Okay, I am a gear whore. I have a lot of stuff, and I love it all. I will most likely acquire more as time goes by... But man, I gotta say that I think I learned a valuable lesson here today, kinda remembered what it was like to be a kid with no "pro gear" and just get a sound and experience the joy of playing...

Stick with me here, guys. I have a friend who's in a 'tapping group' way up here in Grande Prairie AB that I just sort of put together (I am the only Stickist so far!), and a friend with some medical issues who is on a tight budget; he saved up for 2 years to get a tapping instrument but has no means, or any cash to amplify the darned thing. His objectives are simple; he just wants to be able to play quietly so he can hear himself along with a recording, and he wants to be able to record himself. His budget is almost non-existent.

He does however, have a small guitar combo. He also has an iphone. The little guitar practice amp is surprisingly loud (Peavey Rage $10.00 on Kijiji) , and I found an old Irig ($5.00 on Kijiji) that works perfectly with an A/B switch that I got the local music store to donate. The Irig is noisier than the Apogee Jam, but he doesn't care, he is very, very happy. He is already recording his ideas in Garageband and sharing them with the dudes...

I thought I'd recreate the situation with some of my own musical knick-knacks and see if I could get a simplified 'travel' rig, and an even more simplified 'light' travel rig. And of course video tape it...

Thoughts?

An iPad, an iRig Pro Duo, and a decent pair of headphones should do the trick—particularly for Railboard owners. I leave the selection of software to people who have iOS experience, though I could review relevant episodes of Sonic TALK.

It is in situations like this that functionality and money are best served by doing with away with the “I need to have a speaker” mentality.

(I was torn between this or the Mission Impossible Theme--which is a much better song but less relevant to what you're doing!)

Thanks for showing us all that! I have gear envy now, just be aware....

Totally agree with you, Rob! Both the rig suggestions and the "There is no speaker (spoon)" philosophy!

Adds: Unless you want to play with someone else!

Thanks for checking it out dudes. The set-up is working for him, and it barely cost him anything.

I tried out a Zoom H4n today, I like my Ipad a lot better hahaha plus it does other stuff...

And yes, I gotta clean out my basement. I have more stuff, believe it or not... lots more... And it doesn't make me more creative or a better player.

ie Frank Frazetta with a pack of crayons and recycled paper vs me with the finest oil pants, brushes, canvas that money can buy... I feel that Frank would have been able to create a masterpiece, while I made a giant "smiley face"...

Hi Scott, this made me think about my own thoughts relating to gear. When I had the Studio going back a decade I was a fully fledged GearSlut, was on the Gearslutz Forum, still wear the TShirt, true! Fast forward and today we are really very Lucky , gear is pretty cheap, and even the cheap gear sounds OK, so its good Your friend can get up & going, not everyone can rush out and buy 96 channels of ProTools HD. Captain Strings described the transition nicely in the other thread about what is Your favorite DAW, I went through a similar process and timeframe.
I agree that no amount a gear makes you play better though we might all want the best sound we can. I've just got back to the ship, the only way I will hear the Stick for the Next 5 weeks is in headphones, no problem just the way it is. I dont think People fully explore the possibilities of some gear either, today editing can go very deep, With a myriad of possibilities. I still have a functioning Protools Mix-Class rig on OS9, once in a while People say what about HD? These days Money goes elsewhere mostly in kids & so on and after all I remind them some of the most famous hits were partly made on that gear so it cant be all bad! Right now my travel gear is the Apogee DUET and MAc Air With Logic, not that cheap , but its very cool to have such a Sonic powerhouse in a small backpack when I think back to the old days and how we fought with processor speed,lack of DSP, Storage and huge expense for a gig of Storage.b

Exactly, Bruce. Don't get me wrong; it is extremely nice to have good gear, and lots of it. But... Sometimes the "gearlust" is unnecessary. It seems that gear becomes a focus because maybe it's easy to change out a pedal, way more difficult to practice something new that you don't know... Just an opinion of course.

Had 3 guitar players show up with tons of gear last night to an audition; pretty easy audition just learn 5 songs (Jailhouse Rock, Let's Twist Again, Let It Be, Come Together, Sunshine Of Your Love) and do you think even one of the three bothered to learn even one song? These 3 guys all called themselves "pros" (c'mon, it's Grande Prairie AB lol no pros here)

Very pretty pedalboards, though. Lots of lights and stuff. Wires everywhere...

I am still laughing about it. We all had a lot of fun, and boy did these guys like to talk about each other's pedalboards... Lol you can spend a LOT less money and achieve the same level of "not knowing your stuff"

In this resurgence of Stick playing, I was in headphones for the first three years. Now that I have actually played in a group context, am I able to actualize a "gigging" rig. (Thank you Robstafarian for lengthy discussion/dissection). Oh, yeah, and I've got one those Roland MicroCube Bass thingys for playin' in the park or with acoustic guitarists (or the occasional tambourine/washboard/spoons). Thanks for the post, Jay, and a look in to your vast array of "toys"...

Amen.

Great thread! Gear can be a delightful distraction. It's easier to surf for gear than apply yourself to playing!

In his 80's I saw Stephan Grapelli walk slowly across a stage, sit cautiously on a chair and then play 90 minutes of glorious melodic charm to an audience of 200. There were no pedals and no amps, just tasteful accompaniment. We were transported. A true craftsman.

I think the gear trap isn't new. 30 years ago I recall a mate buying 'essential' pedals with his first guitar which he couldn't yet play. (I still don't have any pedals... but I do have GAS for the Moog MF Drive!)

I'm inspired by stories of John Deacon (Queen) climbing into a skip to retrieve scrap electronics which he made into the "Deacy amp", part of Brian May's signature sound for decades.

These days it's easier to build or hack gear on a budget - so much good info out there. I'm in the process of modding an old Trace Elliot amp right now.

As Yoda said, "Play first you must. Seek pedals later you can."


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