Has anyone ever implied that you were not good enough of a guitar player to justify your expensive gear?

glpg80 said:
I do think keyboard warriors are common on RT. Many identify more as collectors than musicians. The former should have no say as to what gear sounds like making the latter, but the latter can discuss the former freely from experience.
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Well said Socrates
 
I couldn't care less what others think or say about my personal gear choices. I encourage you to the same, it's not worth any of your time or energy. Conversely what someone else does with their time or money is their thing entirely, and my opinion means zero.

I'm surprised we need a 15 min video on how to have your own opinion on your own choices. Weird world we live in.
 
Remember all the cool guitars and amps you wanted when you were a broke-ass chump growing up?
Fast forward 20-30 years....

Now you're an adult making money AND they make WAY cooler gear designed for the genre you play.
And tho you no longer play in a gigging band and can't pull the young hotties like you used to,you can remember those times by plugging into the gear you never dreamed they would make...much less be able to afford.

I can play and write thrash rhythms like a motherfucker. Can't play lead for shit.
I don't post about my gear anymore because who gives a fuck?
My sig doesn't need a list of my crap in it.
I don't need internet cred.
But I love talking about great gear,and LOVE when you folks post up your new stuff with clips and opinions.
Just my real two cents....instead of my usual jokey joke shit.
 
GearGasms said:
Has anybody ever implied that you're not a good enough guitar player to justify owning an expensive guitar or amp? Have you ever thought that about someone else or even yourself? You have - we all have - both ways. Why do we act and think in such a way? Who gets to decide what you are allowed to spend on your hobby, besides your spouse, lol?

I'm here to say that I'm an atrociously mediocre guitar player and I proudly own and play some really expensive gear. If you can afford it, and you want it, get it. Ignore the haters and play what you want!

Enjoy your guitar purchasing freedom on this week's FreeForm Friday!
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Playing a guitar I got for $100 thru a Kustom SS amp w/ an 8" speaker, that I got for $20.
 
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Honestly in hindsight I wish I had been a little less frugal with my gear purchases when I was younger. I always tried to get by with some sub-par stuff that in some cases did hold me back from what I wanted to do, either sound quality wise (especially with recording) or playability wise. I could have, but I thought I should wring everything out of what I had until I “deserved” better or that it wasn’t worth it to spend X amount.

I also wish I had focused on music even more at that time in life instead of putting it on the back burner forever and being more “responsible.” I’m in a very good financial position at this point in life and it’s basically for reasons that have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with my responsible choices of my 20’s.

Of course there is something to be said for using what you’ve got to it’s full potential instead of being obsessed with buying shit. I wouldn’t spend a fortune on gear if I was a beginner, but you don’t have to be Steve Vai to not feel like a fake for using quality equipment.
 
Bardagh said:
Of course there is something to be said for using what you’ve got to it’s full potential instead of being obsessed with buying shit. I wouldn’t spend a fortune on gear if I was a beginner, but you don’t have to be Steve Vai to not feel like a fake for using quality equipment.
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I don't think anyone thinks you have to be steve vai to justify owning some nice gear - but there is a line in the sand there, somewhere.

I think its mostly the "putting on airs" that annoys people.
 
I'm honestly surprised I don't catch more shite on my ability vs collection.
I don't really care, though, cuz I don't generally play guitar for anyone but me, and my guitars make me happy, so that's all that matters.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I don't think anyone thinks you have to be steve vai to justify owning some nice gear - but there is a line in the sand there, somewhere.

I think its mostly the "putting on airs" that annoys people.
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For sure, and that’s really something I think that has come with the Internet and social media over the past decade or so especially. Like so many other social niches created by this medium, it’s one where people can project an image and achieve some kind of status.

But it’s not so much a matter of deserving a level of gear because of your skill but just "do you even play??" It doesn’t effect me either way I guess but when you see guys who spend a lot of time posting about their expensive gear hoard but seem to be primarily motivated by the buying and selling and not playing it boggles the mind a bit. I got obsessed with tone and shit because I love to play guitar. If I didn't, I'd be doing something else and certainly not spending the cash on gear.
 
Bardagh said:
For sure, and that’s really something I think that has come with the Internet and social media over the past decade or so especially. Like so many other social niches created by this medium, it’s one where people can project an image and achieve some kind of status.

But it’s not so much a matter of deserving a level of gear because of your skill but just "do you even play??" It doesn’t effect me either way I guess but when you see guys who spend a lot of time posting about their expensive gear hoard but seem to be primarily motivated by the buying and selling and not playing it boggles the mind a bit. I got obsessed with tone and shit because I love to play guitar. If I didn't, I'd be doing something else and certainly not spending the cash on gear.
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It’s kinda funny too. The ones that haven’t developed a musical ear of their own to then know what they Like and don’t like end up going by what sounds good based solely on what others are say on a forum with little knowledge as to whether what is being said is trustworthy.
 
glpg80 said:
It’s kinda funny too. The ones that haven’t developed a musical ear of their own to then know what they Like and don’t like end up going by what sounds good based solely on what others are say on a forum with little knowledge as to whether what is being said is trustworthy.
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Social psychology is a hell of a thing. It can make some people cut their balls off and commit suicide to ride the Hale-Bopp comet to paradise, others to chase someone else's tone for clout among 10 people they don't even know on the Internet.
 
GearGasms said:
Has anybody ever implied that you're not a good enough guitar player to justify owning an expensive guitar or amp? Have you ever thought that about someone else or even yourself? You have - we all have - both ways. Why do we act and think in such a way? Who gets to decide what you are allowed to spend on your hobby, besides your spouse, lol?

I'm here to say that I'm an atrociously mediocre guitar player and I proudly own and play some really expensive gear. If you can afford it, and you want it, get it. Ignore the haters and play what you want!
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I'm not gonna read 6 pages of this....All I have to add is that I have zero F's to give what anybody spends their money on, if it makes you happy, go for it! My line in the sand is when the same people as described, possibly like your admitted self, somehow become experts on the gear they are buying and blather endlessly on internet site "ABC" and inject their knowledge into topics they know jack shit about other than they plunked down the cash to buy whatever it is being discussed. Then they get butt hurt when they're called out on it.
 
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