Who has bought gear because of someone famous?

[fetch]

I'd never really bought anything guitar-gear wise because I'd seen it off someone famous. I think the closest I came with that was a DS-1 when I was 13-14 because I knew Kurt Cobain used one. After that point I kind of did the opposite and stayed away from products they used as well as the effects for obvious reasons.

Anyway, fast forward 8 or 9 years and I watched a Modest Mouse interview. They were my favourite band in highschool as I figured I "discovered them" as no one else in my area had heard of them (and still hadn't until 2009) but I never saw videos or anything. In fact I hadn't seen them play live as their first Australian tour was in 2004. Needless to say I attended but seeing them in the flesh was not like Nirvana, Metallica, 5million other bands where their gear and sound is smeared all over everywhere. I'd like to think I'm a lot more learned now and find that most products don't interest me as I already have them covered. This was ALSO the case with the recent purchase I made. Anyway, hahah, totally lost where I was at but basically I was super duper excited when I saw the interview/vid/gear in the vid and felt like I was 14 again. I took 600 screen shots, realised we shared similar gear anyway in the broad aspect of things but saw this and just had to buy it-



I got one locally as I found out the business went under. I mean I already have tremolos that can do similar things but I thought what the hell... I had an RV3 and everyone accused me of stealing the idea of Radiohead when really it was a locally funk band. I mean it started to bug me that no one inspired me enough to want to copy and I was questioning my commitment/desire anymore (I never had posters or any of that shit either... I just liked music man! haha). It's natural and I think even though it's looked down on in some circles I personally think it should be encouraged. Anything to get someone playing so don't be shy in posting your examples! If I had more income I'd totally be all over a Dimebag guitar as I think they're pretty hawt by certain manufacturers and I always thought he was a killer metal guitarist but in my old way of thinking I'd be like "ah, that's $500 that could be spent on being original" (whatever that means).

[Heavy_Soul]

I bought a French Toast as my first pedal when I was a youngster, as I heard Eddie Hazel used a Foxx Tone Machine, I can't believe I sold that thing for £15, I really miss it and have had such a hard time finding another one...

I also bought the obligatory Shredmaster only to be hilariously disappointed with how terrible it sounded through my rig

[Fuzzy Fred]

I bought a DS-1 because I heard everyone used one, then I found out they suck. I do want something to meet that Jack White kinda solo tone though

[DarkAxel]

I bough Wampler Faux Tape Echo after drooling over Kayzer's demo

from him

FUCK YEA

wait, Kayzer is famous, right?

oh yeah and i totally bought Boss PH-2 because Mike Einziger has two of them... i have to buy it again, dammit

[fetch]

I bough Wampler Faux Tape Echo after drooling over Kayzer's demo

from him

FUCK YEA

wait, Kayzer is famous, right?

Heheheheh. A friend of mine is OBSESSED with GMD for some reason, he's a bit older than me, but I think that's cool too. Whoever inspires you, I guess is what I meant, more than famous! But as I said NO ONE plays an instrument where I live, or at least they never used to when I was growing up and easily persuaded, so it was only TV/radio/MP3 by that stage!

[theactionindex]

I bought my very first fuzz and a wah because of "Slunk" by The Smashing Pumpkins when I was 14, and I bought a MIM Fender Strat that same year because Billy Corgan plays one, well not a mexican one, but still, a strat. FANBOYYYYYYYYYYYY.

[aen]

I've never really bought any "famous gear" but whenever I play a strat, I turn into the world's worst Billy Corgan copycat.

[fetch]

I've never really bought any "famous gear" but whenever I play a strat, I turn into the world's worst Billy Corgan copycat.

Hahaha. You just reminded me... I bought YOUR Shell Pink Jag (and now it's with a local band who actually put it to good use)...

You're famous 'cos you're everyone's old pal!

[futuresailors]

Save for a couple ILF/boutique-y pedals, my whole rig is based off Alison's Halo, Slowdive and The Raveonettes. or ?

[modernage]

I think Aen unintentionally makes a good point. Just asking who has bought gear due to someone famous creates a loophole for people to feel like they are more "original" than they really are. I think technique and how we set up our gear can be just as much influenced by someone else. We've all got influences, and they're impossible to escape. We may not be running out to buy a strat to run through an opamp Big Muff into a Marshall 2203 to try to replicate the Pumpkins tonez, but how many times do you hear "put the 'verb before the fuzz! It's so shoegazey"?

There shouldn't be shame in trying to capture a piece of a sound from someone who became successful due to it. It changes your perspective about building on a foundation laid by someone else when you realize your favorite bands were guilty of it first. What I think is lame though is when people only buy gear based off of pictures of pedalboards they saw on a gear forum owned by someone who never played his guitar outside of his bedroom. That seems silly to me.

There have been a few times I have purchased gear because of someone else. First example that comes to mind: I bought my Tele and Hot Rod Deville because of a local indie band...... and also because of Jonny Buckland.

[Achtane]

I never knew about the SBV basses before discovering Supercar and Polysics, and then I went nuts. Worst GAS I have ever had. I'm so grateful one appeared that week or there might have been a killing spree. I guess that counts. I didn't get it to replicate their sound, though.

[StopReferencing]

I think I traded for a Shredmaster because I like the lead sounds on The Bends, and I really wanted to get rid of what I had.

[Holy Schnikes]

I have a Maton BB1200, Josh Homme sig. I was wanting a smaller hollow body with high output, fit the bill perfectly. Pretty much like a standard BB1200 with badass satin tobacco burst finish, which I favored. Easily my favorite guitar.

Actually, both of my Matons can be attributed to Queens, as I'd never even seen one until the Songs For The Deaf tour. Got a chance to play one a couple years later, rare in the US, unfortunately. Maton builds some quality, great sounding electrics.

[dubkitty]

4 of my guitars were chosen after an instrument i heard a favored player on: the 2-color sunburst Strat with the 54 Fender CS pickups is a total Richard Thompson bite, the Epi SG with the Vibrola emulates John Cipollina (yeah, i know, John used a Bigsby...shut up), the Tokai LPS with P90s follows a particular guitar Jerry Garcia played for a few weeks in the summer of 1971 and which appears on parts of the Dick's Pick's Vol.35 and Road Trips Vol.1 No.3 releases, and the Tokai sunburst Les Paul is my Duane Allman/Peter Green model. the guitars don't get used for those exact sounds, though...once they get integrated into my evil plans the tones get assimmilated.

I got over buying boxes and processors because other artists used them real quick...i had gotten by with just a Distortion+ for years, and after a few acquisitions based on Kevin Shields' and Slowdive's setups i soon realized that buying gear because someone else liked its sound was 100% ass-backwards, as my father used to say. now if i don't have the opportunity to demo something in person i pick over multiple online demos with a fine-toothed comb looking for flaws and good points, and i won't buy something unless it makes MY ears happy. i don't care if e.g. Kevin uses a Meatball...i don't like the sound of the Meatball clones, so i bought an EMMA. but i'm still looking for certain gear based on sounds i like from other people...e.g. i'm still looking for Mick Ronson Tone Bender heaven, and am in perpetual Joshua Tree mode regarding the compressor of my dreams.

[dubkitty]

which is to say that i stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllll haven't found what i'm looking foooooooooor.