Will I play better with a Gibson?

[LEFTY LES]

I recently posted in a thread in the Epi forum that I was told when you own a high quality guitar such as a Gibson or an American made Stratocaster that your playing will increase by as much as 40%. I have to say that I think there is some merit to that statement. If your holding a guitar that gives you a sense of pride and you know it is made with the highest quality, I believe that it will reflect in your playing. Do you think a person feels better with a Gibson in their hands as opposed to an Epiphone? I do. And I think that feeling will show in ones playing. Does anyone here agree or disagree? I posted this here because you are the members that own Gibsons and play them on a daily basis. I don't own one but I am getting closer and closer to selling my Epi to begin a fund for a Gibson Standard Traditional. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you for reading and responding!!!

[b-squared]

Nope...but you'll get style points!

[benjammin420]

i think i play a little better, my LP sounds and feels amazing, i focus more and get better ideas, but it may be psychosomatic

[Torren61]

Maybe...maybe not...but you'll look better.

[mrpesca]

Nope, but your penis will seem larger...

[Jason]

It depends completely on your personality. Personally, I'm an underachiever with a lack of pride and/or self-respect. In other words, I don't take myself seriously... so I prefer cheap and sleazy guitars. You gotta find guitars that match your personality and what you're trying to convey, and those guitars are going to be the ones that inspire you to play your best.

Unless, of course, you're just talking in terms of technical accuracy... then you'll want some finely engineered instrument. Personally, that's not a big concern of mine.

[kingedb]

no, BUT you will smile more!!

[The_Sentry]

Les....Me being honest....it's all about that setup.

I don't agree with your friend at all. It's true enough some guitars are better than others, but the God Honest truth...I can pull off stuff just as easily on my 300 dollar guitar as I can on my 3000 dollar guitar. It's all about the action, fit, and finish.

The thing about the cheaper guitars...they probably need a bit more help out of the gate vs. the expensive ones.

If I was in your shoes, I'd take that Agile Goldtop of yours into the shop, ask for a bone nut, and crown and polish on those frets. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the results. (Provided the tech....knows what he's doing on left handed guitars. Sigh...I'll admit this is an issue I have to contend with...)

[Tim Plains]

I play my $200 Squire Strat the same as I play my R9 - shitty!!

[r9in09]

when you're good enough, then yes, you will play better with one.

[bildozr]

When I got my first Epiphone I could play better. My acoustic was horrible to learn on.
Plus I was more driven to play, I had a cool guitar.

[bildozr]

Same concept?

[moff40]

Short answer - if the guitar is easier to play and sounds better then you will be encouraged to play it more often. Ergo, you get better. Think of it this way:

If you're playing some POS guitar, it is often harder to play than a better quality instrument. Kids learning to play using a guitar with action that's better suited to shooting arrows than playing music have to fight the instrument, which is a discouragement. I think that being bought a cheap crappy "student" instrument to learn on is a big reason why some kids give up.

That said, I don't think that difference is as glaring between Gibson and Epiphone or Squier and Fender as much as between some hand-me-down junker and a decent middle-of-the-road Korean guitar.

From another perspective, for weeks after I buy a guitar, I play it for hours on end. That "practice time" probably helps my playing more than it being a (insert high-end brand name here) guitar.

[r9in09]

dozer- your avatar cracks me up! That has to be faked, no?

[Austin944]

Yeah, in my opinion, you will become "better".
my Gibson les paul plays so much smoother than my Epi les paul... and just feels more "right" to me.

[J-Man123]

Originally Posted by b-squared

Nope...but you'll get style points!

So true.


J-Man123

[dcooper830]

Sometimes when your Gibson Les Paul is feeling and sounding GREAT.... then yeah it does make you play a little better.

But it doesn't have near the impact that good old fashioned practice and hard work have.



.

[Fedejh]

The problem is that if you are using a gibaon you must play like a monster(?)

[LEFTY LES]

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

Les....Me being honest....it's all about that setup.

I don't agree with your friend at all. It's true enough some guitars are better than others, but the God Honest truth...I can pull off stuff just as easily on my 300 dollar guitar as I can on my 3000 dollar guitar. It's all about the action, fit, and finish.

The thing about the cheaper guitars...they probably need a bit more help out of the gate vs. the expensive ones.

If I was in your shoes, I'd take that Agile Gold top of yours into the shop, ask for a bone nut, and crown and polish on those frets. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the results. (Provided the tech....knows what he's doing on left handed guitars. Sigh...I'll admit this is an issue I have to contend with...)

At this moment in time my GT is my favorite guitar to play Sen. It just feels right in my hands and everything is eaiser with it. Even more so than with my Strat, whick you guys know I love. So the guitar I had for 3 months to me feels better than the strat I've been playing for 16 years. I

[The Mick]

no.

[AXE]

Originally Posted by The Mick

no.

What???

[Reaperc89]

Wont play any better, but I certainly do enjoy playing my Gibson Les Paul a whole lot more than I did the beat up $150 dollar Ibanez I used to play :P. Indirectly this causes me to play more, and enjoy playing more, but no the instrument itself doesn't actually make me play better.

Personally I think playing with a piece of garbage might have the ability to improve your skills more, since you have to put more effort into proper technique . The expensive beautiful guitars with $200 dollar pickups may be a bit more forgiving :P.

On the downside here, having a nicer guitar (and a Gibson Les Paul at that), does seem to raise your expectations when it comes to the feel and sound of a high quality instrument. Thus causing you to spend more and more money when looking to expand your arsenal!

[moff40]

Originally Posted by Reaperc89

Personally I think playing with a piece of garbage might have the ability to improve your skills more, since you have to put more effort into proper technique . The expensive beautiful guitars with $200 dollar pickups may be a bit more forgiving :P.

Oh, yeah, I didn't mean players should start out on Lesters or some other "expensive, beautiful guitar with $200 pickups", only that they should have a "decent" guitar. Trouble is, too many parents buy some $50 piece of crap from Uncle Fred or the Sally Ann because they don't know if the kid will stick with it. And fighting that POS turns out to be precisely the reason the kid gives up.

There are plenty of decent Asian guitars out there for a couple of hundred bucks that fit the bill nicely, like SX, Agile, Epi, and so on. At least the frets on those are in the right place, and you don't need a vice to push the strings down.

Like I said, the difference between an Gibby and an Epi isn't as great as the difference between the Sally Ann guitar and an SX.

[LEFTY LES]

Originally Posted by LEFTY LES

At this moment in time my GT is my favorite guitar to play Sen. It just feels right in my hands and everything is eaiser with it. Even more so than with my Strat, whick you guys know I love. So the guitar I had for 3 months to me feels better than the strat I've been playing for 16 years. I

So let me continue. With that being said a very expensive guitar that feels wonderful in your hands is going to translate into something. That something could be better playing. Im not sayin one cant play well on a Epi. Im just saying that one might feel better with a high end guitar.

[vladmaximus]

fix your fingers first.....



hi hi hi hi hiiii...



and remember...ROCK ON...




hi hi hi hiiii

[Purplepanda]

only diff that a "cheap" guitar and my Les Paul reflect in my playing is that ill have an orgasm in my pants while playing my LP cause it is so sexy. Oh and the cheap guitar doesnt sound or feel as good.

[yllsacky]

well if your old guitar has the neck the size of a giant banana well yes

[WillieG]

I know that I play some things better now than I did when I learned it on the Epi, mainly stuff on the high part of the neck. It imidiately felt a lot smoother and easier when I played it on the Gibson. But I suppose that means that it's the Epi that has made me better?

I think that if you are genuinly interested in becoming a better guitarist, as long as the guitar is not a hopeless piece of crap, it doesn't matter at all what guitar it is.

To put it this way: I've played my Epi with a couple of Gibson guys who's abilities hadn't increased 40%, that's for sure...

[Nils]

I am very proud of my (Epi) LP. It looks awesome (most LPs look awesome)
When I see it, I want to play! And that makes me play very often -> I'll become a better player by playing a lot...

So eventually, as long as you really love your instrument you might actually become a better player.

.. I think ..

[So Relax]

Not 40% improvement, but if you find the right instrument your playing will improve. I've been playing over 20 years and still find I play better on my fav guitars. I don't play 40% worse on the guitars I dislike though.