Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) and overcoming it

Ed

Ed

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Gear Acquisition Syndrome afflicts not only sax players but trumpet players, clarinet players, and especially guitarists. It's an unfortunate and inevitable part of the process of searching for your personal sound. That elusive sound that you hear in your head. Even after you find the sound in your head from time to time doubt will creep in and off you go on the search for equipment to fix what needs to be fixed with more practice, long tones, or sometimes a short break from playing.

How do you love the one you're with?

It's interesting that many of my personal heros in jazz played most of their career on the same horn or just a couple of different horns. Zoot Sims played on a Selmer Radio Improved and mostly played on a vintage Brilhart. Gerry Mulligan played on old Conn's and a Gregory. Phil Woods spent most of his career on a Selmer Mark VI with a New York Meyer only to switch in recent years to a prototype Yamaha 82Z. Mulligan was obviously quite successful and at one point did try to play a Selmer Mark VI bari but didn't find it to his liking. He had bonded with his horn and it had become a large part of how he played. The same can be said for Cannonball Adderley. Cannonball sounds like Cannonball on a King Super 20 with a Meyer. Paul Desmond played a SBA for his whole career in spite of doing ads for the Mark VI. Michael Brecker played Mark VI's except for when he was helping Selmer push their latest horns or using a Mark VII as a stunt horn on an album cover.

The obvious advantage of sticking with a given horn once you find the one is that you can learn it inside out. Switching horns every couple of years can stifle your development of your personal sound unless the new horn truly does get you closer to that sound in your head. To love the one you're with you have to really love the tone that you get out of your setup. It's without a doubt identifiable to your friends and family and section mates as you when you play just one note. Where you take it from there is up to your talent. But the next time you think about switching horns think about Mulligan playing on a Berg and a Mark VI and feel in your soul how wrong that would be.
 
GAS is both good and bad. I like hearing about the new baubles. Some are even helpful, like new ligs, reeds, whatever.

But not new horns, mouthpieces, or necks and barrels.

As far as the neck and barrel thing goes (for saxophonists and clarinetists, respectively), I'm of the opinion that the person that designed your horn designed it with a specific neck or barrel in mind. If you're tinkering with that, you can even end up with an unplayable horn.

With the horn and mouthpiece, provided you have a decent one of each and each is in good repair, Ed's absolutely right: you're going to play that setup better if you keep playing with it night in and night out. You'll learn which notes play out of tune and (eventually) unconsciously adjust to make them play in tune. If you keep switching stuff around, you have to "relearn" every time.

Hey, a Ferrari and a Taurus are both cars. I guarantee that I can drive my Taurus better than I can drive a Ferrari because I'm used to it. Heck, drop me in someone ELSE'S Taurus and I can probably drive that better than I could the Ferrari. Yah, maybe after a couple hours, I could be zooming around the track in a Ferrari, but it'd still be a couple hours.

Of course, you also have to realize Ed has over 100 sax mouthpieces. Hey, Ed, it's just full disclosure! :p

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I've often wondered about, say, Oboists and GAS. They don't really have that much they can change. The reed; maybe use something other than turkey feathers to clean the horn. But that's about it. They can't really go out and, say, buy a different bell or something: they'd have to buy a whole new horn and a really good oboe is really expensive. Heck, even bassoon players could get different bocals!
 
The oboe players and bassoon players that I know are borderline OCD about reeds.
 
"Look out! She's got a mandrel!"

More seriously, Ed, if you consider that every time they slap on a new reed, they're essentially using a new "mouthpiece", there's a good reason to be OCD about it. Hey, how many reeds do you go through a week? Now just think if you had that many mouthpieces to contend with.
 
I'm taking this stuff for my head that knocks you out for eight hours. Just keep repeating the dose :).
 
I think Merlin's on to part of the solution. Now this is coming from a guy who just got a new bari not too long ago (well at least new to me) but the horn should be the solution to helping me get to what I hear in my head. Since I'm likely to be asked to play alto, tenor, or bari at any given time these days I find that I'm happy that I've decided on some setups that I can play in any setting.
 
I overcome GAS by a couple intertwined methods:

[1] if my instrument isn't playing right then I try and figure out why - pad replacement, response tweak, reed, a bad playing day.

Or if i want it to play differently I'll adjust it in some regards. Am I not "mixing in" with a group I may need to adjust elsewhere, thus my 9+ tenor mpc selection. I've had my main alto for 25+ years.

[2] research. I like to research all angles of something before I decide to get it. Okay, this is not good if an item is on eBay but there's always another one (ok, you may wait awhile though .. i'm still waiting for another Buffet model VII to show up)

[3] kids. they take alot of $$ out of your pocket. This probably has the biggest impact. BUT they like musical instruments .. so I get to have GAS with other instruments... cello, cornet .. french horn is next !!
 
This is a great subject!

One thing that I do that helps me with G.A.S. -- in addition to having a wife who is an accountant and knows how much I spend on music equipment each year (ha ha ha) -- is to go through all of my equipment at least once a year. If I haven't used something over the course of a year I figure that another player can make better use of it than me. I also have a limited space for my horns. This helps to avoid acquiring a large number of horns. So, essentially, I use all of my equipment. That said, I have a collection of Ralph Morgan and Walter Grabner mouthpieces that I'm saving for the future. These are exceptionally fine mouthpieces. A number of them were specially made for me by Ralph and Walter. But, even these mouthpieces are used periodically.

Another thing that helps me avoid G.A.S. is to have a clear tonal conception on each of my horns and to have the equipment that is a good match for that sound.....also understanding that a very large percentage of my sound comes from within ME as a player. In this way I'm extremely happy with the equipment I have. This is a big help to not feel a need to jump on every bandwagon for new equipment that comes on the market. Of course, I like to know about what's out there. Some new things are great. For example, Legere reeds have made a world of difference for me as a doubler! But, I tend not to go along with fads.

Roger
 
I agree with the fad thing.

As mentioned, my ex-wife is a trumpet player, so I've hung out with a lot of trumpet folk. They're ALWAYS playing with new faddish mouthpieces. Which tends to drive the director nuts because the trumpet section can variably hit notes and/or have volume and/or intonation issues. And a trumpet embochure is a lot less forgiving than a woodwind: at least we have a specific fingering for a note. A trumpet player doesn't.

The last things I "GASed" on were a Gigliotti ligature for my clarinet -- that's about $10 -- and Rico Plasticover reeds. The former was partially because I needed a new ligature (that's the thing that holds the reed on the mouthpiece) and the latter was because I was going to play multiple instruments at a gig and I wanted to see if I could find something that wouldn't dry out and warp like regular reeds. The former was VERY successful, the latter was partially successful: the reeds worked great for the gig, but, when I took them out of the case for the next time, they were badly warped.

Oh. That was also about ... 20 years ago.

I have GASed on things that are a noticeable improvement, like trading in a Buffet plastic clarinet for a Yamaha YCL-34 wooden one for about $100 (IIRC), but at the pro level, most professionals have professional instruments and know that the difference between the top-tier pro horns is really one of personal preference.

Oh. Steve: get a Dynaction instead. It doesn't have as pretty engraving, but I think you'll like how it plays more. A Buffet-Powell might be an interesting beastie to try, if you can find one.
 
pete said:
Oh. Steve: get a Dynaction instead. It doesn't have as pretty engraving, but I think you'll like how it plays more. A Buffet-Powell might be an interesting beastie to try, if you can find one.
Click to expand...

I need a Dynaction then with the VII engraving. Know where I can get one. Are the bells/keywork transferrable ?

but .. GAS-wise ... since I can't afford a french horn anymore ..i think i'm going to buy a Cornet. I'm looking at Selmer Paris SBA cornets :!: Just one, and only one. Might as well go for all flash (great engraving) and little substance - otherwse I should get a Bach Strad. Plus I could sub in more jazz bands .. they're always looking for trumpet players.

anyone have one of those Anti-GAS pills ?
 
SteveSklar said:
pete said:
Oh. Steve: get a Dynaction instead. It doesn't have as pretty engraving, but I think you'll like how it plays more. A Buffet-Powell might be an interesting beastie to try, if you can find one.
Click to expand...

I need a Dynaction then with the VII engraving. Know where I can get one. Are the bells/keywork transferrable ?
Click to expand...
Need? Trying to collect a set? And the "VII", which a lot of people call an "SA", is a different horn from the Dynaction. Easy way to check: bell-to-body brace.

Just looking at the horns, I'd call the keywork and bell non-transferrable. If you really want the engraving, you can always check out this thread. It'd be cheaper.
 
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I'm not at the stage in my life where I can't feed my family because I'm acquiring more music gear. So GAS hasn't become a real problem yet. But if I've learned anything, other than satisfying the hunter/gatherer genetic drive, you really need but one good horn for each instrument type that you play. The rest is gravy.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that getting a decent horn the first time can save you money. By this I mean if you are already accomplished on an instrument like clarinet or sax and want to try the other (sax or clarinet), get a decent horn at the get go. Going cheap and then purchasing up is not gonna save you any money. At least that has been my experience.
 
I'm pretty content with what I have for the time being. My cure for GAS has come with finding new musical material to work on. I'm too busy studying new styles and trying to create a style of my own to be second guessing my equipment. I have been looking into a wireless mic system, but that's only because I want to bop around like Jeff Coffin. :D
 
rofl.....if the truth be known there's no such thing as having too many horns and mouthpieces; now, whether or not we need em or have to have em is a different story.
 
I just had a relapse of GAS.

I had trouble finding places to practice sax while in Malaysia for 4 months so I'm taking up bass.

I'm awaiting delivery of an Ashbory bass. (it's one of those fretless rubber band little things that sound just like an upright)

So yeah, a little headphone amp and I won't get angry hotel managers asking me why I'm praticing Koko in my underwear.
 
GAS struck me hard this year.Made a couple of very fine horn purchases on the high end but found myself falling for several other cheaper ebay "deals". All three need overhauls to function.You know the drill, "I am not a sax player but one was in and tried it and he played it great up and down" or "I would love to play the old standards on this classic on my front porch but can't find the time". So now they sit.Now I know why it's called Evilbay.I've learned my lesson.
Funny how sellers have exacting info on make and historical perspective ,serials, and worth but are clueless on play condition? Not.
I have no solution to overcoming GAS, so I better not hang with Ed.
 
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