A very good and entertaining read,
@SG John
Working for Fender really changed my perspective. That's all i can really say. Without that experience, i quite likely would not have some of the opinions that i have today, and im grateful for the experience, because i see the truth, and it matters to me.
I'm really content with my purge of all the foreign gear. Everything went to up and coming players who are in genuine need of good, playable gear...and most simply couldn't afford anything good.
I'm also quite content with my choice to scale back my music career in favor of spending more time with my wife, who had become a musical widow.
Guitars???
I use my 2021 Gibson Les Paul 50's Standard Gold Top for everything.
Speakers???
I only have the 2x12 Celestion Copperback 250's and the 1985 Jackson Eminence 4x12, UK and USA Made respectively.
Amps???
I still have the UK Made 1993 Valvestate Bi-Chorus 200 and the Origin 50H Ivanberg.
I also have a Line 6 HD75 Spider 2 Head that i bought brand new and only played for one show - Wasteland Weekend 2018 - alongside The Late Keli Wilde, in Maxxon Axxe.
The import amps are slated for donation to the new Rockstars Academy in Hesperia once they open in late January, 2023.
I'm also debating whether or not i will return as an instructor this year.
I bought quite a few guitars over the years. Some experiences were not great.
I bought several $800.00 to $900.00 Entry-Level Gibsons, ranging from the 2016 SG T Series up to a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Studio T Series and several Les Paul 50's Tributes, and i was disappointed with all 5 of them.
A bit like
@SG John mentioned, i had intonation anomalies with several of them, and a bit unlike
@SG John said, i had high/uneven frets, humped fretboards, noisy electronics, etc.
In summary, as my skill as a Luthier got better, fewer instruments appealed to me.
As my skill as a performer got better, i cared less about the guitar's flaws, so its a little like being on a teeter totter.
With Gibson, i believe i was expecting exceptionally high quality from an entry-level guitar designed with cost-effective construction methodology. Once i bought a Gibson based on feel - with zero regard for the price - its ironic that this guitar checked all the boxes.
Once i got there, i just stopped looking.
Teaching for Rockstars also taught me several things.
The musical instrument industry is geared towards making the public believe this new piece of gear will make you sound better. Im opposed to that falsehood.
Practice and Performing is what makes you sound better.
I still rise early and play for enjoyment and skill maintenance. I still play sessions daily for a living, but I'm seriously considering retirement .
I've pulled out of every music project except the band Outfall and my occasional 4th of July performances with the 40 years and still going strong band, No Surrender.
Playing 5-6 nights a week in several bands is now a thing of the past. Now, I'm spending my nights around our fire pit.
When i do teach and when i do perform, its with top shelf UK/USA gear. That's my personal preference.
Beyond that, i think my days of being a fanatical player have passed. Today, I'm more focused...more relaxed...and i enjoy what i do more than i used too, but I've realized that no amount of money makes up for my absence.
A lot of guys that i know have told me that they play to be out of the house. I'm close with my wife. I don't need an escape.
I must say that I'm really looking forward to getting this hand-made Ivanberg Neanderthal from
@syscokid.
I have plans to use it as my #1 amplifier, whether that be teaching for Rockstars or the occasional recording session with a live amp.
I do, sometimes say 'yes' when i am asked to cover a missing band member, but it's nothing like my previous, musical fanaticism where i didn't feel like i had accomplished anything unless i was committed to a 5-6 night a week performance schedule.
We spend most of those nights here now.
