Why my guitar gently weeps (The death of the electric guitar industry -and why you should care)

Washington Post ^ | 6/22/17 | Geoff Edgers

[Drew68]

The convention couldn’t sound less rock-and-roll — the National Association of Music Merchants Show. But when the doors open at the Anaheim Convention Center, people stream in to scour rows of Fenders, Les Pauls and the oddball, custom-built creations such as the 5-foot-4-inch mermaid guitar crafted of 15 kinds of wood.

Standing in the center of the biggest, six-string candy store in the United States, you can almost believe all is well within the guitar world.

Except if, like George Gruhn, you know better. The 71-year-old Nashville dealer has sold guitars to Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift. Walking through NAMM with Gruhn is like shadowing Bill Belichick at the NFL Scouting Combine. There is great love for the product and great skepticism. What others might see as a boom — the seemingly endless line of dealers showcasing instruments — Gruhn sees as two trains on a collision course.

“There are more makers now than ever before in the history of the instrument, but the market is not growing,” Gruhn says in a voice that flutters between a groan and a grumble. “I’m not all doomsday, but this — this is not sustainable.”

The numbers back him up. In the past decade, electric guitar sales have plummeted, from about 1.5 million sold annually to just over 1 million. The two biggest companies, Gibson and Fender, are in debt, and a third, PRS Guitars, had to cut staff and expand production of cheaper guitars. In April, Moody’s downgraded Guitar Center, the largest chain retailer, as it faces $1.6 billion in debt. And at Sweetwater.com, the online retailer, a brand-new, interest-free Fender can be had for as little as $8 a month.

What worries Gruhn is not simply that profits are down. That happens in business.

[FamiliarFace]

I’d be interested to hear what any of you think of these guys. They might not be your style, but the lead reminds me of the old rockers more than what I usually see these days. This was at a gig in Toronto in May. The quality of the sound is ok but not a professional recording by any means. I would guess that it was done on a smartphone.

http://youtu.be/uuGvWrPlbf8

[bar sin·is·ter]

Dweezil Zappa is one of the few that can reproduce Eddie’s sound faithfully.

[CivilWarBrewing]

Eddie Van Halen is truly a great guitarist, and an innovator too! I'll never forget when 'Van Halen I' was released. It swept my high school campus like wildfire. At lunch out in the parking lot everyone was blasting this album on car cassette tapes of course. LOL

'Eruption' is a masterful Eddie warm-up tune. Still sounds good to this day. Unequaled.

ATOMIC PUNK!

[Maverick68]

Very nice, you can tell they are fans of 70’s era music.
There are actual dynamics in their songs!

[FamiliarFace]

Yes, they were all raised on 60s and 70s music, and probably some 80s. They do a few Led Zeppelin songs fairly well. In fact, they will be playing with Zoso tomorrow for a fundraiser.

[zeugma]

I love folk and bluegrass.

Nickel Creek? Chris Thile is bloody awesome. Granted, he's playing mandolin, but I think he's one of the best I've ever heard. It's interesting that lately a lot of bluegrass and classical folk have been doing collaborations. Search Youtube for "Tiny Desk Goat Rodeo" Amazing stuff, and they really look like they are having fun.

[zeugma]

The experience was so overwhelming that my immediate response was to want to throw my guitars in the trash and never play again.

Somehow, I don't think that was what he intended from his workshop. LOL

[VietVet876]

That Eddy and Eddy Cochran too.

[KC Burke]

Lots of Eddys. Duane is one of those I can hear a 1.5 second of and say, that’s him.

[FamiliarFace]

Have you ever heard of The Driftwoods? I met them last September when they played at a friend’s wedding, and they were terrific!
https://www.reverbnation.com/thedriftwoods

[noiseman]

"I watched Phil Keaggy do a workshop at a church years ago. The experience was so overwhelming that my immediate response was to want to throw my guitars in the trash and never play again. No one could ever be that good."

And he does it all while missing the middle finger on his right hand.

I saw him in concert several times in the '80's, and every time was an experience. I keep watching for him to come back to Colorado (just missed him a while back without realizing it), and have been watching videos on YouTube of some of his more recent live performances. He's much older now (aren't we all?), but as unbelievable as ever and strangely enough I think his vocals might actually be a little better now. He's always sounded so much like Paul McCartney it's uncanny. Any time he does a cover of a Beatles song that featured McCartney on vocals, it's hard to tell it isn't Paul.

[Major Matt Mason]

Some of the modern acts are very good, exceptional lyrics. No, not a lot of guitars.

On the subject of not a lot of guitars - or none, actually - I happen to like this group called Mouse on the Keys who are a part of the Math Rock genre (no idea why it is called that, though). I'd call them prog/jazz with a tinge of hip hop mixed in (but not in a bad way), but mostly I hear a mix of Joe Jackson, Bruce Hornsby, old Genesis, and whatever jazz pianist has influenced the two piano players in the group. No guitars, just piano, drums, and horns, and best of all, no lyrics. Wish I'd checked them out when they were in the area recently since they don't come to North America much (they are from Japan), but definitely a band worth checking out, IMO.

Here is what I think is their latest album, and here is the album release show for that album.

[Prolixus]

Wow! That’s a great sound. Prog/fusion/country plus virtuosity. Thanks for the links and keep on steelin’!

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Thank you! Neil and I are working on some new things.

[Zeneta]

There’s something to be said about copyright and the state of music today.

I watched an interview with Ian Anderson a number of years ago in which he suggested that there are no more original “riffs” because the mathematical possibilities have been exhausted.

In other words. It’s becoming nearly impossible to be original without being sued for copyright infringement.

I think a lot of “true artists” of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s recognized this dilemma and either gave up trying to be original and began remaking classical music from 100 plus years ago with a rock/guitar style.

IIRC, the copyright on music expires after 75 years.

In the meantime, we get POP BS that is literally a music loop and we’re supposed to like them for their “Performance, their Dancing, their Rap”. It’s just stupid if you ask me.

[Sir_Ed]

Thank you!

Ed

[Sir_Ed]

Wow!

Very nice!

Thank you...

Ed

[Sir_Ed]

They were great, really, really good show.

I’ve seen many, many great artists, from Donovan to BB King to James Cotton, the Moody Blues, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and many others, but John Kay and Steppenwolf were so, so tight.

Just loved it.

Ed

[Daffynition]

Charlie Kaman; yes of Kaman Heliocopters

Ovation guitars - one of the first electrically amplified acoustic guitars

Charles Kaman put a team of employees to work to invent a new guitar in 1964. For the project, Kaman chose a small team of aerospace engineers and technicians, several of whom were woodworking hobbyists as well.

For its soundboards, Ovation uses Sitka spruce, a wood that Kaman engineers used in helicopter blades. In the 1970s, Ovation developed thinner soundboards with carbon-based composites laminating a thin layer of birch in its Adamas model.

In 2008 KMCMusicorp (and with that the Ovation brand) was sold to the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In 2014, Fender announced that they were closing the iconic Ovation guitar factory in New Hartford, Connecticut, leaving all production of Ovation guitars overseas

With Charlie, it came down to the helicopters, guitars and dogs; Charlie and his wife Robbie founded the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation which trains German shepherds as guide dogs for the blind and the police.

Charlie and Robbie are gone now, better people you couldn't meet. Good memories.

[LS]

I saw Bread at one of these. Gag. Ballad after ballad. Then they decided to rock out & were terrific. Then back to the ballads.