Is There Too Much Guitar Gear?

[@shannonfossett8147]

I guess I’d better start cooking that shepherds pie 👩‍🍳

[@steveturner6770]

class 😀

[@mrshiney2]

When I started playing (1980) you had "an " electric guitar and "an " amp that was it. We spent our time actually playing. Sure we talked tone and stuff but we zeroed in on chops and being a better player.

[@profane_kvetch]

I agree- and have come full circle. I have one guitar, one amp, and one pedal. Haven't been this happy in years.

[@wagzzzz]

I started in 1980 also. The notion of amassing 20 guitars and 12 amps wasn’t even on the radar.

[@dwocelot6913]

@@wagzzzz I started in 1980 as well, at 13. Just having an electric guitar and an amplifier was mind blowing. The thought of owning 70 pedals, two dozen guitars and a half a dozen amps would have sounded like sheer lunacy.

[@wagzzzz]

@@dwocelot6913 you literally just described the inventory of the small neighborhood music store where I took lessons. It really is a weird thing with guitarists. I have one hiking backpack. It’s nice. Sometimes it’s too big and sometimes it’s too small but I make it work. Never occurred to me to buy 5 packs for different kinds of trips.

[@matthewcyahoo]

My Dad bought me an Epiphone double cut in 1980 when I was 13 at Mannys Music in NYC. I still have it 44 years later. I bought a couple of other guitars, a Reverend and Steinberger and play in my garage with a Roland Micro Cube from 20 years ago. I bought two Digitech effects systems but usually just plug straight into the amp, add some reverb and gain and I am good. I don't understand what people are doing with all these pedals and multi effects pedals. Why not just buy a Spark and you have everything? I may buy one just to try but the simple set up is best unless you are a gigging musician..

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

The best advice I ever heard was "Learn to play what you've got".

[@1040ecapja]

Good point. I'm currently looking for a fuzz pedal and it's more overwhelming than it should be.

[@CC-fi3pp]

There's only a handful of Fuzz circuits, Fuzz Face, Tone Bender, Muff, Super Fuzz. There's a few new circuits, the Carcosa is the main standout. And that's it, aslong as its in a quality enclosure and well made and tye graphics speak to you that's it. Listen to the circuits in a shoot out or play them and pick. I don't jump up mid song and say " that's a germaniun Fuzz Face, I only listen to silicone", I can't tell on a track, I can tell a Muff from a Fuzz Face though and they play differently.

[@cautiousoptimist1926]

Yes., especially pedals, and there are so many reviews telling you how wonderful they all are. The game changer for me was the Plethora X3. I 've sold a half dozen pedals since I purchased it: Wampler, JHS, Keeley, Empress. The differences between most pedals is too small to warrant all the options on the market. A good multi-fx and a couple of must haves and you're covered.

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

I'm the "original reverter" you mentioned. The epitome. My strats are strats, LPs are LPs, Twin is a Twin, Plexi is a Plexi, the ONLY boutique thing I own is a Dr. Z Maz18, because I love it, and it has Mojotone BV25M and BV30H instead of Celestion M and H greenbacks. But I mean, my tube screamer is a tube screamer, drums are ludwigs, cymbals are paiste, everything must be the original. I tried a suhr strat -- not for me. Tried a fender blackface clone by fargen, again not quite right. Oh, I thought of a second thing! My wampler tumnus, because I'm not an idiot lol

[@windsweptguitars]

I used to think not, but I’ve recently done a full renovation and restoration of my home, and I had to put nearly a dozen guitars and amplifiers into storage for the past five months and I realized, I didn’t miss them. I guess there is a difference between wanting to need

[@markinthemix6055]

Good video. This industry feeds the gear disorder in us all. It’s got to a point where if you want to actually be a musician and songwriter, you have to put blinders on, concentrate on the gear you have, and work on music. Avoid KZbinrs. I bet you can buy a new or 2 to 3+ drive pedals each month. The JHS/ROSS mess that took place this week is a good example. JHS blew out like 4000 ROSS pedals that absolutely nobody needed and nobody wanted. Marketing pizazz by JHS sells 4000 pedals in a day based a big price drop but… did anyone really need the pedals?

[@mattpearce79]

It’s a good point, I was a classic case of ‘all the gear and no idea’ 😂😂 I realised I was spending more time and money on gear rather than learning and just playing. Sold most of my gear, I have one guitar, a modeller and an frfr cab. I might buy a small combo valve/tube amp but that’s it.

[@edwardmarks4293]

When I was young, headstock meant very little. Important factors were, did I like it, did it sound good, could I afford it. Now as a senior, headstock means a lot more as I expect my 'younger than me' wife to face having to liquidate all this stuff I've bought. A Fender Custom Shop may be 6x the Squier Tele but will be FAR easier for her to sell one day. Even though as a player, I'd be happy with the Squier.

[@SonoranRedheadGuitar]

I am grateful for there being so much gear, where it gives one the opportunity to try new things, and makes for a more competitive market. It’s a great time to be a guitar player, no doubt about it

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: Please do not take this in an offensive way, I really enjoy your work. I think you tube is like a drug pusher, getting people hooked on "WOW, I want that". Before we had hundreds of you tube channels, we just did not know about the majority of products. We may have seen an ad in Guitar Player magazine but the local store did not stock them to try. Maybe a new guy that moved to town had a pedal we never saw from a shop 800 miles away. Even mail ordering was a lot of work before most people had credit cards, and took long shipping times. Now we have endless ads, endless online demonstrators, and easy websites with one click ordering with two day shipping. I am a little ashamed to admit that I also have failed to resist and have closet full of gear I seldom use.

[@voxpathfinder15r]

When I looked at the construction of many so-called boutique pedals with printed circuit boards and surface mount devices, it really quenched my desire to get more pedals. I like tubescreamers and boss pedals mostly, don’t need much else

[@al271987]

It’s quite the double edge sword. It’s easier than ever to get nice gear cheap (lots of great playing, inexpensive, “off brand” guitars), and there’s amps and pedals at all price points which is super cool. Also, it’s made for a pretty nice used market, so that’s cool too (getting a practically new Reverend for like $650 is so awesome it’s not even fair). But if you’re new to guitar and trying to find your way? You better have an experienced friend to help you along, or it would be truly overwhelming. And if you are experienced you have to be able to reach the point where you can step back, look at what you have, and say “that’s enough,” because there is never a shortage of new, even if what’s new isn’t really significantly different in any substantial way. I’ve reached that point, personally, but it’s only been recently. There’s still temptations for new stuff here and there, but thankfully that has decreased since I’m just genuinely happy with what I have. A new fuzz pedal isn’t gonna sound better than the two I have. A new guitar isn’t going to sound or play better than the three I have. I’m genuinely good right now. It feels weird, but also satisfying. The hardest part was learning that I liked the chase as much as I liked the gear, and that can be a bad cycle to find yourself in.

[@normanjohnson712]

Yes I deal with that and what makes it worse is when you live in an area where it is impossible to try different one first.

[@musicfingerprints3045]

Great video, thanks! Definitely too much gear and options out there. I’ve been buying od pedals one after the other for a period of time some years ago. Because “maybe the one I have is not the best”. Ending up with so much stuff gathering dust. The infinite number of options can trigger anxiety. I ended up stopping this. Sticking with what I had (a part of what I had) and focusing on enjoying music. That should be the real meaning of all this… But sometimes GAS (because it’s that thing, it has a name) kicks in again…. For me now it’s on Tonex, Nano Cortex…. But I’m trying to resist!

[@adambell4513]

There are many options for gear but I don’t see that as a problem. It may cause anxiety for people but too many options is not the problem. People allowing it to stress them out is. One could just as easily see the endless possibilities for gear as a never ending exploration of new tones. Maybe, we should do our homework, and make the best choice based on budget and need. Maybe we should buy a pedal or guitar because it sounds great and it inspires us to create. And just embrace the imperfections they may have. Like the Blues Junior you mentioned. Perfect? No. Does it sound great and record well!? Absolutely. I use a 90’s classic 30 and I love it. Is it perfect? No but I lean into its imperfections. It’s our mentality and perspective.

[@musicblogger87]

I’m at a point in my personal collection where in order for me to upgrade what I have I need to spend $1,200 on a Jazzmaster or $2,700 on a D-18. And that’s money that I don’t have.

[@fantomas9240]

100 % agree with you. To many of guitar, pedal, amp, modeler, pluggins with so many prices... I can't understand the market now,. Result ? I don't buy anything. Sometimes I stil try pedals but in 99% of the case I send it back because nothing realyl new.

[@thisdyingsoul76]

I wouldn't say there is too much. What I will say, is guitarists need to just figure out what the basic gear is that they enjoy and make music with it. When they develop their ear and skills, maybe find a variant of that gear that addresses the things you don't like about that rig while retaining the qualities you like. I went down the rabbit hole of buying a bunch of gear only to have most of it sit in a corner while I gravitated to certain things. I have since sold off most of the gear that I rarely use. I have kept a few pieces because I know from time to time I will want something different. But, my gear collection is 1/3 the size it used to be. If I have a friend that comes to jam, I have a few additional guitars, amps and pedals if they don't want to lug their own gear. My basic setup now is a Marshall style amp, with a TS and Bluesbreaker in front to get different lead tones, analog delay, and chorus. I run it through a Joyo pedal switcher. For guitars, I usually use one of 2 Gibson SG's.

[@azbluesdog]

I couldn't afford big name gear when I started gigging in the mid-1980s. So I took the "buy what I can and modify as needed" approach. That served me well until I stopped playing professionally, got a haircut and a so-called real job. I started buying expensive guitars, amps and pedals. And for what? Intense dissatisfaction. I've since sold off more gear than I can remember. Now I'm back to modding the relatively cheap guitars I've hung onto. Do I still lust for new gear I really don't need? Occasionally. But at least I can talk myself out of it now.

[@b.j.taylor9576]

Advanced technology has glutted the market with gear and has begun to kill live music with so much of the artificiality of much of it. We need to return to guitar-cord-amp(maybe a pedal or two?) and a PA system, and stages full of gear! I gave up trying to record anymore with the ridiculously complex and artificial recording formats(insert here guality 8 trk. reel to reel). And yes, you're right, people are clinging to what's secure because there is such a glut of gear that it would make a pitbull insecure.

[@Chimeskinkade]

There is the gear you want and the gear you need to do what you want. After forty years of playing/gigging I pretty much know what works for me. You make good points no piece of gear is perfect. But marketing is trying to convice you otherwise. The only thing you can do is find those pieces that you bond with and call it a day.

[@jjerkamillo]

This is truly a double-edged sword. I want there to be a wide variety of options because it inspires more creativity in music which is always a welcomed thing. On the other hand, I myself don't venture beyond the basic "Fender Jazz bass though an Ampeg" formula because I get overwhelmed by the endless options out there which has only gotten significantly bigger over the last few years.

[@JackFossett]

Supposedly there is an optimal number of choices - no choice is bad but too many choices is also bad. I wonder what it would have felt like in the 50s or 60s to just have the original “real things” to choose from.

[@DoobTube71]

Yes! Post Covid-1984,…the market is so soft, I can’t sell a Boss Katana Artist MKII 1x12 combo amp for $350! WTF?!

[@jdubz33]

No one other than me are buying amps right now. Everyone’s on the modeling meme train rn. I got some killer gear for cheap because of it.

[@jimmythefish]

I just play at home and am down to my D28, which I play most, then a Tele, a Gretsch, a J Bass and a Yamaha THR 30ii. Even with the THR which has options aplenty I pretty much just use either the Deluxe Reverb setting or the JCM 800 setting. Playing is the focus. If I do get another amp I'd get a Tone Master Pro and some sort of a full range speaker. No more pedals or separate amps for me; it's too much. If I absolutely had to get one tube amp it'd be a Deluxe Reverb and some sort of Marshally drive pedal.

[@jeffbitzinger1961]

I have a TC Electronics Trem pedal that does everything I need it to do. It took awhile to calm down and stop trying to find a “better” one. It works great for me. I’m trying, sometimes unsuccessfully, to be the same way with my other gear.

[@denbodg9311]

I’ve run the mill with this, had far too much gear, & yes, we’re overloaded with GAS, availability & sale offers. No disrespect but most of that demand is down to KZbin videos. The music industry has changed due to the internet, covid etc., & this was inevitable. Some people have a stack of gear & really explore none of it. I sold everything I didn’t NEED. I like Strats. US Strats. That’s my only weakness now. I have 4 different models & know all the nuances of each. I have a Les Paul so I have a humbucker alternative. I have 2 amps, a Blues Junior Tweed & and a ‘68 Custom Princeton, with 5 pedals. Finally a Resonator, my only acoustic. Even now I think I have too much. I stick to this like back in the day when I had 1 guitar, 1 amp and knew every minute detail of them. Get to know your gear. IMO if you can’t fire up a piece of gear and immediately go to the tone you want from it then get rid.

[@WRCzATL]

Pedals used to be a fun purchase for me, a quick and easy little sonic arrow to add to my quiver... but now that more and more pedals are over $200 and have many more knobs and switches and even @#$%ing MENUS, it's become quite overwhelming to choose which one, much less learn how to use them to their fullest. I've stripped my board back to a simple 4 or 5 small pedals, and that works just fine for 90% of my playing. If that idea catches on, I can't imagine that's good for the music business' current strategy. Buy less, play more.

[@jimilee459]

There is always just one more amp, guitar, pedal.

[@musicallyinclined6588]

Much too much....way too much...I have 25+ guitars, use a pedalboard with some 18 odd pedals with several idling in the drawer and a few tube amps. I jam with bandmates some 2-3 times a month and gig a few times in the year. By no stretch of the imagination am I extracting the most out of the gear I currently own. Nor do I "need" an iota more gear at this stage. It doesn't stop me buying a little extra something every now and then, just for laughs as this is my hobby. As long as I can afford it, and I am realistic about what it will and won't achieve, I'll be fine. I completely agree that obsessing over that shiny new overdrive pedal in priority over some good old fashioned practice is an absolute dead end

[@aminahmed2220]

Awesome video Jack have a wonderful weekend ❤😊

[@ItsVictoriaG]

Choice anxiety/option paralysis is why I don’t want a Quad Cortex or anything. The Hologram Chroma Console is the perfect amount of options and restrictions. 😊

[@scottmoreau5630]

I often think about how much I have spent on pedals and it’s scary how many guitars I could have purchased with that money. I think pedals are often easier to justify at the time but they add up.

[@mortonwilson795]

Currently I am considering getting a new Chorus Pedal - I like my MXR Analog but it's a 'tone sucker' when not ON. It's fun looking - lots of reviews / demos out there and I'm not in a rush. That's it for pedals. I am also ready to push the button on some new Pick-Ups for a handful of Epi Les Pauls I bought with the intention of modifying, but holding off for now due to cash-flow. So it goes. I really enjoy scanning the YT channels of several people / companies to see what's what but I'm at an age where I can, fortunately, (hopefully?), differentiate between 'want' and 'need'. 😅 Cheers!

[@marc-andrenobert9565]

The MXR chorus is great. I slithly prefer my ce2 or jam waterfall for clean stuff. But with gain, nothing beats the mxr. And the tonesuck isnt that huge if ur pedal setup is right. With the Les Pauls, unless u plan to keep it forever, u better get a used Gibson or a Heritage for the resale value. It already has the right pickups (Burstbuckers & Duncan 59 are both amazing). The "change ur pickup" route is the best way to lose money.

[@crucifixgym]

There used to be hardly any options, now we live in a time when everything you might want is available.

[@scottdowney731]

You can never have enough of what you don’t need.

[@seanbrooks2583]

all you really need is a deluxe reverb, and a strat. maybe a few pedals.. and i guess a tele/les paul. oh and a marshall. dont forget a hollwbody

[@ukguitarnoodle]

My mate who runs the Jam Night is trapped in boutique pedal consumption. I took my Joyo Overdrive and he liked it but HAD to know what it is a copy of (Suhr Riot) . 🤷

[@mikecorey8370]

Not too many options. Just high expectations of that gear and when you get it home, it's not sounding like you thought it would. Happens, I think, 75% of the time.

[@kenichi407]

you will always have the "too cool for school" crowd who solely purchase brands no one else has ever heard from just to stand out and be the "unique" guitar guy. met loads of worship guitarists flaunting their NASA pedal boards filled with boutique pedals. they cringe when they hear the word "Boss" and laugh at you when you say you play through an OD-2.

[@MrTupeloFlash]

Better than little or no choice

[@stevewilliams846]

A like all the choices. But the gear need not be fetishized.

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

Curious, when did you start? I started my channel in 2013.

[@kennethdarlington]

Daw + one or two amp sims + maybe couple of fancy plugins = everything couch musician needs.

[@CC-fi3pp]

How do you get the latency down to acceptable levels? I have a $2000 laptop and Clarrett 8+ and I can not get the buffer to under 10 millie seconds full trip. I have to direct monitor which is a horrible experience. I'd need a babyface and a super computer, which is just ridiculous, I've gone back to just gsung amps and pedals.

[@rocknrollresignation93]

Yes. The market is over saturated with everything.

[@julianrodolfo]

I don’t use pedals, but I a wide collection of them… 😂😂😂

[@axemasterjam]

The answer is Yes!

[@rocco8222]

The problem isn't too much gear, the problem is not being able to afford all of it. Ha ha ha

[@djpenton779]

This is a broad generalization, but: female musicians I know rarely obsess about gear. Men do. I'm weary of it. Beginner or mediocre guitarists fixated on "finding their tone". Yuck.

[@JackFossett]

Supposedly, a big psychological difference between men and women is that women fixate on people, men fixate on objects. Which would support your observation

[@andreafiorini6418]

Yes

[@Canadianwheelchairguitar]

Guitar players need to stop chasing tones. Companies will tell you that they have the latest and greatest product you need for the best tone. Shop within your budget, always try it before you buy it, if possible & the final step when making a purchase on gear is made with your ears. Then realistically ask yourself if the product your looking at is needed or better than what you already use & is it worth the money for how much better it is than what you already have & use. If you can go to a store that has the new shiny thing, you've already shopped with your eyes & know what you're interested in. If it's a guitar or something you touch you try it to see how it feels. If it passes those tests, you try it or rent it, if possible. Then you've done the research & have the option to make an informed decision about spending your money. There are a TON of options out there, nobody should be telling people what to buy, just shop responsibly, which is often easier said than done. I have budget guitars that I work on/maintain once a year. I've decided not to buy budget guitars, only the gear I want even though I'll have to save for it. I don't mind fixing a couple 3/7 guitars a year but I'd rather be playing them.

[@JimMorrisonsBathtub]

I don't think there are too many options because I don't actually think there are that many options. You have the option of maybe 20 kinds of electric guitars at most and then you have hundreds of guitars that are ripoffs of one of those 20.

[@nekkon1989]

Well we dont need a sedan, an SUV, a motorbike and a lorry to transport our families, so why would we need all that gear just to play the guitar. Let's be honest. @JackFossett possible real guitar talk video. Why do you use software (plugins) to record but tube amps to perform (and not a Helix or Quad Cortex)

[@jdb2722]

I believe there are too many options.

[@christianlacheze3323]

No, no, never enough

[@what1864]

ya think ?

[@Discordia_audio]

No. Now excuse me, a new guitar was just delivered. 😂

[@JackFossett]

👆

[@teknomanning]

My habit has cost me at 74

[@CC-fi3pp]

Way too much! Spaceship looking guitars and software amps with Fallout 76 prop graphics, when you can do even black metal on a Les Paul > Boss Pedal > Marshall. Thousands of pedals that are all rehousings of the same top ten classic circuits. Even Strats and Teles there's literally hundreds of clones for more money that are worse. It's ridiculous it'll just lead to confusion and bad tone.

[@wagzzzz]

Adopt five or six other expensive hobbies. You’ll cut your guitar gear drastically. You’ll also cut down on your camera gear, boating gear, hiking gear, golf gear, skiing gear, gaming gear, grilling gear, and camping gear down to a sane and manageable level. Problem solved👍

[@Smart-Alex]

You mean I should be happy with my guitars and not buy a Hello Kitty guitar?😹

[@bmg696]

Yes, too much gear, overdone clones of clones of clones muddying up waters.

[@ssolred]

More gear, less original music.

[@keithsnowdon8672]

Certainly too many Chinese instruments.