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COVER STORY · MAY 20 2010

The Church Of Gear

OBSESSING OVER AWESOME INSTRUMENTS IS AN UNAVOIDABLE SICKNESS
by Chris Morin

Dakota illustration.jpgFor musicians, becoming obsessed with gear is almost unavoidable — but it’s also understandable. Playing a cheap, sketchy guitar that sounds like crap and constantly falls out of tune, for example, sucks — and so does hearing someone else play one. Not that every guitarist needs to own an original Les Paul, Rickenbacker or Strat, but it certainly helps.

Although financially draining, having a dependable collection of unique instruments is something every musician aims for. Firstly, that’s because we get consumed by owning it (think Gollum and his “precious”), but it’s also because good gear definitely sets you apart, especially if you’re a local band trying to make an impression.

The problem, however, is that great gear — whether brand new or vintage — doesn’t come cheap. Considering the laughably low incomes that most musicians make from their craft, that means obsessive collector-types are often looking at a lifetime of debt and second mortgages.

Still, any serious musician knows the value of quality over cheaply made crap.

“When recording I’ve found using good gear just gets better results,” states Kalon Beaudry, guitarist for Saskatoon’s Foggy Notions. “There’s a reason people want a Gibson over an Epiphone or a Fender over a Squire, for example. Vintage effects are the same — they’re coveted for a reason.”

Often, that reason is that a given instrument is linked to the classic rock era, where a careful listener can actually pick out the tones of a specific amp. For example, Brian May of Queen would never have cranked out such signature solos with a Strat copy. Sometimes, in order to capture a sound unlike any other, musicians have to be willing to drop some serious coin.

“I spent $3500 on a Carter pedal steel,” admits Etienne Soulodre of Regina alt-country band The Lazy MKs, “and I have no regrets whatsoever. It’s a double-neck, made out of maple that was at the bottom of Lake Superior for several hundred years.

“The gear we use absolutely makes a difference on the records,” he says. “My favourite is this Garnet tube amp that Chris [Prpich, bassist] found for my steel — it makes the steel sound like Neil Young with Crazy Horse.”

And achieving that type of perfect sound is what drives many musicians to make sacrifices that “normal” folks wouldn’t dream of.

“A lot of my peers own novel things like cars and homes,” says Mike Dawson of Regina’s Library Voices. “I’ve only got a couple of bookshelves and a mound of keyboards and guitars.

“It is definitely space-consuming,” continues Dawson, “but the instruments just become part of your everyday landscape. For the longest time, I used an old kick drum as a coffee table and an organ as a mantle.”

Clearly, becoming obsessive over gear is a sickness that results in regular trips to every music store in the city (and beyond) — but hunting for awesome instruments and accessories also means hitting up pawn shops and garage sales, and wearing out the refresh button on your computer while checking online classified sites.

“I usually scour the classifieds across the country on a daily basis, hoping to find a gem,” says Arnold Van Lambalgen of the now-defunct Jr. Pantherz. “Once I found a drum kit in Hamilton, Ontario for a real good price — so I had some friends in the city broker the deal and paid some other friends to bring them here when they toured through Saskatoon, all within a week.”

“While on tour I’ve stumbled across some great gear in dusty corners that I ended up taking home with me, like the Roland synthesizer we use all the time,” says Paul Ross of Foam Lake. “One time [when] we played Edmonton, we walked into the venue and bought the bass cabinet they were using as a coffee table.”

“Generally the stuff I find is strange but not as sought-after items,” says Chad Munson, guitarist of on-again off-again psych heroes Golden Smoke. “I hunt for vintage amps made in Canada, such as Traynors, Garnets and weirdo analog synths the average musician wouldn’t really fetishize over like I do, so often I stumble across these instruments at really good prices. Kijiji has been awesome for finding bargains — lots of people have no idea what they’re selling and often the price reflects this.”

When you find that perfect instrument — whether brand new or vintage — the feeling is indescribably good. The downside, of course, comes when one’s awesome collection of gear starts to conflict with other parts of your life — meaning hard choices must be made.

“I once sold a Moog, an MG 1 I think, to Brennan Hart (aka Knar) for enough money to take my future wife on a hot air balloon ride when I was crazy poor,” admits Steve Reed, of the now-defunct Carbon Dating Service. “I wouldn’t say that I regret that, but I miss the thing. At least I can still visit it sometimes.”

Tragedy can also strike for the obsessive gearhead when, after finally obtaining all the pieces you’ve always wanted, you hit the stage — and have your sound mangled by a sound guy who couldn’t care less about your music.

“Gear is out of your hands on stage generally,” admits Beaudry. “Because even if you’ve got the sweetest Space Echo [effects unit] on stage and you’re really feeling it, if the sound person is an Ohbijou fan or whatever, chances are he’s got it turned down.”

And in the end, Reed is probably right when he says that, no matter how fun chasing down great gear and playing with it is, the song is still the most important thing.

“Whether playing shows or recording friends, it’s never really about the quality of the gear,” he says. “Only gear-heads give a shit about what we use on stage, and for recording it’s mostly about the sounds before they hit the mics. In my opinion a relaxed, experimental and collaborative approach will always eclipse any amount of high-fidelity gear.”

But man, is that black SG in the music store window ever sweet — only two weeks ‘til payday…