Does Our Equipment Really Matter?

Alright okay so I'm pretty sure most of us on this blog are musicians. However, if you are just a music lover or a potential musician, you're still welcome on this blog. 

We have heard a few people say that their instrument is what really makes the difference in the sound, but is it really true?

There are some people that believe that what we use, that is, our equipment, doesn't really matter. It's how you play what you play that matters.

Today I will break the deadlock once and for all, and make it clear whether our instrument really matters.

Let's get right into it.

1)Have you ever heard Gary Moore play? (he's a guitarist by the way)...if not, then click here to hear him play. When you're watching the video, notice how his guitar sounds. He used a Gibson Les Paul guitar. They are supposed to be really good, they give a really deep and heavy sound compared to other electric guitars. Also notice how he holds the stretch at 3:15 in the song. Yeah, Gibson guitars are also known for their stretches. They really have good sustain compared to other guitars.

2)Now, let's look at things a little differently. 

What is a guitar? 

It is an instrument. 

How does it work? 

It has six strings and a fretboard. 

Are all guitars uniformly tuned?

 Absolutely.

Then, how does it matter which guitar you use? You use any brand of guitar, any model, any types of strings (ignoring the quality), it will sound the same. That's because the strings are more or less the same, and the tuning is exactly the same. What you can play on an electric, you can play on an acoustic. What you can play on a Gibson acoustic, you can play on any other acoustic. Similarly, what you can play on acoustic, you can play the same thing on any electric guitar, only difference being the sound of an electric and an acoustic. 

When applying this logic, we can conclude that a good guitarist can make any guitar sound good, irrespective of whether it's a Gibson or an ESP.

3)If this was the case, was it really worth mentioning the earlier paragraph about Gary Moore and the Gibson he uses?

Yes it was.

Taking the two points discussed previously, the brand and qualities of an instrument could only matter to an advanced musician. Even then, it will only matter for certain technical focuses (e.g. Gary Moore wanted more sustain for 3:15, and wanted a heavy and deep sounding guitar for this performance)...other than that, you give any professional guitarist the cheapest guitar you can find, they should be able to make it sound beautiful. 

With this, we can conclude that unless you have certain requirements for the type of music you're playing, or you're a professional who needs to go for promoting a certain brand, the make of the guitar shouldn't really matter to you. I personally perform on an electric, but mostly practice everything on an acoustic. 

If this isn't clear to you, make sure you don't let yourself remain confused. Email me at parthbhavnani@outlook.com for any questions regarding this topic. 

Thank you for taking out your time to read this, I hope it helped you understand my point, and have a nice day!