Well I don't know about that, I think it can depend a lot on the setup. I don't think that there is anybody alive who could play long legato (hammeron/pulloff) runs on a gibson es175 through a clean polytone amp. However, playing an ibanez jem through a marshall, it becomes much easier. While obviously there is a lot of skill involved, you also will do much better if you are using light strings, low action, some compression, and a lot of overdrive.