| There are more like four segments. Musical toys - things like Guitar Hero. Instant gratification, very limited musical content. Entry-level instruments - cheap-ish, poor quality, fine for beginners, basically disposable because they're (ironically) difficult to play and don't sound great. Prosumer instruments - some minor compromises, not particularly affordable, but not so insanely expensive they're out of the reach of anyone who really wants/needs them. This notch covers a range from good enough to rather fine. High-end professional and collector instruments - no compromise, nicely finished, often insanely overpriced. The good ones can raise production values a notch or two over the prosumer level, but they're utterly wasted on anyone with average talent. The silly ones are just for show and bragging rights. The MI firms love collectors because they'll drop five figures on instruments they can't really play. And they'll do it over and over. Meanwhile name professionals tend to get handed prosumer or sometimes collector instruments for free as part of an endorsement deal or even just on the off-chance the item will appear in a photo. (I used to know a film composer before he moved to Hollywood, and he was always getting offered the latest gear for nothing, even before he was that big a name.) |
I suspect this is one of the reasons for the cited 90% quit rate. If it's something you're not sure you'll have an aptitude for or even like, you're probably not going to invest much in your first guitar. But the result of that is an instrument that's far more difficult to get to make nice sounds. AFAIK, guitar is the worst for this - other instruments at the entry level might not have great sound, but aren't going to be downright hard to play.