# The image of a band is greatly affected by the gear they use.



## Connor (May 4, 2012)

This is more an open ended discussion about things I've observed over the past few years. In the end, this is coming from someone who, in reality, is no one. I'm not in a well known band and I don't have a huge standing in the music business.

Lately I've been thinking about bands who "make it" to the level that it consumes most of their lives. The gear that these bands use have a huge impact upon other musicians and their perception of the band ie. "They play a stock low-end Ibanez RG, they must be shit." This kind of thing occurs more with guitarists than anybody else. It is assumed that a good guitarist automatically has good gear, in the contrary, an average guitarist has average gear. With this idea, any bands who do not have decent gear will not be that highly regarded. Sure, the gear they use will have an impact on the sound of their live performance but when it comes to recording and songwriting, not so much considering studios these days carry a substantial amount of gear. 

I guess the issue has started to arise even further with the whole "djent" movement and Misha, Nolly, Tosin etc. getting all of these sweet looking custom guitars along with the huge amount of new luthiers coming into the scene. Obviously this would vary by genre, but the same idea applies across the board.

In the end, if we dont give these smaller local bands a shot, they wont have enough of a following to get signed.

To exaggerate my point, here is Erick of Chon playing a $300 guitar better than most people would assume a person with a $3000 guitar would.


Any thoughts/experiences feel free to comment below.


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## bigswifty (May 4, 2012)

I'd have to disagree.

Let's assume 50% of the audience at a gig are musicians. The other 50% being music fans. Of that 50% of musicians, assume maybe 20% are guitarists.

The guitarists and other musicians most likely already thoroughly know and support the bands they are hearing. Perhaps in the case of a no-name opening act or a local concert these people haven't heard a couple of the bands. I would assume they would use their ears to judge whether the band is good or not. Not their eyes.

In the case of the music fans, why do they care what the band is playing through? Any one of my friends who doesn't care about music to the same degree as I do couldn't even begin to explain the difference between guitar A versus guitar B, let alone give a shit 

It's nice to have good gear, and those flashy lights look really cool, but it certainly isn't mandatory.
I'd prefer to see an act play with really average/shitty gear and still blow me away. Then I'd be impressed.


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## Connor (May 4, 2012)

dbrozz said:


> I'd prefer to see an act play with really average/shitty gear and still blow me away. Then I'd be impressed.



That was the main thing I was getting at, hence the video.


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## bigswifty (May 4, 2012)

Connor said:


> That was the main thing I was getting at, hence the video.



I realize that. My point was that for any musician to watch another musician make an inexpensive instrument sound way out of its league is impressive. 
So worrying about the image that lesser quality gear might bring you is invalid, so long as you can actually play your instrument well


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 5, 2012)

When I saw Origin, Paul Ryan was just using some shitty $500 Jackson that was beat to shit and he outplays every other person. I never judge people based on their gear.


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## GSingleton (May 5, 2012)

sadly, even though we are guitarists/musicians, I have to agree that a lot of people think this way. even just in my percussion studio, there are a lot of idiots that believe this. -_-


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## Chromaticity (May 5, 2012)

You could have a 5000$ rig or a 3000$ custom-made guitar and still be a shitty fucking guitarist. It's like some people buy a shit-ton of expensive gear to try to seem better, or simply cover the fact that they're actually terrible.

Oh, and pretentious musicians who judge other musicians because of their "inferior" gear are fucking morons. If you have the chops and play good music, nothing else should matter.


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## 3074326 (May 5, 2012)

The first impression might be greatly affected by the gear, but after the music starts, gear doesn't mean much. But, there will always be pretentious gearheads. I get judged negatively every day because I use a Single Rectifier instead of a Dual or Triple. It's stupid as hell, but so are some people. 

I will say that generally, gear can maybe be used as a hint about what to expect from a player.. people don't usually invest the money into it if they haven't invested the time. There are obviously exceptions. But sometimes people don't invest the money even though they've invested the time. 

My post basically says nothing.


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## broj15 (May 5, 2012)

I don't know how many times I've been to a local show and seen someone with less than quality gear play better than the bands which show up with $2000+ rigs. I've grown to understand that looks can be deceiving and to never judge a book by its cover


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## GSingleton (May 5, 2012)

Guys, I believe what he is saying is about the 70-80% of people who are younger or inexperienced and believe that. Us as musicians recognize that, but I believe he is talking about those people and believe it or not, that group outnumbers us by a lot. I mean, just look at the musical trends in america.


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## gunch (May 5, 2012)

GSingleton said:


> Guys, I believe what he is saying is about the 70-80% of people who are younger or inexperienced and believe that. Us as musicians recognize that, but I believe he is talking about those people and believe it or not, that group outnumbers us by a lot. I mean, just look at the musical trends in america.



Those 70-80 percent wouldn't know good gear from bad gear anyways.

People just like looking at neat shiny stuff and want to live vicariously through the musicians they follow.

Also I think the story with Chon is that they have a really good tech/setup guy.


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## exo (May 5, 2012)

the gear used by someone DEFINITELY has an effecton what the first impression is, although it's not where I'd draw my ultimate judgement on a band from.

Biggest thing I can think of is a show I caught locally from whatever the tour was that hade Neuraxis, Abigail Williams, Decrepit Birth, The Faceless, and Veil of Maya on it about 3 and a half years ago. there were 3 or 4 local openers, and another act the I'd never heard of, but wasn't attatched to the headlners. Teh locals were all deathcore type stuff, playing low/mid range RGs or shecters into Crate and peavey solidstate halfstacks, a couple of 5150's present......and I will admit that about 95% of the music was not to my liking, though that had nothing to do with the gear.

BUT

the aforementioned band I was unfamiliar with started setting up. The name of the act was Dreaming Dead ( go check them out on youtube, formerly known as Manslaughter, 2 discs out now.."Within one" and "Midnightmares"), and I was wondering if i was indeed going to have to endure another 25 minutes of generic, breakdown heavy local deathcore screaming, when I saw what was going on stage:Stage R guitar was a jackson Kelly, don't remember the amp, honestly, other than it was the first Marshall I'd seen all night.....stage L was a Fernandes Vortex w/ sustainer, and a Boogie Mark IV stack, and that gear was THE ONLY thing that kept me from heading out to grab a sandwich before the nationals started. That's where the "first impression" thing comes in. I just "knew" that based on that gear compared to everything else i'd seen, that I needed to check the band out, because it was most likely going to be different. this was confirmed when the "hot chick" singer/guitar player and her crew rolled thru a 25 minute set of blisteringly awesome doomy blackened thrash. If I'd seen more gear hit the stage along the lines of what the other 3 or 4 bands, I would have missed a killer band...( but been a whole lot less hungry for the next 3 hours  )

The reverse is also true, though. Saw Rings of Saturn, Decrepit Birth, and Cattle Decapitation a few weeks ago. Never listened to Rigns before, but saw the gear , noticed no cabs, but a pair of Axe FX units.....so I hung around to check 'em out. My mistake, because they may be talented players, but what they do is NOt my thing. 

"First impressions" can be misleading......


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## sojorel (May 5, 2012)

The suit makes the man.

Also, now checking out Chon


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## Severance (May 5, 2012)

I find that most good bands around my area have fairly decent gear. Nothing special or amazing. They make it work, but at the same time there are good bands around here playing shitty guitars and crates. I think personally it hurts there sound. As a guitarist I've always been looking for the right tone and by god thank the stars I've been able to pay for nice guitars and a powerball. I think though if you are truly dedicated you will find your tone no matter what amp you get, because you will make it happen.


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## Connor (May 5, 2012)

GSingleton is right, I'm against it, I hate the fact that people do think that. As Severance said above, you do what you can with the gear you have. 
The materialistic values that younger kids have is ridiculous, if something doesn't cost a lot, its not good. However I chose a Sterling JP60 over an EBMM JPX on the basis that the Sterling played close to as well, for $2000 less. I went in with the mindset that the JPX was what I was going to get, the cash was ready.


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## slowro (May 5, 2012)

I agree with some of the points here but I also think that when a lot of musicians see someone turn up with a an custom shop fender/gibson or private stock prs thru boutique gear they think ah this guy is going to suck playing some guitar shop blues. 

Gear doesn't make the player but if you are playing a Dime signature Dean thru 3 Randall stacks people will be a bit shocked if you start playing country music but that is irrelevant after a minute if the playing and music is good. People are image driven these days I had some weird looks when I pull out my beater "work" moblie phone like I am a freak transported through time from 2001 and thats just a cheap phone that gets that reaction.


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## BucketheadRules (May 5, 2012)

Mathieu from Gorod used to use a Squier Telecaster on stage.












What, you want me to keep talking?


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## eventhetrees (May 5, 2012)

Been a fan of Chon for awhile. They've videos and song writing style/playing never ceases to amaze me. I'm currently full of an odd mix of inspiration/rage quit guitar time feelings at the moment haha.


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## SamSam (May 5, 2012)

Being an average player with good gear I have to agree. I tell people what I play on and they assume I must be a beast on the guitar. Couldn't be further from the truth


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## Polythoral (May 5, 2012)

SamSam said:


> Being an average player with good gear I have to agree. I tell people what I play on and they assume I must be a beast on the guitar. Couldn't be further from the truth



I get this, too, haha. 'You have a EBMM and an Axe FX? AND YOU PLAY WITH JAZZ PICKS? Holy shit you must be amazing.'

actuallyamthesloppiestguitaristever.


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## Ckackley (May 5, 2012)

Good gear doesn't make the player at all. I've seen bands with the cheapest guitars and budget line amps sound GREAT. But, unfortunately the look/image of a band is pretty important these days. So a lot of people are going to judge a band based on the way their gear looks. I use pretty decent stuff but my favorite guitar is an old Schecter BlackJack that I paid $250 for. It just feels "right". So I keep it polished up, free of rust and looking pretty all the time.


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## Demiurge (May 5, 2012)

I'm a cheap guitar-lover. If I see someone on stage sounding great with low-end gear, I dig.

There are some, though, that fear judgment from the non-musicians in the crowd. A friend of mine will only gig with his LP or Tele because at least non-musicians know Gibson and Fender, so anything else will look 2nd tier. Not implausible, as there's a large contingent of guitarists out there that think the same!


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## Marv Attaxx (May 5, 2012)

I always get weird looks when I enter the stage with my 8 string and start playing quite peaceful prog/post rock


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## larry (May 5, 2012)

nah, cheap gear doesn't really make or break as long as you can
play the holy-shit out of it and are very tight/professional 
over all. from experience, i will say that the hype and inspiration
derrived from having a killer rig and decent guitar has helped to
push my playing. crust of bread is nice but not a necessity.

misha, tosin and all them boys started out on the cheap stuff
and came a long way to where we see 'em now. mark my words
man, them homeboys were developing their industry clout the
old fashioned way, via woodsheddin' and kicking ass on stage.
what we're seeing now is the by-product of all their hard work.
though, they're just as human as all of us. so, some of their
nice shit was accumulated the normal way.


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## SenorDingDong (May 5, 2012)

Chromaticity said:


> You could have a 5000$ rig or a 3000$ custom-made guitar and still be a shitty fucking guitarist. It's like some people buy a shit-ton of expensive gear to try to seem better, or simply cover the fact that they're actually terrible.





I have to disagree--some musicians just have more money than others. It doesn't mean all of them are compensating if they have nice gear and aren't very good 

I think you're reading a little too much into why people buy gear. If a guy works hard for his money but isn't very good at guitar, it doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to spend his hard earned money the way he wants. In fact, most $3000 custom guitars (unless made by some big brand name like Jackson or ESP or PRS) are so obscure that most people in the audience, unless they are avid gear researchers, won't even know what the fuck they're worth. 

And some good guitarists simply don't have the cash for nice gear.


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## shanejohnson02 (May 5, 2012)

I remember a time when this was a problem. It seems to be rife among younger, beginning guitarists. Especially between genres. I recall a specific instance where I personally (half-jokingly) hassled someone because they were playing a pointy BC Rich at a college jazz band tryout. Even though I ended up getting the gig, he *was* a fantastic player and we ended up jamming quite a bit after that...even did a few impromptu shows together.

His response was what is at the heart of this issue: "It's the only guitar I've got". 

I've since come to realize that, even though good gear makes it easier for you to sound good / play well, the two are not mutually inclusive. Just play what you've got. If people don't like it, they don't have to listen to it, because fuck haters.


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## Explorer (May 5, 2012)

My non-musician friends outnumber my musician friends by a substantial number. Same thing with my non-musician coworkers versus musician coworkers. 

I'd be greatly surprised if more than 5% of music listeners pay attention to gear. Do you really think that the majority of people knew or cared what hard Autotune was when Cher had that hit with "Believe"? 

"Oh, that rack unit was shiny! She must be good!" 

Granted, the OP was talking specifically about musicians noticing other musicians, but that's such a small drop in the bucket that I'd rather go after earnings by targeting the larger audience. I've been in performing situations where there were a few hardcore gear junkies looking at the gear, but we made our living off the non-musicians. 

It has to do with making music which appeals. That's probably why Stanley Jordan has made more money than Emmett Chapman from music performance and recording, because his music appeals to more people. It has nothing to do with Emmett having a more complicated set up, more amps to better separation of bass and treble, and an instrument with more strings. 

Musicality.


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## BrianUV777BK (May 5, 2012)

I guess I kind of agree with the OP. As this subject comes up I think back to seeing gigs where I'm waiting for an unknown band and may pre-judge how I think they'll sound by the looks of their gear. The better the equipment the better I think the band will be. Of course, this isn't always the case. I guess I'm gear biased.


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## maliciousteve (May 5, 2012)

If you write music for musicians, those musicians will judge you by your gear and technical ability.

If you write music for yourself then you might have more varied fans, most of whom don't care what you use.


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## pattonfreak1 (May 5, 2012)

Dillinger escape plan and crowbar play ltd. guitars

Tommy from prong plays low end schecters.

Andreas from sepultura played squiers stagemasters for awhile 

Steel Panther plays those cheap new kramers.
Lotsa other bands play ltd and epiphpne guitars.


I've seen plenty of solid state Randall, Line 6, and Carvin amps being used by fairly well established bands and players. 


Just sayin...


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## dbuk01 (May 5, 2012)

Ckackley said:


> Good gear doesn't make the player at all. I've seen bands with the cheapest guitars and budget line amps sound GREAT. But, unfortunately the look/image of a band is pretty important these days. So a lot of people are going to judge a band based on the way their gear looks. I use pretty decent stuff but my favorite guitar is an old Schecter BlackJack that I paid $250 for. It just feels "right". So I keep it polished up, free of rust and looking pretty all the time.



Several of my students own £250 Schecter Omen 6's and those guitars can be made to sound far above what you would expect if the player practices and spends time with it as opposed to many others who own far more expensive gear and don't make the most of it by being able to play in the first place!

I do believe that good players though get to a point where refining there sound and tone does become as important as the playing itself though and that also takes time!


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## Chromaticity (May 5, 2012)

SenorDingDong said:


> I have to disagree--some musicians just have more money than others. It doesn't mean all of them are compensating if they have nice gear and aren't very good
> 
> I think you're reading a little too much into why people buy gear. If a guy works hard for his money but isn't very good at guitar, it doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to spend his hard earned money the way he wants. In fact, most $3000 custom guitars (unless made by some big brand name like Jackson or ESP or PRS) are so obscure that most people in the audience, unless they are avid gear researchers, won't even know what the fuck they're worth.
> 
> And some good guitarists simply don't have the cash for nice gear.



That's not exactly what I meant. I'm not saying that EVERYONE who owns expensive gear or continuously spend money to upgrade their rig are like this, otherwise I would be bashing pretty much every musicians in almost every band ever. People can spend the amount of money they want in fancy gear, I don't care.

I'm talking about the type of musicians (I know a shitload of people like this) who ceaselessly brag about owning expensive and fancy gear as if that made them superior to other musicians in any way or gave them the right to judge other musicians only because of their lack of decent gear. I've met that kind of people multiple times and heard them play and most of them, if not all, SUCKED at their instrument so that's why it makes me even more angry. They annoy me just as much as the typical musical theory elitists who usually brags about knowing 1000 different scales or chord shapes but actually can't even play for shit. or even write a single fucking song for that matter. Musical theory is very important, but it is just a tool. Same goes for gear, so people shouldn't brag about both.


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## ArrowHead (May 5, 2012)

The only people that give a crap about what gear a band uses are other musicians.

And other musicians are the cattiest motherfuckers on the planet. Just look at the people that will bash some of the most incredible players on youtube in comments simply because they like something else. "yeah man, you only like Eric Johnson because you've never heard Guthrie Govan! Now HE's a good guitarist".

In other words, the entire solution to the OP's perspective problem is simple: Don't listen to other musicians. They're all RETARDS.

Nothing against retards - my last girlfriend was retarded.


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## Xaios (May 5, 2012)

Just to play devil's advocate for a bit, there is sometimes a difference in quality that justifies the higher price tag of some gear, as well as simple personal preference. For example, I've got an old Cort guitar that was the second guitar I ever owned (first was a Mexican strat). The thing sounds *incredible* for blues and jazz, believe it or not. However, playing the thing hurts my hand something fierce and I can no longer adjust one of the saddles because the hex screws are stripped. While my RG1527 can't do blues and jazz like my Cort, it's definitely an easier and more comfortable instrument to play. I've found that aside from Ibanez, no other manufacturer makes guitars with necks that I'm comfortable playing for an extended period of time below about the $1000 range.


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## JeffFromMtl (May 5, 2012)

Well to be fair, sometimes, the gear can say something about what the band may sound like, or at least be trying to achieve. When I see Sunn, Orange, Emperor and Gibson gear, I automatically expect something sludgy. Or if I see large pedal boards, Fender twins and Jazzmasters, I automatically think shoegaze or post-rock. Maybe that's just because these are niche sounds, but at the same rate, it's awkward to see someone playing death metal on a Fender Strat, or folk music on an Ibanez RG. The aesthetic of the instruments are just so against the aesthetic of the respective genres mentioned.

As for the price of gear, I'm neither here nor there, but I play in a hardcore/noisecore band and when I play live, I use a Hagstrom F200-P loaded with P90's I got at a pawn shop for $230, so I probably look cheap and awkward anyway


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## bulb (May 5, 2012)

this is a blanket argument that doesnt really work because only musicians, and really gear nerds would be sizing your band up based off of your gear.
how many musicians and/or gear nerds are in the audience will change relative to the kind of music you play as well.
i know that at one of our shows there are a lot of gear nerds in the audience, but i would argue that your average metal show is made up of people who vaguely care about the gear used at best.

really, it just comes off as an excuse to be like "that is why x band is not appreciated"
the truth is, if you have the skills, it doesn't matter what you play through, people will notice.


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## FrancescoFiligoi (May 5, 2012)

bulb said:


> this is a blanket argument that doesnt really work because only musicians, and really gear nerds would be sizing your band up based off of your gear.
> how many musicians and/or gear nerds are in the audience will change relative to the kind of music you play as well.
> i know that at one of our shows there are a lot of gear nerds in the audience, but i would argue that your average metal show is made up of people who vaguely care about the gear used at best.
> 
> ...



music first, always.


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## Furtive Glance (May 5, 2012)

I find that with people that _aren't _musicians, they all seem to be of the "Gibson Les Pauls/Fender Strats/Fender Teles" are the only good guitars mindset. So there's that little wrench in the chain, too.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (May 5, 2012)

Most of the people I know don't necessarily brag about their gear, but they do somehow believe that getting better gear will bring them magical practice powers that will allow them to get to the next level. 

I'd much rather practice beforehand and feel like I reward myself with nice gear, but that's a pretty personal thing of course.

As a salesman in a music store, I _do_ tend to be a bit of a snob with gear sometimes, whether serious or comical, even though I know I shouldn't be; mostly due to the fact that (aside from that I'm almost as passionate about gear as I am about music) I've grown so exasperated with people thinking something sounds good or plays well not because they tried it and loved it, but because they were told it was good. Like many have said in this thread already, good guitars won't make shitty players sound better, if anything it'll make them sound worse. So I actually think it's the other way around in some respects, I find some "musicians" will want to be seen playing a certain type of equipment because they perceive it as giving them some sort of status; not that this is _usually_ not the case with the real players though, at least from my experience.


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## Fred the Shred (May 5, 2012)

To me, the gear a band uses only serves as a warning should it be incredibly shitty (not budget - I truly mean shitty), as the odds of the sound being wank are a lot greater. Such increased odds were never a reason for me not to give the band a chance.

Also, mentioning peeps (on which I'm included) that use high end, almost obscure custom stuff, prompts me to propose this exercice to you: ask your average metalhead bedroom guitarist whether he knows what a .strandberg*, Vik, Jaden etc. are, and whether he's familiar with any guitar from such brands. Repeat the question with Fender, Ibanez, Jackson and the like. Now see what price the more frequent findings of these brands on stage tend to average compared to said high end offerings, and there's your answer.

Don't confuse the false "if I had [insert super high end custom kit and rig] I would play and sound better" with people attempting to assert quality based on gear - in the very few cases this may occur, the dude's an idiot.


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## leonardo7 (May 5, 2012)

Connor said:


> Lately I've been thinking about bands who "make it" to the level that it consumes most of their lives. The gear that these bands use have a huge impact upon other musicians and their perception of the band ie. "They play a stock low-end Ibanez RG, they must be shit." This kind of thing occurs more with guitarists than anybody else. It is assumed that a good guitarist automatically has good gear, in the contrary, an average guitarist has average gear. With this idea, any bands who do not have decent gear will not be that highly regarded. Sure, the gear they use will have an impact on the sound of their live performance but when it comes to recording and songwriting, not so much considering studios these days carry a substantial amount of gear.
> 
> 
> 
> Any thoughts/experiences feel free to comment below.




Honestly, I hope that whoever thinks this way doesnt still think this way once they actually "listen" to a great guitarist playing a "shitty" guitar. Its not like they still think they are a shitty guitarist after they actually hear their music do they? Your just speaking of the preconception right? 

As far as sound, all amazing and aspiring musicians should owe it to themselves to try and save up for the best "sounding" gear that they can possibly afford. If you already have the chops and skills then do show people how good you can sound by also having the gear that will contribute to your awesome skills and sound. If you havent reached that skill level or endorsement level, are still learning and cant afford anything better than a low level guitar then at least make sure its always set up well so that you can play the thing as easily as possible. Seems logical. And if you are still learning but can afford expensive gear then by all means buy it! But for young new bands just starting out who want to appeal to a larger audience than just "other musicians" and aspire to make it "big", then having a good vocalist seems to be a better starting point than having good/expensive gear. While it helps to actually have some chops and good songwriting skills, don't be counterproductive towards your own goals by having the best most expensive gear and then have an inexperienced horrible vocalist lol.


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## Loomer (May 5, 2012)

Well, I for one can safely say that if I see a BOSS HM-2 pedal somewhere on stage, I am probably going to enjoy the band playing, and so far this has yet to fail me.


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## JPhoenix19 (May 5, 2012)

SamSam said:


> Being an average player with good gear I have to agree. I tell people what I play on and they assume I must be a beast on the guitar. Couldn't be further from the truth



I've gotten that from non-musicians when they see me play 7/8 strings. Same principle. I don't pretend false modesty when I say I'm not really that good.


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## Konfyouzd (May 5, 2012)

Connor said:


> That was the main thing I was getting at, hence the video.


I'm sure any number of us could post a video of ourselves goin' ubertech on our shittiest axe. One's skill level isn't necessarily determined by the depth of his/her pockets. 

Not sure a point was made that was actually worth mentioning. Anyone who judges a band by the gear they use is a massive jackass. How many kids suck horribly but have the nicest gear ever?


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## EndOfWill (May 5, 2012)

Sure, when I see a band using awesome guitars, I notice.
But if I'm listening to an awesome band, and I find out they're using crappy guitars, I'm not going to stop liking them.

I really don't think anybody does that.
If a band is good, they're good.


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## Overtone (May 6, 2012)

Good thread. In the last year it seems like for a huge number of people it has become about the gear, not the music.


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## Konfyouzd (May 6, 2012)

It's ALWAYS about the tunes...


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## noxian (May 6, 2012)

Furtive Glance said:


> I find that with people that _aren't _musicians, they all seem to be of the "Gibson Les Pauls/Fender Strats/Fender Teles" are the only good guitars mindset. So there's that little wrench in the chain, too.



not really. most of them RECOGNIZE Gibson Les Pauls/Fender Strats/Fender Teles.
few of them CARE enough to declare "only Gibson Les Pauls/Fender Strats/Fender Teles make good guitarists".

two very different responses.

don't take this the wrong way, but that's sort of the problem with polling this particular forum on this subject, in theory everyone here knows guitars and cares about guitars.
and there's a bit of a false premise within this forum's community that the majority of people out there care as well.

they really really don't.

if you're worried about good undiscovered bands going forever unnoticed, the reality is you have a bigger chance of losing "Awesome Band A" due to not conforming to the rock/metal flavor of the month than you do from the small percentage of gearheads hating on them because of the specifics of their gear.


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## ShadowFactoryX (May 7, 2012)

this thread...
makes me feel insecure about my buying habbits vs. playing abilities...


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## jon66 (May 7, 2012)

Guitars are tools used to make music. Just because you have a more expensive hammer than me, doesn't make you a better carpenter.


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## Powermetalbass (May 7, 2012)

Reading through this thread I notice a few points people make that assume the whole image thing is new? Anybody here old enough to remember the 80's? Image over content is not a new phenomenon. I mean as a history major look at Early Modern/Rennaissance Kings of Europe (1400-1780's). They were all broke ass motherfuckers who had to look important and rich to make their position of power seem legit. The last 60 years of music:

1950's - Elvis, most of the white pop rock artists

1960's - Beatles, Psychodelic rock, 

1970's - David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust, Kiss, all of that disco crap, Punk (seriously look it up), etc.

1980's rock/metal scene was all about huge stage amps, Ibanez/BC Rich guitars/basses and a huge amount of feminine products plastered on men. Pop music was and always will be about image.

1990's - Nirvana and the rest of Grunge (Grunge was a fashion statement not a musical movement), Punk (once again evolved into a fashion thing by the mid-late 90's), Rap/R&B, Pop music

2000's - Emo (my god how horrible), Pop music, Alot of metal became image again (the whole nostalgia/rebirth of the 1980's that occurred)

2010's - Hipsters(enough said), Pop music


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## tommychains (May 7, 2012)

In my experience, as both a concertgoer and a guitarist, i always look at the guitars they play. Just a form of habit. Here's the thing: it doesn't matter if i have a Squier Strat or a Custom shop Ibanez, it doesn't change my playing ability. 

In other words, you could give Steve Vai a Guitar from Toys r' Us and he'll make it work. In the same logic, you could give a brand new student a KXK, he still won't know how to play.


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## TankJon666 (May 7, 2012)

I do think that a lot of musicians judge others because of the gear they walk in with ..."oh yeah he/she is using a Squier and a Line6 spider ...they are OBVIOUSLY gonna suck" 

...on the flip side there is a smugness to be gleaned from pulling a BM B7 out of a case and plugging it into a Bogner uberschall at a gig but both of those won't make you a better player ...if anything, even if your a good player people might think you should be better than you are because you spent all that money on gear.


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## Powermetalbass (May 7, 2012)

I use a Peavey Tour 700 and 118 + 210 Eden cabs. People might bag on Peavey as being cheap, and Eden isn't exactly a metal monster in the metal musicians list of best and brightest, but it gets the job done. Also Eden and Peavey are solid as a rock. I also use rack gear. The Rack and 118/210 setup is definately an image thing, it looks impressive, is as tough as nails and sounds great considering I spent less than $1600 used on the whole rig.

Image doesn't have to be about the best gear, it can be about size too...cause just ask any woman......Size matters! lol


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## MF_Kitten (May 7, 2012)

The people who have that perception are wrong. So screw them.

I remember how blown away i was at some of the stuff i heard from Misha and Nolly, which turned out to be played and recorded on perfectly ordinary Ibanez or LTD guitars. Not particularly expensive ones, either.


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