2X12 cab and a Hughes n' Kettner Tube Factor overdrive. He plugged in his Ibanez super strat thing and played Sweet Child o' Mine on the neck single coil.

The gear couldn't be more wrong but the tone was spot on.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Crazy_Joe on November 14, 2006, 04:34:05 PM
It is imortant to get the sound, however some people substitute that for image, you need to fit the image too imo, because you will get labelled as something you don't want to be.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: sambo on November 14, 2006, 05:22:33 PM
Quote from: Elliot
you don't hear violinists saying 'only a stradivarius can do that, if you haven't got one don't even bother trying'.


 :lol:  :lol:

but i choose to 'not hear' violinists in general tbh...
Title: Re: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: ToneMonkey on November 14, 2006, 05:40:53 PM
Quote from: headtheball
We've all been there at least once.

a: A hollowbody(My eggle)
quote]

Give me an Eggle over a Gibson anyday.  We have a saying at work for people like him and it goes "YOU, ARE A c--k"

Need a Gibson and a Marshall my arse, give me my eggle and a Vox and I'll be more than happy.

Tone is so subjective that what sounds perfect to me is ear garbage to another.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: jt on November 14, 2006, 06:30:51 PM
Quote from: Crazy_Joe
It is imortant to get the sound, however some people substitute that for image, you need to fit the image too imo, because you will get labelled as something you don't want to be.[/quote

 :D Why ?

When people hear your CD`s they wont  no what you used there`ll only hear the sound.

The problem with trying to fullfill an image is that the "right" gear image wise tends to be the worst sounding & in Gibsons case the most shodiest made gear. YOU need to be smarter than that.

 :D  8)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Davey on November 14, 2006, 06:33:58 PM
Laney > any new Marshall
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: sambo on November 14, 2006, 06:35:15 PM
Quote from: jt
Gibsons case the most shodiest made gear.

 :D  8)



well... i know a lot of people complain about their quality control... but they're not the MOST shoddiest made gear... may have the worst price/quality ratio but thats a different story...
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: sambo on November 14, 2006, 06:36:21 PM
oh and as for image i agree with JT... trying to have the right image just feels weird to me... i buy something guitar related cause it sounds/feels nice e.t.c...
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: willo on November 14, 2006, 07:25:43 PM
This is true, sound is most important. But I must confess, that there is something about hooking a Gibson into a Marshall half stack. I think most people would feel this too...I mean, my custom strat is probably better than almost all Fender's out there now (save Custom Shop I guess), and yet still sometimes I lament the fact that it doesn't have Fender on the headstock.

I guess it's a fine line between 'living the dream' and 'playing at being a rock star', if that makes sense?
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: headtheball on November 14, 2006, 07:40:23 PM
Fret not, the man in question was requested to feck right off and buy me a pint of guiness before the rest of the band ate him (and they looked like they could).

The way I see it, I was pushing the Life out of the laney, and a Marshall half-stack would have needed turned down. The P-90's made the sound more attacking and distinct, and (most importantly) the other guitarist was using a Marshall Half Stack and a Les Paul, so another would have just sounded like bassy, sludgy soup (LP's don't take downtuning very well, in my opinion).

By the way, anyone finding their sound a bit bright should maybe check out a bass cab as an extension. Adds a lot of moving air. But I wouldn't say it was the only or "right" option ;-)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: sambo on November 14, 2006, 08:27:40 PM
Quote from: willo
This is true, sound is most important. But I must confess, that there is something about hooking a Gibson into a Marshall half stack. I think most people would feel this too...I mean, my custom strat is probably better than almost all Fender's out there now (save Custom Shop I guess), and yet still sometimes I lament the fact that it doesn't have Fender on the headstock.

I guess it's a fine line between 'living the dream' and 'playing at being a rock star', if that makes sense?


i get what your saying Willo... kinda agree as well... but then on the other hand i like having stuff thats more obscure and unheard of... to be different from other people... which can give an equally good feeling as the Gibson+Marshall style vibe we're talking about.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Hell Hound on November 14, 2006, 09:44:31 PM
Quote from: sambo
but then on the other hand i like having stuff thats more obscure and unheard of... to be different from other people... which can give an equally good feeling as the Gibson+Marshall style vibe we're talking about.


I like obscure gears too, my guitar collection is just like that : a weird handmade polish guitar (a Mayones, i love it), a double neck  with 2 6 strings neck (one is baritone :lol: ) and a fairly rare Ibanez RG3120 (never seen any other one beside mine and a few played by Patrick Ronda)
It's better this way, I love the questions and compliments hehe. So I can suck at guitar and still beign popular :lol:
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: sambo on November 14, 2006, 10:17:49 PM
Quote from: Hell Hound
Quote from: sambo

It's better this way, I love the questions and compliments hehe. So I can suck at guitar and still beign popular :lol:


 :lol:  :lol: precisely!!!!
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Crazy_Joe on November 14, 2006, 10:53:11 PM
I know what some of you are getting at, but you DO need the image aswel as the sound, i'm not saying buy good looking things which suck in sound quality, i'm saying maybe getting something in a cool shape which is made by a good company which will make it sound good to fufil the image but still sound sexy. If that makes any sense  :P
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: froglord on November 15, 2006, 11:22:34 AM
Obscure gear rules!

I think a lot of guitar and amp companies are trading off their name and their history, when in fact their glory days have passed. The good thing about smaller companies is that they have no choice but to sell their stuff based on quality and customer support.

The classic combinations (Rock = Les Paul + Marshall, Metal = Ibanez + Mesa) exist for a good reason - because they work well. But that doesn't mean nothing else can.

Don't tell me music is about conformity. Stick it to the man!  :D
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Fourth Feline on November 15, 2006, 12:52:04 PM
Quote from: Kilby
If they know so much whay are they always in the audience ?

I wouldn't dream of slagging of somebodys setup, unless they where doing something truely bizzarre (like using Line 6 & BC Rich kit ;) )


Well said Kilby !

When I was last gigging, I found that actual working guitarists where interested in my modest rig but not really critical. I had a very 'choosy' but gigging guitarist come up and ask about/examine my MIJ Strat into Laney LH50R half stack.
(He had top of the range Mesa Boogie and Gibson everything with only boutique pedals when I went to see his band).

Being genuine, he was just interested in how mutually effective our contrasting  approaches were.

With real musos, it's about exploration not verbal exploitation.

I have however encountered a handfull of boozed up people who are not real players - and they just want to engage you in a pointless argument to demonstrate the fact that they "know their stuff"

- stroll on ...   :D
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: dave_mc on November 15, 2006, 12:54:56 PM
Quote from: froglord
Obscure gear rules!

I think a lot of guitar and amp companies are trading off their name and their history, when in fact their glory days have passed. The good thing about smaller companies is that they have no choice but to sell their stuff based on quality and customer support.

The classic combinations (Rock = Les Paul + Marshall, Metal = Ibanez + Mesa) exist for a good reason - because they work well. But that doesn't mean nothing else can.

Don't tell me music is about conformity. Stick it to the man!  :D


seconded. nice post.

:drink:
Title: Here, Here !
Post by: Fourth Feline on November 15, 2006, 01:33:25 PM
Quote from: dave_mc
Quote from: froglord
Obscure gear rules!

I think a lot of guitar and amp companies are trading off their name and their history, when in fact their glory days have passed. The good thing about smaller companies is that they have no choice but to sell their stuff based on quality and customer support.

The classic combinations (Rock = Les Paul + Marshall, Metal = Ibanez + Mesa) exist for a good reason - because they work well. But that doesn't mean nothing else can.

Don't tell me music is about conformity. Stick it to the man!  :D


seconded. nice post.

:drink:


Thirded ! another very valid point. probably why we all buy BKPs as well  :D
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: _tom_ on November 15, 2006, 01:34:16 PM
This thread makes me think of the other guitarist in my band. He bought a DSL head over a GH50L simply because it was a Marshall and it would therefore sound better. Plus it matched his cab! 1!! :lol: But it works for him and he seems to be happy with his sound, although I'm not a fan of it really (he has about 4 behringer pedals which dont really have good bypass).
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: gingataff on November 15, 2006, 02:01:39 PM
A guy I know who wants a Jimmy Page tone just went and bought a Marshall MG and a Boss OD/DS cos of the names, rather than a Epi VJ (which is about 70quid here BTW!!!) and a fuzz or booster.
Oh well, he's very happy with his purchase so I guess that's most important.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: indysmith on November 15, 2006, 05:11:18 PM
bah i dont care about all these people as long as they're comfortable in blissful ignorance.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: dave_mc on November 15, 2006, 08:10:17 PM
Quote from: _tom_
This thread makes me think of the other guitarist in my band. He bought a DSL head over a GH50L simply because it was a Marshall and it would therefore sound better. Plus it matched his cab! 1!! :lol: But it works for him and he seems to be happy with his sound, although I'm not a fan of it really (he has about 4 behringer pedals which dont really have good bypass).


at least he bought a dsl and not an MG...
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Deadstar on November 16, 2006, 10:59:32 PM
Quote
Don't tell me music is about conformity. Stick it to the man! 


Yeah! Although I'm sure we all value traditionalist means we must look
forward, as Fleetwood Mac say "You can go your own way"


Quote
Obscure gear rules!


Quote
With real musos, it's about exploration not verbal exploitation.


Yeah! So cool it's not  cool! I like weird stuff - not too weird but nice,
artistic. And I'm particuarly fond of messing with people who are stuck in
their ways, Definitely would have the balls to play some screwed up Jazz
with a Jazzmaster plugged into a mental fuzz pedal :twisted:

Quote
I was playing last week, and had some scuttering gobsheen tell me off because I dared to play stoner-ish rock with
a: A hollowbody(My eggle)
b: P-90 pickups(BKP, of course)


This guy never heard of Queens of the Stone Age?!?

Quote
and yet still sometimes I lament the fact that it doesn't have Fender on the headstock.


Ahhh, Brand naming, why bother with what other people think if your
getting great tone on something individual that you love, then I'm sure, if
you ever became famous all the fans would lust after it themselves.

Quote
oh and as for image i agree with JT... trying to have the right image just feels weird to me... i buy something guitar related cause it sounds/feels nice e.t.c...


Image is a tricky buisness, there are certainly limitations, I'm sure if I played a B.C. Rich and it sounded/felt nice I still wouldn't buy it I guarantee, for the taste factor.
Then theres the dress codes etc.....
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Fourth Feline on November 17, 2006, 12:41:22 AM
I just remembered about one of my favourite 'out there' guitarists - Marc Ribot, who did the most compelling session playing for three or more great Tom Waits albums/tours (and so much more in his own right besides)

I searched for years to find out on which instrument he got that killer tone on the 'Raindogs' session - and eventually found out:

A Ģ100 Telecaster copy...

 8)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: jt on November 17, 2006, 01:12:54 AM
:D Talking about gear & image i just rememberd.....When Eric Johnson hit the scene everybody went out & bought Fender Strats because he was seen playing & endorsing one. People talked constantly about how great a guitar sound he had & allways quoted "Cliffs Of Dover" as to highlight how great his sound was. The problem was after Fender sold countless thousands of Strats it came to light that he actually played the song with a Gibson 335 !!

As I said earlier people wont no what gear you used there`ll only be able to hear it on your CD`s

 :D  8)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: willo on November 17, 2006, 02:16:26 AM
Quote from: Fourth Feline
I just remembered about one of my favourite 'out there' guitarists - Marc Ribot, who did the most compelling session playing for three or more great Tom Waits albums/tours (and so much more in his own right besides)

I searched for years to find out on which instrument he got that killer tone on the 'Raindogs' session - and eventually found out:

A Ģ100 Telecaster copy...

 8)


Saw Ribot in London last Saturday, he's currently getting amazing tones from an old Harmony Stratotone - a catalogue guitar from the '50's...
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: lulusg on November 17, 2006, 07:50:35 AM
Duke Ellington said  "If it sounds good, then It is good" :)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Fourth Feline on November 17, 2006, 08:54:47 PM
Quote from: willo
Quote from: Fourth Feline
I just remembered about one of my favourite 'out there' guitarists - Marc Ribot, who did the most compelling session playing for three or more great Tom Waits albums/tours (and so much more in his own right besides)

I searched for years to find out on which instrument he got that killer tone on the 'Raindogs' session - and eventually found out:

A Ģ100 Telecaster copy...

 8)


Saw Ribot in London last Saturday, he's currently getting amazing tones from an old Harmony Stratotone - a catalogue guitar from the '50's...


WOW ! you actually saw him here in the UK ! I did not even know he was on tour .. I must get in the habit of checking these artist websites more often  :roll:

You lucky, lucky, man  :D
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: plastercaster on November 17, 2006, 09:47:41 PM
Quote from: JamesHealey
and someone else a few weeks later said "didn't know strats could sound heavy, thought only metal looking guitars sounded heavy"..

But he did say that over "Strats cant sound heavy, only metal looking guitars sound heavy" to be fair to him.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: mattisfrommars on November 19, 2006, 10:41:33 PM
When i walked into a shop with my long hair, torn black jeans and ill fitting t-shirt and asked to try some amps, i was steered by the shop assistant to the line6s.

"Um, can i go on the Hughes and Kettner?" Which completley bemused the guy. When i picked up a squier tele (the same model as my guitar at home) his bemused expression deepened.

I then proceded to play the most hardcore riffs i could. And i swear, a kid in a slipknot hoodie walked away from the line6 to be next in line for the H&K.

Was hilarius
Title: Re: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: screamingdaisy on November 19, 2006, 11:33:47 PM
Quote from: headtheball

I was playing last week, and had some scuttering gobsheen tell me off because I dared to play stoner-ish rock with
a: A hollowbody(My eggle)
b: P-90 pickups(BKP, of course)
c: A Laney VC-30(I don't think he noticed I was running a 1x15 cab as an extension)
d: Only a clean boost and a wah


P90s into an off brand amp is way more Stoner than some mainstream wannabe wanking a Gibson and fuzzbox into a lame ass Marshall.

Next time tell him to f*ck off.

IMO.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: Ratrod on November 20, 2006, 03:09:34 PM
Quote from: mattisfrommars
When i walked into a shop with my long hair, torn black jeans and ill fitting t-shirt and asked to try some amps, i was steered by the shop assistant to the line6s.

"Um, can i go on the Hughes and Kettner?" Which completley bemused the guy. When i picked up a squier tele (the same model as my guitar at home) his bemused expression deepened.

I then proceded to play the most hardcore riffs i could. And i swear, a kid in a slipknot hoodie walked away from the line6 to be next in line for the H&K.

Was hilarius


 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

I wish I was there.

Personally, I wouldn't touch a Line6 with a ten foot pole. If some shop assistant steering me towards one, I would be insulted.
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: WITH FULL DISTORTION on November 20, 2006, 05:04:39 PM
OK,my 666 cents.
ahahahahahahaha
the key word here is PERCEPTION.
if yu donīt have it,then itīs good to hear form someone else regarding your gear.
if you have. filter the infos they gave to you, and the compare it with the bands/guitarrists you like.. and see which one is more accurate!
Q:)
JP
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: mattisfrommars on November 20, 2006, 05:24:25 PM
Quote from: Ratrod

Personally, I wouldn't touch a Line6 with a ten foot pole. If some shop assistant steering me towards one, I would be insulted.


To be fair, the other guitarist in my band has the SpiderII halfstack, and at about half volume, the distortion sound is very good. A little trebly and thin, but a better than many amps selling for the same amount (for what we play anyways). Any less than half volume and it sounds like it's lacking too much. Any more than that and it turns to fizz
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: dave_mc on November 20, 2006, 05:40:27 PM
Quote from: mattisfrommars
To be fair, the other guitarist in my band has the SpiderII halfstack, and at about half volume, the distortion sound is very good. A little trebly and thin, but a better than many amps selling for the same amount (for what we play anyways). Any less than half volume and it sounds like it's lacking too much. Any more than that and it turns to fizz


so it only sounds good in a very limited area of the knobs' settings, even perhaps only at one setting? Has he tried a krank, out of interest?

;)
Title: The "Wrong" gear?
Post by: mattisfrommars on November 20, 2006, 07:15:07 PM
Yep. Kranks are fantastic at what they do. They just don't do much