Is gear actually more fun than making music?

sjo89

You always hear people saying something to the effect of "stop buying gear/watching videos and go and actually do some playing" - as if the gear/"music adjacent" element of guitar is somehow an invalid hobby and everything should be about making music and being a musician.

But I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I think I find the gear culture (reviews, videos, shootouts, forums, generally nerdery) as fun, if not more so than playing. It's almost something separate to the music side altogether and I find the never-ending quest for rig improvements, tone hacks and so on, really enjoyable.

Is it time to stop shaming and/or being ashamed of getting more joy out of gear?

munckee

I say fuck yeah, unless the board turns against you in case I think you’re totally wrong. 

susbemol

It's your life and resources (time, money, etc), you should be able to do as you please with it.

You should hopefully be able to enjoy whatever you like (within reason) and not worry about what anyone else thinks.

There might be an issue for those under the impression that finding the next bit of gear will suddenly make them prolific or finally get on with those ambitious musical projects that they have been putting off for ages. This is rarely the case.

darthed1981

Fuck dude, if you love collecting gear, or stamps, or star wars action figures... or gawping at the singer from Last Dinner Party... whatever... if it doesn't hurt anyone then you do you.

Life is far too fucking short to worry about whatever other people think too much.

humps.b

I think that's from people who want others to perceive them as a 'musician'. I'm just someone who plays guitar in the evening, and I get a lot of satisfaction from modding/trading guitars and making my very cheap rig sound passable. 

robinbowes

sjo89 said:

You always hear people saying something to the effect of "stop buying gear/watching videos and go and actually do some playing" - as if the gear/"music adjacent" element of guitar is somehow an invalid hobby and everything should be about making music and being a musician.

They're different things. You can enjoy either or both to greater or larger degrees. Neither is right or wrong.

I love both, I just wish I was a better musician!  

monquixote

I think you’ve identified the key point that collecting gear and playing are two hobbies and either is fine.

The only issue is when people really think they will sound significantly better if they just find that one unicorn pedal and drive themselves mad. 

chrisj1602

When I have some momentum with a band or project I don’t mess about with my gear…but when I’m not playing enough, it gets dangerous… I get more into the gear, YouTube rabbit holes, forums etc, wondering if the grass is greener if sell X and buy Y…

My band is on a temporary break, only since Jan. I’ve sold my amp and bought another, same with half my pedalboard and I’ve bought a Strat…

Petepassion

^^^^^as above, personally, playing with a band is the end game, be it free time to mess about at rehearsal, recording or gigging. But the GAS thing does play a role, I have learnt a lot from this forum, from the internet and from buying, trying and selling loads of gear... unfortunately something I could never afford to do when I was younger and it would have really helped.
   So for me, the GAS thing is fun and educational, but I need to keep a handle on it 'cos it is addictive and too easy to lose sight of the greater rewards from music...the live band, communal, social, interactive, visceral stuff.
   It's a personal thing, but I'd rather look back on my life and the things I've done rather than the things I've collected.

motorhead

Nothing at all wrong with the gear side. Makes more sense than audiophiles blowing fortunes chasing some imperceptible nuances many miles past the point of diminishing returns.

Or is that offensive to audiophiles.

Personally, I’ve little interest in gear unless there’s a specific “something” I know I need and then there will be some research.

But, mostly to me, these are tools to do a job. And if the tool is good enough, get on with the job.

For me, the weakest link in the tool chain has mostly being the tool holding the pick. Hence getting on with the job, as the most productive course of action.

LionAquaLooper

To me there are two different kinds of musicians. Ones who buy gear to fill the gaps between sessions of making music, and ones who make music to fill the gaps between sessions of buying gear. 

stickyfiddle

monquixote said:

I think you’ve identified the key point that collecting gear and playing are two hobbies and either is fine.

The only issue is when people really think they will sound significantly better if they just find that one unicorn pedal and drive themselves mad. 

This. Except that the Kingsley Page really is that good and changed my life. 

BillDL

I get as much enjoyment from tinkering with and fixing guitars as I do playing them.  I probably spend about the same amount of time on each of the interests when I have the time to do so.

ALR

I'm not sure about the framing of the debate here; saying it's about 'shame' be it directed at others or oneself isn't the only way to look at the the gear:music ratio. That said, I don't think someone who is making loads of great music on poor to average gear would feel ashamed of themselves for not spending more money on gear.

I got drawn into the GAS side of things a little over 10 years ago when Youtube became a great source of information and demonstrations (thinking about it, I might have first seen Phil X on Fretted Americana in 2011 so that's when it started). I spent a lot of time coveting things and sometimes getting them. It was also the least productive period I've ever had as a songwriter.

Realising that I'd lost something, about five years ago I got myself back into songwriting and also learning new stuff on guitar. I soon realised that working my way through a Hal Leonard book that cost £15 bought be a lot more happiness than the £180 I spend on a Boss DC-2w just so I could occasionally play the intro to Bryan Adam's 'Run to You'.

I sold off a load of gear on Reverb last year - pedals and various synth stuff - and I'm content with my current rig which is just one of my guitars into a Deluxe Reverb. I kept two pedals, a DM-2w and a D&M Drive which I am not currently using but which I have used a lot previously and will do again. I'm happier than I've ever been because I make music now, lot's of it and it's easy to do becuae it's not bogged down justifying the use of gear that's got nothing to do with rhythm, melody harmony or lyrics.

DavidR

Finding the right stuff to make music and keeping your knowledge up to date is great fun, but if the stuff is your primary interest, you're probably a collector.

No musician uses the same instrument for ever though. Getting a new guitar is a real treat for most and enables more music.

Play Guitar. Drink Beer.

:-)

Supportact

It doesn't bother me if someone collects guitars/amps/pedals and never played a note. It's up to them what they like and they're not harming anyone.

As others have said, any hobby or pursuit can be taken to extremes or used to mask problems in some cases, but that's true of many things. And even then, if you weren't obsessing about chorus pedals you could be doing something worse like gambling excessively, drinking too much, fox hunting, etc. Christ, some poor sods even turn to golf. 

theatreanchor

I think the two go together. For me, the end game has always been to make music. I’m not bothered about gear acquisition, but I do try different things to come up with an individual sound and to inspire new set of ideas. 

Danny1969

I get pleasure out of designing things that solve problems in making music or save money. On the whole the music making community is a laid back friendly bunch that make doing business less stressful than other markets I've worked in ( IT for example) 
But gear wise I get a perverse pleasure out of using cheap partscaster guitars and cheap pedals 

Dr_Necessiter

I think that the gear thing and the music go together. I also think it's a bloke thing (or maybe just a me thing) - other interests that I have or have had usually involved a significant gear element: fishing, archery and dabbling with woodwork for example. 

I'd be curious to see how many amateur female guitarists take the gear thing to extremes vs males though.

CountryDave

I see it as two halves of the same game.
I play in a band and everything I buy is a potential gigging item. Try it for a while, does it work for me or not? If not, I usually sell it on. This then funds the next purchase.
For 20 years I had 2 guitars and was more than able to cover any gig. The extras are all very nice, but I could quite happily go the rest of my life with just my no1 tele.
If you buy right it’s essentially an extended trial. 

My board has changed slightly, my amps have changed slightly and some guitars have come and gone. Some others have stuck around.
I’m at a point in my life where the kids have grown up so occasionally I have a little bit of money to try and find the next ‘cool and groovy’ thing to gig with.

Sporky

Buying gear is a lot easier than making music.

That doesn't make one or other less "worthy".