[Harp-L] Gus and gear

["Sloppy Joe" <special20@xxxxxxxxx>]

Case in point - lots of discussion, ad nauseum - on achieving great tone via
gear.
Perhaps none of you have heard me. That's granted. I have been playing for
some time, and possess a decent tone.
While in Eureka Springs, (Arkansas, USA) at the Blues Fest, my band was
confronted by a wonderfully dressed up Gus. He was in a cowboy hat, jeans
inside his boots, and he had a harmonica in hand. He saunters up to me and
tells me he wants to play. (we'll spare you all my thoughts on that for now)
I refer him to the band leader - mind you, we've already started playing a
song where I carry a lot of the load. So the band leader tells him okay,
looks at me - and I tell the guy (seeing he is holding a Bb harp) "you need
an A harp"... the SOB pulls one out, so I hand him my mic.

We used the same rig - barely any time for my mic to cool off, or my cabinet
to stop oscillating - he takes over.

He was enthusiastic - but from what the band leader, the audience and myself
heard - he did not possess my tone. He didn't possess rhythm or phrasing, or
much else aside from maybe 10 beers perhaps... but as far as good gear
making for good tone.... not in Gus's case, trust me.

As Brooks said, garbage in, loud garbage out.

And I do get the point - that spec 20 raised, nothing wrong with a newbie
buying good gear on his journey to tone. Just make sure you ain't the only
one who thinks you have good tone before you believe the gear is giving it
to you.

Thanks all.