'It's like a disease, son." - Roger Taylor, I'm In Love With My Car
News Flash #1: Many musicians are extremely particular about the instruments and musical accessories they use.
News Flash #2: Many musicians are particular to the degree of obsession, addiction, fetishism, and a few isms I can't even print here
News Flash #3: Electric guitarists suffer this affliction in greatest numbers and to the most extreme degree among all musicians.
As the saying goes, if you're not offending somebody then you're not reaching anybody. With that in mind, my last statement is probably arguable and mighty difficult to prove. After all, a mint flame-top '59 Les Paul (electric guitar, for you non-musicians) is still a fraction of the price of a Stradivari violin in serviceable condition, so classical musicians might have the rockers beat in terms of dollars invested. Still, it's one thing to obsess over a hand-crafted, centuries-old, yet-to-be-bested, one-of-a-kind violin that eludes modern scientists with the secrets of its beautiful sound, and another to spend over a quarter of a million dollars on something that came off a Kalamazoo assembly line when Diefenbaker was Prime Minister. Maybe Slade had it right - we're all crazy now.
Still, I must admit - I too suffer the affliction to a small degree. I've logged a lot of hours playing saxophones, pianos, acoustic guitars and violins (not that it shows), but certain makes, models and vintages of electric guitars and amplifiers just grab me by the psychic lapels and kiss my brain. Just the sight, scent or feel of some of them is enough to give me a pleasant buzz, and if you happen to run into a like-minded guitarist and get chatting, better cancel plans for the next hour or two - it's a bottomless topic. Any periodical stand will likely have two to a dozen different guitar magazines on display (few or none acoustic- or classical-oriented). One bass, one or two drummer (if any) publications, nothing for vocalists. I know a saxophonist magazine exists (or at least did)...but I'd bet against many shops stocking it or 'modern oboe' or 'French horn for the practicing musician', if such publications exist. I'm frankly too lazy to check.
I suppose the crux of this blog is - why is the electric guitar and its accessories the object of such Trekkie-grade obsession compared to other instruments? Does the interest fuel the media concentration on the topic or vice-versa, and...is it ultimately good, bad or irrelevant?
Speaking for myself, I can say my interest in the subject feels wholesome and healthy enough - I probably haven't spent more in total on every guitar and amp I've ever owned than most folks pay for one good, new car; I've never missed a day of work so I could stay home with a Telecaster or run off to a guitar dealers' show; but I'm sometimes haunted by a few recurring ideas. One is that the time and effort I've spent in hunting down, dreaming of and doodling these object of lust could probably be better spent practicing or writing, as I'm likely the only one who'd differentiate my tone difference between, say, a Strat and an SG. The second is that I'm probably unconsciously altering my playing on each different instrument in order to reach my own personal dream-tone - in fact, negating the variety I've sought. Finally, I often remember a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon that has Calvin explaining to Hobbes his newfound obsession with gum-chewing. He has even taken out a subscription to 'Chew' magazine. It becomes a badge of identity, if even lacking in substance.
I can take some solace in the fact that there are some hugely substantial musicians out there (Eric Johnson, Daniel Lanois, as two biggies off the top of my head) who are so knowledgeable and exacting with their gear that they make me look downright lackadaisical. I can also say that this quest has had its occasional pay-offs - those moments in a gig when my tone is as good or better than I could imagine are moments a musician lives for. But do vocalists and bassoonists know something electric guitarists don't, or vice versa? Do you contain your focus, or let the mania run wild through the streets?
I suspect the answer might lie in video game titles. There's only one instrument that you can reasonably attach to the word 'hero'. Hard to imagine 'Bass Hero' or 'Keyboard Hero', isn't it ('clarinet hero', anyone?)? It's underdog to the singer, yet somehow at least as powerful - it gets to play melody, power chords and fuzz. It looks cool, and you can affix your own style to the way you hold it, wear it, play it, paint it, collect it or destroy it. As badges of identity go, there's a lot to like. Why wouldn't the media capitalize on the widespread interest, and thereby - amplify it?
Is that a good thing? Is there more to this? Does it matter?
To answer in the words of Mr. Zappa - shut up and play your guitar.
News Flash #1: Many musicians are extremely particular about the instruments and musical accessories they use.
News Flash #2: Many musicians are particular to the degree of obsession, addiction, fetishism, and a few isms I can't even print here
News Flash #3: Electric guitarists suffer this affliction in greatest numbers and to the most extreme degree among all musicians.
As the saying goes, if you're not offending somebody then you're not reaching anybody. With that in mind, my last statement is probably arguable and mighty difficult to prove. After all, a mint flame-top '59 Les Paul (electric guitar, for you non-musicians) is still a fraction of the price of a Stradivari violin in serviceable condition, so classical musicians might have the rockers beat in terms of dollars invested. Still, it's one thing to obsess over a hand-crafted, centuries-old, yet-to-be-bested, one-of-a-kind violin that eludes modern scientists with the secrets of its beautiful sound, and another to spend over a quarter of a million dollars on something that came off a Kalamazoo assembly line when Diefenbaker was Prime Minister. Maybe Slade had it right - we're all crazy now.
Still, I must admit - I too suffer the affliction to a small degree. I've logged a lot of hours playing saxophones, pianos, acoustic guitars and violins (not that it shows), but certain makes, models and vintages of electric guitars and amplifiers just grab me by the psychic lapels and kiss my brain. Just the sight, scent or feel of some of them is enough to give me a pleasant buzz, and if you happen to run into a like-minded guitarist and get chatting, better cancel plans for the next hour or two - it's a bottomless topic. Any periodical stand will likely have two to a dozen different guitar magazines on display (few or none acoustic- or classical-oriented). One bass, one or two drummer (if any) publications, nothing for vocalists. I know a saxophonist magazine exists (or at least did)...but I'd bet against many shops stocking it or 'modern oboe' or 'French horn for the practicing musician', if such publications exist. I'm frankly too lazy to check.
I suppose the crux of this blog is - why is the electric guitar and its accessories the object of such Trekkie-grade obsession compared to other instruments? Does the interest fuel the media concentration on the topic or vice-versa, and...is it ultimately good, bad or irrelevant?
Speaking for myself, I can say my interest in the subject feels wholesome and healthy enough - I probably haven't spent more in total on every guitar and amp I've ever owned than most folks pay for one good, new car; I've never missed a day of work so I could stay home with a Telecaster or run off to a guitar dealers' show; but I'm sometimes haunted by a few recurring ideas. One is that the time and effort I've spent in hunting down, dreaming of and doodling these object of lust could probably be better spent practicing or writing, as I'm likely the only one who'd differentiate my tone difference between, say, a Strat and an SG. The second is that I'm probably unconsciously altering my playing on each different instrument in order to reach my own personal dream-tone - in fact, negating the variety I've sought. Finally, I often remember a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon that has Calvin explaining to Hobbes his newfound obsession with gum-chewing. He has even taken out a subscription to 'Chew' magazine. It becomes a badge of identity, if even lacking in substance.
I can take some solace in the fact that there are some hugely substantial musicians out there (Eric Johnson, Daniel Lanois, as two biggies off the top of my head) who are so knowledgeable and exacting with their gear that they make me look downright lackadaisical. I can also say that this quest has had its occasional pay-offs - those moments in a gig when my tone is as good or better than I could imagine are moments a musician lives for. But do vocalists and bassoonists know something electric guitarists don't, or vice versa? Do you contain your focus, or let the mania run wild through the streets?
I suspect the answer might lie in video game titles. There's only one instrument that you can reasonably attach to the word 'hero'. Hard to imagine 'Bass Hero' or 'Keyboard Hero', isn't it ('clarinet hero', anyone?)? It's underdog to the singer, yet somehow at least as powerful - it gets to play melody, power chords and fuzz. It looks cool, and you can affix your own style to the way you hold it, wear it, play it, paint it, collect it or destroy it. As badges of identity go, there's a lot to like. Why wouldn't the media capitalize on the widespread interest, and thereby - amplify it?
Is that a good thing? Is there more to this? Does it matter?
To answer in the words of Mr. Zappa - shut up and play your guitar.