I'm bored with gear...

[JamesPeters]

You might be bored with gear because you aren't focusing on your music. Gear is cool and all, but at the end of the day what are you doing with it, and are you happy with what you're doing (or the fact that you're not).

Or, perhaps you're pigeon-holing yourself into a style of music you assume you're happy with but haven't stopped to smell the roses and appreciate other music. Your subconscious doesn't mess around and it can be trying to tell you something. It doesn't matter what your seeming strengths are, if you're not happy with what you're doing. So, perhaps playing bass you got to participate in music you normally wouldn't have as a guitarist; this exact situation happened to me about 10 years ago.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

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I have some pretty cool stuff at the moment (listed below) that can cover alot of ground. It's all pretty high quality stuff, but I'm just bored with everything... Sigh. I hate being in this kind of mood.

Guitars:
- EBMM Axis Super Sport (hardtail)
- EBMM Steve Morse Sig (hardtail)
- US Fender Telecaster

Amps/Cabs:
- Budda SuperDrive 45 (head and/or 2x12" combo with G12H30s)
- Mesa Rectoverb head
- Bogner Uber 4x12" cab (w/V30s and G12T75s)
- Antone Stubby 2x12" cab (w/G12H30s)

Effects:
- Rocktron Intellifex LTD
- Furman PQ3 Parametric EQ
- MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe OD
- EH Deluxe MemoryMan Delay/Chorus

I don't have alot of crap laying around, as I sold some extra stuff off lately. But I'm just bored with everything. lol... Nothing sounds GREAT to me nowadays.

Has anyone else been in the same mood lately?

Get a cheap acoustic and work on learning some new things, or play unplugged for awhile Yes it's more work but you'll be a better player for it and approach the gear with renewed vigor once again.

 

[indespise]

It's the mental outlook- drink a Monster or something, listen to some music much more intense than what you normally do, and tear into the guitar. Try getting yourself psyched up before playing, if you feel bland and mundane, so will your playing.

 

[cloudnine]

Just do a 180. Start playing jazz or classical or folk music or something. Challenge yourself!

I find gear gets boring mostly because of the same boring stuff that gets played THROUGH the gear, at least in my experience.

 

[cibyl]

I know what you mean Chris. I need to shake things up a bit, especially guitar wise. I have a couple guitars that are just not doing for me -- I need to get something really nice that I just love playing. Amp wise,...I'm actually thinking of selling a few things to get one of the four amps I'm wanting to try out:

Peters Dual Channel
VHT Deliverance
Splawn Quick Rod

The VHT Sig X looks amazing too,...but I really don't need anything that over the top.

 

[mrp5150]

Not playing for a few days is a good idea. I haven't had a guitar for about 4 days, and I was playing my Vigier all day yesterday. 8)

 

[bigangryguitar]

Until last week I had a severe shortage of practice time and I was having the same issue. Last week when I finally had a good chance to work on my chops I find myself falling in love with my gear all over again.

 

[Bob Savage]

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Great point. I think I'm bored with playing altogether...

I've been in a "bored with playing" slump for quite a while now. Heck, I don't even have callouses on my fingers anymore. On the upside, I'm looking for a 7 string and am hoping to get inspired to possibly do a 4 tune vocal based flogger project.

 

[1big1]

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Heck, I forget that I have a cheaper Takamine acoustic/electric in the corner. I never break it out. I actually don't really like playing acoustic at all. I bend strings all the time when playing lead and I can't bend strings on acoustic guitars!!! LOL

i feel your pain because i'm a bender too. it's a major part of my style. i do have an acoustic. when i play it i work on things like finger picking.. arpeggios.. dynamics.. and vibrato.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

See, I have been stirring things up lately on the gear front. I have some pretty cool stuff, but I'm missing something. I think it starts with "M" and has "arshall" in it somewhere...

I'd be very interested to hear your take on the JVM and Vintage Modern, you need to try those new lines

 

[King Crimson]

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I have some pretty cool stuff at the moment (listed below) that can cover alot of ground. It's all pretty high quality stuff, but I'm just bored with everything... Sigh. I hate being in this kind of mood.

Guitars:
- EBMM Axis Super Sport (hardtail)
- EBMM Steve Morse Sig (hardtail)
- US Fender Telecaster

Amps/Cabs:
- Budda SuperDrive 45 (head and/or 2x12" combo with G12H30s)
- Mesa Rectoverb head
- Bogner Uber 4x12" cab (w/V30s and G12T75s)
- Antone Stubby 2x12" cab (w/G12H30s)

Effects:
- Rocktron Intellifex LTD
- Furman PQ3 Parametric EQ
- MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe OD
- EH Deluxe MemoryMan Delay/Chorus

I don't have alot of crap laying around, as I sold some extra stuff off lately. But I'm just bored with everything. lol... Nothing sounds GREAT to me nowadays.

Has anyone else been in the same mood lately?

I'm at that stage too, Chris. I'm contemplating unloading all my stuff but my guitars and effects.

Diezel Herbert MKII
FCB1010 Midi Pedal
2-Diezel 4x12R X pattern V30s and PD Custom speakers. I also have 4 of the original V30s that came with the cabs.

Maybe look at some Mesa or Mako gear.

 

[kannibul]

Personally, and this is my thoughts on it regarding my own slump...

One gets caught up in chasing the tone in their head, instead of getting out there on a stage and making something of themselves.

It becomes very tiring, and ends up being something where they focus so much effort into sounding awesome in the bedroom, they lose track of why they are striving so hard for to get a particular sound.

At least, that's my thing. For me, I said "to hell with it all" and moved back to drumming

Of course, the "JVM" is something I wanted before it even hit the market

 

[bill]

It happens to all of us. For me changing guitars always gives me a jump start. And if its not happening go surfing for a couple of days or whatever you do to chill and then start out with a clean head and fresh ears.

 

[peaveyT60]

for me, the biggest thing that makes me bored with playing (as others here have said) is worrying about my "tone," and nothing makes me worry about that more than amp forums.













but i love lurking so much :lurk:

 

[shred-o-holic]

I know what you mean about bored.....I kinda want to start a Tiny Terror + $........for your? I actually like the amp......but everything starts to sound the same to me.......crack whore mentality maybe...

 

[PoPSkuLL]

Get a decent drum machine and spend 45 minutes a day doing original riffing with wierd time signatures etc...works every time for me. Plus, you learn drum machine programming which is always handy. Why not play bass and guitar. Plenty of time for both

 

[badger71]

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Great point. I think I'm bored with playing altogether... I'm doing this "corporate band" thing at work that's not at all my type of deal. I'm used to playing with rockers and this is a little "goody goody" if you know what I mean.

I hear you on the "corporate band" thing. Christ, I long for the days of Alice in Chains, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc....on my set list. Here's an example of what I've had to play lately.

Brown Eyed Girl
Proud Mary
Bad Girls
Heart of Rock & Roll
We Are Family
Get Down On It.

A tambourine in the hands of a "guy" lead singer is sooooooooo not rocker.

 

[lamppost]

I went through something like this a couple years ago. Bored with everything and had a lot of killer gear. Didnt feel like playing that much at all and I was prepared to take a few months off from the whole music scene.

Just about that time I got lucky and found a really good deal on a Stiletto Trident and a g-major rig and got a band offer all around the same time.

Falling into that situtation has worked out great and I'm now very motivated and extremely happy with my sound. Joining the band and writing new tunes and playing out agian kicked me back to where I needed to be.

 

[airoz]

buy an acustic, I play mine like 90%, there are no cables, no amps, sometimes no picks betwen you and your music....................plus you can play infront of your computer while chatting on msn or something

 

[Variable]

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Heck, I forget that I have a cheaper Takamine acoustic/electric in the corner. I never break it out. I actually don't really like playing acoustic at all. I bend strings all the time when playing lead and I can't bend strings on acoustic guitars!!! LOL

Same here. I've got a great Taylor 410CE my old man got me when I graduated college, and I don't play it nearly as much as I should. I can't bend strings for shit on it either, though electric Gilmour-bends have never been a problem for me...