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Author Topic: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on A True Story)  (Read 91774 times)

Offline deltaslim

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Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on A True Story)
« on: August 01, 2010, 01:41:58 AM »
EDIT: Whoa, stickied na pala ito! Cool. But I wanna remind people I wrote this in order to promote peace and harmony in GC, so please don't use it to "cite examples", fingerpoint, or mang-blind item (tinangal ko na rin yung joke re "catering").  In true community fashion, we'll crowdsource good ideas and keep this updated; I'm sure there are many people out there smarter than me who have something to share.

Read it, then live it!  Peace!


-- SURVIVAL GUIDE TO GUITAR CENTRAL (based on real lessons learned) --

I thought it might help to summarize my personal Lessons Learned from years being part of this community and being personally involved in some, uhm, "trainwrecks" (not the amp, unfortunately). Some of these are mistakes I made and repeated. Some are mistakes many others keep repeating. I hope we all learn our lesson.

1. If we're talking about build setup, build quality, construction and craftsmanship, yes, one guitar can be better than another and it's possible to argue objectively on some empirical basis.

2. Money can buy you 'better' guitars in terms of quality of build, materials, component parts, craftsmanship, etc. (although better parts and materials does not necessarily ensure better tone). If you can't afford 'better' gear, tough luck, just deal with it. [Note: Money is also a function of time. If you're smart with your gear money and saved up for long enough, you can buy what you thought only the rich guys could buy. It takes discipline but it's possible.]. On the other hand, guitars sound like guitars. Improvements in guitar making/manufacturing technology, accessibility of that technology, and the law of diminishing returns ensures that decent quality guitars are more affordable and can take the issue of money off the table very quickly.

3.  If we're talking about guitar design (LPs vs Teles vs Strats vs Superstrats) and tone, well, they're all just different, one is not necessarily better than the other. Tone is subjective because we have different tastes and we all hear and appreciate tone differently. Any kind of tone can have a potential application in music. Hence, arguing which tone is better/worse is pointless.

4. Tone is the output of a whole system of inter-related and interacting parts and other related factors (don't forget the amp and player!) and its very difficult to assess individual components (e.g., a type of wood for body or neck, a pickup) independently and without proper context. However, guitar engineering/building know-how is constantly improving to allow for target tones to be achieved using a combination of wood, pickups, electronics, and appropriate construction techniques, etc. It is still not a perfect science, though. Outside of the guitar and amp, there's also a lot of tonal variability afforded by the player's flesh tone, right and left hand technique, and know-how in tweaking combinations of gtr+amp+pedals to interact and produce a desired tone. Hence, if you played thru SRVs gear, you may not sound exactly like SRV because you lack the flesh tone, technique, or know-how to work his gear.

5. If you really have to, when comparing tone, it has to be on "all things being equal"-terms. It's not even fair to ask a crappy player to play his great $$$ gear vs. a great player using cheap gear. When comparing components, all the other factors in the whole system should remain constant (e.g., change pus but not the guitar, amp, or player).

6. Tone is neither JUST in the fingers, nor is it JUST in the wallet. Both technique and nice gear help create good tone. Great technique and experience/knowledge can help overcome poor gear, but decent gear is a minimum. On the other hand, better gear can inspire good players to greater heights of creativity and technical accomplishment. "Tone is in the fingers vs. Tone is in the wallet" arguments betray ignorance and insecurity.

7. Asking someone to make a recording of his guitar and posting it on the internet is not the best way of judging that piece of gear.  If you're sincerely curious and interested in knowing the truth, try it yourself... in person... using your own hands and ears.  If you can't or you won't because your pride or shyness is in the way, don't whine cuz you have no first-hand knowledge to make a judgment. (Caveat: Very soon, however, recording and network technology will make it possible for most anyone to do hi-fi recordings and shared in lossless format over youtube, soundlick, myspace, fb, etc. Actually the technology is here now but access is limited to those w/ resources.)

8. When someone gives a review of his gear and insists it's the best ever guitar EVER, he has the right to his opinion and no amount of arguing, recording, testing, or tone shootouts will actually settle the issue. On the other hand, a simple opinion or review does not necessarily diminish the value of other people's gear to which it may have been compared (Source: Bart). However...

9. When someone makes a personal attack, puts down, or insults a fellow member, or questions their credibility, simply for disagreeing or sharing a contrary opinion, that is not cool and likely against the rules. Proper warnings/sanctions should be given immediately and applied consistently.

10. Although probably not a crime to a person or the community, faulting other people for not owning, not being able to afford expensive gear, or not having access to top gear experts/sources is bad form. In comparing gear, it's also poor taste to use direct language such as "your ABC won't stand against my XYZ" or "my ABC kills your XYZ". On the other hand, smarter and mature forumites would know to ignore these kinds of silly subjective statements (see rule #7). It's better to just say "it didn't work out for me and my setup", "not suited for my application", or "not my taste". In comparing gear, context is everything.

11. Don't let your ego or someone else's get in the way of your enjoying guitar on your own terms, not on someone else's. If you need someone else's -- whether other forumite's or top builder/gear expert's -- validation to enjoy your gear, you'll never be content and happy.  Remember that the primary aim of good gear and tone is to inspire YOU and make you play and sound good. The audience and any other person is just secondary.

12. After all is said and done, it's just guitar - is it really worth fighting over?  If it is, examine your life, values and priorities.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2012, 04:11:56 AM by deltaslim »

Offline haxo55

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2010, 02:05:51 AM »
maganda siguro kung masama sa sticky to,
para marami ring makabasa,
 
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oh yeah, our search engine is powered by Chuck Norris as well


Offline arkeetar

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2010, 07:28:56 AM »
sticky  :lol:


Offline Gunslinger

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2010, 07:55:05 AM »
Play   Guitar   To  Express..   Not   To   Impress.

Offline rolexm

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2010, 09:51:28 AM »
Nice share.  :-)


Offline siore

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2010, 10:24:20 AM »
Fair and balanced points.  I agree we should have this stickied, if mods are willing.  Then title it, "A guide to a harmonious GC living" or something...  :-)
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Offline cayle

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2010, 01:22:34 PM »
Well said sir. Sticky this please.  :-)

Offline Ben Tsing Co

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2010, 01:24:22 PM »
“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

Offline deltaslim

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Re: Lessons Learned...
« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2010, 01:47:49 PM »
Fair and balanced points.  I agree we should have this stickied, if mods are willing.  Then title it, "A guide to a harmonious GC living" or something...  :-)

You gave me an idea. I changed the thread title. :-)

Offline juan_portnoy

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2010, 01:55:42 PM »
Yun! Pang sticky na yung tittle! Parang freshman guide sa mga university. IMO this will promote a culture of camaraderie and brotherhood to newbies and tenured ones alike. I like your message of going beyond the gear and the egos and just sticking with what really matters most which is enjoying music for what it's worth.

Mods! Motion to sticky the "Survival Guide to Guitar Central!  :-)
We're all entitled to our own dementia.  :-P

Offline Bart

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #10 on: August 01, 2010, 03:20:32 PM »
Wow, Pareng Joric! This has got to be the first useful and insightful post here for the longest time. Thanks for putting those issues into a non-biased perspective. Thank you, thank you.

Offline dark_7

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2010, 09:52:18 PM »
Wow, Pareng Joric! This has got to be the first useful and insightful post here for the longest time. Thanks for putting those issues into a non-biased perspective. Thank you, thank you.
this.
sticky  :lol:


+1000 :-D
..every artist was first an amateur..

Offline shredmaestrobri

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2010, 01:24:22 AM »
win 'to

Offline jamming_papu

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2010, 01:41:12 AM »
amen to all of that sir joric.

specially #5 and #6.
some people just have to be taught properly.


and yes, this is sticky worthy. :-D
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Offline hedgehug_23

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2010, 02:08:46 AM »

(even if the former is paying for the catering! LOL.)


naalala ko to' hehe
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Offline Poundcake

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2010, 02:28:08 AM »
I was thinking about writing something similar to this. Thank you, Joric! You're the man :)

I declare this thread stickied!
"The LORD will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD." Isaiah 38:20

Offline siore

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2010, 03:08:10 AM »
^^YES!!!  Thanks for the sticky!! :-) :-)

To add, one may love his piece of gear to high heavens, but on my part, what I've learned through a few years on here is to be careful with wording my posts so that owners of gear I don't like won't be [as] offended.  Instead of 'sucked', 'messed up design', 'ditch that pedal', 'why not just get a XXXX', etc... just say it didn't work out for you and your setup.  Wala namang masama dun, and does not reflect in any way on your playing experience.  Same deal I guess with positive comments.  Instead of saying 'the best', 'this kills the XXXX', or 'your XXXX won't stand against my XXXX', maybe just say it's different, and that it's more suited to your tastes and application?  Or you just plain like it.

A lot of guys on here, I've observed, are relatively peace-loving forum dwellers.  They come up with meaningful insightful posts, ignore the negativity, and tend to attract more thought-out replies.  Para saken, the rules are: 1) DON'T BE A JERK.  No matter how right you think you are, or if you feel info is wrongly conveyed. 2) IF IN DOUBT whether it'll cause angry reactions, don't post it.  3)  IF IT STARTS to piss you off, take a break!  Play yer guitar, buy a new piece of gear, build something, anything really.. just walk away from the forums for awhile 'til you get a cooler head.  :-D
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Offline arkeetar

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #17 on: August 02, 2010, 03:52:03 AM »
^^YES!!!  Thanks for the sticky!! :-) :-)

To add, one may love his piece of gear to high heavens, but on my part, what I've learned through a few years on here is to be careful with wording my posts so that owners of gear I don't like won't be [as] offended.  Instead of 'sucked', 'messed up design', 'ditch that pedal', 'why not just get a XXXX', etc... just say it didn't work out for you and your setup.  Wala namang masama dun, and does not reflect in any way on your playing experience.  Same deal I guess with positive comments.  Instead of saying 'the best', 'this kills the XXXX', or 'your XXXX won't stand against my XXXX', maybe just say it's different, and that it's more suited to your tastes and application?  Or you just plain like it.

A lot of guys on here, I've observed, are relatively peace-loving forum dwellers.  They come up with meaningful insightful posts, ignore the negativity, and tend to attract more thought-out replies.  Para saken, the rules are: 1) DON'T BE A JERK.  No matter how right you think you are, or if you feel info is wrongly conveyed. 2) IF IN DOUBT whether it'll cause angry reactions, don't post it.  3)  IF IT STARTS to piss you off, take a break!  Play yer guitar, buy a new piece of gear, build something, anything really.. just walk away from the forums for awhile 'til you get a cooler head.  :-D

yes! tamaan na sana ang tatamaan...
at sana maintindindihan...

read it again  :lol:

#6 and #10
« Last Edit: August 02, 2010, 03:53:52 AM by arkeetar »

Offline siore

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #18 on: August 02, 2010, 04:14:15 AM »
@arkee

:?  Hopefully that's not all you get out of that.  I don't like to fan the old flames, ok?  :-D  Wala akong pinapatamaan whatsoever.  Just a reminder for newcomers to our forums, who may fall into that trap, in their desire to get their points across. 
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Offline arkeetar

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #19 on: August 02, 2010, 04:22:36 AM »
@arkee

:?  Hopefully that's not all you get out of that.  I don't like to fan the old flames, ok?  :-D  Wala akong pinapatamaan whatsoever.  Just a reminder for newcomers to our forums, who may fall into that trap, in their desire to get their points across. 

ah oo naman... in short, ethics  :lol:
emphasize ko lang, mahirap na din kasi yan, maraming gumagawa dito sa forum.  :lol:


Offline deltaslim

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on personal lessons learned)
« Reply #20 on: August 02, 2010, 07:22:27 AM »
... what I've learned through a few years on here is to be careful with wording my posts so that owners of gear I don't like won't be [as] offended.  Instead of 'sucked', 'messed up design', 'ditch that pedal', 'why not just get a XXXX', etc... just say it didn't work out for you and your setup.  Wala namang masama dun, and does not reflect in any way on your playing experience.  Same deal I guess with positive comments.  Instead of saying 'the best', 'this kills the XXXX', or 'your XXXX won't stand against my XXXX', maybe just say it's different, and that it's more suited to your tastes and application?  Or you just plain like it.

Good point and this is actually a corollary of one of the lessons. Dinagdag ko na. Thanks

Offline juan_portnoy

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on real lessons learned)
« Reply #21 on: August 02, 2010, 08:40:25 AM »
Yun! Stickied na!

siore: Very well said papi. Positive phrasing goes a long long way here in PM. Ika nga sa isa pang forum site - "You are what you post" hehe.  :-)
We're all entitled to our own dementia.  :-P

Offline Poundcake

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on real lessons learned)
« Reply #22 on: August 02, 2010, 09:58:11 AM »
Hay naku. Sakit yan ng karamihan dito kasi. The infamous gear wars. There will come a time when one will ultimately say, "Screw GAS, I just wanna play!" because as much as we love guitar equipment (I used to be one of the biggest boutique freaks here), it won't matter much if we don't start using our gear to play music that is meaningful to us. But on the other hand, we need at least decent to good sounding equipment to be able to convey our musical messages with enough clarity.

May this guide lessen the equipment-related wars here! Please lang! Hehe :)
"The LORD will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD." Isaiah 38:20

Offline maxi_musikero

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on real lessons learned)
« Reply #23 on: August 02, 2010, 10:18:57 AM »
solid points Joric!  obviously can only be gathered thru years of experience and being active in the GC community.   :-D

definitely agree with the points on tone, in that it is ear and preference-dependent, and not wallet-dependent.
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Offline shredmaestrobri

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Re: Survival Guide to Guitar Central (based on real lessons learned)
« Reply #24 on: August 02, 2010, 10:24:01 AM »
Hay naku. Sakit yan ng karamihan dito kasi. The infamous gear wars. There will come a time when one will ultimately say, "Screw GAS, I just wanna play!" because as much as we love guitar equipment (I used to be one of the biggest boutique freaks here), it won't matter much if we don't start using our gear to play music that is meaningful to us. But on the other hand, we need at least decent to good sounding equipment to be able to convey our musical messages with enough clarity.

May this guide lessen the equipment-related wars here! Please lang! Hehe :)

you got it mod! thumbs up!

even john suhr said that most tone issues are solved with good technique or practice. something along that line.

kung guitarist a vs. guitarist b argument wala na ngang nangyayari equipment pa kaya!
« Last Edit: August 02, 2010, 10:34:48 AM by shredmaestrobri »