I think you meant they had a big influence on you. When I was 16 Eric Clapton tuned my guitar for me...at the time I had no idea who he was. I'm sure I had zero influence on him.

As per quality equipment. It's much better to learn on a quality instrument and not on a cheap instrument (unless it is also quality). One is doing a disservice to a beginner by not providing a good instrument (or a good baseball glove, pair of skates, set of tools, etc.). You want to put your energy into learning a skill and not in battling a poor instrument....especially when you first start out.

+1, to start. But if you become inspired to play more often and more seriously with the more expensive instrument, then that's when the investment becomes truly worthwhile.

For a new guy you sure have a lot of negative opinions. Most folks on this forum speak out about there gear because there is always someone asking for comparisons,and opinions about all sorts of things. There is a lot of good information changing hands as well as the BS mostly good natured fun. as for the cost of equipment I banged around on every beat up old guitar and amp I could get my hands on until I was 60 now I'm 68years old and have recently acquired what I consider a pretty good Arsenal of toys. Yes I said TOYS. Just like a kid with a new Bike I love them. And your right, I am not the best Guitar player on this or any other forum. A lot of guys could play circles around Me. There is one thing that I can GARONTE, and that's that no one on the planet has more fun or enjoys playing more than Me. Will I continue to buy stuff and show it off here Yip Thats part of the game
----Danny,

Well said.

You're kind of raising a meaningless question, OP. Sure, gear isn't music, and as chef wong experienced, it can often get in the way of making music. But the point of online forums centered on any commercial object - guitars, guns, cars, bikes, boats, you name it - is to talk about buying and owning stuff, and to post pictures of the stuff you bought. That's why Fender provides this forum: because it encourages people to buy their products. It isn't about music: it's about owning guitars. Don't expect anything different and you'll be fine.

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Jim Bordner
Gravity Music - www.gravitymusic.com
Composer, producer, Egnater Artist

Yeah this is a Fender site,they sell stuff that we like,and we like to talk about it.
As for all the talk about rare guitars and not being able to play them like the OP ranted about...well,the world is full of wannabees....and when I see a guy playing a cheap POS,he might be able to play well...but it's still a POS.

+1...

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Check out my new FB music page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilandMe.Music

Indeed... I know for a fact I'm a bit of a badge snob!!

I got my first American Deluxe when I was 13. It was such a great guitar, it inspired me to play more and more.

These days, I've trimmed my collection right down (from 22 guitars down to 5) and only buy a guitar if it's rare or has a USP- for example, I bought an FSR Am. Dlx. Strat not so long ago. Tried it, didn't like it, managed to sell it for more than I bought it for due to the rarity value. Again, similar thing happened recently with a very lucky find... it belonged to someone a little bit on the famous side, which allowed me to double my money on it.

I know exactly what I'm looking for these days to complete my collection, and I've just turned 22. I think that the time I spent wasting a lot of money over the last nine years is worth it now I've worked out what I like to play, how I like to play it and what keeps me happy (answer: Strats, and lots of 'em!).

Either way, if someone wants to brag about rarity, they're more than welcome to. It's a unique selling point. My Fender Prosonic is one of 400 made, but I'll be damned if I'm selling it! If it makes you any happier (aimed at the original poster, not you Rebelsoul ), I spend a lot of time practising and making myself a better player on this amp. Nothing gives me more joy, apart from maybe playing classical.

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'01 American Deluxe HSS Strat.
'87 Japan HSS Strat.
'11 Custom Shop FMT HSS Strat.

"Without music, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines and dates by which bills must be paid."

Hey......some of my best friends play POS's!



I'd play one too if I could afford it. But I spent all my money on vintage gear.



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Ain't it funny that some POS's are higher than really great vintage guitars and amps.

A while ago, I gave up on the thought that I need any guitar that costs me over $1,000 for anything. I'd come to the conclusion that a "pro guitar" is a mindset that's different for everyone. I've drawn my own lines between what I need functionally, and what I want cosmetically. I stay a little more on the functionality side most of the time.

Tonight I made my money playing an Epiphone Special II with EMG actives in it. I have my reasons for that. But the neck is straight, good action, no buzzes, stays in tune, feels comfortable to me, I play great with it, and the people were happy and dancing and having a good time all night. Everyone left the pool happy.

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HaleAmano- House Of Sharks (Now On iTunes)
http://www.reverbnation.com/haleamano
http://www.haleamano.com

+1, Shredd......it doesn't get any better than that!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Yeah,we understand,we've all been around guys who have all the gear but can't play anything but the intro to "Stairway To Heaven"...it's something that's sad and funny at the same time.
There was one guy like that who used to hang around one band I was in,he always talked about what he had and one night I handed him a guitar told him to plug in and jam with us and he never hit a note,he refused to play,it was at the practice house,so it wasn't like he had a large crowd....that was probably the last time he stopped by,I don't think he could play at all.

Lots of good discussion here

New or new to you gear that encourages you to play more is always a good thing

The sad part is collectors who put a guitar in a glass display case or humidified vault

a number of years ago, the [i]tone poems[i] Cds came out so people could actuall hear what rare old guitars and mandolins sounded like being played, not put on pedestals

Look, the question is meaningless HERE. You want agreement with your Higher Order take on things. You've just come to the wrong place for that.

I happen to agree that the gear fetishism that guitar players indulge in is kinda dumb, and that a guy who owns 20,000 simoleans worth of axes and amps and hauls it all out of his basement twice weekly to "play" - usually excruciatingly badly, with no taste or touch - a list of augered-in classic rock in some $@!&#* bar band that thinks they've had an awesome night if a 45-year-old margarine-faced bar hag gets drunk enough to flash them looks pretty foolish. I agree that gear doesn't make music and frequently gets in the way.

But making that point here is like walking into a ham radio swap meet and asking, "Hey don't you think you guys all get more wrapped up in transmitter tech than in real human communication?" Believe me.... You're wasting your breath. This forum is not about music or art. It's about buying stuff.

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Jim Bordner
Gravity Music - www.gravitymusic.com
Composer, producer, Egnater Artist

I'd have to qualify that a bit, EF.

I've met many fellow enthusiasts here and over time have developed some strong relationships with many them to the point of us chatting with one another via e-mail. And many of these friendships are based on other interests (in addition to the love of Fender gear). Thus, while I agree with your hypothesis in principle I'd also opine that you can't pigeon-hole every forum member into it.

JMO

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY