I may be over compensating for something but...

[Philly Q]

A truly great guitarist does not a truly great band make.

Indeed.  Vai certainly didn't take Whitesnake or David Lee Roth to the upper heights of world domination........

Or Alcatrazz !!! (*tumbleweed*)  PDT_008

I quite like Alcatrazz!  I think I prefer the albums with Yngwie or Danny Johnson to the Vai one, though.

Maybe Vai isn't really cut out for being "just" a member of a rock band.  That Whitesnale album is utter pish.

[Philly Q]

That Whitesnale album is utter pish.

Interesting typo I made there.  Possibly quite appropriate, though, at Old Cov's age.

[Henk]

*on topic*

Well, when i was young i had to gig the worst gear imaginable, tried saving up for a Gibson LP for years but never got it together during my studies. Then when i started working i bought several, only i did not have time anymore to play......

So yes i would think GAS syndrome comes from compensating for the lack of cash as a kid  :lol:

*offtopic*

I have Alkatrazz syndrome too....

[ailean]

Nobody's assessing the point I made earlier.

He likes the sound of the Vh4 - That's the sound of an amp he actually wants. You CAN'T get a 5w Vh4. And he's happy with the sound the Vh4 gives at low volumes.

Ergo there's no problem with him owning it.

Same argument can be given for the stack... He likes it.. He likes how it sounds at low volumes... You can't get a 2x12 that sounds like it... He's perfectly justified in any position on this matter.

I did :) You pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Thank you for all the encouragement, I still lack the confidence (and timing), but maybe I'll set myself a target and it might motivate me.

I'm not up to band standard, but Sue is getting there so it's not beyond imagining that this gear will get used to gig. It will certainly find it's way into a rehersal room at some stage. I'd love to gig, but I'm cr@p, so I'm not sure it will happen.

Sorry, but this is the biggest pile of horse shitee I've read in a while.

no, don't hold back, tell us what you really think  :D :D

[ailean]

So yes i would think GAS syndrome comes from compensating for the lack of cash as a kid  :lol:

Could certainly be a factor.... ;)

[Johnny Mac]

100w heads do give more headroom with cleans. When I drop mine to half power the cleans break up easier.
I did think that my amp which is 120w is ott for home use but with an attenuator or in my amps case even without it will still sound great at low volumes. It gives me all the options i need with out having loads of different amps. That was what the engineers had in mind when they designed it.

If you ever fancy an attenuator Aliean, have a look at the Koch one, it has loads of options for recording. Line outs, XLR out, ground loop lift, 1x12, 4x12 simulators with open or closed mic.

I'd go with what the others said about not being too hard on your playing. If you can find some others to jam with this will bring your playing on in leaps and bounds. Then you can crank it up and get some harmonic feedback going. Your think you've died and gone to heaven! Jamming in itself is just so rewarding and great to do. I'm in a studio this weekend with a sax player,another guitarist, a superb bass player and new drummer. Have a look on Gumtree.com for people to hook up with.

[Roobubba]

no, don't hold back, tell us what you really think  :D :D

You and I both know that's almost certainly a BAD idea ;)

Anyway, you get the gist of it, it's meant in a positive way :)

Roo

[HTH AMPS]

Dave, you have more guitars than many guitar shops - the words pot, kettle and black come to mind  :lol:

Th Diezel VH4 sounds absolutely awesome even at bedroom volumes, I've tried one and would love one myself.  The fact of the matter is that if he can afford to keep both amps, then why not?  The dozen or so guitars that you and PhillyQ have each (at least) are an indulgence too, but thats part of the fun.  If money (and space) were no object, I'd have dozens of guitars and amps too, as would pretty much everyone here if truth be told.

Guitars are different.  You can truly appreciate them at any volume  ;)

And for the record I currently have 18 guitars, with 6 up for sale, so I'll soon be down to the dozen.......

yeah yeah, you're not trying to convince the missus here y'know, ha ha.

[HTH AMPS]

Nobody's assessing the point I made earlier.

He likes the sound of the Vh4 - That's the sound of an amp he actually wants. You CAN'T get a 5w Vh4. And he's happy with the sound the Vh4 gives at low volumes.

Ergo there's no problem with him owning it.

Same argument can be given for the stack... He likes it.. He likes how it sounds at low volumes... You can't get a 2x12 that sounds like it... He's perfectly justified in any position on this matter.

he's a thought to satisfy those who feel that an amp MUST be cranked at somewhere approaching full volume to sound good... get a small class A power amp and run the effects send into it (or line out if it has one) - that way you can run the amp into a small output stage and get things really cooking.

[murraymurray]

Im gonna have to agree with everyone else, you should start having casual jams, just with some like minded dudes you can find on a similar levels perhaps? just hang out and drink some beers and rock some tunes. its the quickest way to improve your all around skill i reckon. practicing along to songs or a metronome doesnt motivate you as much as actually working towards something in a band. it seems to be how a lot of dudes here started out, im in the same boat, i dont consider myself a great guitarist by any means, but playing in bands early on lifted my skills heaps. and also it gives me more reason to waste lots of cash on gear rather than taking my girlfriend out to nice dinners  :lol:

[ailean]

Im gonna have to agree with everyone else, you should start having casual jams, just with some like minded dudes you can find on a similar levels perhaps? just hang out and drink some beers and rock some tunes. its the quickest way to improve your all around skill i reckon. practicing along to songs or a metronome doesnt motivate you as much as actually working towards something in a band. it seems to be how a lot of dudes here started out, im in the same boat, i dont consider myself a great guitarist by any means, but playing in bands early on lifted my skills heaps. and also it gives me more reason to waste lots of cash on gear rather than taking my girlfriend out to nice dinners  :lol:

I really hope she's not reading this!

I'm lucky in that respect, Sue is more likely to agree to a purchase than stop me. Although maybe that's unlucky?

[Adam.M]

I hope you've upgraded all the locks in your house, haha!

I have guard cats...

Hahaha! those are extremely lolcat worthy :D

[morgasm]

i have my vh4 at the studio if u ever want to jam and turn urs up bring it down we'll have a vh4 fest. (free of charge lol)