Guitar Snobs

[Sb39]

I try to be more of a friendly educator at my age, especially when I get guitar questions from those that might have less experience in whatever area.  And much like guitarists who play better than I do, I have nothing but respect for those whose experience and knowledge far exceeds my own.

I don't ever wish to sound like a snob, but people who think they know s*** about s*** really irk me.

Boyfriend/baby daddy of my wife's BFF comes in for a brief minute to say hi when he's picking up the BFF.

He plays a little guitar, so he admires my wall of hanging 6 strings.

"Whoa, what's that?" he asks buzzing around my brand new just recently finished Warmoth LP. 

He was loving the hell out of it, and I was loving the hell out of the attention it was getting.  I was about to encourage him to take it down if he wanted to hold it...

...and then he got to the fact that the neck was bolted on (it didn't help that my 1979 Gibson Les Paul Artist was hanging right next to it for comparison).  I quietly shook my head behind him, because I knew where it was going the second he brought it up.  Oh, he was polite about the whole thing, but his ending statement, "...you should consider gluing the neck on, it'll be perfe--" 

Me *thinking*:  "--oh HELL no, you didn't."

At that point you can't even bother explaining quality of materials and workmanship in the parts.  Because people in this mindset just don't let go of the 'set neck = superior instrument' mentality. 

He probably won't be invited back in my home at any later date.    He's kind of a d**** anyway, but for non guitar related reasons.

 

[Updown]

He was loving the hell out of it, and I was loving the hell out of the attention it was getting. 
I was about to encourage him to take it down if he wanted to hold it...

:doh:  Don't encourage the ****head  :icon_biggrin:

You need some of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-Warning-Signs-your-Electric-Acoustic-Bass-Guitar-Amp-danger-label-/110908901730?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item19d2af8962#ht_1707wt_1173
for when, and if he ever comes back again  :icon_thumright:

 

[Perry Combover]

Feeling your pain...

Last year I was showing a picture of a my Flying V to a friend at work when the local village idiot looked over my shoulder and proclaimed "Nice Hondo dude." 

We all know at least one.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It can go both ways.  I shouldn't get caught up in brand names, and know that wood, good hardware, good pickups, and the amp and the player don't care what is written on the headstock, but I still walk past LTDs, Squiers, Epiphones to get to ESPs, Fenders, and Gibsons.

I still cringe when a guitar playing coworker asks about my "Warwick." Warwick does make instruments, fine ones at that, but mine are Warmothes.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Where is that post about how the vintage Marshall fabric is responsible for all of the superior tone?  I have friends that like to go on about this and that.  Two can annoy me to no end.  One believes that buying from a brand name, and the more expensive models, equals quality.  Especially with regards to effect pedals and stuff like that.  I just don't bother talking to him when he gets started on that front.  Impossible to reason with at that point.  So I let him take his Triple Recto and deafen others.  The other likes to argue, and will ask how to do things, and then say, nah I'm going to do it this other way.  I'll ask why?  He'll say because he read it on a forum.  Arrrrgh!  Why ask me at all then?  Two weeks later, he will say, yeah you were right.  Arrrrrgh.  But I suppose that everyone has somebody around that presses those buttons.
Patrick

 

[Sb39]

Where is that post about how the vintage Marshall fabric is responsible for all of the superior tone?

LMAO.  I've actually never heard of that one, but it's also not surprising.

There's a guy on youtube who is part of the inspiration for me building a Warmoth LP instead of paying the extra $1000-$2000 premium for a Gibson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o67k4gWZIbw&feature=plcp

 

[Patrick from Davis]

It was an eBay listing, and absolutely one of the best pieces of fiction ever produced in the last 75 years.  Should have be nominated for awards, really, it was marvelous.
Patrick

 

[Sb39]

I own a Marshall cabinet with that vintage Marshall fabric (early to mid 70s era, the gray/black weave)...they actually sound like absolute crap when hooked up to a modern amp like my JMP-1.  That's why I find it so funny.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Yep, people are ignorant.  Although I have nothing against a set-neck LP, it will never be as good as a bolt-on neck utilizing properly installed threaded inserts.

 

[Dan025]

meh, some people insist bolt on necks have better tone because they have no glue (which presumably has poor acoustic properties) and you cant just glue on a bolt on neck, well i guess you could, but a set neck is designed to be set, there is more going on than two flat surfaces and some glue in many cases, and it's not all that structurally sound. who wants an instrument that you have to worry about dropping becaus the neck or headstock might just fall off !!!

and isn't it martin that is making necks out of (gasp) plywood? and bolting necks on, taylor also bolts on all their necks. set neck guitars are nice pieces of craftmanship for sure but it has little reflection of tone or practicality. i guess it all depends on how you define quality.

 

[Sb39]

Dan O...didn't know that about Martin, that's interesting.

The neck of my LP is laminated rosewood with maple streamers.  Only the headstock is a solid piece.  It's sturdy and sounds wonderful.

 

[Dan025]

i jokingly called it plywood, it's multi layer laminate i guess.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2767911-Martin-DCXE...talk-about-a-laminated-neck!

 

[bagman67]

Here's what Martin's doing on its lower-end guitars:

That's a far cry from a three-piece laminate with veneer stringers like you have on that LP, Sb39.

 

[Dan025]

and ya know what... those martins sound fantastic.

 

[Sb39]

Bagman 67...that Martin neck looks sturdy as h*ll.  I'm sure it sounds great as well.

 

[DangerousR6]

I wouldn't even let the turdhead in my house anymore.... :doh:

 

[lucky13]

Wanna hear something appalling I read a Gibson Ad just recently where Gibson is bragging about how they are now helping the environment due to supposed premium wood shortages and are now developing a Fretboard process where they use more than one very thin layer of laminate and glue it to another very thin layer of laminate with the grains running different directions to ..."GET THIS".... create a new kind of environmentally friendly fretboard that is supposedly "cutting edge" in the industry for building their Neck Fretboards, and they say it like they have brought in a great improvement, when what they are really doing is trying to justify charging $4000 bucks for a substandard ax with just the basic upgrades.

So much for buying the Named Guitars meaning quality...feel free to share that with the next Brand name snob or the Glue In Neck snob.

The day Warmoth starts glueing together multiple pieces of laminate for fret boards will be the day I quit building guitars, but Im thinking that kind of so called industry standard will be the end of a whole bunch of Named guitars.....

Gibson can Kiss My AR**  to set a standard like that and try to pass it off like its a great new evolution in building makes me disgusted and sick, I will never believe in their Name again with sales strategies like that.

Im a Name snob now and its called Warmoth build it myself Real Wood Custom guitars......its so funny you cant sell a superior sounding or looking ax you build yourself for diddly but these ax hacks will spend all day long to buy the name on the head stock.....

To all the Glue in, Neck thru, Name Brand Snobs..... you make me laugh.....rookie.

 

[Sb39]

Ironically they've already replaced the ebony on the Les Paul Custom's fingerboard with something called Richlite.  I've read about what it is, and I won't pay a premium for that material to be put on a fingerboard.  The Custom is the second most expensive general production Les Paul, behind the Supreme.  I don't know how true it is, but I've already heard horror stories that it sounds awful.

Like I said, they're not in the business of selling guitars anymore.  They're in the business of selling overpriced guitar shaped wall ornaments.  Collectors have played their part too in driving the prices up.  This is why half the freaking LP's Gibson sells are some sort of special edition/artist edition/<insert year here> Anniversary Edition, Custom Shop crap edition, etc.

All my solid body guitars will be Warmoths from here on in.  Except maybe the Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster, I have a weird thing for that guitar.    And even that you can have Warmoth build a better version of. 

 

[bagman67]

I haven't played the laminate Martin necks except on the cheaper formica-bodied guitars, and I haven't liked what I've heard.  But I blame that on the formica-bodied guitar, not the necks.  I'll be sure to check out one of the more mid-priced axes next time I have the chance, and see what happens when the whole guitar body is made of wood.


For what it's worth, my main acoustic is a laminated mahogany Martin (solid sitka spruce top) with a solid mahogany bolt-on neck (a DM, from the first year they were offered) and I cannot emphasize strongly enough how awesome this guitar sounds.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The only problem I've found with Martins and Taylors is that they sound like acoustic guitars.