Paying for expensive gear at the beginning may not be a bad idea, given the possibility: should you quit the hobby and try to sell your stuff, no one is going to buy your knockoff cheap equipment, while more quality stuff holds its value
There’s also an argument to be made for good equipment making a hobby more accessible. Musical instruments especially. It’s almost always much harder to make a cheap musical instrument sound nice than it is a good one. From clarinets to guitars to synths. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the people who quit an instrument do so because they’re trying to learn on a $100 Walmart special, something that ironically would only sound good in the hands of a professional who wouldn’t touch it in the first place.
I once bought some cheap harmonicas and after about. 10 minutes was like “yeah, these are total crap and won’t be any fun.” So I gave them away for free to someone who knew exactly what they were and bought a real one.
You will also often have a better and more enjoyable experience with quality gear. Don’t start playing the guitar on a 120€ Squier if you can afford even a 300€ Harley Benton.
True, but in my experience Squier guitars (expecially the Affinity series) still hold their price better in the secondary market than Harley Benton’s.
Which is sad because I had a great experience with HB, but hey I guess having Fender’s endorsment on the headstock adds some value
The Fender look is also so popular that it’s likely what people picture when they go look for a guitar. That may help with resale as they recognize it from musicians and want the same
Paying for expensive gear at the beginning may not be a bad idea, given the possibility: should you quit the hobby and try to sell your stuff, no one is going to buy your knockoff cheap equipment, while more quality stuff holds its value
If you can afford it, absolutely.
There’s also an argument to be made for good equipment making a hobby more accessible. Musical instruments especially. It’s almost always much harder to make a cheap musical instrument sound nice than it is a good one. From clarinets to guitars to synths. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the people who quit an instrument do so because they’re trying to learn on a $100 Walmart special, something that ironically would only sound good in the hands of a professional who wouldn’t touch it in the first place.
I once bought some cheap harmonicas and after about. 10 minutes was like “yeah, these are total crap and won’t be any fun.” So I gave them away for free to someone who knew exactly what they were and bought a real one.
You will also often have a better and more enjoyable experience with quality gear. Don’t start playing the guitar on a 120€ Squier if you can afford even a 300€ Harley Benton.
True, but in my experience Squier guitars (expecially the Affinity series) still hold their price better in the secondary market than Harley Benton’s.
Which is sad because I had a great experience with HB, but hey I guess having Fender’s endorsment on the headstock adds some value
The Fender look is also so popular that it’s likely what people picture when they go look for a guitar. That may help with resale as they recognize it from musicians and want the same