What was the best investment you've ever made on gear?
- Thread starter Mark Wein
- Start date
baimun
Funkasaurus Rex
I know it's an amp, dingus
but now I want someone to make Harder amps.
and Rockier guitars/basses
Here's a speaker cabinet...
and a guitar
(yes, that's real concrete.)
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
If it makes you feel any better, it's also a noun.
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
SERIOUSLY. I've been wanting one ever since I saw it, even though I've already got an adorable pick storage unit.
Help!I'maRock!
Mediocringly Derivative
I know it's an amp, dingus
but now I want someone to make Harder amps.
and Rockier guitars/basses
Rockier should be a MusicYo Kramer retread.
Peeker
jerkass
that's why I said "could be"If it makes you feel any better, it's also a noun.
Stratguy
Coffee Junky
The worst piece of gear was a Kustom Dual 35DFX, 30W solid state amp that I got when I started playing electrics. I thought I just didn't know how to get a good sound from my amp, but it turned out that the amp was just a dog. I gave it to a young kid who had absolutely nothing, and it made his day. "One man's trash is another man's treasure." There are a couple of other purchases that I regret, but it's mostly because I don't have the time to really sit down and figure out the nuances (my Boss GT-6, Behringer V-amp Pro, and Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Footcontroller all come to mind).
The best piece of gear is much harder to choose, because there are a number of "bests" for different reasons. It would be easy to say that it would have to be one of my MIM Strats (great sound and playability for the price), or the American Standard Tele (serious quality there), or the Peavey Classic 50 (started watching it on Craigslist at $450, and bought it when it got to $250), or TubeWorks solid state/tube hybrid head with the 2 speaker cab that was being sold cheap because the guy didn't know how to get a good sound out of it (he also threw in a TubeWorks combo amp for free, so I got both for $150. The combo's ok, but the head and cab are awesome). Then there's the brand new Gretsch G5120 hollobody that I recently bought for $100 less than $699 that they had been selling for when you could still get them (I think I may have gotten the last new one in existence). I also have to give mention to an Ibanez Acoustic-Electric Exotic Wood Figured Ash Jumbo guitar, and an Alvarez Acoustic-Electric Artist Series AD-60CE Dreadnaught. Both of these guitars have been regularly played before an appreciate crowd, so they have been good purchases, although buying the Alvarez exposed a bigger weakness in the Ibanez's sound than I thought was there.
I guess the Strats always make me want to play, and I pick them up first, but the Gretsch hollowbody is also becoming a favorite.
The best piece of gear is much harder to choose, because there are a number of "bests" for different reasons. It would be easy to say that it would have to be one of my MIM Strats (great sound and playability for the price), or the American Standard Tele (serious quality there), or the Peavey Classic 50 (started watching it on Craigslist at $450, and bought it when it got to $250), or TubeWorks solid state/tube hybrid head with the 2 speaker cab that was being sold cheap because the guy didn't know how to get a good sound out of it (he also threw in a TubeWorks combo amp for free, so I got both for $150. The combo's ok, but the head and cab are awesome). Then there's the brand new Gretsch G5120 hollobody that I recently bought for $100 less than $699 that they had been selling for when you could still get them (I think I may have gotten the last new one in existence). I also have to give mention to an Ibanez Acoustic-Electric Exotic Wood Figured Ash Jumbo guitar, and an Alvarez Acoustic-Electric Artist Series AD-60CE Dreadnaught. Both of these guitars have been regularly played before an appreciate crowd, so they have been good purchases, although buying the Alvarez exposed a bigger weakness in the Ibanez's sound than I thought was there.
I guess the Strats always make me want to play, and I pick them up first, but the Gretsch hollowbody is also becoming a favorite.
Last edited:
Help!I'maRock!
Mediocringly Derivative
The Nomads were awful. A major step down from the DC series. Mesa has thoroughly redeemed themselves since though.
ellengtrgrl
Guitar Old Timer
I know it's an amp, dingus
but now I want someone to make Harder amps.
and Rockier guitars/basses
I can't help you with that. but will the fact that Sundown (no relation to Sunn amps) made Rocky amps back in the late 80s ease your pain?
Regarding the OP question - I've had my fair share of good and bad stuff. At the present time (and I'm feeling pretty good about these), I'd have to say:
Guitar - my 2013 Gretsch Country I love my 1954 Country Club, and my Fender Toronado, and my Fender Esquire will (assuming I don't need to sell things due to a money crunch) always have a place in my aresnal. Ditto for the Schecter Jazz 7-string, and the Alvarez acoustic, but my 2013 FilterTron loaded Country Club has turned out to be amazingly flexible sound-wise, for everything from jazz, classic rock, to even heavier rock (with the right EQing, and taking care to keep the feedback under control). It also has a killer neck that plays sooo good! I've already pretty much made up my mind, that my 2013 Country Club is going to be THE guitar I'm going to play in the band, at the picnic gig the company I work for, is going to have in late spring or early summer.
Amp - Laney Cub 12R. It's tube, it has a 12" Celestion speaker, is 15 watts of power. It also doesn't weigh a ton, which makes it less of a hassle to lug around than the 50-100 watt 2x12 loaded amps I used to gig with years ago. Sure, its reverb is digital, but its fine for what I do (I'm not a surf guitar nut). The Cub 12R also has both a master volume, and an attenuated channel (that knocks output power down to about 3/4 of a watt), and takes pedals (including dirt pedals - the amp also has an effects loop) very well. It's not as high gain as some of the amps I've had in the past (with the gain cranked, you get 70s era hard rock sounds), and I've debated with myself about getting a Mesa Mini Rectifier, or an Orange Dark Terror, but, I end up realizing that with my dirt pedal (a Boss St-2 Power Stack [I never thought I'd see the day, where I'd use a Boss dirt pedal - I always thought they sounded awful]), I can get the same grind tones those two amps get. Oh yeah, and I paid all of $225 (used), for my Cub 12R. It's great for home use, and plenty loud for smaller gigs.
Last edited:
Chad
Slender Hobbit
I had a Mark I and loved it. I bought the Nomad so I could run 2 amps, but it was just terrible. I couldn't get a decent sound out of it, where no matter what I did with the Mark I, it always sounded good.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
bcryant
burnt toast
I would have to say the worst was my Fender Stage 160 amp. Big, heavy and it sounded like crap. Only had it about a year and sold it for less than half of what I paid for it. I should of bought the 70's Gibson SG bass that was beside it.
My best is a toss up between my Vox AC15 and my 78' Hiwatt DR103 half stack. The Vox fits my sound perfectly, has all the features I was looking for, it is just the right size and I got a great deal on it. I think I am done looking for anything else in the amp department.
The Hiwatt has been with me through two different bands and is now worth almost double what I paid for it but I don't plan on selling it anytime soon.
My best is a toss up between my Vox AC15 and my 78' Hiwatt DR103 half stack. The Vox fits my sound perfectly, has all the features I was looking for, it is just the right size and I got a great deal on it. I think I am done looking for anything else in the amp department.
The Hiwatt has been with me through two different bands and is now worth almost double what I paid for it but I don't plan on selling it anytime soon.
surfsteve
Pendejo
Just curious, with the AM. Std. Tele-did you keep everything stock, esp. the pickups? I have 2 teles and cant see a reason to change the pups, but I'm not in a band or such. People are always saying, "You should swap the PUPs for whatever the flavor of the month is."
GreatDane
"up yours, baby."
in terms of items bought and resold, it was probably this 1985 Gibson LP Custom. Gibson-branded Kahler trem (eeeewww....). solid Ferrari red (or campbell soup red, if you prefer). i bought it for cheap and sold it for a ridiculous price a year later. the sale price was so bizarre, i actually thought i was going to get scammed, but it was a legit transaction in the end. great guy. i get the sense he was buying back a part of his childhood or something. he was SO gratious, and appreciative. he even emailed me a year later to say how happy he was with the guitar. talk about a win/win...
