g.a.s. also known as s.o.c. dude you got too much shit! i did that shit for years--looking for tone--this will sound better-that will sound better---bullshit.. too much to fuck with. i prefer 1 amp, 1 good strat and a decent delay pedal. use the amp distortion unless it sucks, i'm fine with a good reverb in a combo amp and the delay pedal is just gravy!! if you buy something that you got to change drasticly you didn't need it to begin with. you been suckered by madison avenue slick mind manipulation! advertising exiists tp create a perpetually dissatissfied consumer. that means us!! nothing personal man, i been thru this and i'm happier with simple stuff. can only use 1 board at a timeas my old lady says!! peace

my tone is in my helmet...

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I know there are many philosophies when it comes to having the perfect, complete arsenal of gear. I've went through phases like everyone else, and with that being said I've owned many guitars. You name it..I've owned it. I guess to me it all eventually came down to seperating legitimate needs from silly wants. Maybe "silly wants" is not the appropriate term, but what I mean by that is this: I often bought guitars because of a cool finish, a limited color, someone I respected played one, or I just thought I would need "this particular sound" one day down the road. I ended up with a spare room filled with just spare, unused gear. Throughout my years of playing I went through phases where I would be stuck on someone's tone.... i.e. Dale, Eddy, Gilmour, Hendrix, etc. I finally decided I need to find MY tone because I was never going to sound like them anyway....too many variables....and why would I want to? I started playing to create my own tone, not preserve someone else's. Not that they're not all incredible musicians with incredible tone for what they did...it just wasn't me. I finally thinned out my herd and settled on a Jag, a Jazzmaster, and a Tele Deluxe. I kept my Deluxe Reverb and my Twin and my Orange is on back-up. After I bought my tube driver from Butler Audio I sold off all my Gibsons...I didn't need them anymore. With the right effects, there is pretty much nothing that I need I can't get out of one of those guitars with my Fender amps...and I play a lot of stuff with the exception of Jazz. But I guess different people have different needs, huh? I'm not making a point, am I? I guess the input I can give through my experiences is to learn and know your amp(s) and how your guitar(s) react(s) through its various settings. Effects are generally much cheaper than guitars and they give you much more for your money just because they can alter the tone in every guitar you have, and each will be affected in a different, hopefully positive manner...I guess the same could be said about amplifiers. Nothing I've found can make a guitar or amp sound better than just playing the hell out of it on a regular basis. Sometimes I wonder if I am learning more about tone and how to get it as the years go by, or is it my gear that sounds better than it did when I first bought it. There are so many of us that have gear that we don't use to its full potential...a little extra time and experimentation can save money...at least it has me. I'd sell off some guitars and invest in some effects or maybe even an amp.

Amen to KJC. All the energy spent on GAS could be spent on GAB (getting a band). While garageband and home demos can be fun, instructional and rewarding - Joe the NorCalHodad for example - it does lack in one very important area, interacting and enjoying the company of other people.

For most, unless you're a solo artist, eventually you'll need others to play with. Why wait until you have a gig or worked up a body of work. You may find that as you play with others you'll head in an entirely unexpected direction. Your songwriting may also benefit from others' input early in the process and save you a lot of wasted time and effort.

And surfdaddy has it right as well - it's in the hands. I think jumping around to a lot of different guitars will slow down the process of getting to your full expressive potential. You need to become one with the guitar, grasshopper, so it's not an external instrument but an extension of yourself. Not going to happen if you keep switching around.

Ok enough preaching.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF