ilovefuzz.com

Fender Roadhouse Strat: my first Strat that didn't suck. It's still my guitar of choice
Jet City JCA20H: my first tube amp that didn't explode within a week.
Ibanez AD9: first delay pedal

Fender CP Jazzmaster: This is my favorite guitar and I think it sounds better than a lot of guitars that cost 2 or 3 times as much. It has the clarity and sharp attack that I love about single-coil guitars, but it has this throaty punch that you just can't get from a strat or tele. It sounds amazing clean...and of course it sounds like a motherfucking boss through fuzz.

Roland Gaia: I kept gassing for guitar synth pedals, so I decided to step it up and just buy a synth. I found a good deal on a gaia, so I snagged it, and my life has been filled with synth bass, drum sounds, and weird ambient noises ever since.

Whammy V: I like to bend dem chords and make faux-bass lines. Plus, it makes me sound like battles.

phantasmagorovich wrote:What's it with the strings? I have always played a heavy gauge so I could not tell a difference, but what happened when you dudes started putting heavier strings on your guitars? I tarted with a heavy gauge, because I wanted to be a hard-ass.

tone
speed, as in it made me play (and work) slower on the board, but allows for even faster picking, since there's less give
subtle, slow bends instead of crazy ones

this is just worked for my playing technique and ability, which no one should shoot for

for reference, I use jazz light .11s w/wound 3rd on my Jag (my current set doesn't have the wound 3rd and I'm so upset) and baritone lights on my Tele (.13s tuned to C standard)—all D'Addario

My V4. It kicks so much ass on both guitar AND bass. Th first truly great spring reverb sound I have ever achieved. I don't really need a pedal for it anymore. Cranking it up to full volume is its on psychedelic experience, the room gets warm from all the air being charged...

The Fz-2. The boss hyper fuzz. Total sonic annihilation. It has made me truly enjoy playing bass for the first time in my life, I can channel so many emotions through it...it just sounds like me.

My strat, given to me by my now deceased family friend/uncle. If it weren't for him, I would never be playing music in the first place!

kosta wrote:Great thread! And difficult to nail down but....

I'm totally loving this thread. Really good stuff. Thank you, everyone, for all the great responses.

Yeah this is a pretty rad thread

Flatwound strings: they let me do shit that to do on rounds would come out like a squeaky, buzzy, clanky mess.
Katana Sound SBF: this [and the sabbat bass breaker of late] is one of the few distortion type FX that don't in some way get in the way of my playing.
Space Echo: I don't even use it much anymore but having one since early in my playing has really shaped some of the stuff I do without any delay...

Fender stratocaster - my first guitar that was actually mine. I played on relatives and friends extra or unused guitars for like two or three years until I couldn't find one to borrow anymore. I went to look for a replacement and was prepared to spend like 700-800 $$$ on Gretsch or something similar. I checked out my local music store (who only carries cheap beginner stuff Ive never heard of) and they had a real stratocaster for $250. I used all my money (~$60) for them to hold it for me and sold my xbox 360 on my mom's ebay to take it home. It is a 1993 mim and the only guitar ive ever owned myself. Been playing on it ever since.

mxr m-177r flanger - one of my favorite and first pedals I ever got. It was probably like number 10 or something. I went through a few Boss things before doing more research. I decided I wanted one. It was the first into the world of other pedals that arent Boss lol. Had it for like two years and then sold it for quasar dlx. But i got another one about a year ago and I use it for like 80% of my modulation. never felt the need to look at other flangers.

Acoustic b200 bass amp - I played bass for a few years before I started guitar. Once i got into bass, this was the amp I got. I used it all the time and brought it everywhere to play with friends. So many memories of how bland and complicated (7 tone knobs or so) and so heavy it was for a 14-15 year old that had just got a dean bass that wasn't like $50. I sold it to my friend who plays keyboard and it actually sounds pretty awesome. I guess i just wanted something dirtier!

on another note, its kinda weird that most of you guys are using heavier strings and picks. i use .10s all the time, i guess what sounds best for my guitar. And Ive use .60 tortex picks for forever. I have some jazz iiis laying around that see some use. But i guess its just what works for me. Maybe if i get another guitar sometime

Jazzmaster: I think the first time I picked one up I actually said, "so this is how guitars work."

Alesis Microverb: that thing is pretty much why I'm not gearmanndude

Yamaha RX-8: I taught myself how to write/program drums, and how to play in odd times with that thing.

zRobertez wrote:... on another note, its kinda weird that most of you guys are using heavier strings and picks. i use .10s all the time, i guess what sounds best for my guitar. And Ive use .60 tortex picks for forever. I have some jazz iiis laying around that see some use. But i guess its just what works for me. Maybe if i get another guitar sometime

I went through a period when I was using Dunlop 1.5mm picks for everything. Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, everything.

1- Pick, Dunlop Jazz III (the red one), because of the ILF love... I tried them and I fell in love too.
2- Wright Sounds Fuzz-Stang MkII, Marc Ribot, Jon Spencer, Bill Frisell, ... so why not me.
3- Liquid Gain Hydra, the perfect vintage sounding overdrive.

1. Epiphone custom sg
Ugly as fuck, black and gold, crappy guitar. But it made me fall in love with electric guitars and was a big step up from my acoustic, at the time I just loved the look and feel of it, because I didn't have an amp for a few months
When I moved on I sold it so someone else might have a similar experience
Which brings me too
2. Peavy vypyr 30
By all accounts a regular solid state amp, but it got me loud and the build in effects sparked something in me and I have been playing it ever since, still my only amp
3 boss dd20 gigs delay
I fucking love delay pedals and miss this dearly, my first ever pedal, starting a sick addiction

sylnau wrote:1- Pick, Dunlop Jazz III (the red one), because of the ILF love... I tried them and I fell in love too.

Didn't went that much back in time but These are my picks since 20 years. I always try other but These just feel right and give me a Good Control. But i don't think they had a Big Impact when i switched to them back in the days: i sucked more than i do now and there was so much improvement on all Levels that it Kind of vanished in the Background Noise of my suckage. So it is Not worth mentioning to me in this thread.

univalve wrote:The Background Noise of Suckage

This goes into the band names thread.



Thanks all, for your explanations regarding the heavy gauge strings. It actually makes me want to try a light gauge just so I can see how that is. But I have got a very heavy right hand and would probably break those strings.

And, yes, this is a really cool thread.

I wouldn't bother with light gauge strings. If you like heavies then i don't think it's possible to dig lights. Then again, I "graduated" from lights to heavies, so it's a given that I think they are better. You'd have to set your neck up differently for lights as well, so if you've got a set up you're happy with it's probably not worth it. Duck into a music store and play something there - they usually have lighter gauge strings on.