All This Gear - But NO-ONE Cares What You're Playing? YES IT MATTERS (probably)

[@andersg9451]

I've done what I think many others have done - first you fill your pedalboard to the brim with what you think are pedals you can't possibly live without. After a while you realize that a lot of them are almost never used. Then you start to trim them down one by one until maybe half are left, i.e. the ones you really need.

[@3l84r70]

and then get a modeler/profiler rig.. and then build a pedalboard with a tuner, a boost pedal and 5 delays...

[@robertstan2349]

all i need is a good amp. you can keep the pedals, mostly they compromise the tone

[@mageillus]

Yup, almost gave up on guitar up until 6 months ago when I finally shrunk my pedalboard down to a vol/wah, pitchfork, and booster. Been happier ever since.

[@derosa504]

@@andersg9451 so true. Eventually cut my miniboard down to (phase 90, fulldrive 2, boss dd3… ) covered top 40 tunes of all sorts with those 3 pedals , a deluxe, and a tele. The solo tele was also a GREAT compromise after getting tired of swapping between strat/lespaul for years. . And the deluxe is the perfect power for even a hard hitting drummer!

[@PukeyMcDork]

@@robertstan2349totally agreed. Giant pedalboards are wack. All the hassle, noise and complexity are a burden not a relief. If u got a good amp, that’s all u need. Marshall seems to work for me.

[@davidmaki6960]

Always enjoy your content, John. You're right, it's two different worlds. Playing at home where you have control over your backing tracks volume, unlike a live situation with a live band with a drummer, you can explore the nuances of sound that gets our creativity flowing. At 72 years old, I've experienced the sheer joy of playing live with a rockin' band at exciting volume with the crowd stamping their feet and dancing madly. Nothing comparable. Thanks for your teaching videos as well, I've definitely improved my legato playing. Have a Happy New Year!

[@89digits59]

In Reality the Audience actually does not care what gear you are using as long as it all sounds good, only we guitar nerds care about all this stuff 🙂

[@GarrettMaple]

💯 Here endeth the lesson!

[@winstonsmith8240]

But how you feel affects your playing.

[@89digits59]

@@winstonsmith8240 True - but that is with the artist, sound wise the audience does not care about the sound as long as it sounds good to them. Audience does can care if you are using a custom shop guitar or a cheap guitar, if you are using a $5000 amp of a $500 guitar processor with amp sims, as long as it sounds good to them, it's all good.

[@ludvanlazarz]

Actually, i recently attended a party where a local wedding-band was playing. It was all covers. The Guitar player did a boss GT old style digital board direct into the PA on one Guitar only with hunbuckers. It sounded pretty meh to me, and not at all close to the covers in terms of tone. It both sounded and felt not rock n roll. Had they been cranking real amps on stage, in that venue, they would only need the PA for singing and the keyboard. Thats it. People are thinking "PA-mix" even though the venues dont need it unless you are doing a bigger venue

[@GarrettMaple]

@@ludvanlazarzYou’ve just reinforced his point. Not sure whether you were agreeing or disagreeing.

[@EmilioConesa]

That expensive knife a chef uses is not for the customer.

[@IFeastOnGlue]

That's a good analogy

[@kellygreenii]

That covers it. 👍

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

it is though isn't it? the chef needs it to do their work at their best, which ultimately trickles down to the the food being served to the customer. Expensive knives cut better, they stay sharp for longer, they probably feel better in the hand. I'd argue it couldn't be more for the customer. The chef wants to make the best food for the customer and wants to use the best tools to make the best food.

[@aarongonzalez5973]

@@johnplaystheguitar123 I agree but the argument being made is the the average customer can’t tell the difference between you using a $10 knife vs $100 knife. They only know subjective terms such as “good” and “bad”

[@EmilioConesa]

@ yes that’s my point

[@markstarlin]

I played in a 15-member cover band with horns and used a Mesa Express 5:25, a Plethora X5, and a Crybaby Wah. I didn't need any fancy modulated reverbs or synth sounds. The amp gave me my amp tones, and the Plethora gave me the basic (great sounding) effects I needed: reverb, delay, phaser, and chorus. For my acoustic trio, I use a Fender Smolder OD, a Plethora X3, and a TC Electronic Spark Mini Boost. When I livestream from home, I use an FM9 into a Boss RC-600. Different setups for different gigs. The audience just wants to be entertained/inspired/moved/or enticed to dance or sing along. They don't care about gear (except the musicians in the audience.) Find what works for you and learn to really use it. You don't need every new thing that comes along. Unless you are rich or get free stuff/paid for being popular on KZbin. 😉

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

If you get a return booking, you're using the right gear.

[@rowbags3017]

An injury early in the summer meant I had to travel ultra-light to gigs and use a modeller into the PA. It sounded OK and proved so convenient, I didn't go back to my full rig. I've actually made it an early New Year's resolution to begin using my amp and pedalboard again.

[@pastelcia42]

To me the most important part about gear is workflow. I like having a board with standalone pedals and a real amp because I like that workflow and can make adjustments that affect the whole set in seconds to get what I need, instead of having to change 15 presets to make the reverb a bit louder on all of them. Makes my life easier, and the multi fx/modeler just gives me the extra stuff I just use for a song here and there, like a pitch shifter or a tremolo.

[@jamesgoddin8880]

Honestly, for most gigs now I just use my Katana Gen 3 with GA-FC-EX and a couple of expression pedals. For in-ear gigs or theatre pit stuff it’s the GX-100. My Mesa Boogie and pretty expensive pedalboard are gathering dust in my office. Nobody’s complained about the quality of the tones, and my load in/out and setup is so much simpler.

[@gregberry3524]

Another aspect people dont realise that has a huge impact. Micing an amp correctly live. It may sound great for you, but if it is not captured and eq'd well, it can come across poorly out front. More important in a bigger space, where your amp spill can't make up for it. Same issue with phase problems or a poor sound guy. The Sound Guy is your most important musician not on stage, who can make or break a gig.

[@PukeyMcDork]

Kemper rules. This problem is solved using it. Dump your stuff to the cork sniffers and get u a Kemper if you’re playing out a lot

[@matthewcasey892]

As long as you deliver the song to the listener with full conviction and reasonable proficiency there will be a connection. That is the point, I believe, connect the music to the listener. Everything else is nuance. Having said that, nuances can be where the gap between good and great are achieved. My goal should be to get connected through the music, not the gear.

[@thejuggernaut5327]

I definitely have/ had gear that I don’t need for my gig. When it’s really useful is in selling off non- essentials to fund something new. If the new piece is essential, great! If not, it’s rinse and repeat. The best part is the fun you have along the way 🎉

[@gravyblue]

The amount of pro gigs I go to where I can barely hear the guitar

[@Searchio]

The Sound made through gear is mainly for the listener. How it makes you feel playing is for you.

[@mattpalmer5434]

Thanks for the videos John. There’s something different about a cranked amp on stage - the way it interacts with feedback etc and those unpredictable moments that is very inspiring. You get something different to bedroom practising - a sound that is more “alive” - and that’s really the greatest appeal of playing live for me (and the “crucible” of performance in a band). Agree that 95% of sounds for covers gigs is overdrives and delay/reverb. I deliberately run a small board to force myself to make hard choices! ;) Current edition includes a vibe-type for texture layers and a fuzz for one or two specific songs.

[@cloud_noises]

As a keyboard player I can relate to this sentiment. Hammond organ is my main instrument in both jazz and rock bands, but I often dream about using synths for live shows. However, I've found that those more complex sounds, surprisingly, don't really add much... The organ is already very dynamic, and while a synth can create a huge array of interesting sounds, the nuance of it all gets completely lost in a band setting. I think fancy pedals present the same problem. A glitchy sample mangler amounts to a gimmick that you can often only use for a small fraction of the set. I'm planning to switch to guitar for some shows in 2025 and I'm only planning to use a compressor/reverb/amp sim into a loudspeaker. I love the simplicity of that type of setup.

[@johnnathancordy]

Interesting you mention that - I'm a keys player too, and similarly it's some of the more "basic" sounding sampled horn stuff that actually works live - sometimes the more accurate and fancy stuff in isolation doesn't cut quite as well in the context of a band?

[@terryharris2262]

Pre covid, my board was bare bones for most gigs. When covid hit, i kept myself busy by writing, producing, and playing for a lot of different artists. So i had to add various pedals to fit what the artists and / or song required. Nowadays, i have two boards, one for studio work and one for fly gigs. The fly gig is one of two amps, and the minumin needed pedals on the board. However, playing some cover tunes, i still grab a couple of genre fitting pedals to cover all the bases! In ear monitors are not my cup of tea. Im still an amp, monitor, and pedalboard guy. That's what inspires me the most.

[@Doomhamar]

Dude Leon Todd and you are my favorite players on youtube by far, these days I only have time to check out yours and his videos on the regular! You should give your self some credit, I think you inspire so many people with the awesome takes and amazing playing that inspires me to come each day to check out what you have to say and what you will play! You are amazing and I appreciate you so much for posting videos about guitar noises and cool stuff. At the moment i am a bit broke, but I will definitely join your patreon just as a thank you for all you have done, and for being a great dude that I would love to get some beers and talk guitars with and for an amazing player you are.

[@blackfishgaming7145]

Last year Primus had to play a festival show and their gear was stuck in a different state due to severe weather. They went to Guitar Center and bought inexpensive gear for the show. You can definitely hear the difference. However, they made fun of the situation and it still sounded good. You can see the footage on KZbin somewhere.

[@ryanh7167]

Some of that is also probably psychological. They were using stuff that didn't "feel" like the instruments they've spent hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours touring with. Little things like that can throw off your timing and muscle memory in subtle ways.

[@quatokistouffer9846]

the YES IT MATTERS or Not is a deep story that has a lot of moving parts depending on what you are trying to do. Highly depends on the person... and the situation.

[@shanemcconnell1736]

From about 98 to 2008 I played in one of New York’s most popular original bands, of the unsigned variety, never played a gig where the venue or bar was not packed, everybody knew our songs, etc. Well a lot of the times, we played as a three-piece with the bass and drums on a disk, when I heard that’s what we were going to do when I join the band, I thought oh my God people are going to throw stuff at us, 10 years of doing that, and nobody mentioned where’s your bass player or drummer once, not once

[@vintagetone22]

Im done with using 100 pedals to get different sound.after 25 years of playing .im down to an overdrive pedal a delay/reverb pedal ,and a wah pedal into a evh 5150.and thats all you need really.im happy with that.👍🌹🤟🎸🤟🙏🙏

[@alfred2011]

Great vid John. I agree, we guitar players tend have more gear than we need. I like your point about it being better than a gambling habit 😅

[@the_tone7167]

My live rig is a Mesa Boogie Mark V 25 Combo (light weight), HX stomp for Delay, Overdrive, and misc effects, and an OCD drive pedal. 4 cable method with a Volume pedal in the effects loop. Suits me fine for a blues-rock bar band.

[@angrybuzzy]

Volume pedal in the FX loop - right on.

[@johnbeamon]

Out of my whole catalogue, there are two Delays anyone cares about. Bowie's "Let's Dance" has delay timing built into the rhythm. And DLR's "Yankee Rose" has a half-note echo during the breakdown. The rest, hardly anyone notices beyond if it's wet or it's dry.

[@fisch723]

For my gigs as the guitarist for a singer-songwriter band it’s generally a Helix floor and a PowerCab. I like to experiment at home with ambient sounds (and have this fantasy that someone might one day want to hear live ambient guitar), but despite how much can be done with the Helix, it’s basically a clean (sometimes chorus) snapshot, ones for lead both light and heavy, and a somewhat ambient spacey reverb-y sound as a filler almost keyboard-like sound. That’s pretty much it for most of the night but I like having the ability to call up something unusual when the mood strikes and go a little outside the lines when it’s called for, and the singer encourages me to get wild when it fits. So, following the classic “80/20 rule”, most of the night is done with a few basic tones and their variations, but using a modeler gives you those spare sounds without the need for a giant pedalboard. Although sometimes I wish the Helix was a little smaller - but I do use 2 expression pedals so I’m glad to have the i/o.

[@winstonsmith8240]

I've not picked up the guitar for 6 months (personal reasons), but the tone you had at the beginning made me want to pick it up again. So yeah, it does matter. (And thanks). ❤

[@NickGranville]

Totally agree on your thoughts about the audience picking up if we’re inspired or not. I think it’s wrong to assume they don’t notice or care what we’re doing. Sure a small number of drunk munters might not care but otherwise people are listening and absorbing. So I often take the gear that gets the job done and that keeps me happy, which almost always these days is an FM3, some pedals and a frfr. I hate IEM’s so they’re a last option for me. Note - I don’t think they care if we play a Squier or Strat, just is it good or not.

[@GraemeCampbellMusic]

As I do solo acoustic pub gigs I’ve just gone for the gear that’s easiest to dial for a full sound in a noisy environment very quickly. I usually use an acoustic (Epi J45 or Taylor), through a NUX pre-amp pedal into a Laney A-Duo Acoustic amp on a speaker stand (vocals go through that as well via an Beta 57). Sounds decent, quick to set up and load in and out.

[@derosa504]

Here in the northeast, more and more club bands use the silent stage type gear. I.m.o. It works fine for a miley cirus tune, lizzo, or the jonas brothers cover. But when theres a band that drops 3 steps , or simpleman, or shook me all night long. One unfortunate guitar slinger even fought his way through sweet child of mine! With his digitbox loaded with his newly downloaded slash snakeoil superpatch he tested in the bedroom and said meh…it will do…GOOD GRIEF. Pease dont do this to your fans! Thats when i leave the club….and file the bandname under”do not see this band again” regardless of their actual talent. The new gear actually deletes the key element that made those songs great in the first place. Sounds terrible when overdriven. Ok when clean. At least the examples i have heard. Then i go down the block and a band is using a simple blues junior and a mic, couple pedals. Epiphone 335 (affordable workin mans gear)They cover the classics and it sounds great in comparison. The thing that baffles me is, the junior probably weighs less than a headrush monitor , so whats the point? If you need 1000 sounds, you can use a hx effects (carefully..less is more….the ambient and modulation effects sound very good)between the guitar and amp. Just utilize the true bypass + analog dirt pedal in front of the hx, when you wanna pump out classic guitar sounds… Not bashing here, just an honest real club assesment (from a viewers perspective)for someone on the fence about what to use. Digits as of 2024 Clean=good Dirty=bad John, you prove this in every video ive seen so far. Clean=good Good luck my friends. Just an opinion…happy new year

[@Eliminator-rl9sn]

Absolutely. I play live one clean and one overdrive channel. This is supported by a drive pedal, an EP Booster and the GE7 in front of the amp. In the FX Loop are delay and reverb and that’s it. Sometimes I play a real amp, sometimes just the HX Stomp and an FRFR.

[@MrJingles021]

I played a bass gig yesterday where a guy had a super expensive Fodera bass, and I had a Cort....the audience couldn't hear the price difference, and people thought my Cort was a custom made bass.

[@millichips1]

In a band situation I've found less is more. Good amp, palyable guitar, reverb and possibly add a tad of delay / chorus for a bit of colour. In a duo situation I can have the luxury of adding more effects to for some ambience depending on the song. John, love the intro playing as always :0)

[@TbonePlummer]

I’ve used pretty much the same rig for a decade. A valve amp (Hughes and Kettner Grandmeister 40) and a 2x12 with three gain stages to allow for the room / venue and a delay and modulation. It covers 99% of all material we do. Guitars are entirely for my pleasure but usually one single coil and one humbucker. I’ve tried digital modelling etc and use an old school M5 if I need a lot of modulations. It is 100% how to approach live. Bomb proof, versatile.

[@ejguitars1679]

Helix into a 1966 Proreverb works great for my wedding gigs. Honestly, the amp is for the band. If you have acoustic drums, a bass amp, and 3 horns on stage, your IEM sound alone will never assert enough command to interact with the other musicians meaningfully.

[@steveliberty]

I've sold off any boutique fx pedals that I had. I've also sold off most of the drives that I've had. The HX Stomp is the centerpiece of my rig, played into a power amp and guitar cabinet, and the signal chain in the HXS is typically 2 drives, an fx loop, an amp model (no cab), an eq, a delay and a reverb. The fx loop has the HX One in it, and is used primarily for modulations. Everything is controlled by a Pirate MIDI Bridge 4. If I had to simplify, I could live without the HX One and the MIDI controller. The HX Stomp would get me through a gig. Currently my backup rig is an Ampero Mini. But I play to use a ToneX One as my backup rig. Now that the ToneX One can have a few effects in its signal chain, it should get the job done. And for times that I don't want to bring my HXS pedalboard, the ToneX One plus a power bank will provide the minimum needed in a much smaller and lighter package. I'd love to play through my 65 Bassman copy , but its too loud to be practical, and a bit heavy. If I had people carrying and setting up/breaking down my setup, I'd be using a real amp. But I am a basement / dive bar player, so I am my own roadie.

[@GitShiddy]

I have 9 effects & 4 utility/control pedals on my board and even with that amount of stuff I completely agree that a drive or two, a delay or two, and then everything additional is just spices. I could definitely chop down to 3 or 4 pedals easily. But when it comes to improvisation & writing & playing for yourself, as is true of life, variety is the spice.

[@guitarfreak585]

I saw Trans Siberian Orchestra last night, all guitar players were using some sort of floorboard processor. Couldn't tell whether it was helix/kemper/fractal, but it all sounded amazing.

[@ChristopherDowning]

The player wants to feel it’s great to play through - the audience doesn’t have that experience - they just listen. Bit like a bus or a Mercedes S Class - both get you there but the driver feels the difference. So you want to be a limo driver or a bus driver? Playing a really good Strat through a Deluxe definitely effects how you play - practically you could play a Harley Benton through a Marshall MG - I’ve done both - it hugely effects how you play - the HB through solid state is def. Bus driving

[@cpfs936]

BEAUTIFUL analogy. "The driver feels the difference." Too many people dismiss the things that optimize a performance. (And I don't recall a SINGLE person of note who's put their money where their big fat mouth is, and stripped their rig to the absolute minimum, including financially. Hypocrites, every one of 'em.)

[@ChristopherDowning]

@@cpfs936 It's almost like they get paid to say stuff they don't really believe in. for example "I haven't been paid to say this, but XXX have sent me one of these to try and talk about" And we are all thinking - that will be on eBay tomorrow for £750, £1000, £1350 - whatever - which is not pay I assume?

[@picksalot1]

Necessary gear for a gig tends to be small, unless you're playing very complex and varied music. Regarding "inspiration," the best musicians bring it in their talent, and are not thwarted by their gear. If you only feel inspired when you've got the best gear, and all the stars have aligned, you'll be failing at anything less.

[@Jackswan87]

My favourite band Karate (guitarist Geoff Farina) has been using a tuner and a KTR into a fender amp. I’ve learned a lot from this simple set up.

[@mwoodmx]

100%. Part of inspiration is simplicity of setup and gear. At the end of the day you need to interact with the music and the gear needs to be invisible.

[@BrandonMalone-x1b]

Well said. I preach the importance of having your stuff set up. So you csn just turn it on and play...another thing I tell people is don't keep your instrument in a case...because that's another obstacle. I basses are on a stand and I play them everyday. My stuff is set up, and I use it everyday. Because it's simple and convenient to hit a switch and a grab a bass. ..it truly inspires and keeps you going

[@jburdsinfuse]

My first live gig I had three guitars and 12 pedals. This week I played with a Tele, a Friedman IR-D and a Fractal VP4. A Walrus line isolator and canvas for power. Done. I have a UAFX Ruby in my bag in case the Friedman has a problem. $1500 for 4 amp channels and all of the studio effects I could dream of.

[@scke3717]

John, while I love the entertainment of your vids and the insights, I have to say I find this video a bit rich... but not surprising. You take us on this trip, an endless back and forth about modelers vs amps, simple rigs vs complex etc, all the while it is pushing the drug of GAS; you are so effective at this largely because you never explicitly "push", you just suggest. Today you rightly inform us that most of our gear purchases are generally self indulgent and largely unnecessary to playing music , yet you will be back in a few days with a device or gear advice and we will wonder whether, if we just had this other stuff, we could be so much more capable. I guess its a harmless game (unless you lose your apartment from money spent on that high end gear) but we should all consider how much better we would be if we spent the time focusing, limiting our choices, and refining our playing rather than searching for and trying out endless stuff.

[@budgetguitarist]

I built a pedal board and was buying pedals, but then I bought an HX Stomp and got rid of all of my pedals except one - a Keeley 4 knob compressor. The Stomp cured me of buying pedals. On the other hand, I do have like 23 guitars. And three basses. And a banjo. And a mandolin.

[@RaySmithWeb]

The audience doesn’t care. Hit the riff, they dance, that’s it.

[@Andreas_Straub]

Thanks for the reference to the interesting TrueFire offer!

[@muttonjeff105]

I think if you get a great sounding core tone as the foundation of your live rig, just add simple effects to the set up and that's all you need after that. I always think that your rhythm tone is what the audience hear for 90+% of the gig and if that is inspiring to you too the audience will pick up on that. There is such a thing as a great general guitar tone.

[@the_kings_musician]

I did 13k viewers on TikTok tonight using an ME-90 and a Headrush speaker. The listeners don’t care. Years ago, whiskey, cigarettes, and yelling at the table over the band was the norm. I’m with you on the modeling and the FRFR cabs. And get a fan to blow wind on your legs. I do like to be inspired by my stuff. I get that live with a real tube amp and my Telecaster. We players like our stuff even if listeners don’t care.

[@komalthecoolk]

This is exactly what I have been thinking in my mind all the time. Thanks for saying it!

[@woody181197]

In general any form of art starts with an impulse from the artist. The fact that an amp inspires the guitarplayer is a big reason to use it. What the listener thinks of it is up to the listener. Years ago I recorded an album in the studio of Rudy van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs New Jersey. Rudy recorded albums from Quincy Jones to Miles Davis for labels like Blue Note and Verve. He had a Silverface super reverb that I used on the album. The first thing I did when I went back to my homecountry Holland was buying a (blackface) super reverb from 1967. Gear is just a tool but it sure can help. If the amp is doing what you had in mind than that alone is a reason to buy. There's nothing wrong with digital gear and I use it a lot, but for me it is a different experience. But if people have a different taste no prob😀. Nowadays I use a lot of Fender tonemasters, but the reason is convenience and not the tone. But is good enough for a lot of stuff and my back is very happy with this choice. Happy new year!

[@Kaisermb1]

Years ago I got a helix and spent a lot of time at home creating sounds for each song in a set. Turns out that what something sounds like at home has nothing to do with how it sounds playing live in a mix. Now I just take an amp and four or five pedals I know well and it’s just fine.

[@geraldkeating7997]

I go to 20 live shows a year, I live in BRISBANE ,I go dancing at a club every week, at the shows 500 plus apart from about 10 other players at the show no one else gives a toss what gear you have. Same at the clubs.

[@christopherbuck7679]

I’ve got this view after taking 4 guitars to gigs with a massive pedal board, valve amps etc, and playing hot packed clubs and the pub/club circuits (playing our own material), and then realising that no one knows the difference from just taking a telecaster and spare guitar and a simple multi effects pedal. I always gave off a great vibe playing live or I always thought I did, and if any thing reducing my stuff I was farting about I found less stressful. I’ve played large halls and venues many many times but half the time was at the mercy of bad sound engineers and was more cheesed off that the on stage sound was crap. I understand that some one like Joe bonamassa has a selection of amps to get his sound and can pull it off at his level, but if your playing a hall packed out with crap acoustics and playing very loud I would be surprised if anyone could tell what you were playing, just my view.

[@3l84r70]

I do have plenty of gear.. for gigs I use a Helix LT.. for home, I use a synergy amps based rig, with a pedalboard that consists of one boost pedal, 4 delays and one H9 unit. and each delay is my favorite setting for that pedal.. just the sounds I like

[@anthonyrosanomusic]

I like to have, Clean(ish) and Dirty, Delay and Swirly. Tube amp, Overdrive pedal, Delay, and either Trem, Vibe, Chorus etc. for some swirl. Sometimes I take more, sometimes I take less. Just depends on venue and what kind of gig it is.

[@neilgaydon5430]

Music is defined as “the international language of feeling and emotion”…so use whatever you can to connect the soul of the music to each other which will engage your audience. It’s not about perfect correct but soulless notes, autotune, click, approximate digital recreations but with flat tone etc. There is a reason the greats ie Beck, Clapton, Keef, Bonamassa, Mayer, Bukovack, Prince, Moore, etc consistently used the best gear and musicians around them. They respected the power of music and their audiences which cumulatively made them greats.

[@Homermad81]

Guitar gear is like having a corvette. While on the public roads doing things with everyone else around, you have to operate safe and within the rules of what is expected. But then you get in a space where you can open up and not worry about others and just let it rip. Same thing with guitar gear. All the amazing sounds on the Axe FX III are just for me, just me playing around for myself and playing to my mood.

[@BrandonMalone-x1b]

I agree...I love messing with my hx stomp ans other pedals...it's so epic...I play bass and I hook up in stereo ,and also have a monster tube amp..and it'll shake the house. And I love putting on reverb and delay and just sitting there in , stereo surrounded by awesome...it's so satisfying to me. I know some people say gear doesn't matter, from my 35 years of playing, it does matter. It matters because it's inspiring.

[@BrandonMalone-x1b]

I play everyday. And I've owned cheap basses most my life..and they all have a flaw that'll I'll come across that turns me off to it eventually. Fret issues and neck issues...tone..I bought me an expensive fender and id buy it again ..because it's flawless. Absolutely. Not one issue....stays in tune like no other bass I've head....the fret work is impeccable. .

[@Chimes_Kinkade]

Like most other bar gig players most times its. No sound check, half the time running sound from stage. Cramped or no stage, funky set ups and funky rooms. It all adds up to mind over matter even if it sounds like shit and half the time it will no matter what , power though it , smile and have a good time and a good sense of humor. The right attitude goes a long ways

[@MrKadidle51]

What are using for the backgroup synth thing at 1:17? Chroma?

[@CharlesM-vr6bj]

Enjoyed your playing at the Ship in Lyme. Just a Helix into a Fender Deluxe Reverb ?

[@nikolaki]

My live setup is a Zoom B3 (I now have a Zoom B3n but not played it out). A have a few bass pedals I tinker with at home. For electric guitar I use a Zoom G3n or Zoom G3Xn sometimes with an EHX B9. For acoustic a Fishman Aura Image Blender, Mooer Woodverb and Baby Water. Though I recently discovered the G3n is actually less faff and I get quite a usable tone with my electroacoustic. Over lockdown I have acquired a load of inexpensive pedals: BOSS, Behringer, TC Electronic, EHX and more and put together a couple of peedalboards. They're definitely a lot of fun and sound great. But for playing out, the G3Xn is perfect and hassle free and works well on all scenarios. I've never needed any parallel processing or the 4 cable method.

[@adamherring6693]

I get repeat bookings regardless if I'm using a boss katana or a fender bassman with a 3k pedal board. But I get the most energy for playing with a boss katana because it always sounds great and I know it's all going to work.

[@expatguitarist]

I've spent my life collecting gear and seeking subtle differences in tone between pedals. I love my gear. But, there are gigs where I only show up with something to boost my signal (drive, comp, or boost). If I have a good sounding amp with reverb all I need is a boost. Perhaps surprisingly, my go to in this situation is a comp pedal.

[@DaveInkster]

My wedding band is 5 piece with a keys player who tries to progamme stuff to sound as close to the original as possible. A side effect of this is that the dynamics can change a lot across the set, so for that reason I tend to use 3 overdrive pedals ( an Okko Diablo GH for crunch, a Joyo Ultimate Drive fro more overdriven rhythm parts {cheap as chips, but when dialed in really sounds huge} and an EH Glove for lead. I also have TC Electronic Spark if I feel a solo needs a volume boost, but try not to use this. Other than that I use a Plethora 3 for everything else, and go through a Fender TMDR, with a line out into the desk just to top it up. Always wonder how other folk can get through a typical wedding set with just one overdrive pedal?

[@rockboy4470]

Saw L A Guns in small club in Phoenix recently. Traci Guns was using a Line 6 Catalyst modelling amp. I shit you not. Sounded fine. Maybe he had a problem with his normal amp that night.

[@tommyf2229]

I could get away with bare bones essentials but I feel more inspired with great tone & reliable/low noise equipment. Gigging essentials for me at least; pedal switcher/quality PSU/tuner/mute functions/buffer out, fulltone wah (buffer/boost), jackson golden boy (drive/boost), UA astra (modulation), HX One (verb, special FX), keeley compressor, Boss DD200 delay (in FX loop) all into a decent core valve amp tone (which can be DI'd with IRs into PA for quiet/silent stages) and 2x12 cab. real volume, presence & tone.

[@seanjazzguitar]

In my experience, when I’m fiddling with new gear and tone chasing, my playing onstage suffers because I spend hours dialing in sounds and building pedalboards and patches when I should be practicing. Gear is fun, but I always have a better time and play at a higher level when I just throw on a verb and some dirt then forget about it and play. Just my opinion, everyone’s different.

[@mikejamstonalspectrumstudi5339]

In my studio, no holds barred! I have tens of thousands of dollars in gear. Hand wired analog and the all the latest digital modeling. It all gets used. Live? It’s a nano cortex and wah pedal. That’s it! Nobody cares as I play in tribute show and I’m a small pixel in a big picture.

[@erickuehnl]

Had the realization after watching this that I could pay for my entire live rig with earnings from a handful of gigs. But I’d need to win the lottery to pay for all the shit I have at home.

[@Johnny-oy9fh]

It's all about the songs really...and having the right drummer

[@MarshlandPete]

I could definitely get away with a lot less pedals and less pedalboards (I gig sometimes with a mini pedalboard which is easier to carry, otherwise I have a fairly mid-sized pedalboard). If I am really honest, I could probably do what I need with just one pedal. The Helix Stomp XL is more than enough on its own for what I need, maybe I could even just use the Tone X One for most gigs. That said I do love the sound of pedals I add and it gives me great options for recording. As you say you can always sell them later. Which I might do with some of my older pedals which have fallen out of use.

[@EliasThury]

The viewer doesn't care what brush or paint a painter uses. But a painter absolutely cares what they are using and often won't paint well if they are using poor tools.

[@vorpalblades]

"A poor carpenter blames his tools."

[@DanAddison]

Yeah the trouble is they also won’t paint well if they never paint because they’re too busy shopping for new paints.

[@mixodorians12]

KZbin content creating guitarists need lots of stuff to review and talk about, for content and to make videos. Some guy in a bedroom playing guitar to backing tracks or a gigging musician doesn't need any of this stuff. A Boss katana (mk1) does all things well. Most businesses would be delighted that they could make money without spending much cash. Here we have to have a neverending conversation about gear, for some to have a youtube career.

[@chrisgmurray3622]

@@mixodorians12 Playing music is not about business decisions of profit and liability, it's about doing something internally that transcends the sum total of its structural parts, and causes an artistic or cultural resonance that momentarily engulfs an audience and causes a mysterious release of emotion and unity with the universe. If you're so worried about profit and loss, don't buy a Katana and play in a band, pay for training and registration as an accountant and make money hand over fist with nothing but a phone a computer and a notebook. If you're interested in music, you'll want to have good sounding gear that makes your efforts onstage more enjoyable ,so that you can perform at your best for the enjoyment of the audience. A Katana may be all you need to get through a reproduction of a current popular song and get paid, but if you have to do anything original ( even within a cover) such as real improvisation, or different treatment or arrangement you will need something that sings to you and you can be one with. If a Katana sounds as good to you as a tube amp you've selected or modified, and you honestly get able to be inspired by it, I know you're only superficially interested in music, or incapable of hearing and feeling the subtlety of a good amp and effect combination, and as your " business" comment shows, you're occupying a space in which a real musician could be ,simply for the money or to get attention or to take out your frustrations. You could do that playing football or Rugby.And if you want to make money, you should use your talents and abilities in another lucrative career because you don't sound that interested in the finer details of music.

[@southernpanda33]

The gear we use is for us and the guitar players attending. The average music consumer doesn’t know the difference between an Epiphone Les Paul and a Gibson nor do most care.

[@monsirto]

It's okay to have a hobby and collect useless crap [ glances at embarrassing pile of unused toys]. I think wifey is grateful I'm a lefty. My quiver of fiddles is relatively modest. Wonderful little jam on this video. All the best for the New Year!

[@TomBaitson]

The only gear I can't do without is a spring reverb, which I built with a slinky. The only problem is it's built into a box attached to my bed frame. So I would have to take my bed on tour with me. Other than that, I can't be doing with all the faff of amps and gear. I just plug my guitar into the P.A raw

[@LAArquero]

I still use a HX Stomp XL with a volume pedal and wah pedal to a QSC K10.2. Sometimes I’ll add an HX Stomp to use as my amp and then the XL as my HX Effects. Although I love my Twin Reverb, it’s too heavy for me to bring to gigs.😅

[@brianelza9807]

I feel sorry for guitarists who say they can’t be “inspired” unless they are playing through a 100W tube amp cranked through a 4x12 cab. I can be inspired without even plugging my guitar into an amp. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Dogtagnan]

When I was young I used to listen to the likes of Rory Gallagher, John Mayall, Clapton (when he was in his 20's) Peter Greene and endless others. Know what they used on stage? A 30W Marshall. That's it. No pedals, no effects.

[@miniguitarjams]

I've got every tone I need on my katana. Set up for my ambient whooshy vibes.

[@aaronashear3002]

UA Evermore and Orion make a sweet verb & delay combo for little coin, especially during the sales that they ran this year.

[@lenwhatever4187]

Normally I would be a minimalist, just what I need to gig. However, watching one of your recent videos, I think I may be picking up a looper at least for practice. I could run my guitar through my computer and use a looper plugin but then I would have to work out my whole signal chain to really enjoy using it. A pedal would be so much easier. My first digital effects box will likely be a Pi-Stomp but I expect my amp model will remain analog after that. I may end up with a cheap looper before that too. Yes, how I feel while playing matters. I use an amp but the speaker is pointed at me, like a wedge.

[@nekkon1989]

I play with amps, so I'm gassing over a JAM multipedal. Easy to use, no patch cables, one power supply, great tone

[@yarbzag]

I want the pink flow!

[@shanekerrmusic]

I do mainly solo gigs these days and I just run through a HX Stomp XL direct into the PA. But, if I'm playing in a band situation, I using an amp... usually my Traynor YCV40 just to feel more than hear.

[@hardlines2635]

Sir Noddy Holder (Slade) said, they bought really expensive guitars because they thought they would play and sound better, then they realised it doesn’t work like that. Musicians today have forgotten how much high tech gear the Beatles Didn’t have.

[@stevet1578]

Since you run sound for your band, do you rely on hearing your amp through your monitor or do you tilt the amp so it faces you?

[@JohnnyGuitar6]

I’m not an active gigger, if that’s a word, but if I were, I would pack a modest Strat and an FM3 or the equivalent thereof. I’m a Suhr and Friedman fanboy and that stuff stays in my studio.

[@theelderskatesman4417]

I have many artist friends. They deliberately paint with 'bad' implements all the time, like twigs and bits of bone.

[@georgeflowers3730]

Live performances have many parts. The guitar player is one of those parts, and you have to be ready to play your part in that performance. Whatever equipment you're using, it has to serve the goal to entertain the audience. If you're playing many cover songs, you will need more effects. I have seen people with one Amp, no extra pedals, and give a great show! And all the way around, one amp, terrible performance. I've seen people with one cheap multiple effects pedal, direct to PA, great show. You have to spend the time to prepare your equipment for the show, use whatever is best for your taste. But remember that less equipment, fewer problems. With fewer worries, less stress. Your energy will be more focused on your bandmates and project that energy to the audience.

[@Zeinzu2]

Speaking on this as a whole, would you ever use a Boss Katana with the effects built in? It is a real amp and a well respected one at that. Can you test that concept. There's a benefit of sounding great at any volumes. If you need a special pedal or 2 that the amp can't do, that would be just fine I imagine.

[@AndrewWillmott-l8s]

So I think it’s largely fair to say that in a lot of cases a straightforward rig gets the job done. But, but sometimes a guitarist is pushing all kinds of “crazy stuff” and if they didn’t we wouldn’t have U2. For better or worse.

[@andrewbecker3700]

John and that killer K line S type is a great place to start. I'm fairly positive those 2 items alone are the key. If he gets a Dumble someday, will it sound better? Sure. But until then we'll just have to suffer through it? Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Cause it is. I'm from the ZW school of, play the shit outta what you have. And figure out how to set yourself apart from others. No piece of gear can teach that. Peace!

[@iandooley9962]

John, are you running the HXFX into the front of the fender or 4CM please? If into the front I assume you're keeping running the amp completely clean?

[@KitoRodriguez]

YEah I have been going through it. Just sold my Pod Go Wireless, which worked just fine for many years on Bass and Guitar gigs. Thought I was going to build a Bass board and a seperate Guitar board because I gig pro on both. Started buying pedals and I was like, "wTF are you doing man, WHY?" So now I am just going with HX Stomp, a Radial JDI and maybe the LA-2A compressor just in case something goes wrong with the stomp 🤷🏽‍♂

[@Old-Skull.]

With the time I've learn to taste more calm , relaxed music , I was a rock/metal head in the 80s , I had my band back then and we made noise , hahaha , but now I can't take distortion if it's not some smart melodic distortion , same with solos , I can't take shredding or a dude doing scales night and day , nothing against it , I still enjoy the classics of rock/metal , but now I enjoy much more for example Jeff Beck , it's not easy to explain I like easy music that is complicated , I don't like music that sounds complicated or flashy , for example Steve Vai, I like some of his stuff but I'm not a fan of him , I prefer to listen to John N. Cordy 100 times out of 100 . Seriously , I like that the music speak to me or massage my brain, if it's through my computer I don't want to think about what you are playing or what gear you are using, I want pleasure for my brain . Sorry if I sound too weird. If it's live I prefer analog sound over digital , but if the digital stuff is used with taste and the player is doing his thing on my brain I don't care . BTW I love the sound of your intro and the play as well , but of course this is trough my computer if it were live I would prefer to hear your playing through analog stuff, but this is just me being me .

[@ChrisM541]

To a large extent, it's all about inspiring the musician. If the musician is not inspired e.g. the sound is crap, then the performance will usually be crap too. At least that I keep telling myself as the gas accumulates, ready for another awesome release.

[@tymanngruter1808]

I play in a top-100 band on festivals, feasts and weddings. Most of the time people are drunk after a time! So iff you think your 15.000 rigg and two guitars are making a huge difference its onley for your own pleasure......

[@JahmezFox]

I have guitars that cost $170 and I have guitars that cost $3000, I use everything in the studio in some capacity but when I’m playing live I just use my amp, pedalboard and enough guitars to cover the tunings I use, last gig I played I used an $800 guitar, a $1300 guitar and a $3000 guitar, they all did what I needed, I think if you’re recording and playing original stuff you need to be able to experiment with certain sounds and tones but tbh I think people like John Frusciante use an excessive number of pedals with very little noticeable difference, then again Tom Morello uses just as many pedals and you can really tell when he’s using them, allot of guys I know though use 1 guitar and 1 amp with 0 pedals (legit, not even a tuner) I think the best approach is just build a rig with everything you actually need and then focus on what interests you or stuff you wanna experiment with, if it doesn’t serve your sound sell it to someone who can actually get some use out of it 🤷‍♂️ also if you’re paying over $5000 for something that isn’t custom shop, maybe just don’t…

[@Steeve108]

i've been watching hundreds of your videos till'now 💣n im wondering how you're producing your backing tracks ? i mean what type of process n gears of course ...coz they sound fantastic (as your improv n your myriads of killer licks) ...i think it might interest a bunch of folks out there !!!