3. Which Sounds Do I Need?

Or perhaps one should ask, how many sounds do I need? Here's a thought to ponder:

At a concert featuring Mick Taylor and his band in the spring of 1998, one could witness how simple the guitar setup of a legend could be. While former colleague Keith Richards and successor Ron Wood used dozens of different guitars along with numerous vintage amps with rack systems, all to produce their (already authentic and legitimate) rough Stones sound, Taylor needed just a LES PAUL, a rather beaten-up FENDER TWIN REVERB (with a second FENDER as backup), and two small Ibanez pedals: a distortion (probably an IBANEZ TUBESCREAMER) and a chorus, heard only once during a more jazz-rock-oriented piece. Yet, that evening offered a wealth of superb sounds, even though Mick exclusively played on the bridge pickup. He constantly varied the sound using the volume and tone controls, but especially with his attack.

This isn't to say that this - admittedly extremely purist - guitar setup must now be ideal for everyone's purposes. Most modern guitarists need a few more sounds, but it could be an impulse for everyone: interesting, colorful sounds can be created even with simple means. Clearly, blues guitarists require fewer varied sounds compared to, say, a Top-40 musician or a dance musician.

1. Not every (even the best) guitar can realize a musician's personal sound expectations. A simple example: if you're after the typical treble-heavy country sound, the best LES PAUL won't quite cut it. Instead, a (much cheaper) TELECASTER will surely set you on the right path.
2. A guitar's construction can also influence posture and playability: on a STRATOCASTER or TELECASTER - with the same string gauge, mind you - you need more strength than on GIBSON types. This is due to the longer scale length and the associated higher string tension, an essential element (along with wood types and pickups) for the typical sound of these guitars. Many musicians love struggling with their guitars. Jeff Beck emphasizes this time and again: the neck of his first Signature-STRAT is said to feel as chunky as a Neanderthal's club - oh yes, the neck's mass also affects the sound and sustain! Others prefer the comfortable, flat, and wide necks of older LES PAULS (e.g., Mick Taylor, Jimmy Page, or Slash).
3. If you require many sounds, the amplifier must deliver them quickly (with a press of a button, in our case via pedal); a vintage amp would be out of place, even if it provides the world's best crunch sound.

First and foremost, one needs to be clear about what they want to achieve with their guitar setup. As simple and logical as it may sound, this is where most money is needlessly squandered. When I met a rhythm guitarist from an amateur country band, he had already invested around 5,000 EUR in a rig (pre and power tubes, multi-effects, MIDI foot controller, looper, 2 4x12 cabinets) that would have done any heavy metal lead guitarist proud. However, what he actually got out of it (90% strumming) would have sounded better, more authentic, with a FENDER TWIN and a small chorus pedal, and saved him a lot of expenditure and hauling.

What might a guitarist reasonably need? Depending on the genre, the requirements are naturally more focused – clean sounds, for instance, are used more frequently by dance musicians than by hard rockers.

Of course, this is a very rough and absolutely not a mandatory listing; there are many other possibilities or intermediate forms. No one can (or wants to) prohibit guitarists from making their lead sound float with a flanger or LESLIE, and anyone like David Gilmour who can handle delays always has at least one running. Therefore, let's consider this table above simply as a working basis; if someone doesn't need one or more sounds, they'll have one (or more) problem(s) less.

It's definitely good to be clear about what one really needs before buying a guitar setup or individual components because one golden rule always holds true:

Fewer good components are better than a multitude of options, most of which you don't need and individually don't sound as good.