Members Magpel Posted August 18, 2010 Members Share Posted August 18, 2010 Ha ha, enjoy this mildly funny, mildly problematic situation I dealt with this morning. Sorry for the length. I didn't have time to write a shorter post The other guitarist in my band covets gear with as much fever and lust as any of us, but has always been hamstrung with regards to means. So he actually gets by with some pretty sub-optimal gear in this band. He has a nice acoustic w/Fishman, but his electric rig leaves lot to be desired in almost every dept., in my humble opinion. Like many people who WANT so much and BUY so little, he tends to fix HARD on certain pieces of gear, and when the resources are available, he has made what I consider to be mistakes on several occasions, mistakes fueled by poring over too many online user reviews with too much confirmation bias at work. Just keep reading til you hear what you want to believe... He is also, like so many, rather fetishistic and style conscious about gear. Knows his vintage finishes and woods and bridges and color schemes and switch and positions up and down, far better than I do. If PRS, for example, happened to make the guitar that was the absolute, undeniable best one for his playing, sound-wise, it would never end up in his hands. He'd never be caught dead playing a PRS...etc. It was by this logic that he--a very fine chimey rhythm guitarist who, like Guitar George, DOES know all the chords--ended up with a dark, murky firebird-style guitar with no chime at all as his main axe. As you can see, we sometimes pay for his sentimentality. So his wife just got a new job and the family is looking now to enter a period of financial stability for the first time in a while. She emailed me this morning. She knows that he has been coveting some new effects pedals, but she knows nothing about them. She asked if I knew of one he wanted that was 200 or under. Yes I know the pedal he wants! But I also know with absolute clarity that, with 200 bucks to spend, it is not the right pedal for the context and needs of our band. He wants the EHX Wiggler, a pretty cool tube driven vibrato-tremolo pedal. He already has a tremolo pedal. What he could really use for our purposes would be a simple TS-style overdrive for occasional use and a somewhat flexible analog delay ala the Carbon Copy for routine ambiance. Both of those could be had for 200 used. In truth,that money would probably be best saved toward upgrades at the guitar and amp positions... So what would you do? What would you say? I'll tell you what I did--I fessed up that we were not in agreement about what pedals he needs, but I told her that if you want that special happy family feeling--if you want to see his face light up in surprise, fulfillment, and gratitude--get him the damn Wiggler. Even sent her the link. ...and C, if you're reading this, I love you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rjt Posted August 19, 2010 Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 Sounds like you gave the perfect response....here's what he wants..! It isn't (and as a perfectionist for many years) always about what is "right." Sometimes it is about what makes you happy. Good job amigo! ps I hope I would have the guts to do the same thing in the same situation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kendrix Posted August 19, 2010 Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 People usually don't like being told that you know better than they do what they need. IMHO you "did the right thing" BTW- is this a conundrum or a dilemma???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Magpel Posted August 19, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 People usually don't like being told that you know better than they do what they need. IMHO you "did the right thing"BTW- is this a conundrum or a dilemma???? Yeah, Ken, just occurred me to that my word choice was off. It is neither. It is what scientists call a "story." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RockStringBendr Posted August 19, 2010 Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 I wish my killer excellent drummer would/could buy his own skins someday.... it's been 10 freakin years and he always has a fat doobie to smoke but hasn't brought a {censored}ing can of beer into the scene since I met him.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members elsongs Posted August 19, 2010 Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 The problem is not yours but his wife's; she will be the one making the final executive decision on how to spend her money. The best you can do is to supply her with the most information you can that would help her make the right decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lukenskywalker Posted August 19, 2010 Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 The problem is not yours but his wife's; she will be the one making the final executive decision on how to spend her money. The best you can do is to supply her with the most information you can that would help her make the right decision. Nice call...and diplomatically presented...I'm thinking there are quality and trying years of band experience/acumen under your belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted August 19, 2010 Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 The problem is not yours but his wife's; she will be the one making the final executive decision on how to spend her money. The best you can do is to supply her with the most information you can that would help her make the right decision. What Elson said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Magpel Posted August 19, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 The problem is not yours but his wife's; she will be the one making the final executive decision on how to spend her money. The best you can do is to supply her with the most information you can that would help her make the right decision. I am aware. I just mean I could have lied to serve my own purposes, though it would have been wrong, and I didn't. I just think it was funny and gear-related, not an actual moral problem on which I was seeking guidance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spokenward Posted August 20, 2010 Members Share Posted August 20, 2010 It was a fine story. Dilemma suggests a parity of options IMHO. Conundrum was better for the title because "Funny story" promises too much. I like to hear stories that include spouses of bandmates exchanging pleasantries with and valuing the opinion of other bandmates. That's pretty charming. Too bad about the pedal, of course. And if you want to get under his skin about the generic PRS-hate thing, Kenny Greenberg is a good place to start. (I just try to help. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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