chops/technique>all the gear in the world

['63-Strat]

"Good tone" is subjective. "Good playing" is subjective. In the end it's ALL opinion. Death metal guys are going to like/appreciate sound and playing that is completely different than jazz guys. Yes, most can point to some 14yr old kid playing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" on an out-of-tune Squire Bullet through a 10 watt Crate and not find much to revel in. But it's the JOURNEY he's embarking on that we all share. Some focus on incredible technique - others on what gear inspires them to create. You can't just say that having awesome technical/musical skill is more or less important than creating amazing tone. If one is more important to YOU than the other - great. It doesn't make someone on the other side of the spectrum any less of player.

Sure it does. How many times have you walked through a music store and heard some kid sloppily (and loudly) banging-out some obnxious tune that just made you want to run back out the front door? Didn't matter whether he was playing through a Fender Frontman or a Mesa Triple Rec. He pretty much sucked and gear didn't do jack for him. Same goes for guys in YouTube vids. The gear didn't do or mean jack shit to me, it was their playing. Because I've heard some guys playing through some great gear that sounded like shit. Let's be real here... not that many guys who don't play well manage to get great tones... even out of great gear. Seriously... I've seen a lot of guys playing live in my lifetime and honestly, the ones who could play and who knew how to dial in their tone did it on whatever gear they were playing on - booteek or not. The guys who were bad/sloppy were the same, even on expensive gear.

Anyways... I don't care if someone who has money indulges in their hobby and sucks. That's fine. But when they pretend that the gear they can afford somehow buys them entry into the "players club" versus their chops... it's just not true. It doesn't really buy them anything. Because even the average non-player can hear the difference between someone who really can play and someone who just fakes it. And the average non-player ultimately doesn't give a crap what emblem/logo is on the amp/guitar.

Give me Tiger Woods' golf clubs. Now give Tiger my cheap Walmart Wilson set. Who's gonna shoot a lower score?

At any rate... tools are always important to doing a job. But the guy with no skill loses every time.

Agreed.

No one's fooling anyone if we're talking examples where we can listen to the person in question play. However generally the self-professed experts do NOT post examples of their playing because deep down they know they suck. But once in awhile they post up anyways and absolute hilarity ensues. I love it when someone who acts like they're an expert on all things gear-related, talks down to others based on gear etc finally believes their own bs enough to post a clip... and the level of suckitude is staggering.

 

[Red_Label]

Agreed.

No one's fooling anyone if we're talking examples where we can listen to the person in question play. However generally the self-professed experts do NOT post examples of their playing because deep down they know they suck. But once in awhile they post up anyways and absolute hilarity ensues. I love it when someone who acts like they're an expert on all things gear-related, talks down to others based on gear etc finally believes their own bs enough to post a clip... and the level of suckitude is staggering.

Indeed! I LOVE it when they out themselves like that!

I'll never forget my time at the old PRS Guitar Forum (guys at that site invented cork-sniffery) back in the late '90s. There was one guy in particular who strutted-around the site like he was the all-knowing oracle of guitar playing. His checkbook allowed him to afford a Rosewood Ltd (my old dream guitar) and a dozen other great PRS guitars. Come to find out, he really couldn't play for squat. The cat got out of the bag when he was foolish enough to admit that he was "going in for my first lesson". Seriously??? I called him on it in an IM and he went off on some schizo rant saying "I'm done... stick a fork in me". LOL! Dayum... I really don't care if a guy's got nice gear and/or great chops. But damnit... if you're gonna strut around with your chest out like you're somebody... then you damn well better BE somebody! Because many of us can see right through your crap if you're not what you pretend to be... fat wallet or not.

I'm a good guitar player. There are guys out there on sites like Andy Wood, Pete Thorn and Todd Duane who exceed my skill/talent (and I'm sure many others). But playing for 28 years, gigging for 26 of them... I'm pretty confident that I have an opinion here and there that might be of some value to someone. I have several hobbies that I feel confident like that with. But one thing I do NOT do... is go on some site revolving around a talent/skill that I have NONE of and stir up the crap and pretend like I have that talent/skill, just because I could afford the tools of that trade. It just doesn't make sense. Like the guys who sit at the bar and go on about their time in the "special forces". Oh... they're "speshul" alright...

 

[Ventura]

Some excellent chops/playing here...

 

[Heritage Softail]

Some excellent chops/playing here...

Now that is one of my all time fav movie scenes