An obsession of mine throughout my playing music is with good sound quality (or tone).I find this actually to be common with stringed instrument and keyboard musicians, although I don’t know why.
There are benefits to a performer being so focused on good sound quality, namely that the performer is striving to get the best sound to the listener as possible.However, there is a downside when “tone chasing” is taken too far.That downside is in wasting time tweaking minutia instead of practicing the instrument or even making good music.I am definitely guilty of this.
My suggestion as well as my rule of thumb is that if I am spending more than one minute dialing in my sound I should stop and simply practice.Part of the reason for this is I have spent many hours on each instrument I own tweaking the tone over a period of years.If I can’t get it to sound good enough to the layman I should simply give up.I feel I would be a much better musician had I spent 1/10th the time tweaking my tone and used that time instead to practice being better at playing (for example, working on playing along with a metronome, studying music theory, writing music, etc).
Then there is the topic of the dreaded disease known as “GAS” (gear acquisition syndrome).How many times have you seen someone with a low end instrument blow away another musician with an uber high end, presentation quality instrument?Jaco Pastorius, quite likely the greatest electric bassist in history, was known for using instruments that were beat up and looked far from pristine or “high end”.Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin), Jack White (White Stripes), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Hound Dog Taylor (solo) where all known for using inexpensive gear at times with amazing results.
I am not implying quality gear doesn’t matter.I would argue that it does indeed matter in many situations.The key, I think, is to know when it matters and when it does not.Also, I’m as guilty as the next person at admiring beautiful instruments and gear.My solution to GAS is to admire expensive gear from afar and use it as a reminder to practice the instruments I currently own.If I feel the new gear would allow me to get to the next musical level or solve a technical problem with my current gear, then I consider looking at the price tag.If that isn’t enough to cure my GAS then I am likely to make a purchase.Usually I find the gear I own (which admittedly is on the higher end of the spectrum after years of “trading up”) is more than sufficient for my needs.
Also, string players, don’t forget the effect of fresh strings (or new tubes for amps) can have if it is time to change them.
