You ever feel like your gear is too good for you?

Every group I'm in I'm usually one of the worst in the group in my opinion. I get compliments from other guitarists (and they are being genuine), but I still feel like I'm not that good and know my current limitations in every phase of being pulled up by the surrounding cast.

I'm in my early 50's and have been playing since 2nd grade. Have the best tones and versatility I've ever had even with all the great tube amps and pedals I've owned since my post electrical engineering college age years.

Playing with awesome musicians will either scare you out of it or make you better if you fight through the early intimidation for sure!!!
 
My gear is so much better than me!
Pauly

ezvictor said:
It’s not my gear that’s holding me back. Lol.
I would be awesome if I could live up to my rig. The FM9 has cured me of gas as of right now. I’m aware of the possibility of remission but I can’t think of anything that I could justify as needed. In fact I need to work on filling the holes in my technique and playing. Keep jamming and thanks to Cliff and all of fractal for making such great stuff. You are greatly appreciated.
I hate posts like this but here I am
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Admin M@ said:
Play with some people who are better than you. You'll get pulled into a new place.
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Yes indeed.....me, and all of my budding musician friends who were also starting out and could barely tune a guitar, pick a bass, or keep a beat on the drums, all jumped into learning Rush right from the get-go (well, trying to anyway). Nothing like immediately jumping right into the deep end ha!
 
Too good for me? Hell no.
Better than me? Absolutely.
But I'd rather have amazing gear that inspires me to become better, than cheap-quality gear that I'd stagnate on, that's for sure.
I earned the money to buy quality gear, I don't blow it any more (well, very little, sometimes, but even that I enjoy), and most importantly, it has brought me to the best place I've ever been in my 40+ years of playing guitar, a place in which I strive every day to get better. And since getting this gear, I'm seeing improvements that make playing really FUN for me again!
 
My gear is way better than my playing. I don’t have much talent but I do enjoy playing. Whenever I spend money on gitaar gear I tend to buy what I really want and what I can justify for myself.
At this point in life I am not really restricted by funds, more by what I am willing to spend. Most of the gear I own was bought used, the great thing about buying used high end gear is that it holds value or even increases in value.

My most recent purchase is the FM3, which I will replace by the FM9 when available. That will be my most expensive guitar gear purchase ever ;-)

The FM3 is so inspiring for me that I started playing a lot more, with my tinnitus I am just better off now with the FM3 and studio monitors than playing my Mesa MkV90.
 
After I got a couple of high end guitars + the AX8 (and later FM3), I felt that if I now can't accomplish what I want to play or what I want it to sound like, it's all on me. I do feel like I deserve the gear though, and like mentioned above....it contibutes to keeping the inspiration, which in turn makes me better..hopefully :)
 
No, absolutely not. On the contrary, I feel a good guitar can make you play better (or at least feel like you do 😁). A similar question often shows up on discussion forums and it always sounds as if people have to somehow justify owning nice or expensive gear. If every Fractal owner had to be able to play to the ability of the product, I bet there wouldn’t be any more waiting lists.
 
TSJMajesty said:
Absolutely! My clarinet private teacher back in middle school told my parents they needed to spring for a pro instrument, that the school-rental one would hold me back. Barriers to improvement need to be removed, and I can't think of a much better way to do this than getting a Fractal.
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I think that it was the quality/value that attracted me to Fractal. I'd say the same for high-end guitars, except I couldn't justify owning a $12K instrument when my chops couldn't keep up.

Reviewing my past course of life regards amp/cab/effects choices, I'v got to say that for quality and value, FAS is far above and beyond whatever want or need that might occur.

Can't say that for the $12K instrument price point, although the differences between a $5K instrument and a $12K instrument are very small, sonically. That might be the reason for my owning a used core about half the new price which still has what I look for tone and sound-wise.
 
bleujazz3 said:
I think that it was the quality/value that attracted me to Fractal. I'd say the same for high-end guitars, except I couldn't justify owning a $12K instrument when my chops couldn't keep up.

Reviewing my past course of life regards amp/cab/effects choices, I'v got to say that for quality and value, FAS is far above and beyond whatever want or need that might occur.

Can't say that for the $12K instrument price point, although the differences between a $5K instrument and a $12K instrument are very small, sonically. That might be the reason for my owning a used core about half the new price which still has what I look for tone and sound-wise.
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Past a certain point, you're paying for attributes that don't make it a better-playing guitar, certainly at the $12,000 level, and even well below. If I could comfortably own an expensive Private Stock, for instance, how good my chops are wouldn't be a consideration.
 
TSJMajesty said:
Past a certain point, you're paying for attributes that don't make it a better-playing guitar, certainly at the $12,000 level, and even well below. If I could comfortably own an expensive Private Stock, for instance, how good my chops are wouldn't be a consideration.
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While there are sonic benefits of a $12K guitar, the differences between this and a more modestly priced one are too minuscule for me to justify owning a $12K guitar. My chops would not define owning either a $5K or $12K, but I cannot, IMO, compensate for my lack of chops with a $12K guitar.
 
TSJMajesty said:
Like what? No money leftover to buy an amp?
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I was thinking about the harmonics/sustain of a BRW neck. You make a good point about not having any cash left over for a decent amp. I think I took that path way too many times, and learned my lesson much too late in life.
 
bleujazz3 said:
I was thinking about the harmonics/sustain of a BRW neck. You make a good point about not having any cash left over for a decent amp. I think I took that path way too many times, and learned my lesson much too late in life.
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I have a braz board on a PRS. It doesn't sound better than my other guitars of that caliber. In fact, it sounds a lot like its sister guitar with a regular RW board (SC594 semi hollow braz and MC594). It also wasn't 12K. I haven't tried a rosewood neck guitar but I doubt being braz ensures its any better - it just costs more and is harder to get.

As you said, the $12K guitar isn't $10K better than the $2k one - it just has fancier options and prestige. Like I said though - if you have the means for a $12k guitar and it puts a smile on your face, do it up!

I've considered selling 2 PRS for one private stock PRS. Except I'd just be down to 1 nice PRS instead of 2.
 
Budda said:
I have a braz board on a PRS. It doesn't sound better than my other guitars of that caliber. In fact, it sounds a lot like its sister guitar with a regular RW board (SC594 semi hollow braz and MC594). It also wasn't 12K. I haven't tried a rosewood neck guitar but I doubt being braz ensures its any better - it just costs more and is harder to get.

As you said, the $12K guitar isn't $10K better than the $2k one - it just has fancier options and prestige. Like I said though - if you have the means for a $12k guitar and it puts a smile on your face, do it up!

I've considered selling 2 PRS for one private stock PRS. Except I'd just be down to 1 nice PRS instead of 2.
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Owning a high-end guitar is being part of an elite group of people who can afford nice gear. While it's nice to feel included in this group, it also doesn't make my chops any better. My feeling is that many people feel that they are privileged to own expensive gear. That may be true, but if it doesn't improve my playing ability drastically, there's really no sense in my investing in collectible gear unless someday I'd hope to sell that investment so as to fund my retired years. If indeed my playing ability were on par with the collectibility aspect of owning high-end gear, then I might have reason to keep the gear. Otherwise, it's an art form whose collectibility value either increases or declines with time.

If PRS Private Stocks were built in 1959, there might added validity to this statement. As things are, PRS himself describes his guitars as "works of art meant to be played." Fancier options and prestige aside, Private Stocks are status symbols no matter how you look at it...

That being said, I cherish my Griswold cast-iron skillet because of its usability and vintage factor; also because I know of its everyday usefulness. It may not cost the same as a PS, but its sentimental value is still there. I think that if I had held onto one of my PS some years back, there might be some sentimental value knowing what went into its build and how it was financed. It just doesn't make sense to try to reclaim what you've already sold in exchange for something else that caught your eye at the time. I think that if I could afford a PS again, I'd likely not invest in one, knowing how much I'd lose if I ever needed to sell it again.
 
I have some "nice" guitars that are probably prettier than I deserve, and that's intimidated me in the past, but when I listened to how good they sounded and how fun they were to play I got over it. I play better because I'm having fun.

I have a good idea how to use my tube amps, and I like the sound I get from them with my guitars. I really like my modeler presets too, and have a lot of fun with it. Does the FX3 have more capability than I need? Oh heck yeah, but it's fun and sounds great and lets me use headphones to avoid annoying my S.O. I can load any preset and massage it so it'll fit onto my FM9 or FM3, so it's useful. My FM9 gets used for "serious" stuff because it's easier to drag around. The FM3 sounds great and is what I'll use whenever we can travel.

I don't think my gear is "too good". I suck, my gear is great, and between the two I average out. :)
 
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