Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

[Silver]

Why do you think that the most popular guitar designs are around 60-70 years old?

I think it's clear we can build a better guitar. We can do this in a number of ways;

- Use new materials to produce bodies and necks that are lighter in weight and stronger
- Better heel ergonomics for better upper fret access
- Headless systems to reduce size/weight and improve balance
- Ergonomic body shapes to improve comfort
- New neck designs such as Strandberg's endurneck, or other systems like Dean Zelinsky's Z-glide... improving fretting comfort and reducing hand fatigue
- Better tremolo designs, using cams, ball bearings, etc... hell, even the 2-post knife edge trem with locking tuners would be better than the 6-string
- Multiscale, true temperament, etc.
- Locking tuners as the default
- Noiseless single coils, or innovative pickup designs
- More useful electronics... active eq, etc.

Many other things. Yet, we want Strats with crappy tremolos, Teles that buzz and Les Pauls that weigh a ton. Is it just because we all want to look like rock stars?

I've heard some great tones out of modern guitars, it's possible.

 

[Silver]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Meant to post this in The Guitar Shop.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Because guitars from the golden era were used to make music from an era when guitars were front and center. Many guitarists are trying to replicate tones from that era. My Deluxe Strat Plus was an advanced design in its era.... but I still think my 60's style Strats sound better.

Also, we've seen so many Strats, Les Pauls, Teles and ES-335s, other shapes look "wrong", like they deviate from the platonic ideal.

I'm just as guilty, I love the classic lines of the Strat body, I own a ton of them. That being said, I'm kind of GASsing for a purely modern guitar with all the possible technologies and advances.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

It's because of money. To get a unique guitar to sound good, you pretty much have to spend over a thousand.

I'd totally trick out guitars if I had the money. But the traditional designs just work... For only 2 or 3 hundred, and sound fantastic as well.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Aesthetics
Tradition
Hero worship
It was good enough for ____________.
Nostalgia
Availability
Price
Perceived perfection of existing designs

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

How come no-one has made pointy wheels to appeal to metalheads ?

 

[Securb]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

I have a Parker that I absolutely love. However, there is a weird connection when I am playing my Les Paul and I am in the zone. It could be nostalgia, hero worship or some other psychological driver. But when you hit the sweet-spot with a Les Paul and a Marshall there is nothing in the world like it. You could also ask, why do people still buy 30 - 50 year old muscle cars?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

As rebellious as Rock n Rollers are supposed to be, they aren't when it comes to classic gear. Also, some shapes just work- the Strat works for me, although I like modern improvements in construction, a slightly smaller body, and 2 humbuckers. So I go for modern-modified vintage designs. But hey, I also love ultra-modern ergo designs too, but this musician can't usually afford such things.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Ya might as well as why anything traditional is popular. When they came out there was nothing wrong with them and to this day they remain not having anything wrong with them. Just because a new design is "better" doesn't mean that an older design is bad. To compare it to cars, I had the option between a 1969 GTO Judge and a 2017 Corvette Stingray. Both are muscle cars, but the Vette is faster, more economical, and better equipped. I chose the Judge. I liked it better because its a machine that was designed to get you from a to b. It didn't have any fancy controls or switches (not even a coil split or midboost!) or driver aids. Modern cars, and more importantly, guitars, over think a simple concept. People think guitar players are a conservative bunch, but look at violins and cellos! Most of them don't even have pickups, let alone active electronics.

Someone smarter than I could tell you there is some psychological reason why, but there is also just something inherently cool about the old stuff. Old style guitars just have bonus style points. Theres also the difference between a single humbucker guitar through a tube amp and a fancy Jem (or similar) through a high-tech modeling amp. Simpler, "inefficient" designs force you to use your own skill and dynamics to shape your tone. To get a neck sound from a LP Jr you pick in a different place instead of flicking a switch. You have to work your picking attack instead of stomping on a pedal. These old designs force you into the mindset of more dynamic, and most times more creative, form of playing.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

I've heard some great tones out of modern guitars, it's possible.

But you're not the only person out there. How about for the masses who know the only way you'll get a strat/tele or LP tone is to have that guitar - and thats the tone they want???

Almost all of your ideas have been put into production at one time or another. The fact that they barely survive, or are still only on a few guitars tells you something - that tone is king, and for most people your so-called 'improvements' are anything but.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

- Use new materials to produce bodies and necks that are lighter in weight and stronger
Wood is plenty, (mostly) non-expensive and looks and sounds great.

- Better heel ergonomics for better upper fret access / Ergonomic body shapes to improve comfort
I agree. Strat is designed to be as ergonomic as possible, but then most don't have contoured heel. (And that volume control...)

- Headless systems to reduce size/weight and improve balance
Looks ugly.

- New neck designs such as Strandberg's endurneck, or other systems like Dean Zelinsky's Z-glide... improving fretting comfort and reducing hand fatigue
I actually don't know what these are...

- Better tremolo designs, using cams, ball bearings, etc... hell, even the 2-post knife edge trem with locking tuners would be better than the 6-string
Not really. I prefer 6 screw, as there's really nothing wrong with it: Perfectly balanced between good tone and tuning stability.

- Multiscale, true temperament, etc.
Difficult to employ, and rather pointless. I researched about those true temperament necks while ago, and decided they're completely useless after I couldn't find a single good sounding guitar piece recorded with one from youtube. Listening through all sorts of music made without those, you realize there's really nothing meaningful it could add to the craft.

- Locking tuners as the default / Noiseless single coils, or innovative pickup designs
Aside from classic desings, aren't these very common? I think that noiseless pickups are about as common as classic single coils nowadays. Same with active pickups and humbuckers.

- More useful electronics... active eq, etc.
That's relly just an opinion. I think everyone has a different view what kind of electronics are useful. And there are plenty of different and rather common desings out there.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Most people make their choices by looking around and seeing what other people are doing. They tend to be afraid of doing anything that would make them different from the rest of the crowd. This is especially true with musicians.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[greekdude]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

In the long run, other designs like Ibanez RG and its subspecies Jems/Universes became kind of iconic. Same with the super-strat shape. So now we got Strat/Tele/LP/SG and RG in the traditional list.

 

[Taz Rules]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Don't forget Vees/Explorers/Jaguars/Firebirds

 

[Jacew]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Most people make their choices by looking around and seeing what other people are doing. They tend to be afraid of doing anything that would make them different from the rest of the crowd. This is especially true with musicians.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

I completely agree. Funny thing is that it's always the ones that make things differently who really nail it.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

In the long run, other designs like Ibanez RG and its subspecies Jems/Universes became kind of iconic. Same with the super-strat shape. So now we got Strat/Tele/LP/SG and RG in the traditional list.

I'd add Charvel/Jackson in that list.

 

[DankStar]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

I dunno - but I'd like to try both of those necks mentioned.

I was just thinking the other day though - the classic strat is like the VW bug/bus of the guitar world when it comes to maintenance. Even a hack like me can buy some parts and upgrade it, perform some simple tweaks to it. You go making some weird high end guitar with a bunch of specialized parts and I might not even be able to change the strings on it, let alone replace the neck or something.

What happens if you ding the back of a z-glide neck? Can't sand it down, it'd mess the whole pattern up. In theory such things are awesome but not sure I'd want something that's not easily fixed or replaced.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Don't forget Vees/Explorers/Jaguars/Firebirds

As an example of traditional or modern? V's and Explorers came out in 1958, and Firebirds mid 1960's. After 50 or 60 years, they're hardly modern designs.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

Most people make their choices by looking around and seeing what other people are doing. They tend to be afraid of doing anything that would make them different from the rest of the crowd. This is especially true with musicians.

Meaning you don't own any traditional-design guitars, being the freethinker you are?

 

[Taz Rules]

Re: Why are traditional guitar designs so popular?

As an example of traditional or modern? V's and Explorers came out in 1958, and Firebirds mid 1960's. After 50 or 60 years, they're hardly modern designs.

I was thinking traditional...precisely because they've been around for so long.