Latest gear you've acquired.....

[A.David.MacKinnon]

My current favorite amp is a 50's Magnatone Varsity run as a head into a 15" Jensen. On/off, volume and one tone knob. It sounds good as soon as you turn it on.

For simplicity sake this was another old favorite. The on off switch is built into the volume knob. That's it. I sold mine and still regret it.

[vvv]

Pretty sure that's a variation on the Champ design.

I have a Rickenbacker M8E that is either from my birth year or one year older than me.

Same kinda power switch in the volume knob; I put a Jensen innit and replaced a tranny and installed a grounded cord and did a cap job - it's very cool, gets early Zep and even Neil Young sounds without any pedals.

To tell the truth, I'm always a little afraid to play it, feeling like this time I'm gonna blow it up for sure - and I never use pedals into it for that reason.

But cranked up = a piece of heaven.

I can do a pic if someone wants to see it ...

[carlmarx]

I bought another ESP guitar to replace the stuff that was completely worn.

[shedshrine]

I have a Rickenbacker M8E that is either from my birth year or one year older than me.

I can do a pic if someone wants to see it ...

yes, please.

[vvv]

The vertical wood in the back was added by me to support the weight of the head which just has 4 screws holding it otherwise - I just wedged it in.

The weird thing thing left of the vertical on the guts photo is a tube where the flash kinda eliminates the glass.

The whole box is made of solid pieces of trashy wood, not plywood; I have had to re-glue the cover at the corners and you can see how, 60 years later, it's shrinking.

Original handle and medallion, jewel and power/volume switch. I have the original speaker, also, but its paper is unglued at places on the outer edge.

As said, I hadda replace a tranny (the input), caps and the speaker.

I wanna say I paid like US$60 or $75 for it in barely-working condition about 10 years ago at a Music Go Round. Might be worth US$300-400 now? I've seen 'em listed over US$1K.

EDIT: 2020 Vintage Guitar book lists it at $450-$550.

[KuruPrionz]

A second Shure KSM8, this one is nickel plated.
Friend had it, near mint. My favorite dynamic mic.

[digitaldrummer]

The vertical wood in the back was added by me to support the weight of the head which just has 4 screws holding it otherwise - I just wedged it in.

or maybe it's a drumstick that was thrown at you.

[trodden]

I hadn't bought new gear besides effects pedals for over a year. All cash has been going to either repairing gear (Juno 106, AMEK BCII, Space Echo) or fueling my bug-out/survivalist/prepper needs. Ammo got expensive.

I've been "between studios" since 2016, and only working on very select projects, mostly my own, so I've been content with what I have set up in my living room. Since BlackQueen's last record basically came out right before COVID made its appearance, instead of working on playing that to live audiences, since there weren't, any we decided to just write a new record and have started that recording process. My two pair of Shure 7506's I've had for 20 years both died last month, so I decided to go with something new, and got a pair of Beyer DT 770 pro (80 ohm) and fuck, I love them. Should have done that long ago. I also got a fancy new re-amper, The Radial EXTC-SA1. So now I can use all these damn pedals on everything.

Last year though, before lumber prices went through the roof, I spent 3k on raising the ceiling joists in my garage, and beefing them up so I can hang two layers of 5/8's from them. Then, the lumber prices went stupid so the studio build was put on hold, yet again. Which led me to completely re-thinking my build. I will never afford to do it "the right way" nor do I have the construction skills. I've had a number of studios in the last 20 years that weren't "perfect" and as much as I wanted this one to be "perfect", reality finally hit me that it's just not going to happen. I may have to stop tracking drums at 9:00 at night, since I can't afford the isolation I was hoping, who cares, that leads to healthier working hours anyways.

[losthighway]

I've got an Empirical Labs Derresser coming later this week, and some high frequency peaks to tame with it!

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I've had a number of studios in the last 20 years that weren't "perfect" and as much as I wanted this one to be "perfect", reality finally hit me that it's just not going to happen.

I was at the same place when I built my latest garage space. At certain point I had to ask myself if I wanted to be spending all my time building a perfect space or making music. You can guess which side one out. Good enough can go a long way if it frees you up to actually using the space.

[Magnetic Services]

I've had a number of studios in the last 20 years that weren't "perfect" and as much as I wanted this one to be "perfect", reality finally hit me that it's just not going to happen.

I was at the same place when I built my latest garage space. At certain point I had to ask myself if I wanted to be spending all my time building a perfect space or making music. You can guess which side one out. Good enough can go a long way if it frees you up to actually using the space.

If only I had heard this advice when spending way too much time and money on my last studio!

[KuruPrionz]

I've had a number of studios in the last 20 years that weren't "perfect" and as much as I wanted this one to be "perfect", reality finally hit me that it's just not going to happen.

I was at the same place when I built my latest garage space. At certain point I had to ask myself if I wanted to be spending all my time building a perfect space or making music. You can guess which side one out. Good enough can go a long way if it frees you up to actually using the space.

I like this. I'm using a bedroom for a studio. And I am spending time right now getting everything ready instead of making music. It won't last much longer, I'm on my 3rd kit from Microphone Parts, the first two are fantastic microphones and this will fill out that niche. I've got some new signal chains to suss out. I'm getting an electronic drum solution put together. I have the parts and the plan to put up a cord hanger system, simple but needed.

After that, I will use what I have to get what I need. I need music. Stuff is just stuff.

[vvv]

Stuff is fun, tho'.

Just got the EHX Nano Bass Muff and I will definitely put it on a board - some hate blends, I mostly like 'em.

[markjazzbassist]

i sold a lot of gear recently, to fund these purchases

1980 Roland RV-100 Spring Reverb - sounds wonderful, no pre-delay BBD chip either so it's just like amp spring reverb
1968 Olson X-78 Fuzz Master Pedal - awesome transparent-ish fuzz. uses one AA battery so it doesn't saturate your tone, more like 50/50 blend of fuzz and direct signal.
1968 Melos-Sonic 300 Combo Organ - Bottom of the barrel combo organ in the 60's, but i got it for cheap and love 60's transistor organ sounds
1973 Shure 533SA High Impedance Mic - I like to print reverb/effects so i'm running this mic on my tenor sax into a spring reverb to print to tape.
1989 Exar TM-1 Tremolo Pedal - Not arrived yet but on it's way from Poland. Looking forward to a warm Sine/Triangle Amp like tremolo
1970 Sherwood S-7100A Stereo Receiver - I inherited some speakers from a friend so hooking this up to them in my attic studio so i have playback instead of just headphones which i've been using.

[trodden]

I've had a number of studios in the last 20 years that weren't "perfect" and as much as I wanted this one to be "perfect", reality finally hit me that it's just not going to happen.

I was at the same place when I built my latest garage space. At certain point I had to ask myself if I wanted to be spending all my time building a perfect space or making music. You can guess which side one out. Good enough can go a long way if it frees you up to actually using the space.

If only I had heard this advice when spending way too much time and money on my last studio!

It's nice to hear all of this.
Granted, it's still going to be a lot of work, and definitely will be an upgrade to the various locations I've had in the past, but I'm learning where to trim the fat and what parts I can "live without". I often get down on myself that I've been "working" on this for three years now, but I think it's for the better that I've been designing, and redesigning it to finally afford this conclusion. My partner has no problem with all my gear set up in the living room, it's mostly me needing a place to go to that's free of distractions.