How to make a "Bare Rig" that works for live guitar playing
A "bare rig" means a setup that uses the absolute least amount of gear to play live. It's good to come up with something like this so you're not "that guy in the band who's tweaks his settings for a half-hour just to play".
(Note: Since publishing this article I've had to change it slightly because it's very tough to find guitars under $100 new these days, so now I'm listing the best you can find for under $200. Times change, what can I say...)
YouTube has, without question, the absolute worst community on the internet. However YouTube is the #1 video sharing web site there is, so you're pretty much forced to use it if you want to get any attention as a guitar player.
The older I get, the more I purposely seek out simple products. One example is the traditional 2 oz. Old Spice Classic Original Scent deodorant. Another is Ivory soap.
Here's a photo of how much wrap I use on "through the post" tuning posts:
If you're in a band and you play out right now, it's most likely true you try but ultimately fail to sell anything at shows.
Above is the cover of the August 1992 issue of Guitar World. I bought the mag back when new for one reason and one reason only - Tony Iommi was on the cover.
Every guitar player at some point experiences guitar buyer's remorse. It's when you put a bunch of money into a specific guitar only to discover it's not the magical axe you thought it was going to be, and then the sinking feeling sets in of, "Oh, crap.. I spent way too much money on that guitar."
Have I ever experienced guitar buyer's remorse? Yes. But I learned from the experience and know not to do it again.
(QUICK SOLUTION before starting this: If you were looking for a right-now solution to multitrack recording without a computer that is digital, you want a ZOOM R8 or a Tascam DP-008. No computer is required and the unit is completely self-contained. If you were looking for the old-school analog method, keep reading.)
The first question on your mind when it comes to recording with no computer is, "Why?"
I've played enough electric guitars to know what's true and what isn't, and this is my top 5 list of electric guitar myths - as in things a lot of players believe to be true but aren't.
