A "BRILLIANT" THEORY

I think this idea is FALSE.

"Most everyone seems interested in the hardware SLASH uses - what guitars does he have, what strings does he use, and what about picks and amps and effects? Just to show you that you don't have to have a $3,000 guitar to get started, SLASH started out with a one string acoustic. His first electric was a copy of a Gibson Explorer. Later guitars included a Memphis Les Paul copy, a B.C. Rich Mockingbird, a B.C. Rich Warlock, a Fender Stratocaster, a Jackson Firebird copy and a Charvel. Sadly, almost all of these early SLASH guitars were sold to support his former drug habit."

That quote is from this great Slash fan site

http://www.snakepit.org/equip.html

Clearly now he's rich and famous Slash can afford top flight guitars, but he didn't get known in the LA music scene with an expensive Les Paul. Then he was using regular instruments like most other jobbing guitarists. Notice alot of those early instruments were copies or makes that are now much derided like Charvel.

No, the guitar doesn't make the sound.  BUT, and it's a really big BUT, my playing (and my motivation to play) was tremendously enhanced by getting my hands on a decent instrument; one that felt "right", that played easily and sounded good.  Part of that expensive guitar mystique might be that since the quality is higher, it's that much more likely that one will fit you properly.  I'm guessing, of course, YMMV.

Eddie Van Halen's early "Frankenstrat" is a junker by today's standards...wouldn't know it with him playing it....

I believe we all agree that the ex-drug user has sustained more damage than he is aware of: "I PRACTICE 2 (TWO) HOURS A WEEK".
That quote gives it away right there, he's really out of touch. I practice  7 x 2 hours a week -just for fun. Just because I commute to work a total of two hours a week doesn't make me a racecar driver either.

On the subject of high priced guitars: It's all relative to how much you earn, and if you are a company endorser, you don't have to worry about the price of your guitar anyway. In my humble opinion, anything above $2,000 better be a killer instrument. I honestly can't see how a $10,000 guitar is actually five times as good. No way.
The prices of vintage guitars are in my eyes obscene. This has nothing to do with music, or the art of building instruments, but everything with greed and the hype of the entertainment industry. Granted, a luthier who builds exquisite works of art that sound heavenly, he/she needs to get compensated and can ask whatever price the market supports.

Just last week, I saw the bluesman Hubert Sumlin interviewed on TV: now, he is one of the grandfathers of the blues who has played with Muddy Waters for many years. To my astonishment he was holding an Epiphone Sheraton on his lap -not exactly an outrageously expensive instrument. Hats off to Hubert! Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llg0dym34vc. I don't care what Slash plays, and if it costs 100,000 rubels. The sad recovering drug user who was quoted, found something to get excited about; hopefully a Marshall stack and an expensive LP will make him happy.

Play on!

gitaardocphil,

I didn't see the price on this beauty?

When I see all the inlays and fancy crap it really turns me off. I tend to be a minimalist.

But, strip all the excessive crap off of this guitar, and it would be something I would normally be interested in. I see words like "Martin", "solid top" and "Mahogany" and I think "quality".  Without reading the reviews, I would consider buying a less adorned version of this.