Guitar Gear

Ten years ago, I was literally gigging over 200 days a year. I played in a band, did A LOT of solo acoustic gigs, and played weekly at church. Back then, I had a big electric board (I know, “big” is relative) that had anywhere from 10 to 20 pedals, depending on the gig. I’d have a wah, three or four overdrives, at least one distortion, a clean boost, various modulation pedals from a chorus, vibe, delay, and reverb, and some pedals that I’d categorize as “weird” such as an envelope filter – which I literally used once. 🙂

Fast forward to today and I’m in between bands right now, only do a few solo acoustic gigs a year, though I do play weekly at church (I’m doing videos from home right now during the COVID-19 quarantine). And here’s the thing: Most of my pedals are now collecting dust!

If I look at it logically, I’ve got a couple of good reasons for downsizing:

I’ve found my sound, so I don’t really feel the need for a lot of pedals.

I really don’t want lug as much gear around (that’s actually true)

But I was thinking this morning. Maybe I’m just getting old and don’t want to deal with twiddling and tweaking anymore. I’m not a crusty old guy who’s a grouch all the time. But I do have to admit that I’m kind of set in my ways. Exploring sounds was something that I just always did when I was a younger man. Now? I don’t have much interest in doing that unless I just happen to hear something that appeals to me.

So I let this post sit for a day so I could think about it some more…

I almost posted this article yesterday that included another paragraph that poked fun of my grey-hairedness. But this morning, as I drink my coffee, I have to admit that it’s not just getting older that has made me downsize, but especially during this quarantine period, I’ve discovered that I’m satisfied with what I’ve got.

You see, with my younger kids home from school, we’ve been recording videos and tracks that we share with friends. I, of course, edit the soundtracks to make them clearer and cleaner, and I especially listen to my guitar sounds. The only thing I’ve done with the guitar parts is EQ just a tiny bit. But I don’t feel as if I’m missing a component.

Compare that to 10 years ago, where oftentimes when I’d be mixing and mastering, I might’ve said, Hmmm… this needs X. Oops! I don’t have that, so I guess I should pick one up… Though I’ve either sold or given away a lot of gear since then, I still have lots of stuff – especially pedals – that I just don’t use.

I’ve got more years behind me than I have left, and yeah, I might say I’m getting old, but I like where I’m at right now. I don’t feel as if I’m missing a key sound. And here’s another thing I realized: If I don’t have a key sound, I still just use what I’ve got.