Just as the best camera is the one that’s with you, the best guitar is the one you play. My primary guitar is a inexpensive Yamaha Pacifica 102S that I bought sometime in the late 90s. I have upgraded few parts (tuners and the nut), but those upgrades didn’t make a huge difference, and were mostly driven by YouTube-fueled spend-lust.

Whenever I stop in the local music store, I take a bit of time to play some of the great guitars they have on display. Many of them cost five times what my guitar was originally. I hate them all.

The poor experience is a mix of factors. They have grimy strings corroding in the grease of a thousand guitar nerds. Many are set-up poorly (strings are too high off the fretboard, intonation is off, etc.). They’re always out of tune (fixable in the moment) and they usually have much lighter strings than I prefer (granted, a personal preference).

I can look at what appear (and sound like) amazing guitars online, but when I try to play something in person, I end up preferring my old Yamaha at home. This is a blessing, like being able to enjoy cheap coffee, cheese, or wine. I’m happy to have a comfortable guitar that works well for me. I know it’s not the one thing keeping me from writing the next great album.

On the other hand, I’m sure some of these guitars would be great for me if the music store would take the time to set them up well and create better conditions for playing. Come on, folks – this pocket isn’t going to grow a hole by itself.