Really enjoy your perspective on these guitar related issues. It’s so true that to those who are not guitar players it matters not if you have an Epiphone or a Gibson. They want to hear songs and if they sound anything like the original they think you can play. There is a saying that women “don’t dress for men” they dress to Impress other women. The same can be said for guitar players we are playing gear to impress other guitar players not the audience. When I was young I was relatively poor and lived near a golf course so I would do work so I could play for free. I got fairly good for a 12 year old and when friends played with me and lost they would convince their parents to buy them expensive clubs so they could beat me. The better clubs did not make them better I was good because I spent hours every day practicing and I had crap clubs. Point being those who put the time in get better and spending money does not give anyone an edge if they do not put the time in. It’s a bit like thinking the worlds most expensive running shoes would make you the worlds fastest runner. Meanwhile people with bare feet are running past you. Practice more and obsess about gear less. Peace
"Appeasing people you shouldn't be"...well said my friend! Many moons ago I quit playing guitar because a few trolls shamed my lack of expertise. You've helped encourage me to try again; just for me, for God, and the sheer joy of it.
You are 100% right on the people that buy high price guitars making it possible for the companies to make their cheaper models, like loads of people hate on people saying why would you buy a Gibson it’s not better than an epiphone, I just bought a dream guitar my first Gibson and if we didn’t buy these Gibson wouldn’t be able to keep up with affording to make these epiphones
The biggest lie i tell to myself is "i just need this Gibson Explorer and i wont need any new Guitars for the next decade" while i already bought a new LP and a new 70s flying V Gibsons in the past 6 months and said the same before buying each guitar
1) My son can truly play....me, I fake it, yet my family can't tell the difference. 2) Gonna retire this year, gonna add to my 20+ mid/high-end collection and play all day long for my own personal enjoyment. 3) I play Squier and HB...and Custom Shop...and all price points in between....love all my girls! 4) Buy USED, sell for less loss, if any. 5) Guilty as charged. Thought buying my first Custom Shop last month would cure my GAS....not quite...picked up a HB last week to tinker/experiment. You are one wise man...keep up the good work. Cheers from USA-WV. Say 'Hi' to Jon Koh from "Jon is just TOO LouD". LOL.
Your third point is why I have always favored the mid grade of guitars. Where you can find the higher end components and innovations, without the ornate aspects. Such as tops, finishes and such.
Very new to this channel but I have to say I love your vids man! As somebody who’s trying to turn guitar playing into a career I’ve found your videos super interesting and informative. You have a great way of explaining things, keep it up!
“If you can create something...the desire to consume is kept in check”..well this is wisdom about the human heart and it also explains why T-Rex, the dinosaur not the pop star, has small hands and a big mouth! He’s got no hope of turning that around but humans have so be grateful for your artistic side. I agree with this video 👍
Great perspective as always. I find myself looking forward to your videos. I personally would rather invest in a collection of guitars like yours or maybe something else you enjoy rather than look at numbers in my bank account.
you are just one naturally charming and likeable human being, it also helps that you're down to earth open minded and honest, oh alright i'll subscribe.
I really like your channel. You are vocalizing things that I have told to myself before, and yet I had not heard anyone else mention these truths. Well done!
@@ministryofguitar yeah as an intermediate guitarist with three electric guitars and one bass your channel contextualizes gear ownership in a great way and you have good takes on the music industry. cheers from indiana USA
I think for me, the best truth I ever found out was that being a great guitarist absolutely does not equate to being a good musician, and while the skills do overlap, they are different. In my music class at college, there were 7 guitarists, but I think only 3 were incredible musicians, whereas 3 of the other 4 were 'skilled' guitarists. I always struggled during those years as my skill level was lower than many others, however, I believe I found my own place within each performance. I was proved right during one performance where a capo error led the whole band to be out of key on the first beat, the bassist, myself and the keyboard player noticed and adjusted mid-intro, whereas our most skilled guitarist continued to solo in the wrong key the whole song, never once noticing the key difference, in that moment I felt content with my own abilities haha.
Well said, my friend. I tend to operate on constructionist, pragmatic lines. I'd been a bedroom guitarist for 17 years before I found myself on a stage. Odd experience. I was warming up when I asked where the stage was. "You're sitting on it, and please don't stop," I was told. I'll admit I was a gearhead at that stage, but I was too poor to indulge overmuch in the spending I allow these days. What lit the fuse was my first paying gig. In a nutshell, it was a disaster. There was no PA, and we had nothing to do but play louder. Moving on to when I had a band, my bassist and I were growing ever more frustrated with hauling heavy equipment around. Often as not up and down stairs. So the current quest is for better sound per pound of equipment. And then we lost the lead singer. The drummer ghosted us. And we were forced to construct a new set list from scratch. The dream guitar has taken a backseat to anything that won't break during the performance. The Gretsch has gone from a Duo-Jet to a Baritone because that's the sonic space that's empty.
That last point #5 was an eye opener. For those of us who's time & energy is consumed with work we don't particularly enjoy but earns us a good living, we make up for that lack of freedom to do what we love through things we buy as part of our hobbies or interests (eye my long wish list of guitars). Very insightful video, thank you.
Aww i really appreciate your message on this subject ... i bought too much gear over the last few years ...i live for music ... i'm divorced n i have a 29 hours a week job so i can play every day my basses n guitars ... i'm in 2 bands and i'm getting back into paid gigs after the pandemic messed everything up... playing is a way of like n be myself n express my artistic urges keeps me sane . Now i believe being fortunate to have a passion is what makes me happy ... it's nice to be surrounded by instruments so u can always be inspired and channel stuff .. the making it in the world is a lot of non sense ... the key is having a great existence n live to the full because life is so impermanent .... u are clearly passionate and finally have the time to channel all your creative ideas .... before when u were in the corporate field u didn't have the mental space to make this great video n open your feelings about gas or getting a guitar on finance ( which i did several times ahaha) etc etc.... i try to play all the instruments i own ... i probably have 5 basses n 10 guitars plus amps /pedals n stuff ... keep on making content because by being yourself u make valid points on thought provoking issues all gassed musicians have... when i wasn't ok fairly miserable in a unhappy marriage i didn't have that many instruments ... but i had low self esteem n thought my art was crap ... so my point is if u do work on yourself you'll understand things more ... PS I'm glad u've found your n1 finally .... ahahah ☮️🕉️☮️
I'm often encouraged when i hear entrepreneurs from other parts of the world, I also left a career in marketing and design to create my own studio during covid and now going on 4 years the process has been soul affirming in many ways. It can be utterly vexing how shortsighted people can be about the concept of "value". Personally, my favorite guitar is one i built for myself, I enjoyed the process of selecting the materials and painting it, and learning and acquiring many useful tools and skills in the process, in many ways the process of building the guitar added a significant amount of _value_ for me, even though it might not equate to appreciating value.
Truth 3: my TV is a basic Samsung 65” that cost 650€ on sale, it’s great! It’s the Classic Vibe of TVs - it’s got the trickle down tech that cost many times more a few years earlier. Cheers for a thought provoking video.
I agree about the fleeting moment where musicians had real cultural and financial capital being a passing phase. I am happy I lived and played during that time. It made an aspiration possible, but it was never the core motivation for me playing the guitar. For me it started when I saw that Cream interview with Clapton which documents the moment the electric guitar changes from a “loud jangling noise” to an instrument capable of great “subtlety and expression”. That transformative bit is what fired me as an artist. There was still the additional pipe dream of being a star like Clapton! Ironically I became a painter around the same time but the history of modern art had already established the idea of the craftsman star was dead and I never had any expectation of that being an outcome of making paintings. Everyone from Duchamp to Warhol had figured out the act itself was not valued, simply the subsequent consumption of the product and how that could be sold was the place to make money and fame. It’s become like that now with the music industry after that fleeting moment where having an axe was like having a sword.
I agree with nearly all your points apart from financing a guitar. I have had the money to purchase guitars outright in the past but chose to get them on interest free credit. My reason being that it that it doesn't cost me any more money, it spreads the cost and also increases my credit score. My credit rating was excellent when I came to get a mortgage so I believe my past purchases using interest free finance helped. I will agree with you though, if you end up paying interest on the guitar, It's not worth it.
I agree with you. I've never bought a guitar on credit because I've been fortunate enough to have the money available to buy it outright. However if I could buy one on interest free credit and wasn't making a commitment to installments that would make me suffer financially then I'd figure why not.
Excellent video, thank you very much! While the truth hurts, the truth is also liberating. I think you are completely right and you have some very good and important points. Thanks again and all the best!!
Spot on, for all points. Especially "nobody owes you a living". OMG... that's such a crazy thing to see as someone who has been a musician for a long time. If you won't play unless someone pays you, or feel someone "needs" to pay you when you do, then you are reaaaaaaaly picking up the guitar for all the wrong reasons, and you should get into a career field that actually pays.
Awesome points! It should always be the needs of your creative aspects of your guitar playing that drives purchases or guitar transactions. Another great video!
Loving and hoping more of this type content- honest choice of words, hard facts & great analogy where one could hardly dispute. Whereas your other videos are mostly subjective and inclined to your own investment/financials decisions.
An argument for buying a guitar on instalments: sometimes the guitar you want/ need , has a certain sound you want, due to the guitars specififications, which you cannot find at bargain prices. Ie; brass components, wood material like Ebony, or features like scalloping. The other argument for buying guitars, is you support your local store, without support you now have nowhere to buy need items like picks and strings. ( many local guitar stores have gone belly-up since sales did not exceed overhead)
I grew up with a guy who played guitar with me. He was always overly competitive and went for flash not musical sound. He quit playing in his 30’s because in his words “he realized he was not going to be the world’s best player.” Sad…Play for your own spirit, soul and well being.
That seems like great advice on being creative by using what you bought instead of obsessing over acquiring the newest great instrument or device. I will endeavor to put this wisdom into practice as soon as possible: the longest journeys all begin with the first step, so making the first step is to actually pick up my guitars and play them! Stopping the shopping helps to pass the G.A.S.
Being ironic is a bit of an understatement in your case maybe.., but I think it's in reason to finance a top quality guitar with 0% interested to 24 or 48 why not?.. its easily more manageable than paying up front..while most of my 14 guitars are paid for there are a few I did happily finance @ 0 % for 24 mon... and would recommend it .. if you're on a budget..we cant all be in your situation. but to say never finance a guitar is pushing a different kind of agenda...while there is some truth to what you're saying its definitely not an absolute truth
I think what I ought to clarify is, not finance a guitar if one can't afford it. If one is getting a low/zero interest rate, and choosing to allocate funds to an investment instead, that is a different story. That's why I do with my car because car loan interest rates in Singapore are very low (2.5%)
As far as financing goes, outside of a house, there is nothing you “need” enough to go into debt. You need a car to get to work and stuff, but if you’re smart with your money and researching vehicles you can still find used basic cars that will get you from a to b. Be smart with your finances guys and never go into debt or financing outside of a house! As far as guitars and money go, to get a perfectly good guitar that will function properly and sound like it should, they are so cheap these days it’s amazing. I took my wife out recently for our 10th wedding anniversary to a nice meal. We went to a nice steakhouse. By the time I paid to valet the car, buy a nice bottle of wine, order two nice steaks and tip the waiter… I could have bought a used MIM Strat in nice condition that if I had to could last the rest of my life and sound/play fine. Us guitarists have nothing to complain about in the modern era.
Interesting points and good video! In regards to financing: I got a Gibson Custom Shop on a heavy discount from a website and I got it by financing it in monthly installments. It was reduced in price by over a thousand euro, so in that particular case I got it for a lot better price. Thoughts?
WOW UTKARSH YOU ARE SO UNHINGED IN THIS VIDEO PLEASE CALM DOWN! Jokes aside, enjoyable thoughts as always. I think there is a reason to finance something, but it's pretty niche, and I know you know what it is: Opportunity Cost. If you can finance something for less than you will make with another investment, it can definitely be worth. I realize that is rather outside the scope of a video like this, but I thought I'd bring it up for others to consider when dropping 5 figures on a guitar for whatever reason. Keep on rocken'!
I AM SORRY THIS WON'T FLY. Haha, yes on financing, I should clarify my point is don't finance a guitar if you can't afford it. If you choose to finance it on a low /zero interest rate and invest the rest, that's great
The other truth guitar enthusiasts are in denial about is that because you paid a certain price for an instrument so too will someone else when you decide to sell it! I have bought and sold hundreds of guitars over the years and they rarely are what I would consider a "good investment". Its just a fun hobby that got out of hand!
A thing i have been stück at for the past year is that i feel that i do not have the skill level High enough to join a band. I know no one that plays any instrument that is not classical. And my friends are scattered across my country. So i feel that if i join a band at my current skill, i would just drag them down. And i mean i Can play some rythmically difficult stuff. But regular stuff like sweeping or playing past scales with 4 notes Per string fast. Also i am currently financial a guitar since i am working minimum wage and there was 1 left. And i both do not regret it and regret it a lot.
You forgot one more point, GUITARIST think they need a NEW GUITAR to get better, NOT TRUE! Play what you have and get better WITH what you ALREADY have! TRUTH! A guitarist only needs 2 GUITARS, NOTHING MORE!
Awesome take on the psyche of guitarists. HBR case study easily especially on product positioning , cognitive mind share etc. Digressing a bit, great if u could PM me a recommended luthier in SG; got a bunch of Gibsons to fix 😂
I don't agree with "never finance a guitar". If you can afford to buy a guitar in cash, and you have the choice to finance it for 0% APR, you should do it and put your $2000-4000 cash in savings account so you can earn 4.5% on it over the course of 1-2 years depending on how long the 0% APR period is.
corporate senior manager who just retired at 37 and does real estate for fun, sitting in a room filled with expensive equipment: "get a real job, capitalism is good and I'm sick of all you people acting so naive and entitled. learn to be happy with what you have. sorry if that *offends* you."
Not right about the no finance advice. I financed two very expensive wood library guitars from Sweetwater 0% interest 48 months. I put those 14K in low cost index funds, made lots of money in those four years. I agree with the rest of the points 👍
I think its a good clarification. The point is , don't finance a guitar if you can't afford it. If you choose to finance it on a low /zero interest rate and invest the rest, power to you :)
I recently bought my ninth guitar and I now find myself forced to recognize that buying guitars is an indulgence, not an investment. Maturity REALLY SUCKS!😆
Agree and disagree. Alot of people don't earn that sort of money, certainly not enough to retire at such a young age as you have, so financing is the only option. And some manufacturers are ripping people off with high priced guitars, that don't have any new technology actually I would say it's the opposite, there using shittier components and still eye gouging customers. Other than that your first points are very true.
@@jasondorsey7110 The tone is the relationship of everything to everything else. Change anything and you change everything, no matter how small. This is the law of everything. Its certainly true with regard to guitars.
I disagree with your "hard truth" nr 3. Cause you think about it from financial background, however, my smart friend, you are forgetting other very, very important factors such as reductions in costs and productivity, new technologies and equipment reducing hand labour - you didn't take that into account, my smart friend. Haarley Benton did not need to issue their version of Prs Eagle to make a sub 200 bucks guitars that are being sold like hotcakes. The wizardry tone of your vids sometimes make me smile, my smart friend. 😂
Thanks for sharing. Two thoughts 1) I agree that technologies pioneered on expensive items is not the only factor. There are many other factors exactly as you mention 2) All the affordable manufacturers (like Harley Benton)are essentially piggy backing on expensive guitar R&D by replicating (with slight deviations) affordable versions of expensive guitars. There is an entire Intellectual Property angle to this on which I am not an expert, and I shudder to think about labour practices that enable such cheap pricing.
@@ministryofguitarthis is exactly right. I avoid the cheap copies purely to maintain my own integrity. Between the theft of other peoples hard work & their unethical labor practices, that’s all I need to know for me to make a hard pass. My integrity is worth more than a few hundred bucks.
I would think that hard truth 1 is only for amateurs. Nobody cares how good you are at almost any hobby really, unless you want be a professional/ semi-pro and earn a living out of said skill, then it starts to matter, especially to those hiring you haha.
I avoid and believe that using words or phrases like; The best or best ever, The greatest of all time. GOAT. Or even saying better. When talking about on the subject of Music, Well Arts in general. is nonsense. Sure we all have favorites. Of course we do. I do; that's absolutely normal. But to declare a particular, Musician, singer, artist, dancer. Or Whatever? "The Best or even better" Is shear nonsense, or a genre of art/music better or best; is delusional. "As good as it gets" .. is what I use when talking about favorites. If you can like/appreciate a single genre ? Then you don't really like/appreciate any. I'm not talking favorites, But to say The best or best ever, the greatest of all time. GOAT. or even better? in music/arts is total BS. Just Say'n
I got 4 mid-reel ads in your 13 minute video. That is absolutely ridiculous. I thought this channel could be a decent background noise, but every 2 minutes I need to click skip ad and so I prob won't be visiting this channel anymore.
Number 1 is closely related to the "I'm a musician, therefore I can judge the quality of music better than non-musicians" crowd. You can't, and that applies to me too.
Respectfully, you're off the mark. A casual enjoyer/observer does not have the expertise of a journeyman. A layperson CAN influence the exposure or success of a person or product through consumption, such as ticket, car, or wine sales for example, but they will never have the degree of understanding that a professional musician, driver, or sommelier would apply. In other words, you are getting popularity confused with quality. That being said, things of an artistic nature are certainly always going to be subjective.
@@shelbyavant5081 "That being said, things of an artistic nature are certainly always going to be subjective." ...... Congratulations. You wrote a whole paragraph, and in your last sentence contradicted everything you wrote before.
@@zemlidrakona2915 I really didn't. Let me give you an example, instead of following your lead and being snarky. 10 career musicians might have varying opinions about music, but I would still value all of their opinions over 10 laypersons. Does that make sense for you?
@@shelbyavant5081 It makes no logical sense. I don't doubt it makes sense to you. You just admitted the quality of music is subjective. Yet according to you if musician X likes Justin Bieber and layperson Y likes Bach, Justin Bieber should be better. It can't be subjective and not at the same time. What is your position, subjective or objective? And if it's objective what criteria are you using?
@@zemlidrakona2915 I don't know how to make it any more simple without insulting you. I think an experienced professional is going to be more objective than subjective, whereas a lay person would be the opposite, generally speaking. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find 10 musicians who like Bieber better than Bach, and vice versa. You have to differentiate quality from what sells, because they are so frequently two different things. That was literally in my first post. Just because a lot of people that don't know what they're talking about like something, doesn't mean it is objectively good. We do live in a world however, as I stated, where consumers can buy a bunch of crap, because it's all they know or can afford. By your logic, or lack thereof, Bieber is in fact better than Bach, box wine is better than aged, and a Corolla is better than a 911 Porsche.
Really enjoy your perspective on these guitar related issues. It’s so true that to those who are not guitar players it matters not if you have an Epiphone or a Gibson. They want to hear songs and if they sound anything like the original they think you can play. There is a saying that women “don’t dress for men” they dress to
Impress other women. The same can be said for guitar players we are playing gear to impress other guitar players not the audience. When I was young I was relatively poor and lived near a golf course so I would do work so I could play for free. I got fairly good for a 12 year old and when friends played with me and lost they would convince their parents to buy them expensive clubs so they could beat me. The better clubs did not make them better I was good because I spent hours every day practicing and I had crap clubs. Point being those who put the time in get better and spending money does not give anyone an edge if they do not put the time in. It’s a bit like thinking the worlds most expensive running shoes would make you the worlds fastest runner. Meanwhile people with bare feet are running past you. Practice more and obsess about gear less. Peace
"Appeasing people you shouldn't be"...well said my friend! Many moons ago I quit playing guitar because a few trolls shamed my lack of expertise. You've helped encourage me to try again; just for me, for God, and the sheer joy of it.
Damn that sucks man. No one was born good at guitar, everyone goes through the earning process. Just do it in private!
@@whoozworldizthis4221 Preach!
For god?😅
@@thechameleon2636 Painters paint those they love. Musicians play songs for those they love.
Play the guitar and screw the haters!
You are 100% right on the people that buy high price guitars making it possible for the companies to make their cheaper models, like loads of people hate on people saying why would you buy a Gibson it’s not better than an epiphone, I just bought a dream guitar my first Gibson and if we didn’t buy these Gibson wouldn’t be able to keep up with affording to make these epiphones
I did finance my guitar though, I can afford it but just did it so I could build my credit
it's cool . rules are meant to be broken sometimes
The biggest lie i tell to myself is "i just need this Gibson Explorer and i wont need any new Guitars for the next decade" while i already bought a new LP and a new 70s flying V Gibsons in the past 6 months and said the same before buying each guitar
I have told myself many such lies :)
1) My son can truly play....me, I fake it, yet my family can't tell the difference. 2) Gonna retire this year, gonna add to my 20+ mid/high-end collection and play all day long for my own personal enjoyment. 3) I play Squier and HB...and Custom Shop...and all price points in between....love all my girls! 4) Buy USED, sell for less loss, if any. 5) Guilty as charged. Thought buying my first Custom Shop last month would cure my GAS....not quite...picked up a HB last week to tinker/experiment. You are one wise man...keep up the good work. Cheers from USA-WV. Say 'Hi' to Jon Koh from "Jon is just TOO LouD". LOL.
Your third point is why I have always favored the mid grade of guitars. Where you can find the higher end components and innovations, without the ornate aspects. Such as tops, finishes and such.
Very new to this channel but I have to say I love your vids man! As somebody who’s trying to turn guitar playing into a career I’ve found your videos super interesting and informative. You have a great way of explaining things, keep it up!
Thank you for watching. Appreciate the kind words and that you found it interesting
As I heard on a podcast I often listen to, "more Mel Bay and less E-bay" :)
“If you can create something...the desire to consume is kept in check”..well this is wisdom about the human heart and it also explains why T-Rex, the dinosaur not the pop star, has small hands and a big mouth! He’s got no hope of turning that around but humans have so be grateful for your artistic side. I agree with this video 👍
It's true. The only time the gear acquisition syndrome goes away is when I'm playing.
Great perspective as always. I find myself looking forward to your videos. I personally would rather invest in a collection of guitars like yours or maybe something else you enjoy rather than look at numbers in my bank account.
you are just one naturally charming and likeable human being, it also helps that you're down to earth open minded and honest, oh alright i'll subscribe.
haha thanks
Same here. Just subscribed - greetings from Germany!
I really like your channel. You are vocalizing things that I have told to myself before, and yet I had not heard anyone else mention these truths. Well done!
Thank you. I appreciate your kind words
@@ministryofguitar yeah as an intermediate guitarist with three electric guitars and one bass your channel contextualizes gear ownership in a great way and you have good takes on the music industry. cheers from indiana USA
I think for me, the best truth I ever found out was that being a great guitarist absolutely does not equate to being a good musician, and while the skills do overlap, they are different. In my music class at college, there were 7 guitarists, but I think only 3 were incredible musicians, whereas 3 of the other 4 were 'skilled' guitarists. I always struggled during those years as my skill level was lower than many others, however, I believe I found my own place within each performance.
I was proved right during one performance where a capo error led the whole band to be out of key on the first beat, the bassist, myself and the keyboard player noticed and adjusted mid-intro, whereas our most skilled guitarist continued to solo in the wrong key the whole song, never once noticing the key difference, in that moment I felt content with my own abilities haha.
This is a very relatable story. Thank you for sharing
I thoroughly enjoy your channel… Great points of truth and perspective. Keep up the excellent work!!
Thanks
Well said, my friend.
I tend to operate on constructionist, pragmatic lines. I'd been a bedroom guitarist for 17 years before I found myself on a stage. Odd experience. I was warming up when I asked where the stage was. "You're sitting on it, and please don't stop," I was told.
I'll admit I was a gearhead at that stage, but I was too poor to indulge overmuch in the spending I allow these days. What lit the fuse was my first paying gig. In a nutshell, it was a disaster. There was no PA, and we had nothing to do but play louder.
Moving on to when I had a band, my bassist and I were growing ever more frustrated with hauling heavy equipment around. Often as not up and down stairs. So the current quest is for better sound per pound of equipment.
And then we lost the lead singer. The drummer ghosted us. And we were forced to construct a new set list from scratch.
The dream guitar has taken a backseat to anything that won't break during the performance. The Gretsch has gone from a Duo-Jet to a Baritone because that's the sonic space that's empty.
That last point #5 was an eye opener. For those of us who's time & energy is consumed with work we don't particularly enjoy but earns us a good living, we make up for that lack of freedom to do what we love through things we buy as part of our hobbies or interests (eye my long wish list of guitars). Very insightful video, thank you.
Thank you. Glad you could find something of value in the video
Aww i really appreciate your message on this subject ... i bought too much gear over the last few years ...i live for music ... i'm divorced n i have a 29 hours a week job so i can play every day my basses n guitars ... i'm in 2 bands and i'm getting back into paid gigs after the pandemic messed everything up... playing is a way of like n be myself n express my artistic urges keeps me sane . Now i believe being fortunate to have a passion is what makes me happy ... it's nice to be surrounded by instruments so u can always be inspired and channel stuff .. the making it in the world is a lot of non sense ... the key is having a great existence n live to the full because life is so impermanent .... u are clearly passionate and finally have the time to channel all your creative ideas .... before when u were in the corporate field u didn't have the mental space to make this great video n open your feelings about gas or getting a guitar on finance ( which i did several times ahaha) etc etc.... i try to play all the instruments i own ... i probably have 5 basses n 10 guitars plus amps /pedals n stuff ... keep on making content because by being yourself u make valid points on thought provoking issues all gassed musicians have... when i wasn't ok fairly miserable in a unhappy marriage i didn't have that many instruments ... but i had low self esteem n thought my art was crap ... so my point is if u do work on yourself you'll understand things more ...
PS
I'm glad u've found your n1 finally .... ahahah
☮️🕉️☮️
I like your attitude! Rock on 🤘
Hard Truth #6: If the Guitar Culture was The Spanish Inquisition, Utkarsh would be burned at the stake for heresy.
I put a Mexican neck on a squier.. I’ll be a gonner
I'm often encouraged when i hear entrepreneurs from other parts of the world, I also left a career in marketing and design to create my own studio during covid and now going on 4 years the process has been soul affirming in many ways. It can be utterly vexing how shortsighted people can be about the concept of "value". Personally, my favorite guitar is one i built for myself, I enjoyed the process of selecting the materials and painting it, and learning and acquiring many useful tools and skills in the process, in many ways the process of building the guitar added a significant amount of _value_ for me, even though it might not equate to appreciating value.
so right to the point.not everyone likes to face the reality and hard facts.this video is one we all need.
Truth 3: my TV is a basic Samsung 65” that cost 650€ on sale, it’s great! It’s the Classic Vibe of TVs - it’s got the trickle down tech that cost many times more a few years earlier. Cheers for a thought provoking video.
I agree about the fleeting moment where musicians had real cultural and financial capital being a passing phase. I am happy I lived and played during that time. It made an aspiration possible, but it was never the core motivation for me playing the guitar. For me it started when I saw that Cream interview with Clapton which documents the moment the electric guitar changes from a “loud jangling noise” to an instrument capable of great “subtlety and expression”. That transformative bit is what fired me as an artist. There was still the additional pipe dream of being a star like Clapton! Ironically I became a painter around the same time but the history of modern art had already established the idea of the craftsman star was dead and I never had any expectation of that being an outcome of making paintings. Everyone from Duchamp to Warhol had figured out the act itself was not valued, simply the subsequent consumption of the product and how that could be sold was the place to make money and fame. It’s become like that now with the music industry after that fleeting moment where having an axe was like having a sword.
I agree with nearly all your points apart from financing a guitar. I have had the money to purchase guitars outright in the past but chose to get them on interest free credit. My reason being that it that it doesn't cost me any more money, it spreads the cost and also increases my credit score. My credit rating was excellent when I came to get a mortgage so I believe my past purchases using interest free finance helped. I will agree with you though, if you end up paying interest on the guitar, It's not worth it.
I agree with you. I've never bought a guitar on credit because I've been fortunate enough to have the money available to buy it outright. However if I could buy one on interest free credit and wasn't making a commitment to installments that would make me suffer financially then I'd figure why not.
Excellent video, thank you very much! While the truth hurts, the truth is also liberating. I think you are completely right and you have some very good and important points. Thanks again and all the best!!
Thank you. Appreciate your perspective
Spot on, for all points. Especially "nobody owes you a living". OMG... that's such a crazy thing to see as someone who has been a musician for a long time. If you won't play unless someone pays you, or feel someone "needs" to pay you when you do, then you are reaaaaaaaly picking up the guitar for all the wrong reasons, and you should get into a career field that actually pays.
Awesome points! It should always be the needs of your creative aspects of your guitar playing that drives purchases or guitar transactions. Another great video!
great and so true , i,ve found myself sucumming to a couple of the truths . i,m also really enjoying your perspetive and content.
Good man. Mature thoughts that are quite refreshing
Loving and hoping more of this type content- honest choice of words, hard facts & great analogy where one could hardly dispute.
Whereas your other videos are mostly subjective and inclined to your own investment/financials decisions.
Thank you. I guess I have a mix of both . Ultimately any opinion will be coloured by my experience of course
@@ministryofguitar Thankful and appreciative for your content🙏- from another Sg guitarist with 40+ guitars over 20 years of playing. Cheers
Well stated. Satisfaction is life comes from God, not filling our homes with stuff. Matthew 6:19-21
💯
An argument for buying a guitar on instalments: sometimes the guitar you want/ need , has a certain sound you want, due to the guitars specififications, which you cannot find at bargain prices. Ie; brass components, wood material like Ebony, or features like scalloping.
The other argument for buying guitars, is you support your local store, without support you now have nowhere to buy need items like picks and strings. ( many local guitar stores have gone belly-up since sales did not exceed overhead)
Well said! Thanks for the excellent content brother! You gave some great advice.
I grew up with a guy who played guitar with me. He was always overly competitive and went for flash not musical sound. He quit playing in his 30’s because in his words “he realized he was not going to be the world’s best player.” Sad…Play for your own spirit, soul and well being.
That seems like great advice on being creative by using what you bought instead of obsessing over acquiring the newest great instrument or device. I will endeavor to put this wisdom into practice as soon as possible: the longest journeys all begin with the first step, so making the first step is to actually pick up my guitars and play them! Stopping the shopping helps to pass the G.A.S.
Thanks
My word is... Thanks!
Very good points! Thanks for sharing.
Very good informative talk! Thank you!
Such interesting topics! I really dig this channel. Thank you Sir!
Thank you
This is the best UA-cam going!
Hard Truth 3 hits the spot 👍🏼
Awesome content, so glad I found your channel!
Appreciate your kind words
Being ironic is a bit of an understatement in your case maybe.., but I think it's in reason to finance a top quality guitar with 0% interested to 24 or 48 why not?.. its easily more manageable than paying up front..while most of my 14 guitars are paid for there are a few I did happily finance @ 0 % for 24 mon... and would recommend it .. if you're on a budget..we cant all be in your situation. but to say never finance a guitar is pushing a different kind of agenda...while there is some truth to what you're saying its definitely not an absolute truth
I think what I ought to clarify is, not finance a guitar if one can't afford it. If one is getting a low/zero interest rate, and choosing to allocate funds to an investment instead, that is a different story. That's why I do with my car because car loan interest rates in Singapore are very low (2.5%)
Great points to think about
Your A Guitar Player. You Play Guitar! Your hitting it on all Cylinders! WooF!!🐶🐶
100% all of it. you go about things with a very clear vision type philosophy - thanks for good videos
Thank you. Appreciate it
Good observations. Let's see if I can stick with my three guitars for the rest of my life!
good luck
And their wives!
As far as financing goes, outside of a house, there is nothing you “need” enough to go into debt. You need a car to get to work and stuff, but if you’re smart with your money and researching vehicles you can still find used basic cars that will get you from a to b. Be smart with your finances guys and never go into debt or financing outside of a house! As far as guitars and money go, to get a perfectly good guitar that will function properly and sound like it should, they are so cheap these days it’s amazing. I took my wife out recently for our 10th wedding anniversary to a nice meal. We went to a nice steakhouse. By the time I paid to valet the car, buy a nice bottle of wine, order two nice steaks and tip the waiter… I could have bought a used MIM Strat in nice condition that if I had to could last the rest of my life and sound/play fine. Us guitarists have nothing to complain about in the modern era.
Totally agree.. Well Said
Interesting video, lots of good points!
True. I don't buy gear; I buy education.
Interesting points and good video!
In regards to financing: I got a Gibson Custom Shop on a heavy discount from a website and I got it by financing it in monthly installments. It was reduced in price by over a thousand euro, so in that particular case I got it for a lot better price. Thoughts?
Yes financing if you can afford it, and you get a good rate, is justified, as long as you put the funds to work
WOW UTKARSH YOU ARE SO UNHINGED IN THIS VIDEO PLEASE CALM DOWN!
Jokes aside, enjoyable thoughts as always.
I think there is a reason to finance something, but it's pretty niche, and I know you know what it is: Opportunity Cost.
If you can finance something for less than you will make with another investment, it can definitely be worth. I realize that is rather outside the scope of a video like this, but I thought I'd bring it up for others to consider when dropping 5 figures on a guitar for whatever reason.
Keep on rocken'!
I AM SORRY THIS WON'T FLY. Haha, yes on financing, I should clarify my point is don't finance a guitar if you can't afford it. If you choose to finance it on a low /zero interest rate and invest the rest, that's great
The other truth guitar enthusiasts are in denial about is that because you paid a certain price for an instrument so too will someone else when you decide to sell it! I have bought and sold hundreds of guitars over the years and they rarely are what I would consider a "good investment". Its just a fun hobby that got out of hand!
it's a good point. a tiny portion of guitars are investments but the vast majority, especially mass guitars, arent
Your views are truths!!!!💜🤍💙❤✌️👏
Thank you
One word "Wisdom"
A thing i have been stück at for the past year is that i feel that i do not have the skill level High enough to join a band. I know no one that plays any instrument that is not classical. And my friends are scattered across my country. So i feel that if i join a band at my current skill, i would just drag them down. And i mean i Can play some rythmically difficult stuff. But regular stuff like sweeping or playing past scales with 4 notes Per string fast. Also i am currently financial a guitar since i am working minimum wage and there was 1 left. And i both do not regret it and regret it a lot.
I would strongly encourage you to play with a band. Playing with people helps get one get better and we all got started somewhere
Very educational video!
Thank you
Reality check ✔️ 👏👏👏
Very good!!
You forgot one more point, GUITARIST think they need a NEW GUITAR to get better, NOT TRUE! Play what you have and get better WITH what you ALREADY have! TRUTH! A guitarist only needs 2 GUITARS, NOTHING MORE!
Awesome take on the psyche of guitarists. HBR case study easily especially on product positioning , cognitive mind share etc. Digressing a bit, great if u could PM me a recommended luthier in SG; got a bunch of Gibsons to fix 😂
Thanks for the kind words. As far as luthier goes, I do all my work with Goose in Singapore
@@ministryofguitar thanks !
Well, I've decided that i like your show so I've subscribed. I'm a guitar player but I'm one of the odd ones. I don't play lead.
Thank you
10:51 the best lesson from this video. The urge to create can cure the urge to consume.
Good stuff
I don't agree with "never finance a guitar". If you can afford to buy a guitar in cash, and you have the choice to finance it for 0% APR, you should do it and put your $2000-4000 cash in savings account so you can earn 4.5% on it over the course of 1-2 years depending on how long the 0% APR period is.
yes absolutely choosing to invest the funds is absolutely valid
1. Not true, people around here in St. Louis appreciate good guitar playing.
The other points hold true generally.
corporate senior manager who just retired at 37 and does real estate for fun, sitting in a room filled with expensive equipment: "get a real job, capitalism is good and I'm sick of all you people acting so naive and entitled. learn to be happy with what you have. sorry if that *offends* you."
Not right about the no finance advice. I financed two very expensive wood library guitars from Sweetwater 0% interest 48 months. I put those 14K in low cost index funds, made lots of money in those four years. I agree with the rest of the points 👍
I think its a good clarification. The point is , don't finance a guitar if you can't afford it. If you choose to finance it on a low /zero interest rate and invest the rest, power to you :)
I recently bought my ninth guitar and I now find myself forced to recognize that buying guitars is an indulgence, not an investment. Maturity REALLY SUCKS!😆
Maturity is indeed a b*tch
@@ministryofguitar Yes! Yes, it is, my friend!
Create. Consuming is a fix.
Agree and disagree. Alot of people don't earn that sort of money, certainly not enough to retire at such a young age as you have, so financing is the only option. And some manufacturers are ripping people off with high priced guitars, that don't have any new technology actually I would say it's the opposite, there using shittier components and still eye gouging customers. Other than that your first points are very true.
that manufacturer would be Gibson :)
@@ministryofguitar lol no comment.
@@ministryofguitar 😉
Thank you for not playing the tired "tonewood" card in your 5 truths. Im so sick of it.
We all know the tone is in the metals.
@@jasondorsey7110 The tone is the relationship of everything to everything else. Change anything and you change everything, no matter how small. This is the law of everything. Its certainly true with regard to guitars.
5/5 👏
I disagree with your "hard truth" nr 3. Cause you think about it from financial background, however, my smart friend, you are forgetting other very, very important factors such as reductions in costs and productivity, new technologies and equipment reducing hand labour - you didn't take that into account, my smart friend. Haarley Benton did not need to issue their version of Prs Eagle to make a sub 200 bucks guitars that are being sold like hotcakes. The wizardry tone of your vids sometimes make me smile, my smart friend. 😂
Thanks for sharing. Two thoughts 1) I agree that technologies pioneered on expensive items is not the only factor. There are many other factors exactly as you mention 2) All the affordable manufacturers (like Harley Benton)are essentially piggy backing on expensive guitar R&D by replicating (with slight deviations) affordable versions of expensive guitars. There is an entire Intellectual Property angle to this on which I am not an expert, and I shudder to think about labour practices that enable such cheap pricing.
@@ministryofguitarthis is exactly right. I avoid the cheap copies purely to maintain my own integrity. Between the theft of other peoples hard work & their unethical labor practices, that’s all I need to know for me to make a hard pass. My integrity is worth more than a few hundred bucks.
I would think that hard truth 1 is only for amateurs. Nobody cares how good you are at almost any hobby really, unless you want be a professional/ semi-pro and earn a living out of said skill, then it starts to matter, especially to those hiring you haha.
You are God... 😂
Thanx for briliant videos👍
You are too kind. Thank you
I avoid and believe that using words or phrases like;
The best or best ever, The greatest of all time. GOAT. Or even saying better.
When talking about on the subject of Music, Well Arts in general. is nonsense.
Sure we all have favorites. Of course we do. I do; that's absolutely normal.
But to declare a particular, Musician, singer, artist, dancer. Or Whatever?
"The Best or even better" Is shear nonsense, or a genre of art/music better or best; is delusional. "As good as it gets" .. is what I use when talking about favorites.
If you can like/appreciate a single genre ? Then you don't really like/appreciate any.
I'm not talking favorites,
But to say The best or best ever, the greatest of all time. GOAT. or even better?
in music/arts is total BS.
Just Say'n
Totally agree with each one
Thank you
If a doctor can save your life , why can't they have a really nice guitar?
Yes
I got 4 mid-reel ads in your 13 minute video.
That is absolutely ridiculous. I thought this channel could be a decent background noise, but every 2 minutes I need to click skip ad and so I prob won't be visiting this channel anymore.
Number 1 is closely related to the "I'm a musician, therefore I can judge the quality of music better than non-musicians" crowd. You can't, and that applies to me too.
Respectfully, you're off the mark. A casual enjoyer/observer does not have the expertise of a journeyman. A layperson CAN influence the exposure or success of a person or product through consumption, such as ticket, car, or wine sales for example, but they will never have the degree of understanding that a professional musician, driver, or sommelier would apply. In other words, you are getting popularity confused with quality. That being said, things of an artistic nature are certainly always going to be subjective.
@@shelbyavant5081 "That being said, things of an artistic nature are certainly always going to be subjective." ...... Congratulations. You wrote a whole paragraph, and in your last sentence contradicted everything you wrote before.
@@zemlidrakona2915 I really didn't. Let me give you an example, instead of following your lead and being snarky. 10 career musicians might have varying opinions about music, but I would still value all of their opinions over 10 laypersons. Does that make sense for you?
@@shelbyavant5081 It makes no logical sense. I don't doubt it makes sense to you. You just admitted the quality of music is subjective. Yet according to you if musician X likes Justin Bieber and layperson Y likes Bach, Justin Bieber should be better. It can't be subjective and not at the same time. What is your position, subjective or objective? And if it's objective what criteria are you using?
@@zemlidrakona2915 I don't know how to make it any more simple without insulting you. I think an experienced professional is going to be more objective than subjective, whereas a lay person would be the opposite, generally speaking. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find 10 musicians who like Bieber better than Bach, and vice versa. You have to differentiate quality from what sells, because they are so frequently two different things. That was literally in my first post. Just because a lot of people that don't know what they're talking about like something, doesn't mean it is objectively good. We do live in a world however, as I stated, where consumers can buy a bunch of crap, because it's all they know or can afford. By your logic, or lack thereof, Bieber is in fact better than Bach, box wine is better than aged, and a Corolla is better than a 911 Porsche.