What's more important: sound or playability?

[deeaa*]

My take is on guitars overall, sufficient quality of parts and materials are the most important thing, and looks the second most important factor, and overall comfort third. Everything else can be changed to liking anyway and are not important.

Playability and sound are both issues easily rectified, provided there is nothing seriously wrong with a guitar, like a warped neck. Playability is simply a matter of adjustment, or in extreme cases some neck shaping and/or small parts changes, while sound in an electric can be changed pretty much entirely with just a change of pickups - again if the guitar is even remotely OK in materials.

So neither are really important to me initially, both can be made just as preferred by the player.

To me playability and sound, then, go hand in hand...I wouldn't suffer either for a second, but work on the issue till corrected.

Funny though, this again sort of touches the subject of guitar superstitions...well all I can say is if someone comes to me and shows me in a blind test they can faultlessly tell a difference in sound, or even playability between, say a $50.000 vintage Les Paul and a current Epi LP when both guitars are adjusted by yours truly - THEN I may start thinking there really are differences to guitars besides their setup and pickups. It just will never happen because these things are so important to guitarists they will never admit it's all superstition to think there are any profound, innate differences between a lump of wood and metal and another like it. Accept it, it's all about the pickup type, scale and construction and especially the amp used, all else is negligible in its contribution to both sound and playability.

[Eric***]

Funny though, this again sort of touches the subject of guitar superstitions...well all I can say is if someone comes to me and shows me in a blind test they can faultlessly tell a difference in sound, or even playability between, say a $50.000 vintage Les Paul and a current Epi LP when both guitars are adjusted by yours truly - THEN I may start thinking there really are differences to guitars besides their setup and pickups. It just will never happen because these things are so important to guitarists they will never admit it's all superstition to think there are any profound, innate differences between a lump of wood and metal and another like it. Accept it, it's all about the pickup type, scale and construction and especially the amp used, all else is negligible in its contribution to both sound and playability.

I would personally love to do a blind "taste test" like you mention. I think it would be enlightening to say the least. I'm all about figuring out what actually matters to me with guitars, not brand or "mojo".