Chalky's Guitarist Theory - profound or bollocks?

carlos

20%

C) 80%

Nerine

I'd theorise that theorems aren't theoretically your strong suit.

stickyfiddle

I flit between A and C depending on my situation. When I'm gigging it's 90% C. At the moment I'm not, so it's definitely closer to A.

I have moments of B, but generally I pick a set of pickups or whatever and stick to it. It's now 2 years since I last changed anything on my strat

jeztone2

I've bought a lot rig wise recently. But then I've changed my set up from channel switching amp & 2 delays on FX loop to a small functional board and single channel combo. It's done now.

My previous rig was the same for over a decade so I dunno. I think we all ever into certain cliches at times. But then that's what makes us human baby!!!

richardhomer

C - though I don't play live anymore - so it would apply to recording instead. And I'd have no objection to someone buying me a very expensive guitar....

WezV

I must be a. Cant play great and don't focus on trying to improve. I am almost totally focused on the improvement of the instrument instead

XWulfhere

I think I agree with Meltedfuzzbox for a long time it was something I wrote songs on rather than focussed on actually playing the guitar. Indeed I wandered off from guitar to synths and electronic instruments for a long time and barely picked a guitar up between 2009 and 2012.

Now that I consider myself spent creatively - 'Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old' as Kurt Said - I'm back into playing guitars for the sake of playing them rather than a means to an end. Improving technique and learning new and harder stuff ytes, but I love the guitar as an object, and the techy/practical side of me enjoys learning the details of how they work, the history of them and in the last couple of years how to make them.

Teetonetal

Hmm, not sure where I fit in: Bit of B, C, D but A is not where I am at.

I love practicing and play all as much as possible but it's never enough. I love buying new gear even if it's completely pointless for me to have it. I hope it will improve me, but more due to the fact that I want to play it...I love swapping pickups, have been known to do stupid guitar DIY and show little regard for the original cost of the guitar, but I appreciate a high quality setup and fret dress... I love a pretty guitar (see my new paisleys) but am not hung up on tradition. Couldn't give a shit about LP logo change. Just as happy rocking out on my masterbuilt as well as my squire. G-force seems like a good idea but I'm not going to rush out and buy it. Love playing live.

impmann

This is why sociology is hokum kids, you just can't neatly put human beings in categories. Generalisations about people just end up in more arguments over criteria and demographics. This perpetuates the sociologist's work.

I wrote a thesis on this 15 years ago - the same principal applies here. :-)

Chalky

Hmmm...I thought C covered the creative songwriter musician for whom the guitar is their chosen instrument. Those for whom the guitar is just a >completely< incidental component in how they make music are not guitarists in my view.

rlw

D but, as a newcomer and finding my feet with all of this, with hope of becoming a B one day.

siremoon

Definitely interested in the performance above all else, don't gig my most expensive guitars, ideally need marginally larger transport.  Therefore a C although I have 7 guitars so not sure if that counts as owning "few" guitars. 

Chalky

@impmann said "I wrote a thesis on this 15 years ago - the same principal applies here".

I agree with you in principle and trust your thesis wasn't spell-checked )

TheOtherDennis

Half A, half D.

Samgb

Philly_Q said:

As I always say, I don't claim to be a guitar player, I'm just someone who likes guitars.

I'd put myself in this category. Is that lack of confidence? Ultimately, i've been playing since i was 14. I'll be 40 in July. I can play pretty much anything i want if i put a bit of work in. When exactly am i going to consider myself a Guitar Player? God knows! I dont play in a band, havent since i was 20 or so. It's just for me really, something that makes me happy. I dont really have the urge to do anything other than play/noodle away and hopefully get a bit better every now and then. It's enough.

So would that be mainly a B? But i do also love the aesthetics of guitars - im not precious about 'The Classics' though. And i like a tinker. Most people would spread themselves between all of these categories i think.   

JAYJO

At least the 4th category shows self awareness. What about the ones who have all gear/pedals they think they need but still sound shit. The deluded category.

Samgb

JAYJO said:

At least the 4th category shows self awareness. What about the ones who have all gear/pedals they think they need but still sound shit. The deluded category.

I always feel that the time i spent fannying around trying to get a decent sound out of a pedal that is only useful in about 0.2% of musical situations could have been more gainfully spent actually playing.

ThePrettyDamned

B.

I just love playing. I also love partscasters. My strat is the best I've ever played, and cost (in total) about £500. Maybe less.

I would like to get gigging, but not many people are very into funk. Perhaps, with this new slew of funky music coming out, it'll pick up a bit.

Skipped

I think most people will be a bit of each. I might be A but I don't agree that A will always have lots of guitars.

As an example of A like behaviour:  I have said before that if I found a really great  early model Fender Esquire and bonded with it.......my  oneness with the instrument would include becoming a Country Player. And relocating to Nashville.
But that unspecified discovery will not happen. Because it has already happened.

Phil_aka_Pip

A = C = 49%, B = 1%, D=1%

I have lots of guitars, some of which I have bought for situations into which I would not like to take my "prize" ones, and I drive an old van. Occasionally I buy kit wanting it to make me sound good (wouldn't buy it if I didn't think it would); I keep one guitar on which I am willing to perform mods & experiments, and I have one which is currently unplayable but as & when I get around to it I hope to make it playable.

wis @impmann for his comments on sociology. A mate of mine at uni put it this way "The study of them that don't need to be studied, by them that do"