“When you start with a crappy guitar it gives you a level of appreciation because you started with humble beginnings”: Kenny Wayne Shepherd on why starting out with a budget guitar is the best way to go

Musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd performs onstage during the Jim Irsay Collection Exhibit and Concert at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has been discussing the benefits of beginning one’s guitar-playing journey with an affordable guitar, claiming in the new issue of Total Guitar that starting with a “crappy guitar” is the best way to go.

Despite now owning a huge catalog of boutique and vintage gear – from the only Dumble-modded fuzz pedal in existence, to a huge catalog of Alexander Dumble’s mythical guitar amps – Shepherd’s own early guitar years were actually far more humble.