Does how you guitar look differ how much YOU play???

Take someone who isn't that knowledgable on tone and feel, and sit them in front of a black and white Strat, and a Honeyburst Les Paul. I honestly believe most would pick up the Les Paul, simply because of looks.

You might be surprised. Many view the LP as representing the classic, but staid look of high-end furniture (wood working and finishing), and see the Stat shape as sexy and the epitome of rebellion.

Unfortunately, I believe most people pick a guitar because of looks and brand name rather than playability and great tone. I include myself in this.

No matter how great a guitar plays and sounds, if you hate the looks you are gonna be a little disappointed with it. Not that you won't play it, but you probably would rather own another guitar.

And if a guitar really looks great, we tend to convince ourselves that it sounds good too.

Human nature. :D

Well the first guitar I had looked very cool, but the truth is it didn't sound too good and I also had no idea how to use the locking trem system on it, not sure if it even worked. However I paid hardly anything for it. I constantly played the guitar, but I didn't think it was a great guitar. I began to play the guitar less but then I got my white stratocaster, not only does it look good but truthfully I'll never get tired of playing it. I seriousely do believe that the sound is still very important even as a beginner, I know I could tell even then which guitars sounded good to me.

P.S it also helps if a guitar is set up right, which I know my first guitar wasn't.

I definately see what the guy was saying, especially if it was a kid. When I first tried guitar, everyone told me to start on acoustic, but I wanted an electric since it was so much cooler looking.

I loved playing it, but I think the bigger issue in relation to practice motiviation is the instructional approach; I tried to teach myself out of a book my uncle let me borrow. It was all spiritual stuff; extremely boring for a twelve year old! I lost interest, tried violin a year later, then picked up guitar two years after that and have been going strong ever since. The second time I started out learning songs I liked :wink:

my 2c.

Unfortunately, I believe most people pick a guitar because of looks and brand name rather than playability and great tone. I include myself in this.

No matter how great a guitar plays and sounds, if you hate the looks you are gonna be a little disappointed with it. Not that you won't play it, but you probably would rather own another guitar.

And if a guitar really looks great, we tend to convince ourselves that it sounds good too.

Human nature. :D

I agree. I'm sure the good looking guitars sound better because we make them sound better.

I could be wrong, but usually you do play guitars in a store that look good to you. A store could have 600 or so guitars to try and there is no way you can play them all. So you go by what you see. Whatever catches your eye. So if a guitar has the greatest sound and feel in the world, chances are, you won't pick it up and play it because it won't catch your eye. That's why I think anyone that "doesn't buy a guitar for looks" is lying. Well, unless you roll a dice to decide what to play or start at one end of the wall and work your way across, then yes you do.

Of course, I don't know how everyone shops. An interesting topic for another thread would be stories of guitars people bought that they thought were ugly but liked the tone.

I'm with Wes on that one, if it doesn't look good I wouldn't play it. Luckily for me I don't play well enough to have to worry about those things so I can buy guitars based more on what they look like then what they sound like, although I have to believe that if you're buying a name brand guitar it should sound pretty good.