Guitar/Gear game changers... what were yours?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mystixboi
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Has to be the Axe-FX for me. I used to buy/sell amps over and over, chasing different tones based on my ADD and mood. Now I just turn a knob. :)
 
Two Notes Torpedo Studio. It allowed me to perfect the analog/digital hybrid setup I'd been conceptualizing for years.
 
The thing that really opened my eyes to a 'pro' sound was getting an ADA MP1 and running it thru the Randall 2x12 I had. The tone was just HUGE :rock:
 
My first game changing piece was my 6505 212 combo. Up to that point, I had played a bunch of amps, but nothing I had touched even came close to how good that amp sounded. Its still my #1.

Next one was almost 10 years later...my Gibson Gothic V. I had written Gibson off for YEARS, though I had always been interested in the Gothic Vs and Explorers. Finally had a chance to get one earlier this year, and I just bought a second one. Amazing guitars. By far my favorite that I have owned to date.
 
Recently purchased an Agile Intrepid 828 after not really playing at all for 3 years, it basically re-sparked my love of guitar playing and tube amp cranking. I bought it as a token 8 string so I could actually play along with Meshuggah songs, but what happened was that it was pretty much the most perfect guitar I've ever played and now I want the 7 and 6 string versions too. Looking at it makes me want to play it. Hearing it makes me want to crank it up.
 
Easy. CCV, VH4(modded), KL Explorer. Such truly pro gear.


PS fuck mark cameron the person. genius assshole.
 
Lucky enough to score an ADA MP1 used here last nite.
Gonna open up some old skeleton closets
From what I remember (been 20 years)
It was dead on Nuno Extreme tone. :yes:
Can't wait!! :rock:
 
Game changers:

- When I bought my first "high-end" guitar. (Jackson USA RR-1)
- When I bought my first tube amp. (Fender Twin Reverb)

Both changes made a HUGE difference in my playing and sound; it also (forever) changed my overall enjoyment for the craft.
 
Exactly. Lot of guys say a great player will sound great plugged into a shoe box.
I like being a shitty player plugged into great gear. :lol: :LOL:
 
A tuner...lol.

I remember being a young lad in 3rd grade. I got a guitar and was amazed at what could be done with it. The strings, the various sounds. I was fascinated!!! I always wanted to make my own music so I invented my own stuff right from the very beginning. I had good rhythm from being in school band and playing the snare drum. My older family members had already inundated me with Sabbath and Purple and all the others of that era. I was off to the races. I remember a family friend coming over to visit who was a piano and guitar player and he "helped" me out by tuning my guitar for me. I had no idea those "things" twisted and changed pitch. Nobody knew or taught me. I remember being excited to go to my room afterwards and play my guitar with this new insight. To my incredible dismay I realized my "songs" could not be duplicated with an in tune guitar....lol. I was devastated that all the notes had changed! Looking back it is quite funny.

Of course over the years various pieces have of equipment has been ground breaking to me.

Ibanez RG 550 - my first nice guitar
Marshall JCM 800 - My first head and cabinet set up
Mesa Dual Rectifier - my first "modern" type amp
Bogner Überschall - One of my all time favorite amps for the low end, gain and saturation

Since then, the various products coming out on all things (guitars, recording stuff, effects, etc) are really quite nice. The advancement in the last handful of years is incredible. It is a great time to be a gear head for sure.
 
The first time I put my hands on a Gibson SG. That chunky neck and horned body felt perfect.
 
So many personal "game changers" over the years.
Yet, I think the most significant shift for me has been:

Fractal Audio Products

From the time I began using these units, things have never been the same.
I still have awesome heads, cabs, pedals, etc...and still use them often.
I even have a Kemper, which is also great.
Yet using Fractal gear has changed the way I perceive things. Changed the possibilities and my expectations.
I have a variety of Fractal gear, LOVE it all and for consistency, versatility, ease of use...there's really little that can compare.
Just my experience.
 
Mailman1971":2n963jsx said:
Exactly. Lot of guys say a great player will sound great plugged into a shoe box.
I like being a shitty player plugged into great gear. :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

I hear where you are coming from and I echo your sentiment.

I am hard on myself when I try to evaluate my level of expertise as a guitarists. I would consider myself to be "adequate" as a guitarist. The gear I have is definitely not "upper-crust" gear. But, I think it's a good match for me. I like the way it sounds and they way the components combine with each other.

I think gear is "great" when it goes what you imply - it makes you happy to play through it. When people are "inspired" to play by their gear, I think they include in that description a touch of "the gear makes me smile when I play through it".

When I play an Emmylou Harris song (such as "I Will Dream") while maxing the gain on my Jester's lowest setting - it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Cool post, Mailman.
 
fuchs viper - I have bought and then sold numerous other amps only to find out the viper is waaaaaaay better.

EQD pedals - I just love how they sound. very unique.

shure glxd16 - I never realized how liberating it would be not to have a cable. I love it.
 
The original Peavey 5150 was my first dirty tube amp and it opened me up to that world...I now have the 5153 50 and LBX all these years later...I would also say Musicman guitars got me to be a better player....
 
Davies N4. I've owned many guitars including well known boutique builders and nothing fits me better. I can't put it down.
 
My playing abilities are horrible at best and terrify those who encounter the noise. With that said, my first Stratocaster through an old school Ibanez Tube Screamer was a transcendental moment.
 
SBlue":1tfgjbo2 said:
This Esquire from '51 and the Showman, modded by Dumble with the Ultraphonix plataform, were the game changers for me.
That are a lot of amps and guitars that I like, but these two are something else.

Click to expand...
Very nice!
 
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