Sadly, that's not the case when it comes to bad, outdated instruments. I know of one player who is using a keyboard that sounds horrible, yet this guy on an acoustic piano sounds great. His stage digital piano is painful to listen to and IMHO he's hurting his reputation by playing a poor choice in instruments (ironically, he keeps a prized Kurzweil at home to practice on and doesn't want to beat it up by using it on stage). Another friend of mine is stuck in the 80's and is carrying four heavy and outdated keyboards in Anvil flight cases that make his van's rear shocks sag under the weight; and to top it off, he has a heart condition and very often doesn't make his gigs because he's in and out of the hospital so much. More than once this year he had to leave the gig in an ambulance. His bandmates and the club that hires him asked me to try talking him into carrying less gear since he could gig with just two of his boards - he stubbornly refused. I don't expect him to survive '06.

I like Russ' insight, which is also a warning: pro keyboardists have to keep up with technology to remain competitive and employable.