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Originally Posted by vanblah
Unless that's the sound you are going for.
Honestly ... it's the player--not the equipment. I've heard a great guitar player play a beat up old Fender Mustang through an ancient solid-state Radio Shack amp. It sounded freakin' great. If you understand what you are playing with it doesn't really matter what you are using.
Of course, would he actually use that set up at a live gig? Probably not ... unless he was going for that particular sound.
He did it to prove a point: the tone is in your fingers (for the most part). I used to be a gear-head and have long since gotten over that BS.
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A Fender Mustang is not a cheap guitar in any sense of the word. 'Beat up' doesn't necessarily affect how it plays, either.
What you're saying is true to a point. Money doesn't substitute for skill. However, all things being equal better quality gear makes for a better sound. Guitarists are often very particular about their tone and
everything has an effect on it. The wood of the body and neck, the fretboard, the frets, the strings, the pick, the tuning machines, the bridge type, the pickups, the amp, the pedals, etc etc etc. It's important as a guitarist to be aware of this and to select the gear that works best for what you're going for.
A bad guitar may also be less playable. If the neck is warped all to hell and the bridge isn't set properly and the nut is burred, then it doesn't really matter how good you are. A guitar like that is going to make it impossible to play your best. Granted most of that can be fixed but I reckon the point stands. There's no sense in buying a cheap shoddy guitar if you're going to spend a small fortune getting it playable.
So yeah, gear does matter. It's not a cure all, but it is important.