You absolutely don't need to spend thousands on mics, pres and AD converters to get good recordings, there's plenty of top quality options that are much more affordable. I'd put money on 95% of the music listening population not being able to tell the difference between a £2k mic and a £500 one in blind tests.
Obviously you'd have to be willing to put an exorbitant amount of time into getting good, but that's another issue.
Obviously you'd have to be willing to put an exorbitant amount of time into getting good, but that's another issue.