I’ve been piecing together my music jam room for years now. It’s a collection of all the instruments and equipment that I’ve bought. I’ started with some bargain priced instruments, and over the years have slowly upgraded to high end music equipment.
Currently, I have a Fender Highway One Stratocaster – Sunburst, a Fender Highway One Telecaster – Honey Blonde, a Gibson Les Paul – Black, A Gretsch Electromatic Junior Jet Bass Guitar, an Alvarez RD8, an Epiphone Acoustic, and a Pony acoustic guitar. To go along with that, I’ve got a Marshall MG100FX amplifier head, with the matching MG412A and MG412B cabinets, as well as an Ampeg Reverberocket 1×12 Combo Amp. For effects I have a single BOSS GT-6 which serves me well.
I also play the piano, and have a Yamaha P-85 digital piano. It’s a middle of the road digital keyboard. The features are nice, weighted keys and natural sound. I’ve played the piano since I was four years old, so I use this one a lot, as it’s in competition with my guitars as my favorite instrument.
There are a lot of factors that have gone into the decisions I’ve made about my gear. It can be tough to get a good setup, with the price of mid grade equipment being around $500, it’s often hard to part with the cash required to get into a setup like the one I have.
There are a lot of things that constitute the quality of an instrument. Cost is always a strong indicator. It costs more to produce quality instruments. Especially products that aren’t digital. The best guitars and pianos are still hand-made. The hardware for each are designed with longevity and performance in mind, and are produced with strict standards.
There is a silver lining to this ominous cloud: cheaper instruments have definitely improved in quality over the years. Ehen I first started playing, if you weren’t getting the higher quality instruments, you could expect to rebuy within a couple years, and the experience with those instruments was often disappointing. It isn’t that way today, and I see lots of good value priced guitars, pianos, violins, horns, etc all coming out of manufacturing plants ready for long term use.
When you’re out shopping, you still want to look at quality, as longevity isn’t the only concern. Playability and tone can both be effected by manufacturing and material, so you want to know what your needs are and what the instrument you’re looking at provides. A good rule of thumb is: if it sounds good to you and feels good while you play it, it’s probably a good purchasing decision. If you’re unable to get your hands on one, you’re going to want to get the specifications and read up on the instrument before you make the decision to purchase.
I’ve got a number of reviews that I’ll be posting about a whole range of instruments. At the time, my setup is middle of the road, but I’ve been playing for years so I know the difference between quality and bargain basement equipment. I’ll be reviewing only instruments that I’ve had the chance to play, so you can be sure that you’re getting honest and accurate information.
Any questions, leave me a comment. I appreciate you stopping by and wish you luck on your quest!
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