Rhett Shull - Why New Bands Don't Play Gibson Guitars

dmatthews said:
That's OK.
And I agree the headstock looks... um... out of place? :ROFLMAO:
Not sure what "really special" means though. What would you have done differently?
The neck IMHO is true to 63/64 style and playability with great frets and a 7.25 radius. It feels wonderful in hand.
All 5 positions are beautiful and useable tones.
Not sure what I'm missing out on apart from a headstock and a sticker?
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Could have been a total clean sheet of paper design.
 
I learned my first chords on a harmony guitar that probably came out of a catalog back in the early 1990

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I then graduated to this
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After those anything was a step above in quality and at that time there really weren't alot of options for good budget instruments , Mine though happened to be a MIJ 1980's hard tail E series strat on par with any American made strat IMO even today it still plays superb, the only thing ive had to change was the 5 way switch .
 
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67plexi said:
Heck I play a Peavey HP2 NOS on stage now if it gets broken or stolen only out $2500.00 no big deal stays in tune doesn't break strings
and use a Parker Fly Deluxe as a backup. I learned many moons ago not to play valuable guitars on stage amps that's a different story
not that easy to walk off with.
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I play my $3,000 2021 Gibson Les Paul 50's Standard Gold Top at some venues, my old Stratocaster at others. Just depends on the mood really...
 
Session 5 said:
I find a few people here when it comes to guitars specifically they don't like guitars that are made in China , well i see they want to buy American made, support your local workers keep jobs in America . I get it , but don't blame the Chinese for making a good product. The people to blame are your high roliing American businessman that want to make higher profits . They are the ones who want to put those slave driven kids to work. they are the ones that want to build factories in China, so they can make high profits, thats what its all about greed.

I know one Canadian businessman in Canada who likes to have things maufactured in China as well, the bottom line is profits. The thing is after working at a job for 38 years, I have seen quite a few lazy individuals who don't want to work in my lifetime, they want the money, but they are more interested in wasting company time on their smart phone or being out in the smoke shack, rather than putting in a good days work.


This to me is also part of the problem why Companies prefer to go off shore to have things made including guitars. Maybe when and if mindsets change of some individuals in the workplace. in the future to have a good work ethic , and Rich Businessmen become less greedy about $$$$$$$$s there will be a better balance of Company's making guitars and goods in our Country's instead of China. These companys are seeing that Chinese are producing some very good work, we are seeing this now in Chinese guitars.

If there should be blame for guitars coming out of China, Blame the Companys that put the dollar above the American and Canadian workers. You know the names of many of these Rich greedy individuals, they are in the news, on reality TV shows etc,etc....
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I just hope what happened to the bicycle industry does not happen to the guitar industry... Back in the 90s and 00s, the large bicycle companies exported most (if not all) of their production to Asia. Then when the quality came back "meh" and people looked at the Made In China sticker on their €5'000 bicycle, there was more than a slight bit of backlash against chinese made bicycles.

When the manufacturers realised they could sell a European-made carbon frame alone for £5'000 (because buyers thought European is better than Asian) there were very few workers left in Europe that could make one (it is not an easy process and since the jobs had been gone for 10+ years, people moved on). The people that they did find to work for them were producing frames that were worse quality than the high-end Asian ones. Reason being? The Asian factories had spent 20+ years learning and improving the manufacturing process.

That being said, I have a cheap Thomann Tele, it's a damn good guitar for €120.... Does it feel as good to play as my Gibsons? No. But try explaining to a young person why they should spend Gibson money when they can get most of the way there for a lot less...
 
On a side note, THAT VID and THAT GUY completely sum up a modern guitar player/musician - A lot of displayed amps, a waving cell phone, discussion of an off, but related topic of a musical subject matter, a nice USB broadcast mic for podcasts, broadcast voice crash courses, HD 4K cameras, etc., etc.

Sad. Remember when it was about actual guitar practice, a summer job to get an amp, jamming with others to actually become a band musician, writing, and wanting only to be a rock star?

Man, talk about planet Mars these days.
 
Sapient said:
On a side note, THAT VID and THAT GUY completely sum up a modern guitar player/musician - A lot of displayed amps, a waving cell phone, discussion of an off, but related topic of a musical subject matter, a nice USB broadcast mic for podcasts, broadcast voice crash courses, HD 4K cameras, etc., etc.

Sad. Remember when it was about actual guitar practice, a summer job to get an amp, jamming with others to actually become a band musician, writing, and wanting only to be a rock star?

Man, talk about planet Mars these days.
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That's a fact I worked all summer to buy my first Les Paul Custom 1972 1954 RI still have it 50 years later.
 
Robert Herndon said:
But, TBTH, you really don't have 'guitar players' anymore.

It started with Cobain and Nirvana. Not being able to play articulate solos suddenly became 'en vogue.'
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To be honest, I was kind of glad to see the "guitar solo" start to wane. Don't get me wrong, throughout the '80s I really thought the hair-metal bands were cool and I used to love the solos. I'd fast-forward through songs just to hear the solo. But, as time went on, the songs took on a rather formulaic feel and the solo seemed like, more or less, an obligatory appendage to a song.

I can't say I was ever a grunge fan (honestly, I try not to be a "fan" of anything), but I did welcome the sea change. I did like the change from spandex and leather to more everyday clothes. I welcomed the shedding of big hair and makeup to a more pedestrian look. I liked the change from high-pitched vocals, as well. I was kind of glad to see the "guitar gods" fade. The whole shtick just became trite to me. Eventually, I grew weary of the out-sized idolization of the "lead gutiarist". I kind of felt that it was demeaning to the rest of a band to hold the musically least important contribution to a song - the solo - in such high regard, when it is really the overall song writing and the rest of the instrumentation that really makes a song work. The solo is just some of the icing on the cake. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but that is my general feeling.

Today, I can take or leave a solo. I'm certainly not '"anti-solo". I like hearing good, musically interesting guitar compositions.

But, getting back to the OP, another trend which seems to be more popular among the younger set is acoustic guitar. I realize this is probably not the case among the metal crowd, but, by and large, I see acoustic guitar appreciated and utilized more than when I was a teenager and in my early 20s.
 
Sp8ctre said:
So you must really be tired of the "Clapton is God" talk...
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That was just graffiti. :p

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smitty_p said:
To be honest, I was kind of glad to see the "guitar solo" start to wane. Don't get me wrong, throughout the '80s I really thought the hair-metal bands were cool and I used to love the solos. I'd fast-forward through songs just to hear the solo. But, as time went on, the songs took on a rather formulaic feel and the solo seemed like, more or less, an obligatory appendage to a song.

I can't say I was ever a grunge fan (honestly, I try not to be a "fan" of anything), but I did welcome the sea change. I did like the change from spandex and leather to more everyday clothes. I welcomed the shedding of big hair and makeup to a more pedestrian look. I liked the change from high-pitched vocals, as well. I was kind of glad to see the "guitar gods" fade. The whole shtick just became trite to me. Eventually, I grew weary of the out-sized idolization of the "lead gutiarist". I kind of felt that it was demeaning to the rest of a band to hold the musically least important contribution to a song - the solo - in such high regard, when it is really the overall song writing and the rest of the instrumentation that really makes a song work. The solo is just some of the icing on the cake. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but that is my general feeling.

Today, I can take or leave a solo. I'm certainly not '"anti-solo". I like hearing good, musically interesting guitar compositions.

But, getting back to the OP, another trend which seems to be more popular among the younger set is acoustic guitar. I realize this is probably not the case among the metal crowd, but, by and large, I see acoustic guitar appreciated and utilized more than when I was a teenager and in my early 20s.
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Hmmmmm....

Well, I didn't like the change. To me, if felt like going from home cooked meals to TV dinners that were frozen in the middle.

I understand that I am a member of the immoral minority and my professional background will make my perspective incredibly obscure and narrow for some.

I was into the leathery Motorhead look and I never embraced eyeliner, etc., but it didn't bother me that some bands did. You see, I have a background in theater, so I understand the concept of stagewear and the concept of a performance being entertaining and memorable.

In my own songwriting, I tend to favor shorter solos that fit the song, but I wouldn't omit the solo.

The solo in Pink Floyd's "On The Turning Away" is a brilliant composition.

I'm still very much a fan of guitar bands.

Right now, Black Label Society and Airbourne are at the top of my listening lists.

I also like GretaVanFleet and Ghost.

Beyond those bands, I just don't hear anything in modern North American music that grabs me and makes me want to listen.

Now, I do hear a lot of stuff from Europe that engages me, but again, it is guitar based and demonstrative of both skill and technique.

In my recent songwriting, I've just focused on having fun and creating a catchy hook and a beat that won't let you hold still.

In each song, I offer a phrase or line that reaches out to the listner and makes the song personally engaging.

For example, in our original song "Borrowed Time," the verse line goes:

"I've been broken....I've been bruised....Mmmm I bet you been there too."

So, I can agree that a solo just for the sake of a solo seems a bit ridiculous to me. For example, EVH. His solos were the least interesting aspect of his playing, and his rhythm playing was the most interesting aspect.

Have you ever played 'Eruption?'

The tapping is the easiest part of the composition.

Listen to the solo in Ghost's 'Dance Macabre.' It is not only far more musical, it is also much more difficult to play than Eruption.

Anyways, getting back to the changes in the genres, I prefer that an artist reach out with something unexpected.

Modern music, born out of fans of the "technical decline" of musicianship, fostered in by the grunge era, really do bore me sufficiently that I can't bring myself to listen to a complete work.

Now, Fountains of Wayne's song "Stacy's Mom" really was catchy and fun. I liked the vibe and the overall feel, despite not really having a solo of any kind.

If you listen to Airbourne's "Back In The Game," there is a brilliant simplicity in their writing. Solos are brief and melodic and played without effects.

I can understand your difference of opinion, but I doubt that my background would ever allow me to feel "satisfied" with music written by artists whose signature guitar has only the first 5 frets...

 
dmatthews said:
Yup... None of mine are case queens. They all get rotation from 1.5K to 5K plus.
Like you say, it's the mood.
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Here! HERE!

A pic taken during our February 25th NASCAR soundcheck. (The bandana was for blowing dust)

For this event, my 2021 Gibson Les Paul 50's Standard Gold Top is tuned standard and the Slash Replica Les Paul in the stand was used for D standard passages.

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Here's the Slash AFD replica being put through its paces by one of my colleagues at the Fender Factory.


When playing clubs, and most we play have an occupancy of around 300, it's super important to get the cables out and the guitars cased before you have people coming up on the stage.

This reduces the chance of someone tripping over a cable and breaking a guitar and ot allows me to keep an eye on the instruments, as they are all in one location...
 
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Robert Herndon said:
So, I can agree that a solo just for the sake of a solo seems a bit ridiculous to me.
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^^^^This!

Well, it seems we don't really have a difference of opinion as much as you may think!

Some solos are absolutely killer and really propel a song. Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably Numb" is an oft-cited example.

Other times, they are just vestigial.

My point is, I like to listen to well-written songs and I like to listen to how all the instruments and parts contribute to the piece. Sometimes, the choice of chord voicing can set a song apart.

But, again, I'm not "anti-solo". Sure, I come at this with a little different perspective, maybe. But, I think we actually have more in agreement than otherwise.

Also, for what it's worth, I can tell from the solos which you have done that you do seem to put a real level of thought into them.
 
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