| Author | Message | ||
| jorge_s
Member Username: jorge_s Post Number: 81 Registered: 8-2002 |
I am very curious to find out why guitars and basses made today have such beautiful wood. Particularly maple guitars have such incredible figure. Even inexpensive brands are able to have spectacular tops. When I look at electric guitars from the 50’s and 60’s you just don’t see that as often. I have seen some beautiful Les Pauls and stunning archtops but even these were usually not bookmatched. I wonder if it is due to a more “global” economy and better distribution of exotic wood? Perhaps I just haven’t looked hard enough. | ||
| hydrargyrum
Advanced Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 204 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, If I may care to venture a guess, Fender did a lot to spur on the painted guitar phenomenon in the above mentioned era. At the time, the sleekly painted stratocasters were the height of the modern manufacturing age. Some felt they looked futuristic compared to the traditional wood grain and sunburst guitars of the past. This may have influenced the market for decades to come. | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 876 Registered: 7-2002 |
That's an interesting question. I 've thought about it myself on occasion; I can think of a couple of reasons which might explain it. I bet that most companies did not use really fancy woods because they thought it would be overkill; in the early days, companies (Leo Fender for sure) were looking to make mass produced instruments that the general public could afford. Topping them with expensive woods, would have not helped. Painting the instruments with solid colors makes it possible to use cheaper woods with plain grain or even cosmetic blemishes, thus reducing the cost of materials. It really wasn't until Alembic and other small makers got into the action that you started seeing fancy woods on a regular basis. To compete with the big boys you need something special to make your instruments stand out, and fancy woods are a great way of doing that. I think your observation on the more "global"-internet fueled economy is also quite valid and likely has a lot to do with the fact that we see so many instruments with nice woods these days. Valentino | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 748 Registered: 9-2002 |
Another point not to be missed is that so many other makers use solid finishes. Ever see the wood under a stripped Black Les Paul Custom? THAT's why they painted them. Sonically it sounded great, but eliminated hand sorting, book matching, saved money, all of which is REAL important when you're slamming out a couple hundred guitars a day. That sort of hand-picking the woods was usually reserved strictly for the best archtops or box guitars: Straight grain spruce, fiddle back/ flame maple for the back and sides, etc., since these were usually in see thru finishes. Solid bodies were regarded as a lesser instrument after these, so in the mindset of the day, you didn't see the fancy woods in them as often. That's how you wind up with flame top Pauls from the late 50s that are obviously NOT book matched on top, yet so dearly lusted after. Archtops were Lincolns, solid bodies were Fords. It's just become the standard style for traditional electric guitars. You can see very expensive Custom Shop Fenders and Tom Murphy Gibsons all over the place, but the twists applied are rarely the body or neck wood. Fender occasionally offers 'other wood' examples (they're offering Koa Strats this year, Gibson periodically reissues something in korina) but these will NOT be big ticket items at Gruhns or Elderly 20 years from now. The only exception I can think of are the Rosewood Teles because of George, but they're usually so heavy it limits their appeal. I'm hoping as more and more acoustics show up in exotic woods, this will influence electric style. I'd be interested to pick the Warmoth Brothers' mind, what would be the rough mix of Strat bodies and necks they sell in traditional (ash, alder, maple) vs. non-traditional (mahogany, koa, laminated top, etc.) woods. Or the percentage of ebony fingerboard necks. Guitar players are way more locked into a more narrow tradition than bassists, instrument wise. Except for our friends here who drive Tributes, California Specials, etc., obvious examples of much higher intelligence and impeccable taste ! ! J o e y | ||
| jazzyvee
Advanced Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 399 Registered: 6-2002 |
Beware of some of the cheaper guitars that have seemingly highly figured wood tops and backs. These are photorealistic laminates similar to those you see on laminated floors and not genuine good quality exotic wood. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3685 Registered: 5-2002 |
Wow! I didn't know that. | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 613 Registered: 10-2002 |
I very nearly bought a dining table like that. Even the underside had a laminate so that the whole looked like solid wood. Turned out to be MDF! You really have to read the small print these days. Graeme | ||
| lidon2001
Intermediate Member Username: lidon2001 Post Number: 138 Registered: 4-2005 |
Fender Foto Flame. I always liked this "rumor". http://www.bunnybass.com/e-zine/amusing/amusingbass24.shtml | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 407 Registered: 2-2005 |
"Fender foto flame ...." The pattern looks more like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas to me. Keith | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3689 Registered: 5-2002 |
I don't understand. What exactly is a photo realistic laminate? What is it made of? | ||
| dadabass2001
Senior Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 562 Registered: 6-2002 |
Very thin slices of lamb, wedged between photos of a Radio Shack warehouse. (yum, yum) the midday punster | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3692 Registered: 5-2002 |
Mike; Radio Shack - Realistic; hah! Lunch is over, go back to work! | ||
| lidon2001
Intermediate Member Username: lidon2001 Post Number: 139 Registered: 4-2005 |
Dave, I assume the process uses a clear film that has the flame figuring printed on it. The film is applied to the body parts, then finished over. T | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 712 Registered: 10-2003 |
My Lakland Skyline fiver has a photo-realistic veneer. Looks awesome with a tobacco sunburst, but certainly seems like cheating to me. John   | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 408 Registered: 2-2005 |
Boy John you sure seem to have held up well over the years. LOL. Keith | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3695 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hmmm ... it seems to me the I must have known this at some time in the past but just no longer remember. So I've learned something new today, even if not for the first time! So if you owned a Fender bass (as in the Fender Foto Flame mentioned above) and took it to your local luthier to have the neck shaved, he would be sanding a piece of plastic? Keith; those Laklands sure have long necks! John; nice house!! | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 3272 Registered: 6-2000 |
Another thing to consider is that traditionally, most woodwoerkers used available (local) materials. Purpleheart decks? Ebony railroad ties? Rosewood floors? Sure, where the materials grow. Now, exotic, imported materials are much easier to come by. | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3697 Registered: 5-2002 |
In the house I lived in before my current home, I was just a few hundred feet from the rairoad tracks. And I loved the sound and feel of a coal drag rumbling through! But Ebony railroad ties!! (I wouldn't mind having a nice Purpleheart deck and some Rosewood floors too!) | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 409 Registered: 2-2005 |
Dave, They sure do. After seeing this one it makes you wonder why people complain about the reach on long scale Series basses. :-) Keith | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 714 Registered: 10-2003 |
Keith - That's just a photo-realistic finish I'm wearing! I could choose between "8 year old boy" and "goat," so I chose the one less likely to get hoof and mouth. Or maybe that's simply how young I *feel* when I get to play music with my friends. I know you can relate. Dave - As for the house, thanks. It's waaaaay too much house for us, but it sits invisibly far back off the road in the woods (about 100 feet from where Tracy and I were married), and isn't completed yet. We did everything but the exterior log work and roof ourselves. Ugh. If I could do it over, I would have paid someone to build it. One day it will be finished (or nearly so) and then we can sell it and move to Nova Scotia or back to Alaska. One day... We never considered the photo-realistic flooring, because it really doesn't stand a chance in a house with my family. We Fords are inclined to destroy that which we touch. We went with bamboo instead (save the trees and such) and are quite pleased. I think if the Foto-finish gets a young person (or old) interested in picking up an affordable instrument to noodle around on, then that's not a bad thing. If the noodling comes to naught, then we haven't wasted a good tree. If things instead work out and the person continues to play, they will follow their bliss to something that resonates both musically and with their soul, and that's not a bad thing. John | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 3704 Registered: 5-2002 |
John; sitting invisibly far back off the road in the woods sounds great! I keep getting the impression that Nova Scotia is really nice; but maybe a bit cool in the winter. Bamboo floors; I think that was discussed in a previous thread a few years back; sounds like a great idea! |
