[quote name='bilbo230763' post='386231' date='Jan 20 2009, 03:27 PM']I note that a lot of the posts here are about the purchase, selling, trading etc of gear - basses, amps, effects etc. Perfectly acceptable; I have got gear off here myself and very successfully. I particularly agree that buying effects is a legitmate form of experimentation and that there is no other readily accessible way of changing your sound so radically as the purchasing of a new effect.
But my question is; how much of the GAS we experience is motivated by frustration at the shortcomings of our gear and how much from the frustrations that arise from our unhappiness with our playing and teh sound we can get with our own ability to use the eqs on the amps we have.
I knew a guy once who loved guitars; he bought and sold them and tweaked actions and changed pick-ups and experimented with strings. His guitar playing was dreadful because he spent so much time playing with the technology that he never had time to practice the music.
Like most of us, I covet many of the basses I see here and elsewhere and mutter under my breath about how unfair it is that I can't afford any of them. But then I ask myself; is it the gear I want or more time getting better with the gear I have got? If I could practice more, would I get to where I want to be because I could play as well as I can and, more to the point, would spending £10K on a new bass lead me on a fool's errand because my playing wouldn't actually improve because of it and, having spent the money, I would still feel the same frustration.
I must practice more, I must practice more......[/quote]
"pro" level gear, no matter what for, will make your job easier to do but you need to know how to use it to start off with.
I work in a shop (part time while at uni)and have lots of friends who are photographers and theres the mentality (with both customers/friends) spend more, get good results.
a pro can get a great photo from a mobile phone or a coke can with a pinhole in it, steve vai would sound great on a £50 budget guitar thru a 10watt practise amp.
its why I have never wanted a PRS, yes..gorgous, but *shrugs* never did it for me, form over function. its why I prefere epiphones high end stuff to similar priced mid-range gibson (spend £1000 on a epiphone and it will be much better than same priced gibson I think)
saying that.....buying new gear (both photographic and musical) in the past has restarted my passion, if it was dieing down abit..new gear can give you that fire back.
my opinion, not forcing it on others:-)