Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Larsongs
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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by Larsongs » Tue May 03, 2022 9:11 pm

I got an email & saw this Guitar.. I thought it’s an ideal minimalist Guitar.. Cheap & it sounds cool plugged or unplugged.. Great Blues & Slide Guitar.. It seems to catch that great vintage Acoustic Electric Blues Sound…

https://youtu.be/D1EbDDBeZg8

It’s even cool for non minimalist guys too..

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by JSett » Tue May 03, 2022 10:07 pm

seenoevil II wrote:
Tue May 03, 2022 7:17 pm
I actually existed, gear wise, like this for about 2 years. I was homeless/sofa surfing/nomad-ing from just past my 17th birthday until I was almost 19. All my music gear, apart from a couple of pedals I left with a friend and an old cheap acoustic I took with me, got liquidated for drug money (I was hooked on amphetamines).

I was fine with that setup as, well, yeah I had bigger fish to fry at the time. But even once I'd got clean and back into more stable life it took me a few more years to get back into buying electric gear again.

If I had the choice over which guitar, I'd actually go with your second one, the Yamaha. It's what I actually currently have by choice and I love it. It's a Taiwanese model but from the early 70s. Neck is THICK and it sounds like I like my acoustics to sound - especially now I have some Flats on it (thanks to Todd's recommendation). I keep toying with upgrading to a fancier acoustic but I don't think I'd bond quite like I have with this thing.

Image
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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by Larsongs » Wed May 04, 2022 7:02 am

My story is similar.. My Step Dad kicked me out when I was 17. Lived in a Foster Home for a while & then lived & worked on a Ranch til I finished High School.. My first Guitar was a cheap knock off of a Gibson Dove.. It would never stay in tune & one night I was Stoned & Drunk & was playing at a Party.. It was going out of tune & pissed me off so much I smashed it in a thousand pieces..

Not a great Chapter in my life & have no interest in going back….

It took some time to get my life on track & doing better. A few years later I got a gift from my wife to be of a new Martin D-35.. Still have it & my wife.. I still like getting new Guitars!

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by SemiOpaque » Wed May 04, 2022 5:29 pm

seenoevil II wrote:
Tue May 03, 2022 7:17 pm
Okokokok

HARD MODE:

You're house-less. Your survival needs are met, but you don't have anywhere to store any amount of gear. You literally have to bring whatever instrument you choose with you everywhere and it has to do literally everything.
Life isn't giving you the luxurious leeway of "deciding what's enough." You literally sleep somewhere different every night and you're "rig" is now a laptop or mobile device with an interface (or mic).

What do you do? I don't wanna hear a bunch of "well, in that situation I'd be more focused on blah" - Then don't answer. I don't care. This is the parameter.

As I'm thinking about it... Guild OM-120 with a sound hole pickup like the Novak goldfoil or a MacGyver special Firebird pup.

1. It's physically small.
2. It's an acoustic that will work in 95% of applications. The piezo will be easy for acoustic plug in situations and the firebird pup will sound great for virtual amps and real ones at gigs.
3. It's hardwood and polyurethane. Sounds decent from the reviews I've read, and it's not gonna be too sensitive to rapid humidity changes.
4. Not very expensive if it's stolen or breaks. Just buy a new one.

Runner up: Yamaha red label, all solid, small bodied acoustic. Cheaper Chinese version.

Honorable mentions:

La Patrie Concert with passive under bridge transducers. Quebecois (for the cred), all solid, but overbuilt classical will sound good but not be too fragile. Go full red headed stranger. Downside, have to commit to 2" non tapered fingerboard width.

Epiphone Century/ Guild T-100/ The Loar/ similar. Every version of the slim bodied, full hollow, single pup guitar I've met has been a blast to play with a surprising amount of acoustic volume. They're all laminate which grants some durability. And for me, I only ever use the neck pup, so the stock p90 or whatever I install would do fine. Downside, they're physically as large to carry as any full sized acoustic and don't have stellar acoustic performance (maybe with a piezo bridge mod).
Perhaps an Epiphone Casino could be a good option? Full hollow body, so you can play it acoustically. It's not as loud as a true acoustic but it's decent. It's also thinner so it has that going if you need more portability. Then you have two P90s when you want to plug in. For an overall solution you could perhaps get a multi effect unit? A Boss Me80 would be an affordable option, the audio interface is built in, so you have most needed effects and an audio interface in one unit. Use it with headphones on the unit or with a laptop for recording etc. A step up would be the Boss GX 100. There would be non boss options that do similar.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by Loobster » Thu May 05, 2022 1:37 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:33 pm


Like, I bought that Pro Reverb last week. I didn't really want it, I wanted a Vibrolux. But this was available and at the right money. So I bought it for no other reason than superfluousness. Same with my Telecaster. I didn't need one, but got one anyway...and blew £1700 in the process. It's lovely, but I'll probably never use it more than once a week for a few minutes then hang it back up. To me that seems dumb.
I can relate to this. I have three electrics now, I gig regularly and am in many projects, so they get used - a lot. But still, I find myself lusting after a Strat, even though I'm not a Strat guy. And being a bit of a gear snob, I don't want just any old Strat, I want something good. Then I find myself thinking "isn't that a bit self-indulgent, a bit unnecessary. It's only gonna get used here and then."

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by Larsongs » Thu May 05, 2022 7:33 am

Loobster wrote:
Thu May 05, 2022 1:37 am
johnnysomersett wrote:
Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:33 pm


Like, I bought that Pro Reverb last week. I didn't really want it, I wanted a Vibrolux. But this was available and at the right money. So I bought it for no other reason than superfluousness. Same with my Telecaster. I didn't need one, but got one anyway...and blew £1700 in the process. It's lovely, but I'll probably never use it more than once a week for a few minutes then hang it back up. To me that seems dumb.
I can relate to this. I have three electrics now, I gig regularly and am in many projects, so they get used - a lot. But still, I find myself lusting after a Strat, even though I'm not a Strat guy. And being a bit of a gear snob, I don't want just any old Strat, I want something good. Then I find myself thinking "isn't that a bit self-indulgent, a bit unnecessary. It's only gonna get used here and then."
A Strat is one of the most versatile Guitars there is! I doubt you’d use it minimally…

Currently, I’m using my Tele more than any of my other Guitars & am really liking it.. I go through phases.. I tend to get tired of the same sound all the time… I enjoy changing it up…

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by seenoevil II » Thu May 05, 2022 11:42 am

SemiOpaque wrote:
Wed May 04, 2022 5:29 pm

Perhaps an Epiphone Casino could be a good option? Full hollow body, so you can play it acoustically. It's not as loud as a true acoustic but it's decent. It's also thinner so it has that going if you need more portability. Then you have two P90s when you want to plug in. For an overall solution you could perhaps get a multi effect unit? A Boss Me80 would be an affordable option, the audio interface is built in, so you have most needed effects and an audio interface in one unit. Use it with headphones on the unit or with a laptop for recording etc. A step up would be the Boss GX 100. There would be non boss options that do similar.
I just want to clarify that I'm not in this situation. At least not yet. Though recent events in my life have me thinking what if. I'm definitely gonna be downsizing considerably, so watch the for sale section.

Now to Casinos: the ones I've played personally haven't been as "alive" as the single pup, non-cutaway equivalents I've met. Still, it's not a bad idea at all. Not least because they're so light. Again, I think I'd add a piezo bridge or contact transducer.

I know a guy in NYC who lives in an absolute shoebox. He's got other gear, but he gigs and busks the subway with his elitist casino and a lunchbox.
If it wasn't for disappointment, I wouldn't have any appointments.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by dropthebeat » Thu May 05, 2022 12:47 pm

This is an interesting thread. I've enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts. Thanks.

I used to justify my admitted excesses (currently at ~40 guitars, ~20 amps, ~50 pedals, several drum kits [I don't play the drums] a PA, etc.) by telling myself that I only have the one hobby, so it's fine-- I don't like cars or watches or sports or fancy food or drink or clothes or travel or whatever, and I live pretty modestly in general, so going a bit overboard on the one thing I enjoy doing is okay. But I've lately realized that collecting-- particularly the kind of "collecting" that I'm drawn toward, which is more scouring-the-pawnshop-racks-obsessively and less saving-up-for-the-special-thing-I've-long-been-pining-for-- is really its own hobby separate from Actually Playing The Guitar, which is fine with me.

I know very well that I could do what I do with two electrics, an acoustic, a bass, and a couple of amps (particularly given that, realistically, nobody beyond me & the other nerds in the room can tell the difference between guitars-- eg., my partner, who is a] an enthusiastic music fan, and b] a very smart person, couldn't reliably differentiate between a guitar and a bass before I started poisoning her brain by hanging around). But here we are.

I'm grateful for the factors in my life (decent job, ample storage in my home & practice spots, etc.) that mean I don't have to limit myself to a few guitars, but I recognize that there's a ton of privilege at work here, which is something I try to stay conscious of. Not that there's any real point to any of this-- or to any of this-- but yeah. Just thinking and typing.

As a gloomy aside, I'm finding essentially no joy in the playing part of things lately-- recently quit all my bands, hardly pick up a guitar at home anymore, etc.-- but is that slowing me down on the endlessly accumulating stuff front? Sure isn't! More for the piles!

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by andy_tchp » Thu May 05, 2022 1:22 pm

Just be thankful you're not into 'Hi-fi'.
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David McComb, 1987.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by Loobster » Fri May 06, 2022 12:33 am

Larsongs wrote:
Thu May 05, 2022 7:33 am
Loobster wrote:
Thu May 05, 2022 1:37 am
johnnysomersett wrote:
Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:33 pm


Like, I bought that Pro Reverb last week. I didn't really want it, I wanted a Vibrolux. But this was available and at the right money. So I bought it for no other reason than superfluousness. Same with my Telecaster. I didn't need one, but got one anyway...and blew £1700 in the process. It's lovely, but I'll probably never use it more than once a week for a few minutes then hang it back up. To me that seems dumb.
I can relate to this. I have three electrics now, I gig regularly and am in many projects, so they get used - a lot. But still, I find myself lusting after a Strat, even though I'm not a Strat guy. And being a bit of a gear snob, I don't want just any old Strat, I want something good. Then I find myself thinking "isn't that a bit self-indulgent, a bit unnecessary. It's only gonna get used here and then."
A Strat is one of the most versatile Guitars there is! I doubt you’d use it minimally…

Currently, I’m using my Tele more than any of my other Guitars & am really liking it.. I go through phases.. I tend to get tired of the same sound all the time… I enjoy changing it up…
I feel you. I probably will get a Strat when the right one comes up, but it's taking its sweet time. It needs to be exactly right. I'm also kinda apprehensive to drop like a grand on a Strat. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by Jaguar018 » Fri May 06, 2022 5:51 am

Loobster wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 12:33 am
I find myself lusting after a Strat, even though I'm not a Strat guy. And being a bit of a gear snob, I don't want just any old Strat, I want something good. Then I find myself thinking "isn't that a bit self-indulgent, a bit unnecessary. It's only gonna get used here and then.

It needs to be exactly right. I'm also kinda apprehensive to drop like a grand on a Strat. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind.
Larsongs wrote:
Thu May 05, 2022 7:33 am
A Strat is one of the most versatile Guitars there is!
I am a 'victim' of this. :whistle:

My #1 guitar throughout my 20s was a USA strat plus, it was part of my fairly minimal gear setup. Time went on and I got into offsets.

Trying to attain my version of being a gear minimalist, I eventually parted out and sold the strat a few years ago because I never played it.

So of course I ordered a bunch of new parts and had a new one assembled. It's completely unnecessary but I still like having it around. I wish I could say that I use it for recording projects and bands or whatever but I don't. I did let my son's friend (age 9) play with it, so I have that going for me.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by mediocreplayer » Sun May 08, 2022 2:29 pm

dropthebeat wrote:
Thu May 05, 2022 12:47 pm
...
I enjoyed this post quite a bit, not sure why. Perhaps because it simply acknowledges the situation with the 40 guitars and 20 amps etc. I also identified very much with the last paragraph. I barely touch my electric guitars but I still enjoy having them.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by JSett » Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:28 pm

I came very close to listing half of my collection for sale today.

My Jazzmaster has been with Rexter for ages now (it feels like a lifetime, despite only being 4 1/2 months) and I have a feeling when I gets back I'm going to remember why it was my #1 for over a decade.

Guitars that don't see much use are the FrankenTele, FireStang and the recent '65 black Jag.
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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:32 pm

I’ve been experimenting with guitar>cable>amp in my 3 piece band where I sing.

I’ve even tried guitar>amp sim pedal>PA a few times. Didn’t hate that either.

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Re: Gear minimalism as a thought process...

Post by JSett » Thu Jun 23, 2022 8:23 pm

marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:32 pm
I’ve been experimenting with guitar>cable>amp in my 3 piece band where I sing.

I’ve even tried guitar>amp sim pedal>PA a few times. Didn’t hate that either.
Does your amp have a dirty channel? If so, I could live with that
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

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