Quote Originally Posted by Lionheart
That's not to say it can't be played well, just that it is exhausting to extract sound from it, and if you have to practice even 30 minutes a day on a poor instrument, believe me, your starting student will lose all their love for that instrument in no time at all.
Very true - I'm very particular about instrument setup, exactly how strings are changed, how everything is set up from the instrument all the way to the connection it gets to the PA system. It's easier for me to play like me, sound like me, and have any dexterity left after three hours if I do this. A crappy instrument (at least in the world of guitar or bass) can usually be set up fairly well in the hands of a good tech (not necessarily the first one you come across) but there's a difference both in playibility and tone with a better instrument. Good tone is inspiring in itself - I can easily relate to that.

Same is true with cameras. Ever seen someone shooting with a really dirty UV filter in front of their lens? You're not going to get the best results that way, obviously. Lightweight tripod on a windy day with the center column up all the way? Same deal. We learn tricks, like how to clean lenses (and when not to use UV filters ) and like keeping the center column down and weighing the tripod a bit with your camera bag to increase stability. Same gear + more technical know-how usually = better results. I also agree that (extreme example) a pinhole isn't going to do a great job for a wildlife photographer - but equipment shouldn't be the first thing that's questioned.