How long before you know if you really like something?

W

Will Onyx

Active member
I know the question is subjective, but how long does it take you to know if you really like a piece of gear or not? I can usually tell a guitar right away or at least within a few hours. Amps are much more difficult, especially if they are significantly different from ones I already have. Between learning how to dial it in at different volumes and the inevitable ‘changing ear syndrome’ where what sounded good yesterday sounds like crap today, it takes at least a few months to know if it’s right for me. Obviously there needs to be something in the sound that draws me to it in the first place, but that doesn’t mean that it ends up sticking around. So what are your processes or thoughts on finding the right fit with new gear?
 
guitars come and go with me , I can usually tell pretty quick if it's a keeper or not.
Amps are pretty much the same for me , if the "base" tone I'm looking for is not there it's a no go.
When I got my splawn I knew immediately, it was a keeper, same with my old MarkIVB head. As soon as I plugged it in I knew I was going to be able to get what I wanted out or it.
Peavey Jsx was the opposite. After about an hour of tweaking and throwing in a 10 band EQ into the loop, I knew that this wasn't an amp for me.
Sounded cool and all but not what I was looking for.
 
I always judge an amp after a few months, trying it through my different cabs and trying some wacky eq settings if I’m not sold. Sometimes it takes a little work but if your patient you can find magic.
Guitars, I make sure that I set it up my way and if it doesn’t sound good, but plays great I’ll drop some mods in to see if it improves. Big brass block, better pickups etc. If it’s stiff playing after my setup though I’ll send it on its way.
 
There hasn't been any guitar or amp that I disliked immediately that grew on me to the point where I loved it. On the other hand anything I liked or loved immediately just kept getting better as time goes on.

I really have to bond and love a guitar right off the bat for them to be keepers, I usually know right away if I don't like something, if you have to convince yourself you like something then you are overriding your intuition.

I had a 1971 Marshall once and that amp just did not have any mojo whatsoever, it was clean and sterile sounding dimed or not. It should have been a grail amp... I wanted to love it, I made all kinds of excuses for it... but in the end I moved it down the road because of it's anemic tone.

I've also had few guitars that were meh on my initial assessment and usually 100% of the time I was still meh after throwing the kitchen sink at them ie: setups, pickups, before putting them in the dud category and moving on from them. I truly believe some instruments and amps have mojo and some don't.

I still would love to land a 68 or 69 Marshall with original iron but todays prices are beyond what I'm willing to pay, the only consolation is my Metro 68, 72 and 79 Marshalls do have the mojo and make me happy every time I plug into them.
 
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Racerxrated said:
I always judge an amp after a few months, trying it through my different cabs and trying some wacky eq settings if I’m not sold. Sometimes it takes a little work but if your patient you can find magic.
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Sounds like the route I’ve been trying to take. Sometimes I find what I’m looking for, sometimes it feels like I’m second guessing myself. If there’s some cool YouTube demos and the internet guitar community loves it.... there’s got to be something to it, right???:unsure:
 
If you want it for a specific tone then it needs to deliver.

If you want versatility then years in some cases. Finding new combinations and settings that give you something new. Surprises happen that way.
 
Will Onyx said:
Do you hold onto stuff or tend to flip things often?
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I tend to hold on to my keeper stuff. I had been flipping gear long enough to just know if something feels right. It certainly doesn't;t have to be perfect out of the gate, but if you have ever seen any of my vids, I have no poker face when I like something. Like I can look past setup issues when a guitar comes in. It'll either feel ok in my hands or not, same with an amp. I seriously can just tell if something is a keeper or not for my needs/preferences.
 
it’s not 5 minutes for me. Everything has a level of uniqueness to it and can be used in different ways.

my fender DRRI head for instance. If I’m playing anything besides metal, this thing is special in a way that none of my other amps have anything similar going on. One of example is how it interacts with the fuzz pedals I have.

my fender Strat: has single coils.. same thing as above.

if I get a Suhr that has better sound and feel, it stills means I could like the fender. This is a tough one
 
In the early years?? I didn't know what "my liking something" felt like, it was just "trying" everything and anything.

But since? Minutes for a fiddle, moments for an amp. And on that note, I've had zero GAS for ages as the gear I have is precisely the gear I want and wish for. It does everything and more. Weird to say it - but I don't have any GAS at all.
 
I know quickly. If it doesn't grab me in some way (doesn't have to be perfect) right away, I know it is not for me. Things rarely grow on me. I will say I do appreciate the things I like as time goes on but I am not sure anything I like grew on me. If I like something I buy it. If not, I don't. I think the key is really knowing what you like and what you want and need out of something and then setting realistic expectations for said piece of gear. There is a ton of great gear available but not all of it works for me. I am not one to buy and try and flip and buy it over again because I didn't give it a chance only to sell it and then regret it and then buy it again and then wonder why i ever got rid of it in the first place like some people do. :)
 
These days I know pretty much immediately. Been playing long enough and owned enough over the years to know whether the core tone of something is going work for me. Doesn’t mean it’s a good or bad amp. Just means I know my taste and what will suit me.

There’s always the instance of spending time with an amp to know how to get it to sound it’s best. But, I have to gel with it quick or it’s gone before it has a chance to be tweaked.
 
I think a second important question needs to be asked, and that is how long do honeymoon periods last for a piece of gear you fell in love with immediately?

For me its usually a month, but ive also fallen in love with gear a srcond time that ive fallen out of love with previously
 
Metalhex said:
I think a second important question needs to be asked, and that is how long do honeymoon periods last for a piece of gear you fell in love with immediately?

For me its usually a month, but ive also fallen in love with gear a srcond time that ive fallen out of love with previously
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I always know fast how I feel about something new because I also AB it with something that’s been a keeper for me as a reference point. There are no honeymoon phases with me or any of that nonesense. If I sell it shortly later it’s because either I happened to find something better fast by coincidence or I figured out how to make what I already have do the same thing better. Otherwise it’ll be a great piece of gear worth keeping if it passes all the tests and to me in a select group of gear
 
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