Is it harder to love a perfect guitar?

NelsonP

So, I was thinking that most of the traditional guitar brands have something about them that is a bit quirky and less than ideal, e.g:
- Les Pauls are heavy, have breaky headstocks and a string splay that leads to tuning issues.
- Strats, with their single coils can be hummy, and have bolt on necks which puts a big block of wood in the way.
etc.

Thing is, we all love our Strats and les Pauls.
And when someone comes along and fixes the problems that are inherent in these designs we reject them.
Which makes me wonder, do we in some love our guitars more because of their imperfections?

And if someone came along and made the 'perfect guitar', would be harder to love (e.g. its perfect but dull)?

guitarfishbay

I think people love them out of familiarity.

They also to an extent equate character with familiarity.

In general a lot of guitarists are concerned with resale value which further entrenches this.

I don't believe there to be a single perfected design but I do believe improvements are possible.  My own perception is guitarists are more conservative about this than bassists.

soma1975

While art comes from all sorts of places I do like that concept of the best art coming from constraint or limitations. A guitar that occasionally needs to be wrestled is a lot more rewarding for me to play than a perfect wizard necked Jem or flawless PRS type.  

That said it's maybe because I don't possess the chops to push one of those more perfect instruments to a point where they might resist. 

HAL9000

I think it's the little quirks and idiosyncrasies that bring out the character in things. So yes, I think we love our guitars/partners/cars/etc because of, rather than despite, their imperfections.

ESBlonde

There is some association with the classic rock n' roll gods. During the 60s the ES hollow type of guitar was very popular because the earlier rock n' roll guys played guitars with f holes. As the volume went up solid guitars kind of took over and the next generation used the american made Tele's Strats, Rickys and lesters (plus a smaller number of others like framus).
The massive recordings we consider classics were made with those guitars and so the next generation wanted them too. As icons they lead the business (either as originals or imitations). People have made some excellent guitars since, but few have made the iconic recordings many guitarists aspire to. It's odd because the likes of the faces had big guitar based hits without resorting to the marshall amps and les paul/strat combinations.
in the 70s the quality issues had players modding and a new industry sprang up supplying alternate pickups, brass fittings etc. and then a series of innovative guitars (including one John Birch). It really is all about the player, but we still associate the guitars with the hits.

Haych

A guitar is an extension of oneself, a means to artistic expression.  I've played many guitars that I consider superior instruments in terms of logical design but I still found my Strat to be a much more expressive instrument than, say, my PRS.

I don't know if there's an identifiable or rational reason for this.  Music is an emotive art form and perhaps the instruments themselves have much more to do with emotion than merely function.

If you draw a comparison between guitars and transport then if I had the choice of driving a vintage Porsche 356 or being in 1st class on the new Siemens GWR e320 into Paddington then I know what I'd choose.  One will get you there effortlessly but the other will give you immense satisfaction before you've got to the end of the street.

So maybe playing a guitar that doesn't make you try a bit harder is less satisfying than an instrument that demands you play with determination and passion.  I don't really know, but they're my thoughts spilled out in text form all the same. 

richardhomer

I think artist association has a lot to do with this - seeing your personal heroes playing a particular type of guitar leaves an indelible stamp. I love my Strat - most of my heroes played one - it’s iconic. I have a PRS DGT, which in every measurable sense is a better guitar - I play it more than my Strat. But I ‘appreciate’ it, more than ‘love it’. Which is entirely illogical....

thegummy

I think it's that the solutions to the problems - e.g. less angle on the headstock, dummy coil for humbucking etc. have side effects and change the tone of the guitar as well as solve the problem and it's that people don't want the tone to be different.

I'd easily believe some of it is psychosomatic though and it's because the person expects it to sound different.

photek

It is a bit like picking a partner, the dependable ones are the sensible choice a bit like a PRS or Yamaha, you always know what you are gonna get and it's gonna be pretty good. Lot's of people like a little bit of mental chucked into the mix to keep things interesting and exciting and you just might get that little bit of magic