NGD vs NAD vs NPD

Greywolf

Greywolf

Luthier,Soundman, Open Mic Host
Joined
Sep 30, 2022
Messages
12,223
Location
Duluth,Ga
We all enjoy new Tools / Toys .. my morning philisophical query ... Give this a moment ....
Between Instrument, Amp , and Effects which most influences your daily playing , and gigging?

Is it the holy grail guitar, the amp with your perfect tone, or the pedal(s) that define "your" sound
What is your bias if you lean toward one?

it's ok if your Deion .. "all of them"
 
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Probably the guitar, since it's the thing I am actually touching. Actually playing.

If I pick up my old Charvel w/Floyd, I'm going to play differently than when I pick up my tele. Amp/settings/tone also have that effect, but I think for me it starts at the guitar. Pedals are a very distant 3rd (so why di I have so bloody many of them?!? 🤣 )
 
The guitar

pedals don't do much for me. I found a few that I like and use. The pedalboard is full and I'm fine with that

Amps, I have a couple that suit me very well.
yes I could enjoy a nice original Twin Reverb but not at the prices they go for
Two of the Fender amps I have do everything I need

But the guitars!
(Wipes the Drool)
especially the well built gorgeous ones
just to play them and hear and feel them resonate
it's special
 
I always feel like a kid at christmas when a new guitar arrives, pedals .. not so much , they are tools , some are delightful surprises. ( never was a compressor fan until recently)

Amps .. due to my soundman duties I have an assortment , all with distinct personalities. I love how each of my instruments reacts with a given amps. All sound acceptable , but there are some really magical pairings of instrument / amp that seem to raise both up a notch.

Pulled out my 55 LP this morning to try her out through the Deluxe.. there is just something about classic tone ...
"that's the sound in my head" stuff..
 
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I've got obsessiveness problems, kids. Audio obsessiveness problems.

Guitars? Huge factor, obviously.

Amps? I suffer from Amps-Matter-As-Much-As-Guitars-Disease. Don't even get me started blathering about NOS tubes.

Pedals? Include them. Also include a high quality buffer in this soup.

Cables? Am I ever that guy.

The only palliative I've found is the Just Buy More Gear pill.
 
Things we don't say to our other halves ... "Honey..does this amp make my guitar sound FAT?"
Doesn't this guitar just look smashing with my new outfit"
"Marsha just got a new Private Stock , and I simply must have one ...."
" Oh baby , you just HAVE to have matching accessories.. that new pedal matches my guitar so well"
 
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Man, I don’t know. I like guitars, but I’ll settle on probably 2 or 3 electrics, and a steel and a nylon string acoustic. I have 3 electrics, but so far only one “desert island” favorite, so the other two may shuffle. My acoustic guitars are good enough. I don’t get super excited over new guitars, and definitely don’t want ”many.”

Amps - I love amps. My TC-100 does lots pretty well. I kinda want a small combo. I’m thinking fender-ish. Clean pedal platform with some kind of nice crunch all the way to “Niel Young’s Tweed is gonna blow!” But that’s pretty much it. That combo could be tube or tone master type thing. For any other needed sounds, my Kemper is definitely good enough.

Pedals? They are arguably cheap and entertaining. I have 8 on my board, and +/- a dozen total. I’m beginning to think that’s 5 or 6 too many.

Basically, I guess I like all of ‘em, but I’m not a collector, and I’m actively trying not to be a hoarder!
 
I have to say the amp. A great amp can make a crappy guitar sound good, but a great guitar wont sound good thru a crappy amp.
For me, a guitar plugged straight into an amp with no reverb, no FX has to sound great right off the bat. I do use and like a bit of reverb, but it has to be something I can turn off and still get a good tone. The HXDA is a good example of an amp that doesn't need reverb or effects to get a great tone.
 
I find more and more as time goes by that I'm playing the "amp*" and choosing it to suit whatever muse I'm feeling at the time. The guitar (as long as it's a good one) matters less, as long as it's in the right tonal ballpark, i.e. humbuckery or single-coil flavored.

(*) Yes, the amp can be a modeler with a decent set of monitors.
 
Greywolf said:
Pulled out my 55 LP this morning to try her out through the Deluxe.. there is just something about classic tone ...
"that's the sound in my head" stuff..
Click to expand...
100%. I also have a Gibson LP with P90's. One of my amps is an old handwired Hiwatt. Thats is the sound in my head, but primarily, its the amp. A ragged old garbage can strung with dental floss would sound killer thru that amp. 🤷‍♂️
 
I’m an “all of the above guy” when it comes to gear. And my have-a-backup-for-everything mantra makes it twice as bad. Guitars are, obviously, the “if you could only have one” choice between all of the sound chain links, but other gear ups the enjoyment level so much that I really couldn’t discount their positive effect on my musical psyche. Knowing everything is contributing, from the pick to the PA speaker, just puts me in the zone.
 
NGD is the greatest. Pedals come and go, and with a few exceptions (Wampler Gearbox), none of them are earth-shattering. I bought my amp about 12 years ago and I was happy, but I don't recall getting butterflies in my tummy like I do on every single NGD...🤩
 
I kinda think its all 3 too, but it begins with the guitar. Finding the instrument that just feels so natural in your hands starts it all.
 
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