With an aim toward improvement of one's playing quality, what would you prefer: A better guitar that lets you pull any lick off with greater ease? Or a poorer quality guitar that makes you fight for it?
Lately I find myself grabbing my cheapest guitar, an old Yamaha RGZ. For a variety of reasons there is some challenge to this- the guitar has quite weak treble response, so I really feel the need to hit it hard and in the right places for it to sing. The overall action is pretty low and the neck feels nice, however the nut is cut a bit high. The pickups tend toward a bit of mush, so I make real effort to play very clean/spare to get around that.
On the other hand I have a few guitars I can pick up and feel shocked at how riffs and notes just erupt out without thought. No question what I want to record with or which feels/sounds better, but I feel like if I only grabbed my 'good' guitars for casual picking etc. I'd lose some of what I gain playing the old Yamaha, and a couple other cheap-ish guitars I keep around.
Then again, maybe I'd be more inspired to play/practice riffs and solos with greater difficulty if I always stuck with my US Strat or G&L. Anyone have a stance?
Lately I find myself grabbing my cheapest guitar, an old Yamaha RGZ. For a variety of reasons there is some challenge to this- the guitar has quite weak treble response, so I really feel the need to hit it hard and in the right places for it to sing. The overall action is pretty low and the neck feels nice, however the nut is cut a bit high. The pickups tend toward a bit of mush, so I make real effort to play very clean/spare to get around that.
On the other hand I have a few guitars I can pick up and feel shocked at how riffs and notes just erupt out without thought. No question what I want to record with or which feels/sounds better, but I feel like if I only grabbed my 'good' guitars for casual picking etc. I'd lose some of what I gain playing the old Yamaha, and a couple other cheap-ish guitars I keep around.
Then again, maybe I'd be more inspired to play/practice riffs and solos with greater difficulty if I always stuck with my US Strat or G&L. Anyone have a stance?
Comment