This R E A L L Y needs to be talked about more. I'm just a high school student with a head full of songs. I watch all these gear tube videos and convince myself I NEED something to make music. Thats when I have to slap myself and say "Bro, you have $27 in your wallet and don't have a drivers license, you can't afford to buy the new JHS pedal. Plug in your $35 interface and just make the dang music." And thats what I did. It's been such a freeing experience to just make and release. So fulfilling. Really great vid dude. you inspired me to learn bass and I play the bass -my $75 beat up 90s squire bass- on all my songs I release on TH-cam!
You're right, dude. Of course it's awesome to have all the expensive gear in the world. But here's the thing. Even EVH sounds like EVH on a shitty squier playing through a free amp sim on guitar rig 4. Play the shit out of what you do have! Just practice your music as much as you can as often as you can. You're in high school, mate. You have HOURS of free time. Use it right!
@@maxonmendel5757 You're kinda right dude. The thing sounds S M O O T H. It was suuuuuuper jacked up when I bought it. I gave it som TLC and now it plays like a dream for only $75 plus new strings (of course, the cheapest I could lol)
The moment you realize that Victor Wooten uses Behringer pedals and everything any youtuber has ever said about gear goes right out the window. Sire > Squire > Fender.
Go for piano lessons and learn theory. You won’t need an Orchid chord strummer. You’ll get a lifetime of mileage from theory lessons. Another soundbox with a few keys, knobs and a Suzuki Omnichord can be done on a phone fcl
Ironically, you already helped me stop my own GAS. A few weeks ago I watched one of your videos where you said compression is great, but while learning the instrument, we should work on our skill without the crutch of compression. I turned the compression off on my amp. I’ve only been playing about a year and only have one pedal so far. However, I have a TON of pedals in my wishlist. I’ve been bummed that I don’t have more money to buy more gear. Your perspective helped me realize it’s ok to not go buy a bunch of gear I’m not musically ready for. I really need to focus on getting the sounds I want consistently with only my instrument (and some eq on the amp). ;) Thanks, Philip.
Posting this during the plug-in deal-o-thon is good timing for me. Right now the internet feels like walking down the strip in Vegas with everybody trying to get my attention and it’s overwhelming. Thanks for sharing
I had this exact same experience trying to buy a piece of gear while travelling... in the car, wife driving, had the thing in a cart, and I was just too slow to go through checkout and it was sold out. I remember all of the emotions I went through thinking I had one, and then finding out I didn't and having to deal with the anger and then the sadness of feeling left out. And here's the thing... with how clearly I remember this happening, I have NO IDEA what the piece of gear was that I was trying to get. You don't need the thing. Love the top down therapist couch shot. Cinematic AF!
A mindset I adopted was ‘the rule of one’. Own one really good instrument in each category. 1 poly synth, 1 mono synth, 1 acoustic guitar, 1 Gibson, 1 Fender, 1 amplifier and one bass guitar. Owning one of each instrument has allowed me to not only spend more on that one instrument, but to deepen my connection to it and become more proficient with the instrument. This mind set has not only decluttered my home studio but also my mindset, decision making and creativity. I have never been happier.
I literally went through the exact same thing as you with the exact same piece of gear. To make myself feel better I made some music that I “would” have made with the Orchid. Turns out I don’t need the Orchid and it made me feel better. Limitation is the mother of all invention. Yes the Orchid looks and sounds cool, but you know what is cooler. Making your version of what the Orchid sounds like. Now you sound different to people with the actual Orchid.
Thanks, Philip! It's always good to remind myself and others to keep our focus on the music, the joy of creating, and to stay curious. Really appreciate what you do, man!
I was flowchart from a enviormental group here in germany. It goes something like: do you need it? do you need it now? can you borrow it? can you rent it? can you buy it used? and so on, and it helped me a lot.
Really great video. I struggle with this a lot. In my personal experience, I've found that it's very rarely about the gear (or the car, or the computer, or the model kit, or the sneakers, or the watch, etc). It's usually just a a way for my more anxious thoughts and feelings to get "pointed" at something. The fixating, the little bit of adrenaline when you're trying to GET the thing, etc. I'm in my office/studio right now and looking at all kind of gear that I've NEVER used to make music. It's a busy box. So yeah, constantly having to check myself on this.
Thanks for this video, needed to hear this as minimalism is something that I’m constantly striving towards as a guitar player. I find that option anxiety (having too many choices of a similar thing) can really get in the way of playing, as you can get caught up in the minor differences and not be focused on the MUSIC. Love your channel.
About 5 years ago, I bought a Synthstrom Deluge. Probably the best single purchase I ever made for my music. I had to sell my drum kit, an amp, and a vintage synth to pay for it and I waited about 2 years before buying it. There's something about exchanging those beloved items that has put an extra layer of value on the new machine. Happily the Deluge is an absolute winner. It's firmware updates have been amazing, with new synth engines, sequencer features, sampling tricks, effects processing. There's an active community now developing it even further with the open sourcing of the firmware
Great video. I went through the same experience with the new tape plugin that just came out. Was just about to buy it, when at check out I realized I truly don't need it. Was just an excuse to try and motivate me to work. Most of us have the tools around us already to push to our next level. Another free piece of gear to overcome the materialistic lust is just learning new songs. Challenging ourselves through expanding musical language.
Rules always help if you're the kind of person who sticks to them. I have to make an album with an instrument before I'm allowed to get another instrument of the same kind, and with vintage synths I first have to make an album with a vst version of it. If I still think I need it after that then it's justified - I bought my Solina after 2 albums with a very limited emulation and it's really opening up some nice possibilities. Very occasionally I fall for GAS, usually while I'm upgrading a specific part of my studio, but even when that happens and I buy something that is just "nice to have" rather than a need, I always end up using everything I own and I never sell anything because seller's regret is far more common than buyers regret. I even once held on to a couple of midi controllers while I wasn't making music for like 15 years. One of them is the main keyboard controller at my studio desk now and I'm glad I didn't sell it. By the way, that synth release sounds utterly ridiculous. To me it feels like you fell for artificial scarcity as a sales tactic for a Beta tester product. I'm fairly sure that you will be able to buy a much better v2 of that synth if it holds any water.
Totally agree. Here's my tip for most of us: ignore all gear. Get what you need. Then pay for lessons instead of gear. Spend time and mental effort practicing.
11 minutes and 44 seconds of truth there - once I realized that the minilogue xd, opsix, and Microfreak covered 99% of what I needed, I’ve never yearned for another synth. Even my pedal addiction has waned as I realize the answer to the question: do I need another delay? is a resounding no - as you quite rightly say, constraints breed creativity 😊 fabulous video as always
Great video (as always)! I would add one really helpful trick which has saved me on countless occasions. At home my wife and I practice minimalism as best we can and use a “30 day rule”. We’ve formed a habit of saying an immediate “no” to impulse purchases. When we see something that we want to buy, it now gets added to a shopping list. After 30 days, when the dopamine/adrenaline rush has passed and life has moved on, we revisit the list and see if we actually *need* the thing that we wanted so bad a month ago. It works every time, especially for gear. Now, when I do end up buying something from the list, I do it with confidence and a wholesome sense of satisfaction that I’m spending my hard-earned money on something that will genuinely add value to my life. On top of that, I’ve had quite a few experiences of looking back over the list and not even recognising some of the things that are on it! They get erased from the list immediately and I save myself a LOT of time & money. Phil - I could sing your praises for hours on end, but for now let me just say thank you for your channel. It’s a perfect antidote to a lot of the overstimulating, empty-calorie content that clogs up the internet these days.
There honestly is only one piece of gear that I couldn‘t get my hands that really hurts. The CBA Billy Strings Wombtone. I love the Wombtone. I own both MKI and MKII, the latter being on my board. The BSWT has a couple of features that I wish the MKII had. But, I didn‘t get one and probably never will because of ROHS. It’s a bummer. Is it the end of the world? No. Am I a worse musician because of not getting one? No. Life goes on. You can‘t have everything you want. Not getting upset is a valuable lesson. Thank you for the video, Phil.
Great video, thank you for making it. I am a 60 year audio engineer who just started playing bass less than a year ago. I have bought a few basses, pedalboard, with pedals of course, lol, a head and a 4x10. I got it bad! But it sounds so good! lol
This is how I feel as well. A lot of the whole gear space and the companies too prey on your insecurities as a musician I. E "your mix is always gonna sound terrible and no one will like you *unless* you buy our new handmade magical soldered glue compressor for a mere & very affordable £2,500. Oh, and that's the basic version with one knob". So many iconic hits were made with trash gear that was left to rot in a pawn shop or a basement. The Jazzmaster. The Roland 808 (hell, most of Roland's drum machines were market failures), the first fuzz pedal, all sorts keyboards & Synths. Look at what you have and see it as a creative opportunity. Work out what make the gear you have sounds good, and hone in on that. That's what I've been doing and I'm so happy the EP I made with that ethos in mind is coming out next month! So go do the thing!
You just reminded me I’m sitting on a ton of pedals that I should probably sell but won’t. I used to sell everything only to find myself wanting it once it was gone. Now I live with my purchases. I think it works in that is slows me down from buying as much because of the sheer accumulation
Your approach of planning a budget 6-12 months+ works well. For many things I might feel I 'need' in audio, there is often a plugin equivalent that is 1/10th the price (drum machines, synths, fx and samplers especially). 1/20th the price, if you wait for sales. I like planning my purchases more around 'boring' gear, often planning years in advance, focused on the aspects that actually matter the most. That includes things like studio acoustic treatment, monitors, mics, preamps, quality of life studio furniture and lastly compressors (mostly make do with plugins, apart from one good guitar and bass comp pedal). I focus on upgrading one aspect a year. I set an annual budget, and stick to it, selling unwanted gear. This coming year it's microphone upgrades.
Thank you, Philip. This video couldn't have hit at a more timely time. I'll blame my magpie brain... I know I have enough gear. Plenty of pedals, more than enough guitars and basses. I know I don't need more. I do have a. short-list of things I'd like to get and/ or try out. I'm striving to spend more time playing and learning than watching gear-related videos. Time to go through the collection and see what I can pass along. Be good to you
Great timing. Recently bought a pedal I had been mulling over for a while. Rave reviews, thought it would take my tone “to the next level”. Got it, total bust. Couldn’t get along with it. Returned it and got a new bridge, pickup, and wiring harness for a bass I wanted to love but wasn’t getting much playing time bc I couldn’t coax a useful to me tone out of it. Installed everything and now it might be my favorite instrument and the mods were about half the cost of the pedal.
I think the best thing for starting out bass/guitar players is to buy a digital modelling pedal. A used HX stomp has great value, but a cheap new zoom pedal will also be good. In doing this, you have access to so much industry standard gear without having to buy new stuff all the time when you want a new sound. I think it has saved me a lot of money!
This is some damn good advice. Especially for people who have the money to go out and buy a piece of expensive gear a couple times a year. If you're doing this on credit that's a signal you shouldn't do it. But if you have the money you can get sucked down this rabbit hole so easily and Reverb will not save you, most of the time you're going to take a financial hit. The internet has made this much worse, but even in the days of going to the music store, GAS can rear it's ugly head.
I can relate to this. I was feeling creatively stumped and thought like a chorus or synth pedal would help but im not too familiar with them. I saw the Zoom mb60+ multi effect pedal and was like I'll get that because there were good reviews and demos from trusted sources and I have ended up not caring for the synths. Maybe as I get more familar with them that will change but ultimately the Zoom has a dead on model of the MXR M80 di+ that ive had for 16 years and need to replace because its falling apart. Now ive got a replacement for that plus other really good sounds for like half the price of a new MXR pedal.
Here on GearTube, it seems like every tenth video is about GAS. Here's nine videos of social engineered marketing that attacks your lack of impulse control, and one video to make you feel bad about it. Then you get depressed because you feel like you have a disorder so you resort to retail therapy with the next gear video that pops up in your feed, and the cycle begins again.
I had the same exact experience trying to get one of the last TDI (Teletronics DI) from Janek Gwisdala; had it in my cart, then POOF! Gone. Very sad. Thanks for the video, Philip. Cheers!
I had GAS badly last year about this time, but I have used nearly every piece of it, mostly the pedals I bought. I built a looping pedalboard and played weekly solo guitar improv gigs all year, so it depends how you actuate after the fact, to at least some degree. The new basses were upgrades and a gift, so I don’t feel bad for not using them much until about last month. A topic almost every musician faces eventually.
"Need" is a strong word, and as you'd imagine, if whatever your chasing after isn't getting you food, water, shelter, sleep, or healthy social connection, it's a "want". In a music context, the things that I would "need" performing on bass, besides my bass and a pick if it calls for it, is a tuner and a way to amplify my bass so that whomever I'm playing for can hear me (reliable DI to PA with monitors of sorts, or an amp). Much like your compact pedal arrangement in one of your previous videos. Struggling to hear an un-amplified and out of tune bass is not much fun for anyone 😅, and without those things even a pretty casual and not so picky audience won't enjoy it. The rest are "wants", like a specific eq-ed tone I'm looking for, drive, effects, or whatever else to add on top, but the music doesn't really happen without the amp/DI or tuner. That's what I like to remind myself when I start to get GAS-y, and it usually helps
I love the color of your couch. I feel like I need to own the exact same one to have the same deep thoughts as you and create music as good as yours. Thank you for the inspiration! By the way, what brand is that couch, and where can I buy it?
Good stuff and you should talk about this. You're a voice in the music creator youtube landscape and I appreciate this discord. As far as gear goes, go listen to some studio engineers talk about how they mix entire songs and you realize they might stick one or two plugins on the bass and that's it. They really just want a P-bass and for it to sound like a bass.
The video all guitar players need but none of them want😂😂. I struggle with GAS myself. My father and I are completely terrible for each other when it comes to this. I try to focus on purchasing lessons and completing them before I let the gear get me but it doesn’t always work. 😅 Great insights as always, Phil ❤
5:55 agree 100% Feels like such a cash grab on all the people who don’t want to take a month to start learning an instrument or music theory or what it actually takes to write an actual song
I've found that the danger was hanging out with bands that were like "clubs of proud big spenders", and that was driving my interests towards any "special" gear. Now I perceive these conversations as red lights, I might have a bit too many pedals (I've kept 6 or 7 I could live without) but I flipped everything I basically regretted having acquired. I can say my guitars now have a use, same for my only bass and my 2 amps.
The Orchid is everything that’s wrong with modern product development. Create a polished video with non-working equipment (and use audio made from established gear) and attach a trusted name in the target genre to a new product to generate a buzz to get 1,000 people to pay you to beta test it (from their demos it doesn’t even look beta yet). The first video got me too, even though I could smell the corporate ickiness of the whole thing, I signed up for the Patreon. Their demos on Patreon sealed the deal that the thing is uncooked and buggy and it just sounded terrible. The promise of the Orchid is quite nice, but I don’t have any reason to trust it yet. Let everyone else pay to work for them first!
My recent experience almost a similar revelation. It's that you can convince yourself that your gear is more critical than it is. I get a lot of complaints on my tone from players, sound guys and engineers. I appreciate that because core of my tone is a pedal board that took me years to acquire the pieces for and cost more than I wan to admit. It's bougie af and I love it. So you can imagine how crushed I am as I show up for a fill in spot with a bigger player in my area only to realize... I forgot it. There's at least a house amp so I suck it up and get to work. I sound check and I can hear the difference but the sound guy says "dude, your tone is always so good." How could this be?!? My beloved pedal board of awesomeness is an hour away. Talk about mixed emotions. First was pride knowing that I'm a bigger contributor to my tone than I realized. Second was relief knowing I didn't crap the bed on a good gig. Last was disappointment... Years collecting and thousands spent and a sound guy that hears me regularly couldn't tell. Worse, I felt silly for convincing myself it was the biggest contributor to my tone. The moral of the story is that you can not only have GAS, you can convince yourself that feeding your GAS is making a bigger difference than it really is. It does pay off in my session work but for gigs, it has me considering a new pedal board for live work that won't give me a heart attack if it goes missing lol.
Sometimes my GAS gets pretty gnarly. I know I just have to force out the GAS, but the GAS is stuck inside of me. Sometimes I get GAS pains because I just can't get the GAS out of my system. But when I lie down like this, I find it much easier to pass GAS.
I'm by all means a mediocre musician, where 97% of my playing happens in my bedroom. At one point, I had two amps, 4 basses, and a full pedalboard. Now, I've told myself one bass amp, two basses (one is my first- it's not a good instrument but it's sentimental) and one guitar is all I need. I did cave to GAS and buy a boss gt1000 core, and I still keep a dirt peal and an octaver, but that's it. It all sounds good, plays great, and if there's a rare occasion I play live, I can run direct.
Every time I’ve found myself looking at gear online more than using the gear I have, I know there’s an issue. Another thing too. If forums and influencers online are your benchmark for a good rig, then you’re fighting a losing battle. A lot of times, the kinds of stuff your local musicians are using at gigs may surprise you. I’ve seen so many musicians impress me with their playing while using a $20 bluesbreaker clone or a Line6 POD
the MOMENT I saw the orchid I knew the roll-out for it would be super limited. To be honest, I'm disappointed with the way they did that release. It felt very intentionally restrictive, the exact situation you described was so obviously going to happen.
I get pretty excited about selling a piece of gear I no longer use, and that's been pretty surprising to me. I think it's because I like the idea of de-cluttering and sending gear to someone who will enjoy it. Having some extra money is of course great too.
You definitely don't need the thing. It's good to internalize that understanding. It's always good to remember that the gear isn't going to make you productive. HOWEVER toys are indeed fun. There's nothing wrong with getting things that give you fun. Don't let the monks and the "tone is in the practice more" naysayers make you feel bad if you get yourself a new reverb pedal. Crap, man, people spend $2k on putters and clutch purses. And don't forget that you're going to die someday. Maybe next week. If you can afford that new bleep bloop machine, freaking go for it. You're doing your part to keep the bleep bloop industry in business for all the future bleep bloopers of the future.
I'm in the same boat as far as waiting and thinking about a piece of gear for months or up to a year before buying. It's bit me a few time where I had an eye on something then it was either discontinued or sold out indefinitely😅 But you're right. I don't need it.
i started as a musician, then moved to recording engineer, and am now at the final plateau: equipment technician. take it from the guy who has aaaaalllllll the gear and more tech bench than studio anymore: just stay away. bruce springsteen did it with a cassette 4 track. the beatles did it in mono. the gear makes absolutely zero difference if you don't write great songs, and a great song can shine thru any amount of bad recording quality and production. so many are trying to find that magic plugin to give them "vibe" and the reality is the vibe they seek is just limited fidelity. and you don't need more gear for that. write songs and play them for people. everything else will fall in place.
I had beat my GAS for a few years. About a month ago, I got bit again. Ended up relapsing and bought a great Guild Starfire. Did I need it? No. Did I want it? YES. Do I have regret? A little. Hope to be on the wagon for years again. I do play all my basses. So, there’s that.
I'm the worst. I'll buy, buy, buy then sell, sell, sell at a way reduced amount. My idol is Brian May. He has other guitars he might use on some recordings, but live he uses the same guitar that he and his dad built when he was a kid. And remember, this is Sir Brian May. He can afford any guitar in the world!
"Limitations inspire creativity" - very true, adapt and persevere. But here's where it gets... shit (In my humble opinion). Imagine your an artist going to record an album and you can chose between 2 studios - one studio is a multi-million dollar studio with purpose built (as close to) acoustically perfect sound treatment and a multitude of vintage and modern recording equipment and technologies. And studio 2 is a relatively mundane square room with an 8-input audio interface and a copy of Ableton. Which studio is going to churn through clients? When I was in school for my Audio Engineering degree we all repeated a running joke that wasn't at all funny... "how do you make a million dollars in the music industry? ...Spend 2 million." Fact is - gear sells and promotes work, music itself is undervalued and in many cases unpaid. Same explanation as to why most of the population of music consumers will pay a subscription to Spotify - but won't buy a CD/Record/Digital MP3. It's a looking glass - GAS can lead to actually turning a profit - sorta... It can also lead you straight into bankruptcy.
I'm at the one year rule with my Chase Bliss Mood. I've tried and tried to like it and use it in a music way, and it's just not for me. But I keep it because of the cost and attachment etc. If anyone wants it, hit me up haha
I know a lot of musicians with lots of gear and lot of money to spend on it but they don’t put in the time to practice their instrument. No amount of gear can compensate for bad playing
That just sounds like an annoying way to try to buy something anyways haha I would have probably said screw it if I couldn't just buy the thing out right
I have a MIM bass, a broken Mustang Micro, a broken amp and broken headphones. Sum total of music gear and I play every day and I'm 43. I'm the one with less than you. We just don't want to hear about this? You think people with no money want to hear 12 minutes about people with money problems? You gotta make the click bait but empathize a bit. I don't even own -a- synthesizer. The only people who don't need gear to make music are people who don't have money problems. The rest of us, aren't up to par and we're behind because of you guys showing the world 14 synths necessary or you're not worthwhile as a human. Just a rant!
This R E A L L Y needs to be talked about more. I'm just a high school student with a head full of songs. I watch all these gear tube videos and convince myself I NEED something to make music. Thats when I have to slap myself and say "Bro, you have $27 in your wallet and don't have a drivers license, you can't afford to buy the new JHS pedal. Plug in your $35 interface and just make the dang music." And thats what I did. It's been such a freeing experience to just make and release. So fulfilling. Really great vid dude. you inspired me to learn bass and I play the bass -my $75 beat up 90s squire bass- on all my songs I release on TH-cam!
You're right, dude. Of course it's awesome to have all the expensive gear in the world. But here's the thing. Even EVH sounds like EVH on a shitty squier playing through a free amp sim on guitar rig 4. Play the shit out of what you do have! Just practice your music as much as you can as often as you can. You're in high school, mate. You have HOURS of free time. Use it right!
90s squier basses are the best though.
@@maxonmendel5757 You're kinda right dude. The thing sounds S M O O T H. It was suuuuuuper jacked up when I bought it. I gave it som TLC and now it plays like a dream for only $75 plus new strings (of course, the cheapest I could lol)
The moment you realize that Victor Wooten uses Behringer pedals and everything any youtuber has ever said about gear goes right out the window.
Sire > Squire > Fender.
Go for piano lessons and learn theory. You won’t need an Orchid chord strummer. You’ll get a lifetime of mileage from theory lessons. Another soundbox with a few keys, knobs and a Suzuki Omnichord can be done on a phone fcl
I really like the way you shot the video like someone is speaking to their psychologist. So real in dealing with gas.
Thank you for writing the comment for me, now I am positive it is intentional.
Ironically, you already helped me stop my own GAS. A few weeks ago I watched one of your videos where you said compression is great, but while learning the instrument, we should work on our skill without the crutch of compression. I turned the compression off on my amp. I’ve only been playing about a year and only have one pedal so far. However, I have a TON of pedals in my wishlist. I’ve been bummed that I don’t have more money to buy more gear. Your perspective helped me realize it’s ok to not go buy a bunch of gear I’m not musically ready for. I really need to focus on getting the sounds I want consistently with only my instrument (and some eq on the amp). ;) Thanks, Philip.
Posting this during the plug-in deal-o-thon is good timing for me. Right now the internet feels like walking down the strip in Vegas with everybody trying to get my attention and it’s overwhelming. Thanks for sharing
I had this exact same experience trying to buy a piece of gear while travelling... in the car, wife driving, had the thing in a cart, and I was just too slow to go through checkout and it was sold out. I remember all of the emotions I went through thinking I had one, and then finding out I didn't and having to deal with the anger and then the sadness of feeling left out. And here's the thing... with how clearly I remember this happening, I have NO IDEA what the piece of gear was that I was trying to get. You don't need the thing.
Love the top down therapist couch shot. Cinematic AF!
A mindset I adopted was ‘the rule of one’. Own one really good instrument in each category. 1 poly synth, 1 mono synth, 1 acoustic guitar, 1 Gibson, 1 Fender, 1 amplifier and one bass guitar. Owning one of each instrument has allowed me to not only spend more on that one instrument, but to deepen my connection to it and become more proficient with the instrument. This mind set has not only decluttered my home studio but also my mindset, decision making and creativity. I have never been happier.
I literally went through the exact same thing as you with the exact same piece of gear. To make myself feel better I made some music that I “would” have made with the Orchid. Turns out I don’t need the Orchid and it made me feel better. Limitation is the mother of all invention. Yes the Orchid looks and sounds cool, but you know what is cooler. Making your version of what the Orchid sounds like. Now you sound different to people with the actual Orchid.
Thanks, Philip! It's always good to remind myself and others to keep our focus on the music, the joy of creating, and to stay curious. Really appreciate what you do, man!
I was flowchart from a enviormental group here in germany. It goes something like: do you need it?
do you need it now?
can you borrow it?
can you rent it?
can you buy it used?
and so on, and it helped me a lot.
Really great video. I struggle with this a lot. In my personal experience, I've found that it's very rarely about the gear (or the car, or the computer, or the model kit, or the sneakers, or the watch, etc). It's usually just a a way for my more anxious thoughts and feelings to get "pointed" at something. The fixating, the little bit of adrenaline when you're trying to GET the thing, etc. I'm in my office/studio right now and looking at all kind of gear that I've NEVER used to make music. It's a busy box. So yeah, constantly having to check myself on this.
Oh man, I really love listening to your philosophical thoughts about things.
Whatever you do or don't celebrate, happy holidays, new year and bass playing. Thanks for the uploads this year and the next. Much love.
Thanks for this video, needed to hear this as minimalism is something that I’m constantly striving towards as a guitar player. I find that option anxiety (having too many choices of a similar thing) can really get in the way of playing, as you can get caught up in the minor differences and not be focused on the MUSIC. Love your channel.
About 5 years ago, I bought a Synthstrom Deluge. Probably the best single purchase I ever made for my music. I had to sell my drum kit, an amp, and a vintage synth to pay for it and I waited about 2 years before buying it. There's something about exchanging those beloved items that has put an extra layer of value on the new machine. Happily the Deluge is an absolute winner. It's firmware updates have been amazing, with new synth engines, sequencer features, sampling tricks, effects processing. There's an active community now developing it even further with the open sourcing of the firmware
Great video. I went through the same experience with the new tape plugin that just came out. Was just about to buy it, when at check out I realized I truly don't need it. Was just an excuse to try and motivate me to work. Most of us have the tools around us already to push to our next level. Another free piece of gear to overcome the materialistic lust is just learning new songs. Challenging ourselves through expanding musical language.
Rules always help if you're the kind of person who sticks to them. I have to make an album with an instrument before I'm allowed to get another instrument of the same kind, and with vintage synths I first have to make an album with a vst version of it. If I still think I need it after that then it's justified - I bought my Solina after 2 albums with a very limited emulation and it's really opening up some nice possibilities. Very occasionally I fall for GAS, usually while I'm upgrading a specific part of my studio, but even when that happens and I buy something that is just "nice to have" rather than a need, I always end up using everything I own and I never sell anything because seller's regret is far more common than buyers regret. I even once held on to a couple of midi controllers while I wasn't making music for like 15 years. One of them is the main keyboard controller at my studio desk now and I'm glad I didn't sell it.
By the way, that synth release sounds utterly ridiculous. To me it feels like you fell for artificial scarcity as a sales tactic for a Beta tester product. I'm fairly sure that you will be able to buy a much better v2 of that synth if it holds any water.
Totally agree. Here's my tip for most of us: ignore all gear. Get what you need. Then pay for lessons instead of gear. Spend time and mental effort practicing.
11 minutes and 44 seconds of truth there - once I realized that the minilogue xd, opsix, and Microfreak covered 99% of what I needed, I’ve never yearned for another synth. Even my pedal addiction has waned as I realize the answer to the question: do I need another delay? is a resounding no - as you quite rightly say, constraints breed creativity 😊 fabulous video as always
Thank you so much for talking about such a critical topic. Thank you ❤
Great video (as always)!
I would add one really helpful trick which has saved me on countless occasions.
At home my wife and I practice minimalism as best we can and use a “30 day rule”.
We’ve formed a habit of saying an immediate “no” to impulse purchases. When we see something that we want to buy, it now gets added to a shopping list. After 30 days, when the dopamine/adrenaline rush has passed and life has moved on, we revisit the list and see if we actually *need* the thing that we wanted so bad a month ago.
It works every time, especially for gear.
Now, when I do end up buying something from the list, I do it with confidence and a wholesome sense of satisfaction that I’m spending my hard-earned money on something that will genuinely add value to my life.
On top of that, I’ve had quite a few experiences of looking back over the list and not even recognising some of the things that are on it! They get erased from the list immediately and I save myself a LOT of time & money.
Phil - I could sing your praises for hours on end, but for now let me just say thank you for your channel. It’s a perfect antidote to a lot of the overstimulating, empty-calorie content that clogs up the internet these days.
There honestly is only one piece of gear that I couldn‘t get my hands that really hurts. The CBA Billy Strings Wombtone. I love the Wombtone. I own both MKI and MKII, the latter being on my board. The BSWT has a couple of features that I wish the MKII had. But, I didn‘t get one and probably never will because of ROHS. It’s a bummer. Is it the end of the world? No. Am I a worse musician because of not getting one? No. Life goes on. You can‘t have everything you want. Not getting upset is a valuable lesson. Thank you for the video, Phil.
Great video, thank you for making it. I am a 60 year audio engineer who just started playing bass less than a year ago. I have bought a few basses, pedalboard, with pedals of course, lol, a head and a 4x10. I got it bad! But it sounds so good! lol
This is how I feel as well. A lot of the whole gear space and the companies too prey on your insecurities as a musician I. E
"your mix is always gonna sound terrible and no one will like you *unless* you buy our new handmade magical soldered glue compressor for a mere & very affordable £2,500. Oh, and that's the basic version with one knob".
So many iconic hits were made with trash gear that was left to rot in a pawn shop or a basement. The Jazzmaster. The Roland 808 (hell, most of Roland's drum machines were market failures), the first fuzz pedal, all sorts keyboards & Synths. Look at what you have and see it as a creative opportunity. Work out what make the gear you have sounds good, and hone in on that. That's what I've been doing and I'm so happy the EP I made with that ethos in mind is coming out next month! So go do the thing!
You just reminded me I’m sitting on a ton of pedals that I should probably sell but won’t. I used to sell everything only to find myself wanting it once it was gone. Now I live with my purchases. I think it works in that is slows me down from buying as much because of the sheer accumulation
Your approach of planning a budget 6-12 months+ works well. For many things I might feel I 'need' in audio, there is often a plugin equivalent that is 1/10th the price (drum machines, synths, fx and samplers especially). 1/20th the price, if you wait for sales. I like planning my purchases more around 'boring' gear, often planning years in advance, focused on the aspects that actually matter the most. That includes things like studio acoustic treatment, monitors, mics, preamps, quality of life studio furniture and lastly compressors (mostly make do with plugins, apart from one good guitar and bass comp pedal). I focus on upgrading one aspect a year. I set an annual budget, and stick to it, selling unwanted gear. This coming year it's microphone upgrades.
Great video. Thanks for this 😊
Thank you, Philip.
This video couldn't have hit at a more timely time. I'll blame my magpie brain...
I know I have enough gear. Plenty of pedals, more than enough guitars and basses. I know I don't need more.
I do have a. short-list of things I'd like to get and/ or try out.
I'm striving to spend more time playing and learning than watching gear-related videos.
Time to go through the collection and see what I can pass along.
Be good to you
Great timing. Recently bought a pedal I had been mulling over for a while. Rave reviews, thought it would take my tone “to the next level”. Got it, total bust. Couldn’t get along with it. Returned it and got a new bridge, pickup, and wiring harness for a bass I wanted to love but wasn’t getting much playing time bc I couldn’t coax a useful to me tone out of it. Installed everything and now it might be my favorite instrument and the mods were about half the cost of the pedal.
I think the best thing for starting out bass/guitar players is to buy a digital modelling pedal. A used HX stomp has great value, but a cheap new zoom pedal will also be good. In doing this, you have access to so much industry standard gear without having to buy new stuff all the time when you want a new sound. I think it has saved me a lot of money!
This is some damn good advice. Especially for people who have the money to go out and buy a piece of expensive gear a couple times a year. If you're doing this on credit that's a signal you shouldn't do it. But if you have the money you can get sucked down this rabbit hole so easily and Reverb will not save you, most of the time you're going to take a financial hit. The internet has made this much worse, but even in the days of going to the music store, GAS can rear it's ugly head.
Excellent advice. Credit debt due to music is awful. I always felt you buy what you need and the music should pay for itself beyond that point.
I can relate to this. I was feeling creatively stumped and thought like a chorus or synth pedal would help but im not too familiar with them. I saw the Zoom mb60+ multi effect pedal and was like I'll get that because there were good reviews and demos from trusted sources and I have ended up not caring for the synths. Maybe as I get more familar with them that will change but ultimately the Zoom has a dead on model of the MXR M80 di+ that ive had for 16 years and need to replace because its falling apart. Now ive got a replacement for that plus other really good sounds for like half the price of a new MXR pedal.
Great Video, well done!
Here on GearTube, it seems like every tenth video is about GAS. Here's nine videos of social engineered marketing that attacks your lack of impulse control, and one video to make you feel bad about it. Then you get depressed because you feel like you have a disorder so you resort to retail therapy with the next gear video that pops up in your feed, and the cycle begins again.
I had the same exact experience trying to get one of the last TDI (Teletronics DI) from Janek Gwisdala; had it in my cart, then POOF! Gone. Very sad. Thanks for the video, Philip. Cheers!
Look - Philip - I didn't need you yelling truths at me today in that calm, matter of fact demeanor that you carry...but thanks for the reminder! :D
I had GAS badly last year about this time, but I have used nearly every piece of it, mostly the pedals I bought. I built a looping pedalboard and played weekly solo guitar improv gigs all year, so it depends how you actuate after the fact, to at least some degree. The new basses were upgrades and a gift, so I don’t feel bad for not using them much until about last month. A topic almost every musician faces eventually.
"Need" is a strong word, and as you'd imagine, if whatever your chasing after isn't getting you food, water, shelter, sleep, or healthy social connection, it's a "want". In a music context, the things that I would "need" performing on bass, besides my bass and a pick if it calls for it, is a tuner and a way to amplify my bass so that whomever I'm playing for can hear me (reliable DI to PA with monitors of sorts, or an amp). Much like your compact pedal arrangement in one of your previous videos. Struggling to hear an un-amplified and out of tune bass is not much fun for anyone 😅, and without those things even a pretty casual and not so picky audience won't enjoy it. The rest are "wants", like a specific eq-ed tone I'm looking for, drive, effects, or whatever else to add on top, but the music doesn't really happen without the amp/DI or tuner. That's what I like to remind myself when I start to get GAS-y, and it usually helps
This is so cool just lounging around with you
IF you want a cheap "idea machine" type of synth the Aira J-6 is fun
Thanks for a video that triggered my GAS right on the first 0:03. What’s the name of that? I NEED IT.
omnichord. i prefer mkii over the original. the one in this video is some later version which ive not owned so cant comment
Loved this video!
Lmao!! Nice camera angle!! Love u!! And the omnichord. Welcome to 3leaf world. Lol
I love the color of your couch.
I feel like I need to own the exact same one to have the same deep thoughts as you and create music as good as yours.
Thank you for the inspiration!
By the way, what brand is that couch, and where can I buy it?
couch acquisition syndrome
Good stuff and you should talk about this. You're a voice in the music creator youtube landscape and I appreciate this discord.
As far as gear goes, go listen to some studio engineers talk about how they mix entire songs and you realize they might stick one or two plugins on the bass and that's it. They really just want a P-bass and for it to sound like a bass.
The video all guitar players need but none of them want😂😂. I struggle with GAS myself. My father and I are completely terrible for each other when it comes to this. I try to focus on purchasing lessons and completing them before I let the gear get me but it doesn’t always work. 😅 Great insights as always, Phil ❤
5:55 agree 100% Feels like such a cash grab on all the people who don’t want to take a month to start learning an instrument or music theory or what it actually takes to write an actual song
I've found that the danger was hanging out with bands that were like "clubs of proud big spenders", and that was driving my interests towards any "special" gear. Now I perceive these conversations as red lights, I might have a bit too many pedals (I've kept 6 or 7 I could live without) but I flipped everything I basically regretted having acquired.
I can say my guitars now have a use, same for my only bass and my 2 amps.
The Orchid is everything that’s wrong with modern product development. Create a polished video with non-working equipment (and use audio made from established gear) and attach a trusted name in the target genre to a new product to generate a buzz to get 1,000 people to pay you to beta test it (from their demos it doesn’t even look beta yet). The first video got me too, even though I could smell the corporate ickiness of the whole thing, I signed up for the Patreon. Their demos on Patreon sealed the deal that the thing is uncooked and buggy and it just sounded terrible. The promise of the Orchid is quite nice, but I don’t have any reason to trust it yet. Let everyone else pay to work for them first!
And there is the wisdom again. So true.
Dito here. G.A.S hits me to often.
My recent experience almost a similar revelation. It's that you can convince yourself that your gear is more critical than it is. I get a lot of complaints on my tone from players, sound guys and engineers. I appreciate that because core of my tone is a pedal board that took me years to acquire the pieces for and cost more than I wan to admit. It's bougie af and I love it. So you can imagine how crushed I am as I show up for a fill in spot with a bigger player in my area only to realize... I forgot it. There's at least a house amp so I suck it up and get to work. I sound check and I can hear the difference but the sound guy says "dude, your tone is always so good." How could this be?!? My beloved pedal board of awesomeness is an hour away. Talk about mixed emotions. First was pride knowing that I'm a bigger contributor to my tone than I realized. Second was relief knowing I didn't crap the bed on a good gig. Last was disappointment... Years collecting and thousands spent and a sound guy that hears me regularly couldn't tell. Worse, I felt silly for convincing myself it was the biggest contributor to my tone. The moral of the story is that you can not only have GAS, you can convince yourself that feeding your GAS is making a bigger difference than it really is. It does pay off in my session work but for gigs, it has me considering a new pedal board for live work that won't give me a heart attack if it goes missing lol.
Sometimes my GAS gets pretty gnarly. I know I just have to force out the GAS, but the GAS is stuck inside of me. Sometimes I get GAS pains because I just can't get the GAS out of my system. But when I lie down like this, I find it much easier to pass GAS.
Great vid, man.
I'm by all means a mediocre musician, where 97% of my playing happens in my bedroom. At one point, I had two amps, 4 basses, and a full pedalboard. Now, I've told myself one bass amp, two basses (one is my first- it's not a good instrument but it's sentimental) and one guitar is all I need. I did cave to GAS and buy a boss gt1000 core, and I still keep a dirt peal and an octaver, but that's it. It all sounds good, plays great, and if there's a rare occasion I play live, I can run direct.
Every time I’ve found myself looking at gear online more than using the gear I have, I know there’s an issue.
Another thing too. If forums and influencers online are your benchmark for a good rig, then you’re fighting a losing battle. A lot of times, the kinds of stuff your local musicians are using at gigs may surprise you. I’ve seen so many musicians impress me with their playing while using a $20 bluesbreaker clone or a Line6 POD
the MOMENT I saw the orchid I knew the roll-out for it would be super limited. To be honest, I'm disappointed with the way they did that release. It felt very intentionally restrictive, the exact situation you described was so obviously going to happen.
I get pretty excited about selling a piece of gear I no longer use, and that's been pretty surprising to me. I think it's because I like the idea of de-cluttering and sending gear to someone who will enjoy it. Having some extra money is of course great too.
You definitely don't need the thing. It's good to internalize that understanding. It's always good to remember that the gear isn't going to make you productive.
HOWEVER toys are indeed fun. There's nothing wrong with getting things that give you fun. Don't let the monks and the "tone is in the practice more" naysayers make you feel bad if you get yourself a new reverb pedal. Crap, man, people spend $2k on putters and clutch purses.
And don't forget that you're going to die someday. Maybe next week. If you can afford that new bleep bloop machine, freaking go for it. You're doing your part to keep the bleep bloop industry in business for all the future bleep bloopers of the future.
I like that you’re lying on the couch as if you’re in therapy for GAS
I'm in the same boat as far as waiting and thinking about a piece of gear for months or up to a year before buying. It's bit me a few time where I had an eye on something then it was either discontinued or sold out indefinitely😅
But you're right. I don't need it.
Couch therapy with Philip👍
i started as a musician, then moved to recording engineer, and am now at the final plateau: equipment technician. take it from the guy who has aaaaalllllll the gear and more tech bench than studio anymore: just stay away. bruce springsteen did it with a cassette 4 track. the beatles did it in mono. the gear makes absolutely zero difference if you don't write great songs, and a great song can shine thru any amount of bad recording quality and production. so many are trying to find that magic plugin to give them "vibe" and the reality is the vibe they seek is just limited fidelity. and you don't need more gear for that. write songs and play them for people. everything else will fall in place.
Most of all I need TIME to play the instrument and gear I have acquired over the years. If I could buy some time that would be great
I had beat my GAS for a few years. About a month ago, I got bit again. Ended up relapsing and bought a great Guild Starfire. Did I need it? No. Did I want it? YES. Do I have regret? A little. Hope to be on the wagon for years again. I do play all my basses. So, there’s that.
Knobula Chord Pilot does the same this as orchid
i feel like i only have GAS when im not working on music, which is very telling
Ideas are free to create : )
I'm the worst. I'll buy, buy, buy then sell, sell, sell at a way reduced amount.
My idol is Brian May. He has other guitars he might use on some recordings, but live he uses the same guitar that he and his dad built when he was a kid. And remember, this is Sir Brian May. He can afford any guitar in the world!
"Limitations inspire creativity" - very true, adapt and persevere.
But here's where it gets... shit (In my humble opinion).
Imagine your an artist going to record an album and you can chose between 2 studios - one studio is a multi-million dollar studio with purpose built (as close to) acoustically perfect sound treatment and a multitude of vintage and modern recording equipment and technologies. And studio 2 is a relatively mundane square room with an 8-input audio interface and a copy of Ableton.
Which studio is going to churn through clients?
When I was in school for my Audio Engineering degree we all repeated a running joke that wasn't at all funny... "how do you make a million dollars in the music industry? ...Spend 2 million."
Fact is - gear sells and promotes work, music itself is undervalued and in many cases unpaid.
Same explanation as to why most of the population of music consumers will pay a subscription to Spotify - but won't buy a CD/Record/Digital MP3.
It's a looking glass - GAS can lead to actually turning a profit - sorta... It can also lead you straight into bankruptcy.
They set these, limited release-queue-chat forums-membership structures up to ‘manage’ excitement, to create an artificial engagement.
I'm at the one year rule with my Chase Bliss Mood. I've tried and tried to like it and use it in a music way, and it's just not for me. But I keep it because of the cost and attachment etc. If anyone wants it, hit me up haha
I know a lot of musicians with lots of gear and lot of money to spend on it but they don’t put in the time to practice their instrument. No amount of gear can compensate for bad playing
Then you need to help me out and stop making that Origin DCX Bass sound so good.
4:53 that part.
that's really great advice. but i'm gonna go buy some new PA tops now! ha ha ha
"didn't ruin date night don't worry."
ngl I was a little worried
So you don't need saturation after all huh
Omnichord is peak G.A.S.
Can I borrow a feeling
Rule 2; museums, Vince Gill, Joe Bonamassa, hoarders set those instruments free, let someone be creative.
I feel like im more of a technician or a collector than a musician at this point
That just sounds like an annoying way to try to buy something anyways haha I would have probably said screw it if I couldn't just buy the thing out right
Everytime I think I need a pedal I turn on my tone master pro and realise I don’t
Boss DR-5
Ugh fine I'll make something
If it was in your cart and you thought you HAD IT, you've never bought a 3leaf Audio pedal, haha
I have a MIM bass, a broken Mustang Micro, a broken amp and broken headphones. Sum total of music gear and I play every day and I'm 43. I'm the one with less than you. We just don't want to hear about this? You think people with no money want to hear 12 minutes about people with money problems? You gotta make the click bait but empathize a bit. I don't even own -a- synthesizer. The only people who don't need gear to make music are people who don't have money problems. The rest of us, aren't up to par and we're behind because of you guys showing the world 14 synths necessary or you're not worthwhile as a human.
Just a rant!
I'm too anti human engineering to ever rock with a BS buying program like that.
Kick rocks Orchid.
You woud have got it if you were on pc.
Did I just give you therapy?
Short-term GAS fix = Watch YT videos about gear you ALREADY own 🎛🔊