Hey Everyone,
I'm working on a guitar survey in relation to my MBA in Marketing, and need your help!
I'm conducting a survey on guitar purchasing habits, and would love your responses. The questions are already approved by my instructor, so I'm trying to stick with them for this assignment but please feel free to share your thoughts, although simple answers are cool too.
What type of music do you play?
Who are some of your favorite musicians, and do their gear habits affect your decisions?
What type of tone do you prefer?
What is your ideal price range when searching for an instrument?
Do you tend to buy new or used, and why?
Do you shop out of necessity (needing a strat for a few songs etc, or buy it if you really dig it approach)
What initial qualities in a guitar make you want to pick it up off the rack?
Thank you very much for replying! Feel free to email me at phunkyguitar@yahoo.com
What type of music do you play?
Jam; Improvisational rock
Who are some of your favorite musicians, and do their gear habits affect your decisions?
Trey Anastasio (surprise?), Hendrix, Gilmour, Scofield, ABB. Yes, to a degree - I love Phish and not only is that jam-tone what I hear when I create my own music in my head before playing it out loud, but once you get his tone, it is very consistent: always enough sustain so your leads don't go limp, always warm enough mids so you don't sound thin/shrill if your bass gets lost in the mix, are muddy if your treble gets lost.
What type of tone do you prefer?
A jammy, smooth, midfocused tone.
What is your ideal price range when searching for an instrument?
Free!
Do you tend to buy new or used, and why?
Used because of cost. New is nice because you never worry if some issue from past misuse of the gear will eventually pop up.
Do you shop out of necessity (needing a strat for a few songs etc, or buy it if you really dig it approach)
Mostly necessity: most of my pedals create my "core tone "(drive, compression, etc), and I have finite space for "fun" pedals mostly determined by the types of sounds I want/need to keep creative. Rarely a pedal just on a whim, to try. I sold my backup amp when I needed money after I took a break from gigging because I didn't need it, despite digging it. I got a backup guitar when I needed it because I was gigging and could risk not having one.
What initial qualities in a guitar make you want to pick it up off the rack?
If it has the construction and features to meet my tonal needs (jammy tone). Usually hollowbody, PAF style humbuckers, lightweight, no tremolo, at least 25" fret scale, quality tonewood. I'm less moved by aesthetics, especially if they come as a price, but I tend to like natural finishes.
What type of music do you play?
Classic rock and funk
Who are some of your favorite musicians, and do their gear habits affect your decisions?
Jimmy Page, Trey Anastasio, Roger Troutman
What type of tone do you prefer?
a bright, yet fully body tone, lightly compressed
What is your ideal price range when searching for an instrument?
$1,000 - $2,000
Do you tend to buy new or used, and why?
either or... depends on the quality of the product and how popular it is at the time
Do you shop out of necessity (needing a strat for a few songs etc, or buy it if you really dig it approach)
mostly out of enjoyment/hobby
What initial qualities in a guitar make you want to pick it up off the rack?
good build quality and low output pickups
Thanks guys!
What type of music do you play?
1.Phish, Grateful Dead, ABB, original 'country rock', Jammy noodling
Who are some of your favorite musicians, and do their gear habits affect your decisions?
1.Trey Anastasio, Al Schnier, Chuck Garvey, Jerry Garcia, Bob Wier, Robert Hunter, Keith Urban (I know, I know - he is a good guitarist!), Zac Brown, Clapton, Hendrix, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts.
2. Yes they influence what I look for in my own tone and what I buy to achieve that tone.
What type of tone do you prefer?
1. Clean: bloomy, articulate, punchy, compressed, sustaining, mid-rangy. tight low end, no harsh highs. OD: slightly overdriven cleans that retains articulation and sustain, that can be touch sensitive.
What is your ideal price range when searching for an instrument?
1. Price is of no concern to have fun!
Do you tend to buy new or used, and why?
1. I like to buy new primarily because I know where the item has been and it is covered under warranty, but I have been buying more used equipment on this page and on TGP because it seems the sellers are trustworthy and a lot of the people flip gear searching for 'that tone' so there are deals to be had -at least not paying full price when an item is less than a year old. To take it one step further, I've really enjoyed buying boutique handmade items that are local and USA made, supporting family shops.
Do you shop out of necessity (needing a strat for a few songs etc, or buy it if you really dig it approach)
1. I buy it if I dig it approach, also like to have 'options' as far as different tones i.e. Hollowbody, Strat, Acoustic, etc.
What initial qualities in a guitar make you want to pick it up off the rack?
1. Build style (hollow or not, scale length, wood choice, pickups etc) and price. I feel that in the guitar world higher priced usually means a better build. Is it a one man shop or are they high end Les Pauls, ES335's, PRS's, or custom shop Fender or Gibson. After that it's feel, how is the neck, how balanced is it, how is the initial setup, what are the frets like, how does it sound unplugged, plugged in. I've played a few custom shop ES335's that didn't fit the bill.
Thanks! I'm getting all these, a bunch from TGP, and local buddies. I'll let you all know how it goes