Buying Gear - think big! - article

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Hey guys and gals,

i've finished my article on gear buying filosophy. What do you plan to get next? How many dollars should you put on the table. Do you buy right now or save to get the really good stuff? Read it here:
http://www.guitarhow.com/23_guitarhow_buying_gear_think_big.html
I hope you enjoy! Let me know,
Take care,
Roger
 
I find it best to start out with gear that is "just good enough" to not put a damper on your playing, i.e. a comfortable guitar, and a decent amp. After your first purchases, you shouldn't make intermediate purchases along the way, because you waste tons of money in the process. Go for the gold as soon as you have for the money, and buy what you WANT, as well as something that will hold value.
 
My outlook on spending is that I can't afford "cheap".

I feel this way for a few reasons,

1) Buying "cheap" usually means that I'm compromising on what I really want due to price/affordability. When I do this I usually wind up disappointed with the compromise and long for the item I actually wanted. The end result is that I end up buying the same item twice, which costs me more money in the long run than if I'd simply bought the item I actually wanted the first time around.

2) Buying "cheap" can (but not always) means inferior quality. In this case, if I buy something for half the cost but replace it twice as often an I really saving any money? In another example, is hot-rodding an inferior guitar really saving any money? Particularily once you factor in point number 1 above?

3) "Cheap" often doesn't hold resale value. Upgrading a $500 Epiphone with $250 worth of pickups and a few minor upgrades (nut, saddles, switch, pots, etc) won't give you the same return on your investment as buying a used Gibson Faded or Studio model and leaving them bone stock.


That said... "Cheap" doesn't have to be a negative, provided you do your research. Chances are you're not going to loose as much money on a Phase 90 as you will on an off-brand boutique phaser that no one has ever heard of. Plus there's a good chance that the Phase 90 sounds better anyway....

On the subject of name brands...

Unless it's a flavour of the week amp over on TGP most people won't give you $2000+ for your used $4000 off-brand boutique amp, however you can reasonably expect to get $1000+ for your $2000 Mesa head. I'm sure the rate of return is similar for pro quality Fender, Marshall and Peavey amps.

Buying a used Mesa head for $1000+ and selling it for $1000+1 makes good financial sense, particularly if you're not totally sure what kind of amp you're into.

Just because a European amp is shipped over to North America and sold at an inflated price doesn't mean it somehow became a better amp on the boat ride over.

That ended up more random and meandering than I intended... but I'm bored so whatever.
 
(Another thread resurrection)

There is a lot of truth in that article. It makes sense to buy instruments that you grow into rather than out of. I'm a classical guitarist and from my first classical guitar to my current classical guitar I upgraded 3 times. (I started when I was 10 so upgrading 3 times makes sense.) However, each upgrade was significant and each guitar was "better" than I was when I first purchased it. This allowed me to grow into the instrument for years at a time. I wasn't as good about upgrading in an efficient way with electric guitars though. :lol:

I actually started a thread on another forum saying basically the same thing your article said and caught a lot of flak for it. Apparently some people feel owning 5 similar, cheap guitars is as inspiring as owning 1 high quality guitar. :?: :!: If it works for them, great! But common sense makes me suspicious.
 
I think the issue here is that it applies to beginners. Easy for us to say in hindsight, however, if someone ever decides to quit guitar, that would be a pretty expensive money dump in the end...
 
KH Guitar Freak said:
I think the issue here is that it applies to beginners. Easy for us to say in hindsight, however, if someone ever decides to quit guitar, that would be a pretty expensive money dump in the end...

Oh I see, I agree that beginners shouldn't spend the kind of money mentioned in the article. I was thinking it applied more towards people who have been playing for a few years with no plans to quit. I think people who reach that point should invest in gear that makes them want to play the guitar more. The more they play, the better they get and a nice cycle is created.
 

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