Opinions and Credibility with regards to gear.

[mysticaxe]

I don't tend to go through much gear either, but there are definately people who have more compatible ideas than others. The thing I'm more wary of than "flippers" are "wishy-washers" - people who will rave about a piece of gear, only to change their mind and bash it later. Do that a couple times, and I'm reading any future opinions with a Mt. Everest size grain of salt.

I also think that a big thing is band/gigging vs. Madison Sq. Bedroom - I can make a lot of stuff work pretty well once drums/bass/vocals start. When I'm alone, late at night, then that's when the tweaking really takes over...

 

[j666]

If I'm buying the meal, I'm getting handsy, beer or not.

well, i am pretty easy.

Oooooo....sounds like it may be time for a SoCal "Handsfest"....lube and blindfolds provided!

 

[riffy]

As someone who sounds the same through whatever I play, I don't think I would be a reliable source of tone info...lol

I can get boatloads of different sounds out of a lot of gear, but I prefer a tone "I" like.

I have owned bunches of different amps and know what they sound like, would that help someone else? I don't know.

 

[Anonymous]

to me it seems like the guys that squeeze the best recordings out of "lesser" gear ( regardless of age, or grammar ) have the best ear for tones and win credibility. ( and i usually end up feeling bad about all the money I waste on gear ).. I also believe it's way more down to the player than gear, but thats a whole other argument...

guys that tend to flip gear constantly seem to have ADD and just want to find some magic box instead of getting the best out of what they already have ( of course I have been in this group on many occasions)

 

[cyndicate]

I guess I am probably not too credible in this department, my playing sucks, I am not in the age of tonal peak since I am only 23, I have gone through wayyyy too much gear over the past few months . I should just give up guitar!

On a serious note, I usually try not to give my opinion unless it is asked for. I don't think someone who has been through a lot of gear is less credible though, if anything they should know more about what a bunch of amps have to offer. However since tone is subjective, in the end you have to try it in person to see what the hype is about for a lot of these amps, hence the gear whoring begins

 

[blackba]

What I look for in opinions on gear is if the person can give positives and negatives. In my experience their are positive and negatives to every piece of gear. If the reviewer can't see that, than they are either jilted too far in on direction. I don't take too much stock in honeymoon gear reviews. I also don't worry if someone sells the gear if they are a known gear flipper, it doesn't make their opinion less valid.

Like Thump said its amazing to me how I can go from really liking a piece of gear to hating it when I am selling it. The transformation is incredible and the gear has not changed, but usually I have some GAS and so I want something else.

Also what helps is if I have bought something from or with the recommendation from certain members. I find I tend to like the gear Thump likes. I have 2 of his guitars and a bass from him, as well as the plank cranker. I like them all. I bought Statotone's (Pete's) Marshall 2553, and love it. So when he says he doesn't like the marshall JVM, that makes me think I should hang on the my 2553 and not go out and look for a used JVM. (Doesn't mean I don't want to try out a JVM)

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Its pretty easy for me to separate who actually has experience with gear and getting good tone and the guys that just think everything is awesome for a week(and worse yet when they say it sucks later) and also the guys with barely any experience or clue that just think their amp is the best.

I also think its funny to see guys rave about amps that are just copies of other amps and have been done 1000 times before. It is hard to take someone seriously when you can tell they are going for the best new thing without even playing the classics first.

The only guys I take word for word are people I personally know and have lots of respect for and I know those guys so well I know where we differ on tone for the most part too.

 

[Sacha]

I think a bigger factor is live / band experience, for me, because I need to know what works in that context. Very often the tone that sounds amazing at home and quiet doesn't work at all at band volumes in the full mix and vice versa.

I also don't get into reviews that are over hyped, like this amp KILLS EVERYTHING EVAR MADE!!! Well no, anyone should be able to get a decent tone out of decent gear if they can play, and no piece is ever 100% pefect anyway in my experience.

 

[JamesPeters]

I personally feel that there is a point when credibility is lost when someone buys and sells a lot of different things.

What do you think?

I think it's like saying "I personally think someone who eats a lot of food must know what the finest restaurants are". Some of the fattest people eat McDonalds every day and have never set foot in a real restaurant.

When people express their opinions as objectively as possible--and admit why their subjective opinions aren't more important than anyone else's--that's when I listen to their opinions. No one needs to hear "it sucks", "it is the best, period", "it can't do pinch harmonics" or other nonsense. If you want to tell me why something sucks for your tastes in a clearly understandable way, but without actually saying "it sucks"; that's totally different. Maybe then I'll take you seriously. As long as you make sense, that is.

 

[shreder75]

I only listen to Vrad..he's my hero

 

[1big1]

i always take any opinion with a grain of salt and consider the source. sometimes i'll encounter a situation where someone made a comment or observation about a piece of gear. when i'm out and about in a working situation i find that some of the opinions are spot on and others are less so.. but they are none the less opinions.
an amp or guitar is a piece of gear.. a tool. if i'm working on a job site sometimes i don't need the most expensive tool i can find.. i just need the one that works.

 

[IusemyPINKY]

I judge credibility by a combo of the following criteria:

1. grammar use and spelling
2. quality of gear
3. ability to play
4. tone in clips?
5. age of player (tonal peak is usually between 25-35. Older or younger = shitty tone.)

Man, I'll be 40 in November with 32 years of playing.Not only will I be officially old, but now you got me thinkin about my tone and how much I'll really suck. Thanks!

Think about it. Legendary, great tones were acheived by 20-somethings many years ago who suck now at 45, 55, 65 etc.

yes eric johnson is pushing 60 and he sucks so bad.

 

[IusemyPINKY]

I personally feel that there is a point when credibility is lost when someone buys and sells a lot of different things.

What do you think?

I think it's like saying "I personally think someone who eats a lot of food must know what the finest restaurants are". Some of the fattest people eat McDonalds every day and have never set foot in a real restaurant.

When people express their opinions as objectively as possible--and admit why their subjective opinions aren't more important than anyone else's--that's when I listen to their opinions. No one needs to hear "it sucks", "it is the best, period", "it can't do pinch harmonics" or other nonsense. If you want to tell me why something sucks for your tastes in a clearly understandable way, but without actually saying "it sucks"; that's totally different. Maybe then I'll take you seriously. As long as you make sense, that is.

yes but damn do fat people know their sweets and cookies.

if a fat person tells you to buy this cake or that ice cream, you better listen

btw do you build any Marshall type amps? i'm looking for a good quality Marshall type of amp.

 

[dicky sofa]

The only things that matter are if you like your sound and it compliments the tunes you play...

 

[gravfed]

There are a lot of people on this board who have a good ear or know good "tone" (I'm not one of them). I usually look for general suggestions and then go with my own opinion from there. Listen to clips, etc. As far as gear goes, I have a nice rig that I'm currently pretty damn happy with. That said if I keep swapping things out I don't know that it means I know anymore or less for that matter or am more or less credible. That said, my Mark IV is not going anywhere, I do KNOW that.

 

[GRK]

It all depends on context.

If a metalhead says an amp doesn't have enough gain, I probably won't dismiss it rightaway. Just an example. There are millions of similar examples like this one.

You can spend months discussing this. At the end of the day, everyone should have their own opinion.

 

[Meathead]

I don't really listen to gear advise from metal guys and they shouldn't listen to my advise either.

I listen to guys that are more into mid-gain...old Marshalls, Vox AC30s and Fender Tweeds.

 

[Gainzilla]

Man, this is a tough question!!! I guess in the end, I have to try the gear myself before I know for sure if I like it. But I guess that's just common sense, huh?

I've caught myself on more than one occassion praising a piece of gear that I just got, only to hate it a week later and put it up for sale. I'm guessing most of that is the whole "honeymoon stage" affect, but I think some of it just depends on my mood when I'm playing the stuff. One day it's the "perfect" tone and the next I can't stand it. That's what's so aggravating about gear to me.

I envy the guys that can stick with 1-3 guitars and 1-2 amps for life. They don't get caught up in all the hype or searching for the next best thing. I've been trying hard for a long time to get that way, but I just don't know if it'll ever happen.

Case in point... This K-Line Strat is the best Strat style guitar I've ever owned or even had the pleasure of playing. It's "perfect" to me. Yet I'm fighting the urge to sell/trade it to pick up another GMW, EBMM, Wolfgang, etc... Why? I have no freaking clue. It would be dumb to do that, but I still think about it.

It's all GOOFY I tell ya!

For awhile Chris, I wasnt sure what to make of all of your buying and selling and it wasnt until we spoke and I got know you better that I figured out that you genuinely like to try a variety of things. You obviously have your preferences but you continually check out other things just to see what else is out there and I can definitely respect that , even if Im not like that at all.

As far as opinions and credibility, you hit it on the head with what you said in the beginning. Ultimately, Im going to reserve final judgment for myself and my ears. It doesnt matter who is raving about what and what their cred is, it only matters what your own ears tell you IMO

Sure, I value the opinions of some over others , like we all do but Bottomline, I have to decide for myself like we all should...

 

[Rufus Leaking]

Ultimately, Im going to reserve final judgment for myself and my ears. It doesnt matter who is raving about what and what their cred is, it only matters what your own ears tell you IMO

Sure, I value the opinions of some over others , like we all do but Bottomline, I have to decide for myself like we all should...

That's where I'm at too..... There's been plenty of amps that I 'should' have loved, based on the reviews of guys who's opinions I respect and who play in a similar style to me. Yet I couldn't stand them. Diezel, Cornford, Roccaforte, Budda all come to mind. I didn't bond with any of them, but really thought I would. I loved the clips too, so that tells me it really comes down to feel more then anything, which is such a subjective thing it's almost impossible to put into words.

 

[* velcro-fly *]

I learned my first chord this week. From here on out I expect that adding a second chord will help my credibility for discussing all the amps I've bought. Should I have learned how to play before I started buying amps? I couldn't help myself - they just looked so cool.