Decent guitar and amp?

Doesn’t it depend on who the individual is, as to whether it’s a valid strategy or not? I would think so.

Thing is, the dude wants a highly advanced piece of gear without knowing how to use and play it. That's like asking for a Formula 1 racing car to practice with when you still have to learn how to drive a car. Floyd equipped guitars are a bitch to properly setup and tune for the best of us, let alone for a beginner. First time I had one I ended up turning the bridge into a fixed position and unlocking the nut. And I was intermediary at that time.

I just mean that if you really want it you will do it with what ever guitar you can get. Obviously something good would be nice but in the beginning everything you play is going to sound like shit anyway whatever guitar you have. Leaning to tune it with your ears and hold a rhythm on one chord is what matters to start not, what model guitar you can't play.

I've been playing guitar since 1987 and I can't tune a guitar by ear if my life depended on it. I didn't think it mattered much back then when tuners were already available and even less today when you can turn any smartphone into a tuner with a tuning app. Although learning when your guitar is off or your playing the wrong chords or notes is a valuable skill. Personally I learned that more from playing along to my favorite songs and trying to figure them out in a time when guitar tabs only existed in rare to find guitar magazines and tab books. Well, in my Dutch village of the '80's they were rarer then dirt.
 
I mean get a note and tune your guitar to that . Anyone who can learn a tune by ear has to be able to do this. One thing I do with beginners is get them to choose a song they want to learn to play and then set them the task of finding a YouTube lesson or tab that is correct. Too many people play stuff wrong because they rely on poor information and don't develop the skills to decern good from bad information. There is nothing wrong in using all the information at hand but you still need to develop an ear. Tabs from the early days in particular are usually the right notes but often the wrong position. Generated too conform to caged shapes, even though almost no rock players use them like this. You need to use those old books only for the notes and with a quick look on YouTube for the original player's position and then off you go. This is very relevant to Malmsteen VH and similar stuff that needs to be played in a certain position for the fluidity .
 
Well, I can kinda tune like that by ear, but use a tuner afterwards and it won't be pitch perfect. So if my life depended on it I'd probably be dead. Like I said, I had a tuner when I started so I never bothered to develop that part of my ability.
 
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