Get your wallets ready: Ed Sheeran signature tele announced

UnclePsychosis

Whoever it is that writes his lyrics needs fired. Out of a cannon.

"I'm up and coming like I'm fucking in an elevator"

Please.
Just.
Please.
Fuck off. 

Philly_Q

BRISTOL86 said:

I find it incredible that so many people on a forum for guitar enthusiasts can be so damning of someone who has almost single handedly got an entire generation interested in playing the guitar. 

Has it though?  They like his songs, they stream and even *buy* his records, but has it influenced significant numbers of people to take up the guitar themselves?  I wonder if most people really take any notice of the fact that he even plays a guitar?

I don't know the answer, maybe there are people queueing up to buy Ed Sheeran guitars. 

But my impression - and I don't claim to really keep up with today's chart music - is that the guitar is now chiefly seen in the hands of (a) sensitive singer-songwriter types or (b) standing-in-the-shadows, fairly inaudible backing musicians on mostly-electronic dance pop records.  I doubt that inspires loads of people to play guitar themselves, but I can't put myself in their heads.

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

BRISTOL86 said:

I find it incredible that so many people on a forum for guitar enthusiasts can be so damning of someone who has almost single handedly got an entire generation interested in playing the guitar. 

Has it though?  They like his songs, they stream and even *buy* his records, but has it influenced significant numbers of people to take up the guitar themselves?  I wonder if most people really take any notice of the fact that he even plays a guitar?

I don't know the answer, maybe there are people queueing up to buy Ed Sheeran guitars. 

But my impression - and I don't claim to really keep up with today's chart music - is that the guitar is now chiefly seen in the hands of (a) sensitive singer-songwriter types or (b) standing-in-the-shadows, fairly inaudible backing musicians on mostly-electronic dance pop records.  I doubt that inspires loads of people to play guitar themselves, but I can't put myself in their heads.

Going by my kids and their friends, yes it has.

In particular it's made them realise that you don't need a lot of fancy gear - his guitar is cheap, by professional standards - or to know more than a few chords and you can play or write music with a guitar. This can only be a good thing, even if the majority of them don't go much beyond that - a few will, and some of those might never have taken it up in the first place if they hadn't realised it was so easy, or thought it was all classical guitar lessons at school.

It doesn't matter that guitar is now mostly either a songwriter's tool or a backing instrument - until the late 1950s it was anyway. We just have to accept that it's no longer going to be the dominant instrument in popular music, just as brass instruments aren't any longer.

I still don't like his songs though .

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Going by my kids and their friends, yes it has.

....It doesn't matter that guitar is now mostly either a songwriter's tool or a backing instrument - until the late 1950s it was anyway. We just have to accept that it's no longer going to be the dominant instrument in popular music, just as brass instruments aren't any longer.

I still don't like his songs though .

OK, I'll concede the point.  You're much better placed to know than I am - for me teenagers are things to be avoided on public transport.

I hope guitar hasn't been permanently consigned to the status of primarily a backing instrument in popular music, though.  Shame if it has, but there's nothing I can do about it.

We can agree heartily on not liking his songs.

BRISTOL86

Philly_Q said:

BRISTOL86 said:

I find it incredible that so many people on a forum for guitar enthusiasts can be so damning of someone who has almost single handedly got an entire generation interested in playing the guitar. 

Has it though?  They like his songs, they stream and even *buy* his records, but has it influenced significant numbers of people to take up the guitar themselves?  I wonder if most people really take any notice of the fact that he even plays a guitar?

I don't know the answer, maybe there are people queueing up to buy Ed Sheeran guitars. 

But my impression - and I don't claim to really keep up with today's chart music - is that the guitar is now chiefly seen in the hands of (a) sensitive singer-songwriter types or (b) standing-in-the-shadows, fairly inaudible backing musicians on mostly-electronic dance pop records.  I doubt that inspires loads of people to play guitar themselves, but I can't put myself in their heads.

Good point. I'd kind of made an assumption that anyone below a certain age who suddenly wants to pick up a guitar probably has Ed Sheehan to thank for it! 

ICBM

BRISTOL86 said:

Good point. I'd kind of made an assumption that anyone below a certain age who suddenly wants to pick up a guitar probably has Ed Sheehan to thank for it! 

Certainly not everyone - but he has definitely been influential. The interesting thing is that it's as much by illustrating what you can do with a guitar as for any kind of hero-worship - my daughter is a perfect example, she actually has a Little Martin which she likes because it's the 'Ed Sheeran guitar' (thus she knows must be a good guitar despite its small size)... but she *doesn't* like Ed Sheeran! Personally I think this is a very good thing, if they're able to separate the instrument from the player.

Garthy

ICBM said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Good point. I'd kind of made an assumption that anyone below a certain age who suddenly wants to pick up a guitar probably has Ed Sheehan to thank for it! 

Certainly not everyone - but he has definitely been influential. The interesting thing is that it's as much by illustrating what you can do with a guitar as for any kind of hero-worship - my daughter is a perfect example, she actually has a Little Martin which she likes because it's the 'Ed Sheeran guitar' (thus she knows must be a good guitar despite its small size)... but she *doesn't* like Ed Sheeran! Personally I think this is a very good thing, if they're able to separate the instrument from the player.

Taylor Swift is also an enormous influence. Taylor guitars didn't miss a beat getting a signature 3/4 size acoustic , though predictably Gibson did with neither Gibson nor Epiphone currently making a red sparkle LP for the budget of a teenage girl.

Plectrum

ICBM said:

 - his guitar is cheap, by professional standards

I think he's using Lowdens ATM.

ICBM

Plectrum said:

I think he's using Lowdens ATM.

Oh well. Success has clearly gone to his head...

Plectrum

ICBM said:

Plectrum said:

I think he's using Lowdens ATM.

Oh well. Success has clearly gone to his head...

I'm not a successful musician yet even I've got a Lowden.

AlexO

He's not my cup of tea in the slightest and I do find it bewildering how popular he is but he can clearly play.
In a similar vein its probably worth watching the James Bay videos that Andertons and TPS did which showed James Bay to be a better guitarists than the majority of this forum and like us lot just another guitar nerd! 

darthed1981

AlexO said:

He's not my cup of tea in the slightest and I do find it bewildering how popular he is but he can clearly play.
In a similar vein its probably worth watching the James Bay videos that Andertons and TPS did which showed James Bay to be a better guitarists than the majority of this forum and like us lot just another guitar nerd! 

His new single is a total train wreck.  Im not especially fond of his first album but James Bay really caught difficult 2nd album syndrome bad!