How Different Are Guitars Really? Options

[chakie]

I'm using a fairly cheap guitar I bought as part of a starter pack two years ago. It's a Yamaha something and I think it's served me quite well. I've never really played on anything else, especially not on anything more expensive, thus I can't really compare guitars.

Recently I've started to try to learn barré (bar?) chords properly but I have a hard time making them sound clean. This is something I guess any new player struggles with, but one would assume that after a few weeks of practice I'd manage to get at least one chord ring out nicely on the first try. This is not the case, they are always muddled and don't sound good. I feel that I have to press down on the fretboard with an ungodly amount of force and my hand tires in a minute of playing. Partially this is because I still seem to lack power in my left hand and likely have a lacking technique. But, can one part also be because of the guitar? Do guitars differ in this aspect, i.e. can one be easier to play and another much heavier?

I don't visit the local music shops at all, I always feel like such an idiot when I step into them and see all these wizards shredding away when they test guitars or amps while I struggle to play the easiest little riff. Then they laugh when I "test" something. So I haven't really compared guitars myself. But perhaps I should just bite the bullet, hide my shame and go test some new guitars? There's always a risk that if better gear means easier to play that I end up adding some stuff i can't really afford to my credit card.

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