Vintage Was ALL That Your Heroes Had:

[Inspector #20]

Recently, we had an open house at the music school and a parent asked if a 50's re-issue Gibson Les Paul was a good choice for a beginner, because of point-to-point wiring, lacquer, vintage tone, feel, etc.

I didnt know we were videotaping the open house, but this was the text of my response:

"I've begun to form an opinion that the reason we used lacquer, cloth covered wiring, etc., was that we didn't have anything else better at the time. Now, people are stuck on vintage this and vintage that because Rory Gallagher or Paul Kossoff used it, but quite literally, they had no other choices. The only thing that will put you on the same playing field with Gallagher and Kossoff is practicing and performing..."

 

[gball]

Well, I have gone on record here many times calling BS on the notion that old guitars are somehow inherently better (I despise the term vintage because it is essentially meaningless - by its strict definition an awful lot of guitars made in the '80s are vintage). In a lot of ways they were worse, and without going into some long litany, just as an example: every original PAF I have played sounded pretty pedestrian. There is zero magic there - almost any new pickup sounds better. But it's hard to break the spell of superstition.

One thing I will say though, is a lacquer finish is superior in terms of feel and look. I don't believe for a second it makes any more difference to tone than the type of glue two pieces of wood are stuck together with (another weird superstition), but it feels freaking great under your hands and has a sheen that no plastic finish can match.

 

[iblive]

Come on you guys. You know one of the original PC’s with an 8086 processor is still better than anything made today. Speaking of vintage.

But that may be a tad off topic.

 

[Inspector #20]

Well, I have gone on record here many times calling BS on the notion that old guitars are somehow inherently better.
In a lot of ways they were worse, and without going into some long litany, just as an example every original PAF I have played sounded pretty pedestrian. There is zero magic there - almost any new pickup sounds better. But it's hard to break the spell of superstition.

On thing I will say though, is a lacquer finish is superior in terms of feel and look. I don't believe for a second it makes any more difference to tone than the type of glue two pieces of wood are stuck together with (another weird superstition), but it feels freaking great under your hands and has a sheen that no plastic finish can match.

I really do like my 50's Standard Gold Top, but the one i don't like is how the lacquer gets sticky when you sweat on it.

On some really fast passages - such as Halford's "The One You Love To Hate," - it can really put the brakes on, so to speak, but i love how it looks!!!!

 

[Inspector #20]

Come on you guys. You know one of the original PC’s with an 8086 processor is still better than anything made today. Speaking of vintage.

But that may be a tad off topic.

Only with a "Turbo" button.

 

[gball]

I really do like my 50's Standard Gold Top, but the one i don't like is how the lacquer gets sticky when you sweat on it.

On some really fast passages - such as Halford's "The One You Love To Hate," - it can really put the brakes on, so to speak, but i love how it looks!!!!

My experience is that the stickiness will stop in time, as the lacquer continues to age. They only do that when they are young - consider it a teething issue.

 

[Inspector #20]

My experience is that the stickiness will stop in time, as the lacquer continues to age. They only do that when they are young - consider it a teething issue.

I been waxing it, and that helps, but deep in the set its a lot of friction.

 

[Don O]

Come on you guys. You know one of the original PC’s with an 8086 processor is still better than anything made today. Speaking of vintage.

But that may be a tad off topic.

Ah, the original PC had the 8088 (a 8 bit data bus derivative of the 8086). The AT PC went to the 80286. Then came 80386, 80486, Pentium, etc..

 

[Inspector #20]

Ah, the original PC had the 8088 (a 8 bit data bus derivative of the 8086). The AT PC went to the 80286. Then came 80386, 80486, Pentium, etc..

Don,

Just what did the "turbo" button do???

My 486 had one back about 1995/96.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Come on you guys. You know one of the original PC’s with an 8086 processor is still better than anything made today. Speaking of vintage.

But that may be a tad off topic.

And extra memory was so economical!

 

[eclecticsynergy]

"Believe me when I say that some of the most amazing music in history was made on equipment that's not as good as what you own right now."-Jol Dantzig

 

[Inspector #20]

"Believe me when I say that some of the most amazing music in history was made on equipment that's not as good as what you own right now."-Jol Dantzig

But years of creative marketing has brainwashed the public.

 

[gball]

But years of creative marketing has brainwashed the public.

Honestly, I think the marketing was in direct response to the hype that was generated by small number of, very vocal, people that for one reason or another couldn't get past the fact that the guitars had the temerity to evolve beyond what was built in the 1950s. Somehow this ridiculous notion that they were "better" became like gospel and you really can't blame the marketing departments for running with it and pushing reissues, or reissues of looks/features more accurately. I still remember getting my first Les Paul, in 1977 - there were used '50s guitars in the rack, for less money than the new ones!, but I didn't want somebody else's castaway, I wanted my own brand-new guitar. The hype and BS about those things came later, and unfortunately we're still dealing the with stink of manufactured mystique. Just look at the "Custom Shop" offerings at Gibson. I love Gibson, but man, there is NOTHING custom about aping your own past and charging a massive premium for it. What did old P.T. say?

 

[Don O]

Don,

Just what did the "turbo" button do???

My 486 had one back about 1995/96.

Most likely like the close the door button on an elevator. Didn’t do anything, but satisfied the button pusher with a rewarding feeling.

 

[iblive]

Most likely like the close the door button on an elevator. Didn’t do anything, but satisfied the button pusher with a rewarding feeling.

According to the Google machine……

“The Turbo button was a button found on earlier (386 and 486) PCs that would increase or decrease the performance of the computer. This button was needed for backward compatibility in older programs and games that were written for a specific speed of computer.”

Now…… whether or not it actually did anything or was just marketing????

 

[67plexi]

Time fly's doesn't seem that long ago when I got the John Page 1960 Custom Shop 2 of 12 Stratocaster 1989 Ice Blue
I did change the neck with a real 1960 neck got a thing for Brazilian Rosewood finger boards all my best sounding guitars have that
just like maple drums my money my choice in this video new Custom Shop guitar into AXE-FX 3 sounds great new product
Hell in the amp world I had to spend $15,000 + to get that sound and had to build them from scratch 3 ODS amps and a Eventide
Micropitch wet dry wet

 

[flatrockmobile]

When I was a teen in the early 70s, '58 and '59 LP juniors were 12 year old guitars that you could find everywhere for around $150. They were just good sounding, used guitars. No fairy dust or magic glue.