The Importance Of A Good Instrument Options

[El Fortinero]

Hey guys, so long!

As we built a rehearsal room in our drummer's house, I leave all my equipment there. At home i play with a fender squier stratocaster and a zoom gfx 707 and damn I can feel the difference.. so I was wondering..... what is the importance of having a professional/good instrument for you?

Once I was told that "the sound (your sound)" is in your fingers...maybe..but all the greatest guitarrist use top level instruments

[Dinaga]

Hey guys, so long!

As we built a rehearsal room in our drummer's house, I leave all my equipment there. At home i play with a fender squier stratocaster and a zoom gfx 707 and damn I can feel the difference.. so I was wondering..... what is the importance of having a professional/good instrument for you?

Once I was told that "the sound (your sound)" is in your fingers...maybe..but all the greatest guitarrist use top level instruments

Yeah, I wondered that too.
Well when you become one of the greatest you'll have top level instruments too
Until then... fingers!

On a more serious note - I'd love to have lots of expensive guitars but since I can't really afford it, I'm pleased with a guitar which sounds good enough so I can improve my skills on it. It shouldn't detune much, it shouldn't sound like an industrial tube, and it shouldn't be impossible to play properly. And no floyd rose!

Besides that, I'm fine. And with all the available guitar software out there, it's possible to create quite nice tone with an average guitar. My guitar costs about 800 $ and I'm quite pleased with its tone.

[Cosmin Lupu]

Indeed, a good instrument will improve your playing because it looks, feels and sounds good! You will be more motivated to play, if you really love playing that is if you don't really enjoy playing and your heart does not crave to progress and develop better means of self expression, the fact that you own a good instrument won't change anything.

Tone lies in the hands and the hands can get the best out of a good instrument an 800 dollars guitar can be a good guitar. It's not compulsory to have a 4000 dollars custom shop Gibson Les Paul, to say that you have a good guitar, in my opinion. If the guitar is set up properly, it can be even better

The conclusion is that if you really want to play and evolve, you can do it on a decent instrument as well

[Tangomouse]

Interesting topic... I read this about a hour ago and i was begining to wonder what class's as a good instrument? and how good are mine. I own two really cheap guitars, a cheap Strat and a cheap Gould les paul but i also own another two that i would consider high end and those are a Crafter electric acoustic and wait for it... a Tokai les paul "Love rock". When i first saw this tokia i wanted it instantly and managed to get the shop owner to put it away for me..

The shop owner was also my guitar teacher and he told me that slash used to play tokai's but i haven't found any truth in that.

Would my tokai be classed as a good instrument? when i first read this post i went searching for any famous Tokai players and found one instantly and you'll never guess who.. Billy Gibbons. and there's is a video on youtube of him playing a Tokai loke rock model.

[Ben Higgins]

Having an instrument that is physically more comfortable to play will definitely keep your motivation up and make certain things easier for sure. The best guitar is the one that enables you to get your sound, whatever that may be

[jstcrsn]

Having an instrument that is physically more comfortable to play will definitely keep your motivation up and make certain things easier for sure. The best guitar is the one that enables you to get your sound, whatever that may be

I am more along this mindset, it does not matter how inexpensive a guitar is , if it is comfortable - hot rod the pick ups and it will sound just as good

[Gabriel Leopardi]

I agree with Cosmin's words about this and I would like to share this video where how important the fingers are....

[Todd Simpson]

Having a great instruments certainly can't hurt It will honestly help. But honestly having a decent instrument will serve a player quite well. The practical difference between a "nice" guitar and a top level, hand built, Axe can be substantial but will only come in to play in ways you may not notice for years. It never hurts to have pro grade gear, but for the first several years of playing, having decent gear is just fine. For example, I still use a crappy old Ibanez RG560 with STOCK PICKUPS which were complete crap 20 years ago and have not gotten any better. Partially, I have not upgraded them just to keep the guitar as a stock build, but partially to show that you really don't "HAVE TO" have active EMG's or ROCKFIELD MAFIA pickups in order to get pinch harmonics, adequate gain, workable tone, etc.

In short, most of it really is in your fingers. But the better the instrument, the less you have to fight it. So don't stress is you play a $300 guitar. That's what I paid for my USED RG560 and I've used it on stage, studio, etc. And still use it every saturday in Video Chat Lessons.

[Mudbone]

Having a great instruments certainly can't hurt It will honestly help. But honestly having a decent instrument will serve a player quite well. The practical difference between a "nice" guitar and a top level, hand built, Axe can be substantial but will only come in to play in ways you may not notice for years. It never hurts to have pro grade gear, but for the first several years of playing, having decent gear is just fine. For example, I still use a crappy old Ibanez RG560 with STOCK PICKUPS which were complete crap 20 years ago and have not gotten any better. Partially, I have not upgraded them just to keep the guitar as a stock build, but partially to show that you really don't "HAVE TO" have active EMG's or ROCKFIELD MAFIA pickups in order to get pinch harmonics, adequate gain, workable tone, etc.

In short, most of it really is in your fingers. But the better the instrument, the less you have to fight it. So don't stress is you play a $300 guitar. That's what I paid for my USED RG560 and I've used it on stage, studio, etc. And still use it every saturday in Video Chat Lessons.

I was under the impression that the RG560 is a killer guitar, with excellent build quality and a very comfortable fretboard. Supposedly it plays just as good as any expensive guitar, regardless of the price. But you should know that better than me The stock pickups may be crap, but that is easy to fix The RG760 has upgraded DiMarzio pickups, and you can sometimes find those for cheap on eBay.

I actually just missed out on a killer deal It was an RG560 with EMG's and sold on eBay for only $212.00! I was almost sure it was going to sell for more than that, so I didn't even bother bidding... oh well...

But as far as manufacturing precision is concerned, you can get some excellent guitars for a good price. Most of the supposed "extras" you find on guitars are marketing gimmicks. Theres no need to spend thousands to get a great guitar.

[Mike RR24]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents. My wife and I have 6 guitars now and when we first bought the first one I paid $349.00 for a floyd rose Schecter It was a great guitar. I ended up giving that one to my son. I bought her a LTD-1000 at that time it was $849.00 and a great shredder with EMG's now she has dual 81's in it. Then I bought me a jackson RR24 for $1200, When I bought her the Gibson SG I wanted to come in a little better than entry so I spent $1400 on it. I noticed it had real high nitro on it and really nice binders etc.
When I bought my Les Paul recently I was going to spend $2200 on it and I started looking and said hold up a minute.
I bought a New 50's Tribute Les Paul Studio for $849.00 and I totally love it. Here's the difference I noticed. The difference between that 1400 SG and my 8XX les paul was that my Les Paul is kind of a stripped down Version. No gloss, no bindings, no pickup covers etc... I love the way the wood looks kinda natural. The gloss bothered me cause it smeared a lot. Anyway I took the 498T out of the Bridge and put a 500T, did not like it so I ordered a Seymour Duncan Invader and I love it. Got some chrome pickup covers and threw those on there. I love the way it feels and plays etc.. I know that a great guitar is not how much it is like I used to think in the beginning cause it's a personal preference between different users likes. I think that $800-$1000 will get you an awesome guitar that's good quality. It will out last me anyway. Thanks for letting me share dudes.

[Gabriel Leopardi]

I was under the impression that the RG560 is a killer guitar, with excellent build quality and a very comfortable fretboard. Supposedly it plays just as good as any expensive guitar, regardless of the price. But you should know that better than me The stock pickups may be crap, but that is easy to fix The RG760 has upgraded DiMarzio pickups, and you can sometimes find those for cheap on eBay.

I actually just missed out on a killer deal It was an RG560 with EMG's and sold on eBay for only $212.00! I was almost sure it was going to sell for more than that, so I didn't even bother bidding... oh well...

But as far as manufacturing precision is concerned, you can get some excellent guitars for a good price. Most of the supposed "extras" you find on guitars are marketing gimmicks. Theres no need to spend thousands to get a great guitar.

I don't know too much about the different Ibanez models but I had a RG520 (Is is a more expensive model compared to RG560?) and it was a really good guitar. I had to sell it because I needed a different guitar but sometimes I regret it.

It's true that there are really good guitars at a reasonable price... some examples are Schecters, PRS se and Fernandes. I have a Fernandes monterrey and I'm happy with it. You can check it here:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Indie-...IV-Sonic-Youth/

[Cosmin Lupu]

I agree with Gabe - the PRS SE, is among the best 'not so expensive but good quality' instruments out there! I recorded and gigged a LOT with my Paul Allender PRS SE and it never ever let me down

[casinostrat]

Just wanted to give my take on this topic. The first electric guitar I ever owned was a 700 Dollar Epiphone LP. It was a good guitar, and after having it properly set up for me, it played and sounded great. Had P-90 pickups in it, and I played it happily for many years. Then one Christmas, which happens to be very close to my birthday as well, my family all got together and bought me a 1994 Gibson Custom Les Paul which I will say was over 3000 dollars. (Best Christmas I ever had, by the way!) First of all, I didn't need it set up, it was perfect right out of the box and somehow just felt better, smoother and easier to play than the epiphone did. After experimenting and playing both for a while I began to notice that I could play well on both the Epiphone and the Gibson, but when I was playing the Epiphone I had to work at it a little, whereas with the Gibson it all felt a little more effortless, smoother and just plain easier. Does that make sense? Anyway, it seemed in this case the more expensive instrument did make a difference, but then again couldn't you get this same type of thing with less expensive guitars, meaning could the expensive Gibson's excellent playability be attributed to how much it cost, or instead attributed to it just being the right guitar for me? What would happen if say another person were to try both these guitars, would they prefer the Gison or the Epiohone? I guess it all boils down to just choosing and using the best guitar that suits your needs, and price is not always the final determining factor.

[Todd Simpson]

I was under the impression that the RG560 is a killer guitar, with excellent build quality and a very comfortable fretboard. Supposedly it plays just as good as any expensive guitar, regardless of the price. But you should know that better than me The stock pickups may be crap, but that is easy to fix The RG760 has upgraded DiMarzio pickups, and you can sometimes find those for cheap on eBay.

I actually just missed out on a killer deal It was an RG560 with EMG's and sold on eBay for only $212.00! I was almost sure it was going to sell for more than that, so I didn't even bother bidding... oh well...

But as far as manufacturing precision is concerned, you can get some excellent guitars for a good price. Most of the supposed "extras" you find on guitars are marketing gimmicks. Theres no need to spend thousands to get a great guitar.

That's sorta my point here. You don't have to spend crazy money to get a decent guitar. I prefer my old RG560 to any guitar I"ve ever touched at any price BAR NONE. But that's just me They just don't make guitar necks like that anymore. For good reason though as some just snapped under heavy gauge strings. But yeah, plays like a DREEEEEAAAAMMMM! And is a key ingredient for my entire approach to guitar. P.S. That would have been a KILLER dead for two Benjamins! RG560s usually go for $500 or so in ebay! See this link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBANEZ-RG560-PN-19...#ht_1751wt_1165

And even with CRAP stock pickups, I manage to get pretty ripping tone using cheap software apps like overloud. So no expensive guitar, not even using an amp, and BINGO! So dont' think that just because you are not playing a hand made Jackson through a Triple Rectifier, that you are at a HUGE disadvantage. I run in to this with many students who feel they can't really sound good unless they spend several thousand dollars on gear. Paul Gilbert (my Hero) made this plain to me when he toured with Racer X using a honestly low end ibanez with truly crap pickups and he still sounded amazing.

I don't know too much about the different Ibanez models but I had a RG520 (Is is a more expensive model compared to RG560?) and it was a really good guitar. I had to sell it because I needed a different guitar but sometimes I regret it.

It's true that there are really good guitars at a reasonable price... some examples are Schecters, PRS se and Fernandes. I have a Fernandes monterrey and I'm happy with it. You can check it here:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Indie-...IV-Sonic-Youth/

The RG520 is the guitar I sort of always wanted! Dual Humbuckers, great wood, etc. They go for $650 US or more often on ebay like this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-Ibanez-RG520Q...ht_22882wt_1398

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: May 22 2012, 04:15 AM

[Azzaboi]

Todd makes a good point. Paul Gilbert is a great example, he would pick up stock guitars off the guitar store shelves, play them like they where worth thousands. People would then buy that same guitar and wonder if they got a lemon! It comes down a lot to talent.

However a really bad guitar which losts it's tuning and sounding like crap can make you give up even trying. You can feel the quality in a guitar, it's harder to find the feeling in cheaper ones but sometimes it's still there. It may also improve your finger strength and playing skills quicker as there's less sustain, etc?

Saying that, I still love some of the expensive ones and think they are well worth saving for. I'm however very picky.

[PosterBoy]

I'm blessed to have pretty damn good guitars, most guitarists on this site have far better technique than me... but my Tyler puts a grin on my face every time i play it, the tone and playability are 2nd to none, put that together with my Axe Fx Ultra and I sound much better than I actually am. The sound and playability motivate me to practice more, 1 because it inspires me and 2 because I know it's top of the range equipment and so anything lacking comes directly from me.


Was it Ledbelly that had a guitar with a warped neck that he had to bend the notes in tune, and when the record company gave him a new gold top he couldn't play it so he set it on a stand infront of him on stage so people could look at it because it was so pretty.

This post has been edited by PosterBoy: May 22 2012, 10:08 AM

[Cosmin Lupu]

nice story mate, but who was Ledbelly?

[Todd Simpson]

nice story mate, but who was Ledbelly?

Legendary American Blues/Folk player.

Huddie William Ledbetter (January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949) was an iconic American folk and blues musician, and multi-instrumentalist, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced.

He is best known as Lead Belly. Though many releases list him as "Leadbelly", he himself spelled it "Lead Belly". This is also the usage on his tombstone,[1][2] as well as of the Lead Belly Foundation.[3] In 1994 the Lead Belly Foundation contacted an authority on the history of popular music, Colin Larkin, editor of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, to ask if the name "Leadbelly" could be altered to "Lead Belly" in the hope that other authors would follow suit and use the artist's correct appellation.

Although Lead Belly most commonly played the twelve-string, he could also play the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and accordion.[4] In some of his recordings, such as in one of his versions of the folk ballad "John Hardy", he performs on the accordion instead of the guitar. In other recordings he just sings while clapping his hands or stomping his foot.

The topics of Lead Belly's music covered a wide range of subjects, including gospel songs; blues songs about women, liquor and racism; and folk songs about cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs concerning the newsmakers of the day.

In 2008, Lead Belly was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: May 22 2012, 10:51 PM

[Cosmin Lupu]

Haha Thanks Todd!

[Zoot]

I am more along this mindset, it does not matter how inexpensive a guitar is , if it is comfortable - hot rod the pick ups and it will sound just as good

Have to disagree with this. Just replaced the well set-up Les Paul knock-off which had after market Gibson pickups in it with a real Standard. The difference in playability and tone is night and day.

Z.