The term comes up often when discussing cheaper guitars and it got me wondering what people are actually thinking when they consider a guitar to be fit for purpose for professional use. I guess my criteria would be:
- It has to be able to be set up to intonate properly and stay in tune, whether it comes that way out of the box or not.
- Pickups can't be microphonic
- Hardware has to be robust and smooth in operation
- Electrics have to be sound and repairable
- Has to be structurally sound so if it gets a few knocks it's not show over
- Can't look like a piece of shit - music is still largely show business and that has a presentational element to it, like it or not.
- Standardisation of parts - no point having an instrument you can't easily gat replacement parts for
Beyond that, I'd say it's all a matter of taste, and matching the instrument to the gig (so you might need a broad range of sounds, thus requiring a certain pickup consideration).
So by my definition, around £300 probably gets you into the "pro level" ball park. What are your criteria?
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If I was trying to be the next Hound Dog Taylor then what constitutes pro is different than if I was trying to be the next Steve Vai.
- Pickups can't be microphonic
- Has to be structurally sound so if it gets a few knocks it's not show over
That puts 1950's Gibsons out of the race then
See Fender who are always more than happy to illustrate this point.
You're right though, £300 quid gets you a lot of guitar these days and either new or used will get you a solid, good sounding and possibly great playing guitar.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
- finishes are used for curing speed and ease, and are not usually thin and hard.
- Hardware is not as robust as Gotoh etc. Trems are unstable & tuneomatics are rattley and made of softer steel where it matters.
- tuners are not likely to be as stable or fine ratio'd
- pickups are serviceable but often do not suit the guitar they are in. Wrong magnet, wind choices.
- pots and switches will be far quicker to fail.
- wood is not selected for weight. Tone aside, comfort matters.
Most of these problems go away from £1500 up, although the big 2 still put shit pickups in.
- Plays in tune
- Works reliably
That's it.I once watched a video where a guy does a good job of comparing a mid priced guitar to a more expensive one and he dissects it and goes in to detail comparing each part and how they're equal in every practical way. But then at the end he concludes "so if you're not a professional, it will do you very well".
But he'd just explained himself that they were equal so (according to the details he'd given), even a professional would be just as well off with the cheaper one.
But the marketing must have affected him so deeply that, despite finding the guitars equal, still believed one of them is for professionals.
There are lots of people who've made careers out of playing just one guitar, be it a Tele, Strat or Les Paul type. The make doesn't really come into it.
Whatever you feel comfortable with.
Cheap guitars can always be upgraded for better reliability and performance.
This marketing isn’t unique to guitars. Cameras are another sector where what constitutes “pro” or not has generated about eleventy billion pages of online debate and counting.
If it works well enough, is reliable, and is durable enough to play paying gigs with on a regular basis then it is, by definition a “pro level” guitar, and yes you can easily hit those targets for £300 or less...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
'Pro', when applied to an instrument, is purely a marketing term. The description Pro Guitarist / Musician / Athlete / Porn Star suggests somebody who gets paid for doing what they do with the implication being that this is their primary source of income.
So, what constitutes a 'Pro Guitar'? Anything with the suffix 'Pro' against the name in the catalogue.
What defines a 'Pro Guitarist'? Somebody who can't get a proper job
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I'd broadly agree - they're mostly collectors pieces, and the ones that are gigged are likely somewhat modified or repaired already.
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No question in his hands it sounded like a ‘pro level’ guitar....