I have been asked many variations of the basic question “Why do you need (have) so many guitars?”, most recently by a sneering 10 year old visiting my home, if I recall correctly on the insidious extension of “playdate” termed “sleepover” which meant she had some expectation of being catered to like the prized and coddled thoroughbred she believes herself to be, and to be fed pancakes, whipped cream and strawberries after keeping me up half the night on a candy-fueled bender. Sometimes this is accompanied by a corollary of blinding insight, “You can only play one at a time, ya know, eh?”. I thought of a lame reply once (“Why do you have so many pairs of pants?? You can only wear one pair at a time, ya know, eh??”) but it feels flat and weak; far better to return with stony silence and a look of incredulity (the old, “How very, very sad for you, that you have to ask such a ridiculous question” look) or the indefensible “Because I DO”. However, deep self analysis suggests the real reasons are far more complex, and can be grouped into the general categories of Pathological and Non-Pathological. Pathological reasons for the needless acquisition and maintenance of expensive objects will be discussed in future posts.
Thankfully, I have never been much for the hero-emulation that appears to drive the guitar market to a great extent – to have a ’59 Les Paul like Jimmy Page, a Strat/ES335/SG like Eric Clapton, Epi Casino like John Lennon. Gibson and Fender have gone to unbelievable extremes in catering to this market, apparently composed of lawyers, doctors, and other non-music professionals with money to burn by making painstakingly detailed reproductions of instruments associated with a particular player, eg the Andy Summers Telecaster, Rory Gallagher Strat, at astronomical cost. The same element has driven specific models of vintage Fender/Gibson instruments out of reach for the average consumer. My real interest lies in “sleeper” models, high-value niches in the current model portfolios, though this does not address the present subject of “Why”. The “need” for the specific qualities of an instrument as defined by sound, playability, etc are the practical considerations, and beyond the scope of the current post. Aesthetically however…..they represent a high art of form fused with function, in some cases a brilliant synthesis of utility with economy as mass demand and industrialization influenced design and manufacturing (Leo Fender). In some cases, a manifestation of ingenuity, skill and painstaking craftsmanship, (Lloyd Loar and beyond, the Golden era of Gibson instrument design). In short, they are beautiful and I love them.
Case in point – my recent applied comprehensive search for a Les Paul (sparked by encounters with the lovely black LP Custom owned by buddy DC) led me to not one but two instruments, a fabulous late ‘90s Westerley RI Guild “Bluesbird”, and a Gibson Custom Shop ES-137, formerly owned by Rich Fortus (Guns n’ Roses/Thin Lizzy). Not once did I consider an SG. I acted as an enabler in the recent acquisition of an all black 2010 Standard by nephew G however (I drove him to the music store), and the seed thereby planted grew to a hesitant nagging: what was I thinking? Is this not the best possible compromise – roughly half the cost of a new LP Standard, lightweight, versatile, high resale value and with a legacy of history as long as almost any electric guitar model in existence? The way I look at the iconic models is not through identification with the players who used them as much as the psychological aspect – these are the tools used to make the music of history. There is no excuse. You do not need anything else. With an SG, I am on a level playing field with Angus Young and any of the great multitude who have picked one up, like Thom Yorke in the Radiohead “Live at Astoria” DVD, hitting the first chords of “Prove Yourself”.
In this case, there was a zero-cost way of testing my hypothesis, prevail upon G’s kindness and generosity and borrow it – just get it out of my system, and move on. Alas, it is one of the coolest things ever, light as a feather, falling somewhere between LP and Stratocaster but not either. It is beautiful and I love it…..Oh well. At least I can delude myself partly by asserting that SOMEONE needs to act as a custodian of these things for future generations, right?
Thankfully, I have never been much for the hero-emulation that appears to drive the guitar market to a great extent – to have a ’59 Les Paul like Jimmy Page, a Strat/ES335/SG like Eric Clapton, Epi Casino like John Lennon. Gibson and Fender have gone to unbelievable extremes in catering to this market, apparently composed of lawyers, doctors, and other non-music professionals with money to burn by making painstakingly detailed reproductions of instruments associated with a particular player, eg the Andy Summers Telecaster, Rory Gallagher Strat, at astronomical cost. The same element has driven specific models of vintage Fender/Gibson instruments out of reach for the average consumer. My real interest lies in “sleeper” models, high-value niches in the current model portfolios, though this does not address the present subject of “Why”. The “need” for the specific qualities of an instrument as defined by sound, playability, etc are the practical considerations, and beyond the scope of the current post. Aesthetically however…..they represent a high art of form fused with function, in some cases a brilliant synthesis of utility with economy as mass demand and industrialization influenced design and manufacturing (Leo Fender). In some cases, a manifestation of ingenuity, skill and painstaking craftsmanship, (Lloyd Loar and beyond, the Golden era of Gibson instrument design). In short, they are beautiful and I love them.
Case in point – my recent applied comprehensive search for a Les Paul (sparked by encounters with the lovely black LP Custom owned by buddy DC) led me to not one but two instruments, a fabulous late ‘90s Westerley RI Guild “Bluesbird”, and a Gibson Custom Shop ES-137, formerly owned by Rich Fortus (Guns n’ Roses/Thin Lizzy). Not once did I consider an SG. I acted as an enabler in the recent acquisition of an all black 2010 Standard by nephew G however (I drove him to the music store), and the seed thereby planted grew to a hesitant nagging: what was I thinking? Is this not the best possible compromise – roughly half the cost of a new LP Standard, lightweight, versatile, high resale value and with a legacy of history as long as almost any electric guitar model in existence? The way I look at the iconic models is not through identification with the players who used them as much as the psychological aspect – these are the tools used to make the music of history. There is no excuse. You do not need anything else. With an SG, I am on a level playing field with Angus Young and any of the great multitude who have picked one up, like Thom Yorke in the Radiohead “Live at Astoria” DVD, hitting the first chords of “Prove Yourself”.
In this case, there was a zero-cost way of testing my hypothesis, prevail upon G’s kindness and generosity and borrow it – just get it out of my system, and move on. Alas, it is one of the coolest things ever, light as a feather, falling somewhere between LP and Stratocaster but not either. It is beautiful and I love it…..Oh well. At least I can delude myself partly by asserting that SOMEONE needs to act as a custodian of these things for future generations, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment