Guitar/gear game changer… what was yours?

I bought a sitar. With eleven sympathetic strings, three high drone strings, and one low drone string I don’t feel the need to try and get all that sound from an amp, fuzz/drive, and delay/reverb. Takes a few minutes to tune up, but it's faster than fussing with knobs.
 
I can't say that there was a piece of gear that changed anything for me. For me, it is usually finding a new noise, or a chord, or hearing something and having to know how to do it. You would think with all of the gear I go through, there would be something, but no piece of gear has been a game changer for me.
 
Game-changers never came in the form of gear, for me. It was usually a revelatory piece of music or a guitarist. Seeing for the first time -- and later learning -- the Steve Vai scene from "Crossroads" was HUGE for me. Hearing EVH for the first time. Hearing Andy Summers for the first time. THAT stuff were game-changers for me far more than any piece of gear.
 
My gamechanger came in the form of seeing other guys play my gear & not be held back by what I saw at the time as limitations in my gear, which were actually limitations in my playing and confidence.
Since then re-learning how to practice with purpose has had a big impact.
 
Psychotronic said:
Game-changers never came in the form of gear, for me. It was usually a revelatory piece of music or a guitarist. Seeing for the first time -- and later learning -- the Steve Vai scene from "Crossroads" was HUGE for me. Hearing EVH for the first time. Hearing Andy Summers for the first time. THAT stuff were game-changers for me far more than any piece of gear.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Crossroads was big for me too.
 
When I finally got a good tube Vox-ish amp. The EL84s clean or with just a little bit of dirt were the tone I had been hearing in my head for years.
 
The DigiTech Trio+ I just bought. I've never been able to even remotely improvise as far as playing over a blues progression or any progression for that matter. In a couple of weeks with it, I've had some sessions that actually sound like music. Don't get me wrong, I still suck and I still can't commit enough time to playing but in a short time it has made me better.

I think there are a couple of things contributing to this. First, I have to play a fairly clean progression in to get a decent drum/bass accompaniment out. Then I'll hit the looper and really have to play it clean if I want to hear a good progression back. So now I've been forced to play the progression clean at least twice instead of finding a backing track on the internet. All of that takes as long as it takes for the progression to play through a few times and now I have something to work with for the rest of the session. Or I can change it very quickly. and it just keeps playing until I stop it.

So I pick out a lick and just keep playing it. In a given session, I may only play that one lick until I can internalize how it works with the music. Next session I may pick another one. After a few sessions I was mixing them together. I know this all sounds basic to you guys but that's where I am as far as this stuff is concerned. The many times I've tried to learn this part of guitar playing have resulted in immediate frustration and I honestly figured I'd just skip it and it would just be something I couldn't do. If I can just commit to playing a little bit on most days I actually think I can do something musical. So yeah. The Trio pLus.
 
In the mid 80s I got my Martin D28 and played bluegrass almost exclusively for 7-8 years.
When I went back to electric, my chops and my ears were vastly improved.
 
I'll throw 3 things out there.
Learning to let go and play. I always had reservations about playing with others, even if I had known them for years. I was never willing to play outside of my comfort zone.
Ultex Jazz III picks did a lot for my technique. Ultex just for the feel. Reds are good. Hate the black ones.
Not completely a game changer but when I started playing, I was a Strat guy. Still love the sound. But when I bought my SC245, it fit me like a tailored shirt.
 
Twofold. Most important was remembering that I'm a Strat player (after years of playing both superstrats, Teles and LP). That's my home.
Rediscovering my old Strat really was like coming home, although I do enjoy playing the others as well.
That and recognising I'm never going to do the shred thing. It just isn't me, although I can pull off the odd trick every once in a while.
Luckily in Wasted the other guitar player is very good at that thing, allowing me to do the more melodic "easier" stuff.
Together we're a great team. I was always more in the Gilmour/Adrian Smith/Luke category while the other guy can easily pull off the Yngwie/Eddie/Gilbert crazy stuff.

The other was the Victory V30. Finally the amp that produced the sound I had always been looking for.
Enough gain with enough clarity and without crossing into Mesarectumfrierterritory, but also with great cleans.
Bloody hell I love that amp. Lightweight and monstrous at the same time. Halfstack? Fuck that shit. I don't need it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top