Making The Best With Whatcha Got.

Tangent time!

Ever have one of those days where nothing sounds good?  Bouncing from amp to amp, guitar to guitar, and nothing satisfies?  Is buying more gear the solution?  Maybe, if I just get those different pickups, THEN I’ll be satisfied and inspired!   Well, my week started out like that.  I hated the sounds of everything I owned, but then I had an epiphany.

If you only own one thing, you will make it work!

When you only have one amp, you dial it in until it works.  That may take time.  Balancing “can you hear it?” vs “does it sound harsh” vs “does it sound sloppy” vs “does it sound boring”.  Eventually, you find a happy place and learn to live with it.

Same with Guitars.  When only own one, you spend more time making sure it’s the best it can be.  Adjusting the pickup high, until it’s just right, trying different kinds of strings, etc.

The point is, too much stuff just creates clutter and confusion.  When you own less, you find a way to make it work.  There’s also good TED talks about the dangers of too many options.  Turns out, humans can’t handle it.

Remember those early Van Halen albums.  Ed used the same amp for at least 10 years.  Of course it was a great Marshall, or maybe he made it great.  Using one amp, that only sounded good at maxed volume,  forced him to experiment.  Not just with variacs, but with amp slaving, different speakers, and ultimately modding his guitars to work best with that amp.  He made the best of what he had.  Does everyone really think he got the greatest Marshall ever made?!  He would have found a way to make any amp work.

Find what works for you and stick with it.

To quote the incredible Phil X, “If you have a great guitar and a great amp and aren’t happy with the sound, start thinking it’s the Indian and not the arrow.”   (PC- correction: Why were Native Americans called Indians?  That was a totally different continent and country. Stupid white people, they ruin everything)

Now having said that, I think I’ll spend the rest of the day browsing to figure out what amp I’ll buy next.  🙂