Anyone else bored to death by mainstream guitars?

lysander

I know guitarists are risk averse but I’m bemused with Fender and Gibson selling essentially 4 guitars each with the most minor tweaks for over 6 decades.

I do have a soft spot for a nicely done relic in a classic shape, though preferably with a modern neck shape, frets and radius.
But other than that, every recent visit to a guitar shop has left me completely cold for 95% of the stock.

For instance why can’t Fender sell a nice modern strat that would take some cues from Ibanez - no pickguard, comfortable and light body shape, better neck joint, maybe even god forbid some noiseless pickups ? No pointy looks or vomity finishes, just a bit of an update.

 I’d be all over something that sounds like a strat ( without getting anal about vintage tone ) but with less compromises.
Surely they could do that at a similar price points to their current offerings.
I’m aware fender do have more modern elements in a couple of the lines but they’re the more expensive models and they are still very timid changes.

I do wonder if Gibson, Fender, maybe even PRS will eventually fall into irrelevance with the newer generation of players who are less into believing that old designs somehow give a magic mojo and that you shouldn’t touch anything and on the contrary always try and get closer to the old ways.

TINMAN82

I think there’s room for a bit of vintage alongside more modern in any guitar collection. To be fair I find my custom shop strat as easy to play as my more modern Jem. It’s just that the thinner Ibanez neck kind of promotes a slightly different left hand position which suits some styles more than others. 

lysander

Yes I’m not saying everything needs to have a wizard neck, just that there are a few things that have little reason not to be improved upon now that the design and manufacturing constraints and compromises of 60 year old designs no longer apply.

thegummy

Other companies do make them, why bother wanting Fender to do it? Just buy one of the other brands?

TINMAN82

lysander said:

Yes I’m not saying everything needs to have a wizard neck, just that there are a few things that have little reason not to be improved upon now that the design and manufacturing constraints and compromises of 60 year old designs no longer apply.

I know what your saying, but playing devils advocate fender (perhaps not Gibson post 2015) are already catering for this with the elite range etc. The strat is possibly the most perfect ergonomic body shape ever conceived and probably still the best selling. A bit smaller and pointier and Ibanez + various others have you covered. 

ronnyb

Since the 1950's both Gibson and Fender have produced many other models and designs apart from the original strat, tele, Les Paul, 335 etc. Think Fender Coronado, Gibson RD, Nighthawk  and many others. Have any of them sold in large numbers? They are always going to produce the best sellers that make them the most profit and perhaps the originals were the best and can't be improved upon.      

thecolourbox

Are there good examples of other products where there is constant development and evolution in aesthetics? Most cars look basically the same these days for the various sizes, so do computers and tablets and phones, so do drum kits and many other instruments. And they all look, for the most part quite generic. Whereas I think guitars look quite classic, which is nicer

Kittyfrisk

You're questioning the validity of the 50's being best, received wisdom? 
Good for you, but this might not prevent you being burned at the stake (Honduran Mahogany, or Brazilian rosewood of course).

JezWynd

There's never been a time where we've had as much choice and quality at a sensible price as we do at present. I take OP's point about the conservative nature of most Fender and Gibson releases but can you blame them? Any time Gibson do something different (2015?) they get hauled over the coals for it and sales are poor. But there are plenty of other makers out there, some doing incredibly inventive stuff.

Rocker

Piano has not changed much in the last century AFAIK.  Steinway et al is what they all want to play.  Electric guitars are a fairly recent invention.  Fender and Gibson got it more or less spot on from the start.

digitalscream

Yep - I always have been. That's why four of my guitars are from a British luthier (none of them Fender- or Gibson-shaped), one is a Nuno sig (and another self-built to be similar). In fact, my only traditional-esque guitar is my Squier Strat from my teenage years, which I don't seem to be able to bring myself to get rid of.

There have been many advances in construction and design over the years, it seems crazy to me not to take advantage.

Roland

Keyboards have changed tremendously. Not just harpsichord to piano. During the lifetime of the electric guitar we’ve gone from overstrung, cast iron framed piano to electric piano to synthesiser. We still play grand pianos though.

Gibson and Fender chase their own retro markets whilst many other guitar manufacturers have moved on. 

In reply to the OP, yes I get bored in a guitar shop too.

Kittyfrisk

Rocker said:

Piano has not changed much in the last century AFAIK.  Steinway et al is what they all want to play.  Electric guitars are a fairly recent invention.  Fender and Gibson got it more or less spot on from the start.

So Gibson got it so spot on, that they discontinued the LP from 1961 to 1968?  Great marketing, yes?
Actually, they are still repeating the same monumental screw ups   

Henrytwang

Fender and Gibson got it right in the 50s. Several models they produced then have become classics and are still loved and played today. They have tried to broaden their range but the classic guitar models are still the big sellers simply because they’re what players want. There are lots of variations on the Les Paul, Stratocaster, ES 335, SG and Telecaster out there but I think that the original designs still have many years left in them. I know that they can appear boring but they get the job done.

TTBZ

Yes and no. Still can't help but love the vintage look but I prefer modern playability, quality and refinement.

Sassafras

A hell of a lot of new, young guitar players still seem to prefer the more traditional, even vintage guitars.
There's not really that much you can do to a 6 string instrument with 2 or 3 pickups and still make it practical and reliable.

lysander

digitalscream said:

There have been many advances in construction and design over the years, it seems crazy to me not to take advantage.

Yeah that's my main point.
I know other smaller brands are leading the innovation these days, it's just a shame that the shops with the most resources AND reputational goodwill, who could really bring improvements and innovations to the masses at affordable price points, are busy chasing their own tail and hoping for the best, or failing to understand where the real useful innovations are ( i.e not robotic tuners ).

sweepy

Strandberg etc are flying the flag for innovation but are still not quite there. Guitarists are on the whole far more conservative than their Bass Paying brethren and that’s why the real innovation seems to be in basses these days

thegummy

Rocker said:

Piano has not changed much in the last century AFAIK.  Steinway et al is what they all want to play.  Electric guitars are a fairly recent invention.  Fender and Gibson got it more or less spot on from the start.

Good point.

There will always be attempts at innovation but they'll only take off if they are actually preferred to the existing designs.

The electric bass is a good example - since the Precision came out there have been all kinds of innovations and attempts to improve it but a significant portion of players still prefer the Precision.

In fact, the vast majority of records use either that or the Jazz which is just one step of innovation ahead.

FelineGuitars

I've always been bored by most mainstream guitars. Early 80s and what I really wanted was Flying Vs, Ibanez Icemans, Destroyers, BC Rich Mockingbirds and Warlocks and Biches, Jackson Randy Rhoads.

Didn't mind the Charvels, Kramers, Hamers etc either

Going to see bands in the 80s wondering what cool guitars they would pull out for that tour was part of the fun , and then they started to get boring and bring out a beaten up old strat  and just play that all night.

As I make my own guitars I make what I like and I have developed a sweet spot for LP types but I make them my way to suit me .Having said that in the last few years I have bought a Rhoads, a PS10 Iceman and a BC Rich Mockingbird.

Greatape

This is why I like Reverend