ilovefuzz.com

dubkitty wrote:from my perspective as the Old Guy, the marketplace has been pretty homogenized since the late 1980s, when the Eddie Van Halen style of shred guitar came to popularity and the Roland MIDI guitar and Steinberger died a death. ever since then there were generally three options: Fender or Fender-esque, Gibson (by which i really mean Les Pauls) or Gibson-esque, and shredder (which came to include the weirder Gibson shapes like the V and Explorer). i actually think that there are more options now than there were for many years, what with the aluminum-neck makers, FMIC's revitalization of Gretsch and now Guild, the reissuing of rare Epiuphones like the mini-humbucker Wilshire, and the various odd small-builder guitars at reasonable prices e.g. DiPinto.

i don't disagree with the intent of the OP, but try to remember that the A7/Opeth/Mustaine/Kirk/Petrucci/etc. market, as someone said above, essentially subsidizes the interesting parts of the major manufacturer's lines and gives e.g. FMIC the economic space to take the flyer they're current on with the new Guild electrics. people have always followed fashion...look at the number of UK/Continental guitarists in the early 70s who played white Strats in emulation of Hendrix' last tour. it's deliberately driven by the signature models thing now, which i also dislike personally...i wouldn't play a Peter Green LP copy. but i don't mind a sunburst LP, you know? the thing i think is particularly weird is the Paul Gilbert flanger...what's the point of a flanger button that's essentially one guy's party trick?

monkeydancer wrote:I don't mind the sig guitar thing in theory, there are good ones (EC Jazzmaster, some of the squiers are way cool like the j mascis), but when it's just silly when there are loads of 'signature' instruments that are actually pretty much just a strat/shredder guitar. I wouldn't get a sig instrument because of whose it was, but because it was actually a good instrument, and so if they aren't that different from the standard model, or from each other, what's the point?

It doesn't make me angry or anything because like people have pointed out the market seems to be more full of good cheap instruments than ever, and that's priority #1 in my eyes, especially for kids getting into the guitar. These things existing doesn't stop cool stuff from being around, they're different markets.


I still think those shreddy/djent music and guitars are super dumb though. Ew.

Mudfuzz wrote:

monkeydancer wrote:I don't mind the sig guitar thing in theory, there are good ones (EC Jazzmaster, some of the squiers are way cool like the j mascis), but when it's just silly when there are loads of 'signature' instruments that are actually pretty much just a strat/shredder guitar. I wouldn't get a sig instrument because of whose it was, but because it was actually a good instrument, and so if they aren't that different from the standard model, or from each other, what's the point?

It doesn't make me angry or anything because like people have pointed out the market seems to be more full of good cheap instruments than ever, and that's priority #1 in my eyes, especially for kids getting into the guitar. These things existing doesn't stop cool stuff from being around, they're different markets.


I still think those shreddy/djent music and guitars are super dumb though. Ew.

It's all about point of view I guess.. to me the J Mascis is just as silly as the metalz guitars. It's one thing if it is a instrument that isn't a variant of a "normal" model like the Ibanez 8 strings or something but Jazzmasters have been around since the 50's... I see no difference between the Mascis and a Slash Epi LP...

Doctor X wrote:i confess that i had to look up what 'djent' is .....