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Most guitarists, whether left handed or right handed, have never played a truly "good" guitar. That is because most people do not often spend five, six, or seven thousand dollars on a guitar.
The vast majority of serious guitarists buy guitars in the $1000-$2000 range. To some a $2000 guitar is considered to be an "expensive guitar" and is expected to be a "good" guitar for that price. That expectancy can sometimes turn into a big disappointment, even when it is a Gibson or a Fender that they have bought.
When a guitarist plays a truly "good" guitar for the first time, it often comes as a surprise to them how very different playing a "good" guitar is over what they have become accustomed to. It can even be disorientating. Why?
Most guitars bought from a store do not have a high standard of playability even with a store setup.
Many guitarists go through the years playing these badly set up (or not set up!) store-bought guitars never knowing that there is better, and how better that can be. Instead, playing the guitar hard, with brute force and attack becomes "the way you play a guitar." This false premise leads to developing "bad habits" to overcome the guitar's un-playability. And the person has no first-hand knowledge that it could be any other way. Unfortunately, this is the situation for the majority of non professional guitarists.
Here is an analogy: If a person has ridden a Shetland pony all their life and never a stallion, not only do they not know what it is like to ride a stallion, but they cannot even envision what it is like to ride a stallion or know what it is capable of, until they actually get on a stallion and ride one. When they do ride one for the first few times they always discover that they have to learn or "unlearn" certain skills in order to ride it well. Often this can be a puzzling or confusing experience at first and maybe they will criticize the stallion or themselves for a while.
It is not a matter of whether you are a left-handed guitarist or right-handed guitarist. Right handed and left handed guitarists both get instruments from shops that are terrible to play at worst, and mediocre at best. The person doesn't even know how bad they are because the person does not know better. We can't hold that against them, though can we?
Professional guitarists, especially lead guitarists ("shredders"), for example, do not give their guitars hell and play their guitars hard - they might make it look like it (showmanship) but actually they are playing gracefully, accurately and making it look effortless BECAUSE THE FINGERBOARD, FRETS, ACTION AND SET UP ON THEIR GUITAR ARE PERFECT. They do not need to fight with or beat up the guitar in order rip up the fretboard.
Accuracy and speed comes easiest when you don't have to try so hard!
The colour of the guitar, how pretty the grain of the wood is, scratches, dents, or marks on the guitar are all IRRELEVANT when it comes to the playability of a guitar. You buy a guitar to play it, don't you? Not to hang on your wall and look at it in awe, right?
Assuming a guitar has been properly built, the difference between a "good" guitar and a "bad" guitar is all in the SET UP.
What is the solution? The Gaskell Professional Platinum Setup Service is an optional service which can be done on any guitar resulting in perfect playability of that guitar. This is the degree of playability a professional guitarist would expect and what you would expect to find on guitars worth $3000 or more. (Even then, some +$3000 guitars out there aren't well set up. Ask any professional guitar technician.)
To the majority of non professional guitarists this will be a whole new experience, and will require some change of habits and the refinement of skills, such as playing lighter, in order to get used to a guitar with perfect playability and lower action. This is how ALL the professionals do it. This is why a guitarist impresses you by making something difficult look "easy."
Having a "good" guitar is essential to being a "good" guitarist.
A "bad" guitar is an effort to play. It is "hard work", energy-consuming, and limits the ability of the guitarist. Any guitarist will never play as good on a "bad" guitar. Playing a good guitar is essential to becoming an incredible guitarist.
Ask about the Gaskell Platinum Setup Service today!
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