“You’d be surprised what you can plug a guitar into”: Why Lita Ford would rather have a good guitar than a good amp
With an endless sea of gear options these days, it’s tempting to obsess over finding the perfect rig. But when money’s tight, should you splurge on the guitar or the amp? It’s a dilemma nearly every guitarist faces at some point – but for Lita Ford, the answer is simple.
Speaking on the latest issue of Guitarist, the former Runaways shredder breaks down why, in her view, it makes far more sense to invest in a solid instrument rather than an expensive amplifier – especially with how many workarounds modern players have at their disposal.
READ MORE: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett thinks he “should be a lot better” at playing the guitar
“I mean, you’d be surprised what you can plug a guitar into,” Ford says.
“If it makes a noise, you could probably use it as an amplifier. So I would say I’d like to have a somewhat decent guitar, and if I had a heap-of-shit amplifier, then I would probably find something to modify it with. In these electronic digital days, there’s a lot of that stuff, so…”
It’s a pragmatic view – and one that reflects how much gear flexibility players have today thanks to plugins, modelers, and portable multi-effects. This sentiment is echoed by fellow guitarist Doug Aldrich of Whitesnake, who also believes that shelling out more on your guitar pays off in the long run as opposed to doing the same for your amp.
“I spend a lot of time playing acoustically, and I really get off on the way the guitar feels and sounds acoustically,” Aldrich told Guitarist.
“I think you can get a great sound out of any amp that works; you can get a sound that’s going to be cool. And if you have a nice guitar, you’re going to be passionate about what you play – and your fingers and your heart determine the sound anyway.”
On the flipside, Covet’s Yvette Young recently argued that it’s better to spend your budget on a better-quality amp. Explaining how a poor amp could actively wreck your tone, Young said, “It’s like ruining a really nice audio file with… I don’t know… something that’s going to degrade it a lot. There’s no point, right? I’d rather go for the expensive amp.”
The post “You’d be surprised what you can plug a guitar into”: Why Lita Ford would rather have a good guitar than a good amp appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
