I've been playing guitar (and other stringed && fretted instruments) for around 23 years (including a music major in college).
I don't think old guitars are inherently better, and I have gotten my hands on some rather amazing pieces (1914 Gibson Loar F5, 1959 Les Paul, 1955 Telecaster, etc) and they were really fun. I've also played some guitars that people like collecting that were absolute garbage instruments, including a 1966 Gibson 330 that was just horrid.
But here's the weird thing that I do not understand, the hallmark of a great guitar to me isn't the sound, it's the "songs stored in it". Yea, that's some hippie-woo-bullshit, but almost every guitar I pick up that I like has me instantly playing something that I've never played before in my life. Some guitars, despite being technically excellent, just don't have them in there. Other guitars, if I pick them up in the studio I've suddenly written some really interesting pieces.
This probably actually just comes down to comfort, feedback loop response of sound, weight, small details, etc. I don't think there's any memory to an instrument that stores these; but at the same time, I can go through a wall of guitars and pick out my favorite ones this way. There is only a slight correlation to price/age on these.
I was in a music store six months ago buying strings for my old squire electric. I was planning on actually sitting down and learning guitar -finally- after years of procrastination. As I approached the register I saw an old Danelectro convertible from 1966 hanging by the counter. Now I hadn't really any chops at all, I could bang on G C F progressions but not much else. But when I picked up that guitar I immediately played a beautiful country twanging melody and I was able to ride it into a nice satisfying ending. The guy behind the desk was surprised and starting asking me if I played in any bands / made musician small talk. I didn't know what to say, but I bought that guitar and have been playing on it so much since. Before that, I had been unable to concentrate and maintain a practice regimen past two weeks.
A poor craftsman might blame his tools, but the best tools do have history and lineage to them.
I like how you act as though I don't know what a good melody sounds like. I've been playing piano for years, just never was good with guitar. Also linking to post-season 12 simpsons? ew
Hi there fellow picker, I'm in about the same range of time with a guitar in my hands. Extensive bouts of hours upon hours in the woodshed. Bought & sold my fair share of different types. Just love playing more than anything.
I'm actually second generation and my Dad worked in a music shop & as a guitar teacher back in the 65-70 period of time. He routinely commented to me that some instruments were just horrible quality to deal with. Low tech and low standards of production. He could understand the "rarity" or "scarcity" value (though hated the inflated prices non-playing collectors did to guitars) but told me time and again that better construction techniques of today are worth appreciating.
And, honest to goodness, I've got a similar voodoo-like relationship regarding one particular guitar of his. It's a 1981 Fender Strat Elite, an un-loved high-end thing he picked up and just kept around. It's got this weird triangular 'V' cut to the neck, a hard ebony fretboard, and when the garbage floating trem is locked down, it plays like nothing else. I've written more riffs, ideas, and can do so again and again without fail every time I touch it. The strangest thing, and while I don't care to put a technical description on why it's magic (I do like the Washburn Dime Custom Shop necks, which also had a pronounced 'V'), I can't deny there's just something to the relationship. Cool to see it's not just me.
Regarding "songs stored in it", I've also found that certain guitars, as well as certain amp / head / mic combos inspire certain styles. For instance, I was fiddling around a few months ago and somehow managed to replicate very closely the sound that Neil Young used for a lot of the Dead Man soundtrack (I was messing around with a Gibson LP Junior, Marshall JTM45 re-issue amp, Marshall MX112 cab, Rode NT3 off-axis mic). This inspired me to improvise for hours around the main theme from Dead Man.
Strangely, I then moved to my favorite acoustic (Maton 1973 CW80) and discovered that it loves being played in the same style! I'd never assumed that a piece that relies so heavily on dissonant electric reverb would translate so well to a clean acoustic sound. I now tend to improvise on my Maton in a completely different style as I've discovered that it has a whole new family of "songs stored in it"!
Regarding price/age to quality, one of my most played guitars is actually a cheap nylon Martinez (around $150) that I bought so I could take it camping etc. and not worry about it being broken or stolen. It's got a great sound, and is incredibly playable.
One of my pet theories is that the 'vintage era' guitars were mostly made with old growth timber. These days, unless you're dealing with extremely specialist woods (like ash that's sat under a swamp for centuries), that's just not the case.
Funnily enough, that has come up in the history of replicating the Stradivarius. One theory I remember was that there was a mold or fungus in the wood he used that trees don't have anymore.
That's a good story. Personally I always figured Slash could play an Epi as well as a Gibson. But my modest abilities probably need a more expensive guitar as a talisman. This is good news for the makers of expensive guitars.
I don't think old guitars are inherently better, and I have gotten my hands on some rather amazing pieces (1914 Gibson Loar F5, 1959 Les Paul, 1955 Telecaster, etc) and they were really fun. I've also played some guitars that people like collecting that were absolute garbage instruments, including a 1966 Gibson 330 that was just horrid.
But here's the weird thing that I do not understand, the hallmark of a great guitar to me isn't the sound, it's the "songs stored in it". Yea, that's some hippie-woo-bullshit, but almost every guitar I pick up that I like has me instantly playing something that I've never played before in my life. Some guitars, despite being technically excellent, just don't have them in there. Other guitars, if I pick them up in the studio I've suddenly written some really interesting pieces.
This probably actually just comes down to comfort, feedback loop response of sound, weight, small details, etc. I don't think there's any memory to an instrument that stores these; but at the same time, I can go through a wall of guitars and pick out my favorite ones this way. There is only a slight correlation to price/age on these.