Hear Me Out: Buying The Right Guitar Gear Can Help Fix Our Screwed Up Country

The reality of capitalism is that we all effectively vote for how we want our world to work using our money.

We’ve all had conversations about how much money we spend on pedals, amps, instruments, or other musical tools. Usually, the conversations have some sort of negative connotation, questioning if another piece of gear is really worth the (increasing) dollar value. Overall, I get it, I think we spend way too much money on guitar gear. Myself included. But there’s at least some silver lining to it or at least I will do my best to convince you of that in this article.

While I’m not an economics major or financial expert, I do have plenty of friends who are! Relying on a mix of my guitar gear knowledge and discussions where they offered up their financial know-how, I hope to showcase how supporting smaller business, independently owned builders, and local brands can help effect positive change on so many different aspects of present day American culture.

Let’s Set The Stage – Everyone Wants America Great Again

Our so called president has run all 3 of his campaigns on the back of “Make America Great Again”. While there are so many ways to interpret what that actually means, the fact of the matter is that some of the allure is rooted in the economy of the US past. Sure, there’s also a ton of racism, fascism, bigotry, etc…I’m not downplaying that. But my opinion is that one of the reasons this has such a far reach into moderate voting ranks is the call back to when the working class had money to spend, and a better quality of life!

What does that really mean though? Well I was born in 1996, so my understanding of historical US economies comes solely from history books, AP US History class, and media (movies, books, and shows). But even look at the example in Stranger Things, where a shiny new Mall is opened in Hawkins, shuttering Main Street and local business in place of the new chain stores and big brands under one roof. The US economy appeared to be better, at least for the average citizen, when there were more small business, locally owned and operated businesses, and less of a monopoly on markets from the C-suite.

Now Here’s Where Guitars Come In

If the recent Fender news cycle has taught me anything, it is that corporate greed is unfortunately unavoidable no matter what business you are in. And while I truly believe Fender’s behavior is wrong, you can sort of understand how a capitalistic system would reward and encourage these actions, even at the cost of great PR. Executives like Bud Cole really have only one job; make more money to keep shareholders happy. That’s it. His job is not to make great guitars. It’s not to be a cool guy, or even a moral guy. That sucks, and more importantly, that is why so many folks from my generation are down on capitalism, myself included.

Guitar is supposed to be a place where we care a little bit more about “vibes”. It’s a creative art, tied so closely to music and the originality, lawlessness, and freedom of expression that comes with the territory. All almost mutually exclusive with the concept of rewarding shareholders over the greater good. That’s where the ways in which you spend your money can make a difference. In many ways, we vote with our money in a capitalistic society (didn’t I already say this?).

When you choose to spend your hard earned money on local or independently built guitar gear, you can do a lot of good for the economy, which in turn, can do a lot of good for getting our country back to a good place. Tough economic conditions have been identified as causing a whole slew of issues, from crime to erosion in quality of life. Fixing the economy is no small task, and requires re-ordering, re-shuffling, and a whole lot of political power that a few guitar players cannot provide. But in the spirit of doing our part, shifting more of our gear spending from major corporations to small businesses can make a meaningful impact in the lives of musicians, creatives, and folks who share our cultural and musical interests.

This is a big part of why I have written articles highlighting musicians and punks who went on to begin gear companies. Buying a guitar, a pedal, or even a cool accessory like a guitar strap is one action item we can all take to support our shared music community. Empowering folks to become self-employed and build a business in their local town is not only the embodiment of the “American Dream” but it is one thing we can all do to effect change. We don’t want more low paying, limited ceiling jobs working for publicly traded companies, we want more equitable pathways to financial stability and personal freedom. In a roundabout way, buying a guitar pedal from a smaller business is one of many ways to make that happen.