Is it Guitar or the Player

[GangstaPat]

Was working in Nashville last weekend and you what that means; Gruhn!!!
I finally got my chance to play a Froggy Bottom. Real nice guitar. While sitting there strumming it I wondered; "How much better is my best guitar than my worst?"

Can Will Ackerman or Alex di Grassi make my Guild sound as good as this Froggy? We all know it's the player and not the guitar, but what percent would you say?

[Wardo]

The percent varies.

[HHP]

All you can do as a player is play the best you can. Your best will sound better on some guitars than it does on others, not necessarily related to their cost but to how their qualities support the way you play. So no, buying an XXX brand guitar does not guarantee better sound. Recognizing qualities in guitars that enhance your playing close to guarantees a better sound.

[Larry Pattis]

It's 53.562% one way or the other. Guaranteed.



The fable goes that Chet Atkins was playing, and a fan said, "man, that guitar sounds really good." Chet put the guitar down and supposedly said, "how does it sound now"?

The alternate/Doug Young story is that Chet's fan said, "man, you have really great tone in your hands/fingers"...and Chet waved his hands/fingers around in the air and said, "how do they sound now?"

I actually like the second story, because the first one feels so tired to me...

It's always the player's job to make whatever guitar they have in their hands sound as good as possible. Every great player that *I* know also want the best-possible-instrument in their hands, so that they themselves are inspired to reach for even more.

Playing guitar is a feedback loop between the instrument, your hands, your ears, and your brain. My goal is always to maximize each and every part of the equation.

[Glennwillow]

I think it's more the guitar player than the guitar, but a good guitar player wants to be the best that he/she can be, so a good guitar helps, too. Neither the guitar or the player can do much without each other, of course. I voted for 70/30 --> player/guitar. A 20-30% improvement because of a better guitar is nothing to sneeze at.

- Glenn

[GangstaPat]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

It's 53.562% one way or the other. Guaranteed.

The fable goes that Chet Atkins was playing, and a fan said, "man, that guitar sounds really good." Chet put the guitar down and supposedly said, "how does it sound now"?

The alternate/Doug Young story is that Chet's fan said, "man, you have really great tone in your hands/fingers"...and Chet waved his hands/fingers around in the air and said, "how do they sound now?"

I actually like the second story, because the first one feels so tired to me...

It's always the player's job to make whatever guitar they have in their hands sound as good as possible. Every great players that *I* know also want the best-possible-instrument in their hands, so that they themselves are inspired to reach for even more.

Playing guitar is a feedback loop between the instrument, your hands, your ears, and your brain. My goal is always to maximize each and every part of the equation.

Well said.

[riffmeister]

I think it's the shoes.

[Larry Pattis]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

I think it's the shoes.

Nah, it's always been the hat.

[Bingoccc]

Pluck a note, strum one chord, guitar 90%.... Play music, player 90%.

[ronedee]

My band played a huge benefit event for a fellow musician a few years ago... I sat and watched a guy with a plastic uke blow every act there away that night!

...according to audience response...if that's your barometer?

I turned to my bandmates who played their hearts out that evening... and said: "there you have it my friends.... here is the formula for success!"

"ENTERTAINMENT"!

The tough part would be a guy following "the uke" w/ a D45... who then gets empty seats.... or worse! A yawn.

[sjm1]

It always struck me as cruel that children learning to play say, the violin, had to start on the awful mass produced plywood instruments which were also so small they couldn't but sound awful. Definitely player. But a great player with a great guitar can work serious magic...

[JP McD]

If you've ever handed your own guitar to a great player, you'll know that all the arguments about bridge pins, coated strings, etc. are just matters of opinion.

Bill Kirchen once played a couple of guitars of mine. That was quite an upgrade for those guitars, and a real eye-opener for me.

That said, when I got my D-18 all sorts of things opened up that I didn't know I knew how to do. So I'm going 70/30, maybe 80/20.

[Roselynne]

Mostly the player, but the percentage varies.

A good player can make anything sound good ... but a suitable guitar will always make players sound better. For most, that means a better guitar -- but -- if a player's style depends on a cheap, boxy or twangy sound, then a cheap/boxy/twangy guitar will make them sound better.

Either way, the guitar has its role to play.

Beginners may sound horrific no matter what they play, be it a cereal box strung with rubber bands or a Martin D-45, or a Goodall/Huss & Dalton/Froggy Bottom. (I'm still sorta-kinda in this category.)

A good guitar, however, will reward the beginner's ear and help to train said ear at the same time.

The guitar still has its role to play.

[posternutbag]

As someone says, the percent varies. To add my own take, the percent varies based on the player and the instrument, but in my experience, 90% player, 10% instrument serves as a workable estimate for the median breakdown.

To put a finer point on it (and to further personalize my answer), put any guitar in my hands, and it sounds like me. There is very little difference in tone whether I am playing a Martin or my Goodall (or any other nice guitar); however, put a different mandolin in my hands and the change is instantaneous; a Kentucky, an Eastman, a Collings and a Gibson F5 all have subtly different tonal properties and timbre when I play them. Now I think there is more variation in general in mandolins than in guitars, but I am also able to draw out more of that variation.

[Brucebubs]

When I play ... it's the guitar.
When Tommy Emmanuel plays ... it's the player.