Great ideas that never caught on

[Superlizard]

As far as old vs. newfangled, hey let's be honest here - some old things are classic, timeless and work perfectly; they don't need to be "improved".

Like the wheel. 

Or fire.

Or the tone of a vintage Marshall tube circuit.   :icon_thumright:

 

[ildar]

If you like that sound. Lots of people do, lots of people don't.
I find a lot of amps to be one tone wonders. Think about it, most tube amps sound like crap until you crank them, then you're sort of stuck with that sound. Like a Marshall, for instance. Sounds great cranked, but that's what it sounds like...a Marshall.
If Hendrix used a solid state amp and a Teisco Del Rey, think anyone would give a shiteee about Marshalls and Strats?
The wheel hasn't been improved? You driving around on chiseled rocks? Fire is an element, by the way. Man didn't invent that one.

 

[blimpo]

My beloved Strat Elite. :sad1:

 

[Vol. Knob]

Great ideas that never caught on?  I can think of a couple of bands I was in that were geat ideas, but we couldnt get anyones attention!!!!


but seriously folks...
It might be too early to say, but the Fender Jazzmaster Amp.  Its a small solid state amp, but its lightweight and loud.  I played through one once and it sounded fantastic.  Not just for Jazz players.  But best for clean tones. 

 

[Wyliee]

E-Bow.

ok, maybe it was not such a great idea after alll...

Got one.  Use it to taste and you can add quite a bit to a song.  I get lots of requests for it in church.

 

[Superlizard]

I find a lot of amps to be one tone wonders.

Nothing wrong with that.  I'd rather have one amp that excels at one thing, than one that does multiple tones half-assed (which seems to be the style nowadays).

And of course if you need a different tone, just use a different amp.

Think about it, most tube amps sound like crap until you crank them, then you're sort of stuck with that sound. Like a Marshall, for instance. Sounds great cranked, but that's what it sounds like...a Marshall.

The old plexi-type Marshall circuit (there are variants) certainly does not sound like crap until you crank it... you get the sweetest tube clean tone, to bluesy dirt, to rock crunch... all with the twist of the volume knob... on your guitar.  If you need higher gain, just stomp on your pedal of choice.

If Hendrix used a solid state amp and a Teisco Del Rey, think anyone would give a shiteeeeeee about Marshalls and Strats?

I really don't give a shiteeeeeee about Hendrix as is.  I like a few songs by him, but I'm not a big fan.  And I certainly don't do the Marshall
thang just cuz Hendrix did it, or for anyone else for that matter... I do it cuz that's the tone I dig.

The wheel hasn't been improved? You driving around on chiseled rocks? Fire is an element, by the way. Man didn't invent that one.

I wasn't necessarily talking about inventions, but that certain things which exist simply cannot be improved upon.  I also wasn't being entirely serious either; seeing as someone mentioned "stone age" (wheel, fire).   :icon_biggrin:

The circle (a la wheel) cannot be improved.  You can't, for example, make it into an octagon and hope that it will make things better.

Man didn't invent fire, but he discovered it.  Can one improve fire?  No.

 

[dbw]

E-Bow.

ok, maybe it was not such a great idea after alll...

Got one.  Use it to taste and you can add quite a bit to a song.  I get lots of requests for it in church.

Forgive me, I'm Jewish so I'm not familiar with the protocol here... do people stand up in church and shout, "Play one with the eBow, Eric?"  Or what?  :icon_scratch:

 

[tfcreative]

E-Bow.

ok, maybe it was not such a great idea after alll...

Got one.  Use it to taste and you can add quite a bit to a song.  I get lots of requests for it in church.

Forgive me, I'm Jewish so I'm not familiar with the protocol here... do people stand up in church and shout, "Play one with the eBow, Eric?"  Or what?   :icon_scratch:

I also use mine at church a lot. Requests don't come in the middle of the service (at my church), but I use it to fill places where you might hear strings or it otherwise sounds cool, and people tend to comment afterwards. They ask what it is, say they like it, etc. My band director specifically requests it when I play.

 

[Wyliee]

E-Bow.

ok, maybe it was not such a great idea after alll...

Got one.  Use it to taste and you can add quite a bit to a song.  I get lots of requests for it in church.

Forgive me, I'm Jewish so I'm not familiar with the protocol here... do people stand up in church and shout, "Play one with the eBow, Eric?"  Or what?   :icon_scratch:

Uh, no....  As mentioned requests comes from the band leader.  Mostly background or melody lines that strings or keys might play.  Honestly, if I'm doing it right, the congregation will never notice what I'm doing.  The focus should not be on me at all. :icon_thumright:

 

[riverbluff]

SS amps are like a stepping stone into the real amp world, good for a beginner but once your serious you just kinda move on from them, thats what i did anyway

No offense, but that's the kind of snobbish attitude that keeps certain things from catching on. Too often a "real amp"=the $$$ that was spent. There are plenty of crappy tube amps out there that pale to some ss amps, but hey, JIMI didn't use ss amps...makes me ill.

Yep I agree.  Another interesting place where this kind of thing happens is with certain large displacement american made motorcycles.  Still in the stone age, but their customers won't let them change.  :icon_scratch:

Got to disagree on the motorcycle thing.  Some of the technology going into these bikes is pretty darn good.  For example, the new anti lock brake system is one of the best on the market.  HD's fuel injection system is also considered to be one of the best.  Lets not confuss  retro styling with non progression in technology.  Just because it doen't advance every year doesn't mean that it doesn't advance.  The advancement should met the demand of the customer.  They must be doing something right if they are still around after 105 years plus posting steady growth since 1986.  Are they the best motorcycle on the market... From some stand points yes, but from others no.  The same can be said for any motorcycle on the market.  I've been riding for 28 years and owned many differnt brand name motorcycles.  I have never really owned a bad bike, just different kinds of bikes.  As a motorcycle instructor I have had the oppertunity to ride about every brand/style of bike.  Sure, I perfer one brand over another but I definetly don't bash the other brands.

V/R
Bill

 

[mullyman]

The Fender Starcaster. Not exactly the prettiest thing out there but it was a decent sounding guitar.

MULLY

 

[exalted]

Did you see the double-F hole VIP's Warmoth's bringing out?

It's going to be a Starcaster revival!

Though it's kind of sickening (okay, REALLY sickening) to see what Fender's done with the Starcaster name...just go to any Costco/Walmart...ugh.

 

[mayfly]

The Fender Starcaster. Not exactly the prettiest thing out there but it was a decent sounding guitar.

I still want one of these though.  and theVIP does not quite cover it - I want the big body!

 

[blimpo]

How 'bout one of these? Advertised as the amp to end all discussions.

A combo of Gibson and Moog. I bought one and still have it. Not the best sounding thing, but built like granite.
I'd hate to say how many miles it has covered.

From what I hear, it is in demand today by steel guitar players and blues players that want a totally clean sound.

 

[mayfly]

Hi Hear that this is all that BB King uses.

 

[blimpo]

Hi Hear that this is all that BB King uses.

I've read that too.

 

[rounce55]

Well I know something that is NOT going to catch on- Gibson's Robot guitars. They are a great idea but take away from it being a guitar.

 

[tfcreative]

Yeah, the Robot is one step away from a key-tar. If that was going to catch, it would have already done it.

 

[Volitions Advocate]

the robot guitar is a great idea.  except that its already been done before: www.transperformance.com and its been around for years.

thing is its a niche market. not everybody plays in alt. tunings.  I would hope not everybody wanted one.

 

[rounce55]

It is a good idea, especially that the pickups are built to play anything. That isn't a bad idea at all. I even think the whole tuning itself thing is cool, it just takes away from the guitar-ness of it.