What is a "pro level" guitar anyway?

jonnyburgo

Many of the Pro players probably dont care, much in the same why as a pro electrician doesnt obsess over the pages of "shielded pliers weekly" magazine, they just buy the best they can afford and get on with it.

octatonic

ICBM said:

thegummy said:

There could be the aspect of perception too - e.g. a producer or singer might have the idea that Squier is a cheapo kids brand so be prejudice if a guitarist shows up with one.

Eric coveting, as per usual.

Blueingreen

PonchoGreg said:

Totally agree with the above but just to play devil's advocate... Couldn't "pro level" also be understood as the finest guitar possible in its given style? I don't think anyone in a professional classical music orchestra would bat an eyelid at instruments costing 10s of thousands of pounds, but would not countenance someone turning up with a cheap violin although it could be used to play exactly the same score. They are professionals and therefore aim for the best possible sound, playability, etc.

Couldn't that apply to studio players too (perhaps more than lead guitarist in Rock Band X)?

In some ways pro classical musicians are not so different from we guitarists.

I read a piece a few years ago comparing modern violins (pretty expensive but not totally silly money) to some vintage instruments worth well into 7 figures. (Strads, Amati etc)

They roped in a number of pro classical players to evaluate the sound of the instruments under two scenarios:

- they knew which ones were the ultra expensive vintage instruments

- they didn't (blind test)

The results will seem familiar to many guitarists.  When they knew which was which, they unanimously agreed that the vintage instruments sounded better.  When they didn't know, there was no strong preference: in fact they showed a very marginal preference for the modern instruments.

HAL9000

NelsonP said:

... I want to validate my own purchase of ...Gary Clark Jr Epiphone Casino ;-)

Don't think there’s any problem there. I’ve seen Gary Clark Jr a couple of times - one of the best live tones I’ve ever heard.

soma1975

In my field (video production) pro gear is whatever gives you repeatable consistent performance and is reliable. 

Works for guitars too. 

monquixote

I've gigged a Classic Vibe Tele.

It sounded great and played fine, but after some hard gigging the bridge and control plate tarnished (in a shit way not a cool relic way), the jack socket fell out and the pots and switches got scratchy. As a result I had to totally rewire it and replace the bridge and plate. Factoring in the bits and if a tech did the work you are probably up to Mex money which might not have had the problem in the first place. Of course if you are hard up and canny it's perfectly doable to earn real money.

An American Standard Strat with similar use looked basically as new and also held tune better so yes you can gig a Squier, but the US one felt a lot more like a professionals tool. The DGT would often come out of the case in tune from the previous gig and still be in tune at the end of the night.

Of course when you see a famous guitarist pull out the ironic Hello Kitty Strat it's probably already been rewired and had the pickups replaced with DiMarzios and it gets handed to them in tune, perfectly setup, with new strings on for one song so in many ways it's easier for Joe Rockstar to play ironic cheap guitars than it is for Joe Nobody at the Dog and Duck.

PhilKing

When I was playing back in Germany in 72, I used a Columbus Les Paul copy and a new Fender Musicmaster.  We had to play a minimum of four 45 minute sets of covers (depending on the night).  I had an AC30 and had no issues the whole 3 month tour.  However, I can set my guitars up and I think that helps.  Back then I couldn't afford anything better as I'd just finished my A-levels.  When we came back I was able to pick up a 1967 Strat, but really didn't get on with it, so upgraded to the 1972 55 Les Paul Special reissue.   You can make anything work, I don't know if I'd use a Columbus today, but I do have some other cheap guitars that I've played out (after replacing must of the electrics and hardware), and my main stage acoustic is a PRS SE Angelus, which I use a lot.

If I'm recording, then I bring out the Martin or Gibson acoustics and the vintage guitars, but live, as long as they stay in tune and play well, I don't think the price comes into it.

rossi

A pro instrument is any thing that earns you money .My daughter won a photo comp with an  iphone .The "pros" were moaning iphones shouldnt be allowed.Having said that of course a good quality instrument will serve better in the long term .

As my daughter said iphones are great but they wont get a good shot of a birdie  at the bottom of her  garden but a DSLR with a long zoom will.

 My only real pro instrument is a Gibson Midtown which is superb but I actually gig at clubs my Fender necked partscaster with a very cheap body  as I carry it late at night to car parks .The Midtown also weighs a lot in its proper case .So which is the pro instrument ?

thegummy

Does professional really mean that they get paid money, even a tiny amount from a pub?

I wouldn't say so, I think a professional guitarist would be someone who does it as their main source of income and lives off it.

darthed1981

thegummy said:

Does professional really mean that they get paid money?

Yes 

thegummy

darthed1981 said:

thegummy said:

Does professional really mean that they get paid money?

Yes 

Which dictionary did you use?

Barnezy

Obviously there is no concrete definition, but if you make the comparison to tools it's probably quite similar.

DIY tools are made as cheaply as possible and not intended to be maintained for very long. They are not as accurate, often made from inferior materials and not a nice to work with. 

Proffesuinal tools are made to last a lifetime, be properly maintained and made from the best materials. 

Take a simple hammer for example. You can buy a B&Q hammer for £5 and it will bang a nail in, why do carpenters then often use £70+ Estwing hammers? Let's not even get in to chisels and power tools. 

The same applies for chief knives, pans and stoves, or any other profession the uses a tool to get a job done. 

Don't be fooled to think just because a £100 guitar looks like PRS, it is the same tool as a PRS. 

darthed1981

thegummy said:

darthed1981 said:

thegummy said:

Does professional really mean that they get paid money?

Yes 

Which dictionary did you use?

My tongue was somewhat in my cheek