Good quality guitars and amps v bad quality ones

[Miskelin]

I've been playing guitar for a few years but never upgraded my guitar (a samick something or other, basically the cheapest beginner guitar at the time i think) or amp (no-name brand distorts most of the time when it doesnt like high volumes) and im starting to think i really need to upgrade. i'm just wondering how much of a difference having good quality equipment will have on the ease at which i can get the sounds i want out of the guitar, ie for tapping, harmonics etc. Or is a lot of it just the skill of the guitarist and not so much the guitar?

thanks for any help

[Whatever]

yes, get new gear. you will love it.

[pilot996]

well, equipment doesnt make you better, but it makes you happier. my first guitar cost 90$ and i hated it. i used it for about a year and i hated it. even when it was in tune and set up, it just sounded 'off'. it felt like a toy and had no sustaine, no tone, etc.

i ran that piece of crap through a crappy marshall avt wich sounded like @ss as well. no distortion, just buzzy fizzy overdrive sounds. and god forbid i turn it up loud enough to hear, it would just sound worse.

anywho, i upgraded to a decent guitar, not great but decent, and i actually really enjoyed playing. i learned how to play on the crappy guitar but i could finally hear and feel what it is supposed to be like on my new decent guitar.

a year after that, i upgraded to a Single recto and a ESP standard series and im quite content now.

sorry, im rampling. i guess my point is if you want to really hear how good you are, good equiptment is essential. you wont ever get the tone you want out of a crap amp, youll never get the sustain you need for tapping or pinch harmonics or anything from a crap guitar. decent equiptment is essential, plus its a lot more fun to play. hope my rambling helped at all.

[m30wc0w]

Well you can have the most amazing guitar through a crappy amp and the sound will suck like hell. A lot of the guitars sound is the amp but the amp would be nothing without the guitar :)

[ragingrob]

So what would be a kinda step up from first guitar? I've been playing a year and have a SX beginner random guitar, and looking to upgrade, but i ain't made of money.

[pilot996]

well, id recomend ESP's LTD line, but others would recomend Ibanez, epiphone, etc. anything in the $400-800 range would probably range from an intermediate guitar to a pretty decent guitar.

[ingraman]

New equipment indirectly improves your skill by giving you the urge to practice more. But no, you won't immediately be able to do something that you couldn't do before.

[followedformat]

New gear will make you want to play more. Put it that way.

[ChickenStu]

well, equipment doesnt make you better, but it makes you happier.


I think better quipment makes you play better, directly and indirectly. Directly because with nicer gear usually comes a guitar that is easier to play, usually. Indirectly because it motivates you to play a lot more and therefore you end up practicing a lot more than usual.

[coontc]

get new gear, do some research 1st but, into what sort of guitar u want to get for what type of guitaring u r doing. get into ur local store and play as many guitars as u can to help decide aswell, after u pick a guitar, then look at an amp cause different amps can sound different with different guitars

[Pom-Bear]

I think better quipment makes you play better, directly and indirectly. Directly because with nicer gear usually comes a guitar that is easier to play, usually. Indirectly because it motivates you to play a lot more and therefore you end up practicing a lot more than usual.

very true

playing fast or playing anything fast on my Line 6 Spider II sounds really good but playing it on my Marshall MG30DFX makes it sound terrible and its harder to play fast on the Marshall too as it doesnt have as much presence etc as the Line 6

[Posted]

when i get any new gear (to be specific, GOOD new gear), i always seem to stay home a lot more.. haha

no, but seriously, nicer equipment = "fun-ner" to play.
it modivates you a lot more as well.
:)

[john123]

lol, my friend runs a epi lp jr. through a mg10. WORST.COMBO.EVER

[Pom-Bear]

a Good amp is better than a Better guitar in my opinion to start with

[pilot996]

well a good amp with a bad guitar would probably sound better than a good guitar and a bad amp, but the bad guitar will feel like crap so it depends whats more important to you, feel or tone.

[AmericanWeiner]

I think better quipment makes you play better, directly and indirectly. Directly because with nicer gear usually comes a guitar that is easier to play, usually. Indirectly because it motivates you to play a lot more and therefore you end up practicing a lot more than usual.

I think it's pretty directly. Having just moved up from a Crate FXT120 to a Fender Deville 4x10, its like my strings are alive now. Its like each fret is a spring that's ready to explode as soon as I pick. :D