Hello, my name is AJ and I have GAS.
Many people are unaware of an affliction common to rock guitarists called Gear Acquisition Syndrome. The trouble lies in the fact that half of being a guitarist today is to know the ins and outs of amplification, analog and digital processing, impedance matching and much more. Why do you think U2's Bono nicknamed his guitarist "The Scientist"? The Edge has a collection of digital effects that could illuminate the entire city of Tokyo with blinking LEDs. Many people credit Jimi Hendrix and his co-visionary Roger Mayer with pioneering the world of guitar signal experimentation. Today, distortion, delay, and modulation are to the aspiring rock guitarist what oil paint, graphite and charcoal are to the visual artist.
There's a new craze, however, that goes beyond simply going to the nearest music store on pay day and draining your entire food budget for the month. Thanks to lead guitar tone legends such as Trey Anastasio and the revival of textured rhythm guitar sounds a la Jack White and Franz Ferdinand, the guitar effects modification industry is booming. Guys like Analog Man and Robert Keeley will be happy to take your current gear and give your transistors an upgrade (or downgrade, depending on what you're going for) to give your axe sounds so rich that you can almost taste them. A little like buttered toast, yes. But man, the prospect of pimping my current gear adds another layer of infinite possibilities to the pursuit of Tone that makes GAS-sufferers like myself go insaner than insane in a good way.
Here's my current obsession.