People can get surprisingly passionate about guitars. The wood, pickups, brand, country it was made in, year it was built, shape of the headstock, its pedigree – the list seems endless.
Me? I own two. One is a Yamaha Pacifica that cost me about $700. I’ve had it for years and recorded three OLDER albums with it – SILENCE, HUMAN+ and most of UNMASKED. The other is a Gibson SG Tribute that cost nearly four times as much, somewhere around the $3,000 mark. I still play both.
The Yamaha is a great guitar for the money. It stays in tune, plays well, and has never really given me a reason to complain. The Gibson does some things, only better. The tuning and intonation are more reliable higher up the neck, and overall it feels a little more refined. But that doesn’t automatically make the Yamaha obsolete. In fact, there are sounds I can get from the Yamaha that I don’t get from the Gibson. Each guitar has its own character, and sometimes the cheaper instrument is exactly the right tool for the job. That’s why I’ve always believed musicians should play within their ability and to be honest the Gibson is way beyond my upper ability!.
When you’re starting out, you don’t need the most expensive guitar hanging on the shop wall. You don’t need to take out a huge loan. You don’t need boutique pickups, custom wiring, or an instrument that costs more than your car. You need a guitar that works. If it stays in tune, the intonation is good, and it allows you to play the music you want to play, then it’s doing its job.
Too often we convince ourselves that better gear will somehow make us better musicians. It won’t. Practice will. You need time and dedication to learn your craft – there is no short cut.
A more expensive guitar can certainly be easier to play. It may feel better in your hands. It may inspire you to pick it up more often. But none of those things replace the hours spent actually making music.
If you eventually reach the point where you’ve genuinely outgrown your instrument, then perhaps it’s time to move up a level. You’ll know when this moment arrives, when your fingers are wanting to do more than the guitar will allow. By then you’ll know exactly why you’re upgrading and what you’re looking for. Until then, don’t let gear become an excuse.
I’m not particularly interested in the technical details of pickups and electronics on guitars. I know enough to get the sound I want. Beyond that, I simply plug the guitar in and play. Because for me, it’s never really been about the guitar. It’s about the music they make. Besides which, having two guitars means you’ve always got a spare when you need one!
