Why do we try to talk ourselves out of things that work?

[NoBrakes]

I've been messing around with small amps(1x12s) trying to find something to replace my Switchblade 50 watter... I keep trying to convince myself I want a better amp.. Honestly, I'm not finding anything that works better for me..still I look.. It was my hotrodded Classic 30 before that.. Both worked well and I don't know what I really expect.. My C30(blue guitar mods)got more tone compliments than any other amp I've ever owned, still I sold it..What am I looking for!!!! jeez.. I just pulled the H&K off Ebay and told myself to stop it!!!.

 

[fetishfrog]

In all honesty, I don't know, because I've never had this problem. If I am currently dissatisfied with the way I sound, 99.9999% of the time it has nothing to do with my gear. The only time it does is when something breaks. If you're happy with your gear but not happy with your sound, changing gear won't fix a thing. Try working on something else.

 

[panoramic]

I've been messing around with small amps(1x12s) trying to find something to replace my Switchblade 50 watter... I keep trying to convince myself I want a better amp.. Honestly, I'm not finding anything that works better for me..still I look.. It was my hotrodded Classic 30 before that.. Both worked well and I don't know what I really expect.. My C30(blue guitar mods)got more tone compliments than any other amp I've ever owned, still I sold it..What am I looking for!!!! jeez.. I just pulled the H&K off Ebay and told myself to stop it!!!.

I will tell you why, because you post on messageboards dedicated to gear disease and GAS. If you stopped posting and played you'd find out whether or not your amp actually rules for you.

 

[jpervin]

I will tell you why, because you post on messageboards dedicated to gear disease and GAS.

This! ^^^

 

[gulliver]

I'm reading all of the above and wondering if I am in the correct forum ... this is a gear/gas forum last time I checked ... buy it, hear it, love it or sell it.

 

[smolder]

I have spent the last 18 months on a GAS quest... and am very very satisfied with my tone... my playing, not so much. That will take more time. But... I still look, play and buy, because I like the process and can afford it.

I also want to know more... and in some ways I am now looking for projects and mod potential as I hope to build and maybe even design an amp someday.

Lastly... I never sell an amp I like until I find the one that replaces it. It expensive... but it works much better.



.

 

[rhythmrocker]

You talk yourself out of things that work because:
1) forum-related stuff can be addictive, whether it be cars, amps, or hand baskets; the process must continue;
2) when you research for a "better" anything, you invest time and energy. It becomes difficult then to disengage yourself from your "investment" making it easier to talk yourself out of whatever;
3) you don't do enough research and are therefore never truly settled on what you like;
4) if you didn't try to talk yourself out of things that work, you would have to do something else, like, practice and play;
5) you procrastinate;
6) you think in a black and white paradigm; if you enjoy gassing and window shopping (the black), then you must not be happy with what you have (the white); adopt a larger mindset, i.e., you can gas AND not dislike what you already have at the same time without negativing either one
7) you have developed the habit of buying > liking > gassing > disliking > selling;
8) all of the above are answers to your query. good luck.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the subject of your query.

 

[scott1568]

You talk yourself out of things that work because:
1) forum-related stuff can be addictive, whether it be cars, amps, or hand baskets; the process must continue;
2) when you research for a "better" anything, you invest time and energy. It becomes difficult then to disengage yourself from your "investment" making it easier to talk yourself out of whatever;
3) you don't do enough research and are therefore never truly settled on what you like;
4) if you didn't try to talk yourself out of things that work, you would have to do something else, like, practice and play;
5) you procrastinate;
6) you think in a black and white paradigm; if you enjoy gassing and window shopping (the black), then you must not be happy with what you have (the white); adopt a larger mindset, i.e., you can gas AND not dislike what you already have at the same time without negativing either one
7) you have developed the habit of buying > liking > gassing > disliking > selling;
8) all of the above are answers to your query. good luck.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the subject of your query.

I generally think of myself as sensible and I look before I leap, but I am going to copy this and put it on the wall next to my computer. I also think I need to take a break from this forum for some length of time.

really, thanks

 

[keith_t4e]

I had great tone with a Marshall JCM600 and a 1936 cab and sold it. I had a Fender California fiesta red strat. Haven't gotten close since.

 

[StompBoxBlues]

It's in a musicians nature.

The hard thing is to learn where to put your money/time and use both wisely.

Think about it...what makes you (or me) play the same riff over and over a hundred times and each time with the same enthusiasm and sense of "this time I am going to NAIL this!".

Wanting to achieve sublime perfection. When that gets...to my mind (and I have been a total pedal and amp freak...but I got better) "perverted" into a never ending chase for...well, like you said, we don't even know what..just "more" of everything, we lose focus on the important thing (playing).

Maybe even sometimes we do get tired of our own playing, (which has nothing to do with if we maybe are still pleasing listeners...to them it's new, but we all get in the doldrums now and again) and don't want to make the effort to work past it, it is easy to start gas'ing for some new "toy" (and even that can work sometimes...but only because it gets the enthusiasm up again, you can do that without the new amp/pedal/guitar) and pin hopes on that. And then find out what we had Was better...

Balance...that is the key. But "balance" here, for me is almost manic playing binges, attention to detail OCD on my playing (not looking for perfection or sterility, but to capture the passion) but mild interest in gear.