5 Things About Guitars June Ep.2
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- In this episode of 5 Things About Guitars:
1. An update on my Gibson Jeff Tweedy SG
2. Modifying vintage acoustic guitars
3. My guitar of the week
4. The slow death of the electric guitar
5. A thought on creativity and guitar
My full review of the Jeff Tweedy SG:
• 5 Things I know about ...
Guitar of the Week:
www.ebay.com.au...
Washington Post (While My Guitar Gently Weeps):
www.washington...
Great stuff :)
That Hummingbird looks and sounds so gorgeous. I know very little about such matters, but not allowing that to stop me ;-) I'm going to render an opinion about your dream of going a little bit electric with the Hummingbird. This is what I'm led to understand: If you want to customize the guitar to fit your personal ideal of what that guitar might be, then do it. Do it for yourself. But if you're thinking about some future time and the monetary value of the instrument to someone else, then you really risk depreciating its value as a **vintage** guitar with modifications of one sort or another. Vintage instruments retain and grow their monetary value on the basis of their remaining true to original specs.
Thanks Ron - I share those thoughts too. The guitars I love are living breathing assets which I own and play - I like to use them although my '57 J50 is too old for me to modify I think. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts:)
I enjoyed your video :)
Thanks for the kind comments my friend cheers Matt.
Hey man! Another cool video with really useful insight. Thank you.
i saw a lightshow Rickenbacker for sale in Johnny Roadhouse in Manchester once... used to belong to Bonehead from Oasis
Hey Matt, another great video mate. Just been really paying attention to the progress of your SG and I myself am purchasing a '61 reissue with the vibrola and wondering is your tuning stability still shabby as heck even why you dont use the vibrola? Keep up the good work cheers \m/
Hey there I'm just waiting for the stop tail to arrive and then the vibrola is history on my SG:) Just saw your FB message too... keep me posted if your ever in Melbourne. Thanks for watching and I'll keep you updated with the SG. Matt
rock on man will do cant wait to hear more about it
Another great video. Personally I wouldn't be too fussed about minor mods to (what appears from the inlays to be) a 1970s Hummingbird. I just think Gibsons of that era are too stigmatized to ever leap spectacularly in value, but who knows. That said, I actually prefer having the option to swap electronics between my acoustic guitars, so I've taken inspiration from Neil Young's approach here (ua-cam.com/video/cxw-E65p7wg/v-deo.html), of simply running the wire outside the body of the guitar, with a little electrical tape on the pickguard. Actually that Guild M20 belongs to Daniel Lanois, on loan to Neil. I sort of like the DIY look of it, to be honest.
Personally I'd put the output jack on the Hummingbird if it makes the guitar more useful and results in you playing it more. Wouldn't think twice about buying an old gem modded this way either. It's not like you'd be cutting a hole in the top for a P90 or somesuch. ;)
Thanks your thoughts David - I tend to agree with you but it's always go to know peoples thoughts on stuff like that. All my guitars are players grade and I like playing them all.
I cant see changing the bridge or adding a fixed pickup to a vintage guitar.
Acoustic pickups never really bring out the nuance that you enjoy.
If you want to record-use two good mics.
If you want to gig buy a new guitar with a more modern pickup with preamp like the sonotone that combines internal mic with under saddle and a blend switch
Thanks for your thoughts and for watching:) Matt
Great to hear you settled on the stop-tail for the SG. Tuning takes precedence over vibrato! I do like that you are keeping the trapeze plate on to keep the style of the vibrola alive on it. Can't wait to see the final product! Cheers
Bloody Derek Trucks Lyre plate cost me AU $375 on eBay but I do want to keep it looking original(ish). It sounds too good to let the useless piece of tin on the back wreck a really great SG. I should have her updated in the next few weeks and I'll definitely post a video of how it goes. Cheers Matt.
The stoptail is a good idea, whammy bars are cool but not as cool as being in tune
Haha yes I couldn't agree more. The SG sounds so good but it's unusable in a live situation because its tuning has a mind of its own. I can't wait to get the stop tail on - just waiting for the Tone Pros to arrive:)
You have a real talent for the in front of camera stuff too Matt - thanks for another fine production :)
Thanks for the kind words mate - much appreciated:)
The whole world is going through bad times, so no surprise guitars are going down the toilet. Mind you there is a moratorium on rosewood, wood isnt a finite resource, so its good that guitars are on a decline, that way less bogans to have 10 guitars to act as trinkets in their rumpus room.
Thanks Yuval - unfortunately I might be one of those bogans with 10 guitars haha lol. Thanks for watching and your thoughts!
you play in a band though? Not a bedroom warrior?
Yuval Legendtofski yes I do play in a band. I have a couple of recording projects too:)
I have doubts about the "electric guitar business is dying" article. The article hinges on the "1.5 million guitar sales per year decreased to 1 million in the last decade" figure. Where's that figure from? How did the writer get that number? Seems like bad journalism...
A decade ago, guitar business wasn't on the internet. There weren't hundreds of successful smaller manufacturers occupying the market. Sure, bigger companies are currently suffering, but I don't think that's because the guitar business has declined in a big way. I think it's because there's so much competition.
Unless the journalist somehow accounted for ALL the independent music store sales, internet guitar sales, direct sales from medium/small guitar companies, etc. (which I don't think is likely at all), the 1.5m -> 1m figure is highly suspect. Article is more about how the biggest electric guitar companies (fender, Gibson, PRS, etc.) are suffering.
Good points there - they should have put the sources for the stats. I guess the guitar industry is going through disruption like every other industry.
The journalist, Geoff Edgers, is actually very good. And his article does not hinge entirely on the 1.5M figure: he also cites the dropping revenues of companies like Gibson & Fender, the enormous debts being carried by struggling retailers like Guitar Center, and the expert opinion of people with decades in the industry like George Gruhn.
@TorontoLarrivee I bet he is very good, it is Washington Post after all. You miss my point though: Fender, Gibson, & Guitar Center suffering would've reflected on the whole of guitar business a decade ago, but it does not today. The guitar business changed over the last decade because of the internet. I can imagine 0.5 million sales having gone to smaller companies over the last decade. So the "electric guitar is dying" article does hinge on 1.5M -> 1M figure. Where's he getting the number from? I highly doubt it's an accurate aggregate data.
Gruhn supports my point, "There are more makers now than ever before in the history of the instrument." He does say, "the market is not growing," but notice that's a far cry from "the market is dying."
I read the article again, and adding to the criticism... :P I don't like this: "at Sweetwater.com, the online retailer, a brand-new, interest-free Fender can be had for as little as $8 a month." It's called financing, how does this add to the writer's point? He just wanted the shock value of hearing "$8," since it adds nothing to the "guitar industry is suffering" point. Not a very good article, IMO.
Dunno Daniel. The Washington Post has a highly respected fact-checking team which would have vetted the 1.5M figure. Seems highly unlikely that WP would allow Edgers to crudely extrapolate that number from Fender and Gibson's declining sales figures, ignoring the possibility that this might be due to declining market share, as you suggest.
The $8/month point is not as tenuous as you imagine. Offers of cheap financing-- e.g., 0% interest, no money down-- are often pointed to as evidence that an industry is struggling to find buyers.
We're guitar people, we probably know the guitar market better than WP. How would you personally vet the 1.5M figure?
Would you call up G&L, Yamaha, Music Man, Ernie Ball, Epiphone, Duesenberg, Dean, Suhr, Tom Anderson, Schecter, Rickenbacker, Gretch, Godin, Guild, etc. etc., and ask them for their sales figures? Would they give it to you?
Maybe it'd be easier to contact retailers. Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Sam Ash, American Musical Supply, Full Compass, zZounds, Music123, Elderly, Chicago Music Exchange, etc. etc. Again, just ask for their sales figures? Would they give it to you? What about all the independent stores throughout the US?
Perhaps we can estimate sales figures from public revenue information. But that's an estimate at best, and it would still not account for the spreading out of market share without a pretty big aggregate search & estimate.
A brand new cheapest Fender is sitting at $14/month now, perhaps the market is getting better haha ;) just kidding my friend.
I'm not saying the guitar industry is booming. It could be in a decline. But the article is hardly a thorough look at the guitar industry, and it's apparent from the writing.
I remember seeing Ric Lightshows hanging on the walls of my local music store when I was in high school, mid-Sixties. How old is the Hummingbird?
Hey the my Hummingbird is a 1970 model... I hear mixed reviews of 70's Gibson acoustics but this old gal is a beaut... very light and very resonate:) Cheers and thanks for watching Matt.
Even though you had extensive work done on the Hummingbird, I wouldn't do the pickup.....but it's your guitar.
Is that because you you'd keep it original or is it about the value of the guitar or both?
Just keeping it original. Not that I haven't been guilty of "modding" my guitars in the past and extremely devaluing them. Dummy. I do have a couple of acoustics (nowhere as valuable as yours) that had adjustable bridges that I switched to non adjustable with good results. Graph Tech (Tusq) makes a saddle that fits the space where the adjustable saddle fits (PQ-9016-00). I have one but haven't used it yet so I can't give an opinion on the tone. On the other hand, about 17 years ago I was staring at John Lennon's Gibson J-160e at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it has an adjustable bridge. If Lennon didn't feel the need to switch it out.......
jltrem yes if it's good enough for John Lennon! Thanks for your thoughts:) Matt