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  #16  
Old 09-28-2020, 06:00 AM
Mandobart Mandobart is offline
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There are many pursuits I can think of that can easily be overtaken by the "gear quest" so much that the actual subject/activity can become secondary - bicycling, backpacking, motorcycling, camping, skiing, photography, woodworking, grilling/BBQ, etc. In many activities people define GAS as "gear (not just guitar) acquisition syndrome."

I think there are lots of reasons. We think that new/better equipment will improve our skill or enjoyment (sometimes it does). We can show off our income/status/dedication/discernment by having the latest, costliest, or "best" gear. We set ourselves apart from the newbies. It can be easier to chase gear than to put in the study or practice time and still feel connected to or passionate about our chosen pursuits. We like to tinker with or customize/optimize things. We are naturally curious whether these new picks/strings/pickups etc. really are better and some design tests to set out to investigate it. There are other reasons as well, and they're not all shallow or negative like most of the reasons I've stated.

Self awareness is the key. I don't advocate over analyzing, but a little thought behind why we do what we do can help us make better decisions on how and where we spend our funds and, more importantly, time.
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  #17  
Old 09-28-2020, 06:40 AM
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I totally agree with the OP and the intent of the message but I would argue (just for the sake of arguing ) that the word improvements is not necessarily the correct word choice. It implies that there is a tangible increase in quality. Perhaps there is a better word choice. Maybe upgrades? I’ve done many guitar upgrades and not all of them
led to a noticeable improvement.

But yes, best to focus on what you have rather then get distracted by the search for the “ONE”
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  #18  
Old 09-28-2020, 07:10 AM
mcduffnw mcduffnw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotveryGood View Post
I have just read with interest another long thread on the search for best strings. Also yet another discussion on picks. Then of course we have opinions on body size, brand, and the different combinations of tone woods, the best Capo, its a long list.
Im as interested as anyone, its good to read and share opinion, experiences and recommendations, nice to try recommended "tweaks" for ourselves.
But its starting to remind me of some years ago when myself and like minded friends were very much into HIFI. We would read magazine reviews, swap this amplifier for that , "upgrade" the cables, a more expensive cartridge for the turntable etc etc. All fun stuff, but eventually I realised I was chasing my tail and this obsession with a "better sound" meant I was forever studying my system instead of just enjoying the music. Im getting the same sort of feelings now when I pick up the guitar, constantly wondering which of the aforementioned tweaks might improve things instead of appreciating the sound as it is and just getting on with playing..

It turns out, NotveryGood, that your feelings, your intuition, AND your memory are in fact VERYVERYGOOD!!!

Trust them...they, and you, are right!


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  #19  
Old 09-28-2020, 07:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotveryGood View Post
I have just read with interest another long thread on the search for best strings. Also yet another discussion on picks. Then of course we have opinions on body size, brand, and the different combinations of tone woods, the best Capo, its a long list.
Im as interested as anyone, its good to read and share opinion, experiences and recommendations, nice to try recommended "tweaks" for ourselves.
But its starting to remind me of some years ago when myself and like minded friends were very much into HIFI. We would read magazine reviews, swap this amplifier for that , "upgrade" the cables, a more expensive cartridge for the turntable etc etc. All fun stuff, but eventually I realised I was chasing my tail and this obsession with a "better sound" meant I was forever studying my system instead of just enjoying the music. Im getting the same sort of feelings now when I pick up the guitar, constantly wondering which of the aforementioned tweaks might improve things instead of appreciating the sound as it is and just getting on with playing..
Yea, you're right. Enjoy!
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  #20  
Old 09-28-2020, 07:20 AM
llew llew is offline
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Yes I remember the Hi-Fi days. Very similar to the "acoustic guitars days". With a stop off in between for the "wrist watch" days. They all seem to have the same MO to some extent. Like Andy...most of my Hi-Fi equipment has long quit working and I have a bunch of watches I never wear. But I do play my guitars everyday. It'll be interesting to see if I get "hooked" on something else but I can't imagine my love for acoustic guitars falling by the wayside?
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  #21  
Old 09-28-2020, 07:32 AM
NotveryGood NotveryGood is offline
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I knew I shouldnt have mentioned HIFI , now where did I put those Mission speakers ?
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  #22  
Old 09-28-2020, 08:20 AM
zombywoof zombywoof is offline
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Hey, don't look at me. I still use a 1961 Fisher amp, Advent or AR speakers (depending on my mood), and a Dual 1219 turntable. But that does not mean I do not upgrade by swapping out caps, resistors, crossovers, bridges, and the like. If you have ever owned an amp or receiver with the "death cap" or selenium bridge you know what I am talking about.

So looking at guitars the same way should make sense. But I just seem to prefer to leave them as they lay as I simply have never found anything that I think improves the guitars I own. No matter what say the pins, saddle and but are made with I just sound like me
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  #23  
Old 09-28-2020, 08:44 AM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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"Improvements" are often subjective - your major improvement could be mildly grating for me, and vice versa. NVG said it well.

I work in acoustics and if I cared to could have entire rooms full of free demo gear, but my wife chose our living room speakers. They still sound great 30 years later -- and do not consume an entire room. She did something rather clever -- took a CD of a favorite recording and our best ear buds and did A-B tests in the store until she found what sounded the same to her. They are Boston Acoustics A300's, BTW. And no we don't have gold-plated audio connectors, depleted uranium speaker wire , or any other special exotic audio components. But we have enjoyed plenty adequate audio for a long time.

Wade made reference to walrus oosik bone and the special musical properties associated with it. This ex-pat Alaskan caught the joke, but apparently no one else did. I will let you Google oosik for yourself.
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  #24  
Old 09-28-2020, 09:25 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Emerson View Post
What we needed back then was an in-store audiologist who could accurately test the listener, and then unequivocally let them know that THEY were missing a huge frequency range in their hearing..........not the speakers......but I digress.....
Not a digression at all, quite apropos to the topic.

A lot in the audio world is, if not exactly snake oil, meaningless and distracting. Look at all the questions here about what tiny change, from end pin to headstock, will change the tone? When, in fact, the things that will change the tone even more are the room you're in, exterior noise, which way you are facing, the condition of your years, your mood at the moment, what else is on your mind, what you had for breakfast....

We often see threads here about "my guitar sounded great yesterday but sucks today". Well, the guitar didn't magically change that much overnight. Look at other audio areas where people do scientific measurements that prove there is no difference in the signal, yet people just claim it's different because "there are things you can't measure". Look at the double-blind tests where experienced listenters (and players!) couldn't tell the difference between a Stradivarius and a modern violin. So much of the tiny differences are in our heads.

That's not to say there is no difference between my Yamaha FG and my D28. Of course there is! But after a certain point, a lot of it may be more a matter of faith than reality.

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  #25  
Old 09-28-2020, 10:21 AM
MartinGibsonFan MartinGibsonFan is offline
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Improvements are awesome, until they fail.

Like electric windows and sunroofs.



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  #26  
Old 09-28-2020, 10:25 AM
phcorrigan phcorrigan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotveryGood View Post
But its starting to remind me of some years ago when myself and like minded friends were very much into HIFI.
Back in the nineteen eighties, I worked in a ComputerLand store. One of my fellow salespeople previously worked as a stereo salesman. He told me that among stereo salespeople, the standard measure of value of stereo equipment was "KPD," or Knobs per dollar!

BTW, you can still buy $100 power cords and $500 speaker cables that will make your HiFi system sound much, much better!
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  #27  
Old 09-28-2020, 10:33 AM
phavriluk phavriluk is offline
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The less we know about a subject, the more likely are magical explanations. Get a guitar, play a lot, try to learn. If something doesn't work, fix it. Megabucks spent on costly instruments won't make the player sound any better.
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  #28  
Old 09-28-2020, 10:41 AM
phcorrigan phcorrigan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phavriluk View Post
The less we know about a subject, the more likely are magical explanations.
Yes, and often the more authoritative we can sound!
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  #29  
Old 09-28-2020, 10:54 AM
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I started playing in the last days of 60s..

Wasn't a lot to chose from and wasn't a lot of money to throw at these things.

The music stores would have a few guitars that dreams were made of, and if you were lucky enough to find someway to scrap up the money or get mom and dad to help out... You were the luckiest guy on your street.

you'd sell your soul for new blonde tele, sunburst strat or cherry red SG.

My first "real" guitar was a 69 Tele.. Before that we played we what all got from places like Sears and Roebucks, or G&H Green Stamps, or even places like Western Auto.

These days,, Jeeeze.. it's like drinking water from a fire hose.

A million youtube lesson channels, online merchants with easy credit terms, 2 day free shipping w/0 interest for 48 months. I get it,, it for sure can be overwhelming.

Blocking out the noise, and focusing on the fundamentals is really a challenge. but at the end of the day,, it's all worth it. If it maks ya happy, no matter what it is, DO IT.

No one said on their last day "I shouldn't have bought all those guitars, and spent all that time making music."
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  #30  
Old 09-28-2020, 10:56 AM
jammer99 jammer99 is offline
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The only improvement or tweak which is important is YOU
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