Sould ability equal the quality of guitar you purchase ?

Bod1

Reading through some threads here lately, it seems that the quality of the guitar you buy should equate in some way to you level of ability.

I'd be interested in peoples opinions.

fuzztone

Not at all.

It is recommended people start out on cheap guitars so that they dont end up with something expensive that they wont use if they decide to quit, but if its something you enjoy doing then you should do it on a guitar you enjoy playing regardless of the price or your ability.

Alanstrainor

Bod1 wrote: »

Reading through some threads here lately, it seems that the quality of the guitar you buy should equate in some way to you level of ability.

I'd be interested in peoples opinions.

NO!!!!

Absolutely not! I know people with great guitars who cant play for crap. And I also no some great players who play squiers. Hell i have 2 great squiers in my collection.

-Chris-

Nope, it should relate to your budget.

Buy the best you can afford, but don't get into hock for it because really good players can get great sounds out of the most unlikely POSs.

Owen

+1 on Chris' advice - buy the best you can afford, but try out a few different styles. I find playing Ibanez's much easier on my hands/wrists than fenders due to neck shape, etc. If you're not near shops, try out a few friends guitars and see how you get on.

Generally, a better guitar will be made from better woods, have better pickups, better tuners/tremolo and should sound better, but it's not always the case. Sometimes bargain guitars can perform brilliantly too. My Peavey Wolfgang cost about a fifth of my Jem, and it still blows me away everytime I play it.

goblin59

I'v a habit of buying the basic model of a company and then setting it up myself. with the exception of ibanez where the prestige series has thinner necks. but i would install my own pick ups (usualy dimarzio) and double check the wirering.

Bod1

Great to hear the feedback, and agree totally. I've been lucky to have great guitars and limited talent. It leads me on to my next question, what has led you to your number 1, shape, components, feel, chance to mod the way you like, or it looks gorgeous ?

what's the connection ?

goblin59

the fact its limited edition, hand crafted and was made to be played not just hung up as a display.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc212/voodoo_child777/Ibanez%202008/RG8420z_3.jpg

mines got emg's though.

Nozebleed

yes. im sick of hearing quotes like "there's no bottom end" or "there's a bit too much middle for my liking" from people who cant play beyond basic chords. it gets worse though...especially amp talk..thats just nonsense.

Squidgy Black

I just get a guitar that I can afford to be honest. I'm always looking to try and get a better one in a trade or whatever, and I'm nowhere near the best guitarist, I have extremely sloppy technique, no understanding of music, but I'm pretty good for the kind of music I play at my age :rolleyes:

If you can afford a custom shop gibson when you're an average player, why not? you're always going to want better, no matter how good you are!

MattKid

I don't deserve my Tyler Burning Water or Axe Fx Ultra if things were based on Ability.

However I have no way now to blame the tools, and can concentrate on my improving my abilities

PaulieBoy

I had a fairly rubbish bass. I was trying to follow the dude in the video tutorial getting a click type sound out of it, no hope! Try as hard as I could, obviously I was doing something wrong... Then I forked out and got a very tasty bass.
Got exactly the sound I wanted without any problems at all :-)
Same student, different bass!
So yeah, get the best bit of kit you can. Only reason to get a cheapo one is if you are not sure your gonna stick with it and have made an expensive mistake. Another good reason to start on a cheapo model is you don't know what type sound/ style your gonna end up playing. But even then a good quality "basic" standard type instrument is the best option.
Such an instrument is also easy to move on if you don't stick with it.
A cheap instrument can be harder to play, sound rubbish regardless of how good you are and could easily turn you off playing.

slavetothegrind

Alanstrainor wrote: »

NO!!!!

Absolutely not! I know people with great guitars who cant play for crap.

that would describe me

dont care though as i love my guitar and the pleasure it gives me is worth every penny many times over.
i had a crap guitar for ages and it was only when i got my burny i realised how crap it was.
a good instrument inspires you, makes you want to pick it up more often and. ahem, clean it.

If you had the money would you buy a prius rather than a ferrari because you are not the best driver?

Johnny Storm

slavetothegrind wrote: »

:
If you had the money would you buy a prius rather than a ferrari because you are not the best driver?

Spot on.

Ravelleman

If it did, this forum would more than probably not exist!

darrenw5094

I have a PRS Custom22.

Maybe i should have bought a Rockwood Les Paul.:)

rcaz

I have an MIM Fender Telecaster standard and a CIJ Fender Jazzmaster. Both mid-to-low level guitars I guess, but they do exactly what I want them to do. If I had Eric Clapton's strat or Jimmy Page's Les Paul I wouldn't be any happier a player. 'Cause they're not mine. I think that's the bit that matters most. Whether it's the greatest guitar ever or the greatest guitar you can afford, you'll always look at it the same way when you feel like it's yours and you're comfortable with it.



Prince's Hohner Telecaster is a good example I think. Cheap guitar, being played by one of the most amazing pop musicians who ever lived, and the guitar doesn't matter anymore.

wild turkey

Im no great player but i like my guitars like my women

Cheap as hell
Can handle a few clatters :eek:
& need a bit of maintenance on their fiddly bits :P

quicklickpaddy

+1 on the moddings and what El Pron said about it being your guitar.

I've a few guitars including an American and a Mexican Fender but I'm almost only playing my Chinese Squire at the moment. I bought it for €60 off a teacher in my old school purely on the basis that it was purple. It turned out that it played very nicely so I put a load of research into finding the right pickups and spent 250-300 on it getting a set of Lace Sensors and changing all the internal parts (pickup selector, input jack etc.) to the Fender standard.

I f*cking love that guitar and even though it only cost me 350 odd I wouldn't sell it for double that.