greigoroth wrote:I hate knowing that I'm so shallow that I won't buy a pedal because of it's cosmetics, but fuck, at least now I know that. That dude who posted the awesome source audio reverb demo and this thread have convinced me that I really couldn't buy an awesome sounding pedal that didn't float my boat visually. I've justified my thinking ex post facto by the following reasoning: Most of the shitty dives I play in, when I do get to play, are filled with drunks, or disinterested randoms. Most of the sound guys are disinterested and drunk. The difference between a Boss DS-1 and a Mesa Triple Rectifier under such conditions is negligible. Therefore I buy pedals to inspire myself. The visual aspect, including the size and colour of the box, the layout, the labels on the knobs, which functions exist and which don't, the range of the knobs, - all of that is to somehow make me want to play more or find new ways of playing stuff. Fuck you Tortuga. I'm with Insubordination.
This is nothing to be ashamed of, in my opinion. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and no one should judge that. If you are inspired to write a poem or a guitar piece after you see a squirrel killed by a lorry on the motorway, so be it. I'm inspired every time I go out to my music room and just look at what I have. Some are inspired by their fans, while others are inspired by the money they make. Whatever it is should be at least respected to the best of your ability. If your motive for rape is because you're a sadistic pig then that shouldn't be condoned, but you get what I'm saying.
I'm glad someone finally admitted to it, anyway. I think there are far more folks out there that let on who enjoy buying things based on their visuals as well as their sonic attributes and functionality. We buy things because of affordability, right? So why wouldn't we buy something because it's cosmetically pleasing to us? I like aged and worn looking guitars, whether naturally or artifically, not because it makes me look like I'm well-played or 'ran the circuit', so to speak. It's because it looks beautiful.
Ultimately, whatever you use to get your ass out of bed in the morning, as long as does not affect others, is fine with me and should be cool with everyone else as well. I started out on acoustic, writing songs, discovering rhythms and chords. Then I moved on to shredding and theory, practising three hours a-day on sweep techniques and scales. Then I joined bands and began writing and performing in public. Then I learned to appreciate gear and became obsessed with it. At the end of the day, I'm still playing music.
