Why You Should Always Buy Top-Quality Audio Gear
Jul 30th in General by Adrian Try
When buying music gear, it’s always worth investing in quality. If you buy a guitar that sounds bad no matter how you play, you’ll never learn to play well. You’re more likely to get discouraged and give up.
I started learning music when I was a student with a part time job. While I saved up for my first synth, I spent a lot of time visiting music shops and deciding which keyboard to buy. There is something very liberating about going into a shop when you can’t afford to buy anything. To begin with, I had no idea of the gap between home gear and pro gear, but I learned quickly.
Adrian is writer and editor for Audiotuts+ and the AudioJungle blog. He has been playing keys and acoustic guitar for three decades, and has six kids. Follow him on Twitter at @audiotuts.
The first time I went into a pro music store, a guy called Simon demonstrated Roland’s newest synth. He twiddled some knobs, and came up with the most amazing strings sound I had heard. The fact that it was plugged in to monstrous speakers that shook the room didn’t hurt either. Simon was a wise salesman. He gave me the business card of his mate Jed who sold Casio home keyboards down the road. Jed did his best to impress me, but there was no turning back. I’d learned the value of quality pro gear. When I saved the money, Simon made the sale.
I wasn’t so wise when I bought my first acoustic guitar a few years later. I splurged a whole AU$100 on the cheapest black guitar I could find, and afterwards struggled to enjoy it. It was always out of tune, and its terrible action hurt my virgin fingers. To be honest, I only bought it to muck around on, but I never really enjoyed playing it. When I got serious about guitar a few years later, I spent AU$2,000, and still love playing the guitar today, twenty years later.
I good rule of thumb is to spend as much on an instrument as you can afford, and consider it an investment. The extra money you spend will be repaid double in your enjoyment of playing the instrument, and the quality of sound you can get out of it.
Acoustic Guitars
I’ve become very fussy about acoustic guitars. There’s a lot of variation in the sound and feel of a guitar even within the same model, so it’s a good idea to play an acoustic guitar before you buy it. The day I bought my good guitar I spent close to an hour playing it and comparing it with the other quality guitars in the store. The guitar I bought was second hand, and I spent more money on it than some of the better quality new guitars in the shop. I have never regretted my decision.
Everyone has different taste, and a different idea of the sound they want to get from their guitar. My favorite brands are Ovation and Gibson, but I also love Maton, Taylor, Martin and Takamine. Other frequently recommend brands are Fender, Seagull, Tanglewood and Breedlove. It’s also fun to find a local luthier and try out some hand made guitars. They tend to be expensive, but have a unique sound and look you might be willing to pay extra for.
I am often not very impressed with the big brands’ cheaper offerings. If you’re after a middle-range guitar, also check out Yamaha, Acton, Ibanez, Washburn and Alveraz.
What’s your dream acoustic guitar - the one you own or the one you dream about? Let us know in the comments.
If you’re shopping for an acoustic guitar, here are some Audiotuts+ articles - and a couple from other sites - that may help:
Electric Guitars
I haven’t regularly played electric guitar for years now, so when I pick them up they feel a bit foreign. So I could do with some assistance. I’d appreciate if you electric guitar guys can help me out with suggestions in the comments.
I’ve always felt that I can find an electric guitar I’m happy with for less than half the price of a good acoustic guitar. I used to love Ibanez guitars, and also love Fender (Strats and Teles) and Gibson (SGs more than Les Pauls). Other commonly recommended brands include Jackson, Gretsch, Squire and Epiphone.
If you’re shopping for an electric guitar, here are some Audiotuts+ articles - and a few from other sites - that may help:
Keyboards
The two things you’re looking out for in a keyboard are a quality sound and good feel, though if you’re buying a master keyboard you only have to worry about the feel - you can find the sounds elsewhere. There are a huge variety of keyboards out there, so try to get an idea of what you’re looking for before you buy.
Are you after a piano, a synth, or a master keyboard to plug into your computer. Are you looking for weighted keys or unweighted, or something in between? And consider your playing style - are you after a giant 88-key keyboard, or just a couple of octaves? And do you need speakers built in (a keyboard to practice on), or will you be plugging into an amp or headphones? I’ve owned Roland, Yamaha, Korg and M-Audio keyboards, and have been pretty happy with them all.
If you’re shopping for a new keyboard, here are some AudioJungle articles that may help:
Speakers, Amps and Mics
You don’t want to spend a fortune on an instrument, but neglect what actually makes the sound - the speakers and amp. There are lots of options here, so be clear about whether you’re after an amp for your guitar, bass or keyboard, a PA for vocals or the whole band, or monitor speakers for a studio. And don’t forget the other end of the cable: the right microphone. Microphones can become very expensive, and there are different types of mics for different jobs in the studio and live.
Here as much as anywhere, serious quality costs serious money. Make sure you get good advice about the size of the speakers and power of the amp. Things to consider include whether its for practice or gigging, the size of the room you’ll be playing in, and the volume of the other instruments in the band. A common error, though, is buying a bigger amp than you actually need.
If you’re shopping for a new amp or microphone, here are some Audiotuts+ and AudioJungle articles that may help:
Recording Gear
A basic recording studio starts with a computer, some software, and an audio interface to plug your instruments into. Never use the sound card that came with your computer if you care about quality.
If you’re not into computers, you might want to start with a dedicated digital recording device.
If you’re setting up a home studio, here are some Audiotuts+ and AudioJungle articles that may help:
Look Out For a Bargain
We all love a bargain, and many of us have had the experience of walking into a second hand store somewhere, and seeing something amazing for next to nothing. When I was first married, we drove right across town to buy a good guitar at a ridiculous price even though we didn’t need it. We figured someone would appreciate the bargain, and sold it to a friend.
Another time I walked into a second hand store and saw a hand-made Canadian guitar for less than AU$500. It hadn’t been treated with respect by its previous owner, and was covered in scribble made by a black permanent marker. But it sounded amazing! I didn’t have the money for it at the time, but told lots of friends, including one who asked me for advice about buying a cheap guitar. I don’t think any bought it, and often wonder whether the person who bought it appreciated its quality.
I’m sure a lot of you have even better stories of a bargain you picked up for an unbelievable price. Don’t leave us in suspense - tell us the story! Any and all comments are welcome.
User Comments
( ADD YOURS )L1 July 31st
I’ve got a kids toy piano, it cost me £6. Not really top quality, but i’ve made some nice stuff with it.
( )pneuman July 31st
Glad to see mention of Linux as a recording platform! I’ve been using Linux to record my music for a while now, and it always surprises me just how capable it is. I tend to use seq24 or Qtractor for sequencing both hardware and software synths, Hydrogen for drum sounds and sequencing, and Ardour for recording everything, with a smattering of LADSPA effects.
The way that JACK lets you build all of these disparate applications in to an integrated virtual studio is fantastic, and the fact that all of this great software is free to download and use is a great boon for a hobbyist like myself.
( )kev on music July 31st
at the end of the day it’s not gear that gets music done but it’s YOU the creator. so kids toy piano or the latest nord – dont really matter imho
( )i know ppl who sold off their top notch stuff coz it didnt make them more musical or talented..
Donald Bellenger August 1st
I don’t know whether to disagree with the finer points of this article, or to disagree with the spirit it was written in entirely. I love my expensive guitars as much as the next guy, but lots of the cheap china-made squires and epis are surprisingly playable. It’s also liberating to have a guitar that you can really beat to hell, and not have to worry about lessening the blue book value of the instrument. Like “kev on music” said, it’s really about the player, not necessarily the instrument; I think the argument comes down to whether or not you want to be an aesthete or an artist. The two aren’t necessarily exclusive, but lots of players tend to exist somewhere between the two.
The above article reads like something in between a shopping guide, and reminiscing about old guitars the author used to own; and it’s not something that I found especially illuminating or valuable.
( )Colin Mansfield August 1st
Good article. I shall pass it on to last year’s Music Tech students (I teach a junior high school class — all the kids I taught last year moved on to high school, but some wanted to continue creating and recording music and they’ll be interested in this).
As a one-time guitarist, I think the worst thing one can do for a beginner is buy them a “student” model. Iffy intonation, “relaxed” tuning, questionable tone, impossibly high action and super heavy strings (to make it sound louder, which translates in sales speak as “better”) all add up to the poor student giving up in a month or two. It’s amazing to me that anybody that buys a starter guitar even sticks with it.
It’s not necessary to spend a lot of money, especially for a first instrument, but if you are just starting out (or are buying an instrument for someone else to learn on), do yourself a favour and bring along somebody who plays the instrument and can evaluate it. (A friend runs a studio. His then 14-year old son really, really wanted to play guitar, so my friend asked someone who has played guitar professionally for years to go along. The process took some time (they tried close to 100 guitars!), but they finally found a well-made but inexpensive Squire/Strat that felt and sounded great.)
I do have one bargain to relate. Back in ‘70, I went to Rose-Morris in London to buy an electric guitar. I tried quite a few, but none of them were what I was looking for, or they were just the thing, but too expensive. Finally, I noticed a beat up Strat hanging in a dark, dusty corner and asked to see it. The poor thing had no finish left (someone had tried to refinish it, but gave up half-way through), and some of the higher frets were bent up from the fretboard. Along with that, the electronics had been modified with three additional switches. It looked like hell, but the moment I picked it up it felt comfortable and familiar…
I bought that guitar for £100 and played it almost exclusively for the next 25 years. I later learned it was made in ‘59 and was one of the first rosewood necked Strats to be imported to the UK. In the end, I sold it to a friend for about half what it was worth (although that was a more than 900% mark up). (I also bought a Fender DeLuxe Reverb amp for £40 from a junk shop, another great deal!)
There were two reasons the Strat was cheap. Obviously, it was in rough shape, needing work. Along with that though, at that time everybody wanted Gibsons, no one wanted a Fender. (Think Led Zeppelin) I feel lucky to have found it, but part of that luck was in considering all possibilities and not necessarily bowing to fashion.
( )Document 02 August 1st
I like the spirit … but there is close to no information on the importance of good audio tools for electronic musicians: drum machines, samplers, synths (which usually don’t fall in the keyboard section) and even more important, audio interfaces when recording / sequencing / mixing hardware and softsynths.
( )Chris Arndt August 2nd
You can make real bargains and still get quality gears these days, especially when electronic devices like synths, effects etc. are involved. Electronics seems to follow more the price decay patterns of computer equipment than that of other instruments (which often do not loose much value over time at all). However, most gear from the 90s still functions perfectly and, to be honest, who really cares if a sampler or multi-effect works with 44 or 48 Khz or 16 or 24 bit. And though synths from 10-15 years ago may have tiny amounts of sample ROM compared to modern models, many still sound great and, if you take the time to explore them, make fine instruments. And you can get them for a fraction of the price of current models.
I would agree, though, that a guitar, even for a beginner should at least cost 300 bucks new or 200 used, everything above a thousand is a matter of personal taste IMHO, you need to know if you really need it. The problem is that most people’s purchase decisions are not driven by what they need, but what they think that one “must” have, i.e the opinions of others. If you are happy with a cheap instrument and make music with it that other people like, go for it!
( )Björgvin August 2nd
I agree with Document 02. There should be an article about the various interfaces and sound cards you can buy and the bargains you can make.
Adrian, how about a similar article only about the m-audio interfaces, the Lexicon Lambdas, the Motus and M-boxes of the industry?
( )Adrian Try August 6th
I like the direction the comments are taking. I’ll start to create a series of “buyers guides” topic by topic starting with audio interfaces. They’ll cover not only a list of potential products, but also things to look out for when choosing or buying. Thanks guys!
( )tshirt-printer August 8th
Dont under spend on speakers ,I have found that over time the connections
( )will vibrate loose
Dietrich August 20th
Good article, thanks for writing it.
That is certainly one school of thought that never disappoints–buy good gear. I certainly agree on the acoustic guitar you bought, but you can get a passable guitar for music less than 2G, just make sure to spend $100 to get a good local tech to set it up for you.
The other school of thought can be expressed this way:
Every song recorded before 1965 used equipment that is bested by even the bargain bin equipment of today. If the song is good and the musicianship is there, that’s your real silver bullet.
Still, I’ll take my $2000 Warmoth ‘Strat / Kiinman pups.
( )Adrian Try August 20th
Thanks for your comment Dietrich. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I think that I agree with both schools of thought.
The songwriter, the song, and the sound sources should all be as good as possible – in that order.
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