Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome- needing input
I play a lot of instruments (none well), and there is a forum for every one of them, and 'GAS' - as it is usually called - is universal, I can give a few tips, mostly about bass players and drummers.
Bass guitar players:
- the more expensive the better, and they are divided into the Fender and non-Fender camps, more strings is better, to a point. I have seen seven string basses, they are a joke to everyone but the few who bothered to learn to play them, so jokes about 9-string basses would fit the genre, but 4, 5, and 6 stringers are common. Some bass players take a rack of basses to a gig, tuned and strung differently to have a pallette of sounds, until they figure out the audience doesn't care (did I really say that?). And some discover a little EQ can accomplish the same thing, but where is the fun in that?
Bass guitar players also have the pedal board thing, some like them large, some like them small, some not at all, you get the idea.
And don't get me started on amps, or cabs... is a 4x10 superior to a 2x12? Class A, B, C or D? it never ends well. :-)
String bass players can talk about how to get a Kay bass into a mini cooper. So they GAS for cars as well as instruments, which is funny to me. And they can have bows that cost as much as a mid-range mandolin ($1k is not uncommon).
Maybe mention that GAS is both a noun and a verb, and is highly contagious over the internet.
The "bass solo" one is common, endless varieties of it. TC helicon did an april fools product a few weeks back, it was a mute pedal promo video for the "Vacuum Kill Switch", among many hilarious things said, they claimed it improved bass solos, so they knew that joke well.
- drummers mostly talk about shell packs, enormous snare drum collections (endless varieties, the black beauty is an iconic name), drum heads, hardware, and cymbals. Most ppl don't know that cymbals are by far the most expensive part of a drum kit. And there is the endless talk of sticks (think picks in our world).
Drummers also frequently build 'monster' kits. Think Neal Peart surrounded by a circle of over 100 things he can hit with a stick, and he has a separate warm-up kit his roadies set up backstage before a show, and he is known for warming up on it for a long time before he goes out on stage.
Drummers also have a special life if they gig, first one to a gig, half-hour to set up their kit and last out for the same reason. The bigger the kit, the more time... So the 'monster' kit usually lives at home, or are used by those rich enough to have roadies (Neal Peart again...). They frequently accumulate kits of varying sizes, so the decision as to which one to bring to a gig is a big one (punny there).
Drum kits are also bought for looks, lots of chrome, the artwork that goes on the audience facing bass drum head can be custom made.
Maybe that gives you a few ideas for jokes. :-)
Davey Stuart tenor guitar (based on his 18" mandola design).
Eastman MD-604SB with Grover 309 tuners.
Eastwood 4 string electric mandostang, 2x Airline e-mandola (4-string) one strung as an e-OM.
DSP's: Helix HX Stomp, various Zooms.
Amps: THR-10, Sony XB-20.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mandroid
Bookmarks