Oz Noy has started a guitar blog for Guitar Player. In his first installment, titled Being a 21st Century Musician Part 1: Vintage vs. New Gear, he discusses his opinion about playing old gear vs. new gear on gigs:
There are a lot of options out there for new guitars, amps, and pedals that are supposed to have the vintage vibe, but to be totally honest most of that stuff is just okay. There are a few things that are really good and very close to the old gear, and with a little luck you can find those. They probably won’t be as good as the old stuff, but they will be close enough, and as a player you can close that gap by the way you play if you know how to get your tone.
I look forward to reading part 2 and other future installments.
It all depends on the brand and model really and how each individual instrument has been cared for.
I don’t really think it matters so much about what guitars or amps you use. It’s all about the player to me.
Some people say this guitar is good for blues, this one is for metal and this one is for jazz.
I use a Jackson Dk2m and play blues, heavy metal, classical and acoustic, because I found a guitar that I’m comfortable with.
I agree with both Justin and Chris.
You can make one guitar sound good playing different styles of music according to how you play and set it up.
I also believe the right gear, new or old can greatly enhance the sound you are going for.
I am a big fan of tube amps and you can buy a brand new tube amp that sounds every bit as good as an old model.
Just my two cents worth of opinion.
Cheers,
Kirk
I agree to a certain extent. Tone is very much in the fingers but a lot of modern stuff just can’t be replicated without similar gear. It doesn’t have to be an exact match but you can’t get a hollow body sound with a Jackson. And there’s no substitute for a delay pedal for modern rock. With that said, I think a lot of modern players try to cover back techniques with fancy gear.
You really just have to go out and search for the sound your looking for. I go to different music stores and try whatever gear they have to get a feel for the sound I’m looking for. There are so many amps, pedals, and the like to create a special sound….so get out there and search.