Guitar Gear

Actually, I don’t really hate Guitar Center. I actually hate the fact that I have no self-control when I go there. It’s dangerous for me to go to Guitar Center. Why? It’s like shopping at Costco. I go in the store with a specific thing to buy, and end up with more than I planned for. Ah, the life of a gear slut. Luckily my bankroll isn’t limitless, otherwise I’d be buying things left and right. But on top of that Guitar Center is set up a like a grocery store in that you have to wander through the store to find what you’re REALLY looking for; along the way, you’ll pass some things that will catch your eye. They’re counting on that!

Wow! A Squier Bass for $169 – what a deal! An Epiphone Les Paul for only $599. It’s like that chick in that Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo with Turette’s Syndrome – always on the verge of blurting out some obscenity – always struggling to contain herself. In the case of a gear slut like me and countless others, it’s always on the verge of uncontrollably pulling out the wallet. But as I said, the limiting factor is the amount of money I have at any time, so luckily really major purchases are rare.

On my recent trip to GC, I was going there to simply pick up an extension speaker cable for my cab. I misplaced my old one at a recent gig, so I needed a new one. I went with only the intention of getting that cord. But of course, being in the pro audio section, I just had to pass by the microphone case. Then my GAS reason took over, and said, “You’re really not happy with how your guitars are sounding with the ribbon mic which is much better for vocals. Why not get a decent instrument mic that can handle high SPLs.” Dammit! GAS reason is so… reasonable… 🙂

Long story short, I ended up getting a Sennheiser e609. It was a great purchase, and my guitars haven’t sounded this good recorded – ever. Was it a good purchase? Yes. Did I REALLY need it? Kind of… and that’s the problem with GAS. That “kind of…” almost always turns into a “yes.”

Oh well, at least I sound great now… 🙂