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A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

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21–30 of 75 posts

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#21
post #14

As a guitar player (20+ years) and a audio engineer/electrical engineer/dsp programmer one thing that really keeps baffling me about the field of guitar playing is how much myths about what affects the sound in which way exists. With people trying to get the sounds of their stars by buying products that were made in the 60s and somehow assuming the wild quality fluctuations and effects of the recording chain during t…

> You’ll find people in every hobby who are more into the gear than the actual activity

Honestly, that’s part of the fun for some of us, even early on. I’ve been playing guitar for a while now, and while I enjoy it, the repetitive nature can sometimes get dull. Exploring new gear and chasing different tones has been my way of breaking through those ruts.

Yes, it’s expensive and it eats into practice time — no doubt. But some of us are just wired to enjoy the experimentation. I eventually found a setup I really like, but I don’t regret going through the gear phase. It kept things exciting and helped me stay connected to the hobby.

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#22
post #18
post #14

As a guitar player (20+ years) and a audio engineer/electrical engineer/dsp programmer one thing that really keeps baffling me about the field of guitar playing is how much myths about what affects the sound in which way exists. With people trying to get the sounds of their stars by buying products that were made in the 60s and somehow assuming the wild quality fluctuations and effects of the recording chain during t…

What is a "a 200 Euro guitar and a 250 Euro amplifier" setup that you recommend? Honest question.

A Harley Benton or similar guitar paired with a 100 Euro audio interface plugged into a computer that runs Neural Amp Modeler has been the perfect setup for me https://www.neuralampmodeler.com/

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#23

> In the spring of 2027, the museum will open a permanent gallery devoted to the evolution and cultural impact of the American guitar. This is fun, it looks like they have many important prototype and early production guitars.

They’ve already got an incredible collection in their instruments section. Amazing early Martin’s etc

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#24
I lived upstairs from the "Radio Clinic" in Ottawa, and would buy mic's and things and marvel at there singular colection of electronic equipment, they called me out back one day to check out a guitar, which I played ,tryed, upside down as I play left, gibson les psul junior, serial #0003, and passed on as I couldnt use it, just came accross an original paf from my time there. But the original leo fender prototype! thats too much, dweazle has jimi's monteray strat, that was given to frank......imagine having that handed to you now....or just having it hanging up.....right there....looming to bad there wasn't something like with the strads, where they must be played......

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#25
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is a "a 200 Euro guitar and a 250 Euro amplifier" setup that you recommend? Honest question.

A Harley Benton or similar guitar paired with a 100 Euro audio interface plugged into a computer that runs Neural Amp Modeler has been the perfect setup for me https://www.neuralampmodeler.com/

I play guitar to get away from computers!

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#26
post #18
post #14

As a guitar player (20+ years) and a audio engineer/electrical engineer/dsp programmer one thing that really keeps baffling me about the field of guitar playing is how much myths about what affects the sound in which way exists. With people trying to get the sounds of their stars by buying products that were made in the 60s and somehow assuming the wild quality fluctuations and effects of the recording chain during t…

What is a "a 200 Euro guitar and a 250 Euro amplifier" setup that you recommend? Honest question.

You can't go wrong with a Yamaha Pacifica, although you'll pay closer to €250 - the build quality is consistently excellent and the 112J is extremely versatile. Harley Benton (Thomann's house brand) offer a very wide range of guitars at under €200 with shockingly good specifications, but the quality control is a bit more patchy, so I'd suggest getting a guitar-playing friend to look it over or paying a local guitar store for a setup.

If you're just practising at home, the Positive Grid Spark 40 is an astounding bargain at under €250. It sounds great out of the box with a simple interface, but connect the app and you've got near-endless tonal options and tons of really useful practice features. It also does double-duty as a good Bluetooth speaker. Spend a little over €250 on something like the Fender Mustang LT50 or the Boss Katana 50 and you've got a versatile modelling amp that'll just about keep up with a drummer in a rehearsal room.

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#27
post #14

As a guitar player (20+ years) and a audio engineer/electrical engineer/dsp programmer one thing that really keeps baffling me about the field of guitar playing is how much myths about what affects the sound in which way exists. With people trying to get the sounds of their stars by buying products that were made in the 60s and somehow assuming the wild quality fluctuations and effects of the recording chain during t…

We should be grateful for the people that get a new guitar every month since I bet they keep that industry alive. I don’t think it would survive on professional musicians alone, though I could be wrong. We would certainly have professional luthiers, but I’m not sure about production lines…

In any case, your comment on a 200 Euro guitar reminded me of this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/$100_Guitar_Project

And to confirm your “and above all playing” part, a couple of years ago I updated my 90s epiphone s-type (“Gibson’s Strat”, ha!) with ‘68 Strat pickups (reissue, obviously, I’m neither rich nor that crazy) and I told a friend “I now sound just like the guy that tunes Mark Knopfler’s guitar” :)

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#28
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Harley Benton or similar guitar paired with a 100 Euro audio interface plugged into a computer that runs Neural Amp Modeler has been the perfect setup for me https://www.neuralampmodeler.com/

I play guitar to get away from computers!

But everything is computer!

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#29
post #21
post #14

As a guitar player (20+ years) and a audio engineer/electrical engineer/dsp programmer one thing that really keeps baffling me about the field of guitar playing is how much myths about what affects the sound in which way exists. With people trying to get the sounds of their stars by buying products that were made in the 60s and somehow assuming the wild quality fluctuations and effects of the recording chain during t…

> You’ll find people in every hobby who are more into the gear than the actual activity Honestly, that’s part of the fun for some of us, even early on. I’ve been playing guitar for a while now, and while I enjoy it, the repetitive nature can sometimes get dull. Exploring new gear and chasing different tones has been my way of breaking through those ruts. Yes, it’s expensive and it eats into practice time — no doubt.…

That’s been exactly my experience with photography as well.

Re: A Secret Trove of Rare Guitars Heads to the Met

#30
post #14

As a guitar player (20+ years) and a audio engineer/electrical engineer/dsp programmer one thing that really keeps baffling me about the field of guitar playing is how much myths about what affects the sound in which way exists. With people trying to get the sounds of their stars by buying products that were made in the 60s and somehow assuming the wild quality fluctuations and effects of the recording chain during t…

Spoke like somebody who doesn't own a Rickenbacker.
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