Shredcow:
Actually, is it really free? I've been READING (reading only ah) that pros are finding it hard to land free gear. Most of the time, its gear on loan or sold to them for a discount.
Not every pro out there gets a full endorsement...
Actually, you're right. We only see the top 1% of musicians who make it, and they get the free stuff. But these are the ones we listen to most of the time, and I think the idea of GAS comes partly from seeing our heroes use that same equipment we want. That's where marketing communications comes into play.
I remember one article where Nuno mentioned he met EVH in the studio once, and EVH said to him: "Hey, I got my new rig here. want to check it out?", then Nuno thought "Hell yeah! Now I'll sound like my hero EVH!". Then Nuno mentioned that when he played EVH's guitar and rig, he sounded just like himself. That's why he said the tone is in the fingers.
I had the same experience once. I liked my friend's tone so much, I thought, hell, I'll copy his settings (back then it was the BOSS ME-30), and I'll get that same tone! Next thing you know, I sounded like myself... :? I'm not even talking about skill. I'm talking about that same sound you hear fom yourself no matter what you play. i've learnt the long and hard way, it's got to do very much also with how you fret, how you pluck, and the kind of pick you use. And those are very individual things.
I gave up gear chasing long ago and started trying to simply buy stuff I liked hearing rather things I wanted because so and so used it. It was also then that I discovered that different guitars make you play differently. THAT was a revelation. I mean, I've heard about that, but I've never experienced it.
When I play my strats, I play very differently from a Les Paul and from superstrats. There's a lot more raking and slapping the notes on the strat than on the others. My playing is more percussive, and touch-sensitive on a strat. on a les paul, I'm more about squeezing one note and seeing how long I can get it to sound. On superstrats, it's more about articulation, and how many notes I can play in one bar without sounding like shit. Really weird. Never realised that my playing could be so different on different guitars.
Anyways, I still believe that with money, you can buy sound, but not tone. And anyways, that money belongs to the individual. Who are we to decide for them how it should be spent? Let them be happy with their purchases. I'm happy with mine, and I'm sure you're happy with yours... :wink: