Does it make sense to a bad player buying a good guitar?

[YanKleber]

This is kind of a philosophical question. I'm a 58 year old guy who's been “playing” guitar since I was 18. The quotes are because I've never actually been able to really PLAY the guitar. I would say I learned some tricks that allow me to perform some cool solos (if it's not very fast) and make chords without buzzing the strings. I don't really consider it playing. I've had several guitar ups and downs throughout my life, and because I like doing a lot of different things, sometimes my guitars can hang on the wall for several months just collecting dust. Also, I don't play with other people, I mostly record my own songs and, believe it or not, I can do it reasonably well given my limitations as a guitarist.

 

Anyway, being a terrible player and, above all, a poor man, my guitars are all Chinese instruments that passed through the hands of a good luthier, which means they sound and play well (by my standards). That's why I never thought about the possibility of investing a lot of money in good guitars. I'm from Brazil, and here guitars with logos like "Gibson" or "Fender" are VERY expensive for us. Some time ago, however, my financial condition improved a little and nowadays I could buy such an expensive/good guitar if I wish.

 

But my question is: would it be worth the investment? I played a few Gibson and Fender guitars in the range that I can afford (basic models I believe) and honestly felt a little disappointed as they seemed to play and sound exactly like my Chinese axes. Maybe I'm such an amateur that I don't have the ability to notice the differences, I really don't know. So I'll ask again: would it be worth investing a lot of money (for me) in a guitar that won't make a difference to the results I already have? Or am I getting the wrong perception and in the long run they will pay you back?

Edited August 23 by YanKleber

[Dad3353]

13 minutes ago, YanKleber said:

...would it be worth investing a lot of money (for me) in a guitar that won't make a difference to the results I already have? ...

 

Short answer : No, it wouldn't.

 

Slightly longer answer : The only really important criteria in buying a guitar (or, indeed, most purchases, of any item...) is 'Does it make you happier..?'. If the answer is 'Yes', and it can be afforded, then that's it; end of story. Will it make you play better..? No, unless it inspires you to practice and play more, or take some lessons and profit from them, but these ideas apply whatever the price or provenance of the instrument. Add to that the falsity that 'name' instruments are inherently 'better' than others (from China, Japan, Germany, UK or Brazil ...), a 'fact' perpetuated by those in the Music 'Business', aiming to coax all and sundry to spend, spend and spend again. For a touring, professional player, having a reliable 'tool for his/her trade' has much to recommend it. For an amateur, gifted or not, these factors are of lesser importance, and the notion of Diminishing Returns comes very quickly to the fore.

If, then, happiness is the goal, decide for yourself what it's worth, but in the sure knowledge that the difference between what you buy and what you already have is relatively little, as far as Music goes. It's all in the fingers anyway, isn't it..? Hope this helps. 

[ezbass]

Unless you plan on also investing some time playing the guitar more and becoming more proficient, I’d just stick with what you have.

[YanKleber]

Thanks a LOT guys! It really helped me! I will stick to my low-end stuff! 

[Crusoe]

It won't make you a better player. A good player will be able to play good music on a cheap (but well set up) guitar, but a poor player won't get a good tune out of an expensive guitar. However, if you can afford it, it can be nice to have expensive things just for the sake of having them. If I had the money, I could buy a Ferrari. It won't make me a better driver, but I might enjoy driving it.

[Dad3353]

21 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

...it can be nice to have expensive things just for the sake of having them...

 

I would question the mentality driving reflections of the sort. Maybe my latent puritanism; I truly believe that a lot of Bad Things in the World come down to materialistic desires, fulfilled or not. That's just me, of course; carry on, folk, as you were. 

[Crusoe]

12 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

I would question the mentality driving reflections of the sort. Maybe my latent puritanism; I truly believe that a lot of Bad Things in the World come down to materialistic desires, fulfilled or not. That's just me, of course; carry on, folk, as you were. 

I'm not a very good guitarist, but I saw a nice guitar that I liked, tried it and bought it. It wasn't a terribly expensive guitar (about £459 I think), but for me it was quite expensive,  especially considering the guitar I already had was a £68 Harley Benton. I play both guitars. I would never get to the stage where I would live my life in such a way that I would hurt other people just to get money. If I had a big win on the lottery, I would maybe buy a nice Fender, but I don't think I would spend the crazy amounts that some people spend. 

[billmain]

I'd say if you're planning to buy one which will be your lifelong guitar. GO FOR IT! Life is too short. But if you just want to play occasionally and not get too attached to it, then stick with what you have  

[Fluffmatic]

If you can afford it and it will make you happy then do it.

 

I personally am a tight arse and even if I could afford a Gibson (I can't) I'd never buy one because I'm a klutz and it would be an expensive thing for me to damage, same goes for a Ferarri, I'd have door pockets full of crisp packets and I'd no doubt kerb the wheels parking it.

[randythoades]

I will echo other responses. A lot of guitar tone is 'in the fingers' so an expensive guitar won't necessarily sound better to you. It might be slightly easier to play and the components nicer, or even just a different colour. If that makes you want to pick it up and play more often then it starts to become worth it, but overall not necessary.

I have splashed out on custom made guitars as well as US made Fenders and Gibson that I didn't like for one reason or another until I found my perfect guitars in a Squier and a Vintage. Both of which wouldn't be considered to be expensive, but they feel perfect to me.

Edited August 27 by randythoades

[Pbassred]

Spend your money on lessons? If you become a better player, the difference in tone is only audible in back to back testing by musicians.  Everyone else is just listening to the notes.

[Dad3353]

32 minutes ago, Pbassred said:

... the difference in tone is only audible in back to back testing by a few musicians with bionic hearing better than bats .  Everyone else is just listening to the notes.

 

Fixed. 

 

...

 

 

[randythoades]

18 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Fixed. 

 

...

 

 

Notes? What are these 'notes' people talk about? All I hear is random white noise...

 

Ahh, maybe that is my tinnitus and I need to turn the amp up

[repoman]

Guitars are things of joy.  Buy what you want.  Just don't ascribe a magical boost to motivation to it anymore than thinking that subbing for a gym will make you get in shape.  It's all good though.

[aljaxon]

i know this post is very old and the op is probably long gone but i  had a very poor condition cheap accoustic guitar for 40 odd years and i was a very poor player, id pick it up and it had several faults and when i tried to play,  it didnt sound very good.  a combination of guitar and my technique so i lost interest quickly but would pick it up once every couple of months or so.  then a year ago i discovered a long time pal played guitar and asked him if it was worth buying a new guitar despite me being a terrible player  ie 4 or 5 chords and fingers deadening other strings by accident etc.  . he said just buy a second hand one for around £100 then your not really throwing much away. i bought one and it sounded nice, much better than my old one and i made the decision to play or practice a bit more often and discovered youtube is full of free tutorials/lessons and was invaluable for showing me how to try and play my favourite songs and improve my technique..

 

i went round to a pals house to jam  last weekend and he has 4 or 5 expensive guitars and i quickly found he is a worse player than me and he asked why i havent bought a decent guitar and i said im just trying to match my skill level kind of thing.  in the same way  you dont have to be a formula 1 driver to buy a ferrari  but if you cant drive  a ferrari is wasted on you.

so an expensive guitar would be wasted on you. but a decent one might just inspire you to want to learn to play a bit more. a lot of chinese stuff in other areas is getting better quality so who knows your chinese guitars might be better than a decent guitar.  i bought one with wider spaced strings and even just over a mm more gap between strings made it easier for me to not sound so bad. i'd been blaming my fat fingers but realised it was only 5% fat fingers and 95% poor technique. 

play minimum 15 mins a day i was told and ive trie to do that. you will become a better player. once a month or so. no chance.