Being a bit of a relic,I can remember some truly dumb fads that the guitar magazine's of the day told us were going to change the world....
One that really leaps to mind was the " No. 1 Stretch Strap"!
Apparently we were all going to spend the 80's leaping around the stage with our axe of choice suspended on a giant rubber band. Hmmm.......
The Spin Strap was another gem. ZZTop have a lot to answer for!! Fortunately,I spent more time removing these from guitars than fitting them.
Headless everything!! In the 80's,the guitar world was taken over by headless guitars and basses. Steinberger started it and EVERYONE followed the fad. Gibson even came up with the 20/20 Bass,a headless bass - with a headstock!
99% of them sounded like absolute crap! Strangely, some folks still think they are cool. But then again,some folk still think Hoola Hoops and Pogo Sticks are cool....
Picks!! Multi Picks,Triple Picks,Speed Picks,Stylus Picks,The Strum Rose.....Bloody Hell!!! Seriously,most of us either use a standard flat pick or fingers. In the 90's,I would have people asking for the latest fad picks on a weekly basis. Then,when they sold their guitar,you would find a collection of these mysterious devices in the traps box in the case.
There are lots more from the "Good Ol Days",just pick up a copy of Guitar World from the mid 80's,particularly if your under 25 and some of this stuff is new to you,and you'll find pages of useless crap that guitarists apparently could never live without.
Somehow,we managed to survive without most of it....
One thing I thought was going to be a major fad was relic guitars. When I saw the first ones in the mid 90s,I thought " This is really cool",but soon they were cropping up everywhere and I thought it wouldn't last much longer.
Man,was I wrong!!!!! Every other guitar I build,I get asked if I can "relic it a bit" .
Cheers,PJ
