Guitar heroes: When the magic transfers from rock stars to instruments

University of Chicago Press Journals ^ | February 14, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

You know who you are.

[Psalm 73]

Sure, close your eyes and picture Jimi igniting his fender, Townsend wind-milling (then smashing) his, Bo Diddley's square sound box, Dickey Bett's red guitar.....
Mmmmm

[relictele]

They call it GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) and it’s discussed ad infinitum on music forums.

I own three Stratocasters and God knows what else so I’m happily unaffected by the phenomenon....

[sauropod]

Strats. Arguably the most beautiful solid body electric ever created.

[ClearCase_guy]

Great scene in the movie "Blowup" (1966) -- the Yardbirds perform in a small club, and Jeff Beck's sound system acts up. In anger, he smashes his guitar and throws it into the crowd. People fight over it and somehow the main character (David Hemmings) ends up with the neck of the guitar. He is chased by the crowd, but eludes them and ends up on the street, holding the neck of Jeff Beck's guitar.

He looks at it, shrugs, and drops it on the sidewalk and leaves. Someone waiting for a bus notices this, goes over, glances at the guitar neck, shrugs, and decides not to pick it up.

Because it's junk.

[Huck]

The people who do this sort of thing are the people who can't really play. REAL players know better. It's fine to cop licks off your heroes, but to try to imitate them, down to what pick and strings they use, etc., is just hero worship. It's no different than grown men wearing a replica of some professional athlete's jersey. It's the behavior of a fan boy. Find your own identity.

I have about 12 guitars. Did I say "about"? Do I really not know exactly how many I own? Aaaah, life is good.

[Huck]

I’m a Tele man. I don’t know why I never liked the feel of Strats. Weird, because most people love the contoured body. I like the square body of a Tele. I do like the 3 pickup, 5 position configuration of Strats. Both my Teles have that setup. One has a Bigsby. Rosewood fretboad. The other is a hard tail with a maple neck. Love em.

[Huck]

All that haughtiness aside, I wouldn't mind a little alone time with this baby, just for fun:

TIGER by Doug Irwin

[Hugin]

There are two kinds of guitar players, Fender guys and Gibson guys. Now you can like both Fender and Gibson, but nobody likes them both the same.

Personlly I’m very fond of my Squier ‘51, arguably the best cheap guitar ever made. Strat body, tele neck and a split coil humbucker in the bridge. Best of all worlds. If only Fender would make a top quality version.

[waterhill]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdtlWmjoEms/

[Bigh4u2]

“Now you can like both Fender and Gibson, but nobody likes them both the same.”

Not totally true.

I like both my Strat and my Les Paul just as equally.

It really all depends upon what you are playing as to which one is the most desirable for the song.

Different sounds require different instruments.

[Cboldt]

they play them often ... "fetish objects increase confidence and reduce anxiety and hence increase performance."

Key points there, played often and reduced anxiety means practiced and relaxed. It's not the object, per se (although it IS easier to correctly play a quality instrument than a crap one), it's the state of control and mind that make the most difference.

Schecter here - duly noting that the pickups suck. Anybody starting a child out on an electric, I recommend the Ibanez Mikro. Great sound, decent hardware all around.

[Hugin]

I’ve owned most of the Fenders and Gibson/Epiphones over the years (if I still had them all I would be darn near rich), and I liked one more than the others, just not always the same ones. But I didn’t say you weren’t allowed to change your mind. Still, there’s usually one that you pick up to noodle around on day in, day out.

[Mad Dawgg]

Electric Guitars are indeed Magical Instruments and a Guitar played extensively by one of the "Guitarati" becomes imbued with god-like super powers enabling the ordinary Guitar player to achieve Guitar Hero level playing skill!

Everyone knows this...

[Rebelbase]

“There are two kinds of guitar players, Fender guys and Gibson guys. “

Tell that to the PRS players.

[Bigh4u2]

“Still, there’s usually one that you pick up to noodle around on day in, day out.”

Actually, I don’t.

I usually don’t touch my guitars unless I need to learn something new.

Over the years (47) I do less and less ‘noodling’ than I used to.

I’ve been very fortunate that I seem to able to retain most everything I learn. Even if it’s been years.

Hasn’t really gotten me anywhere, but at least I still remember it.

:0)

[Bigh4u2]

I should mention that’s 47 years of playing.

I’m older.. :0)

[Hugin]

I’m older.. :0)

Yeah, me too (sigh).

But I still like to noodle around and try to come up with something new for fun. And I usually pick up a fender.

[blues_guitarist]

" . . . Find your own identity . . ."

EXACTLY!

[the invisib1e hand]

“Researching” guitarists is like grasping a handful of air. You’ll never get it. Fuggeddaboudit. And go stick your probes and meters somewhere else.