Is Gear Snobbery still a thing?

We live in what I believe to be a golden age of cheap , affordable gear, like with certain Squiers and SurfyBears.

Some Guitars that only cost 300 bucks can hold up alongside, and sometimes out perform guitars costing 2-4 times as much (after a little tlc from a guitar tech and mods that is)

Discuss!

It is still a thing. But I think the Squiers and Mexican fenders are holding their own and people are seeing that they don’t need to spend a fortune.

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When I was trying to sell my rare “thin skin” Jazzmaster for almost 3000 I had numerous comments “guitar cannot cost like this. 300 dollar Squire is completely the same. Shame on you! Don’t try to fool us!” So snobbery works both ways I guess)

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Last edited: Apr 15, 2023 13:41:02

I honestly don't buy gear to impress other people. I buy the gear that inspires me, makes me feel proud to be on stage playing it. We had a gig yesterday, and I can almost guarantee you not one person said "ooh that guy is playing a Fender Custom Shop DD Strat!" However, when I am playing that guitar on stage, it makes me happy. I can pretend I am the king for about 45 minutes.

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Definitely a thing. I will sheepishly admit I'm a bit of a gear snob, but it's diminished a little in the last few years as I've worked on some friends' Epiphones, Mexican Fenders, Korean PRSi and other import guitars. The quality of many of them has come way up since 20-25 years ago. I've yet to come across a Squier that didn't need fretwork, though, and the new Indonesian PRSi don't impress me much - they're not terrible, but they're not great, either, if that makes sense.

I think it hits me more with amps than pedals, and pedals more than guitars. I wouldn't buy an amp that wasn't made in the USA or UK, even a reputable brand. I've got a few non-US/UK pedals, but I don't use them much at home or rely on them if I don't have to for live shows - except for BOSS pedals, of course. Maybe it's because a guitar can be upgraded, set up, tweaked within an inch of its life and pedals and amps are much harder to to that with.

I definitely try not to push my bias on other players though, and these things are my preferences based on my experiences, which have changed over the years. 30 years ago I wouldn't have played a Japanese-made guitar, and now I have three and they're fantastic - one made in the late 1980s & two made just a couplefew years ago.

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Last edited: Apr 17, 2023 09:57:54

Chiba wrote,
"I wouldn't buy an amp that wasn't made in the USA or UK, even a reputable brand."
I'm assuming then that many good guitar amps are still made here in the USA.
That's interesting to learn because, as a bass guitarist, it seems that the majority of American bass amp companies are building their amps today overseas. I should add though that I haven't bought a new amp in some years now so perhaps things have changed, but the last one I bought was made here in the USA.

Patrick

I'm not aware of a big bass amp maker doing their builds in the USA, which seems like a huge oversight. GK says their amps are "designed and assembled in the USA" which is pretty close - I mean, I think we all know at this point many of the components going into anything are made overseas. For amps that could include transformers, speakers, etc.

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My snobbery came from growing up poor.
My first guitar was a $15.00 swap meet purchase.
It worked fine, but it didn’t sound as good as my band mates ‘REAL’ fender Stratocaster.
So I was envious of the quality guitar he owned.
In high school band classes, I learned that if you want the best sounds, well you have to use top flight instruments.

Violins costing thousands of dollars sounded better than the cheap one the high school loaned to band class students. My teacher said so.
So I grew up believing that a high dollar guitar would make me sound great, or at least better. To some effect, it does. And hence my penchant for my high dollar guitars.
I’ve spent ,in my lifetime, maybe $15,000.00 or more, on brand name high end guitars.
Do I sound like Ivan P. ??? No. Holy cow not even close.
Do I sound like Dave W. ??? Not even a little.
Maybe I sound like Steven ray von? Nope.
How about my relative, Noke?? Naw not even a little.
No matter what guitar I play I sound like myself.

but it doesn’t matter. Because I’m a guitar snob through and through.
It’s gotta be the best or I’ll wait for it.

Last edited: Apr 22, 2023 22:35:41

You know the old saying "you get what you pay for"
I only buy expensive guitars to impress myself. Not a stage performer, only the occasional backyard jam fest Summer party
And for that event only my 2nd string Squire and home built Barncaster gets used, Not afraid to spill beer on it or ding it. It's more fun that way!

But I am easily impressed seeing other performers playing excellent equipment and I take note accordingly.
So, if I see you in concert, that I paid tickets or cover charge for, playing a Squire Jaguar vs a 62' original Fender, well, I have already judged your abilities no matter how good you sound.LOL.
So please yes, perform with the best brand name gear you can afford!

Last edited: Apr 23, 2023 07:43:43

racingsnail84 wrote:

Is Gear Snobbery still a thing?

If you took away the G, that's what I have. Ear snobbery. If it sounds good, I don't care what it is. If it sounds bad, I also don't care what it is. Always though, there are bonus points for vintage gear. That's not gear snobbery, it's appreciating history.

Daniel Deathtide