What Is The Guitar Industry’s Obsession With The Past?

Danielsguitars

I've listened to a carbon fibre guitar on you tube and it didn't sound great to me, plus it's bloody expensive

fatherchewielewie

Is that you, Henry J?;)

robgilmo

There is only so many shapes you can make a guitar.

I asked this about crisp flavours once, the answer was that the flavours in the shops dont change because we have grown accustomed to them, there was a lot of clever marketing science behind crisp flavours, I guess its the same with guitars.
I think Fender have taken a bold step in the right direction with their new range of alternate universe or what ever it is but the guitars are still very familiar to us consumers.

merciful-evans

ICBM said:

merciful-evans said:

Here is carbon fiber model:

Too bad all that lovely high-density, long-sustaining and almost indestructible carbon fibre is completely offset by a resonance-killing Kahler whose springs will inevitably stretch and fail... and unfortunately are a real problem to replace with any other system.

It can sometimes be difficult to know which are the right innovations and which are the wrong ones initially though, it has to be said.

Ok, but that's incidental to the point being made. How about this one?

ICBM

merciful-evans said:

Ok, but that's incidental to the point being made. How about this one?

Yes, that looks good. Not really my cup of tea visually but it looks like a well-thought-out design.

Rabs

The Gitller guitars have been around for a while now.. Anyone actually played one?


The thing I think is most of us probably learned how to play on a guitar based off an old design.. I think in order to have real improvement it would take too much for someone to bother to re-learn how to play on what ever new system someone comes up with like the Gittler..

Its kind of proven that a lot of guitarists dont want or ask for change, if anything people seem to want MORE vintage like what we saw on the crazy R8 thread..

Some stuff I can think of, the Firebird X and indeed all the robot guitars, yamahas midi guitars, Fenders interchangeable sound cards, any sort of in built effects.. They just dont sell and the market dictates what companies will offer.

Plus I kind of agree that guitars dont really need to change much. 

If say Slash or whoever decided to start playing keyboard synth guitars and it was actually good and cool and all the things people like, then things may start to change.. Until then, dont hold your breath

merciful-evans

Thanks for that video Rabs. I couldn't remember what they were called. I just think of them as the 'roof aerial' guitar.

I have something in common with the presenter. I worked with aerospace metallics too. Titanium is hard to machine and finish. That thing must cost a fortune.

Rabs

merciful-evans said:

Thanks for that video Rabs. I couldn't remember what they were called. I just think of them as the 'roof aerial' guitar.

I have something in common with the presenter. I worked with aerospace metallics too. Titanium is hard to machine and finish. That thing must cost a fortune.

Which is the next problem.. When someone does come up with something new they are often so obsessed with their new miraculous system that they want to charge silly amounts of money just for providing something new..

If a new system is to work it also must be competitively priced or they may as well not bother.

Heres the prices  http://gittlerinstruments.com/order

p90fool

merciful-evans said:

ICBM said:

merciful-evans said:

Here is carbon fiber model:

Too bad all that lovely high-density, long-sustaining and almost indestructible carbon fibre is completely offset by a resonance-killing Kahler whose springs will inevitably stretch and fail... and unfortunately are a real problem to replace with any other system.

It can sometimes be difficult to know which are the right innovations and which are the wrong ones initially though, it has to be said.

Ok, but that's incidental to the point being made. How about this one?

I'm definitely a traditionalist when it comes to pointlessly tinkering with classic designs, but I like that very much and would happily gig one if it sounds good. 

Phil_aka_Pip

I wouldn't. It has a big hole where the pickup switch should be, and the wrong number of pots.

Rabs

Phil_aka_Pip said:

I wouldn't. It has a big hole where the pickup switch should be, and the wrong number of pots.

At least it would be easy to hang on a wall

Phil_aka_Pip

Rabs said: 

Phil_aka_Pip said:

I wouldn't. It has a big hole where the pickup switch should be, and the wrong number of pots.

At least it would be easy to hang on a wall

Yep, that's true