Here on the Collings board we do seem to focus on the physical aspect of the guitar (woods, neck size, finish, cost, etc.) and not the actual playing of the guitar. I ask, does having a high end guitar improve ones playing, if so, how and why? Could we do everything on a beat up old Gibson or Guild? How about an early 80's Martin D-28 when Martin quality started to go south... actually, some say that may have happened before 1980.

So we lay down our hard earned money for a Collings or small shop custom guitar, we select our woods, we get the neck to fit our hands, we get the best finish... then strike out a old moldy version of "Here Comes the Sun" and make the same mistakes in the same places as we did on our old beater guitar.

I guess this is an individual question, but what I'm looking for is clues to how having the high end guitar helped you become a better player. If this is an invalid question, or not worthy of response, then we might as well be buying brazilian coffee tables with bubinga wood trim, and MOP inlays of our favorite pasttime... maybe a trout? or a big old sucker fish?

btw: I'm leaving for Canada on Wednesday for a guitar workshop with Don Ross and Alex DeGrassi. Then it's off to the north woods to do some camping and fishing. I'm trying to get in all the computer stuff before I'm out there in the screenhouse with just the guitar, some books, my video camera, and my trusty old Coleman stove to make hot drinks.

I think it has made me a better player. Not immediately, but in the long run. When I was playing on an old plywood guitar, I was feeling pretty good about my playing. Then I got a better guitar, and my playing sounded horrible. It seems like the old guitar with the dead sound had the ability to hide my mistakes. The new guitar accentuated them. It really made me work harder to be a better player.

And when I played something just right, it sounded so good. I had to figure out how to do that every time. A great guitar can show you your potential as a player.

I believe that owning a high end guitar will make you want to play more often, thus, you could become a better player. A high end guitar will sound better and be easier to play than most lower end guitars. Personally, I think it is more the player than the guitar that determines how you play and how you sound. That said, it sure is nice to own a great guitar such as a Collings.

Great question. I think having a high end guitar is a compliment – a wonderful addition, if you will -- to the intention, follow-through, discipline, and luck that’s all a part of becoming a better guitarist. For me, being a better guitarist is about being a better musician. And being a better musician is ultimately about the music. So, having a high end guitar is ultimately, for me, about the music.

After I play the guitar, I think, what fun it is to get to play the guitar and what a privilege it is to get to play on such a good guitar. I enjoyed it when I played my other guitars, particularly my Taylor which is now sold, and my Martin which I still have and still enjoy playing. But, when I’ve got the Collings out (which is almost always my first choice), it just sounds so good to my ears and feels so good in my hands.

One reason I enjoy playing the Collings is I have the experience of playing with more control and precision with my Collings than with any other guitar. Plus, I just love the sound of it. I still really enjoy the sound of the Martin, but I think I currently prefer the sound of my Collings for its focus, precision, and clarity, particularly as I play up the neck. And having the experience of sound and feel is a reinforcer for me. I am rewarded in playing the Collings, so I return to it and play more. However, I don’t find that it alone solves my problems with playing certain pieces or passages; that’s where the intention, follow-through, discipline, and luck all come into play. Having a high end guitar may make getting through the usual problems of learning a new piece or solving some performance issues on a difficult passage a little bit easier to get through.

However, I still think that what is most important in becoming better is my ability to focus on my learning goals for a particular week, the structure I put around myself so that I stay focused, my discipline with using a metronome to play slow through the difficult stuff so that I don’t make any initial sloppiness permanent through repetition, playing something long enough so that it is committed to memory and is therefore, for me, open to performance on a repeated basis, in front of others. The high end guitar, for me, is a beloved tool in this bigger process of making music. For me, the luck part of it also relates to having found something that I enjoy so much that I feel lucky that I discovered it and it discovered me, and also that I feel grateful that I’m able to own such nice instruments because it sure helps to make it fun to play.

My short answer is I don't think having a "high end" guitar makes you a better player although a lot of people hope it will. Probably always obsessing about that next guitar and spending a lot of time perusing the forums about the subject slows down your playing progress. You do need a decent guitar however that has good playability and is somewhat tonally responsive to variations in you playing style so that you can get some feedback. Different guitar can lend themselves to different styles more easily, sometimes enough where it does make a difference, for example you probably would have tough going making much of a lingering note Celtic tune on a thumpy blues box. Thoughtful playing of a highly nuanced guitar can, and I am thinking mainly of classical guitar, can lead to some refinements in touch on that particular guitar in an already proficient player. This is less of an issue with steel strings guitars overall.
Rick

Having a great guitar doesn't make you better,per se, any more than watching basketball makes you tall. It makes you sound better. It's easier to play, if it's set up correctly. It's inspiring, if you let it be. But, if it ain't in your lap, it doesn't matter. You don't improve while it's in its Calton case. Passion and practice- and some God given ability doesn't hurt. I won't be playing like Django if I played 12 hours a day for the rest of my life.

Kenny-
Great question. The improvement factor really depends on how the player reacts to the better instrument. A well made guitar definitely brings value (pun intended) to the table. Assuming the guitar is set up correctly, it will definitely sound better, less or no intonation problems, easier playing, and the end product is the enjoyment of playing it.

For me personally, it has made a huge difference. 6 years ago when I first attended my first Chet Atkins convention, almost everyone play a T***** guitar. I was impressed so I bought one. Then bought a second one soon after. Seeing the fine players and having a better guitar helped me. Then I ran into Pete Huttlinger who is a Collings believer. He convinced me to try it. Ditched the two guitars mentioned above and bought my OM1A (sight unseen) and it has never been the same.

My playing improved dramatically. Of course this came from hard work and dedication on my part but the guitar definitely made a difference. It literally made me play more, and more, and more. My playing level jumped up and I know for a fact that my guitar had a lot to do with it. Of course "you're mileage may vary" because the instrument alone will not do it. It's the chemistry between the player and the instrument that will move it forward and upward. It also helps to challenge yourself and set reachable goals with your playing abilities. I practice/play/study at least 1 to 2 hours a day. I'd give that up in a heartbeat if I didn't love my guitar. It sure beats watching reality TV.

Side note: At the last C.A.A.S., I brought my OM1A for the first time. The place was still inundated by the T's and some M's. My guitar was definitely a big hit with the people I played with and the ones that heard it. At least no one said "what's a Collings?". I even have pictures and video of Mr. Bob Saxton playing it. Bob played guitar for/with Merle Travis, Gene Vincent, Patsy Cline, and others a while back. He is a superb fingerstyle player. I just hope I can still play my guitar when I get to be his age.

Ace
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In brief, it has helped me only because of the inspiration I get. I am blown away every time I pick up my D1A. I love it, and so I love to play more. And the more I play, the better I get.

I think that playing a high end guitar does make you a better player.

I often loan one of my instruments to a guitar player in my church worship band. He owns a pretty nice old Guild, but he has to come straight from work to rehearsal and doesn't want to leave his guitar in the car all day.

When he plays one of my Collings or Taylor, he sounds better and always comments how well they play. Now perhaps his instrument just needs a better set-up, but I think that it is just a great guitar makes you play better.

Yes, but most of the great music I love was originally played on (usually not low-end) Gibson, Martin, Fender, etc. Good point: if you're posting, you're probably not playing. Also, I believe that some of us (myself definitely included) obsess about nice guitars out of proportion to the benefits of said guitars. You don't need a high-end instrument to be a better player. You need a decent-sounding, well-set-up guitar. And time playing it. And a little innate talent doesn't hurt.

Of course in this thread what has gone undefined is what "high end" is. The first guitar I ever picked up was an old Kay from the early 1960s. Action was like a high wire act and sustain maybe three seconds. After developing green finger tips in a couple of days that was it with that guitar. The next guitar was a small bodied all mahogany Martin. This was high end for me at the time. Still the action (at the time I did not know better to have it changed) and sound could have been better. I got futher with it, "Classical Gas", "Hesitation Blues", that kind of stuff. I got some other guitars along the way but once I got ones where the action was good and the sound reasonable, then how good I was depended on practice time and concentration. After a certain point, maybe something along the line of a Taylor 314 level, most improvement comes from time spent practicing, the particular guitar much less of a factor. Of course if that last guitar you purchased you like so much that it really does make you play more over the long haul then you will get better because of it.
Rick

In a word yes, in several concepts, yes also.

-Inspiration; I just don't get as enthusiastic picking up a "serviceable" guitar.
-More dynamics are available (tone, response, volume) your playing will respond to bring out those dynamics. I.e. Your style and proficiency would have been different without that great axe.
-Accurate intonation gives you confidense to go up the neck and/or use string - fret combinations you would otherwise shy away from.
-Pride of ownership (inspiration again). Every time I put a good guitar away, I look longingly, maybe wisper sweet nothings. Please don't tell my girl friend.

Of course, then you jam with someone with an old Yamaha or Lawsuit Tak that makes that instrument sound like nothing you have ever heard. So there you go.