Average Jane Doesn't Want To Hear About Your Guitar Amp

For me, the most tiresome part of our endless search for a new lead guitarist is having to listen to all of the guys in the band geek out about guitar amps and guitars...over and over and over. After every audition, they all stand around and talk about their musical equipment for hours.

You'd think that since my husband is a drummer, he wouldn't be a part of such a conversation. However, he's also a recording engineer, so he's made a special point of learning everything there is to know about guitars and basses, their amps, strings, pickups, etc., ad nauseum. That means he, too, can say things like, "Oh yes, I had a couple of Mesa Boogies, but I preferred the tone of the Marshall, so I sold them."

My eyes started glazing over just trying to think of that example sentence.

I own music gear myself, but nobody wants to hear about my AKG microphone, my Crown power amps and my JBL PA speakers. I am fully aware of this, which is why this is the first time I've ever brought them up by brand name.

Do people in other professions talk endlessly about their equipment? I can't imagine farmers getting together to debate the merits of Pequea Fluffer Tedders. (Yes, that's a real piece of farm equipment. I did a Google search.)

Comments

[Raven]

Farmers do get together and talk about their new thresher or latest John Deere tractor (my step-dad was a dairy farmer). Also computer geeks talk about their equipment ALL THE TIME! I am married to a coder and OMG.

[laurie ruettimann]

Oh dude, HR people get together and just talk behind employees' backs.

Gossip is our trade. It's awesome

[super des]

People totally do. It's jargon, baby.

[jennyonthespot]

It makes people feel important. Kinda like bloggers going all "RSS" and such :)

[Xavier Onassis]

You can't beat my Toca hippie drums!

[Donna W]

Oh yes, farmers go on and on discussing tractors, equipment, and the merits thereof. My husband will discuss motorcycles at length with anyone.

[Liza]

And my partner, a classic car buff, is diligently teaching our toddler son how to identify and name extremely obscure car parts -- parts that I as a driver for more than 20 years have never heard of and didn't know had names.

[A Librarian]

I grew up in farm country and I have to say the other commenter's are right. Farmers often belong to multiple coffee groups and will spend hours discussing their newest purchase (which is why I decline when my dad asks me if I want to go to coffee with him). Librarians are just as bad but it tends to be databases, computer systems, etc...

[Jenny]

WIRELESS PHONES. Omigod, the wireless tech industry talk my husband and his friends geek out in. He can have an entire conversation speaking in acronyms.

[me]

I am related to many teachers, and they all talk A LOT about teaching. Kids, parents, processes, textbooks . . . It always serves to reinforce my complete lack of interest in ever being a teacher (except for the summers off thing - that would be nice)

[Jeremy Fuksa: Creative Generalist]

Yeah, sorry, I can geek out about all manner of equipment, whether it be musical, computer, or otherwise.