Better instruments always get a better result
than one with poor tone and quality is just a
good thing to behold. Does a fine guitar make
you a better player. Of course not but it can
inspire a person to become one if he or she is
so inclined.

I would be ashamed to play mine if I had not
evolved in ability to at least do them justice
yet I would consider myself competent if not
talented and clean if not accomplished. For that
I need a guitar you can play cleanly and competently.

Short answer. Yeah, I suppose it does

true story:

They're a guy in my friend's neighborhood who is Les Paul obsessed. He curently has a gorgeous '58 flame-top reissue that I bet cost about $3500. When I picked it up and played it (played like butter, btw, and sounded great...) he said, "I wish I could play like that!"

Why did he say that? Because he barely knows how to play! He knows a few barre chords, but really, he hardly ever plays...he just spends all his time obsessing and drooling over guitars, amps, pedals, etc. in stores and online.

So, does a good guitar make you a better player? I guess the anwer is, it DEPENDS. Me? When I finally got a really good acoustic, I played three times more often and my playing quickly progressed, just because it was now a such joy to play the thing...

I've always subscribed to the addage: "it ain't what you got, it's what you do with what you got." I've met players who own $10k who have no feel, and guys on a Takamine that make me wanna go practice for 20 years. But this quote I saw -- I think on Charles Fox's site -- offered an interesting perspective.

“An ideal instrument is one that makes you a better player. It expands your musical reach by extending the conventional limits of playability, invites the expression of your soul through its broad range of tonal color and deep reserves of power, and inspires your creative passion with a voice that resonates to the beat of your heart."

Trying not to beat this horse too much, but I do believe a really good guitar does make one a better player. For several and different reasons.
Like someone already said, a great guitar makes you WANT to play, so you play more and more often. And that makes you a better player.
Even if you play the same old stuff, your execution and technique improve with playing.
And I feel a guitar can provide inspiration in and of itself. Certain guitars lend themselves to different things well, and one that gets you to explore and expand your horizons will make you a better player. I love my Collings and others, but for me personally my Goodalls are the guitars that beg me to go somewhere new. Like the quote in the post above, that is what a great guitar should do.
It becomes a "willing accompliss" (sp) to the guitar player and together they create.

And another thing that I feel is sort of contradictory in a way, but some guitars will make a person, me at least, sound better than they really are. The sound is so rich and full, or full of resonance that anything you play just sings out of it. It might actually be hiding some of the players imperfections, but it plays so easily and sounds so good that it just begs to be played on and on.

For me, that's the guitar I need. Might not be the one I have in my hand or want, but anything that makes me sound better is a good thing. LOL

Jerry Garcia once said, "it's not about the guitar, it's about the music". But the right guitar will help bring that music out of you.

Hey Kenny,

I believed (before buying a ‘smokin’ guitar), that having a great guitar would give me bucket loads of inspiration and keep me all fired up so that I’d play and play and play. I started playing (after 35 year break – originally 1 year on a cheap classical) 10 months ago. I literally knew about 3 cords.

About 7 months ago I became convinced that a great quality guitar would make a profound difference. I’ve always been pretty anal when it comes to – well everything. When I went into guitar stores to try some quality guitars, I did feel a little – like I felt the need to justify why a relative novice would buy a top quality guitar.

Then I got over it and simply told guitar salesmen the truth. Haven’t been playing that long. Want a fine guitar that’s going to inspire. Hoping to start a collection actually. Show me what you got. Of course, most of the salesmen didn’t actually know a whole lot about guitars, and thus began my research journey.

I sometimes wondered if I was kidding myself. Would a great guitar really make a difference? I couldn’t be certain, afterall, one way or the other. How would I feel four months later? Would I still be thrilled and would it still provide the inspiration that I felt when I bought it, or would it be gathering dust in a corner.

Well - it’s four months later and I’ve got a pretty strong opinion on this subject matter.

I am a madman. I play my guitar every chance I get. The TV was thrown out the window (not really), but I hardly watch it anymore. My wife loves to read while I play, creating a warm and friendly playing atmosphere. I’ve researched songs and bought disks on Celtic music. I have now found about 7 songs that thrill me to death, and every night I play my guitar for a good hour or more. On weekends I try to play as long as I can. The songs I choose are not that easy, and so I’m paying the price with time invested.

My guitar playing has improved immensely. My finger speed and the quality of the sound, gets better and that inspires me even more. I’ve got a whole lotta-way-to-go, but I’m on a journey, and proud of it - and I ain’t looking back either. I’m working on riffs and when I pluck a string, hard or soft, mistake or pure, I adore the sound that comes out of my OOO-3C.

This guitar and my music means far more to me than I could have imagined when I began the hunt which led to my Collings. And a fine guitar has made all the difference in the world.



Best,
Stuart



PS

Canada and camping, what a surprise. Kidding. Except I love camping and head up north into Algonquin, 5 hours north of where I live, every second year. Let me know how it went and where you ended up.

If having a high end guitar did make one a better player, then having a bunch of high ends (not me) would make one just that much better...would it? I think not, a good guitar can be the vehicle that gets you to where you want to go but it doesn't drive itself. I read somewhere that Ry Cooder's favourite guitar was some peice of crap he picked up in a pawn shop but it had "the sound" that he really liked. So that guitar could inspire him but I think that is the distinction, they can inspire, have good action etc which can help.
AHHH what the heck, it sure feels good holding a gem in your arms!!!

Now, Stuart, THAT's a good story. Wow. A 35 year layoff. It's never too late, until they pull that sheet over your head at the morgue. Until then, play on! I started in '65- okay, 1965- and had a couple periods where I thought of packing it in. That meant only playing a couple times a week, and not "playing out". That's now long over. I'll stop when I keel over on stage.

Sonoman,

Being on stage sounds like quite an acheivement to me. I have to start digging and finding out which of the people here have cd's. As long as I can hear the collings guitars in the background (no rudeness intended).

Turned 47 this year. Something made me realize that I ain't got that much time left really, and suddenly I had to learn guitar. Funny, it was mastering computers and all of the related technology that made me realize that nothing is beyond any of us. You just have to have the desire and the patience to learn.

I will have to go to the sound recording forum soon. I should record the first song I learned and share it. No need to be bashful. The more we share the better we get.

Just can't sink a kazillion dollars into stuff at the moment. Jenny would have my head.

So I'll see if there is a less expensive route as a short run solution.


Stuart

Stuart, I'll be 60 in a couple months, so you're a relative kid from this angle. Don't be too impressed about the stage part; it ain't Carnegie Hall, trust me. Local bars, parties, weddings. But it ain't in the living room, or my friend's basement. That has its place, for sure, and no one need perform to love and share music. I just started gigged early (after playing for 3 months!), and found that, for me, nothing concentrates and hones skills like having an audience. When it works, it's about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. Or so they say.

Stuart, what a great story! It inspires me to read it and I can relate to much of what you say. Even though I started playing when I was 14, I did sideline it after college to work in the computer field. I semi-retired in 2001, built a recording studio, and starting playing fingerstyle guitar in 2003.

I like what you say about throwing the TV out the window (so to speak). Aside from good sporting events, there's nothing worth watching on cable. I wish I was more diligent with my practicing, as you indicate. I tend to play for enjoyment instead of practicing difficult pieces.

Kenny

We (only) get 76 channels on our cable and there are still times when I flip all the way through and find nothing worthy to watch (that
has happened quite often). What happens after this - grab the guitar and play. It's a lot more productive, to say the least. I am so glad that I don't play video games or something similar that could tie you up for hours. 6 years ago when I got my first Collings (OM1Adb), I gave up golf - cold turkey. I got serious about playing and getting better with my new instrument that 5 hours on the course did not make sense to me. That's 5 hours I could spend playing/practicing/studying. The set/bag have been in storage since and I don't regret it one bit.

I do agree with Sonoman. There's nothing like playing in front of an audience. When you see the feet tapping and the faces smiling, that makes it all worthwhile.

Ace
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Owning a nicer guitar than you does not make me a better player than you. I believe that owning a higher quality guitar than I did before has made me a better player than I was before for all of the reasons others have listed. Mostly because it is more responsive and the things I play sound more like I think they should.

My $.02

--David