Great ideas that never caught on

Graffiti62

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654
Hi Guys--

I was at the guitar shop the other night, and in the used section, the shop had a well-loved wine red Les Paul Deluxe. I've always liked the Deluxe due to the mini humbuckers that were installed. Playing it, I learned again why I like these pickups:  the top end is a bit more pronounced than a full-sized pickup, giving it a pinch more of a Fender sound, and also while they don't have that full-coil bottom end, they make up for it with almost an eagerness to crank out, like driving a British sports car--you know it won't top out with double-deuce top speed, but you can throw it in the bends without putting your foot onto the brake.

It made me think though about guitar ideas that didn't make it or didn't become as popular as they could have. I'm wondering if any of you guys have any thoughts on other guitar products/gimmicks/whatever that never caught on or never made as big of a dent as they could have/should have.

Thanks!
 
Solid state amps. There have been some truly great sounding units over the years-Roland JC 120, GK 250, various Peaveys, etc. Guitarists are such slaves to habit that new things don't often catch on. Hell, 30 years later people are still griping about Floyds, for god's sake.
 
http://home.earthlink.net/~minermusic/charliebrown.htm

Gibsons answer to the Piano.

i guess the fact that there aren't that many around make it cool.  I planned on building an electric one some day simply to say that I did.
 
the line 6 Variax is a great idea that never caught on. They really need to make the pickups available separate from the guitars and then I think it would catch on.
 
I use both the Boss Slow Gear and the E Bow extensively in my music.

If you ever listen to the demo/instructional tape that they come with you'll quickly realise how useful and dynamic they really are
 
I always thought the way the trems on the Parker Fly used a counter force behind the block rather than springs infront of it was a neat idea, saves having to route out all that wood. Also the way EMGs just clip in rather than having to be soldered is cool.
 
How about the P90.  Very few own them (myself included atm), including those of us with more than one SC and HB guitar.
 
I use the eBow all the time.

On the acoustic side, I tend to think the short cut capo is under appreciated.
 
ildar said:
Solid state amps. There have been some truly great sounding units over the years-Roland JC 120, GK 250, various Peaveys, etc. Guitarists are such slaves to habit that new things don't often catch on. Hell, 30 years later people are still griping about Floyds, for god's sake.

I don't know if a Jazz Chorus could be listed as 'never caught on' those things are a cornerstone in the studio in my opinion.
 
I remember playing a Hamer with a Sustainiac pickup that was really cool.  I know Fernandes and Jackson still offer them but that one had a 3 way switch that was

1) off
2) on
3) off the wall with crazy extra harmonics

Probably sitting in some dudes closet somewhere...
 
Sustainiac and Sustainer are two different products - apperently the Sustainiac people made the first version for Fernandes before Fernandes started making their own version. I think the Sustainiac can do some more stuff but no longer comes in a single coil-sized package. Or something.
 
dwayneed said:
ildar said:
Solid state amps. There have been some truly great sounding units over the years-Roland JC 120, GK 250, various Peaveys, etc. Guitarists are such slaves to habit that new things don't often catch on. Hell, 30 years later people are still griping about Floyds, for god's sake.

I don't know if a Jazz Chorus could be listed as 'never caught on' those things are a cornerstone in the studio in my opinion.

True, but I was just giving examples of particularly good ss amps. I stand by my assessment that ss amps in general haven't caught on.
 
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
 
what never caught on...


a new kind of piezo-system (not a system with chrystals, but with ultra-mini coils with magnets in bridgesaddles...)
the auto-locking tremolo (press it in, and it's dive only, pull it one part out, and its up and down, but swing the arm to a position which is out of the way, its blocked like a hardtail, same with the dive only mode by the way). it also used ballbearings, though I'd use needlebearings...)

but the assholes at gibson stopped this tremolo from being marketed, because it was a copyright enfringment! jerks. yeah, they own a copyright for this but never did something with it. along with a gazilion other patents.
 
stratplayer1 said:
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.
 
ildar said:
stratplayer1 said:
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:
 
I don't see anything wrong with solid state stuff, but you are right, in a lot of circles they aren't seen as equal.

I had a GK 250 a long time ago.  Cool, but sort of a one (or 2) trick wonder.

....and I had a Randall Century 120...coolest reverb this side of a fender.

....how about a Line 6 flextone?  for the money, a really great amp.  If I was out playing covers I'd still own one.

Granted I have a Boogie now but, not everyone can afford that tipe of stuff.
 
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