Gear vs Player - A poll

[Raghoister]

Don't know if this has been done before, let's give it a shot anyhow. And lets forget about all other factors. This is hardly scientific - fun 'n' games

And just to make it clear - first number is gear, second player.

Share your thoughts as well.

 

[Unchained81]

Strictly talking tone? Gear far outweighs player.

 

[Multicellular]

What is the question? Weight? Net worth? Who would win in a fight?

 

[FetusFajitas]

I'm not sure of the gear vs tone answer but I am sure that I need more of both!

 

[-Empire]

I've heard $5000 strymon + boutique boards sound mediocre and I've heard boss boards sound amazing. It's not the gear, it's how you use it. That's why every time I play someplace new the backline and FOH guys love my Helix (besides the fact that it makes their lives easier).

If you don't know how to set up and mic an amp all of the cork sniffing about different op amps in tube screamers or modelers vs. tube amps becomes even more pointless.

But obviously you want gear that's reliable and functional and no playing technique will give you Eddie's phaser sound so I gave it a generous 30%.

 

[FuzzFaceJ]

All I know is I'd rather be able to play circles around most people.

Really though, gear is about context. Does what you use inspire you and is it seamless? Is what we must ask ourselves. Thus it's possible to sound amazing with either a plethora of gear or a simplistic setup.

 

[ChampReverb]

A mediocre player can make the best gear sound worthless.

I would not say the exact opposite is true (having felt at times like equipment problems derailed my own playing focus) but a good player can probably find reasonably usable (even if uninspired) sounds in a lot of not so good equipment.

-bEn r.

 

[8len8]

Yeah, where's the question?

Also, what does this have to do with effects? A different forum might be more appropriate.

 

[Dad love mom]

Before watching Daniel and Mick's videos for Guitarist concerning overdrives and distortions through various guitars and amps, I used to think great tone came mostly from the player. And while it is obvious that a person needs to have good command over their instrument to sound good, it's not all about playing ability - especially when discussing something as subjective (or elusive) as tone. As seen in the video above, gear absolutely matters in getting agreeable tones (which is, again, subjective but relevant).

Thus, I think it's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 40% gear and 60% tone ...

 

[Wagster]

These debates will never end. The player matters the most not the gear. A great player will figure out a way to make it sound hip regardless.

 

[Raghoister]

Yeah, where's the question?

Also, what does this have to do with effects? A different forum might be more appropriate.

'Great tone comes from - Gear Vs Player' in the poll headline might give a useful hint, if not, feel free to ask again.

As for the forum - it's between this, playing and technique, and the amp forum, and this one is most busy.
If my decision interferes with your ability to sleep at night, I'll make it a priority to move it.

 

[4b454e]

paging @halfmanhalfgear - just to see

 

[chrismellotron]

I can play through someone else's gear and not get their bitchen tone. Alot of tone is in the attack, fingering and other subtle technical aspects. I voted 30% - 70% player.

 

[Jahn]

Depends. Hand me a plastic uke and all the technique in the world won't make the tone sound like a LP into a raging Marshall.

However, you may still recognize the player as me, if I'm unique enough.

Great tone is greatly affected by gear. But great music comes from the musician.

Now bring a great musician into it, hand him a strat, close your eyes, and you could swear you just heard a pedal steel, or a Tele or LP, or heck even an amplified acoustic or a sitar. A lot of tone is in the hands, with the right gear.

 

[Multicellular]

'Great tone comes from - Gear Vs Player' in the poll headline might give a useful hint, if not, feel free to ask again.

As for the forum - it's between this, playing and technique, and the amp forum, and this one is most busy.
If my decision interferes with your ability to sleep at night, I'll make it a priority to move it.

Yeah I wasn't trying to be funny, well maybe, but the poll just says '?' in my browsers.

 

[Raghoister]

Yeah I wasn't trying to be funny, well maybe, but the poll just says '?' in my browsers.

Oh, I see. Strange. Sorry about the tone, then Peace and love.

 

[songtalk]

100% all player.

Gear doesn't make anyone sound good. Gear just helps creative people achieve their goals more easily. You have to be creative and talented to make anything sound good.

 

[Multicellular]

83% player.

I am merely a better than average player*, but I can make the cheap but not laughably cheap stuff sound good. I've used lots of backlines that I was not excited about, and had to modify things, e.q. or even my dynamics to make it work.

I've even several times grabbed a $20 friends' kid's uke and made jaws drop in surprise at how good an instrument can sound that they've heard sound awful before and that's because I can quickly compensate for bad intonation for e.g.

But I think there is 17% of horrible gear you could trip me up on. Precisely 17%.

*I'm a better than average guitar player, excellent bass player, decent key player, accordion, and cellist.

 

[toddincharlotte]

I've heard $5000 strymon + boutique boards sound mediocre and I've heard boss boards sound amazing. It's not the gear, it's how you use it. That's why every time I play someplace new the backline and FOH guys love my Helix (besides the fact that it makes their lives easier).

If you don't know how to set up and mic an amp all of the cork sniffing about different op amps in tube screamers or modelers vs. tube amps becomes even more pointless.

But obviously you want gear that's reliable and functional and no playing technique will give you Eddie's phaser sound so I gave it a generous 30%.

This is a good point and what I thought about when looking through the %.

You can't assume that the BEST GEAR in the hands of a novice player is even going to be used correctly. So adding another dimension yields a subset of 8 different populations here right?

You would place these populations on a scale between HACK and GUITAR GOD
Novice Player, Crappy Gear, Poor Tweaker,
Novice Player, Awesome Gear, Poor Tweaker
Novice Player, Crappy Gear, Great Tweaker,
Novice Player, Awesome Gear, Great Tweaker
Good Player, Crappy Gear, Crappy Tweaker
Good Player, Good Gear, Crappy Tweaker
Good Player, Crappy Gear, Great Tweaker
Good Player, Good Gear, Great Tweaker

Honestly, I have heard good players that have access to very standard gear....talking like silverface fender amp, mexican strat, an SD-1, some cheap modulation and delay and they sound ABSOLUTELY FREAKING AWESOME!

 

[kowalski440]

"We all know tone is right here" - Eddie Van Halen (pointing to his fingertips)

100% player. The tone is YOU. What you do with that tone is the challenge.
Strictly using gear to find tone is chasing a holy grail that doesn't exist.