Is it worth it?

[Brian Krashpad]

OK, I admit it, I have a Swart AST. Is it by far the most expensive musical investment I've made, and I bought it used. But it does sound gorgeous.

Hmm, pic isn't showing, perhaps due to large size.

Fixed:



Looks great! If I had one if would take no convincing to get me to "admit" to it!

Congrats! :

Btw, I've always loved those Yammy Artists.

[aeolian]

Thanks, Krashpad. I did not figure out that I had gone over the size limit until several tries later.

[Brian Krashpad]

Thanks, Krashpad. I did not figure out that I had gone over the size limit until several tries later.

My pleasure, they're beauties and should be seen!

Btw, oversize photos are an easy fix, upload them to this site:

http://imageshack.us

The upload page has an auto-resize feature that allows you to choose one of several different size limits to make the photo. It's easy to use and free.

[hubberjub***]

I started playing guitar in '91. My first guitar was a Series 10 strat copy that was stolen after about a year. My father was incredibly cool and bought me a new Gibson Les Paul Studio which I still own to this day. After that I went through a period of becoming emotionally attached to all the guitars that I bought, I could not part with any of them. I believe that it is very important to buy as high a quality guitar as you can afford (that's high quality not high price). Not only will the guitar most likely be a great playing an sounding instrument, you will also be proud to play it out. You'll be encouraged to practice. My advice to people playing guitar is to save for a good guitar. I'd rather have a nice Highway 1 Strat for $600 than two import strat clones that will need all of the hardware and electronics replaced to make it playable. If you are a parent considering buying your son or daughter a decent guitar, spend the extra money on something that they will want to play for the next few years. That pink Hello Kitty Strat might look cool now but what will they think after a year or so of playing it and improving their skills?
One last note. Over the past year I was able to bring myself to selling a couple of guitars. They were ones that I didn't allow myself to develop an emotional attachment to. One was a very nice Carvin 7-String, and the other was an autographed MusicMan John Petrucci model. Both of these were spontaneous Ebay purchases and in both cases I was able to sell the guitar for more than I paid for it. :

[Mark]

I pretty much buy best quality gear that I like. I do shop smart to get the best price. I spent enough years doing without that now Im in a fortunate position to be able to afford quality gear. On the other hand I have built one guitar and two amps and they all are great sounding. Most of my gear will have a good resale value so if and when I sell or when I assume room temperature my family can sell it for some decent money. My vintage amps have already appreciated beyond what I paid.

[fendermojoman]

It was for me . . .
I bought a VOX AD50VT 212 for US $240.:

[Plank_Spanker]

Anyone else go through the "buying for the sake of buying/saving" only to be disappointed in the end?? Has anyone else found that waiting a little bit and getting some better gear paid off?

It's been a good experience to finally have the tone I want in my gear.

When I first started out, I played any junker guitar I could scrounge through any spark-o-matic amp rig I could cloodge together. While I lusted for the good gear, I had major fun and learned a great deal about gear.

When my financial picture improved and my tastes matured, I always sought to buy the best that I could, even if it meant waiting a bit. I got tired of looking over my shoulder for smoke and fire. I won't compromise on my gear. If a piece doesn't make me completely happy, I won't buy it. I drag my gear around to gigs and need it to be as bulletproof as possible. Good gear really does make a difference.

I'm by no means buying for cork sniffer cachet. I own some inexpensive pieces that keep me smiling. I buy gear that does what I need it to do and will be constantly reliable.

[srm2k]

I agree, your better off going first class. But custom shop or boutique prices and quality are not really necessary. It took a long time to find my tone but the experience taught me what works for me and what doesn't. It's the cost of doing business.

I'm now consolidating my gear and getting rid of what I'll never use because it's a burden. Don't need it and don't want it.

In amplifiers I want low wattage single channel tube amps - period.

I prefer Fender strats with the modern two point fulcrum trem, noiseless pickups, and locking tuners.

The only effects I can't live without are compressor, tube screamer and delay.

There are some great deals out there right now due to the general economic climate - I bought a beautiful Les Paul Standard recently for $1100 and I don't think it had ten hours of play on it. By the same token, gear you sell right now won't command the high prices seen in recent years.

[Eric***]

Figured I'd dredge up another thread...

Even though my purchases mostly don't reflect it, I do agree with the idea behind this thread. There are, in my opinion, two issues that explain the massive gear-churn/cheap-equipment phenomenon.

1) When people start playing the guitar, very few people *know* that they'll continue to do it for a really long time. It's hard to go out and buy an expensive guitar and expensive amp when you're not even sure if it will click with you. To be honest, even $300 for guitar + amp seemed like a lot to me when I first starting playing. I know most would laugh at that now, but it's the honest truth. It's not that I *couldn't* afford it, it's that I was cheap and didn't want to pour money into something, only to have it be a lost hobby.

2) For a long long time, you don't really know what you like/want. This was particularly true for me, someone who largely blazed a musical trail alone. I didn't/don't have tons of friends who are musicians or are into guitar gear, so it's hard to try something and know what works for you. I think people would rather buy a cheap LP, cheap tele, cheap semi-hollow, and cheap strat and see what resonates with their style. It's part of why people buy that lower-end gear.

Also, I do think that most people think they know better than everyone else who is overpaying for gear. It's sort of the reverse-gear-snob. It takes time to realize that better gear really can help you.

The trick in this whole thing is that there really aren't many shortcuts. Someone could read this initial entry, but really, they wouldn't realize that it's true until much later. If they did what you said, it would not be as a result of some epiphany that your words awoke; it would be based on trust and trust alone.

FWIW, I totally agree with Jim about buying gear with tones you can use instead of features. I think the temptation to get features goes back to what I said about not really knowing what you want. Who knows if you like flanger or not? May as well buy a MFX unit that has everything on it and then figure out what you actually use.

Just a random brain dump on this topic. Sorry to interrupt...

[Monkus]

I agree with the sense of the thread. I want a Bigsby, but dont have a clue how to maintain it. I'm now in the position where I can buy pretty much whatever I want but I wont. I really like my Agile 3100 so much so that every Les Paul I play I compare it to that. Will I buy a Gibson les paul?, maybe, if one calls out to me when I'm noodling in a store.

This for me is a journey of gear and self discovery. On the other hand I know about recording gear and keyboards. I have no problem buying equipment I know that is reliable and has the features I might need in the near future.

Now I'm looking at semi hollows and a tube amp. I'm down to the Hagstrom and the Agile AS-1000. The amps shortlisted are the Bugera V22 and the Jet City 2112RC combo or one of OtayPanky's amps. I could go with a Marshall, Vox or Matchless but this will be my first tube amp. I've played thru them but never owned one. I cant convince myself to buy a Matchless at this stage in my guitar life.

[GuitarAcademy]

Its worth getting a guitar that you are going to be happy with. I contend that sonically I can take a guitar that has been intelligently designed and engineered (I.e. Start with a good piece of wood) and build it out to a point where sonic and playability-wise it rivals guitars at 3-4 times the price for under $1,000.00 easily.

But occasionally I can pick up a great guitar out of the box and swoon. This thread talked about LP's and Agile's. For just over 600, I can get an ESP LTD EC 301 - with JB and 59 Pickups, frets that shine like liquid mercury. A Vintage Honey Burst Fade Maple top and set neck Mahogany body and neck wood. Also it has Grover Tuners and an Earvana Neck nut. That's a real good player without breaking the bank. It has a solid but not overly heavy weight to it.

What could I add to it that could max it out, not much.

GA