What separates an amateur from a pro? Mostly, years of experience and the right tools. Here are pieces of guitar gear no player should do without!
The guitar is an exciting instrument to play for many reasons; for one, there’s the tactile feel of the instrument, the variety of shapes (and consequent sounds) to choose from, and not least the imagery of a brazen axe-hero sliding across the stage, performing a power ballad for the ages. For those of us mystified by tech, there’s yet another good reason; the abundance of awesome guitar gear!
Ever since the dawn of the first stompbox way back in 1962, the guitar is an instrument that’s brought brilliant minds and otherwise to the fore. We’re blessed to live in an exciting time in 2016, where the combination of technology and raw artistry are producing some of the most varied guitar tones and songs yet heard.
Read: Marshall Amplification releases its first smartphone
Of course, there will always be those that go against the grain. Take, for instance, Jack White; the front-man of The White Stripes, the Raconteurs, and the Dead Weather who’s an accomplished performer in his own right.
Of technology, White once famously quipped that “œTechnology is a big destroyer of emotion and truth. Auto-tuning doesn‘t do anything for creativity. Yeah, it makes it easier and you can get home sooner; but it doesn‘t make you a more creative person. That‘s the disease we have to fight in any creative field: ease of use.“
Many agree with White on his views, and I’m partially swayed myself. Yet, even that opinion hasn’t stopped White from producing some of the most awesome and innovative takes on music yet; perhaps best exemplified by his creative take on the triple-decker LPR.
The fact of the matter is that technology isn’t going anywhere, and by all indications, we’re not about to stop being inundated with huge advances in guitar gear. So why don’t we take a look at some essentials and craft together a playlist of gear that can be used to create original, vivid, and memorable music moments?
Let’s get started.
Single-coils for that classic twang
Speaking of guitars themselves firstly, I firmly believe that if it’s within the realm of their budget, every guitarist should try to own a guitar with single-coil pickups.
A single-coil pickup is a kind of magnetic transducer which is responsible for converting the vibration of guitar strings into an electric signal which plays out of an amplifier. As its name might imply, single-coils share one coil, while a ‘humbucker’ pickup provides to.
You’ve undoubtedly heard the twang of a single-coil pickup at some point in your life. The Fender Stratocaster – one of the most iconic guitar designs in music – was made famous by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.
A single-coil guitar generally provides a slimmer, ‘twangier’ tone than its humbucking counterparts, and is frequently used in early rock and country recordings. A single-coil guitar gives access to a range of different ideas and sounds, not all of which – of course – are limited to those two genres.
For some inspiration, take a look at Biffy Clyro; an international Scottish rock band. Singer and guitarist Simon Neil makes use of a single-coiled Fender Stratocaster and achieves a simply massive sound by tuning the pickups a thick treble tone and a tight, focused low end.
Humbuckers for rocking out
If single-coils are light, twangy and remind you of Buddy Holly, humbucker pickups should be the relative antithesis of that.
Used by nearly everyone from Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin to Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society, humbuckers give a heavier, darker tone that’s more prone to distortion. Whereas single-coils are (generally) used to provide a cleaner tone, humbuckers provide a darker, rich sound that’s more frequently heard in modern rock or metal recordings.
Humbuckers further effectively kill the classic ‘hum’ from single-coil pickups, which grants them their nickname. The pickups themselves enable a wild amount of possibilities while experimenting with other guitar gear sets; for instance, distortion can more accurately be controlled by switching between the neck and bridge pickup set.
Some guitars, such as the Fender Telecaster, mix a single-coil and humbucker to give a distinctive sound. Marrying sharp and shrilly with a tight bottom end, Fender’s Telecaster enjoys a name baked into legend by many different musicians.
A variation between pickup types is a great early way to expand a guitar gear setup; without the need to purchase expensive effects units or processors, a creative guitarist can cleverly layer tones to evoke different moods. A great case in study is U2’s The Edge, who frequently swaps out guitars to achieve different tones in varying songs.
Loop me in
A common frustration for guitarists is that while it’s easy to enjoy playing alone, practising in a band can be difficult. After all, nearly everyone at some stage wants to pick up the guitar – making finding effective band-mates a challenging task, especially in smaller communities.
A great investment to make as far as guitar gear goes in this regard is to purchase a looper pedal. As the name might imply, a looper can effectively record and repeat back short snippets of guitar playing; making this an excellent tool to craft songs with, experiment with effects, or just muddle around.
Not all looper pedals are born equal, however; some come with different effects presents for the more creative, while others come with the ability to store saved recordings for later playback. A general rule of thumb is that a good loop pedal might include one of these features; a great loop pedal should include both.
A loop pedal can very quickly break a middling guitarist out of a rut, and inspire a rush of ideas simply by the virtue of experimenting with the different sounds, resonances, and emotions of two guitars playing off of one another.
Delay, Delay, Delay
Many guitarists have attested that their sound didn’t feel complete until they had a delay pedal somewhere in their pedal chain, and this is something that I can attest to.
Somewhat like a looper pedal, a delay pedal is a stompbox which captures a guitar’s input and repeats the sound in close proximity to the original playback; leaving the effect of a fuller, thicker, and perhaps more streamlined sound.
Some guitarists have even taken inspiration from the idea and developed their entire playing style around it; Brian Setzer, for example, introduced an extremely short slap-back style delay to his playing to evoke what’s commonly known today as the rockabilly jazz style.
Some seminal songs using delay stem from U2 – where guitarist The Edge experiments between different delay lengths to craft epic sound sets. U2 might have only one guitarist, though at times it sounds as if there are several.
A delay pedal isn’t just for creating sweeping sound sets; mind. The pedal itself is commonly used in the creation of a majestic guitar solo, adding extra limber to a silky smooth tone.
A delay pedal is an excellent piece of guitar gear to purchase early; as not only can it expand your voice as a guitarist, it can demand a certain amount of creativity to craft something novel.
Get polytuning
The humble tuning pedal is a piece of equipment that adorns the pedalboards of guitarists across the world; frankly, we’d be nowhere if our instruments weren’t in tune.
One of the most exciting technological improvements to hit the consumer technology space in recent years – as far as guitar gear goes – is the advent of polytuning. Whereas common tuning pedals are capable of analysing the pitch of one string at a time, a polytuning peddle can accurately depict which out of all 6 (or 7, or 8) strings is out of tune. This is a lifesaver for performing guitarists, who – with one stroke of their plectrum or fingers – are able to quickly identify if their axe is in tune.
An on-board guitar tuner
As great as the above polytuner pedals are, there’s sometimes not enough time or space to plug into an electric guitar setup. Sometimes you need to go old-school with an acoustic guitar to impress that special guy or girl, and when you do, there’s no good reason to be caught with your pants down with an untuned guitar.
For that reason, invest in an on-board guitar tuner which can quickly either clip or tap on to the back of your axe. You’ll never be without a tuner, and in-between songs, you’ll be able to quickly check up on how your guitar is faring.
Wah-Wah
The last pedal we’ll cover is one some guitarists are hesitant to buy on the grounds of its applicability to some music genres. I believe there’s always a time and a place for a wah-wah pedal.
A wah-wah pedal is usually a foot-pedal style unit which alters the tone of a guitar signal to creative a distinctive effect reminiscent of the human voice.
Read: Apple Music reaches 10 million paid subscribers
The pedal, which sweeps the peak response of its filter up and down is a great way to create the impression or likeness of a human voice speaking. Guitarists have used the humble wah-wah peddle to great effect in many different ways; some might posit Nile Rodgers funk guitar playing under Chic, though a favourite example of mine as to just what the wah-wah pedal can do is on David Lee Roth’s Yankee Rose, where virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai replicates the sounds of laughing, wolf-whistling, howling and more.
Get the Garageband going
For every guitarist, there are three opinions as to which DAW (digital audio workstation) they prefer. Many professionals cite ProTools as their go to, while others rally behind the banner of Ableton Live.
Since we all don’t have the budget of professional rock stars, I’d like to suggest two alternatives; the first being Garageband.
I’ve used Garageband ever since I joined the cult of Mac back in 2007; I’ve produced full songs, voice snippets and even our weekly podcast – Bandwidth Blog On Air – with Apple’s premiere DAW. One of the things I love so greatly about GarageBand is its propensity to make the task of editing as easy as possible, which its included effects, drummers, and loops are all of a high quality despite the fact that the program is only really aimed at intermediate users.
For those who don’t use a Mac, another of my favourites is Studio One 3 Prime, which is free if registered. Studio One offers a great range of sizeable tools and is one of the best intermediary DAWs to get to grips with once you’ve graduated from Audacity.
Sometimes there’s nothing better than sitting back and enjoying playing through a humble set of computer speakers, turning on every effect available and pretending you’re a world famous guitarist.
A handy recorder
Yet another area in which the proliferation of consumer technology has greatly improved the life of the ordinary guitarist is that of the quick hand-held recorder.
While there are many guitar pedals which effect the same solution and end goal, a handy recorder is a vital must-have for capturing quick ideas when pen, paper or memory alone won’t suffice. These recorders have become gradually cheaper over the years, and the staple Zoom H-1 Handy Recorder is a device upon which many beginner guitarists and journalists (and hey, I’ve been both!) have cut their teeth on.
Offering a dead-simple layout with tonnes of options (.WAV or .MP3, anyone?) a handy recorder is an invaluable piece of guitar gear that general consumers and professional guitarists alike can make use of.
A decent microphone
Regardless of whether you can actually sing or not, a decent microphone is a necessary complement to many guitar gear setups in the way that not every guitar can be captured by simply plugging in.
A microphone can enable guitarists to capture the accurate timbre of their acoustic guitar, as well as capture a vocal track or some form of ambient percussion. Heck, if you enjoy listening to podcasts, why not start your own?
Samson produce a wide-range of microphones, and their entry level models are some of the best – I myself have made use of the C01U Pro and I’m continually staggered by just how easy it is to capture great sound. Not only do I sometimes make use of this microphone to record Bandwidth Blog On Air, I’ve used it for live interviews, to quickly record ideas, and heck, I’ve recorded one or two songs on my acoustic guitar with it.
Unleash the valves
The final entry on my list is one close to my heart; valve amps. Many beginner guitarists purchase a solid-state amp simply due to their affordability. That’s a great place to start, but I don’t believe anyone should remain there willingly.
A valve amp is an older technology than most solid-state amps, and is what guitarists of the late 50s to early 80s relied on for a full-bodied, warm sound. It’s the kind of tone you can hear only early Led Zeppelin, Cream, and even Beatles albums.
Solid-state amps (generally) lend themselves better to aggressive metal or modern rock, where such a warm tone isn’t required, though for most guitarists the allure of having a pure valve amp is both an enticing and expensive one.
Once again, consumer technology has come to fore and has reduced most of the prices that once sent guitarists back to their homes in tears with; further, many hybrid systems incorporate valve and solid-state technology to offer a far more amenable option than simply forking out the cash for a luxury valve amp.
I’ve played to great paragons of both of those examples; one being Marshall’s MA50c valve amp, which is a great intermediate take on an all-valve amp without the unnecessary price tag. The other is Vox’s AC30VR, which takes a hybrid approach and includes preset effects and models which can replace a great many items in your guitar gear setup alone.
I’d recommend that a valve or hybrid amp is one of the best guitar gear investments you can make depending on your favoured genre of music. The warm, full-bodied tone of a valve amp can instantly awaken a guitarist to the true tone of their instrument, and can transform your understanding of how your pedals, guitar and amplifier come together to form one cohesive sound.
In closing
Bringing this post to an end, I’d like to return to Jack White’s statements on technology as the great destroyer of truth. In part, he’s right. Music in many senses as been dragged down to the lowest bidder; becoming a commercialised and streamlined product that often forgets to make us feel as much as think.
Despite all of the above mentions, one doesn’t need an elaborate or expensive guitar gear collection to be a great player. Most of that comes from inside; a dedication to enjoying the instrument and the music we can create.
That being said, I hope this list provides some ideas and inspiration towards your next great guitar expansion, and hopes to kindle some creativity and novelty in your playing. Speaking from the perspective of a guitarist who’s often a frustrated player and songwriter, technology – and the abundance of creativity one can derive from using it – can truly help to reinvigorate what music is all about.
Further, if your budget just doesn’t allow anything you’d like to buy at present, I’d like to leave you with a scene from the seminal film It Might Get Loud – a film all guitarists should watch. In it, Jack White proves that creativity and technology can go together like peanut butter and jelly… it just might need some refinement.
Read: Facebook launches “˜Music Stories‘ on iOS
What are your thoughts on our list of guitar gear that no modern player should do without? Can you think of any notable examples or personal experiences not listed above? Be sure to let us know your opinions and thoughts in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
