Is playing a better guitar easier?

[Junior]

OK

This is the deal

I have a 5QU|3R Affinity Stratocaster. The lowest, entriest model available
I'm aiming at SUB1 now. Is playing a SUB1 easier than playing an Aff. strat? 'Cause the Strat has lots of little things that make playing really annoying, hard et c. Egg. - when I bend the 2nd string on the 14th fret, there is no sound... it just dissapears... And that makes my practicing hard - 'cause I don't hear the tone I played, so I can't hear the improvement... Since the SUB1 is a 4x more expensive guitar - so I kinda think that it's at least 3x better. And since quality guitars don't have those little $hitty things that annoy you, I'm kinda thinking it would be easier to play them... And they have better fretboards and necks etc.

What do you think?

 

[SteveB]

Sounds like your Sq@ire needs a set-up.

The SUB1 will play better than any squire.. when properly set up.

The SUB1 will feel a LOT different than a strat copy.

The SUB1 is infinitely better than the Sq@ire in every respect.

Will it make playing easier? I can't say. More enjoyable? Very likely.

 

[Colin]

when I bend the 2nd string on the 14th fret, there is no sound... it just dissapears... And that makes my practicing hard - 'cause I don't hear the tone I played, so I can't hear the improvement... Since the SUB1 is a 4x more expensive guitar - so I kinda think that it's at least 3x better. And since quality guitars don't have those little $hitty things that annoy you, I'm kinda thinking it would be easier to play them... And they have better fretboards and necks etc.

What do you think?

Sounds like your guitar is not setup properly, the bending problem sounds like it is choking. Most guitars setup properly should be ok to learn on. As you mature as a player you'll understand your needs in gear a lot more. Of course EBMM is perfect for me, I think it would be a wise investement.

Colin

 

[Junior]

Yeah that's what I was going to say - if I get a SUB1, I'll sure have much more will to play!

BTW All the setuping of the world wouldn't help my strat The action still isn't low enough for me, and all the screws are very low quality etc. It's just not worth any investment... as oposed to a $quier STANDARD strat... if you put a better bridge and some better pickups it'll sound 50x better than the affinity...

BTW in the US the aff. strat would probably be about 100$ - 150$... that explains it all...

 

[hbucker]

Assuming both guitars are set up as well as possible, I would say the "better" guitar will feel better to you right off the bat.

Another thing a good guitar and amp setup will do is make you want to play more. The sound will be very pleasing and will make it harder for you to put the guitar down. This in turn will make you a better player.

Different guitars are better for different styles and sensabilities. But to answer your original question: Comparing a Squire to a better EBMM guitar, the EBMM guitar will be easier to play.

There are many variables though. Don't take our word for it. Do some hands on research of your own and you'll come to the right conclusion.

good luck.

 

[Colin]

It's probably not worth the money required to get that guitar setup professionally. The MM will play better because of the neck. That's one of the best parts of these guitars, those sweet necks.

Colin

 

[blackspy]

Really, in my mind, when you get to the point where a playing a "better" guitar will be beneficial, playing the "lesser" one won't be that much of an issue either. Whatever guitar you have, Squire or SUB, if they're not setup correctly, as newbie guitars tend not be (no offence), either one can play badly.

 

[Junior]

None taken.

The thing is that I have the guitar for 3 years, and didn't take care of it, so all the little gadgets, srews, and stuff like that rusted badly etc., so the guitar can't really be setup properly... not to mention the bridge and pickups... I always thought like this, which is really bad of me, and I'm ashamed - "So it's a piece of $h|t anyway, why take care of it?!" ... I'm an idiot, I know! I'm sorry...

 

[blackspy]

Hehe.. been there.

If you're set to buy something new to replace an old beatup Squire, the SUB is, by all accounts, a really nice guitar. Definitely play it before you buy though. I'd wager its pretty different from the Squire. You may or may not like it, depends on your tastes.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I find that if you have a nice guitar, you rise to the challenge, and play better as a result. When I went from an entry level Aria guitar to my first really good guitar (an Aria PE1200) my playing improved leaps and bounds.

 

[blackspy]

I find that if you have a nice guitar, you rise to the challenge, and play better as a result. When I went from an entry level Aria guitar to my first really good guitar (an Aria PE1200) my playing improved leaps and bounds.

LOL! Maybe some people 'rise to the challenge'. I've seen the opposite usually. Some kid will show up at a jam, with $$$$$ worth of really nice gear, and then proceed to make sounds like a wounded cat the whole time. All I can ever think is 'what a waste of nice gear, why can't I have it.'

 

[Spudmurphy]

does expensive gear = good gear?
I played a £40 junk shop guitar, tuned it to open E , knocked the tone right back, gave it a little bit of gain and for playing slide it was awesome.
The guy who owns it offered it to me - I went arouind and played it and he changed his mind !!

 

[kneeoh]

A upper-line guitar will be easier to play provided it is set-up properly. From what I've seen and played, EBMM's come very well set-up from the get-go. My JP was perfect for me from the moment I picked it up. I don't necessarily think expensive gear=good gear... I played a '57 Strat that wouldn't stay in tune for anything.

I think the SUB 1 would be a great choice... much better quality than the Squire, IMO. Give it a spin.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

LOL! Maybe some people 'rise to the challenge'. I've seen the opposite usually. Some kid will show up at a jam, with $$$$$ worth of really nice gear, and then proceed to make sounds like a wounded cat the whole time. All I can ever think is 'what a waste of nice gear, why can't I have it.'

Thats assuming that you can half play in the first place!

 

[Junior]

OK thank you very much people! I really appreciate not flaming me and giving serious and good advice.

The thing is the SUB1 is quite expensive for my possibilities, so I will kinda look if there's any used ones in western Europe, which I seriously doubt . My uncle works in Germany, Holland, France and those countries a lot so I could basically get it through him. If not, I think I'll be doomed to get some L€$ P4UL knock-off untill I get the money or the EBMM

New thread regarding the last sentence.

 

[fogman]

Junior,

Don't be down! I guarantee the wait will be worthwhile. We won't say how long I've been waiting. But I am determined to get one!

 

[musicman10_1]

My simple answer to your initial question is: yes. There is no doubt in my mind that better equipment makes playing guitar easier. That said, there really isn't anything easy about playing guitar - hands and fingers can sometimes have a mind of their own and there is no substitute for hard work and practice. Having good gear can make the effort of sustained practice more enjoyable and you might have more success more quickly as a result. I always tell my students that every hour they play they are an hour better than before - I just don't always tell them how many hours it takes to be good!

 

[brentrocks]

i think that is true

 

[ripley]

by playing a quality instrument you really do bypass a lot of obsticles to propperly learning to play it. I mean, setups aside, how do you learn to play a guitar with a neck that's literally made of a baseball bat that warps whenever sunlight touches it and has action literally 2 inches off the fingerboard?

the innitial financial overhead is a little higher, but even if you decide to give up playing, you've at least go something that may be worth a little money to SOMEONE, so you get a slight return on your investment.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

+1