Nifty, little string change "trick"

[BlueBowman]

Everyone has to find their own way. For me, reading about guitars makes me excited about playing guitar. In fact, if I'm not tinkering or reading about guitars I'm probably not playing daily. I've tailored my YouTube feed so that every day I'm seeing things that keep me focused on what matters to me (nutrition, music, exercise, etc). Otherwise, I'm inclined to constantly take on new hobbies and interests. It's a serious problem for me.

I understand this very well. Staying focused on what matters most in the modern era takes mighty discipline. So much info available to us via one click.

I do respect that some have limited time to devote to guitar and that can quickly turn into reading rather than playing. I understand how the research rabbit hole can be a dangerous thing.

The research rabbit hole, if used wisely, can certainly lead to better things -- in my case, better sounding guitars. That's where the "good" online info has led me: guitars I never would've otherwise known about, and also the knowledge to get the most out of those guitars (set-up, tinkering, modding).

But it can also become an unwieldy obsession for some, "chasing tone." Where one draws the line, well, that's a personal thing. My simple opinion, IF the chasing interferes at all with your playing, stop chasing. But, again, everyone will be different.

It's important to enjoy the journey! I know have.

I couple summers ago I bought a nice Jackson electric guitar.  I've liked these particular guitars since I was a kid in the 80s and did a sort of experiment:  Get the guitar, no mods, no upgrades, no messing around with the thing -- just play it like you would have done if you'd got it for Christmas in 1986. 

A time or two I've thought: Ah, these certain tuners would be cool, or this new bridge pickup...  Nope.  Just get it out of the case, plug it in, and jam.

It has been an absolute blast depriving myself of the endless mods and tonal rabbit holes and just playing this guitar.  It's something I needed to do in order to get back to basics.  Not everyone is in the same boat, so I'm not suggesting some universal approach.  But it has done me a lot of good.

Good on ya, Silence. I know that towards the end of my electric guitar playing days, I found myself keeping the signal chain as simple as possible. One tube amp, a Klon (or alternative) sometimes, and my guitar. I think that's where I found my best tone.  Enjoy that Jackson!