"Improvements". Not always a good thing?

[NotveryGood]

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..

[Scotso]

Well said....

But electrics also have the amp and pedals rabbit holes. Be happy for small favors

[colins]

It’s a balancing act isn’t it. The ‘tweaks’ may help and it can be fun to experiment, but we need to remember to keep our focus on the main game….music.

[Wade Hampton]

NVG, like anything else, chasing the minutia and claims and counterclaims about the impact this little tweak will make versus that little tweak can definitely be a distraction, no question about it. It can and often does descend into “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin” territory quite quickly.

But there can be a lot worth knowing that comes from these discussions, too.

Soon enough you’ll recognize which threads will interest you and which will not.

Personally I see guitar forum participation as a pleasant pastime that runs parallel to but doesn’t replace actual music making. I enjoy my times doing both.

In my case I am a fast typist and can write my posts almost as fast as I can talk (which is pretty fast.) So I don’t spend as much time writing my blathering and overly verbose posts as you might guess.

In any event, spend as much or as little time on the forum as you find to be rewarding. Be sure to take everything with a grain of salt, my posts especially!

Here’s a cliche, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true: your mileage may vary.


Wade Hampton Miller

[NotveryGood]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

But there can be a lot worth knowing that comes from these discussions, too.

In time you’ll start to recognize which threads will interest you and which will not.




Wade Hampton Miller

Thanks for your thoughts Wade. I never doubt the wisdom imparted in these discussions, and I always "cherry pick" the threads of interest. My point really is that I find thoughts of "strings n things" seeping into my mind when Im actually playing rather than putting them to one side and just enjoying the moment as you yourself obviously do

[Wade Hampton]

No, as I play blistering solos that send the crowds swooning with delight I’m not thinking: “Ha! It’s obviously the walrus oosik* ivory bridge saddle on my guitar that’s making the crowd go weak in the knees!”

No, I tend to concentrate on the task at hand.

When I first started participating in online guitar newsgroups, back in the UseNet days, I did get WAY too involved and spent too much time at it. There weren’t any moderators on those newsgroups, and many people got downright hateful to each other.

Fortunately, we have evenhanded moderators who keep things both civil and friendly on here. It’s much more fun and much more productive this way.

Anyway, this forum is a resource that you can use as often or as little as you like.


Wade Hampton Miller

*Walrus oosik ivory actually does exist - I didn’t make that up. However, I don’t have any of it or any other form of ivory on any of my musical instruments.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by NotveryGood

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..

Ah yes, hi-fi........

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.....

Yes, the more time you spend actually playing the guitar with what you've already got, the more you'll derive from IT, and the music.

If you can't or don't know how to drive it well, how do you know what it can do?

More time and money is wasted on trying to 'engineer' a sound or technique than is imaginable.

Best,
Howard Emerson

[Malcolm Kindnes]

A good observation, well said.

[srick]

Notverygood - Your reference to the days of hifi is a very apt analogy! I have improved my tone by taking lessons and practicing far more than I ever have with a new guitar, strings, picks and fairy dust! But I will add, that sometimes the new gear, the new tweak, etc., makes us more attentive to our sound and our technique. And it doesn’t have to be gear, it could be a new room or venue.

One of the mor interesting auditory experiences that I ever had was walking into a tall atrium and hearing a string quartet playing. As I rounded the corner, I realized there was no quartet. It was a Bose ‘Wave Machine’ serving as a point source (a little reverb makes everything sound better <LOL>). I guess that should be the next piece of gear that I purchase (a tall atrium). I’m sure that it’s somewhere in the Sweetwater catalog.

Best,

Rick

[Tico]

Some will enjoy pursuing the controversy of each "new" thing.
Others aren't distracted by the buzz; they plod on with what they know and love.

It's all good and ultimately all the same.
Such is life here on our beloved AGF.

[DownUpDave]

Originally Posted by srick

Notverygood - Your reference to the days of hifi is a very apt analogy! I have improved my tone by taking lessons and practicing far more than I ever have with a new guitar, strings, picks and fairy dust! But I will add, that sometimes the new gear, the new tweak, etc., makes us more attentive to our sound and our technique. And it doesn’t have to be gear, it could be a new room or venue.

One of the mor interesting audio experiences that I ever had was walking into a tall atrium and hearing a string quartet playing, but there was no quartet. It was a Bose ‘Wave Machine’ serving as a point source (a little reverb makes everything sound better <LOL>). I guess that should be the next piece of gear that I purchase (a tall atrium). I’m sure that it’s somewhere in the Sweetwater catalog.

Best,

Rick

Very well said, especially the last part about the tall atrium. I have an open concept living room, high ceiling with hardwood floor. Whenever a friend comes over to play she always says her instruments sound so much better in that room. She jokingly says she would buy this room and take it home with her if she could.

To the OPs point about obsessing over every little “thing” it can be a huge energy suck. My brother in-law is the opposite. He has played live on stage for over 40 years and knows nothing about gear, I mean nothing. But he is a great singer, song writer and guitarist. Every night after work he spends hours in his den playing and writing songs.

[Silly Moustache]

I can certainly relate to the days of chasing tails with Hi-fi, although I splashed out a horrendous amount in the '80s for Marantz separates, including an FM tuner (out of date now with DAB),record deck (it just broke) a beautiful amp which died about two years ago, and a horrendously expensive CD recorder/re-writer which was the first to die. All those Marantz units have since died and been replaced by whatever I can find on ebay.
The fifty year old Sony speakers in my office and my 35 year old British built speakers in the lounge still perform perfectly however.

I think that it is a basic human instincts to acquire "stuff" to add to our basic needs - which probably comes from our hunter-gatherer forefathers looking for a better stick to use as a spear and a better sharp rock to cut stuff with.

I'll admit to acquiring more guitars than absolutely necessary, and each of them has the ideal accessories - picks, capos, straps etc.

Blue Chip picks - the ultimate *(IMHO, but basic Shubb capos (C1 originals) serve me perfectly well, and I make my own straps.

[cdkrugjr]

Eh . . . Strings and Picks are CHEAP, unless you're playing Pokemon with Blue Chip or Charmed life...

Try 'em all.

It's your physical connection to your instrument, which affects how you feel when you're playing.

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by NotveryGood

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..

Well said. After all is said and done, you still have to pick up the guitar and make music. Easy to lose the balance.

[beatcomber]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

my 35 year old British built speakers in the lounge still perform perfectly however.

As someone who does still dabble in hifi, I'd be interested to know what your British-built speakers are.

Some of the finest speakers in the world are/were designed and made in England, and those that are derived from BBC monitor specifications (made by Rogers, Spendor, Harbeth, etc.) have a particularly strong following.

My own speakers are a pair of lovely "BBC style" Spendor SP3/1R's that had been showroom demos, which I bought at a healthy discount from a dealer in England and had them shipped across the sea.