The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #76

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    Quote Originally Posted by rob taft
    Agree totally and for the life of me, I don't understand the repeated discussions. I don't give a whit what other folks spend their money on but we seem to have a small subset folks on "gear" forums of all places who feel it necessary to question or analyze why someone decides to play X guitar when according to them Y is cheaper,better or some other attribute that is critical to the commentator. Play what you want to play, play what you can afford, play what stokes your muse, above all just play.

    I own guitars from many different mfgs including Asian. In fact my second oldest guitar is an Aria Pro II Johnny Smith copy from 77'. I would have loved to buy the real thing in 77' but given my financial condition at the time it was the best I could afford. When I arrived at a point in my life where I had enough disposable income to enjoy the fruits of my labor, I still purchased what moved me. If having the name Gibson on the head stock moves you and provides inspiration an motivation, who am I to question that desire. In full disclosure I also own 3 Gibsons. That said, I purchased them because they spoke to me and inspired me to play. In the words of Frank Zappa "Shut up 'n play yer guitar.
    The guitar don't know where it came from.

    A good musician can make music with what is at hand. Headstocks don't matter near as much as soundholes, I reckon.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #77

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lobomov
    Talk talk talk .. It's so easy to say stuff like this, but without examples it means little.


    But when you dig into concrete examples of guitar ... suddenly you find that those big brand guitars aren't necessarily more expensive than others ... or worse for that matter.

    There are so many brands these days and competition is stiff .. so usually you get what you pay for.


    Off course if you can provide specific examples where a traditional brand gets smoked by a non-traditional one then please do. I doubt it tho
    The guitar is just as good, or as bad, as the guitarist.

    Of course some guitars have defects which hamper playing at times. But in my opinion, a good guitarist can make a crap guitar sound better than a crappy guitarist can make a gem sound, well, crappy. (For the record, I'm the crappy guitarist making the classic sound like shit.)

  4. #78

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    In my younger days I used to only buy brand names, and usually high end models, I did not even bother looking at other guitars.

    Nowadays, I really enjoy playing cheap guitars as well.

    And in all honesty, cheap guitars today are a lot better than they used to be

  5. #79

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    I have to be honest I do make a big deal (without the too) about the brand of my gear.
    I grew up as the child of a semi pro guitar player who once he got his Gibson in 1974, never looked back...
    Being quite a metalhead back in the days, I walked my own path buying cheap spiky planks in the late '80s and when the '90s came bought my Lester.
    Currently besides my Bass and a Frankenstein Warmoth mahogany telecaster that could have easily come out of a Gibson factory, I only have 3 guitars and they sport the open book and Gibson logo.
    I am very partial to the brand but not in any statement making way, it has a lot to do with what I know and expect !

  6. #80

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    Quote Originally Posted by vinlander
    I have to be honest I do make a big deal (without the too) about the brand of my gear.
    I grew up as the child of a semi pro guitar player who once he got his Gibson in 1974, never looked back...
    Being quite a metalhead back in the days, I walked my own path buying cheap spiky planks in the late '80s and when the '90s came bought my Lester.
    Currently besides my Bass and a Frankenstein Warmoth mahogany telecaster that could have easily come out of a Gibson factory, I only have 3 guitars and they sport the open book and Gibson logo.
    I am very partial to the brand but not in any statement making way, it has a lot to do with what I know and expect !

    Cheap guitars in the 80's were usually really bad.
    Very big difference from todays cheap guitars.
    Last edited by greveost; 06-06-2020 at 02:21 PM.

  7. #81

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    One of those cheap guitars in the 80s was the Tanara ST-3, a Korean Strat copy I picked up in my first year at college for $105, including tax. The craftsmanship was decent. But I dreamed about owning a “real” Stratocaster. Funny thing is that I gigged three nights a week with that cheapie Korean Strat copy and came to really love it.

    As a graduation gift, I bought my first Fender and sold the Tanara. The Fender was good but a little dull and lifeless where the Tanara was resonant and “alive” feeling. I almost immediately began to regret my choice to ditch the one for the other.

    This experience and dozens of others over the ensuing 25 to 30 years really showed me that each guitar is an individual and should be judged on its own merits. I have bought and sold dozens of strats until finding 3 that I really connect with. Similarly, I have owned many Gibson’s and sold most of them until I winnowed it down to a few choice instruments (for me).

    That said, the guitars I leave sitting out, and that get the most playtime at home (not gigging these days) are not my Gibbys (which I love and have come into through much exploration) but my Epi Broadway (made in China) and my Ibby LGB30 (made in Indonesia). They are both superb instruments with fat electrified jazz tone. The Epi set me back $550 (edit: $500 w/case!). The Ibby, about $940 (edit: w/case). I love them.

    I really like guitars of all makes and prices but tend to keep the ones that connect with me. A bit like the incoming first-year Hogwarts students and their visit to Ollivander’s wand shop. There, they learn that the wizard does not choose the wand... the wand chooses the wizard.

    Have a wonderful Saturday and get those guitars out and play them!

    Roli
    Last edited by rolijen; 06-06-2020 at 04:47 PM.

  8. #82

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    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    DO YOU SERIOUSLY WANT TO START IN ON LAWN MOWERS!!

    Kidding!
    I’m a Lawn-Boy guy. Just had my self-propelled push mower die that I bought back in 2007. Gonna miss that thing!, lol.

  9. #83

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    The funny thing for me is that I could care less about the name on the guitar as long as it’s well made and set up right. But I am this way on suits, not so much for the name, but because I want something fully lined or for hot weather, unlined but well tailored. It’s not about the name, but about the way it sits on me. You can get an suit with a fused lining to sit right, but it is harder to tailor. But I find that Brooks Brothers, Zegna, and Hart Shafner Max seem to fit almost perfect off the rack and give the fit and lie I am looking for.

  10. #84

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    Still using my 1999 Lawn Boy.

  11. #85

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone
    Still using my 1999 Lawn Boy.
    I’m torn about replacing the carb or buying a new mower. It has a sens-a-speed so the self propelled speed matches whatever speed I’m walking. They don’t make that anymore.

  12. #86

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    Yeah, Lawn Boy is gone. When my independent repair guy says "that's it," I will go shopping. So far though...

  13. #87

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    What about a company that wants to develope a reputation(a name) and it starts out making nice guitars for reasonable prices.As a result they get talked about and even carried by reputable stores.Wasnt too many years ago life existed with out name brands like Eastman or Godin.I think may have found one.I posted a video well im to embarrassed to do that but my wife and son tricked me into it on FB and a what i thought was a private channel youtube post.One response was "Is that a Blonde Gibson?"from someone representing a group i was hoping to impress.Why did it not sound right taking control of the situation.They sung its praises and i just said great any request?Another was from one of my favorite players Marcos Pin (Duology)
    mentioning my beautiful guitar in a compliment.I was humbled and floored.Its an Eastman 403.Check Marcos out on youtube.

  14. #88

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    thats the emotional investment I’m talking about ... it’s often expressed at gigs by the middle aged dude who comes up to after a gig and insists on talking about guitars. similarly on this forum.

    People just want to be involved in music really. They might feel on some level they’ve sacrificed their chance to be involved to be involved in music 24/7 but at least they can have seriously nice guitars. There might be a bit of regret there, a bit of longing. Maybe when they were young they played more music, or really wanted x instrument. Buying a gorgeous guitar has a lot of bittersweet emotions to it, perhaps.

    The joke is they don’t realise we pros don’t have any more time to practice let alone play purely for pleasure, because we’re all doing other stuff like teaching, driving (a lot) and doing endless paperwork haha. But at least we get to play gigs for people who love the music.

    I was a golf pro for 10 years and almost never got to play outside of competing in State tournaments. The Members at the club and friends thought all we do is play. Sounds familiar.

    Also, the members would always look in your golf bag and see what clubs you were playing. Alot of them knew more about equipment than I did.
    Sounds familar

  15. #89

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    Check this baby out. Just sharpened her blades and adjusted the cutter bar last week. Zoom zoom.
    Attached Images Attached Images Do We Make Too Big A Deal About Certain Brands of Gear?-img_20200608_080124-jpg 

  16. #90

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    Quote Originally Posted by Littlemark
    Check this baby out. Just sharpened her blades and adjusted the cutter bar last week. Zoom zoom.
    That is a sweet ride.

  17. #91

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    Quote Originally Posted by Littlemark
    Check this baby out. Just sharpened her blades and adjusted the cutter bar last week. Zoom zoom.
    Your ManCard just got double-punched!

  18. #92

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    I have a video of a world class player (a name you'd know) playing Out of Nowhere on my Yamaha cheapie (Pacifica 012) through a Crate GFX15 (which sold new at GC for either $99 or $79).

    His comment about the guitar was, "excellent playability, I think this is the guitar for you". I think he was too polite to say anything about the tone, since he usually plays a $16,000 archtop. But, as expected, he sounded great.

  19. #93

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    RESALE! That's why companies and old Rock groups end up suing each other over owning the brand! No pun intended.

  20. #94

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    Resale? What as in the used market? Why would they give a stuff about that?