Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

[JohnnyGuitar]

Inspired by the Gibson vs. Fender innovation thread (one more excuse IMO for a Gibson and Fender who's better debate)...
I have a question:

Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative guitar maker in the last 50 years?

:hijacked:

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

woops Gibson*

 

[3th3r]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Here is your answer:

"What's a Steinberger?
It's the most innovative guitar or bass in the world."

Not my opinion. Theirs: http://www.gibson.com/products/steinberger/

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

I'd put Ibanez out there with the best of them. I know they took a lot of existing designs and improved them, like the Floyd Rose trem, the headless guitar, the midi guitar, Vai's Performance Superstrats, etc. But when it comes to being innovative, I don't discount improvements, because in many ways, improvements can become the standard. Look at the Maxxas. It's pretty innovative.

There's always Parker & Steinberger, too. They probably win the award for thinking outside the box, but their plasti-wood designs haven't really caught on mainstream the way the Ibanez innovations have.

Then there's me, but most of my innovations are either in my brain, or in prototypes in my shop gathering dust. So...I guess Ned and Ken still have the edge.

 

[big_black]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

A nod to Travis Bean for his use of aluminum necks that were deep set. The bridge and pickups were attached to the neck, the neck was epoxied to a wooden body. His company folded after only 5 years because of his refusal to compromise build quality to fit price.

 

[GuitarSandwich]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Hamer?
First "Modern Vintage" Boutique company.

First company to use "aftermarket" custom pickups.

First custom shop

First 12 string Bass

First Floyd Rose equipped guitar

First electric acoustic hybrid guitar (Duotone)

First Locking tuners

First low-drag nut material (Lubritrack)

First high-end synth guitar (Phantom A-7)

First guitar equipped with sustainiac

First 36 fret shred guitar

First Quadraphonic bass

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

One might make an argument for Van Halen. His guitar launched the Super Strat craze that Ibanez, Charvel, ESP and others are still riding. But that was not so much an innovation as a melding of guitar styles.

Stienberger has certainly done some radical things that are innovative as well as Parker.

PRS was innovative in a way as Paul melded Fender and Gibson traits. He also came up with the compensated nut long before Buzz Feinten (Spelling?).

 

[Sleeping Martyr]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

I believe it was Gretsch who also came up with a prototype of the electric guitar a little before Les paul or leo fender (ie. the "frying pan" guitar)

 

[therizzla]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Martin Guitars. They've been in the buisness forever and have come up with many innovations.

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

What about Parker

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Line6.

It's hard to see now since modelling is still a pretty new concept, but in 10 - 20 years, we will probably look back on them as major innovators in the guitar world.

 

[Seraphial]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

There's always Parker & Steinberger, too. They probably win the award for thinking outside the box, but their plasti-wood designs haven't really caught on mainstream the way the Ibanez innovations have.

The thing I wonder about is longevity - Parker is one of those designs that has sticking power but Steinberger has kinda fallen by the wayside a bit. Though Ibanez has popularized lots of features, IMHO they didn't innovate them. They just made them more accessible and thus mainstream.

Line6.

It's hard to see now since modelling is still a pretty new concept, but in 10 - 20 years, we will probably look back on them as major innovators in the guitar world.

That I do agree with - though I'm going to do a copperfield and say it won't replace the standard 'bring 12 axes to a gig' setup.

My take? The Ovation fruitbowl and Washburn. Considering that they've made the Buzz Feiten system almost standard on their USA guitars and the Stephens Extended Cutaway, which I've always wondered why it didn't become more popular.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Line 6 are the big dogs when it comes to innovation over the last decade. The variax concept is revolutionary.

The concept needs to evolve for it to truly take hold, though: the variax electronics need to be miniaturised so that they can be added to any guitar cavity without modding. Then all you have to do is install piezo saddles. When this happens, variax-style technology will become pretty much ubiquitous. Improve the tone a bit and get the price down (currently artificially inflated by having to buy their guitar), and they'll be as common as fuzzboxes.


Parker and Steinberger have done the most to expand the boundaries of guitar design and use of non-traditional materials.

As far as building a better mousetrap goes, PRS take a lot of beating for building well thought out traditional-leaning designs.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Washburn. Considering that they've made the Buzz Feiten system almost standard on their USA guitars and the Stephens Extended Cutaway, which I've always wondered why it didn't become more popular.

Speaking from experience, the one Stephens cutaway equipped Washburn I
've played wasn't exactly a tone machine. The thing is, if you need upper fret acces, a simple bevel on a standard fender neck joint will give you everything you need without hacking away a bunch of body wood and enlarging the amount of rigid, tone hardening neck wood.

 

[CGord]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Steinberger

+1

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

That I do agree with - though I'm going to do a copperfield and say it won't replace the standard 'bring 12 axes to a gig' setup.

You say that now because the technology is still limited, but since Line6 stuff is all digital there is only room for improvement. As CPU's get faster and RAM gets cheaper, so shall their modelling software get better. Someday soon Variax guitars will probably have as much computing horsepower as the machine I'm typing this from. Same with their amps and effects.

At some point, we will reach a threshold where the precision and accuracy of modelling will eclipse traditional guitar and amp rigs. Sure, there will always be hard-core vintage purists who will argue the ancient technology is better, but they will be in the minority.

 

[CGord]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

You say that now because the technology is still limited, but since Line6 stuff is all digital there is only room for improvement. As CPU's get faster and RAM gets cheaper, so shall their modelling software get better. Someday soon Variax guitars will probably have as much computing horsepower as the machine I'm typing this from. Same with their amps and effects.

At some point, we will reach a threshold where the precision and accuracy of modelling will eclipse traditional guitar and amp rigs. Sure, there will always be hard-core vintage purists who will argue the ancient technology is better, but they will be in the minority.

I dunno about that in the music world. I would guess that the majority of players today would go for a Les Paul or Strat & a Marshall as their first choice, & that is some old tech. I don't disagree that modeling will improve (hell, I'm happy as a pig in **** with my computerized pretend amps), but I doubt it'll ever overtake the old gear in popularity.

 

[Seraphial]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

You say that now because the technology is still limited, but since Line6 stuff is all digital there is only room for improvement. As CPU's get faster and RAM gets cheaper, so shall their modelling software get better. Someday soon Variax guitars will probably have as much computing horsepower as the machine I'm typing this from. Same with their amps and effects.

At some point, we will reach a threshold where the precision and accuracy of modelling will eclipse traditional guitar and amp rigs. Sure, there will always be hard-core vintage purists who will argue the ancient technology is better, but they will be in the minority.

I dunno - Line6, Vox, Fender...they've all come out with high quality digital modelling amps in the last few years, and though they've been popular, my gut tells me that people will continue to go for tube tone simply because the ancient technology isn't as refined as modelling amps. It's what provides 'your tone'.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

Me.

I've been the most innovative next to Fender and Gibson...

I'm quite innovative, I assure you.

I do new stuff every single day...Fender doesn't. Gibson doesn't. Line 6 doesn't.

I've even helped to create another life.

so :9:

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Besides Gibason and Fender who was the most innovative?

One might make an argument for Van Halen. His guitar launched the Super Strat craze that Ibanez, Charvel, ESP and others are still riding. But that was not so much an innovation as a melding of guitar styles.

Stienberger has certainly done some radical things that are innovative as well as Parker.

PRS was innovative in a way as Paul melded Fender and Gibson traits. He also came up with the compensated nut long before Buzz Feinten (Spelling?).

Eddie Van Halen, he was innovaitve with anything he has done with the guitar- the whole Super Strat concept and the way he used a "light dimmer" for his amp... But he is not a firm :laugh2:

I've always considerd Steinberger as a company that got a major technological know=how which the used to the fullest... don't know if they are so innovative...

I think the PRS are pretty innovative (though I'm not a fan)... new scale length, the way they glue the neck, the rotating humbucker knob...

However, I can't think of any company that really re-invented guitar since Gibson and Fender...