I see a lot of good threads in the forum regarding which gear to purchase, and this is a smart thing to do - ask other people for their insight into your investments. There are a few common misconceptions I see in these queries that I feel I need to address, so I figured the best way to do it was by writing an article.
One of the greatest expenses for musicians is their instruments, and within the category of instruments I would definitely include gear. What does that shiny new
ESP sound like unplugged?
Garbage.
Your amplifier is as much a part of your sound as your guitar, obviously, and without it your electric guitar is basically worthless - except as a log with strings you can use to practice on. No need to spend thousands of dollars on that!!
So you need an amp. We'll start by addressing this common question, inserting a common brand name, and feel free to insert your own if you don't happen to like Marshalls.
example: Which Marshall should I buy?
That's an excellent question, but one you really should be answering yourself. So how do you do that? Go shopping.
If you are over 16 (driving age in the USA) and have access to a vehicle, plan a route. Don't be afraid to find or buy a map (darn good investment, folks, especially considering gas prices) and figure out where you are going to go in a three or four hour time span to simply explore, have fun, ask questions and learn what it is you want to buy.
Pull out your Sharpie (black magic marker, btw) and put little dots all over your shiny new map. This is assuming you have shelled out the $2.50 for a city map and it is YOURS. If it's someone else's, well, use pencil or something. But don't just start marking up the map, you need to pick up the phone first to find out which stores are going to be worth visiting.
Which stores should I shop at?
Guitar Center is going to pop up everywhere and unless you are an Inuit living in the wilds of Alaska you probably have one a stone's throw away from you. Now GC is good for some things - strings, picks and sticks - but otherwise I suggest avoiding them. You are making a SERIOUS investment here and GC is not the place to do it.
Chances are they won't carry the high end stuff you'll want anyway. At best you'll find mid-grade gear and the noisy environment, pushy salespeople and bad acoustics will combine to make a sensible decision impossible. So look for a good LARGE music store other than GC - most commonly it will be the place all the kiddies go to rent their clarinets for school.
Every town has one.
The nice thing about these sorts of places is they tend to have a decent variety of stuff, and teachers/staff are fairly knowledgable. Also, they have some good relationships with several manufacturers so if you decide to go with Marshall or Peavey or Laney or Mesa or Vox or...they can more than likely order what they don't have.
But these large stores are generally quiet and the atmosphere is much more conducive to serious gear shopping.
Also add some smaller shops to your list. Such specialty shops are going to carry a limited variety of gear, but you will find that they often carry the quality gear you are looking for.
The whole point of this outing is to learn. You are NOT going to buy ANYTHING yet. The large store will give you a run-down of what brands are available and their relative cost: Crate is less than Peavey is less than Marshall is less than Mesa (in a nutshell.)
Quality also follows price, pretty much.
The small shop will allow you to select within a certain gear type or brand and pick the brains of people who are MANIACS about the sort of music you play. They will often tell you their own preferences or warn you against certain brands and models. Also, the smaller shops I've visited aren't quite as aggressive about selling you things. They are more willing to hang out and establish a relationship with you. That's how they stay in business.
I would recommend visiting at least three shops on your little excursion. Five is a good happy number that will bear good fruit and ten is just, well, a little obsessive.
So you're looking at your map and you have circled some shops in the phone book that seem like they are worth visiting. Now find them. Put a little dot on the map at each location and find a way to make a nice loop away from home and back again - don't backtrack or you're just wasting time. Save gas, save time, and reduce your frustration level. Make it fun!!
If this excursion does not solidify for you exactly what piece of gear you need to buy, then do it again, only a little more focused next time. Listen to pros, find out what they use. Ask around on internet forums like this one, only this time narrow it down to two or three models. Find shops that carry a specific brand and model - don't waste time on those that don't.
And when you finally know, and I mean really KNOW, then find your price and fight like hell to get it.
Okay, so how do I use this information?
This example was intended to demonstrate what buying gear is all about: survival. Man is a hunter/gatherer and we are competetive by nature. Somewhere out there is the perfect guitar/amp and some other dude wants to buy it - and as capitalism and Democracy dictate, if he gets there first he will. So beat him to it!!
You have to be smart, aggressive and determined, but most of all, you have to know what you can spend and be prepared to spend it.
You're going to be out a LOT of money, friend.
Here's where the problem arises: spending the cash. The reason "which ... should I buy?" is such a vital question is you have realized the most important factor in economics - you have a limited amount of money.
Good for you, you get an A+ for the day.
So with that limited amount of money you have a choice - you can waste it, or you can gather it all up, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike, and then unleash Hell upon the world when you finally spend your wad on the perfect piece(s) of equipment.
You will be the envy of your friends and the best sounding musician at your school - assuming you've practiced your fundamentals.
But here's where it gets tricky: knowing when to spend and when NOT to...
A good head (amp) is a friend for life. Spend wisely. Now conventional wisdom (ie your parents) may tell you that means not spending a lot, and they are right, to a point. But you must spend enough to get quality or you are just wasting your money. Don't buy cheap just because others suggest it. This is YOUR hobby, your passion, or possibly (one day) your job. How many carpenters do you see with crappy hammers?
Exactly. Most carpenters have $30 or $40 hammers because they use their hammers for hours on end - so they buy the best. It's worth it.
This is the foundation of your sound.
Think about your sound as a house. You don't build a house (any house) all at once. Even Donald Trump doesn't fork over the whole 400 million for a new skyscraper overnight. First he pays a crew to demolish an old building. Then he hires some guys to dig a hole and pour some concrete. Then he pays some people to erect a steel grid and so on. Each step is a small investment adding up to this grand structure when it's finished.
Become an architect of your future sound. With a good amp and a decent guitar, you can go anywhere. But patience is the key.
I know you want to buy a rig tomorrow and plug in, hit that holiest of holy chords, the open E, and hear your devastating sound echoing through an arena with thousands of rabid fans spitting and sweating on you. That's a worthwhile goal, but don't get too excited, young Jedi.
Is it better to buy a mediocre rig today or to get one crucial piece of a killer rig today and hold out for a better sound tomorrow?
Hold out.
Some friends of yours will probably do the former and show you up (for now) with some fancy guitar and decently mediocre little amp. Let them. Keep suffering with your flawed rig, slowly building the monster, and one day you will have something that is far more valuable - a professional tool.
Here is where the band-breaking economics comes in (how my band, and most bands, explode):
Do you want the satisfaction of playing at a professional level, providing a valuable service for your fans, having fun and potentially making money for years on end?
Most people say they do, but they don't. What most people want is a night of glory.
The Night of Glory goes a little something like this: you've practiced your eight or nine songs, you think your band is the coolest thing ever. You show up at your first gig to find five (if you're lucky) of your closest friends, a bartender and a sound guy in an empty bar at about 7 at night. You go through sound check, you play, and you feel a confusing mix of emotions; excitement, fear, disappointment, anger...
Your band may have a few nights of glory, and it may go on like this for months, getting a bit better every time. But what happens most of the time is that somebody (if not everybody) walks.
The reason is often money.
See, every band has a financier. In the early days of Metallica the financier was Ron McGovney, a bassist who assisted the band with their transportation costs (and presumably everything else.) This relationship ended as the band/financier relationship usually does - with equipment being thrown out the back of a van and cold, hard feelings being expressed as the tense relationship finally imploded.
I was the financier in my band. We played in my parent's basement, we used my amps and equipment, my drums, even half of my microphone collection.
In those days we rarely got paid, but I felt that at least $100 should come my way given the many hours of sweat and tears (and sometimes blood) I put into the shows. And we drew a crowd, normally at least 30, but often 80+ because we were good. Pretty good, anyway.
Well one night I watched all the bands come and go, each abusing my equipment, spitting in my microphones and spilling beer on my drumset. When it came time to negotiate for our earnings, the disappointed band leaders returned saying, "sorry man, nothing tonight."
Being the financier, I took it to heart, and decided to locate the manager and tell him, quite colorfully, how he was a bleepidy bleeping bastard and he could bleep my bleeping bleep.
I was arrested and the band broke up.
What did I learn from this experience? A band that consists of dreamers and wannabes will take advantage of anyone who can get them another Night of Glory, and this NOG dependency is much like any drug or alcohol addiction; it soon deteriorates into a viscious cycle or even violence.
You must be prepared to struggle. You must be patient. You must know when to spend and when not to spend, and that goes for time as well as money. I have had my nights of glory, my cheap thrills from playing badly at venues of ill repute, and they mean nothing to me. I have also made beautiful music with people that I respect.
Save your money, save your time and save your talent for those who share your devotion. Makers of crappy equipment that sounds bad don't deserve it. Bandmates who want you to break your back so they can feel like rock stars for 15 minutes don't deserve it.
You may be saying, "okay, but I'm too young and my parents won't let me invest myself seriously in my music," but perhaps if they saw that you were determined, had a plan and were seriously invested in something positive they would help you. Perhaps they would drive you around to shop for instruments. They may even loan you money, as long as you are serious about paying it back. If not, imagine how proud they would be of you if they discovered you had a job and had purchased some professional tools all on your own, without their help.
No better way of getting back at discouraging parents then by proving them wrong and becoming a success!
You may be saying, "yes, but I'm poor and I can't afford the instruments I want," and to that I say yes you are, if you believe it. Hundreds of people from Birmingham, England in the late 1960's had dreams of becoming the next Beatles, bought cheap guitars and banged around in their basements for a while, but the projects fizzled and they went their separate ways.
Some of them are probably still poor, struggling in Birmingham with but a few happy memories of a few nights of glory in some stinky bar. Most never made it that far.
But then there is Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and John Osbourne. Ever heard of them? Black Sabbath started out with nothing, just lower-class jerks everyone expected to fail. They made their share of mistakes over the years, but they did something right.
They probably influenced you even if you don't realize it yet.
/ my profile 
