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[HCFMR Studios]

JonnyM: I'm thinking of setting the 2000 Natural 335 free, and holding onto the Tobacco 1967 335 'PRO'. Whay am I bid?* :

[bluehero]

Sorry Jonny, the '63 Strat is my musical soul mate(they really are that good) followed closely by my '63 ES-355 and newly acquired '60 Telecaster Custom.

A small confession is in order on the GAS to GRS advice. Jonny is correct that GAS is known to be incurable and the GRS is merely a delaying action. I myself haved GRSed myself into a corner, in addition to the above mentioned the rest of my herd includes a beautful gold '57 Fender Custom shop strat, a Martin OM-28V, a 1965 Fender Super Reverb, a 1968 Deluxe Reverb, and a 1966 Princeton Reverb.

So the next time I get the shakes passing a Music store, exactyl what am I supposed to trade in to maintain commitment to the GRS path?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluehero Sorry Jonny, the '63 Strat is my musical soul mate(they really are that good) followed closely by my '63 ES-355 and newly acquired '60 Telecaster Custom.* A small confession is in order on the GAS to GRS advice. Jonny is correct that GAS is known to be incurable and the GRS is merely a delaying action.* *I myself haved GRSed myself into a corner, in addition to the above mentioned the rest of my herd includes a beautful gold '57 Fender Custom shop strat, a Martin OM-28V, a 1965 Fender Super Reverb, a 1968 Deluxe Reverb, and a 1966 Princeton Reverb.* * So the next time I get the shakes passing a Music store, exactyl what am I supposed to trade in to maintain commitment to the GRS path?*

Guys, kindly forgive the incautious questioning of a musical Luddite.

But as I understand the continuing series of guitar posts, it appears that electric guitar technology screeched to a halt about the same time as Jimi Hendrix.

Why is that? With all the technological advances in electronics, acoustic analysis, and materials sciences over the last 35 years, why are the old guitars deemed better than anything new?

[bluehero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords But as I understand the continuing series of guitar posts, it appears that electric guitar technology screeched to a halt about the same time as Jimi Hendrix. Why is that? With all the technological advances in electronics, acoustic analysis, and materials sciences over the last 35 years, why are the old guitars deemed better than anything new?

To keep this as short as possible the big differences are materials and construction methods. Not all old guitars are great, and not all new guitars are poor. In fact there has been a resurgence in the luthiers art and there are some very fine instruments being built today.

In the '50s and '60s there was ample supply of the very best woods, there was plenty of time for the woods to be properly cured and prepared for manufacture, they were produced in small volume by skilled craftspersons who knew their art. Magnets and wire for pickups were hand selected and hand wound giving each pickup it's own "magic" no two sounded exactly the same.
Also as wood and manetic pickups ages their tonal characteristics matures. As they mature the wood begins to "breathe" and resonates more and instrument comes to life.

In the late 60's big corporations purchased most of the original guitar manuafctuers and changed to cheaper materials and introduced their productivity enhancements and increased production dramatically. That turned the luthiers art into a mass production commodity. This plunged guitars into the dark ages of the '70s and 80's where very few great guitars were built.

A resurgence began to occur in the 1990's when most manufacturers freed themselves from the bondage of MegaCorp(not enough profit in it). The creation of the Fender and Gibson Custom Shops and many smaller Boutique guitarmakers have revived the luthiers art and many outstanding instruments are being built today. As good as the new guitars are, they will still be better intstruments in 20 years as the wood matures.

Building great guitars is more art than science.

[JonnyM]

I would add there is a strong nostalgia factor involved as well. As the Baby Boomers aged and came into money, they tended to go for the fantasy of their youth, much like American Muscle Cars go for amazing prices now compared to new in the 60s and 70s. The value of that 63 Strat today, based on it's limited numbers and high desireability to people like us would equate to multiple new Custom Shop level Axes of extremely high quality.

You can't dimiss the wow factor of an old guitar that has potentially many stories to tell. And there are "unfortunately" some who collect just to collect and don't really even play them. So Sad, but some get put on the wall as contemp art! That said, on the other side of the coin, now is a true golden age for new guitars, playable, great sounding instruments in all price ranges. For comparison: My pride and joy is a 1955 Les Paul Jr (built same year as myself), in it's day the student model, and when I purchased it many years ago for $230 just an old used guitar. It is now worth many times that figure, far more than inflation would cover, and it is a great guitar, fun to play with lots of history, and just way-cool. Personally I would never pay NOW what it is worth to collectors. I recently purchased an SG Jr from the same Gibson company for about $500. Similar pickup and lightweight design, it satisfied my GAS, giving me a fun, playable, great sounding guitar for not much relative money. It will likely never be collectible or go up in value in my lifetime, yet I got great bang for the buck.

Go into the Acoustic relm and you see the same thing. DW and I attend the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, a gathering of all the finest luthiers in the world. There were amazing highest quality hand-made instruments from $2k and up that would rival a Vintage Martin, but try and buy that old Martin today! Big Bucks, some would say made of unaffordium.

[dumpster56]

Guitars, my love, too bad I play awful, never have spent the time really practicing and playing with others, too ashamed at how bad I really am. My one real goal when I quit my crummy job up here in NJ and move down south is to play and get some lessons and PRACTICE!

By the way my sister has an old Gibson that is in mint condition from the 60s, Boy can she play.

[HCFMR Studios]

NewGuy:

I'm originally from NJ. Been in TX for 24 yrs now. The music is better (here in Austin, anyway) but the heat and rampant right-wingery is a little tough to take.

Give my regards to the Garden State.

[JonnyM]

Well I fell of the wagon. Yesterday, in a small shop in Livermore CA, DW, known to my bandmates as the IGBW (Incredible Guitar Buying Wife) stated that I hadn't received my ER guitar gift yet. OK, who am I to argue.

It's rocks! Through my Budda Twinmaster, it just Cooks! 8)

[bluehero]

Sweet axe! I think I am feeling some intestinal rumbling starting........

When I get a GAS attack, I sometimes rationalize it because the purchase is tax deductible because of the recording studio business. However, this has some seiously flawed financial logic. It's kind of like my wife when she tell's me she saved $50 buy buying the dress on sale. I have yet to convince her that she has in fact saved nothing, but has actually spent $100.

[HFWR]

Toys...