Originally Posted by whvick (Post 6266537)

When it comes to guitars I have the imposter complex. I have fun as a bedroom balladeer, and playing and singing for my grandkids, but that is a soft audience. When I compare myself to the knowledge and skill of so many of the forum members I am humbled. I talk about guitars, but my skill set does not justify the ones I have.
So how about it? Are there other guitarist wannabes out there with imposter complex. Speak up. Confession is good for the soul.

Originally Posted by Christian Reno (Post 6266742)

No need to be hard on yourself. The only imposters are those who talk a better game than they can play. No matter how experienced, or accomplished, or how GOOD (the most common term ) any guitar player is, or thinks he/she is, I guarantee there is someone who will humble those players. It is always best to understate one’s abilities. Not living up to the talk is what makes an imposter in my mind.

No one has to earn the right to own a nice guitar, or 40 nice guitars for that matter.

Originally Posted by dwasifar (Post 6266883)

Impostor syndrome is kind of the flip side of Dunning-Kruger Effect.

People who really are skilled and self-aware also have the ability to notice and evaluate their own shortcomings, and tend to think that people who "should" be in those positions should not have shortcomings.

I have that problem generally. I've spent my career in a highly technical white collar profession, a position of considerable responsibility that requires specialized knowledge and ability, and I've made a good living at it. Yet, as I approach 60 years old, I'm still looking over my shoulder wondering when people are going to figure out what a faker I am and send me off to scrub toilets or something.

It took me forever to start playing out, even though I've been playing guitar since my teens, because I was convinced I wasn't good enough. When I finally started playing out, relatively late in life, I got a lot of unexpectedly positive feedback. That was helpful, but my grip on feeling competent to perform professionally is still very tenuous. A lot of the time I can't believe anyone would want to listen to me when there are so many people out there who are obviously more musical and more talented.

tl;dr version: You are not alone, OP.

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont (Post 6266754)

We're all imposters in the right company.

Originally Posted by musicman1951 (Post 6267038)

Buy as much guitar as your ears can appreciate and you budget will allow. The idea that a guitar will sound too beautiful for certain players is ludicrous.

Originally Posted by Brucebubs (Post 6267111)

I'm a below average player with some above average guitars.