I’m not saying anything new, and in a way, I brought this on myself. Buying used is a risk. You spend less and accept that, in order to save money. And sometimes also because new items of that quality don’t exist or you don’t like them. I do this with cars. When I’m really forced to replace it, I go for a used one. I don’t like today’s cars, and the costs are so high that used cars are a whole different story. I do the same with guitar effects: you can easily resell them for the same price, so you can try out various ones without losing anything. With guitars, a used instrument is even better—one with a history—it actually sounds better precisely because it’s used. But with hi-fi, I’ve been burned. It’s worked out well for me many times, but I knew the risk was higher with CD players…
Digital and guitar – not for me
On this website, you can find comparisons between digital and analog formats in both the Hi-Fi and Photography sections. Recently, I found myself facing this same dilemma when it comes to the guitar. Digital technology and computing are, of course, taking over every field. Even in cars (another section of this site), where screen size now counts more among the features to advertise than the type of suspension (and yet using your cell phone is prohibited). Generally, digital technology is supposed to simplify things for us, come to our aid, and allow us to do things we couldn’t do before. It used to be impossible for someone to call us while we were out and about. Are you sure it’s better today to receive work calls—or worse, aggressive marketing calls—no matter where we are? Sure, it’s nice to be able to call in an emergency; sometimes it’s vital. But in general, without discounting the life-saving cases, digital technology rushes us, overwhelms us with choices, and ends up making us enjoy things less (think choosing a movie or series on a streaming platform). And what about the guitar?
Tube scream or not tube scream…?
That is the question!
My love-hate relationship with the famous green pedal…
It took me a while to appreciate it, but I finally got there. That’s normal—there are legions of fans and critics of the Tube Screamer, the iconic pedal created by Ibanez in 1979 and made famous by countless professionals and guitar stars. Like most guitar effects, its effectiveness depends (heavily) on the amplifier. A pedal like the Tube Screamer can sound amazing on some amps and terrible on others. And that can be misleading, making you think the pedal is the problem. Instead, it’s all about pairing. In fact, in my ignorance, I initially found myself among the detractors, but then something changed…
How could this happen?
If I were to describe my journey as a guitarist (obviously a very amateur one, of course), I would have to start with my youthful passion for the Italian band The Pooh. Yes, The Pooh, that’s right., the name comes from the famous cartoon… But what do the Pooh have in common with blues-rock, with Hendrix, Clapton, and the likes of John Mayer, which I am currently covering? How did I go from Italian melodies to playing the John Mayer Trio’s production? Well, it may seem surprising at first glance, but there is a connection. First of all, it should be emphasized that these are four musicians of the highest caliber. One might think, okay, you’ve grown up and your tastes have changed. But that’s not really the case. It may seem strange, but there is a consistency, a logical thread that can be found…
Now I’ve got to step on it…
Between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, for various reasons, I found myself forced to bring only three pedals and a power supply to the rehearsal room. It wasn’t bad at all to travel so light. As I get older, I’m happy to carry less weight. For a while, I had to do this due to circumstances beyond my control, but I rediscovered the pleasure of having a couple of overdrives and a delay, and that’s it; and managing everything with the volume of the guitar. Of course, you also need a good amplifier, and I don’t have one in the rehearsal room. But it got me thinking. Why not simplify everything and keep it light, both in terms of weight and electrical signal, to manage?
If you miss the train, it’s gone
There’s a saying in Italy that goes almost like “If you miss the train, it’s gone”. Maybe the closest English variant is “Opportunity only knocks once”. Both mean that in life you basically only get one shot. Sometimes I find myself dwelling unnecessarily on certain choices I made in the past that influenced my geological career, and ten years after leaving the field, I still sometimes reflect on this. It’s pointless because you can’t change the past, and if things are the way they are today, there must be a reason for it, and there’s nothing you can do about it. At most, one can reflect on the choices made in order to provide guidance to our children and, why not, understand that perhaps there are no right or wrong choices, only different ones, choices that have led to different outcomes. We can play at imagining how things would have turned out, what results different choices would have led to. We can, but how useful is that? I’m not sure, but here I am, ten years after the “debacle,” reflecting on how, in the end, I can’t complain too much…