Ok, I know, who doesn't know that. I think the point is (and jumping off from Doug's point about patience) that all the great gear means nothing if you don't know what to do with it or if you have the auditory skills to get it to sound good.
To be honest, as much as I love guitar, I nearly love to process of recording/mixing/mastering as much. It really is the hidden art in music. Learning how to mix within frequencies, the way to record a guitar, stacking different tracks and all that stuff.
It isn't just getting a drum beat and playing over it and hoping it sounds good but all the tricks that make the sound deep and wide that really make it come home.
A person could spend easily under a thousand bucks and with a little but of work, get really good results.
I guess my point is that, get the best stuff you can afford to get and then maximize that by really learning what to do. Spend time reading up on techniques for recording/mixing/mastering. Watch videos and all that.
Good luck and have fun doing it.
