Topic: Are we spoiled?????

I came across this article in a local ( South African ) website.
Thought it makes for interesting reading.
Makes me appreciate the guitars I am fortunate enough to own.



Are we spoiled?


We are truly blessed to live in an age where guitars are plentiful, generally good quality and relatively inexpensive, but has that turned us all into guitar gadflies?
In the '50's and '60s guitars were relatively expensive luxury rather than a plentiful commodity as they are today. Players had few choices between brands and even less between models. Features… well, if you wanted a Gibson, Martin or a Fender you were stuck with whatever features were standard at the time.
At one end of the spectrum were the “entry level† mail order or chain store instruments (still a fairly big chunk of money by the standards of the time), which were notoriously badly made and difficult to play. At the other end there were the brands like Fender, Gibson and Martin - good instruments but horribly expensive (particularly in countries still reeling from the after-effects of WWII). There was little to nothing in the middle ground between these two extremes. Owning more than one quality instrument was a luxury few could afford.
This meant that choosing your first professional instrument was a serious affair; it was something you had worked towards, scrimped and saved towards for months if not years. Thanks to the price, the chances were good it would be your only pro-level instrument and one you would stick with for years – if not the rest of your life.
The upside to this is that players learned everything there was to know about their guitar (and amp), all the ins and outs, and to a large degree, we bonded with them. We knew every annoying idiosyncrasy, every ding had a story and, most importantly, players learned how to make the most of what they had. You had to learn how to get your guitar sounding its best in any situation. If your bridge pickup too bright, you turned down the tone when you switched pickups. If you needed both clean and drive sounds in a song, you would use your guitar’s volume control, alter your playing dynamics or right hand position. Above all, you had to listen and adjust accordingly. I’m firmly convinced that this generally made for better players.
In these halcyon days of conspicuous consumption, when great guitars are available for a relatively slender slice of your paycheck, it’s commonplace for us to have a range of different instruments. We refer to them with collective phrases like “the herd†, “the collection† or “the stable†. If there is something we don’t quite like in a guitar, we sell it and move on to one of another thousand similar (but different) guitars and try that instead. But do we spend the time getting to know any of our instruments in a way that would make us much better players? Do we bond the same with them?
More importantly, do we learn that we have to listen to our playing and tonality? The staggering number of YouTube gear “demonstrators† who seem to blissfully unaware that the room they are playing in sounds like a tin can, their mic is distorting or the simple fact that they are not even in tune begs to differ.

--

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Jamier,
          an interesting observation. I generally agree with your comments.

All the best
Bushy

Not one drop of my self worth depends on your acceptance of me.
"Quincy Jones"

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Well I'm sure spoiled, and don't think I don't appreciate it! 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Most of us are spoiled.  That's just the way it is.  We know what we want and will not stop until we find it.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Yes we are spoiled,we are lucky that other countrys like Japan etc started makingguitars more affordable and we can now buy lower priced insterments that are good and keeps the compition up.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Yes sir. I am.  But I still remember having to work my way up in quality also.I dont care what name is on it, if its put toghether well and play the way I like, then Im happy.

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)

Re: Are we spoiled?????

We are spoiled for sure. We live in a throw away society. We get something, use it, abuse it, throw it out , and buy a new one. Consumerism at if finest. As far as knowing your instrument and being a better musician goes, how many people try to be musicians? I think most people who own a guitar just want to play songs or make some noise. They have no dreams of playing professionally so musicianship is lost on them. Youtube is there goal so their friends can see them. Musicians are few and far between.

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Are we spoiled?????

I don't know about you fellas (and ladies) but I'll admit, i'm spoiled.

Re: Are we spoiled?????

I am spoiled, and never try to deny it.  Yet... in some instances in life I've been far from it, so I take what I can when it comes to being spoiled.  I think I'll go hug my Martin now.

Art and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder.
What constitutes excellent music is in the ears of the listener.

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Oh go hug your Martin you spoiled little thing.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.

Re: Are we spoiled?????

zguitar wrote:

I think most people who own a guitar just want to play songs or make some noise. They have no dreams of playing professionally so musicianship is lost on them. Youtube is there goal so their friends can see them. Musicians are few and far between.

Only problem for me is that I think most of the people (amateurs) I see on Youtube are pretty good. Almost all of them seem to know a lot more than me and play better than me, too. So I'm not even at the level of those musicianshipless players. Think I'll go hug my dog because I don't have a Martin to hug. <sigh> But I know this--even though I've only got a second hand Ovation Applause, I'm still spoiled, cuz unlike most of the people in the world, I've got enough to eat, and I live in a safe part of the world, and I've got a great family and a nice house to live in. And I get to go to school and learn. And my town has a library where I can check out books for free. And my dog, Petey, loves me. Don't you Petey?

Re: Are we spoiled?????

bensonp wrote:

Oh go hug your Martin you spoiled little thing.

Pete that's funney!!!

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman

Re: Are we spoiled?????

M.B. wrote:

And my town has a library where I can check out books for free. And my dog, Petey, loves me. Don't you Petey?

Petey called.  He says he likes it when you read the library books to him, but even if you don't you're still aces in his book.  And also he wants you to learn Mr. Bojangles. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Are we spoiled?????

MB make Petey real happy and get him some Lassie re-runs,to watch on tv!!

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman

Re: Are we spoiled?????

M.B. wrote:
zguitar wrote:

I think most people who own a guitar just want to play songs or make some noise. They have no dreams of playing professionally so musicianship is lost on them. Youtube is there goal so their friends can see them. Musicians are few and far between.

Only problem for me is that I think most of the people (amateurs) I see on Youtube are pretty good. Almost all of them seem to know a lot more than me and play better than me, too. So I'm not even at the level of those musicianshipless players. Think I'll go hug my dog because I don't have a Martin to hug. <sigh> But I know this--even though I've only got a second hand Ovation Applause, I'm still spoiled, cuz unlike most of the people in the world, I've got enough to eat, and I live in a safe part of the world, and I've got a great family and a nice house to live in. And I get to go to school and learn. And my town has a library where I can check out books for free. And my dog, Petey, loves me. Don't you Petey?

I have an Ovation Applause my friend donated to my houseboat. It's a good boat guitar because it has a minimum amount of wood in it and it holds a tune and plays well enough for a strummer like me to get a decent job on a song.
Our boat cat is named Charlie and he seems to like/ or not mind so much, my playing here, lately.
toots

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Hi Toots,

Yeah, the Applause can stand up to a travel, camping, and weather. I like it because the neck is pretty narrow and easy for me to play.

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Zurf wrote:
M.B. wrote:

And my town has a library where I can check out books for free. And my dog, Petey, loves me. Don't you Petey?

Petey called.  He says he likes it when you read the library books to him, but even if you don't you're still aces in his book.  And also he wants you to learn Mr. Bojangles. 

- Zurf

Zurf,

I looked up "Mr. Bojangles" on Youtube and Chordie--what a great song. When he sings about how Bojangle's dog died and he still misses him, it made me cry!! I'm practicing the chords, but it's hard to sing it without choking up a bit. Thanks for telling me about it.

Speaking of Petey, when I'm practicing guitar and he wants me to play with him, he comes in my room and jumps up and put his front paws on my knee and nudges the neck of my guitar with his nose. Then he wags his tail and and looks at me. If I don't stop playing,  he starts to bark and whine until I do. His favorite thing is to go "smelling" in the woods--he'll walk for about ten feet, then spend a about minute sniffing something really interesting, then walk a little bit more, then sniff. Over and over. Did I mention that he's a beagle?

Re: Are we spoiled?????

dino48 wrote:

MB make Petey real happy and get him some Lassie re-runs,to watch on tv!!

His favorite thing is watching Youtube video's of huskies howling. Even though he's a beagle  loves to howl with them! It's too funny.

Re: Are we spoiled?????

M.B. wrote:
Zurf wrote:
M.B. wrote:

And my town has a library where I can check out books for free. And my dog, Petey, loves me. Don't you Petey?

Petey called.  He says he likes it when you read the library books to him, but even if you don't you're still aces in his book.  And also he wants you to learn Mr. Bojangles. 

- Zurf

Zurf,

I looked up "Mr. Bojangles" on Youtube and Chordie--what a great song. When he sings about how Bojangle's dog died and he still misses him, it made me cry!! I'm practicing the chords, but it's hard to sing it without choking up a bit. Thanks for telling me about it.

Speaking of Petey, when I'm practicing guitar and he wants me to play with him, he comes in my room and jumps up and put his front paws on my knee and nudges the neck of my guitar with his nose. Then he wags his tail and and looks at me. If I don't stop playing,  he starts to bark and whine until I do. His favorite thing is to go "smelling" in the woods--he'll walk for about ten feet, then spend a about minute sniffing something really interesting, then walk a little bit more, then sniff. Over and over. Did I mention that he's a beagle?

Here's one of my favorite dog songs M.B, although it made a lady cry one night when I played it around a campfire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd3QV0lwMXk

DE

I want to read my own water, choose my own path, write my own songs

20 (edited by Greatbigdave 2012-06-06 10:54:44)

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Hey M.B. I've got a beagle too, "Snoops". Lives up to his name too! Takes about half an hour to walk a mile, I've even had people take him home because they thought he was lost! When I play my guitar, he gets up and goes and lies in another room so he obviously has taste too!
Back to the thread, I am pretty much in the same position as years ago where I have to make the one guitar do everything and I have to agree, I know every little quirk and foible and could tell you the history of every dent. I do indeed love my instrument. I got my first new guitar in twenty years just before Christmas and although its miles better in build quality than my old one I still come back to it like an old friend. Don't see me ever having a stable of guitars, although I must admit, buying them is a lot of fun. Like Jamier says, when you've saved for years to get one, you tend to value it more I suppose.

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." (Ben Sweetland)

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Too many choices....
We don't have any sense of "Faithfulness" because there are too many options.

Guitar doesn't sound quite right....buy a new one.
Wife acting up...divorce her and get another.
Car has a bad brake caliper....trade it in on another.

We never stick with anything nowadays....no one in this new generation knows about "FIXING" anything...


I'm soooo thankful God blessed me to be born in the 70's!!!!

big_smile
Dm of mD

"Talent instantly recognizes genius,
but mediocrity knows nothing more than itself."

-Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle

Re: Are we spoiled?????

Dirty Ed wrote:
M.B. wrote:
Zurf wrote:

Petey called.  He says he likes it when you read the library books to him, but even if you don't you're still aces in his book.  And also he wants you to learn Mr. Bojangles. 

- Zurf

Zurf,

I looked up "Mr. Bojangles" on Youtube and Chordie--what a great song. When he sings about how Bojangle's dog died and he still misses him, it made me cry!! I'm practicing the chords, but it's hard to sing it without choking up a bit. Thanks for telling me about it.

Speaking of Petey, when I'm practicing guitar and he wants me to play with him, he comes in my room and jumps up and put his front paws on my knee and nudges the neck of my guitar with his nose. Then he wags his tail and and looks at me. If I don't stop playing,  he starts to bark and whine until I do. His favorite thing is to go "smelling" in the woods--he'll walk for about ten feet, then spend a about minute sniffing something really interesting, then walk a little bit more, then sniff. Over and over. Did I mention that he's a beagle?

Here's one of my favorite dog songs M.B, although it made a lady cry one night when I played it around a campfire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd3QV0lwMXk

DE

Are you sure it was the song that made her cry?

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude