Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Gear Rant: Fender Roadworn Series

Fuckin' Fender - charging a grand for a MIM guitar! Hey man, I get the road worn thing. I've played a few, and they feel and play great! But a grand for a fuckin' MIM Strat?!!! Fender can kiss my ass!!! I guess they're trying to pass themselves off as a some high-end, high-production, boutique quality manufacturer.

And it ain't just the guitars. I went into a shop the other day and saw a new Hot Rod Deluxe for $849.00, with a MSRP of $1200! That same fuckin' amp went for $599 a goddamn year ago. Shit! For that kind of money, I might as well go the boutique route, because I won't be paying that much more, or go outside the US with great guitar builders in Canada like Godin, Larrivee, and a relative newcomer, Prestige Guitars. These folks make some awesome gear, and they're often overlooked. I've played guitars from all three of these makers, and they look, play and sound kick-fuckin'-ass!

And besides, I could get a more Fender guitar than a Fender by going with a G & L. Their tribute line, even though assembled in Korea, has some real gems. Played both a Tribute ASAT and a Tribute Comanche, and they sounded just like their American counterparts! And priced much better than those fuckin' Roadworn series MIM guitars.

So Fender, up yours!!!

Wanker Rant: On Buying More Guitar Than You Can Play

Never ceases to amaze me at the wankers who buy more gear than they have the ability to play. Great! They have the money, but they never take the time to really get acquainted with the gear they have. I know a dude who's got some beautiful-ass guitars, and you know what? No matter what guitar plays, he still sounds like shit because he doesn't have the technique to take advantage of the great gear he has.

The dude also just spent hundreds of dollars upgrading his amp with NOS tubes and new speakers because he wasn't satisfied with its tone. Shit! He hadn't played that amp enough to break in the original speaker cones in the first place before he up and went to get it "refitted" as he put it. New amps usually sound pretty harsh when they're new. They need several hours of play time before they mellow out. I don't think that dude played that amp more than a handful of hours - and he had that amp for a couple of years!

Look, I understand that if he's got the money, it's his prerogative to spend it the way he chooses. But great gear will only get you so far. At some point, you've got to play your fuckin' equipment and at the very least get to a point with your technique so you can make an informed decision about what direction you want to take tone. After all, 90% of your fuckin' tone is in your hands.