I want to preface this with: Gear is NO substitute for skill. That said, I want to share my recent experience. I consider myself a beginner for sure and mostly commute to and from the bus station / cruise around flatish area (small hills, nothing major).

I started longboarding with this pintail that I bought from my local skate shop. I thought it looked cool and hadn't done any research or anything. It worked well enough, and I practiced my pushing/stopping, etc. Shortly after buying the board I started doing research on longboards (I should have done this before buying, this was a mistake!) and realized I should probably get some bushings that were appropriate for my weight. I used the bushings guide on the right hand side and got weight appropriate Venom bushings. Proper bushings made a moderate difference in my ability to turn and maneuver. If you're strapped for cash this is a great way to make a cheap (about $6) improvement.

After a few more weeks I decided that something was still just not quite right. When trying to take hard turns I'd come up on two wheels and just wasn't quite balanced well. I decided I'd get some larger diameter wheels with a larger contact area. After reading I decided to go with Orangatang Stimulus, which also made a huge improvement. I felt it was a bit easier to cruise, I definitely could feel myself gripping the ground better, and I wasn't rolling up on 2 wheels anymore. Getting better wheels made a moderate improvement.

Today I finally decided it was time to get new trucks. After having read about good redditor experiences with Paris trucks (can't find the post anymore), and reading about them I decided to get some Paris 150s. Up until this point I thought I was just a super noob and that I needed to keep practicing to get better (this is still absolutely true), but these trucks made me feel more stable, more comfortable, and allow me to turn on a dime. I attempted some (small) hills that I previously would have walked. I rode longer with less foot fatigue and was even able to get a little pump action going on. ** If you are a beginner with stock [low-end] gear, I can't recommend getting new trucks highly enough!** Again, gear is certainly no substitute for skill, but I thought that I was bad, and now I realize that my gear was limiting my performance. ** New trucks made major improvement.**

TL;DR: Gear is no substitute for skill, but damn does it help!

Edit: Spelling, punctuation.