Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

[Bludave]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

1945 to 1970 would be what I would consider to be the Golden era of Guitarmaking. D'Angelico developed great archtops in that era, Jimmy D'Aquisto followed in his footsteps. In 1949 Leo Fender invented the first solid body electric(Broadcaster), In 1952 Les Paul put out by Gibson, in 1954 the Sratocaster was invented. , in 1957 Seth Lover developed the Humbucker pickup. Now arguably some of these inventions have been "improved" upon, but you can't deny the fact that look at the accomplishments that were made from 19 45 through 1965. In a brief 20 years we changed the world of music....

 

[stringbender11]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

I should have added I dont think ALL older cheap guitars were awful, but I think the vast majority were. I owned a few of them. I'm also not dismissing the great designs that came out during the early years of electric guitar making. But to me 'golden age' means literally almost anyone can now have a decent guitar for very little money.

For instance I own an Epiphone SG jr & also an Epi LP jr as well, & they are just great guitars. Not a sharp fret end on either one of them, no gaps in assembly, very nicely finished neck and fretboard, decent sounding pickups. I bought them used quite cheaply but new I think they sold for around $120 each, and I replaced many of the parts but that was mostly cosmetic. They were playable as is when I got them. I've owned (recent) american Strats as well and while they were nicely made guitars, its not necessary to spend that much money to get something nice. That's a great thing, because it allows all of us to have nice gear.

I also wanted to mention that while it's true that many of the iconic designs in guitars were made before the 60's, you really cant compare those to current guitars. The main reason being that guitarists tend to be very conservative in how they want guitars to look. That's why models like Strats & Les Pauls look almost identical decade after decade, with only a few minor changes. Guitarists very often seem to want 'vintage' looks & sound. - you see it in pickups, guitars, amps, etc. Manufacturers are just making what sells, what people gravitate to.
This may be a result of the aging US population, but whatever the reason, innovation is not embraced generally in the guitarist community.

So to sum it up, I think of these as golden years due to lots of inexpensive but decent gear, as well as very nice stuff if you want to spend the extra money and want soemthing really fine in quality. Basically there's something for everyone.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

Yeah we are the "golden age". The MAIN reason being consistency. Like people are saying cheaper guitars are getting better, and innovation is still happening at the top while tradition reigns supreme. Back in the 50s and 60s some AMAZING guitars came out, BUT they were inconsistent. 2 models of the same guitar could sound worlds apart. Now 2 of the same guitars sound almost identical, granted no 2 guitars sound the same. And in addition to that we have taken the best the past has to offer and pulled it out to the light and made them in consistent production. All the new technology coming out has has really helped musicians own and create their tone.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

I have mixed feelings on the whole "golden age" thing. While cheap guitars are better on average and much more consistent than they used to be, I don't know if today's "good stuff" is particularly better on the whole. Sure we have CNCs and UV curing laquer but the classic woods such as Honduran mahogany and Brazilian rosewood are becoming unobtainable. I also fear that we select materials based on visual properties (e.g., super quilted maple) rather than sonic ones.

Then there's the value-priced stuff. Throw in the amount of pot metal hardware <blech!> and wood with the sonic characteristics of styrofoam and the cheap stuff might play well but is too often sonically unsatisfying to my ear. I think the tonal flexibility of today's amps & FX might make it easier to accept the sonic limitations of the guitars.

Overall, I think I'd rather say we're in a golden age of guitar manufacturing than a golden age of guitars. Luthiers and assemblers have tools and technology that make it easier to consistently build a useful instrument but I can't help but wonder if our choice/selection of natural materials limits the upside.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

I think it is time to start re-inventing the wheel though. Even with the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Nothing is actually broken per se, but we are running out of certain woods that have been used for years due to picky and wasteful players.

There is the internet myth (not referring to you aleclee, you just reminded me about the whole tone woods thing) that honduran mahogany and brazilian rosewood are better than say african mahogany and bolivian rosewood. That is absolute crap because wood WILL vary: one piece of honduran mahogany will not be the same as another piece of honduran mahogany. The difference won't be huge or noticeable in some cases, but the whole "superior tonewoods argument" is crap. There is no way to say an entire alec lee is better than another.

Guitar makers need to use more oak, more pine, more redwood, etc. Even if pine and redwood are soft, they could easily be used for bodies and look/sound great while being resourceful and inexpensive. Same with oak. Absolutely a beautiful wood that is cheap, durable, and will sound good. Hey even high grade plywood would work. It would be incredibly stable, and if done correctly can look and sound very nice.

 

[stringbender11]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

Totally agree with this^

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

Same with oak. Absolutely a beautiful wood that is cheap, durable, and will sound good.

That's a good idea! Oak is a fairly heavy wood, is it not?

 

[david kornblatt]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

Finally some one got it right squier is spelled S Q U I E R not squire as in esquire like telecaster!! That being said with this topic the old cheap stufff like a 69 mustang is way cooler and better made than a 999 Kurt cobain Mustang. We are simply living in different times than 10 20 or thirty years ago. Maybe the instruments are better but the innovation in music has dried up. I don't care what anyone says but in my opinion Donna summer, public enemy and Abba and Madonna do not deserve to be in rock and roll hall of fame. They don't rock they dont roll they might be great but just inappropriate for rock. so to illustrate all we have now is what artists call retrieval, which means all our instruments and music we make is recycled and old hat. Who cares if you own a 100% 1959 les Paul reissue you will end up sounding like Beck Page Clapton Santana Kossoff or Peter Green while those guys are in a quandary over which house in which gated community they really want!

 

[aleclee]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

There is the internet myth (not referring to you aleclee, you just reminded me about the whole tone woods thing) that honduran mahogany and brazilian rosewood are better than say african mahogany and bolivian rosewood. That is absolute crap because wood WILL vary: one piece of honduran mahogany will not be the same as another piece of honduran mahogany. The difference won't be huge or noticeable in some cases, but the whole "superior tonewoods argument" is crap.

Strawman argument. Just because there's a particular piece of poplar out there that someone might prefer to a particular piece of alder doesn't mean that alder isn't a preferable material for guitar building. That said, I dunno if the magic in Honduran mahogany was that it's Honduran or that it's more an old growth timber. Brazilian rosewood might not sound particularly different when used in a fretboard but it sure feels different.

Even so, your point about alternate woods is reasonable. I think the biggest issue is that sustainable woods are probably not as good for musical instruments since they tend to be fast-growth species (affecting density and resonance) or harvested younger which translates to smaller pieces and more glue. Not to say that those are deal breakers in building a good guitar but there are definitely tradeoffs being made.

There is no way to say an entire alec lee is better than another.

Sure there is. I'm pretty sure I'm better than any other alec lee out there.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

Oak is not only heavy but really, really, bright. It's like a bad piece real heavy ash.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

There is a reason that tonewoods like mahogany and rosewood are called tonewoods, and oak is used to build barns.....

 

[stringbender11]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

'Tone woods' are way overrated, imo. Many people here seem to think that back when electrics were first made manufacturers searched out the best sounding, highest quality wood they could get, which simply isn't true. Assembly line guitars haven always been made out of the most inexpensive (ie cheapest) woods available that were thought to do the job. Over the years certain woods have grown scarce or expensive so manufacturers have had to find replacements. It doesn't mean the replacements are inferior to the original, they're just different.

The tone wood myth has been busted many times as guitars have now been made out of every conceivable material - steel, aluminum, concrete, plywood, fiberglass, and many different types of wood, often with very good results. Workmanship is the most important aspect of guitar building, imo. And thanks to today's technology that important aspect is very good.

 

[erksin]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

Perhaps in manufacturing and overall quality (thank the baby Jebus for CNC machines), but wood quality and selection is nowhere near what it once was.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

I don't buy it that Leo used ash and Gibson used mahogony simply because they were the cheapist.

Mahogony has to be imported. Gibson started building solid bodies after establishing a long tradition of building acoustic instruments. Mahogony's tonal properties were certainly well known to Gibson.

Likewise, Leo was importing light weight ash or swamp ash to So Cal. Swamp ash, black ash, and the like was long established in American luthiery particulary in the south and in apalachia.

I think Fender's switch to Alder in 1957 had more to do with alder being much eaiser to finish than ash, than alder simply being cheaper to obtain. You can bet, though, if alder significantly altered the tone in a bad way or resulted in 12 lb strats it would not have happened. Some Fender historians have alluded to inconsistencies in the supply of ash, with perhaps too much heavy ash coming in as being part of the switch. This still points to the tonal properties of the wood being the primary consideration.

 

[DankStar]

Re: Are we in a Golden Era of guitar making?

What say you, OP?