I stand by my previous answer.

Is a $3,000 instrument better than a $300 instrument?

In almost all cases the answer is a resounding, "of course, duh."

Is it actually so much better for the average player that it justifies paying 10 times as much?

I'd argue that in a vast majority of cases the answer is "not bloody likely".

Now, the difference between, say, a good used $300 instrument and a good used $600 instrument may be more profound and justifiable.

 

Like almost everything in musical instruments there is a point of diminishing returns. There can be an enormous difference between a inexpensive entry level instrument and a high quality one. When you change the subject to a $3,000 guitar and a $10,000 guitar you will see the prices rising much faster than any improvement in quality.

But there is also only so much you can do with entry-level gear, especially when it is being recorded. There are some videos online of Danny Carey randomly showing up places and playing some drums. One I remember, he was playing at a high school's sports game and using some kid's little drum kit. It's obvious he can play, but it sounds like anyone would guess. Having a low cost entry-level instrument doesn't mean you can or can't play better than someone else. But it is pretty clear no-one is willing to pay you to do it. It's better to blame your inexpensive instrument, otherwise you have to admit to yourself that you aren't anywhere near as good a player as you think.

 

Last edited: Nov 29, 2023

depends which guitar, and who sold it my son

 

as a user of several timeless classic guitars, its silly not to say 50 years of aging on a wooden instrument doesnt make a tonal or sustain difference
the era of hand-wound pickups is another facet...great or bad
that said, its not going to compose/perform/write the music itself
if you have been playing for a number of decades, you very well may appreciete the 3k more than the 300
all i would say is if youre starting out, make sure youre first instrument has/can be made to have good intonation, and at least moderate playablity
cheers!

p.s. i remend the DR Pure Blues strings at the appropriate size for any guitar

 

Last edited: Nov 29, 2023

Juniors offer a unique thing that should be appreciated whatever was paid...simply one of the best

 

Nice Axe...

 

I'd say it also depends on the brand.

John Petrucci's ernie ball signature costs 3.5k, and it has the features and the quality to back that price up. These are features that would cost you more or less the same if you tried to do it on a 300$ guitar.

The quality/material of the bridge, whether its recessed in the body or not (2 point bridge), locking tuners and their quality, the pickups and the possible configurations with them (splitting, dB boost etc). JP custom even has a piezo pickup in the bridge that gives a lot of options to mix and match with the humbuckers and split tones. Even 2 jacks for mono and stereo outs, and controls for the piezo pickup eq behind the guitar, all in a sleek looking pretty guitar. Couldn't get it made custom myself, without shelling out more probably.
Even the pots for tone and volume control have more sensitivity than cheaper guitars, which raises the price.
Another example would be tim hensons ibanez custom which is about 1.5k but the build, the look and the pickups on that thing are a whole another story (watch the fishman fluence video for an idea).
Not to mention the name of the artists also has a price attached with it, though I dont think its the case in the above 2 examples.

So yeah, depends on the brand if they justify that price with the quality and features, and a novice wouldnt even know if there are features possible beyond a regular strat or if they are useful at all.

 

Last edited: Nov 29, 2023

So it goes to eleven then?

 

idk what that means but it'd better go to 11 if i'm paying 3k

 

expensive guitars are easier to play imo, less harsh and you have to retune them less while or after playing. That's my experience anyway. But old blues guys made banger songs on a shitty beaten up acoustic guitar, so in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter

 

Nigel Tufnel explains it all, as only he can..

 

Acoustic/Classical guitars are an entirely different ballgame than electrics. Good wood is expensive and some of the best tone woods (Lebanese cedar, Brazilian rosewood, Honduran mahogany etc.) That have been integral to the tone of these instruments, are getting rarer, a expensive, and due to laws controlling the harvesting of them ( a good thing for our planet, sucks for us players. Lol) some are now pretty much impossible or illegal to use in building. I know some will say things like carbon fibre are alternatives and that is fine, but it saddens me to think in a few generations none but the elite will ever get the chance to own real wooden instruments like these. Progress I guess. Oh, BTW I swear by Elixer Octoweb now. Was a pure nickel snob for years, but opto's and my buddy converted me a few years ago.
Peace!

 

the world changes, ships were built of wood once. We use the materials we have. Guitars are no different, people have been experimenting with new materials for a century. There are some university studies on the "musical" properties of different materials, like carbon fiber and fiber glass etc. One of the best nuts for guitars is made by graphtech. They have a synthetic with embedded graphite which keeps the nut from binding and causing your guitar to go out of tune.

Charlie Kaman was an engineer who was a good enough jazz guitar player he got offered a job in a pro jazz band, but he stayed with engineering. He developed the Ovation guitar line. Love it or hate it. He brought engineering to guitars. He used actual acoustic measurement tools to develop the bowl shaped back of the Ovation guitars as well as other aspects such as the clusterd soundholes on the treble and/or bass bouts as well as the piezo pickups so widespread today.

Others will pickup this torch as Charlie has left this world, don't shed a tear for those who will never know a wooden guitar, as they are no different than Mozart who never got to play a Moog, we are products of our tools, and our tools are a product of us.