Rob, you are a good musician and I dare to say a good business person, I like the whole Chapman story, the only people who care are usually the haters. Keep on Rockin, have fun and keep putting out good quality products and good art
Your action is too low, you're using too much gain, and you worry too much about which pick you're using - personal experience? Guilty conscience? Me? Surely not!
I’m 70. Been playing electric guitar in bands over 50 years. I must say, the message in this video is incredible! I’ve known this for decades. Thanks for putting this out there ‼️
People need to realize how much happier they will be when they realize that not caring so much what other people think about what they do is very freeing. Its almost spiritual. I was a roommate with eddie kramers son and he came to visit us and we got to hear some really good studio recordings from the 60’s and 70’s.
22+ years as a bedroom player (nobody cares!) and I'd like to borrow the mic for a moment to echo a lot of the video's sentiment through personal experiences. It's incredible seeing figureheads of the UA-cam/online guitar community unify over the last few weeks through warm messages to remind us who the hell we all are offline - imperfect humans enjoying a hobby we love that at one time seemed like magic at a simpler time in life. *If you have ever experienced identity/sense of self issues, this comment is for you. We're all in this together.* First...Music is really hard, dude. Give yourself a lot of credit for what you've done so far. Learning to play well is truly an evolving career in itself, learning about equipment and maintenance another, theory and music language another, recording and mixing another, and it's reasonable to feel like you need a speed boost or quick fix somewhere. When you look around our bubble, there have never been more experts screaming about what you need to buy or what you don't have and it seems like everyone is a virtuoso now! I can't speak for anyone else, but some of the greatest times I ever had with my guitar were my first few years learning...after developing some basics but before I knew about all the different kinds of guitars and gear. Why? Because that was when it was about making what I wanted to make without thinking about what I could have instead... I've since spent so many thousands of dollars over the years and almost all of it was to try to be like someone else (because then I'd be cool, right?!) instead of prioritizing fulfillment and self-expression. A headstock logo or pedal brand is not a sense of identity and self-worth. Companies have made billions convincing new players and frustrated intermediates that if they just buy (item they don't need), their dreams are in reach! In turn, the communities of these players that believe this can end up pushing a sense of superiority from gate-keeping and elitism. It's all part of the desire to be in the "in" group (insecurity) because we know deep down, it isn't the gear - it never was. After the luster of the purchase fades, we still have to practice for hours, days, weeks, months, and years with consistency, intent, and goals no matter what path you take to do (the thing). Let's flip it though -- Why is that a bad thing? Why do we run away from it? That's what brought us to guitar in the first place, right? We want to make cool sounds, challenge ourselves, and feel happy! Your favorite guitarist didn't start out with their signature model either, but it's easy to forget that. You are enough with whatever you have, and I hope you find peace and joy making the noises you find cool forever.
As a 40-years recording pro, I attest to this. I have been extremely fortunate, but also broke like a wind swept tree repeatedly - and put the “career” to rest in the end. Numerous papers show that creative people share an increased mental vulnerability. The share even rises for creative professionals. Way beyond science, we know how every artist we’ve heard of, attribute some kind of suffering or trauma to their art. This tells me that what’s “normal” is a flawed imperative. Being creative is human - being different, vulnerable, intuitive and artfully expressive is too.
Man that is so well said... I echo so much what you said. Let all that go and the fun comes back 🙏 thanks well said and mr Chapman too. Brilliant well needed video.. probably your most important
Thanks, Rob, for this insight, you are absolutely correct.👍 I realized that after collecting 15 of the best guitars. (Gibson, Fender, Chapman, Suhr, Ibanez, ESP, etc) Upgraded them all and set them up as perfect as I can thinking that people will be impressed. But in reality, people don't really care about your gear. It's ONLY Me who cares for it. Also, I have a friend who is a fellow guitarist. He's the only one who can understand "GAS" and my passion for guitars.. the rest they don't even care about "shredding" or "technical skills". Lots of people only enjoy listening to me when I play "mainstream/famous relatable songs" on gatherings. But shredding indulgently on a very expensive guitar doesn't really matter to them. 🤭 The moral lesson is, don't purchase guitars if your goal is get validation or to please other people. The rude awakening is that people don't really care. BUT if you buy because it makes you happy, and it's important to you. Then that's the ONLY thing that matters.😉💯👌
The longer you’re in the recording game the easier it is to fall prey to the idea that to improve means acquiring more and better gear rather than seeking to grow in your art. Thanks for the reminder. I really needed to hear this.
I am a guitarist and pianist. When I am in my guitar circle we talk about gear, amps, pedals, strings, technique etc. When I'm with my Pianist friends, we talk about music.
I study classical guitar + jazz guitar seriously and also dabble in the obligatory studio/funk/gear-laden electric stuff that most dudes over 40 seem to be into. In the classical world, it's almost always about the music. In the jazz world it mostly is about the music and seldom about gear. In the general electric world, whole different story 😮
Ok, but why is that surprising? people don’t trade sell or move pianos around anything like the do guitars, or guitar gear. it’s just a very different environment in almost every way.
@@jonathanstrand2474 … I think the point is that different world is more focused, to their credit, on actual music and less on gear. Remember, that at least in the earlier part of guitar history most of our heroes were way less focused on gear than many (if not the majority) of us.
Hey Rob! It's Rob. You've touched on a very important issue that impacts so many of us: our need for validation from others, and why that is not unhealthy. Most of us want to be liked, admired, loved, and in so doing, we try so hard to impress, and then we are left disappointed and confused by less than enthusiastic responses. We have to do it, whatever 'it' is, for ourselves first and expect nothing in return. I think ultimately what you are saying is be passionate about what you do, be compassionate and engaging, and those around you will be lifted up. Please continue with these types of videos: they are filled with wisdom, humor, and kindness. We all need more of that.
I spent over 20 years obsessively researching tones and collecting vintage guitars and gear… until I completely burned out about a year ago. Can confirm: no one cares, it doesn’t make you a better musician, it doesn’t provide meaningful connections to other human beings, it’s not a smart or reliable “investment,” it takes up a lot of space and requires a lot of maintenance, it’s a burden to sell, collecting is an unhealthy obsessive hobby that puts many people in debt, and you can’t take the shit with you when you die.
Okay I take your problems you take mine? Okay now to go on to the annual band dinner and pretend I lost my wallet because I'm too broke to afford a burger... not selling my Gibson Flying V though haha. I tried... they offer 1.5 k for limited edition going for 3k on Reverb. Fk that. I sold my Duncans and DiMarzio's instead. Those go fast. Guitars not so much. Amps too. People actually need those. Technically you only need one guitar.
ive seen a dude shred like hell with a donner pedal board , when we got chattin' he said that ''smaller gear means less heavy stuff to carry'' , and boy was he right!!
Yup. I similarly saw a busker in New Orleans playing an old cheap Strat copy from some no-name manufacturer through a little solid state Peavey practice amp and he sounded awesome. Make music with what you have.
That is so true. We just listen to the music, the melody, lyrics, and maybe as a musician, you wonder how they got that sound. If we love the music, we're going to listen to it. And we don't care what they used.
Its about the individual's talent and not their equipment. Play the music you want to hear and express what you need to express for your own well being and enjoyment. I was 68 years old when I first picked up a guitar to learn to play and nobody cares. Actually I do care about learning the guitar and hope there is enough years left in me to be able to play it. I care about playing my guitars because weirdly it brings me a sense of achievement and joy.
Agreed! I love acquiring new gear but I've discovered that it isn't about impressing anyone else, but rather inspiring myself. If a new guitar inspires me to play more -- value! If a new pedal inspires me to write a song with a different feel than usual -- value! I also see value to myself, my band and the audience when I buy a product that makes live performance more professional. For example, a product that gives my guitar more tuning stability. That's way more important than the model of guitar I'm playing.
Being 33, I feel like I can share valuable experienes with a lot of younger people. But I feel like I needed to hear this from someone more experienced. This video was valuable.
I'm somewhere between novice and intermediate depending on what I've had for breakfast that day, and I am not in a band nor do I plan to be. I do make a bit of money here and there from electronic music production / soundtracking. But I just bought an Ultra Stratocaster. I can't stop playing it and when I do, I feel something deep within myself, like a direct connection with the history of music or something. Frankly, I don't give a toss if anyone thinks I haven't 'earned' the guitar. I sure as shit earned the money to pay for it! My humble suggestion is to buy what you like because YOU like it, not because someone on the internet told you to buy it or you think it will be a shortcut to great playing or self realisation. But it's never worth going into debt for a guitar (or any other hobby for that matter). If you can't afford to immediately replace it, you can't afford it.
This -> "My humble suggestion is to buy what you like because YOU like it, not because someone on the internet told you to buy it, or you think it will be a shortcut to great playing or self realization."👍 Very well said, You should buy guitars because YOU LIKE IT, and it will make you Happy. Not to please others or buy guitars based on the opinions of so-called experts on guitars that will be a "shortcut" to make you play better, what is cool and what's not, etc. Even if "No One cares", as long as you care and enjoy it. That's ALL that matters.👌
shhhhhh.You said that out loud! I'm seeing the new Slash amplifier go used for $20K....nobody cares if you play the same amp as Slash, especially if you're not making music as good as Slash! Even still...nobody cares! Stop playing music, because nobody cares!
@@user-jq4fz6co8b It's not what it says on the amp, it's how the components are wired together :) A Plexi is still a Plexi even if it doesn't say Marshall. Which is why I'm getting mine handwired from China. Custom Tolex colour options (white for me cuz Randy Rhoads) built in Master Volume and effect loop, less than a grand delivered anywhere. In fact less than 800 bucks. And it's point to point handwired so no PCB, that means if anything breaks, even an amateur can replace the component. PCB takes a very steady hand or a technician. They'll even make you a late 70s JCM 800 ("Master Volume Marshall"). That's what these amps cost, a healthy profit margin and delivery included. Of course it was soldered together in China and not the UK and there's no company logo so that's where the other 2 grand went (like a handwired Plexi 2k + mods for master volume, loop and custom colour, that's easily a grand on top and you gotta have someone who can actually do that within driving range. Easy enough in America but in Europe? There's one amp tech in the capital and he charges pro musician prices...
@@user-jq4fz6co8b And funny enough, neither Slash nor studio, even know which amp he was using on AFD. It's hilarious that there is an AFD signature whatever and it's worth stupid coin when after all, it's just another Marshall. And I'm not gonna sound like Slash anyway, that's for sure.
@@timcat8382 I think the new slash amp originally costs about 7-8 thousand, which is still fucking ridiculous. No amp is wirth that--not a Dumble, Trainwreck or anythign else. It's just circuits at the end of the day.
I just bought a strandberg guitar and I am not a good guitar player, I am not a shredder, but I love the way the guitar plays/looks/feels and it gives me that dopamine hit holding it that spurs me on to play. But there is a stigma/expectation of expensive gear, I would feel almost embarrassed to pull it out and play in front of people because my skill level does not warrant me owning such an expensive instument (and or pieace of gear). There is even a certain toxic subreddit that is literally dedicated to shaming and shitting on people for guitar faux pas, I really wish that "no one cared" and the community was more supportive of each other. Maybe I should care less..... 😅
One of my biggest regrets was selling a guitar early in my development that I didn’t think I was worthy of. I wish I still had it. It was such a great guitar. I hope you keep your strandberg and don’t make the same mistake I made. If it makes you play more and for longer periods because it’s so enjoyable, that’s the guitar for you, no matter the cost.
It's ergonomic, that's reason enough. It's so ergonomic it's improving you health while you read this. I would totally buy one if I had the money, just so I can learn to play guitar without getting out of bed. Now, if you bought that new with with those crazy frets that zig-zag all over the place and couldn't play, that might be concerning... but I don't think I'd care. I'd be more interesting in seeing someone actually play one.
Every time I see you (or Danish Pete, or Rabea) play on your or the Andertons channel, it just brings it home. Good players sound good no matter what gear they are playing. Specific gear may help to find a particular sound in your head, but the fingers are always more important. Which sucks for me...
I agree. Talent, hard work, and feeling in music can't be bought. Having said that I have never released a single track, just played with small cover bands. I play because it makes me feel better. I have two guitars, a cheap amp that I like, few pedals and don't need anything more. Nobody cares. But I still play because I like it.
You’re absolutely right, not going to lie. I have some expensive gear I never thought I’d have, and I’ve not done anything with it 😢 it’s my goal this coming week to actually write something and put it out, one way or another, I have no idea how but I’ll find a way. These inspirational videos have been great Rob 🤘
Yeah. I have a Squier Classic Vibe, AND the Fender Pawn Shop version. Only one guy had even heard of the Squier version. One guy trash talked Squier because it has the wrong name on the headstock, but AFTER the show, he was BLOWN AWAY. Only one friend is enough of a modder to know my Squier Classic Vibe is modded, and we get to nerd out over each other's guitars. 99.99% of the audience would not know one guitar MODEL from another, much less know one guitar BRAND from another. 99.99% of the audience would not know my Fender shirt is old enough to vote. (Not even joking. I still have, and still wear those shirts.) 99.99% of the audience would not know the dance floor in front of the stage is actually OURS, not the venues. 99.99% of the audience ONLY cares about the music itself. If it gets them dancing, THAT is what people care about. If it gets them dancing, you have succeeded. That said, if you see the individual musicians, or the entire bands mingling and befriending, you have a winning ticket.
Very true! Found myself enjoying gear lately, self-justifying it's all about output technical excellency, top notch quality...you name it. In the end of the day, I've stopped recording... it was (is) mostly about ''sword'' coating, ''armor strength'' and all sort of things. And I'm lying to myself I care about the groove or the riff...its 2 mins about music itself and half an hour setting things up for a good ''sound'' (and it still sounds bad). Thank you for this message.
You could say the same thing about guys in bar bands who are constantly tweaking knobs to get some particular tone while the audience is just standing there waiting to hear music. My friend does that and I keep telling him that nobody cares if his tone is exactly perfect.
Dave Simpson is a prize example of this, playing his heart out, sounding phenomenal! The fact its a marshall MG makes no difference! It sounds great, the end!
Exactly! I hate these endless conversations about pick ups or comparing Fractal with tube amps...if it feels great, sounds great I am gonna play it! Thats all I need to know :D
Realizing the truth behind "no-one cares" freed me to sell half my guitars early this year (fortunately right before the used gear market completely collapsed and Reverb became overrun), and much of what I kept is affordable. Right now I own a PRS CE24 SE, a PRS 594 SE, and a Squier Classic Vibe 70s Stratocaster, plus two Mexico made acoustics (one Taylor and one Martin). My amp is a Fender Blues Junior and my pedalboard is an HX Effects. Gear ruled my life for a long time but I'm getting out of it and focusing on just making music.
I was so pleased when a 13-y/o kid who isn't a guitar player looked at my Carvin DC-400 with the translucent red quilted maple top from 1997 and said, "That's a really nice guitar!"
excellent point. my guitar teacher is an exceptionally good musician and usually plays his squire tele. he has some really nice gear, too, but you'd never know just by listening... and you're right, it really doesn't matter.
As soon as your "nobody cares" video finished, youtube started playing an Anderton's video with you and Lee, who was saying "this is literally a prehistoric moose bone, dug up from a bog in Sweden...". pointing to a part of some high-end guitar. 😆
I couldn't agree more. I rediscovered my old Roland cube 20 from the early eighties the other day and put a tune together for a friend using my old Yamaha rgx from the same era... He thought it sounds great...neither cares nor knows what I used..... 😀
I agree 100% Rob. I developed that philosophy 50 yrs ago and has served me well. I enjoy what I do, how I do it with no regard for what others may think. I don't have anything to prove. ☮
Great subject and I totally agree. Still, certain gear inspires YOU (the player). I have purchased expensive gear along the years I'm playing, not even a single time because I thought what others will think...
I don't do this enough, but I can't recommend recording yourself enough. Not only does it help keep things in perspective... but on occasion (and maybe more) you'll find you sound better than you perceive
I bought a 1970s whirlwind 2 metre cable, a really really early one, it's so well made and beautiful, seems almost like a museum piece...oh yeah...pardon me....
Its pointless me telling you that this is of the few POV pieces to camera you have ever done that I respect and totally agree with, because even if other people read this sentence - nobody cares -
Well said, Rob. I’ve shared your view since I started playing. There’s a lot of wank in so many industries and it all comes back to marketing products. A great song or musician is always great, regardless of what equipment they use.
35 years later I feel like I am the only one that cares about my guitar playing.... and I am okay with that. I used to play gigs, colleges, even some small town festival stuff... but in the end, its true - no one cares. Build your own memories... enjoy the ride... save a few trinkets and take a few scalps... share a story about that time you snuck back stage and hung out with Paul Gilbert and Shawn Lane and met Satch, Via, Reb, Andy and Kip (all the Ibanez Hair Band Monsters of the 90s) at the 1993 Ibanez N.A.M.M. Jam. But remember no one else really cares. LoL
I really like this video because it reflects, what I was thinking for years now about equipment and the gear aquisition syndrom, that makes you think, you need this and that to have that final breakthrough with your sound, but nobody cares. 😅
This is the one video where I agree with you 1000%. I stopped caring much about stuff when I realized we all suffer from not playing enough and now I pick up the guitar everyday. The only thing that matters is what you are putting out on an instrument.
None of this matters it is such a personal journey and a calling. What are you doing when no one is watching ? What is your motivation ? because if your looking for that recognition or praise from other people you have to ask yourself, why are you playing in the first place ? But when you are playing that same small gig with a group of guys and having fun, then someone comes up to you during a break or after the show and they say Thank you for that wonderful memory that's when i think it matters, Great video man.
My first guitar was a complete PoS Squier Strat. It didn't have the best fretwork, the pups were so bright you could catch a sun tan & to say the tuning stability wasn't great would be a massive understatement but I didn't care. It was Arctic White & that was all that mattered to me. The hours I put into that guitar as a young teenage kid, wailing away in my bedroom through an even worse 10w Gorilla practice amp, thinking I was Hendrix reincarnate lol. Now, I've been a gigging musician for over 30 years & have some very good gear (too much my better half might say lol) but I doubt any of it could ever feel as magical as that first PoS Squier Strat.
Brilliant! Totally agree sir. I doodled for 6 months in my music room with my Gibson ES339 through a Deluxe Reverb and no one else in the house cared. Then one Sunday i played a brief riff on a performer tele through a battered AC10 and my future son in law knocked on the door and said it sounded sick. Why? Cos that riff was good and the earlier ones weren't. Excellent message, peace!
Very true and it needs to be said. We are being flooded with advertisements for gear from so many UA-cam channels. So if we seem to be suffering from gear acquisition syndrome, I think the UA-cam content creators who we love are certainly contributing to that with all of the paid promotions they do.
word up. I have lived my musical life of 35 years with this ethos at the very core. what's really profound is that I haven't even ever given the concept a moments thought, so even I don't care. the simple fact is that over those many years I have been through so many diverse standards of living due to the fairly common reasons that have faced so many artists and especially rock n roll musicians resulting in me going through the Martin 0028, Gibson (Mick Ron son Tribute), Fender AVRI with Kinman Woodstock plus system, vintage '74 Tele Custom (Mocha), vintage '73 Guild S100 (a sublime guitar, I will never find its equal) and these all lived together with me and my vintage Marshall and Twin. However I have also been through times where having lost them all one by one I owned just one J. Mascis Squier, then a Classic Vibe Tele Custom (with a wide range in the neck) and steadily down to a 30 quid from cash converters Sunn Mustang ( which was actually really great) and presently a Westfield Strat Michael Landau homage type thing and a fantastic East Coast black n gold Les P (b stock bargain of the century) with just a id core v3 10 for an amp. Yet throughout all the ups n downs I have continued writing and recording and loving creating music every bit as much as any time (well apart from perhaps whilst using the 57 reissue / kinman Strat, and the S100) but mostly as you say Nobody Cares even slightly what I recorded any of the tunes with, myself included. The only thing anyone has ever, should ever and most likely will ever care about is of course the song itself because without the song what is there? well just some dudes stuff I guess and no one cares about other dudes stuff really. Apart from the stuff they can listen to and enjoy and even better if it produces the odd goose bump and tingly neck hair sensation cos then you really have done the job right. Peace out
That is so true. It's like food, a nice dish from a high-end restaurant CAN give me the same satisfaction as a nice sandwinch from a small dinner located around the corner.
A 59 Les Paul Standard burst or a 57 Stratocaster, without the master, is just a refined and idolized tool, making the novice essentially a collector of self-aggrandized dreams. An artist is one that can create with the tools at hand, brought by the hours of dedication to one’s art, through enjoyment, happiness, pleasure and all the adjectives that lead to self-fulfillment and contentment. Thanks Rob for the reminders.
Agree with everything you say. Nobody should feel their gear (or the lack of it) is a barrier to creating great music. Buying a U87 won't make you a better singer. Doing vocal exercises and taking singing lessons might though. None of the instruments used on classic recordings by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, ABBA, Elvis and many more, are important. The songs, the melodies, the arrangements and the performance are what made them classics, not the gear. If some people spent more time on learning their craft, be it as a musician, songwriter, producer, and less time lusting after the latest piece of expensive gear, they'd be a lot happier. And their music would be a lot better too.
I 100% agree! Your gear, recording process and surroundings are all for you to create a vibe for yourself. The mark of a good musician is the ability to funnel that emotion into the finished product for the listener.
So true, Rob! Listen to early Misfits records. The sound quality is awful, but the tunes are so strong - the poor sound actually adds to the experience.
You care, and that's all that matters. I don't care, that nobody cares about my music, gear, or any of my processes. I care. It's my release, not anybody else's. And that's all that matters. In early 2000 I bought one of the last Petrucci Ibanez 90th anniversary models for about $2200. Just didn't click with it after having it a bit. Saw DT a couple years later after he switched over to MM guitars and felt a bit abandoned (extremely silly, I know, but it was a real gut reaction). 2006 comes along and my car craps out and I need something more reliable. I had a coworker put the Ibanez on Ebay (no real idea what that was about) and she sold it for $2400, I gave her a $200 sellers commission, which she was more than happy with and put that money down on a used car that I drove for 10 years. Best move ever. Not a great car, but reliable and I got more than my money's worth. The guitar sounded something like the Petrucci sound, and I hated it! I would never get a Petrucci MM, nor most any signature anything now. I just bought a Squier Classic Vibe baritone Tele that I am going to mod the hell out of...because I want to, not because anyone cares what I will do with it or how it sounds. This is all just a journey, our own individual journeys running in parallel with each other that sometimes crosses paths. Those interactions are what we might ought to care about.
I have some Gibsons. That I love. But I recently bought an epi 335 for $280 and I can’t put it down. It makes me feel like I’m John Lennon on the roof. Nobody cares. Love this
So true Rob. Many years ago I sold my only amp, a1960's AC30 and replaced it with a Peavey Bandit 65. My gigging life was instantly so much easier. I know that nobody who saw me play live noticed or cared.
Agreed. I heard a story about Sonny Stitt and his horn that I sort of forget but I'll sum it up. Apparently it was sort of a train wreck, and people were always surprised that he could get the sounds he got from it. It was the guy, drunk as hell Sonny Stitt, not the horn. Proves your point I think.
I'm going to release some music soon and most of the guitar tracks utilize free amp sims and IRs. Then I added some extra tracks through my Valeton GP200 which costs around £300 and sounds amazing. My main guitar is an early 2000s Fender Toronado but I'm 100 percent sure I could get the same result with a much cheaper guitar.
I think kids nowadays are at a disadvantage. They're growing up in an age where limitless entertainment is in front of their face at all times. Few are required or encouraged to spend a portion of their free time away from electronic devices. They spend almost no time alone to discover themselves and their own natural creativity and imagination. I grew up in a different age. No one at that time ever conceived that pencil and paper would one day become obsolete. If you could lay hands on any instrument and could get near a radio, you were in business. If you somehow discovered and could acquire or borrow a book about that instrument, the world of music was wide open to you. And you had none of the distractions of the computer age or the internet. Approached from that level, we had a crystal clear concept of exactly what it was about our musical journey that brought us the most enjoyment, growth, and fulfillment. When given the choice between practicing and studying versus noodling around in a virtual world of music requiring no more effort than a few clicks, which one is a kid likely to choose? I've never been one to be influenced by what the crowd was doing. I was content with what was available to me and got every ounce of use I could from it. As my abilities and knowledge increased, so did my means. Still yet, I knew full well from interaction with other musicians that more expensive, top shelf gear didn't make an accomplished musician from a lazy one. Now that I, at age 60, own a few higher end instruments that I like very much, my beliefs are still the same. Music is about connecting with your audience in a personal way. I can entertain with my beloved 43 year old, road worn, Aria Pro II TS-400 just as well as I can with my Music Man Cutlass RS. I just have to work a little bit harder to do it.
Agreed. It's true. That's why laptop & daw and a usb two ch. audio interface and midi drumkit is such a powerful thing to have. Now we need youngsters who like making music better than playing video games.
You sir, are 100% correct. My professional career was in the 80s and 90s. I toured with a Squier Tele, an Epiphone Les Paul and a solid state Peavey Special 120. The pieces of gear that I did splurge on were a Shure SM58 and a SM57. I was making $300 a week, which sound OK, but I would have needed double that to break even. I played with several aged country music stars like Dottie West, Charlie Walker and Marvin Rainwater. And we also played bars and fairs to fill our time. We averaged 300 days a year, on the road. I got to go home for a few days about once every 3 months. So...with all that said, I think I can speak from experience that, for the layman, you are correct. The only people that might notice you are using something other than top-of-the-line gear will be gearheads and business professionals. Which may be of some concern, if you are trying to break into the business....maybe. However, the general drunk, on Saturday night, couldn't give 2 $hits what you sound like. For many years, I only played pawnshop guitars on stage. My good gear stayed at home. BTW...we had Woolworth stores in the USA as well. Over here, they were a general store. Kinda like Walmart but on a much smaller scale. The lunch counter was famous in the stores here. I grew up in South Dakota. Our store closed in the mid-80s.
I have some great gear now, including some Boss SY guitar synths, and yet … the best sounds I’ve recorded were done the way Rob described at one point - an original Roland MicroCube into the mic input of my PC.. I also used the Cube for monitoring, and some OK headphones. I used Fruity Loops and CoolEdit. I would spend days to make a track basically using that system to create guitar synth tones. Twenty years later, listening to that material always floors me, because it sounds so damn good. Not that anybody (but me) cares. ✌ 👽 🎸
Thank you, Rob!! I needed to hear this. I literally delayed my recording, waiting for a stupid overdrive pedal (I have 12) that probably sounds like the others.
Well said Rob. Play gear that feels good and plays good for you regardless of cost. Money doesn't buy talent. A good musician can make the worst instrument sound great.
Love this video. I can honestly say I was happier as a 13yo with a $250aud tele copy thru a gorilla amp, bashing out power chords, than at any point since. There's nothing wrong with wanting or having premium gear, but it's important to enjoy what you have, and exploit it to it's maximum potential.
100% Rob, I spent 20 years thinking getting 'that' guitar, 'that amp' would make me good....spent loads, I should have spent that energy on practice, I would be 20 times better.
thanks for this . i dont care that nobody cares . i do things to improve and become a better soul . music is about as important to me as it gets ,but its not everything . good message :)
That’s what I like about you Rob. You could use your platform to shove your guitars down everyone’s throat, but you don’t. Very good advice here for players of all levels and stages of the guitar playing journey!
Totally agree. I have a Jimi Hendrix edition Strat that cost me £700 that when I got it buzzed like a nightmare and didnt play at all well. I also have a £50 Pink Encore Strat that needed no setting up and plays like a dream. No fret buzz and low action. I have now set my Jimi strat up and that does play well now and I love it but I could get away with just playing the encore tbh, I don't know why I spent all this time writing this because ... nobody cares!!
I am a recording musician for almost 3 decades now, my home set up is a UA Apollo and a Sphere LX into a high end PC with LUNA and about £8k of audio plugins. But this isn't where I started! Back in the 90's I had a Taskam Porta02 4 track tape recorder with an SM57 and a SM58 that I bought second hand from a studio sale ( and I had to save for almost 6 months to afford it). But regardless of what I had or used it was always about learning how to use what you have so that you get the most out of it. Did you know that you can master 4 tracks from a taskam porta02 onto a portable minidisk player, and then re record that back into the taskam as a stereo track giving you 2 extra over dubs! Won't find that in the manual! My point is the way I learn and how I record is no different. The tech is different but it's still me singing and playing into a red light letting me know that it's listening!
I fell for the click bait, but I think this video was profound and am so glad I watched it. I think "the no one cares" statement is so true. Even further, no one is thinking about you hardly ever.
It's all about the result. If it's good, well, it's good. If you can play a $3,500 Strat, you can play a $119 Strat. In fact, I have a $149 Squier and a post-CBS 1988 American Strat. I like the Squier more and actually feel more comfortable playing it. You mentioned a major mix down tip - SUBTRACTIVE EQ. It always makes more sense to remove the freqs that you don't want than to try and overwhelm them by jacking up the freqs that you do want and THEN balance things. In my bad-boy days in the late 70s, we had a garage that caused our drummers bass and low tom to ring like crazy, When we recorded into our RT909, it went from our basic Peavey PA system, through an Alpine car audio parametric EQ unit where we clamped down those 100Hz demons, and then to the tape. That's all it took to tame the drums.
I’m recording all my music in my bedroom with an electric drum kit, guitar, programmed bass and midi keyboard for all other sounds. Anything is possible when you don’t care what people think
This is a statement that eventually leads to much deeper and darker truths of how we perceive our self. I don't want to step in that,so I won't go there. I have been playing most of my life, 60 years. So yeah I'm a really old guy. And from where I stand now. You are absolutely correct...Literally No One cares.
Thank you for this wonderful message, i seen people with less gear focus on music and make wonderful records, a great example of this is rage against the machine, Tom Morello once said if he every purchased the gear all his friends were buying instead of his cheap guitars, he would have sounded like everyone else, i also noticed people recording entire albums with laptops and winning grammys and people with 100k dollars worth of gear that never even made 1 album. We have a good saying were im from and it says: "its not the bow and arrow, its the Native american shooting that makes the hunt successful!". Cheers come Costa Rica Mr ChapMan!
I saw a guy perform at a local pub not long ago with an acoustic guitar plugged into an amp with a microphone. I normally take note of the gear because I’m a guitar player with a bit of GAS going on but I was sitting too far away to see. The thing that stood out was his bends weren’t up to pitch; noticeably flat and sounded terrible when he played a solo. His singing was OK but was quite pitchy when he tried to sustain a note. The point is, he may have had a $4,000 hand wired boutique amp and a $12,000 acoustic guitar or cheap gear he bought second hand - it doesn’t matter as the thing people will notice is 1) the quality of the singing, 2) the musicianship of the guitar playing and 3) song choice. The only people who care about the equipment is other guitar players. This doesn’t mean you should buy crap gear and be happy about it just because it doesn’t matter much in live gigging scenarios. If you’re spending hundreds of hours per year practicing, you want your guitar / amp to sound good because you have to listen to it all the time.
The best way to remind yourself that gear doesn't matter is to ask your wife (or any female) what her favorite guitar or amp is. Yeah, that'll put you in your place pretty quickly.
Real musicians can play anything that is setup right and make it sound good. Gear heads make gear the hobby and there is nothing wrong with that, musicians just want to play unless they are trying to pay the bills then they endorse products it is not that hard to figure out. You are absolutely right Rob the consumers of your art won’t bother themselves with what gear you use to make it.
If anybody here has any hints or tips for other guitar players please leave them under this comment, let’s help each other out :-)
Who knows ? Who cares, for me ? C’est La Vie. Learn more Chuck Berry & Gregg Lake songs.
Rob, you are a good musician and I dare to say a good business person, I like the whole Chapman story, the only people who care are usually the haters.
Keep on Rockin, have fun and keep putting out good quality products and good art
Take some singing lessons. It's another way to express musical ideas and you don't need more kit for it.
Don't listen to spotty Irish guitarists with long hair.
Your action is too low, you're using too much gain, and you worry too much about which pick you're using - personal experience? Guilty conscience? Me? Surely not!
Is this the most humble brag video of all time.
Yes! The first few minutes were some of the most high quality humble bragging I've ever seen. And Rob sets a pretty high bar on that sort of thing.
I keep getting his videos recommended to me but I end up hate watching them, he's unbelievably smug.
nobody cares
I’m 70. Been playing electric guitar in bands over 50 years. I must say, the message in this video is incredible! I’ve known this for decades. Thanks for putting this out there ‼️
People need to realize how much happier they will be when they realize that not caring so much what other people think about what they do is very freeing. Its almost spiritual.
I was a roommate with eddie kramers son and he came to visit us and we got to hear some really good studio recordings from the 60’s and 70’s.
So true, Rob! It all goes back to that old EVH quote... "If it sounds good, it is good!"
22+ years as a bedroom player (nobody cares!) and I'd like to borrow the mic for a moment to echo a lot of the video's sentiment through personal experiences.
It's incredible seeing figureheads of the UA-cam/online guitar community unify over the last few weeks through warm messages to remind us who the hell we all are offline - imperfect humans enjoying a hobby we love that at one time seemed like magic at a simpler time in life.
*If you have ever experienced identity/sense of self issues, this comment is for you. We're all in this together.*
First...Music is really hard, dude. Give yourself a lot of credit for what you've done so far. Learning to play well is truly an evolving career in itself, learning about equipment and maintenance another, theory and music language another, recording and mixing another, and it's reasonable to feel like you need a speed boost or quick fix somewhere. When you look around our bubble, there have never been more experts screaming about what you need to buy or what you don't have and it seems like everyone is a virtuoso now!
I can't speak for anyone else, but some of the greatest times I ever had with my guitar were my first few years learning...after developing some basics but before I knew about all the different kinds of guitars and gear. Why? Because that was when it was about making what I wanted to make without thinking about what I could have instead... I've since spent so many thousands of dollars over the years and almost all of it was to try to be like someone else (because then I'd be cool, right?!) instead of prioritizing fulfillment and self-expression.
A headstock logo or pedal brand is not a sense of identity and self-worth. Companies have made billions convincing new players and frustrated intermediates that if they just buy (item they don't need), their dreams are in reach! In turn, the communities of these players that believe this can end up pushing a sense of superiority from gate-keeping and elitism. It's all part of the desire to be in the "in" group (insecurity) because we know deep down, it isn't the gear - it never was.
After the luster of the purchase fades, we still have to practice for hours, days, weeks, months, and years with consistency, intent, and goals no matter what path you take to do (the thing). Let's flip it though -- Why is that a bad thing? Why do we run away from it? That's what brought us to guitar in the first place, right? We want to make cool sounds, challenge ourselves, and feel happy! Your favorite guitarist didn't start out with their signature model either, but it's easy to forget that.
You are enough with whatever you have, and I hope you find peace and joy making the noises you find cool forever.
What a wonderfully thought through, interesting and detailed response I really appreciate you taking the time :-)
As a 40-years recording pro, I attest to this. I have been extremely fortunate, but also broke like a wind swept tree repeatedly - and put the “career” to rest in the end.
Numerous papers show that creative people share an increased mental vulnerability. The share even rises for creative professionals. Way beyond science, we know how every artist we’ve heard of, attribute some kind of suffering or trauma to their art.
This tells me that what’s “normal” is a flawed imperative. Being creative is human - being different, vulnerable, intuitive and artfully expressive is too.
Man that is so well said... I echo so much what you said. Let all that go and the fun comes back 🙏 thanks well said and mr Chapman too. Brilliant well needed video.. probably your most important
Thanks, Rob, for this insight, you are absolutely correct.👍 I realized that after collecting 15 of the best guitars. (Gibson, Fender, Chapman, Suhr, Ibanez, ESP, etc) Upgraded them all and set them up as perfect as I can thinking that people will be impressed. But in reality, people don't really care about your gear. It's ONLY Me who cares for it. Also, I have a friend who is a fellow guitarist. He's the only one who can understand "GAS" and my passion for guitars.. the rest they don't even care about "shredding" or "technical skills". Lots of people only enjoy listening to me when I play "mainstream/famous relatable songs" on gatherings. But shredding indulgently on a very expensive guitar doesn't really matter to them. 🤭
The moral lesson is, don't purchase guitars if your goal is get validation or to please other people. The rude awakening is that people don't really care. BUT if you buy because it makes you happy, and it's important to you. Then that's the ONLY thing that matters.😉💯👌
The longer you’re in the recording game the easier it is to fall prey to the idea that to improve means acquiring more and better gear rather than seeking to grow in your art. Thanks for the reminder. I really needed to hear this.
I am a guitarist and pianist. When I am in my guitar circle we talk about gear, amps, pedals, strings, technique etc. When I'm with my Pianist friends, we talk about music.
😂 Sounds about right.
I study classical guitar + jazz guitar seriously and also dabble in the obligatory studio/funk/gear-laden electric stuff that most dudes over 40 seem to be into.
In the classical world, it's almost always about the music. In the jazz world it mostly is about the music and seldom about gear. In the general electric world, whole different story 😮
Nobody cares.
Ok, but why is that surprising? people don’t trade sell or move pianos around anything like the do guitars, or guitar gear. it’s just a very different environment in almost every way.
@@jonathanstrand2474 … I think the point is that different world is more focused, to their credit, on actual music and less on gear. Remember, that at least in the earlier part of guitar history most of our heroes were way less focused on gear than many (if not the majority) of us.
Hey Rob! It's Rob. You've touched on a very important issue that impacts so many of us: our need for validation from others, and why that is not unhealthy. Most of us want to be liked, admired, loved, and in so doing, we try so hard to impress, and then we are left disappointed and confused by less than enthusiastic responses. We have to do it, whatever 'it' is, for ourselves first and expect nothing in return. I think ultimately what you are saying is be passionate about what you do, be compassionate and engaging, and those around you will be lifted up. Please continue with these types of videos: they are filled with wisdom, humor, and kindness. We all need more of that.
I sometimes get the sense you reverse engineered this , as a chance for you to NameDrop your entire life.
Sometimes?
no one cares
@@funk0rz😂
Great message, Rob. Watching this at one in the morning here in Japan and suddenly am so motivated that I can't sleep.
I spent over 20 years obsessively researching tones and collecting vintage guitars and gear… until I completely burned out about a year ago. Can confirm: no one cares, it doesn’t make you a better musician, it doesn’t provide meaningful connections to other human beings, it’s not a smart or reliable “investment,” it takes up a lot of space and requires a lot of maintenance, it’s a burden to sell, collecting is an unhealthy obsessive hobby that puts many people in debt, and you can’t take the shit with you when you die.
Okay I take your problems you take mine? Okay now to go on to the annual band dinner and pretend I lost my wallet because I'm too broke to afford a burger... not selling my Gibson Flying V though haha. I tried... they offer 1.5 k for limited edition going for 3k on Reverb. Fk that. I sold my Duncans and DiMarzio's instead. Those go fast. Guitars not so much. Amps too. People actually need those. Technically you only need one guitar.
ive seen a dude shred like hell with a donner pedal board , when we got chattin' he said that ''smaller gear means less heavy stuff to carry'' , and boy was he right!!
Yup. I similarly saw a busker in New Orleans playing an old cheap Strat copy from some no-name manufacturer through a little solid state Peavey practice amp and he sounded awesome. Make music with what you have.
I play gigs with a cheap lyx pro guitar, but no one cares.
No one cared how many paint brushes Michelangelo had.
... or more like how many apprentices he had doing the coloring for him.
No one ever called Pablo Picasso an asshole 😮
I Care bout the brushes.
@@jensschettler1732 But you're a painter
If it sounds good and you enjoy playing it, then that's what matters the most!
Who cares
@@jos_t_band3912 Only G.A.S
@@jos_t_band3912 Only G.A.S
That is so true. We just listen to the music, the melody, lyrics, and maybe as a musician, you wonder how they got that sound. If we love the music, we're going to listen to it. And we don't care what they used.
It's not the gear, it's not even the artist. It's the art. It comes first, and it will stay long after people have forgotten about setups and artists.
Its about the individual's talent and not their equipment. Play the music you want to hear and express what you need to express for your own well being and enjoyment. I was 68 years old when I first picked up a guitar to learn to play and nobody cares. Actually I do care about learning the guitar and hope there is enough years left in me to be able to play it. I care about playing my guitars because weirdly it brings me a sense of achievement and joy.
Agreed! I love acquiring new gear but I've discovered that it isn't about impressing anyone else, but rather inspiring myself. If a new guitar inspires me to play more -- value! If a new pedal inspires me to write a song with a different feel than usual -- value! I also see value to myself, my band and the audience when I buy a product that makes live performance more professional. For example, a product that gives my guitar more tuning stability. That's way more important than the model of guitar I'm playing.
Being 33, I feel like I can share valuable experienes with a lot of younger people. But I feel like I needed to hear this from someone more experienced. This video was valuable.
100% True. I've noticed people that are lazy about practicing, delusional or lack talent focus ~way~ too much on gear.
Yup. It’s all about the light show and pyrotechnics 🧨
I'm somewhere between novice and intermediate depending on what I've had for breakfast that day, and I am not in a band nor do I plan to be. I do make a bit of money here and there from electronic music production / soundtracking. But I just bought an Ultra Stratocaster. I can't stop playing it and when I do, I feel something deep within myself, like a direct connection with the history of music or something. Frankly, I don't give a toss if anyone thinks I haven't 'earned' the guitar. I sure as shit earned the money to pay for it!
My humble suggestion is to buy what you like because YOU like it, not because someone on the internet told you to buy it or you think it will be a shortcut to great playing or self realisation. But it's never worth going into debt for a guitar (or any other hobby for that matter). If you can't afford to immediately replace it, you can't afford it.
This -> "My humble suggestion is to buy what you like because YOU like it, not because someone on the internet told you to buy it, or you think it will be a shortcut to great playing or self realization."👍 Very well said, You should buy guitars because YOU LIKE IT, and it will make you Happy. Not to please others or buy guitars based on the opinions of so-called experts on guitars that will be a "shortcut" to make you play better, what is cool and what's not, etc. Even if "No One cares", as long as you care and enjoy it. That's ALL that matters.👌
Just so there’s no confusion… Are you saying that no one cares?
Nobody cares... 😅
@@alienraider
😂
unless you have made a name for yourself, then yes, nobody cares
No, what I think he was trying to say is, that no one cares.
@@FrancoW1
Yeah, that must be it. 😂
Don’t let the Gibson owners hear that their $6000 Les Paul doesn’t make them a better musician and none of us care.
shhhhhh.You said that out loud! I'm seeing the new Slash amplifier go used for $20K....nobody cares if you play the same amp as Slash, especially if you're not making music as good as Slash! Even still...nobody cares! Stop playing music, because nobody cares!
@@user-jq4fz6co8b It's not what it says on the amp, it's how the components are wired together :) A Plexi is still a Plexi even if it doesn't say Marshall. Which is why I'm getting mine handwired from China. Custom Tolex colour options (white for me cuz Randy Rhoads) built in Master Volume and effect loop, less than a grand delivered anywhere. In fact less than 800 bucks. And it's point to point handwired so no PCB, that means if anything breaks, even an amateur can replace the component. PCB takes a very steady hand or a technician. They'll even make you a late 70s JCM 800 ("Master Volume Marshall"). That's what these amps cost, a healthy profit margin and delivery included. Of course it was soldered together in China and not the UK and there's no company logo so that's where the other 2 grand went (like a handwired Plexi 2k + mods for master volume, loop and custom colour, that's easily a grand on top and you gotta have someone who can actually do that within driving range. Easy enough in America but in Europe? There's one amp tech in the capital and he charges pro musician prices...
@@user-lv7ph7hs7l Amen! End of the day, it's the circuit that counts. The tone stack and capacitor values. Not the goddamn name.
@@user-jq4fz6co8b And funny enough, neither Slash nor studio, even know which amp he was using on AFD. It's hilarious that there is an AFD signature whatever and it's worth stupid coin when after all, it's just another Marshall. And I'm not gonna sound like Slash anyway, that's for sure.
@@timcat8382 I think the new slash amp originally costs about 7-8 thousand, which is still fucking ridiculous. No amp is wirth that--not a Dumble, Trainwreck or anythign else. It's just circuits at the end of the day.
I just bought a strandberg guitar and I am not a good guitar player, I am not a shredder, but I love the way the guitar plays/looks/feels and it gives me that dopamine hit holding it that spurs me on to play.
But there is a stigma/expectation of expensive gear, I would feel almost embarrassed to pull it out and play in front of people because my skill level does not warrant me owning such an expensive instument (and or pieace of gear).
There is even a certain toxic subreddit that is literally dedicated to shaming and shitting on people for guitar faux pas, I really wish that "no one cared" and the community was more supportive of each other.
Maybe I should care less..... 😅
I’m not on social media, I didn’t know there was a subreddit that did that…but I’m not surprised!!
One of my biggest regrets was selling a guitar early in my development that I didn’t think I was worthy of. I wish I still had it. It was such a great guitar. I hope you keep your strandberg and don’t make the same mistake I made. If it makes you play more and for longer periods because it’s so enjoyable, that’s the guitar for you, no matter the cost.
@@WSBM ty for such kind words of encouragement, I hope one day you are reunited with that guitar!
@@killrockstartv It took me about 20 years but I found one at the end of last year that has a lot of the same qualities! LOL
It's ergonomic, that's reason enough. It's so ergonomic it's improving you health while you read this. I would totally buy one if I had the money, just so I can learn to play guitar without getting out of bed. Now, if you bought that new with with those crazy frets that zig-zag all over the place and couldn't play, that might be concerning... but I don't think I'd care. I'd be more interesting in seeing someone actually play one.
Every time I see you (or Danish Pete, or Rabea) play on your or the Andertons channel, it just brings it home. Good players sound good no matter what gear they are playing. Specific gear may help to find a particular sound in your head, but the fingers are always more important. Which sucks for me...
if chapman guitars gonna all have that new headstock I'm finally buying one
Grrreeeetings is back!! Love it and love you Rob. Thank you for the video and insight. Wish you the best sir.
I agree. Talent, hard work, and feeling in music can't be bought. Having said that I have never released a single track, just played with small cover bands. I play because it makes me feel better. I have two guitars, a cheap amp that I like, few pedals and don't need anything more. Nobody cares. But I still play because I like it.
You’re absolutely right, not going to lie. I have some expensive gear I never thought I’d have, and I’ve not done anything with it 😢 it’s my goal this coming week to actually write something and put it out, one way or another, I have no idea how but I’ll find a way. These inspirational videos have been great Rob 🤘
Yeah. I have a Squier Classic Vibe, AND the Fender Pawn Shop version. Only one guy had even heard of the Squier version. One guy trash talked Squier because it has the wrong name on the headstock, but AFTER the show, he was BLOWN AWAY. Only one friend is enough of a modder to know my Squier Classic Vibe is modded, and we get to nerd out over each other's guitars.
99.99% of the audience would not know one guitar MODEL from another, much less know one guitar BRAND from another.
99.99% of the audience would not know my Fender shirt is old enough to vote. (Not even joking. I still have, and still wear those shirts.)
99.99% of the audience would not know the dance floor in front of the stage is actually OURS, not the venues.
99.99% of the audience ONLY cares about the music itself. If it gets them dancing, THAT is what people care about. If it gets them dancing, you have succeeded.
That said, if you see the individual musicians, or the entire bands mingling and befriending, you have a winning ticket.
Very true! Found myself enjoying gear lately, self-justifying it's all about output technical excellency, top notch quality...you name it. In the end of the day, I've stopped recording... it was (is) mostly about ''sword'' coating, ''armor strength'' and all sort of things. And I'm lying to myself I care about the groove or the riff...its 2 mins about music itself and half an hour setting things up for a good ''sound'' (and it still sounds bad). Thank you for this message.
You could say the same thing about guys in bar bands who are constantly tweaking knobs to get some particular tone while the audience is just standing there waiting to hear music. My friend does that and I keep telling him that nobody cares if his tone is exactly perfect.
But someone does care; he does.
Dave Simpson is a prize example of this, playing his heart out, sounding phenomenal! The fact its a marshall MG makes no difference! It sounds great, the end!
Exactly! I hate these endless conversations about pick ups or comparing Fractal with tube amps...if it feels great, sounds great I am gonna play it! Thats all I need to know :D
Realizing the truth behind "no-one cares" freed me to sell half my guitars early this year (fortunately right before the used gear market completely collapsed and Reverb became overrun), and much of what I kept is affordable. Right now I own a PRS CE24 SE, a PRS 594 SE, and a Squier Classic Vibe 70s Stratocaster, plus two Mexico made acoustics (one Taylor and one Martin). My amp is a Fender Blues Junior and my pedalboard is an HX Effects. Gear ruled my life for a long time but I'm getting out of it and focusing on just making music.
I was so pleased when a 13-y/o kid who isn't a guitar player looked at my Carvin DC-400 with the translucent red quilted maple top from 1997 and said, "That's a really nice guitar!"
"Gear doesn't matter" - Tom Morello
Facts!
Love you Chappers!
Cheers!
excellent point. my guitar teacher is an exceptionally good musician and usually plays his squire tele. he has some really nice gear, too, but you'd never know just by listening... and you're right, it really doesn't matter.
As soon as your "nobody cares" video finished, youtube started playing an Anderton's video with you and Lee, who was saying "this is literally a prehistoric moose bone, dug up from a bog in Sweden...". pointing to a part of some high-end guitar. 😆
100% true, good music speaks for itself
This is very refreshing to hear from someone whos business is selling guitars
I couldn't agree more. I rediscovered my old Roland cube 20 from the early eighties the other day and put a tune together for a friend using my old Yamaha rgx from the same era... He thought it sounds great...neither cares nor knows what I used..... 😀
I just played a pub gig last night and I/we made lots of mistakes. Nobody cared. We all had a great time. That's music for ya
I agree 100% Rob. I developed that philosophy 50 yrs ago and has served me well. I enjoy what I do, how I do it with no regard for what others may think. I don't have anything to prove. ☮
Great subject and I totally agree.
Still, certain gear inspires YOU (the player).
I have purchased expensive gear along the years I'm playing, not even a single time because I thought what others will think...
You are right that most don't even care to think about the recipe of a dinner, so why would they care about creation?
I don't do this enough, but I can't recommend recording yourself enough. Not only does it help keep things in perspective... but on occasion (and maybe more) you'll find you sound better than you perceive
Thank you Rob for broaching this subject. The armour is unfortunately strong amongst many of our kin!
I bought a 1970s whirlwind 2 metre cable, a really really early one, it's so well made and beautiful, seems almost like a museum piece...oh yeah...pardon me....
Its pointless me telling you that this is of the few POV pieces to camera you have ever done that I respect and totally agree with, because even if other people read this sentence - nobody cares -
Well said, Rob. I’ve shared your view since I started playing. There’s a lot of wank in so many industries and it all comes back to marketing products. A great song or musician is always great, regardless of what equipment they use.
35 years later I feel like I am the only one that cares about my guitar playing.... and I am okay with that. I used to play gigs, colleges, even some small town festival stuff... but in the end, its true - no one cares. Build your own memories... enjoy the ride... save a few trinkets and take a few scalps... share a story about that time you snuck back stage and hung out with Paul Gilbert and Shawn Lane and met Satch, Via, Reb, Andy and Kip (all the Ibanez Hair Band Monsters of the 90s) at the 1993 Ibanez N.A.M.M. Jam. But remember no one else really cares. LoL
I really like this video because it reflects, what I was thinking for years now about equipment and the gear aquisition syndrom, that makes you think, you need this and that to have that final breakthrough with your sound, but nobody cares. 😅
This is the one video where I agree with you 1000%. I stopped caring much about stuff when I realized we all suffer from not playing enough and now I pick up the guitar everyday. The only thing that matters is what you are putting out on an instrument.
None of this matters it is such a personal journey and a calling. What are you doing when no one is watching ? What is your motivation ? because if your looking for that recognition or praise from other people you have to ask yourself, why are you playing in the first place ? But when you are playing that same small gig with a group of guys and having fun, then someone comes up to you during a break or after the show and they say Thank you for that wonderful memory that's when i think it matters, Great video man.
My first guitar was a complete PoS Squier Strat. It didn't have the best fretwork, the pups were so bright you could catch a sun tan & to say the tuning stability wasn't great would be a massive understatement but I didn't care. It was Arctic White & that was all that mattered to me. The hours I put into that guitar as a young teenage kid, wailing away in my bedroom through an even worse 10w Gorilla practice amp, thinking I was Hendrix reincarnate lol. Now, I've been a gigging musician for over 30 years & have some very good gear (too much my better half might say lol) but I doubt any of it could ever feel as magical as that first PoS Squier Strat.
>makes a video about how nobody cares what you do
>spends the whole time bragging about shit he did
Classic Rob Chapman.
Brilliant! Totally agree sir. I doodled for 6 months in my music room with my Gibson ES339 through a Deluxe Reverb and no one else in the house cared. Then one Sunday i played a brief riff on a performer tele through a battered AC10 and my future son in law knocked on the door and said it sounded sick. Why? Cos that riff was good and the earlier ones weren't. Excellent message, peace!
Very true and it needs to be said. We are being flooded with advertisements for gear from so many UA-cam channels. So if we seem to be suffering from gear acquisition syndrome, I think the UA-cam content creators who we love are certainly contributing to that with all of the paid promotions they do.
Nobody cares that a GIANT pinch of salt is oxymoronic. 😁
Great video Rob.
😂
It's not really... I mean, I don't care.
word up. I have lived my musical life of 35 years with this ethos at the very core. what's really profound is that I haven't even ever given the concept a moments thought, so even I don't care. the simple fact is that over those many years I have been through so many diverse standards of living due to the fairly common reasons that have faced so many artists and especially rock n roll musicians resulting in me going through the Martin 0028, Gibson (Mick Ron son Tribute), Fender AVRI with Kinman Woodstock plus system, vintage '74 Tele Custom (Mocha), vintage '73 Guild S100 (a sublime guitar, I will never find its equal) and these all lived together with me and my vintage Marshall and Twin. However I have also been through times where having lost them all one by one I owned just one J. Mascis Squier, then a Classic Vibe Tele Custom (with a wide range in the neck) and steadily down to a 30 quid from cash converters Sunn Mustang ( which was actually really great) and presently a Westfield Strat Michael Landau homage type thing and a fantastic East Coast black n gold Les P (b stock bargain of the century) with just a id core v3 10 for an amp. Yet throughout all the ups n downs I have continued writing and recording and loving creating music every bit as much as any time (well apart from perhaps whilst using the 57 reissue / kinman Strat, and the S100) but mostly as you say Nobody Cares even slightly what I recorded any of the tunes with, myself included. The only thing anyone has ever, should ever and most likely will ever care about is of course the song itself because without the song what is there? well just some dudes stuff I guess and no one cares about other dudes stuff really.
Apart from the stuff they can listen to and enjoy and even better if it produces the odd goose bump and tingly neck hair sensation cos then you really have done the job right. Peace out
That is so true. It's like food, a nice dish from a high-end restaurant CAN give me the same satisfaction as a nice sandwinch from a small dinner located around the corner.
This also reminds me of the Bad Monkey demo video Josh Scott recorded - and his ultimate take away was what you have - cheap or expensive - is enough
A 59 Les Paul Standard burst or a 57 Stratocaster, without the master, is just a refined and idolized tool, making the novice essentially a collector of self-aggrandized dreams. An artist is one that can create with the tools at hand, brought by the hours of dedication to one’s art, through enjoyment, happiness, pleasure and all the adjectives that lead to self-fulfillment and contentment. Thanks Rob for the reminders.
Brilliant. Utterly brilliant and oh so true. Thanks for saying something that needed to be said. The art is everything.
Agree with everything you say. Nobody should feel their gear (or the lack of it) is a barrier to creating great music. Buying a U87 won't make you a better singer. Doing vocal exercises and taking singing lessons might though. None of the instruments used on classic recordings by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, ABBA, Elvis and many more, are important. The songs, the melodies, the arrangements and the performance are what made them classics, not the gear. If some people spent more time on learning their craft, be it as a musician, songwriter, producer, and less time lusting after the latest piece of expensive gear, they'd be a lot happier. And their music would be a lot better too.
I 100% agree! Your gear, recording process and surroundings are all for you to create a vibe for yourself. The mark of a good musician is the ability to funnel that emotion into the finished product for the listener.
You are absolutely right Rob....indeed , nobody cares ..nor should they !
So true, Rob! Listen to early Misfits records. The sound quality is awful, but the tunes are so strong - the poor sound actually adds to the experience.
I agree Rob! Thank you for saying it out loud and im sure the negative comments will come, but really, who cares!!!!
You care, and that's all that matters. I don't care, that nobody cares about my music, gear, or any of my processes. I care. It's my release, not anybody else's. And that's all that matters.
In early 2000 I bought one of the last Petrucci Ibanez 90th anniversary models for about $2200. Just didn't click with it after having it a bit. Saw DT a couple years later after he switched over to MM guitars and felt a bit abandoned (extremely silly, I know, but it was a real gut reaction). 2006 comes along and my car craps out and I need something more reliable. I had a coworker put the Ibanez on Ebay (no real idea what that was about) and she sold it for $2400, I gave her a $200 sellers commission, which she was more than happy with and put that money down on a used car that I drove for 10 years. Best move ever. Not a great car, but reliable and I got more than my money's worth. The guitar sounded something like the Petrucci sound, and I hated it! I would never get a Petrucci MM, nor most any signature anything now. I just bought a Squier Classic Vibe baritone Tele that I am going to mod the hell out of...because I want to, not because anyone cares what I will do with it or how it sounds.
This is all just a journey, our own individual journeys running in parallel with each other that sometimes crosses paths. Those interactions are what we might ought to care about.
I have some Gibsons. That I love. But I recently bought an epi 335 for $280 and I can’t put it down. It makes me feel like I’m John Lennon on the roof. Nobody cares. Love this
So true Rob. Many years ago I sold my only amp, a1960's AC30 and replaced it with a Peavey Bandit 65. My gigging life was instantly so much easier. I know that nobody who saw me play live noticed or cared.
Wish I had an ego like this.
Agreed.
I heard a story about Sonny Stitt and his horn that I sort of forget but I'll sum it up. Apparently it was sort of a train wreck, and people were always surprised that he could get the sounds he got from it. It was the guy, drunk as hell Sonny Stitt, not the horn. Proves your point I think.
I'm going to release some music soon and most of the guitar tracks utilize free amp sims and IRs. Then I added some extra tracks through my Valeton GP200 which costs around £300 and sounds amazing. My main guitar is an early 2000s Fender Toronado but I'm 100 percent sure I could get the same result with a much cheaper guitar.
I think kids nowadays are at a disadvantage. They're growing up in an age where limitless entertainment is in front of their face at all times.
Few are required or encouraged to spend a portion of their free time away from electronic devices. They spend almost no time alone to discover themselves and their own natural creativity and imagination.
I grew up in a different age. No one at that time ever conceived that pencil and paper would one day become obsolete.
If you could lay hands on any instrument and could get near a radio, you were in business.
If you somehow discovered and could acquire or borrow a book about that instrument, the world of music was wide open to you. And you had none of the distractions of the computer age or the internet.
Approached from that level, we had a crystal clear concept of exactly what it was about our musical journey that brought us the most enjoyment, growth, and fulfillment.
When given the choice between practicing and studying versus noodling around in a virtual world of music requiring no more effort than a few clicks, which one is a kid likely to choose?
I've never been one to be influenced by what the crowd was doing. I was content with what was available to me and got every ounce of use I could from it.
As my abilities and knowledge increased, so did my means. Still yet, I knew full well from interaction with other musicians that more expensive, top shelf gear didn't make an accomplished musician from a lazy one.
Now that I, at age 60, own a few higher end instruments that I like very much, my beliefs are still the same.
Music is about connecting with your audience in a personal way. I can entertain with my beloved 43 year old, road worn, Aria Pro II TS-400 just as well as I can with my Music Man Cutlass RS. I just have to work a little bit harder to do it.
Agreed. It's true. That's why laptop & daw and a usb two ch. audio interface and midi drumkit is such a powerful thing to have. Now we need youngsters who like making music better than playing video games.
You sir, are 100% correct.
My professional career was in the 80s and 90s.
I toured with a Squier Tele, an Epiphone Les Paul and a solid state Peavey Special 120. The pieces of gear that I did splurge on were a Shure SM58 and a SM57.
I was making $300 a week, which sound OK, but I would have needed double that to break even.
I played with several aged country music stars like Dottie West, Charlie Walker and Marvin Rainwater. And we also played bars and fairs to fill our time. We averaged 300 days a year, on the road. I got to go home for a few days about once every 3 months.
So...with all that said, I think I can speak from experience that, for the layman, you are correct. The only people that might notice you are using something other than top-of-the-line gear will be gearheads and business professionals. Which may be of some concern, if you are trying to break into the business....maybe.
However, the general drunk, on Saturday night, couldn't give 2 $hits what you sound like.
For many years, I only played pawnshop guitars on stage. My good gear stayed at home.
BTW...we had Woolworth stores in the USA as well. Over here, they were a general store. Kinda like Walmart but on a much smaller scale. The lunch counter was famous in the stores here. I grew up in South Dakota. Our store closed in the mid-80s.
I have some great gear now, including some Boss SY guitar synths, and yet … the best sounds I’ve recorded were done the way Rob described at one point - an original Roland MicroCube into the mic input of my PC.. I also used the Cube for monitoring, and some OK headphones. I used Fruity Loops and CoolEdit. I would spend days to make a track basically using that system to create guitar synth tones. Twenty years later, listening to that material always floors me, because it sounds so damn good.
Not that anybody (but me) cares.
✌ 👽 🎸
Thank you, Rob!! I needed to hear this. I literally delayed my recording, waiting for a stupid overdrive pedal (I have 12) that probably sounds like the others.
Well said Rob. Play gear that feels good and plays good for you regardless of cost. Money doesn't buy talent. A good musician can make the worst instrument sound great.
Love this video. I can honestly say I was happier as a 13yo with a $250aud tele copy thru a gorilla amp, bashing out power chords, than at any point since. There's nothing wrong with wanting or having premium gear, but it's important to enjoy what you have, and exploit it to it's maximum potential.
100% Rob, I spent 20 years thinking getting 'that' guitar, 'that amp' would make me good....spent loads, I should have spent that energy on practice, I would be 20 times better.
thanks for this . i dont care that nobody cares . i do things to improve and become a better soul . music is about as important to me as it gets ,but its not everything . good message :)
Nice one Rob, thanks for that great message. didnt tell my Mrs this though incase she decides I can sell the good gear LOL.
That’s what I like about you Rob. You could use your platform to shove your guitars down everyone’s throat, but you don’t. Very good advice here for players of all levels and stages of the guitar playing journey!
Totally agree. I have a Jimi Hendrix edition Strat that cost me £700 that when I got it buzzed like a nightmare and didnt play at all well. I also have a £50 Pink Encore Strat that needed no setting up and plays like a dream. No fret buzz and low action. I have now set my Jimi strat up and that does play well now and I love it but I could get away with just playing the encore tbh, I don't know why I spent all this time writing this because ... nobody cares!!
I am a recording musician for almost 3 decades now, my home set up is a UA Apollo and a Sphere LX into a high end PC with LUNA and about £8k of audio plugins. But this isn't where I started! Back in the 90's I had a Taskam Porta02 4 track tape recorder with an SM57 and a SM58 that I bought second hand from a studio sale ( and I had to save for almost 6 months to afford it).
But regardless of what I had or used it was always about learning how to use what you have so that you get the most out of it. Did you know that you can master 4 tracks from a taskam porta02 onto a portable minidisk player, and then re record that back into the taskam as a stereo track giving you 2 extra over dubs! Won't find that in the manual!
My point is the way I learn and how I record is no different. The tech is different but it's still me singing and playing into a red light letting me know that it's listening!
I fell for the click bait, but I think this video was profound and am so glad I watched it. I think "the no one cares" statement is so true. Even further, no one is thinking about you hardly ever.
It's all about the result. If it's good, well, it's good. If you can play a $3,500 Strat, you can play a $119 Strat. In fact, I have a $149 Squier and a post-CBS 1988 American Strat. I like the Squier more and actually feel more comfortable playing it.
You mentioned a major mix down tip - SUBTRACTIVE EQ. It always makes more sense to remove the freqs that you don't want than to try and overwhelm them by jacking up the freqs that you do want and THEN balance things. In my bad-boy days in the late 70s, we had a garage that caused our drummers bass and low tom to ring like crazy, When we recorded into our RT909, it went from our basic Peavey PA system, through an Alpine car audio parametric EQ unit where we clamped down those 100Hz demons, and then to the tape. That's all it took to tame the drums.
I’m recording all my music in my bedroom with an electric drum kit, guitar, programmed bass and midi keyboard for all other sounds. Anything is possible when you don’t care what people think
This is a statement that eventually leads to much deeper and darker truths of how we perceive our self. I don't want to step in that,so I won't go there. I have been playing most of my life, 60 years. So yeah I'm a really old guy. And from where I stand now. You are absolutely correct...Literally No One cares.
Thank you for this wonderful message,
i seen people with less gear focus on music and make wonderful records, a great example of this is rage against the machine,
Tom Morello once said if he every purchased the gear all his friends were buying instead of his cheap guitars, he would have sounded like everyone else, i also noticed people recording entire albums with laptops and winning grammys and people with 100k dollars worth of gear that never even made 1 album.
We have a good saying were im from and it says: "its not the bow and arrow, its the Native american shooting that makes the hunt successful!".
Cheers come Costa Rica Mr ChapMan!
I saw a guy perform at a local pub not long ago with an acoustic guitar plugged into an amp with a microphone. I normally take note of the gear because I’m a guitar player with a bit of GAS going on but I was sitting too far away to see. The thing that stood out was his bends weren’t up to pitch; noticeably flat and sounded terrible when he played a solo. His singing was OK but was quite pitchy when he tried to sustain a note.
The point is, he may have had a $4,000 hand wired boutique amp and a $12,000 acoustic guitar or cheap gear he bought second hand - it doesn’t matter as the thing people will notice is 1) the quality of the singing, 2) the musicianship of the guitar playing and 3) song choice. The only people who care about the equipment is other guitar players.
This doesn’t mean you should buy crap gear and be happy about it just because it doesn’t matter much in live gigging scenarios. If you’re spending hundreds of hours per year practicing, you want your guitar / amp to sound good because you have to listen to it all the time.
The best way to remind yourself that gear doesn't matter is to ask your wife (or any female) what her favorite guitar or amp is. Yeah, that'll put you in your place pretty quickly.
Real musicians can play anything that is setup right and make it sound good. Gear heads make gear the hobby and there is nothing wrong with that, musicians just want to play unless they are trying to pay the bills then they endorse products it is not that hard to figure out. You are absolutely right Rob the consumers of your art won’t bother themselves with what gear you use to make it.