Why gear doesn't matter...

[fleetfootmike]

Or, why spending X,000 on a new guitar/camera/whatever won't do a thing to change the person behind it.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

Obviously, written for photographers. But can apply just as well to guitarists.

Comments

[fleetfootmike.livejournal.com]

The question becomes not just 'do you *know* your gear isn't the best' but 'can you actively recognise this by its effect on your performance?'. I know, for example, that I could make good use of a better acoustic guitar than any of the five (all cheap copies) that I own. But I don't think I'd be a much better guitarist playing a Turner Model 1 ($3000) through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head (also $2-3000), than I am playing a Tokai Les Paul ($500) through a Marshall JCM800 ($600). It'd be nice, though :)

[billroper]

That actually turned out to be my criterion for buying a new guitar. If I can tell the difference between two guitars when I'm playing them (as opposed to Joe Flashy Guitarist playing them), then I'm allowed to think about buying the more expensive guitar.