If you have the money to buy your dream gear, go for it. Even if you think you're unworthy, if just looking at it makes you happy then you made the right choice.

I feel like this video was made for my youtube channel lol. The second I go 3 videos in a row without showing how fast I can play, people feel the need to decide the way I spend my money is a really big part of their life. I always say, if you want to buy a $10,000 custom guitar with 2 necks just to play cowboy chords, great! Life's too short, have fun. Thanks for the video, Kyle.

Higher quality gear doesn't make you a better player, but good tone and player friendly gear does inspire one to play more often which does make you a better player. Ideally. 😊

100% agree with this. I’m a mediocre bedroom player in my 50’s and I absolutely love owning some nice guitar gear. I honestly couldn’t give a *^+? what others may think. It’s like like someone having the money to own a Ferrari but can’t drive like an F1 driver.

I'm old, and I have been a professional music producer, and guitar tech for the last 35 years and I fvcking love this channel. You have always been a very humble person honest and a kick-ass riff maker with an awesome right hand. So, those people need to understand what this platform is used for. And they can fvcking them selfs

I’m only a halfway decent player but I have some cheap gear and some really nice gear. It makes me happy and that’s all that matters. I would never tell anyone to not buy the guitar/amp they love regardless of skill. Because that nice Gibson for a beginner may inspire them to play more. We all have to lift each other up in these trying times. Thanks for making this!

I believe it was EVH that said "if it sounds good, it is good" which I have always tried to follow regardless of how much a piece of gear costs. And EVH was playing a partscaster, he never gave a crap what anyone thought. I currently have some high end guitars and amps and some less expensive things as well and I love them all. Great video Kyle

What a breath of fresh air. Going to the Hall of Fame was really eye-opening for me. My whole perspective changed when I realized that a lot of these holy grail guitars that get reissued for a small fortune are based on the originals that were picked up in pawn shops, put together from parts, etc. I personally feel that it's not so much about the gear, but what you can do with it.

Thank you for making this video. I can’t count how many times someone has told me that I can’t buy an expensive guitar until I get better because it was wasted on me because I ‘Can’t use them to their full potential’. Now, I’ve only been learning guitar for about 7 months but I feel that if you can afford it, go for it. The nicer the gear, the more you’ll want to play it, I feel.

Gatekeepers buy twice as many pedals because each one has to have a gate to go with it

I have plenty of students who most would consider to be intermediate, and usually the thing that motivates them to keep practicing is chasing new gear. If you have the money to chase custom shop instruments, cool. If you can really only trade for other gear in the same price range, that’s also a good grind. Any piece of gear in the right hands will sound great.

One story I like tell was that we where on tour and we played with this band the guitarist was telling us he hadn’t played very long and was still playing his first guitar which was a Ltd m-10 the starter pack Ltd and a Marshall mg100 half stack. Literally the best band we played with on that tour. His tone was perfect for what they are doing, the songs were super clever and they played great.

Finding good tones with cheap or crappy stuff is a skill in itself, amazing what you can discover. My friend had a solid state crate combo that sounded amazing, like legit better than some tube amps.

It’s great to hear others that are sick of the negativity. I appreciate the time you took to remind everyone to be supportive to the musician community at any level.

This is such a good message and the guitar community needed to hear it badly. Giving your friends a little shit is fine but there is a difference between that and telling someone they aren’t good enough.

It’s really great to hear positivity and motivation from you man. Too many people take things to a toxic level in this community where no one can ever stop learning in the first place. Keep up the good work, Kyle!

For me, it is all about what inspires you. Play what you love and ignore the haters. The music community should be building each other up...not tearing each other down.

Great vid, my dude! I'm with ya 100%. Let's make this community welcoming and fun to be a part of. 🤘🎸

yep. I worked my butt off when I was in my early teens to get a Marshall 2205 half stake in 1985. still have that amp.

Man you're doing a great job keep it up! I love watching your videos. You've helped me go back down memory lane in a lot of ways, listening to the videos you've done with amps I used to own, a lot of them that people rip on.

I really appreciate this video and the positive change your trying to make in the world.

Thank you for this. I started learning guitar in my forties, the first guitar/amp set up was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard '60s and an Orange Crush 35RT. About a year later, replaced those with a Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s, and an Orange Rocker 15 combo. I'm still a beginner, and honestly I'll probabaly never be "good enough" to own them, but you know what? I enjoy having them, and can afford them, to me that's what is important.

Good for you man, awesome to hear someone speaking up!!

Thanks for the positive message Kyle. Like you said, this is supposed to be fun. What you play doesn't matter as long as you're enjoying it.

Kyle I like your channel and content. I really like the message you’re sending on this subject. MUCH RESPECT! I totally agree that you big content creators need to quit sharing the negative comments. I believe at first it shows you can laugh at it and not let it bother you. However that gives these trolls the spotlight and they don’t deserve that. Share the most positive comments you receive. I’ve learned in this life what absolutely kills the haters/trolls is not acknowledging them at all. “Nothing” them. They’re thoughts and opinions mean “Nothing” to you. When you engage them you’re feeding their fire. When you post their crappy comments you’re feeding their fire. Lastly, for those out there that are stoked about a cheap piece of gear and it’s keeping you excited and interested in your instrument and/or music just ignore the haters/trolls and keep your excitement going. Learning and loving that cheap gear will make you more excited and passionate when you start moving up to better gear.

Couldn't have said it better myself man! People will be people, and everyone just needs to be happy with their selves. I'll never understand the bashing and hate in this community or anywhere for that matter. Keep on spreading the positivity and making awesome content for us all to learn from. Rock on Kyle!

Really enjoy and appreciate this video Kyle, I own cheap gear and even planning my own first high gain tube amp build, and I thoroughly enjoy everything

Best guitar video I have seen in a while and that's saying something since guitars were barely seen or heard. Thanks for a positive message ,Kyle.

I’d consider myself a very solid player and my gear is significantly cheaper than many other guitarists I know who are not as solid. For those of them that just enjoy having nice things, that makes sense to me. They probably enjoy playing through great gear. But I also sometimes get the feeling they’re getting that crazy expensive gear because they’ve been convinced it’s somehow necessary. Whether they think they need it to improve as guitarists or to be taken seriously by other musicians. “These are luxury items” is something I think we all should remind each other every once in a while.

I love that you made this video, it truly needed to be said. It’s basically a form of bullying and it unfortunately does happen in all “groups” of people and that is to bad. Love your videos man, your personality is awesome, keep doing it!

Right on, brother. I couldn't agree more, and I appreciate your positive influence.

Great video Kyle, love your toughts, best regards bro, spread love and good music

Good stuff man. I love buying gear but try to limit it, and I do this by setting playing goals before I can buy the next thing. I wanted a TS9 because I heard Kirk uses one, so I made myself learn the Ride the Lightning solo first. Now I'm a little bit better AND I own another dirt pedal!

Great message bro! Spot on. Thanks for telling it like it REALLY IS!!!! You’re the man, Kyle 🤘🎸❤️

You are so on point and totally how I have felt about almost all fandom anymore. Ive aquired some cool vintage stuff either through trade or just being in the right place at the right time.

I'm learning later in life. Thank you for sharing this, I do get excited about my stuff, and this is encouraging.

I remember when I started playing in '09 with a 15w combo amp and getting shit on due to not having a nice stack like a Dual Rec or a Peavey. Always rolled with whatever I could afford at the time. But fast forward to the 2020's and the amount of options for budget gear that sounds awesome is insane compared to 10 years ago. I never understood the player hatin', especially since we're all just trying to jam.

Here you are speaking against gatekeeping while gatekeeping. That’s total gaslighting.

Great vid KB, TRUTH buying my first high end guitar and gear improved my playing 10 fold best move I made in my guitar journey ..lotsa help from this channel

My first rig in the mid 80s was 4 Peavey Bandits, daisy chained with a Tokai Overdrive and Ibanez Delay. To this day I will always remember it. Everyone loves expensive, boutique gear but it dont make the player or the person. Great content. Cheers !

Excellent points. I'm 58 and I've been playing for a LONG time. Younger guys may not realize this but we are living in the Golden Age of affordable gear. When I was coming up ALL cheap gear was absolute trash. But that's we had so that's what we played. I honestly think it made me a much better player. Although I have lots of high end gear now, I just bought a used Cort GT 110 for $110 and it's an absolute RIPPER. Lol.

I've been struggling with this as well. I'm a novice guitar player. I played for a year 20 years ago, and picked it back up about 1.3 years ago, but playing daily. I know I'm not giving up, so I just bought a Friedman Twin sister and Small Box to reward myself for my hard work. I feel silly struggling to play Zeppelin riffs on such expensive gear, but tbh the new toys make me want to play even more. If it's in your budget and you know you're not giving up on the hobby, I say go for it, or else stick with budget gear.

channel's growing my man, stoked for you!

Am a beginner guitar player and I always love these discussions. My first guitar was a Harley Benton Tele clone and I liked it but I got it because it was the cheapest Harley Benton available at $69 excluding shipping. I did notice some of the downfalls of the guitar so it taught me how to properly set up my guitar with truss rod adjustments and adjusting saddle height so my strings are a lot lower. My second and newest guitar I bought last week, a used Squier Affinity from Guitar Center at $140 including shipping. I love this guitar, even though it's a Squier it feels more premium than the HB since the frets are smooth at the end. I was also able to lower the string height even further without any buzz. I am proud of this guitar even if it doesn't break the $200 budget, I still worked hard to afford it. I'm also proud of the amp I have. I bought a $100 Yamaha bass amp, the B30 and I get a lot more use out of that compared to when I was using my computer as an amp sim. As long as the gear doesn't turn off people from the hobby, it's still good enough gear

100% all of what you've said. I never understand why people need to feel like they have the "best". It comes across as them projecting their insecurities, and being a jerk to others as a result. Ty for the positivity!

People are 💩. I recently saw a post in my Facebook feed for a Gibson guitar group - was a specific post gushing about an original DG-335. I couldn’t believe the crap questions you had to respond to join the group so you could just get in on the discussion. The level of detail and snobbery, not to mention proving you had a good enough Gibson (I can’t even afford an Epiphone) just to get into that group - I just walked away like wtf. I’m here for all the right reasons. Learning to play, enjoying music, making new friends, etc. I’ve met tons of great people along the way, but I wish those gatekeepers would spend more of their time and money helping people get some inexpensive gear if they can’t afford it rather than showing off and trolling. I don’t really know why those people are interested in guitars other than to show off and be asswipes. Like do something positive, right?

I am glad to hear you speak out. People tend to forget that we all started playing music for fun and it should always be fun.

Thanks for this video, it really means a lot and shows a lot of maturity. I for a long time thought that i needed better gear to be happier, and more inspired but it's so not true! Amongst some of my 'nice gear', I have some really old and battered Ibanez tone lok pedals. Ive had them for over 20 years and im so happy with them! In addition, i think guitar players sometimes get caught up with gear too much and forget to actually play!

Would love to see more positive videos like this from all musician content creators

Got my Peavey Bandit 112 as my first "real" amp at 16 years old. I still have it, I still use it somewhat regularly...sometimes with my Gibson Les Paul Custom. Always play what you like (in feel and sound) and you can afford. Forget the rest. I love my JCM900 SL-X. A lot of people hate 900s. I don't let it bug me at all.

Thank you for your honesty! You´re a good person and it´s always nice to watch your videos. Greetings from Germany!

Kyle Thank you for sharing that perspective and really means a lot, you are a great guy very inspiring always. Cheers buddy !

I’ll buy whatever the fkk I want and I’ll advance whenever the fkk I want. I play drums, bass and guitar just well enough to write my own shit.

Exactly man. I started playing really crappy gear but it was what my parents could afford. Being a truck driver, been through a divorce is what sparked guitar again. I am super happy that i am going to be getting a couple Gibsons and a KSR Juno, next year. I definitely am glad i have a Mesa, KSR and omega. Couldn't be happier as it took alot of hard work to get here.

Wow, such a great and informative video. Topics like these are so important in any creative endeavors. Salute!

Couldnt agree more brother. Its music!! Enjoy it, enjoy creating it and lift each other up. Wtg Kyle!

Buy what you want to buy, who cares.

Love this video, the people who still try to do this toxic behavior, usually having never tried the things they pop in to comment on... just giving blanket statements and name dropping their credits/experience as if it improves the validity of their opinion. I'd even go as far as saying creators should feel free to moderate (delete) these kind of toxic comments right out of existence. Otherwise, they just end up dominating the comment feed. Futility.

Amen, brother. Keep doing what you do!

Earned a sub bro. Love your down to earth personality. Keep doing what you're doing bro. I would label myself as an experienced guitarist with 13 years under my belt, and to this day some of my favorite gear to use is budget friendly

Awesome video. Awesome channel. Glad you made this. Glad I hang out here. ⚡😎⚡

I agree with you entirely, Kyle. Glad you’re publicly addressing the “bullying” that occurs with gatekeepers, because that’s exactly what it is, and I HATE bullies. I dig your videos and I’m glad that you are the one who has said what needed to be said, because MAYBE it will help get through to people and change this toxic culture that exists online. I am pretty certain that most of these people who display this kind of behavior wouldn’t do it at all if they weren’t sitting behind a computer and they were actually in front of the person they’re criticizing. Thanks for speaking out and please keep up the good work.👍🏻

I appreciate this video, a lot of valid points! Enjoy what you got, enjoy the process!

Hats of dude. Your channel has become one of my favorite and this is certainly one of the reasons for!

Great video! We all came from somewhere when it comes to gear and we've all obviously found happiness with it because here we are. Sometimes I might share my opinion when asked but I always state it is my opinion and experience because as the old saying goes "different strokes for different folks"

You are now my favorite guitar channel, keep it up, thanks for this video.

Great message Kyle! Kudos to you for bringing this up. People should learn to judge less other people and respect everyone's choices. At the end of the day, the only person that knows what’s good for you is yourself, no one else.

Love your perspective , watch almost every video you send out in the universe, but never comment, but absolutely love this. cheers. Thought I would comment & mention you always do a great tutorial.

I've learned tons of valuable information from your channel and any upcomer or someone just getting into gear could learn a lot from your videos. You are one of the reasons I got into Peavey and I've never been happier. Misery loves company... I love killer deals and cheap hidden treasures.. lol ... Love the videos and keep them coming 🤘🏻😈🤘🏻

Awesome video! I thought playing guitar was about passion and fun and learning as u go. I have sub par gear but I have fun and enjoy playing!

Thanks for the video. It is spot on for me. I lost faith on internet discussions since the advent of social medias. As soon as a thread or a channel become known it gets filled with haters and trolls. So, now, I keep my thought for myself. (normally) Since this video is on that particular subject, I sharing my thoughts. It is not easy to to ban peoples on your channel, but hey, it is YOUR KZfaq channel so do as you wish. I will never complain. The only way I would, would be to do it on my own channel which is the most unknown one ;-) I got cheap gear, but maybe too much anyway. I'm a power chord player. So not a real guitar player. But, playing guitar for me is satisfying. It gets my feeling and emotions stream out of my body. I started a few years ago (I'm 58) and I just don't understand why I nerver started before... You are fun to watch and your channel is a happy one. Keep up.

This is the first video on your channel I've seen, but i really like you attitude. I'll come back to watch some of your other videos as well.

Hey man. I’m a new listener to your site guitar player for 30 yrs. Just wanted to say love what you’re doing keep it going. Good job bro.

My guitar rig for Home is pretty simple. -$500 les Paul epiphone - 15 yr old peavey vypr 15($100) combo( sounds killer with headphones on but very mid with speaker) - drop tune digitech pedal with beefy bottoms and slinky top strings in E standard - Virtual Jeff, digital whammy bar All this stuff is very very budget friendly and allows me to get just about any decent tone or affects I want and I’m able to use my favorite type of guitar with a whammy bar without having any tuning issues and I can drop tune my guitar without having to do really anything. Total gear cost with some accessories comes out to about $1500

Hey man I don't usually watch your videos but I respect you a lot for this. Thanks for sharing - inspiration and positivity. 🤘🤘🤘

Thank you so much for making this video. I've worked hard for literally every piece of gear I have, and I have some pretty decent gear. I still have my first real guitar and amp, a Squier Strat I bought at the local music store for $100 and a Fender Mustang 1 I bought from the same store for $200, and I don't use the amp for anyrhing more than a speaker, but I still pull out thay Strat from time to time, and it always feels like when I first bought it and it blew my 12 year old mind. Yes, I do have far better guitars now, but there is always something special about your first real piece of gear, and that spark is what keeps me from ever getting rid of them. I have also been able to gift some of my gear to people less fortunate, and that's because I'll do anything to keep people playing and enjoying the hobby. We are all just trying to enjoy this hobby, and life for that matter. Why make it harder for everyone else?

I appreciate your honesty, Kyle, I'm a new subscriber and enjoy your content a lot.

Thank you for sharing this video. You are spot on - just play, enjoy the experience of playing, and forget the haters.

Love your content Kyle, this video was refreshing. I hate gatekeepers. I'm a tone chaser, I've spent years going through gear, but I love building up low end gear to great looking and sounding gear. I've got a Stagg L320 gothic Les Paul body that I've full upgraded and custom painted, and other guitarists at stores or friends houses have crapped on my guitar because it's a Stagg, until they hear it. It's a emg 81/85 loaded, monster sounding drop B tuned, gold on pearl black metallic with a gold Punisher skull painted on the body. I'm running that through a MKII EHX MIG 50 head, to a custom line 6 4x12 cab loaded with 2xDV-77s and 2xCelestion Hot100, and I love it.

You gained a sub, my man. I appreciate your story and totally agree with you about the gatekeepers. Play whatever makes you happy, don't worry about snobbery and the comments about "not being worthy" to play something... it's just dumb. 7:32 is something I can relate. I was really fine with my tone using a cheap Roland Cube 15 and a $20 or $25 dollar distortion pedal I bought back in 2009.

Excellent video. Thanks for making it.

I started playing guitar around the same time in 2003. I remember this was pre-KZfaq and still very early internet where even finding out the brand of guitar your favorite guitar player played was challenging as a new player. Dan Donegan from Disturbed and Wayne Static from Static-X being my two biggest at the time. I still have my Epiphone Gothic Explorer from 2003 (that Wayne inspired me to purchase) and it's been with me for 95% of my musician journey. My first real amplifier was a Marshall VS100 and only years later after selling it did I realize that amp was used on Wisconsin Death Trip, etc. An amp I plan on buying again in the future because I really did love that amp. To the point of this video, I do remember in my earlier years being a bit judgmental of seeing what to me were "beginner guitar players" owning something like an expensive Gibson Les Paul Custom in the mid 2000s. The mentality of "your skills don't line up with your gear" which is silly. If you can afford expensive gear, cool. Regardless of skill level. In the end, gear can help but it doesn't entirely determine your ability to write music, get the "best tone", etc. Play what you love and let people do the same. Also, if I can ever help somebody save some time from making the same mistakes I did as a musician, I will. No question is a dumb question. As you said, not everybody has the same set of knowledge. That's why we have questions.

Well said Kyle! Love your channel man 🤘🏼

Thanks for this. You’re a good dude. We need more of this kind of positivity!

Amen. I just picked a Cort G100 $199 new. Got mine new used for $150. It hangs with my USA Tele as far as playing experience goes. I'm subscribed. Thanks.

Outstanding video, bud! I always enjoy your videos, but especially this one for a completely different reason. Had to be said, and you said it very well!

One good thing about the times we live in is it’s so much easier to buy budget gear that’s much higher quality than it use to be. I started playing 35 years ago and was lucky enough to save up money to buy an Ibanez RG340 and a Peavey Backstage 50 and had a couple good friends that lent me pedals to use but that is all I was able to afford until 10 years later. I’m grateful that I had to play with minimal gear because it made me focus on my playing and also made me appreciate when I finally was able to get better gear. Thanks for caring about people & discussing this subject and for being such an awesome guy! 🤘🤘🤘

Brought down to earth, brother!!! I commend you for this video!!! I have two primary rigs I play... An ibanez rg450 (500 dollars) into a spark amp (250 dollars). The other is a 1997 jackson Kelly (700 in 98) into an mx5 headrush (400 dollars in '23) through presonus 5 monitors (200 in '23) and I love my tones!!! I have a beastly Crate g1500 red letter and a 4x12 5150 cab (300 in '97) that sounds great to me live with a tube screamer (100 in '23). I have my wish list but I have already realized I don't need it.... well, I do need the jackson death angel guitar... but I am sure it will sound great on my budget rigs!!!

I bought a nice guitar and it motivated me to practice more thus improving faster. Bought nice tube amp. Now I do not need new gear since my nice gear is life time. Bought custom Jackson two years after learning and high end amp, Worth it!

Kyle! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 💯 I feel you provide a great service to the guitar community. Giving us an inside look at gear that many of us will never have, gear that we're looking to buy, gear that we're curious about or even gear we never knew existed. 😄 It's pretty incredible really. Your opinion and thoughts on gear is really valuable also. You don't need to be a virtuoso to create great music or enjoy playing guitar and gear. Thanks for the great content! 👍 Ulises G. P.S. Your profile really deserves a cartoon character depiction. 😄

I feel very lucky to say i was one of the few who was able to learn on a legitimate good guitar to learn on. My first guitar was an Esteban electric guitar that was bought off of QVC or some some channel. Had an amazing E shaped headstock, flat les paul body with 3 noisy single coils. It was blacked out and super glossy thanks to its super thick poly finish that gave the guitar a plasticky nasally quality. And the amp it cane with, oh man it went from clean to “i think my amp is broken” with any slight adjustment to the gain knob, sounded VICIOUS!

Kyle you are a talented and humble guy who tells it like it is which is why your channel is fantastic! My first guitar was an ESP E-II Eclipse which I still own and love as much as my custom guitars.

Great vid Kyle, I was wondering about that too. Ever noticed that a lot of those people have trouble being genuinely happy for someone else's success?

This is awesome!! Thank you!

Great video! Observed the same in a lot of different forums that’s why I don‘t frequent them anymore.

I own a Peavy 6505 mini! Love it! And I suck at guitar, but I enjoy what I'm doing. Love your channel.

Kyle, you're a real one... Honestly, it's so nice to hear someone speaking sincerely and constructively for a change! Great video, great advice.

Keep preachin’ the word, brother. All about the that gear journey!

Well said, all of it. I have only recently just started watching your vids. It was all dead on the money, all of it! So good in fact I liked and subscribed.

great video dude, keep up the good work🙂