Like What You Like

We all love talking about gear, but there’s a dark side to that as well as a light. Go online and you’ll find plenty of blowhards denouncing this or that new guitar as ‘overrated’ or ‘terrible’, even if they haven’t tried it. Worse still are the ones who brag relentlessly about their amazing collection of guitars – then lord it over anyone whom they deem to own inferior gear. If you’ve ever felt downcast because of something that’s been said to you by trolls of that kind, I have a story to share that might help put things in perspective.

One of the hands-down best guitarists we know plays a battered Aria Pro II copy of an ES-175. He gigs it all over the world at prestigious festivals and is a formidably accomplished jazz musician. He owns Custom Shop stuff, too, but by and large prefers his inexpensive Aria. In my experience, the best players are also the most confident in calling a piece of affordable gear good if they find it serves their musical needs. By contrast, some of the most belligerent guitar snobs we’ve encountered ain’t all that hot as players. We strongly suspect they go on about how amazing their gear is to avoid confronting their shortcomings as guitarists.

There’s nothing wrong with not being a virtuoso on guitar – we’re all on a journey to becoming better players. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating nice things, either. But if you have to stand on a pile of posh gear to make yourself appear taller than other players you might want to reconsider your priorities. A really confident guitarist simply uses the gear that best enables them to make music – regardless of spec, price tag or cachet. Enjoy the issue and see you next month.