Do I Deserve a Good Guitar??!

[Cymro#1]

My playing is, at best very mediocre but I splashed out on a Taylor 514 for myself a few years ago. Although my playing hasn't really improved that much I get a lot of pleasure from it because it's an easy instrument to play. Good quality instruments are more fun. So yes of course you deserve a nice guitar.

[Guitin Better]

Here's a twist to the conversation. I play my SX in a church band and I schlepp it around a lot. I few months back and knocked my guitar into my amp and put a big divot in one edge. If that had been a $3500 guitar I'd have gone into depression. It still bummed me out because, cheap POS or not, she's my baby. Just sayin . . . if it was a high $$ guitar I think I'd be even more ripped up.

[twotimingpete]

I've been sucking ass at guitar and loving it for over 10 years now and I've owned some decent ones. I really do suck considering how long I've played.. I know people who started playing, took lessons, and in a year or two were better than me. I watch them rise in the ranks and pass me up.

 

I had a hamer USA mirage 2 for a while, that was my nicest (was stolen). now I have a michael kelly patriot special (very nice guitar, a very good value at its regular $450 price point) and am having fun with it.

 

you only live once, if you like guitars and like playing them, do what makes you happy. who cares if you can do a super sonic shred or not? do what you enjoy. most guitar players don't just love playing, they love the guitars themselves. they like to have them and appreciate them and hold them. a nice guitar is almost like a nice woman... You just wanna touch it and look at it and possess it. that enjoyment isn't contingent on whether or not you can shred at the speed of light.

[Fireproof777]

Go buy a better guitar; every player deserves better than entry level stuff and besides you've obviously decided that playing isn't a passing fad like your buddies who have their stuff packed away. Don't underestimate what a great guitar will do for your playing; it's pure inspiration. Maybe baby-step it..meaning if you're playing a $300 guitar, go spend $600 on a new on (or ebay it for a better deal on used). I wouldn't necessarily go spend a grand on a new guitar if you're on an SX LP, but would definitely up the ante.

[Musicscotty]

 

What decent guitar would you buy?

 

 

You'll need to set the criteria for suggestions.

 

Style of play, trem/no trem, single coil or humbucker etc and budget.

[thecornman]

If you were remarkably mediocre in bed would that stop you from wanting someone that was better due to the fact that you didn't feel you deserved it?

[twotimingpete]

yes. the message is... be born, screw the best chicks you can, get the best guitars you can, die.

[Steadfastly]

 

This post is a bit ironic because there is a pair of Seymour Duncans under the tree that will be installed in the SX tomorrow. The fit and finish of the SX is really nice and unbeatable for the price. Kicks any Squier's ass.

 

 

Hey, it looks like you're halfway there. I've never seen an SX let alone played one but I've heard nothing but good things here on this forum about them. Looks like all you need now is a good amp; a Fender Super Champ XD maybe?

[Klisk]

I don't know. Do I deserve a better amp?

 

I have a Traynor YCV50Blue with JJ Tubes in it. I often feel like I'm slumming it.

[Axeslinger]

I'm incredibly subpar on the guitar but I still own a couple nice instruments.. To me, if you play a fair amount everyday and are seriously putting effort into it then you deserve the very best you can afford. If it's just a passing interest then don't bother;)

[dabbler]

I can relate to how you feel. But, being 50 with basically only 1 dependent (wife), I can afford things I always wanted when I was younger. Personally, from the experiences I've had with my value gear, the name brands aren't worth what they charge... to me. And most of my value gear is better than I am. I think this IS guitar grace!

 

But I agree with a lot that has been said, to wit:

 

1. The beauty of life is that we often get more than we "deserve".

2. A guitar that really turns you on, will help you practice more, which will make you play better.

3. If the requirement to own a particular guitar included how much talent you possessed rather than just being able to pay the bill, a LOT of people (including me) would never have the opportunity to own a nice guitar. That would really suck!

 

On that last note, the only thing that galls me is people who buy vintage gear solely as an investment. People who don't play at all and put the thing away until they flip it for profit. I'm not against people making money, but IMO guitars were made to make music and if you're not going to even TRY to make music with it, you should get rid of it! I'm sorry, I digressed.

 

My nicest guitar is the PRS SE Custom that my family gave me for my 50th birthday. I would never have spent that much on a guitar myself. But you know what? The experience I had with it made me tune up some of my other guitars AND scrounge Craigslist til I found an SE Soapbar II to go with it! I didn't deserve either, but they both inspire me to be a better player, and I am grateful to my family, and thankful to the person who sold me my Soapbar for the opportunity!

 

Get what EVER turns you on, as long as you don't have to do anything illegal to get it! You'll only live this life once.

[Electric Monk]

Sure, I worry that I don't deserve two american Fenders.

 

But you know what? I paid for them. And I love them both, so I do. I'm not that great a player but I love doing it and owning an amazing guitar sure makes me want to play more often than is healthy.

 

 

Although there is something to the whole debate. Someone just starting out definitely shouldn't get an American Deluxe strat... but why? It's tough to explain, besides the whole "you might get frustrated/bored and quit" thing.

[Steadfastly]

I can relate to how you feel. But, being 50 with basically only 1 dependent (wife)

 

We're all glad to hear you only have one dependent wife and I bet she's glad to hear it too!:poke:

[pak066]

i say that if u buy a really nice guitar, u will be motivated it play better and increase your ability bc u don't want a nice guitar to go to waste.

[wurstburst]

I played for years and years on bad guitars trough horrible amps. I feel they really held me back.

 

You don't need a $2,000 guitar or amp. But you should have a "no excuses" guitar and "no excuses" amp. That means they should be good enough that they are not harming your playing. A great set of equipment won't make you any better, but a bad set will make it more difficult for you to get better.

 

The good news is that there is so much great stuff being made nowadays for reasonable prices, that you can get that "no excuses" set of gear for a lot less.

[soundcreation]

 

I see guitars listed for more than $3000 and wonder how can it be worth that much? I'd rather have 10 $300 guitars. I'd also like to own a decent amp but whenever I play out it's through a PA so my amp is really only for practice or as a stage monitor.

 

 

Have you ever played a high end guitar like that?

 

I know I would take the 3k guitar any day of the week. I've never played a cheaper guitar that felt anywhere near as good as even a factory USA model let alone something at custom shop level.

[soliloquy]

well...if you're that concerned with a new guitar, but are insecure about your skills..why not NOT buy a guitar and put that money to guitar lessons?

 

but i would say that there are certain guitars that you may find you play better on. for example, for me, a 3000 dollar prs may not cut it, but give me a prophecy epiphone, or a japanese jackson, and i may play better on that. its all about comfort. if you find a guitar comfortable, who cares about the price? unless you're gigging quite often, no one would really care what you have and or what you dont(sorry if that makes you feel like {censored}...). but really.

[Klisk]

 

well...if you're that concerned with a new guitar, but are insecure about your skills..why not NOT buy a guitar and put that money to guitar lessons?

 

 

Question -- For anyone who has had guitar lessons, actually.

 

How much do they run?

 

In my area it's about 80/hour (average). Which is insane, I think, but the cheapest I was able to find was 65/hour, and that's after haggling with the instructor. I still ended up skipping the offer. I always wished I had taken lessons, though.

[Coolie No.1]

Definetly get something better, if you feel this doesnt sound good.

If it sounds and plays good good, then its just in your mind that a better guitar will cure your mediocre playing. Absolutely certain of this.

 

Practice Practice Practice till you drop. Only way you will be able to do so will be if you really love playing guitar.

 

There are so many great guitars for much less. Genuine good ones from good makers. You wont have to change a thing on them.

 

Dont go boutique. Its not a question of if you are good enough player.

They are not any better. I have been through it briefly and came up with this conclusion.

 

Did I say, Practice Practice Practice.

[handen]

You deserve whatever you think you deserve.

[Klisk]

You deserve whatever you think you deserve.

 

I deserve an ice cream cone right now.

 

So... Where is it?

 

I'll just be here, waiting....

 

 

[Doctor Morbius]

 

Does anyone else feel this way or am I just neurotic? I'm a remarkably mediocre player and in my (albeit twisted) mind I don't feel like a deserve a decent guitar until I can really play.

Quite honestly, this is an emotional issue that probably revolves around guilt. I'd bet dollars to donuts that you have similar feelings about other material possessions. I spent three sessions with a psychologist discussing the underlying reasons I was carrying emotional baggage like that.

 

 

I know guys who decided they were going to become the next Steve Vai so they went out and spent over a thousand bucks on gear that now sits in the basement. They won't part with it because "they're going to learn to play it one day".

Ebay is full of guitars that have suffered the same fate.

 

 

I'm making due with less than $500 in gear (guitar, amp, multi-effects pedal) and some stuff I've acquired for free over the years (custom PA speakers, small mixer).

There's nothing inherently wrong with using less expensive gear. There is no right or wrong when it comes to things like this. But if finances aren't a problem why not get something nicer?

 

I'm not suggesting getting a Gibby LP Standard for $2000+, but if your bills are paid and you're setting some aside for retirement why not get something used in the $500 to $600 range?

[monzablue]

I suck and I have two good guitars (and a third that will be good when I get around to paying for a refret). And while I really do admire the really good players that use budget guitars, I just like the feel of a quality guitar - makes me want to play more. I say if you make an informed purchase, and buy gear that you really like, who cares whether the quality of your playing matches the quality of your guitars. I'll play my Eric Johnson strat and Larrivee acoustic until I'm old and crazy. Spread that $ over the next 40 years and it's really no big deal. Right?

[jrfan]

I'll put myself in the suck at guitar category as well.

I still have some nice quality instruments though.

As long as you can afford them and not hinder your financial obligations

what's the harm.

Not everbody who owns a Ferrari can drive like Michael Schumacher.

[blueshawk1]

 

most guitar players don't just love playing, they love the guitars themselves. they like to have them and appreciate them and hold them. a nice guitar is almost like a nice woman... You just wanna touch it and look at it and possess it.

 

 

Hmmm, I like that and maybe the answer to one of the causes of GAS.