GAS Alert!!!!

Cagey said:
hannaugh said:
Super Turbo Jack Ace Deluxe Custom said:
Kind of like if Gibson made a Strat posthumously for Hendrix.  Oh wait, they did!   :icon_jokercolor:
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Oh yeah, that was the one that got made fun of so much that they erased it from their website a day after announcing it. 
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Gibson's marketing weenies aren't the brightest pennies in the fountain. The only thing they've ever done right is make sure by hook or by crook (also known as bribes and contracts) that contemporary guitar heroes had Gibson guitars in their paws whenever and wherever possible, particularly if they were going to be filmed or photographed. Not that Fender is without sin in that regard, but it's clear that some of the other makers either didn't take that scheme close enough to heart, or couldn't outspend the budgets the elephants in the room had available.
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This could be said of any of the manufacturers.  Among the 80s Metal scene, who didn't play a B.C. Rich?  They were everywhere.  Name a band, and there was a B.C. Rich to be found; Poison, Guns N Roses, Death, Megadeth, Morbid Angel, W.A.S.P, Slayer, etc., and if it wasn't B.C. Rich, it was Jackson or Kramer.

Nowadays, B.C. Rich is endorsed by a bunch of nobodies, save for Kerry King (Slayer).  Everyone have gravitated elsewhere.  Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) has gone from B.C. Rich, to Jackson, to ESP, and now to Dean.  He's just one example that's "jumped ship," and to think that back in the 80s, as kids (for me, anyway...), we thought these guys played these guitars because they were good, and because these musicians liked them.

Today, ESP seems to be the new "Metal guitar of choice."  They're endorsing all the latest/greatest bands, and even some of the older bands/musicians such as Slayer, Sepultura, Lynch Mob, Def Tones, Bon Jovi, etc.  It's abundantly clear that whatever brand of guitars these musicians actually prefer, their personal preferences are more than likely taking a back seat to their paychecks from endorsing a particular product.
 
well Torment, you make money where you can, and endorsements are a huge area to make money off of. Funny thing is, ever notice that in every guitar collection is a few Strats? I mean I love Teles, but own 2 strats. Why? well they are just good guitars. I also owned a few Warlocks in the day, never liked to play them but they looked cool.
What kids play is not usually the best, it is  a decision made from 2 factors, Style of the time and cost. I notice more and more the guys who can afford whatever they want play PRS guitars and for some reason, Teles and Strats. What gives with that, the AM Strat, a 1000 dollar guitar, is the worlds most sought after guitar. I give up
 
Teletuby said:
well Torment, you make money where you can, and endorsements are a huge area to make money off of. Funny thing is, ever notice that in every guitar collection is a few Strats? I mean I love Teles, but own 2 strats. Why? well they are just good guitars. I also owned a few Warlocks in the day, never liked to play them but they looked cool.
What kids play is not usually the best, it is  a decision made from 2 factors, Style of the time and cost. I notice more and more the guys who can afford whatever they want play PRS guitars and for some reason, Teles and Strats. What gives with that, the AM Strat, a 1000 dollar guitar, is the worlds most sought after guitar. I give up
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I don't wanna discredit Fender, as I think they make fantastic guitars.  I mean, I own 3 of them (Fender, Squier, Jackson), and I have no complaints about any of them, but I think a lot of older players play Strats and Teles not only because they're good guitars, but because they're "mature" designs.  Younger players don't want to be associated with Strats and Teles, they want to be associated with crazy, radical looking guitars, hence B.C. Rich.

I've played Warlocks, Warbeasts, Zombies, etc., and they really dig into the leg.  They're not comfortable to play while sitting.  Cool?  Sure, but just not comfortable.

I don't want to make any valid claim to this statement, but I'm pretty certain I'm the biggest fan of pointy guitars on the forum, and given that I've never been shy about flashing photos of my "collection," I'm pretty sure everyone knows me as the guy with all the pointy guitars.  :icon_biggrin:

Well, it's not only the way they look that I like, but they are incredibly comfortable for me to play.  They seem to balance wonderfully, save for my very top-heavy B.C. Rich Mockingbird.  That guitar seems to be okay for sitting down with, but it's a nightmare to stand up and play.  Honestly, I'd put it through a wood chipper if I didn't have the sentimental value for it that I do.  It was my first "real" guitar.  I've had it since I was 15.  Dave Mustaine played a B.C. Rich, so I figured they were good.  :dontknow:  Hey, I was 15, okay?  :eek:ccasion14:

I'm really turned on to the "X" shaped and "Star" shaped guitars.  They seem to just fit my body right, and as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, they just balance very well for me.  I'm comfortable playing while standing, sitting, or anything in between.  I think it's because of where the "cut" is in the tops of the center of the body, that they just seem to be the right height or something to make my picking comfortable.  I also seem to really like the placement of the knobs and switches, because they do not get in my way, save for on that B.C. Rich Mockingbird...

Then, there's the image.  I love Heavy Metal, and when I'm playing, I like to look and feel "Metal."  The type of guitar I'm playing determines the type of playing I usually do.  While I love my Tele, you won't find me playing Slayer covers on it, just like on one of my pointy guitars, you won't find me trying to play the Blues.

I love Strats and Teles, and to say they don't make good Metal guitars would be an understatement, because there are a lot of Metal guys who play them; Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen, Devin Townsend, Jim Root, John 5, Motorhead, Armored Saint (did...), and others.  All of these guys sound(ed)phenomenal with their Fenders, but they just don't carry that same aggressive "attitude" as the pointy guitars.

Just as a cliff note, there are those pointy guitars I do NOT like, like ANYTHING Dean makes.  I've played everything from a $300 Dean to a $4000 USA Dean, and they do absolutely nothing for me.  I've hated every single one I've played.

These days, I'm totally gassing for a variety of guitars, and yes, most of them are pointy, except the Dave Murray Signature Strat I've been dying for...probably for the past year.
 
My guitar tech deals in old guitars and he seeks out the old hair metal designs, seems the guys with them are willing to get some money for them and the kids today love them.
I kinda thought he was nuts till I saw him showing a old Mockingbird to this kid and the guy was begging his father to buy it for him, He also sat down with it and did a great job of MR SCAREY, which I thought was kewl. His father was in there picking up his new LP. Seems he was having all the hardware replaced as the stuff that came on it was cheap.
Yea, the kids love their pointy guitars, but that is kind of always the case, it is like a lot of stuff kids do.
At Coachella Music and Art Festival this year I noticed a big shift toward semi and fully hollow body guitars on stage, I found that fascinating as they are not cheap guitars. I noticed the biggest brand in expensive guitars is now PRS, the Telecaster was prominent also, seems it's popularity grows more each year in the last few years, Of course the metal bands want the SG and LP look but the main stage bands do seem to be trending toward older designs. And Vox seems to be moving on up more each year, I saw so many AC30s at this years festival I was blown away.
Trend however come and go, what is surprising is the staying power of the classic designs.
Strats and Teles
SGs and LPS
ESs and Country Gentlemen
Jazz Basses
The PRS Shape
These are designs that are always prevalent at any large gathering Most of those designs date well over 50 years, Seems the design is one that works.
OH, the only Dean I have ever liked was the USA Cadillac, great guitar but not one to play while lounging on the couch
I wonder, with all the regulations our government seems to enact to pry into our private lives what kind of guitar we will see in 50 years that is ERGONOMICALLY APPROVED by congress for us to play and not get injured?
 
I think it has a lot to do with what type of music you're playing and which era of music you associate with the most.  I'm a child of the 80s, but my ex-hippie mom brought me up on CCR, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Allman Bros., and Arlo Guthrie.  My uncle and my grandparents got me into jazz at an early age.  That's where my musical education began, and at this point, I still listen to a lot of blues, folk, jazz, and 50s-60s throw back stuff.  I listen to electronic stuff and some weird experimental msuic sometimes, but that retro sound is my bread and butter.  There is nothing about all those pointy heavy metal guitars that appeals to me because they were made for making music that I am not into, and they look the part.  The guitar I wanted the most all my guitar-playing life was a Les Paul.  I warmed up to Strats more after I got my LP.  Now I want a Tele.  I just like that classic stuff, and I know there are a lot of younger musicians who have the same influences as I do and are just not into the pointy stuff because of it. 
 
Teletuby said:
My guitar tech deals in old guitars and he seeks out the old hair metal designs, seems the guys with them are willing to get some money for them and the kids today love them.
I kinda thought he was nuts till I saw him showing a old Mockingbird to this kid and the guy was begging his father to buy it for him, He also sat down with it and did a great job of MR SCAREY, which I thought was kewl. His father was in there picking up his new LP. Seems he was having all the hardware replaced as the stuff that came on it was cheap.
Yea, the kids love their pointy guitars, but that is kind of always the case, it is like a lot of stuff kids do.
At Coachella Music and Art Festival this year I noticed a big shift toward semi and fully hollow body guitars on stage, I found that fascinating as they are not cheap guitars. I noticed the biggest brand in expensive guitars is now PRS, the Telecaster was prominent also, seems it's popularity grows more each year in the last few years, Of course the metal bands want the SG and LP look but the main stage bands do seem to be trending toward older designs. And Vox seems to be moving on up more each year, I saw so many AC30s at this years festival I was blown away.
Trend however come and go, what is surprising is the staying power of the classic designs.
Strats and Teles
SGs and LPS
ESs and Country Gentlemen
Jazz Basses
The PRS Shape
These are designs that are always prevalent at any large gathering Most of those designs date well over 50 years, Seems the design is one that works.
OH, the only Dean I have ever liked was the USA Cadillac, great guitar but not one to play while lounging on the couch
I wonder, with all the regulations our government seems to enact to pry into our private lives what kind of guitar we will see in 50 years that is ERGONOMICALLY APPROVED by congress for us to play and not get injured?
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I've found that a lot of today's Heavy Metal fans are actually starting to turn towards the classics, and away from this new garbage.  I can't tell you how many kids I've seen recently on YouTube and other video sites trying to play Mr. Scary, classic Metallica, Iron Maiden, etc.  It just goes to show that maybe not all kids are willing to eat the crap music that's thrown at them these days....
 
When I see a hollow body I immediately think of Brian Setzer if it's a Gretsch and BB King or Freddie King if it is a Gibson.  I think Jack White may have turned some people onto Gretsch, but I don't neccessarily think he is responsible for turning people on to hollow bodies in general.  I think just about anybody who is really into blues in general likes hollow bodies on some level, and there are a lot of people my age who are into blues. 
 
Billie Joe's brother likes em'
 

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