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Do good guitars and amps affect how you play?

L

lindacaramoy

Jun 10, 2014
5
0
37
Disclosures
love playing bass
#1
I have a Fender Starcaster(its ok...) with a fender sp-10 amp(OVERDRIVE IS HORRIBLE) and i seriously wanna upgrade to a better set(epihphone melody maker with a marshall) will the guitar and amp have an impact on your playing? When I play power chords on this starcaster, they sound BUZZY. on an epiphone, they literally come out clean. Invalid Link Removed
Thanks!
 
#2
An inexpensive bass can sound and play well if adjusted properly. Whether you have a cheap bass or an expensive bass always have it adjusted and put new strings on it. If you can't do this yourself, have a professional do it. A better amp will make a difference.
 
#4
A really crappy bass will affect me, but I'll still manage to do well with it because that's how I roll ;) Not as much the amp, but I do have more fun when my amp isn't crappy.
 
#6
Your Starcaster isn't really a power chord guitar and few guitars will sound good through such a small amp. The Epi/ Marshall combination will get you closer to the sound you want as the solid body of the Epi will sustain longer and have more bite. When it comes to an amp buy the best you can afford and look for used ones. 30 - 50 watt Marshall MG's are good for small gigs and rehearsal and are pretty cheap secondhand. A Peavey with a distortion pedal in front will get you there as well. Try to get an amp with a 12" speaker and at least 30watts so you don't have to buy another the first time your drummer shows off his cymbal skills. Good luck and let us know what you find.
 
#7
Within limits, you can play better with a better axe (or setup) because you are not fighting it. If your amp is not powerful enough for the place you are playing, your sound will suffer. If something nicer will help you practice/play more, and you can afford it, then go for it. But you can't buy talent.
 
#8
Sometimes you have to adjust the amp settings when you plug in different guitars. All of my guitars have totally different tone profiles and signal outputs (Fender Strat- thin sounding, Agile LP copy- thick sounding, 7-string with actives- huge sounding).

For me the tone/feel of the instrument+amp definitely influences my writing process. If the tone is right, I'll tend to explore further down that path. For example... plug me into a Rectifier and the metal will write itself. In the case of bass getting a Cirrus USA made a massive difference in my exploration of tapping. Those basses tap so sweetly...
 
#9
Moving to my Yamaha RBXJM2 dramatically increased my abilities as it was very well setup and had the perfect storm of features that, when all thrown in together, made a HUGE difference in my playing.
Amps - I'm not sure about that as much but I can say that a poor sounding amp can cause me problems because, like a number of things, it becomes a distraction and I spend more time thinking "What a POS this thing is!" than I do about what I'm playing and what's coming up next. Of course a great sounding amp can do the same thing ("Wow - this thing sounds INCREDIBLE!").

Overall, a really good bass ("good" meaning setup well, features, etc.) and a better (to you) the amp will make it more likely you will have a positive experience playing, which often translates to better playing.
 
#10
Having played an Ovation for years I was quickly taken by the Taylor a few years ago. A band mate just handed it to me and said 'play it.' Wow. It sounded similar but it played totally different. Glad I tried it out. Different axes can (and usually do) make a difference in how much fun playing can be.
 
#11
You can give me any piece of junk bass and excuse for a rig and I'll make it work. Electric guitar? That's completely different. I'm not a great guitar player by any means, but I'm not the worst either. Unless I have the right guitar and amp, I can't play worth a D$?#. I generally prefer middle of the road level gear because it's good enough to sound good, doesn't require flawless technique to sound good, and is usually more versatile.
 
#12
lindacaramoy said:
I have a Fender Starcaster(its ok...) with a fender sp-10 amp(OVERDRIVE IS HORRIBLE) and i seriously wanna upgrade to a better set(epihphone melody maker with a marshall) will the guitar and amp have an impact on your playing? When I play power chords on this starcaster, they sound BUZZY. on an epiphone, they literally come out clean. Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

I think that the pickup height, the type of pickups, and the instruments setup all play a roll in optimizing the style that you are playing. To some extend, the right pedal can help compensate if your pickups are weak. An acoustic guitar with a pickup isn't going to compare to a Stratocaster or Les Paul for shredding. But in the end, you need the right tool for the job. There are things that you will be able to play on an instrument with better action that you won't be able to play on a clunker. But cost of the instrument doesn't have to factor into it. I can play some things better on my short scale narrow neck Hofner that I can on my Precision.

A bad amp can help make you a better player by forcing you to play in the holes left by everybody else so you can be heard. But in the end, good equipment is going to allow you to get the most out of your playing.
 
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