So you just received two thousand dollars…

[Igglepud]

…and you HAVE to spend it on gear. What do you get?

Myself: a new acoustic, mics, and a better recording interface. Maybe an SG if I have money left over.

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[MotleyCrue81]

A great guitar itself would take up half of that.. So minus a guitar, if I was starting with a clean slate, I’d get a tube amp, a recording interface, a pedalboard with pedals, and some nice cables, that’d be a real rig!

Bring hair metal back!

[superblonde]

what environment? I typically hesitate to buy latest gen electronics because the obsolescence curve and price curve drops fast. If it is for a rehearsal space environment, I think I would buy speakers (aka cabinet with drivers or powered speakers). Those dont depreciate. Good guitar speakers are, good speakers for life. you could buy really good drivers and pay someone to make correctly sized cabinets (or buy the wood etc and diy if you have the dimensions already). Or, the Alto full range powered PA speakers I was looking at for guitar, which seem highly regarded on the line6 forum, to go direct, guitar amp modeller to speaker instead of combo amp, are like $600 per pair? (Use 1 for guitar and 1 for vocals) In same vein. Bass speaker cabinet. Those dont depreciate either and I think a bass needs its unique speaker & cabinet to handle it’s range? I dont know much on this topic tho.

Or you could blow that cash real quick on a basic e-drum setup (the basic roland mid range one, plus PA for it). but, those models are several years old and havent been updated for a while, so, theres always the luck of the draw that they’ll release a new model soon and the current price will depreciate overnite.

You could also get some pro level drum software and drum packs. (and maybe a portable midi keyboard controller to make entering drum notes easier) Total several hundred bucks? but, the huge step up in sound is well worth the cost right?

Total alternative. Dont spend it on gear, instead, use it to pay household bills and then take unpaid leave from work, in order to practice 10 hrs a day for several weeks 😀 the real way to sound good 😀

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[Igglepud]

Your environment. I’m curious what other people would get.

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[Guitarsmurf]

It would be a toss up, between building a Carvin, or getting a JEM.

[Sean]

Because this is right now. I would want the used Dean MAB 1 flat black at Guitar center $599.99 swap out the electronics with Bourns pots and Oil and paper caps. $125.00. Dimarzio paf Joe neck pickup $55.00 Bare knuckle mule bridge pickup $184.00. Used Marshall DSL15W Head $350.00 and a new Hughes and kettner Tubemiester 20 deluxe head $650.00. Next week it will change!

Tell me and I will forget ,show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand

[superblonde]

Ok so if I personally had $2000 right now that I had to spend on a music habit, I’d first spend it on contracting a geographically central rehearsal room at fixed time slot (say, a 4 hr timeslot, 5 days a week) for the next year and immediately advertise for mates to audition in those time slots. A typical rental storage unit with an outside ground floor door (not sound proofed, not meant for a band) is around $120/mo around here and that is not powered. I dont know what a musician oriented storage unit would run. Lets say, $1000 for the year’s rent, I dunno? If it were a locked storage space then I am sure that it could get filled up with various equipment over time, from random stuff picked up or left there along the way, rather than “buy first then figure out where to put it later”. I mention geographically central because, its location location location.. I’d like to get some more band mates and they would not want to commute too far to meet up. This rehearsal space idea is basically one of the big points of one of Doug’s newsletters too. The remainder of the cash I would spend on the bare minimum to make the space operational for jamming, probably, a mixer and PA, which takes care of bass guitar and vocals.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[safetyblitz]

Pez. Cherry flavored Pez.

[Igglepud]

To build a maraca?

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[Sean]

Nice Vern!

Tell me and I will forget ,show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand

[pipelineaudio]

I think I’d buy two or three Agile Interceptor Pros and spend the rest on some new kick drum mic

[rorygfan]

$2000. isn’t enough for much, except one decent $1000. guitar and a couple of pedals.  Probably would get a personal effects processor like a POD but with updated sounds and a Looper.   Actually, at my age I would forget the guitar and go and travel like I am next week. ha.

[Anonymous]

…easy 🙂

This … https://www.thomann.de/pt/dangelico_exl_1_bk.htm?ref=search_prv_5_2

and this … https://www.thomann.de/pt/digitech_trio_band_creator_trio+_trio_plu.htm

and this … https://www.thomann.de/pt/electro_harmonix_c9_organ_machine.htm

That makes 1429 + 299 + 239 € = 1967 €

 

[Igglepud]

Those are some awesome pedals! The guitar is a beauty too.

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[pipelineaudio]

rorygfan wrote:

$2000. isn’t enough for much, except one decent $1000. guitar and a couple of pedals. Probably would get a personal effects processor like a POD but with updated sounds and a Looper. Actually, at my age I would forget the guitar and go and travel like I am next week. ha.

A dean vendetta is 100 bucks. What a decent guitar costs now is drastically different than just ten years ago. A beautiful neck thru with jumbo stainless steel frets and real EMG’s can be between 300 and 600 dollars. Its getting hard to justify holding on to my gajillion dollar guitars that are inferior in every way to my cheapies that I actually play

[safetyblitz]

pipelineaudio wrote:

What a decent guitar costs now is drastically different than just ten years ago. A beautiful neck thru with jumbo stainless steel frets and real EMG’s can be between 300 and 600 dollars.

Preach. The only thing is that if you want a double-locking trem, manufacturers only bundle the good hardened-steel double-locking trems on overpriced models. You can still buy the current production OFR or a Gotoh Floyd for a decent price and drop it in, but it’s dumb that there aren’t any modestly-priced guitars that include them off the rack. Even Charvel (today owned by FMIC, of course) ships most of their models with the zinc-alloy plate “Floyd Special”. The Floyd Special will do in a pinch, but it’s still obnoxious that you can’t get a “premium” Floyd on an off-the-rack guitar unless you pay through the nose.

[Igglepud]

I also agree. I spent under $400 on my Schecter and cannot imagine a better guitar (for hard rock anyways). But that Gibson is calling my name…

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[rightonthemark]

a marshall half stack ($1299) and a gibson les paul ($699) and you have the makings of a rock and roll legend for just under two grand. \m/

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Marshall/DSL100H-and-MX412A-4×12-100W-All-Tube-Half-Stack.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson/2016-Les-Paul-CM-T-Electric-Guitar.gc

rock and roll ain't pretty; that's why they picked us to play it.

[Sean]

Wow ROTM!

That’s awesome! I never saw a Gibson Les Paul with just a bridge pickup!

Tell me and I will forget ,show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand

[Anonymous]

Take 2 (love this thread 🙂

No kidding, I’d buy these in a flash

https://henriksenamplifiers.com/?product=the-bud (check the specs of this amp – see video below)

ParaEq

Reverb

So that makes … 1099 + 249 + 499 = 1847

Still some spare for cables!

[rightonthemark]

Sean wrote:

Wow ROTM!

That’s awesome! I never saw a Gibson Les Paul with just a bridge pickup!

yeah. it’s a new stripped down model they’ve come out with to make owning a gibson les paul more affordable.
i’ve seen folks criticize it online.
but some folks would bitch if their ice cream was too cold.

but you could always opt for one of the many inexpensive quality guitars out there like the harley-benton les paul copies instead of the gibson.
that would free up cash for a nice vox wah and maybe an echoplex.

https://www.thomann.de/intl/harley_benton_sc_550_faded_tobacco_flame.htm

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Vox/V847A-Wah-Wah-Pedal.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Dunlop/Echoplex-Delay-Guitar-Effects-Pedal.gc

rock and roll ain't pretty; that's why they picked us to play it.

[Sean]

Ok how about this scenario. When I get good enough to play with the guys at work. I could set up my basement into a place to practice and play. I could by a drum kit. A base and amp. Some microphones recording equipment. This could all stay at my place and the guys could come over and jam. With what I have listed I still would have some coin left over for cables, outlets and such.

Tell me and I will forget ,show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand

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[superblonde]

I think the rumble 25 with 1×8″ might not be loud enough to hear over drums but I dont know. Need a bigger speaker for bass I assume.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[Igglepud]

I own that mic. It picks up everything: the air moving, the refrigerator, neighbors through any floors or walls. It came as a set with another condenser mic for instruments.

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[Sean]

Still under $2000.00

Tell me and I will forget ,show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand

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[superblonde]

Is a portastudio worth it? I dont know. I was going to get one of the older models a while back, like the 8 channel, 16-bit. A laptop with Reaper seems so much better as a recording & editing environment. The portastudio is pretty low price for being all-in-one. I ended up getting a 16 channel usb interface instead.

BTW if I still worked in a corporate environment then I would claim one or more of the conference rooms off hours for rehearsals, I’d get HR to write it into my employment agreement.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[superblonde]

Oh yea as for bass guitars, I repeatedly hear that the bass which is the twin of my guitar, is very popular these days with bassists. Many musicians who see me play my guitar say “Wow my bassist plays one just like that, he loves it” Especially in the R&B crowd.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

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1. 

   steinberger-bass-4-string.png
   

[safetyblitz]

rightonthemark wrote:

Sean wrote:

Wow ROTM! That’s awesome! I never saw a Gibson Les Paul with just a bridge pickup!

yeah. it’s a new stripped down model they’ve come out with to make owning a gibson les paul more affordable. i’ve seen folks criticize it online. but some folks would bitch if their ice cream was too cold. but you could always opt for one of the many inexpensive quality guitars out there like the harley-benton les paul copies instead of the gibson.

If I’m not mistaken, Joao can vouch for the awesomeness of one of LTD’s “Les-Paul-inspired” models.

[Anonymous]

safetyblitz wrote:

rightonthemark wrote:

Sean wrote:

Wow ROTM! That’s awesome! I never saw a Gibson Les Paul with just a bridge pickup!

yeah. it’s a new stripped down model they’ve come out with to make owning a gibson les paul more affordable. i’ve seen folks criticize it online. but some folks would bitch if their ice cream was too cold. but you could always opt for one of the many inexpensive quality guitars out there like the harley-benton les paul copies instead of the gibson.

If I’m not mistaken, Joao can vouch for the awesomeness of one of LTD’s “Les-Paul-inspired” models.

Good memory, Safetyblitz!

Yes, I have an ESP/LTD EC-10, the entry level model. Bought it new for 180 Eur. It is a great guitar. Honestly, since my scene is Jazz I could play that one for the rest of my life if I had too. Super comfortable, the ESPs cutaway allow easy access to upper register. Nice jumbo fretwire, great sound, allowing for perfect intonation and low action. Just the tuners could be changed, but that would be it.

I have another guitar with similar quality/price characteristics. An Epiphone Dot Studio (ES335-type) also the entry level model, and better than the Dot in my opinion. This one has the smoothest tuners of all my guitars 🙂

On the amp versus guitar subject, I’m on the side of the amp. Get a decent guitar, that you can setup with perfection. Change hardware as needed… pickups in the last place, if at all needed. Then get your money on a make-no-prisioners amp!

[Anonymous]

rightonthemark wrote:

a marshall half stack ($1299) and a gibson les paul ($699) and you have the makings of a rock and roll legend for just under two grand. \m/ https://www.guitarcenter.com/Marshall/DSL100H-and-MX412A-4×12-100W-All-Tube-Half-Stack.gc https://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson/2016-Les-Paul-CM-T-Electric-Guitar.gc

That’s a very interesting Les Paul… It’s a combination of the old LP Junior model with the usual Studio/satin models. It’s like a Junior but with rounded top and a regular headstock, and they didn’t get scared of adding “Les Paul” to it… some Studio models, like mine, don’t say it.

Only thing that scares me is the wraparound bridge with the fixed saddles – Personally, that kills it for me, an otherwise perfect model. But I must say that some top PRS models that go by many thousands also use these kind of bridges, so…. the thing is that, as I used several different string types, I notice that just changing strings may require a saddle adjustment… a less than perfect string in a set may require a little tweaking too.

On the other hand, maybe knowing that you have to live with it may be some type of blessing too 🙂

[Anonymous]

…for a great LP copy, at the same price of the lower Epiphones, I’d say this one:

https://www.thomann.de/pt/vintage_v100it.htm

Vintage guitars have a reputation of being amazing. Never tried one myself but don’t recall a single bad review. The brand belongs to Trevor Wilkinson, a well know designer, particularly in hardware. And so the Vintage guitars come Wilkinson hardware and pickups.

[superblonde]

There’s another thing I thought of a while ago that would probably be, for myself, superior to gear based on searching for band mates / jam mates and that is to contract a non-pro (but also not amateur) drummer long term by the hour. I dont know how much that would be but lets say 15 hrs a week for six months, let’s make a guess at $20-40/hr, I have no idea really. $1000 towards that effort would be a vast improvement in my playing skills I believe. And since it’s basically a work for hire handshake, there’s none of the personality clash stuff. The vocalist that I played with last year is incredibly amateur in attitude so she can’t keep musicians playing with her, not even friends, so, she pays people to play with her basically, and it mostly works for her, kind of (until they get fed up with her attitude and walk out, sometimes after a big verbal fight, thats the story I’ve heard several times now). I think she calls up local instructors and entices their students to join her. So, she is playing live around town, has a CD out, two music videos, etc. Spending the cash that way, is an investment, rather than a depreciating asset. Presumably the increase in skills would result in later earning some cash for playing.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[metalj]

I need a new portable recorder. Also a pa with stands and a cart to push it around in.

Jay aka the letter J

[Igglepud]

A PA would be nice. I hate running everything I have through one speaker. It just sounds bad and I end up not using most of my equipment.

MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

[superblonde]

MAB4 Gauntlet (signed!) with case under $400

(my only conundrum.. how to cut off the headstock to make it headless)

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

Attachments:

1. 

   MAB4-Gauntlet.png
   

[Sean]

Thats nice SB! I love the neck profile of an MAB-1. Does anyone know if either MAB3 or MAB4 have the exact same neck profile? Because if so then I would grab this blemished one with the additional 15% off coupon.

Tell me and I will forget ,show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand

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[superblonde]

I dont know about the difference in necks, look for the MAB videos from NAMM I think, where he is at the Dean booth and the interview has some details like that – including which differences are just looks, and which differences are functional. Some of them have different pickups which account for the extra $200 etc. The MAB7 is the one I’d go for if spending more.. so amazing looking and all the hardware I could ever use. Altho I’ve never played one, so, there still is the question, how well does it feel for me when played and hows the balance with my strap length, etc.

That MAB 4 in your pic, wow! “Blemished” that dirt cheap, under $200? OMG buy it. Lets put this in context.. from things like reading the MAB forum.. some guys complain about the tiniest little things, like, oh, the paint right by the volume knob has a little bubble, so it’s supposedly unusable and they return it. what! Thats not Blemished. After a month of playing it live, it’s gonna have more nicks on it, including sweat and blood on it, so wth. My guitar even got dog drool on it from the neighbor’s poor dog leash habits, while I was playing out at a bbq. Guitars are meant to be used and abused! The most amazing thing about the MAB guitars, is they don’t seem to have some crazy “star signature markup”, I mean, compare the models and the prices are great when stacked up against others.

Just don’t be this guy! on the Dr Bozo Phil show with Gene Simmons as guest star.

43-Year-Old Determined To Be A Rock Star: “I’m Addicted To Wanting To Be Somebody”

43-Year-Old Determined To Be A Rock Star: “I’m Addicted To Wanting To Be Somebody”

September 2, 2016

Kris says he’s been chasing his dream to be a rock star for 30 years and will stop at nothing to become famous. …. the 43-year-old admits that the pursuit of his dreams has cost him everything, including his relationship with his mom and stepdad, and his teenage daughter. His parents claim to have given him a-half-million dollars, built a state-of-the-art studio in their home, bought him multiple guitars and a drum set worth more than $30,000 – but they say nothing has helped him achieve success. “I’m arena ready. Unfortunately, I’m playing at the local gas station while people fill up,” Kris says.
… Gene Simmons: “I’m here to tell you that being delusional about yourself and [thinking], ‘I have this dream and I’m God’s gift,’ that’s great. And I support you and I hope you do become the next Elvis,” Gene Simmons tells Kris. “But get a damn job and pay back everybody all their money.”

All that money spent, and I wonder, how much time did he actually practice?

Multiple guitars and drums and spending $30,000? What. The first Nirvana record cost $650 total, to record and produce and it is one of the best albums ever. Cobain played his $150 hacked up lefty guitar and I highly doubt Dave Grohl was playing a drum set that cost more than $1000.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[Author]

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