How My Gear Has Changed in the Last Year...

[Zledi]

I haven't changed any gear for the last two years or so. However within the next month I will be changing all my gear except my acoustic.

 

I will be selling my Jay Turser JT-300 and Fender Frontman 25 DSP.

 

I will then be purchasing an Ibanez ART-100 in violin sunburst and a Fender Mustang I. I'm pretty excited to finally have gear that I like.

[hecticone]

Last year at this time I was using a 71 pro reverb with a Andeson hollow classic strat with a lot of Barber pedals. Now its a souped up classic vibe strat into a dumble clone using a boomerang chorus/delay hotcakes, crunchbox and a hardwire reverb.

[ashasha]

My biggest change so far is going from the AxeFX Ultra (sold it like an idiot when they announced the II was coming out and now you can't get one) and buying an 11Rack. Well with that there was the whole investment into ProTools and making it work so I had to buy a new computer. After all of that was said and done the AxeFXII funds are pretty much gone now.

 

With all the whinig out of the way I have to say that the 11Rack isn't better than the AxeFX Ultra was, but it's actually more than good enough to handle what I need to do right now. It's not a question of working or not working, it's a matter of what I want to own at the end of the day and to use and it's going to be Fractal again in the future.

 

As far as guitars go I've been surprisingly quiet on that front. I think that within the last few months I sold like between 2 and 4 and replaced it with 2 or 5. I have no real idea, but my two racks are full and I'm pretty damn content with my selection.

[mistersully]

 

My biggest change so far is going from the AxeFX Ultra (sold it like an idiot when they announced the II was coming out and now you can't get one) and buying an 11Rack.

 

 

i was really surprised to read that you'd done that... considering how highly you spoke of your ultra

 

i've spent a bit of time over at the fractal forums... it's a very strange place imo

[tommytangent]

I too have changed a good bit of gear in the last year. I went from being in a metal band to a classic blues/rock band. So, I got rid of my Schecter Devil custom, PRS SE Single and Carvin Legacy head, and replaced them with a Gibson LP Studio faded, 2 fender strats and a Fender Hot Rod Deville. Perfect tones for the new project.

[bluesnapper]

This thread made me realise - it's been about a year since I bought my LP Studio. The only bit of 'gear' I've added in the last twelve months has been a Korg Pitchblack!

That will all change soon though - I'm seriously considering selling the LP to fund a pickup upgrade for my SG... I'd also like another - probably cheaper - electric to leave tuned to open E for slide. Then I must either get my wah pedal fixed or buy a new one... possibly a boutique OD pedal too.... oh, and I've always wanted a Telecaster....

[stormin1155]

I've failed miserably with my pledge that for every new piece of gear I got, I would sell one to keep my collection under control. The overall quality of my gear has gone up over the past year. I still only have small amps (my 'big' amp is a Marshall JTM30), and I've gone from a complete tube snob to having a couple of SS amps (Vox Pathfinder and Fender Mustang I).

[cratz2]

Hrmm... slight changes, but more of a refining process than actual changes.

 

A year or so ago, I mostly played one of two strats either into a Vox AC15CC1 or a 5E3 Tweed Deluxe clone and these days, I mostly play those same two strats into either a Vox AC15H1TV or a Dr Z Carmen Ghia and I usually dial he Z into a warmer, slight breakup-y, Tweed-like tone.

 

I have tried to force myself to get into P90s... I've had a couple nice P90 guitars in the past that I never really bonded with. Right now, I have an LTD Viper with BG Pure 90s and an SG Jr with an Wilkinson P90. I kinda dig the Jr as it inspires me to play in a more straightforward role than I usually do... The LTD/BG rig sounds great, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to convert it back to a single HB guitar in the next few months.

 

I've bought several techy items only to return or flip them in fairly short order: Line6 HD400, HD500, the newer silver Korg Pandora and the newer Tascam guitar trainer. Less of a commentary on the equipment itself than on my ability and desire to use my already-owned equipment to better affect.

[Elias Graves]

I'm still a Luddite. While I did add a Gibson LP Jr to my "collection," I still plug em straight into my champ and go.

My actual playing, however, is light years ahead of where it was a year ago.

 

EG

[Funkwire]

Only two additions in the last year. A 2008 Les Paul Studio (I actually laid my hands on it one year and one day ago!) and an Egnater Rebel 30. The LP has become my #1 for performing.

I tried to get away from using multi-effects and go to analog pedals. With the variety of songs that the band does, I really can't do it. So I put some quality time in tweaking the parameters of my Digitech GNX2. Stripped away all the modeling, eq, noise gate, etc. to the point where my base clean sound is indistinguishable from the bypass setting. Then I layered all the effects I need in various patches. Nothing too complex, but I use different delays, chorus settings, harmonizer patches, etc.

I haven't sold anything in the last year, but that will change soon. I have several pedals and guitars I'm just not using. I might unload my Fender HRD as well. Since getting the Rebel 30, I haven't even fired it up.

[mnewb1]

There is a link to one of my piano pieces in my siggy.

 

 

very nice, Brian! I hope to make it to your level some day!

[Pine Apple Slim]

No new guitars.

Got a Mustang 1 practice amp for some nice low vol Fender cleans.

Went from one pedal(Dano Daddy O) to a full little board.

My pedal board goes:

Boss Tuner

Dyna Comp(love it!)

Cry Baby(thinking about replacing it with a Qtron tho)

Daddy O OD

Phase90

Dan Echo

Looking for the right fuzz pedal.

Might add a chorus

 

Also put pickups in my

open back banjo(Scherter)

Reso(Bill Lawrence neck mout jazz pup)

 

Also finally retired my old Tascam cassette 4 trk, got a little usb interface and small mixer, working on learning Audacity.

[kit_strong]

Let's see, in the last year I acquired my first strat, a classic players 60s model which I absolutely love. I also picked up a Line6 HD500 along with some cheap Kustom powered monitors and between that setup and my ElectraDyne I find myself pretty happy in the amp/effects department.
The other big change, I traded 2 guitars that didnt get much play for a Gretsch PowerJet w/Bigsby that I absolutely love.

[Bbreaker]

My love affair with Fender and Gibson has cooled slightly.

I've used some Strats; Teles; SG's and ES 175 to help acquire some PRS; James Trussart; Unk and Rickenbacker guitars.

My 3 Guild Bluesbirds have flown the coup along with my 2 Peavey EVH's; Modulus Quantum 4 bass and Gretsch 5129.

My Matchless Hot Box; Vox Valve Tone; Digitech Reverb pedal; Bixonic Expandora II; Legend Super Lead 50 w/matching Legend 4x12 Cab and SWR Workingman's 15 Combo bass amp are history.

 

I've put together a cool Pedal Train Pro pedalboard too.

[Pascal]

+1 archtop.

I also started taking lessons again.

[timmyfirst]

I've changed my sound so much over the last year/ eighteen months. I originally started out looking for a big saturated rhythm tone, with a bold clean tone. I found that in my Mesa Tremoverb through a Framus Dragon cab using a HH Tele. After a few months i found myself bored with how the tone sounded like every other guitarist i'd ever heard, it was solid and fat but boring to my ears.

 

so after swapping things in and out of my rig i ended up with this set up, modified strat into a laney vc50. Its much more organic, easier to tour with and does everything i need!

 

so i went from this:

 

To this:

[LesPaulFetish]

Well I got back into it (guitar) within the last year I suppose. I used to dislike Strats, having never really given them a shot. I've come to like them, a lot actually. LP's have lost the grip they had over me before. I still love them, but an HSS Strat is more up my alley these days. My answer is several of both, and 1 with a Floyd

[strtdv]

I bought and sold a partscaster strat, added an OCD V4 and a Musket Fuzz V2, built a new pedalboard, sold a few other pedals, and I think that's about it.

 

I've also just found a pretty good deal on a used '52 Hot Rod Tele, which I'm very tempted to pull the trigger on.

[metallica_00]

I haven't bought anything since my heritage 535 in fall 2008.

 

Yup.

 

Long overdue. And even more amazing is that I graduated college in 2009, have been gainfully employed for the last 2+ years, but I've been saving rather than spending. I'm actually about to start jamming again for the first time in a couple years, so that may require/justify some new stuff (specifically, a new pedal tuner).

[bee3]

Last year, I had a cheap Epiphone acoustic with a cracked headstock and neck. I also had a borrowed Washburn cheap acoustic. Now I have a Martin OM-1 acoustic (which I love), a Samick SAT-650, and a modded Squier Telecaster. I also now have a Fender Vibro Champ XD and a Line 6 Pocket Pod.

[Jarick]

In the last year I started playing again, so obviously some changes. Lots of stuff come and gone but right now digging my Musicman Silhouette and Fender Mustang. Rose Mariposas in the guitar, kind of want a heavier bridge pickup. Also thinking about a little amp to drag around the house.

[GAS Man]

Yeah, I've also been doing the SS -> Tube, then -> SS. I still have my tube amps but for my command performances in the living room these days I'm most often playing through a Tech 21 TM30 or a Kustom 15 PA with Sans Amp Character pedals.

 

For my solo gigs in my office/guest bedroom the Mustang 1 has now become my main tool.

 

And for those intimate engagements lying in bed, I'm still using a Vox DA5.

 

Except for that Kustom 15 PA I've generally been into a smaller amp mode. A year or so ago, I was still getting tube amps, but they were more like Class A 5 watters or so.

 

 

Guitars, I started out with a Les Paul back in '84 then "found my tone" on strats (added a Jaguar and a couple JMs) but now I'm back full circle to more LPs again. But I'm also grabbing SGs and Teles. I tell my Strats not to worry, I'll most likely come back around again.

 

But I guess in general, since I've really run myself out of usable footprint space in the house and purchasing power in my back pocket, my newest discovery really is using preamps into the P.A. Even though that Kustom PA was a MF SDOTD for $130, it really sounds great with the SansAmp Character series pedals. Now I only venture over to that part of the living room arena when I want to really rock the crowd (myself and my wife) but I've picked up the Tech 21 British, Leeds, Blonde, California, Oxford and the Liverpool is arriving today. Initially so far I'm most impressed with the Oxford (Orange Amp emulation) and the Leeds (Hiwatt emulation). The Blonde is more Fender Tweed sounding and it does just fine, but I'm more of a Fender black or silver face tone fan.

 

But if I had to do the preamp emulation + P.A. over again, I might have gone a little higher up the food chain on the P.A. just to make sure I'd done it right (not that my ears hear anything wrong with the Kustom, it's just that $130 for a 15"+horn tweeter+100W powered PA seems a bit too good to actually be too good) and I might have gotten the Digidesign Eleven Rack instead. At $900 it would have more features built in, more convenient package and about the same cost as what I have into all those Tech 21 pedals.

 

But maybe I'll still do this somewhere down the road. I heard good things about them from my former sales assistant Andrew Teeple at Sweetwater. I miss that dude, we'd chat a bit of gear during the sales and I'd get a good idea of what the goods were and weren't more from the positives he'd mention.

 

[BydoEmpire]

I got a Carl Martin Opto-Compressor for Xmas last year from my wife - that's the only gear change. I'm pretty happy with everything I have, although there are still a few things I'm GASing for (as always). I have practiced a lot and learned a lot, though.

 

 

have been gainfully employed for the last 2+ years, but I've been saving rather than spending. I'm actually about to start jamming again for the first time in a couple years, so that may require/justify some new stuff (specifically, a new pedal tuner).

Good for you, man. It's not sexy, but most people really ought to save more. When you do buy something new, it'll be that much sweeter.

[Woody_in_MN]

I haven't changed any gear for the last two years or so. However within the next month I will be changing all my gear except my acoustic. I will be selling my Jay Turser JT-300 and Fender Frontman 25 DSP. I will then be purchasing an Ibanez ART-100 in violin sunburst and a Fender Mustang I. I'm pretty excited to finally have gear that I like.

 

 

I had an ART100. Nice guitar. I only sold it - well - cause I'm Woody, and I always seem to have too many guitars.

[Woody_in_MN]

very nice, Brian! I hope to make it to your level some day!

 

 

You are kind sir. Back in the day I played drums and keyboard. If you practice 6 to 8 hours a day, you tend to get pretty good. I have only been playing guitar about 4 years.