So what's an active amateur guitarist to do? I play (at least) three times a week, so this is more than just a hobby. I need gear that is playable, reliable, and produces a good tone. If my tone is bad, or I can't keep my instrument in tune, or my amp melts in the middle of a song, I drop out of the mix at best, or create a pretty bad distraction at worst. Trust me--nobody in my church wants to hear fizzy microtones.
As I have thought about this over the past few years, I have arrived at a pretty simple solution:
Work with what you have
Accept that you are in a situation, and that unless you forsake your responsibilities (a wife and children in my case--your specifics may vary), you aren't going to be able to do a whole lot to change that situation. Accept that you won't be able to plink down ten grand on a few new Andersons, and it will be less surprising when it doesn't happen.
Have you accepted it? Good. Now, how do you curate your presence in the mix if you can't invest money (at least at the moment) in your sound? Here are my suggestions--please add anything you think is helpful in the comments.
- Grade your tone in the mix: Your rig sounds completely different when you're playing by yourself than when you're playing with the band. And, in general, it sounds a lot better with the band than it does without. The blend of sound can help hide some of the things you find less desirable about your tone, both from you and the folks who will be listening to it. This was true for me with my Spider IV combo--it wasn't made perfect, but it was such that I could still enjoy hearing it and have confidence that it sounded good in the house, too.
- Tweak your settings: Most guitarists I've met (including myself until recently) will lazily settle for the conclusion that they don't have decent gear and that the only possible remedy is to replace it with something that costs at least twice as much. Get in the habit of searching for tones in your low-end gear, and if you ever get your hands on high-end gear, you'll already be primed to get the most out of it. This also gives you a much better sense of what you actually want in your sound, because you're investing time in trying different things to see what works. Don't expect it to sound perfect when you first plug in--turn the knobs and listen!
- Do your own maintenance: You don't have to pay someone to change your strings, tweak your truss rod, adjust your intonation, or clean up your instrument. A properly set-up guitar will have more stable tuning, produce a better tone, and be easier to play. You can have this properly set-up guitar with a little know how and a few tools (some of which may have already come with your guitar).
- Don't be a collector: Guitars have sentimental value--I won't deny that. But don't hold onto a guitar, amp, or pedal that you never play while a critical part of your rig suffers. Don't be the guy with three $1000 Carvins and a Princeton Chorus (trust me, I've been that guy, and it isn't pretty). If you have something that you aren't using, or even something that you occasionally use but is reasonable to part with, then part with it.
- Settle for less than perfect: I would love a Matchless and an Anderson Short T. But the chances of me getting either of those (let alone both), even on the used market, are slim to none. I just will not have the money. And so while many of you will rage against the idea of settling for anything when it comes to tone, I would encourage you to learn to do so. There are $500-$1000 amps and guitars out there today that will serve you well, and they're much more realistic for your strapped budget than that "super gear" that will probably end up letting you down once you finally have it.
Well, that's all I have for now. The most important thing is to be realistic, and make the best of what's real and feasible. Remember, that C-30 probably won't fit in a shopping cart, so before you sell your house, work with what you have.
