Skill level, and Specific Guitar importance?

[Geff]

Speaking as a beginner, my impression is that it matters more to me than it would a good player. If I pick up a poorly set up guitar I just do not have the skill to work around it. Also my fingers are not as flexible and so on so the neck really makes a big difference to me.

 

For a beginner I think the ease of use of the neck is probably the distinguishing factor (after all I have not yet got to the point where anything I play sounds good enough to worry about whether I am capturing that "authentic Black Sabbath tone" or whatever) whereas, maybe, for a good player tonal characteristics start to be the differentiating aspect.

 

Fortunately, as said above, you can get a decent enough guitar for relatively little money these days. Likely the pups will be the worst thing about most budget guitars now and you can upgrade them later when tone becomes an issue.

 

I do also believe there is merit in the "I paid a lot of money for this nice guitar so I will work harder to learn to make it sound good" school of thought but in that case, it isnt the guitar really, it is purely psycological.

 

I am sure that mu guitars, none of which cost over $800 new, are quite good enough for a good guitarist to be happy with.

[charlie brown]

Well yes, I've always felt like you Should, get the best guitar you can afford, to begin with...and "grow into it," rather

than out of it. And, I was fortunate enough to have a very understanding parent, who made sure I got a really

great guitar, to begin with...so I know that WAS/IS a factor. But, going from my first guitar ('64 Strat) to a Les

Paul Custom, did NOT improve my playing, per se. Practice (AKA "Woodshedding") did. I think there IS something

to be said, for having several guitars, for tonal variations...for sure! But, I don't play better, technically, on one guitar

over another. But...that's what makes it interesting and fun, everyone's a bit different, in feelings, ideas, and approaches.

 

Cool,

CB

[Steven Lister]

LHC,Jr. you can stop PM-ing me now for a reply to the following "word of Gibbons".

Good players can get great tone out of a cheap guitar from the mall.

 

If true, then why buy anything else? Why isn't Billy playing mall-mart guitars?

There are some very good players on this forum. Is that what all of us are doing? Hell we just buy Epi 3rds or Gibby fakes or Korean swamp wood whatevers, forget about mods to improve tone, forget about the tone holy grail, just shake our great tone out of a shoebox and be happy, is that right?

 

Obviously, something is way wrong with the statement/belief so it doesn’t matter who, Billy Gibbons or Jesus Christ, made it – it’s bogus, it's myth. Many pros like to sound cool, like to show-off, like to keep the up-and-comers thinking that there is some great mystery to "goodness" to which they have found an answer but that you can't. One way to do that is tell the wannabes tales of tonal excellence from shytesticks. When wannabe goes home and can't produce said excellence, then he/she concludes they just aren't good enough.

 

True. Hell NO. Tone... everything is everything. Hands, timing, brain, plecktrum, strings, etc., etc., etc. Some of us manage great tone from gear that others suck on and vice versa. Some of us manage great tone one night and suck the next on the same gear (speaking of myself, mostly). Anyone who owns more than one guitar will tell you that their tone is better on one of the two.

 

If you want consistently great tone you have to pay the price -- skill and gear and persistence/dedication-- it's all important. So the rest of you great players can go buy mall-mart specials if you will. LHC,Jr. says it's okay that your tone won't suffer. Me? I'm keeping my Elite LP..., and playing on.

 

Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-"