After years of drooling over the latest high tech gear in guitar mags, the numerous curiosity stimulating gadgets and proverbial multi-channel super amps that present themselves at music stores with the unfounded promises of improving your sound or versitility; I recently have come to overwhelming conclusion. Simplicity is the key. While many musicians have the ability and time to master these extraneous gadgets and sometimes pretentious(and in many caese unusable) high wattage amps; for most of us a simple setup with a few selective pedals suffice. I have just recently at the age of 26 realized all the hard earned money I wasted during my years of being "trendy." My setup consist of the following: Texas Telecaster, a Tweed Pro Juinor, and 3 BOSS Pedals(RV-5, BD-2,NS-2, and a GE-7). I bought the tele new and the amp is a gem I won on Ebay a few moths back. The pedals were a steal off of Craigslist at only $25 each. I must say that this little setup was as economical as it is versitile. I can coax almost any tone out of this rig with exception of the some high gain/high distortion metal which I never play. All the tones I could ever dream of for about $1200 total; the price of new MIA Strat. Between This setup and my old "Partscaster Strat," tonal nirvana is just a twist of the volume/tone knobs away. Now if only I can avoid G.A.S seeing as how I now have some extra doh after selling my Ibanez Prestige and my Peavey 5150 combo.

There's certainly something to be said for keeping things simple. It saves you a lot of money, and helps keep you focused on the important thing -- your playing!

Certainly all the expensive gear and effects have their place. I do enjoy certain players like The Edge or Tom Morello, who creatively use effects to shape a unique sound for themselves. But for every guitarist like The Edge, there are probably 20 guys out there who use an abundance of effects just to cover up sloppy technique or uninspired playing.

For years this was my pedal board:

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Tony Houston

Yup, my setup is pretty simple, too. One Strat, one Tele, a HR DeVille amp, a Boss DS-2 pedal and a wah. Might add an EQ pedal to tweak my tone a bit, but otherwise I don't plan on making any gear purchases for a while other than strings and picks!

I don't get why rigs got so complicated. Back in the 60's and 70's, guys got such great tone from such simple setups.

I use a guitar thru a Deluxe Reverb with (only) an old Tom Scholtz Rockman in a Rockmount. My footswitch broke years ago and I never replaced it. I go from rythum to lead with the volume know on the guitar and pick-up selection.

If I was in a band, I might get a compressor and a bigger amp.

My amp just has a volume and tone knob, so I've allowed myself separate reverb and tremolo pedals. I like the "amp effects"... those two, plus overdrive. The only extra effect I've decided to go with is delay. Problem is, there's a lot of latitude in there for G.A.S. ...even with my one-knob reverb pedal, I catch myself eyeing off new boxes with a knob and a toggle and thinking "ooh, I wonder what that's like". I'll just have to be strong.

They didn't need these overpriced guitar cables either.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

My playing is so mature, I only play one note per song, and that on a single string tied between living maple trees.


(Okay, I read something like this on another forum. I wish it was original.)

That sounds like the sort of thing Steve Vai used to say in the late '80s... I think it was so we'd all go "Guys, guys, it's OK, we can stop practicing eight hours a day, all we need to do is commune with each note individually until our souls are vibrating in unison and we can be as good as Vai" while he was gritting his teeth and flailing away for all he was worth. Still... me and G#, we really understood each other, y'know?

I see you didn't get what Vai was doing in his GP column Alien Love Secrets.

Or the joke.

heh... no, I just remember some of the players I knew at the time interpreting his remarks as permission to avoid practicing the dull stuff while still somehow advancing as musicians. Since manufacturers started making signature guitars, they can sound like whoever they want! It's great!

Still... I wouldn't be surprised if he'd fashioned an Aeolian harp at some point...

I completely agree: my setup is pretty simple as well. I play either a Standard Tele or a big Gretsch archtop through an older, American-made Pro Junior. My pedals are few: Boss SD-1, Dunlop Wah, and a Way Huge Pork Loin. All the other stuff is fun to mess around with, but it's heavy, awkward, expensive, and conducive to much fiddling...

for a rant it came through as pretty thoughtful, "just recently at the age of 26", that was a great age to be if my memory was typing right now, anyway, kool thread bro, keep playin' and havin' fun it keeps you young and you will thank yourself for it later.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

For ages it was fingers to guitar to tube screamer to amp. Then I sarted getting pedal crazy until you realise how many do you really need before your tone has the life sucked out of it. Outside of the tube screamer the only ones I think are a must are a wah and delay and you can pretty much play anything though some others are fun but only for a song or two.