-
Couple of thoughts at 0345 on vicodan. Bad times indeed for jk.
1) its not that “we” nitpick too much. EVERYONE nitpicks about EVERYTHING (and everybody))) too much. What is this a sign of in terms of society as a whole? Dunno but something deep in people has been changed and it ain’t positive.
2) I believe nitpicking is an attempt to cement yousf into your peer group. In a sense, it proclaims your loyalty to a cause. Classical guitarists (me be one) on nails are as bad as The Gear Page on PRS guitars. Or the seemingly eternal Nikon vs Canon camera argument. (Eh.. let’en fuss, join me i jumped to Fuji)))
3) After reading many a Martin/Taylor thread or a Acoustic string thread or live acoustic amplification thread i see no less OCD nitpicking type behavior in that camp. They’re equally crazy and just as obnoxious as electric players. Perhaps more so because of their self imposed purity.
4) So i say:
a) Everyone nitpicks about everything anymore.
b) Nitpicking in public forums is a way to place yourself as an expert and exclusive member of an elect community. (Even if youre only experience has come via Google.)
c) no one is immune to the disease. If you say you are, you are nitpicking.
Its four hours into my birthday! Made it to 70 despite being patient zero plus 2 of a new disease. But if i go into it id be nitpicking, right?
(have one and toast to my continued existence, or better yet just say a prayer of thanks for yours, and our guitars, and your fav forum person. If youre not a prayer type, just say thanks. Makes ya feel nice.)
As confused by this life as ever,
jk.
-
08-05-2022 04:27 AM
-
We should start something called natpicking as opposed to nitpicking. Natpicking is where you zoom out and obsess over general commonalities.
“The neck pickup sounds pretty much the same on a Fender Tele and a Gibson Les Paul. Sure, the Gibson seems a little thicker at first, but you just have to pick closer to the bridge to get it to sound almost the same as the Tele.”
“A C-profile is very similar to a D-profile neck. Not only are they both consonants, but as consonants they are right next to eachother!”
“The difference between 43AWG and 44AWG wire is negligible, as long as the electrons themselves are of the same type.”
"Eddy currents, schmeddy currents"
“It’s not so much a matter of Made-in-China vs Made-in-Korea. I mean, they’re both from the northern hemisphere. Well, actually, that only applies to right-handed guitars. Left-handed guitars are better when they’re from the southern hemisphere. The Coriolis effect or something like that. Like toilet vortex, same thing.”
-
Did you mean
nat
or
gnat?
Shoot! Im doing it
-
A guitar is a long object, like a spear, and nitpicking about spears was an evolutionary advantage for our ancestors.
-
Nitpicking is good if it leads to informed gear acquisition.
Nitpicking is bad if it replaces actually playing the acquired gear.
-
maybe nitpicking is just the wrong word, as it sounds kinda negative from the beginning.
Who likes to be called a nitpicker ?
one observation: the one's who play their instruments have negative comments towards the one's that don't.
vice versa, that lack of self esteem seems not to exist.
one more thing: it ain't all black and white anyways, there's lots of grey shades in between.
and for many people, they situation isn't all the same through the decades.
-
Could this be the point of having a guitar but not playing it much?
Originally Posted by palindrome
[the point - highlighted for those who wouldn’t otherwise get the joke! We’ve had this problem too many times…]
-
Ah, point taken. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Could this be the point of having a guitar but not playing it much?
[the point - highlighted for those who wouldn’t otherwise get the joke! We’ve had this problem too many times…]
Guitars are both fun/challenging to play, nice to look at and for many, just make us feel good. I'll be the first to admit that just looking at a beautiful guitar can trigger endorphins in my aging brain, giving me a sense of joy and borderline euphoria. OK, maybe not euphoria, but guitars do make me feel good.
Music theory and chasing the masters of the craft can be challenging, especially on an instrument that I believe can never truly be mastered.
So for me, the joy and appreciation of playing guitar is only part of the equation. Discussing gear and ogling gear is an enjoyable and harmless endeavor...for me. Playing and improving my skills on the guitar is my ultimate goal. YMMV.
-
I agree. Just because I am detail oriented about my instruments and equipment doesn’t mean that I am not detail oriented about my playing and how to achieve goals and get better at it. The internet kind of skews things but I would say that easily 80%-90% of my time and effort goes into playing while the rest is fiddling with equipment one way or the other. Unfortunately I haven’t caught up with the technology for making decent recordings though. Still a goal that I seem to always put on the back burner.
-
Yeah, but what do you know? You can play! Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
-
A nit picker picking nits.
-
Electric guitar is a simple thing. The components are simple. Everything about is simple and robust.
Electronics are simple, the build/materials are simple. Deviate too much and it's gonna sound weird instead "better".
The hype about it is difficult.
-
I think these points are very important. Originally Posted by jazzkritter
Happy birthday, Jazzkritter, and get well soon.
-
I wonder if there is a relationship between being critical (or perhaps overly critical) of gear, and the endless hyperbole we are exposed to, in regards to the gear we use, and buy. I wonder if it is possible to do a content analysis to see of there is a relationship.
Also jazzkitter happy birthday.
-
Nit-picking is also a way of referring to what the tory party in the UK does when choosing a new puppet, er leader.
-
I would like to mention Tuck Andress. By all appearances he’s played the same L-5 for as long as I can remember. Recent videos show that it has some serious relic’ing.
I have been through more guitars than I deserve. And I’m not even a button on Tuck’s shirt.
-
He's gone through a few vintage L-5s over the years and has been the target of right wing vintage guitar lovers because of it. His defense is that it's his tool for creating his art and it's none of anyone's business what he does with his own instruments, I agree with him, although I also think he could find a current luthier who could make what he wants for far less money and without sacrificing vintage L-5s. Originally Posted by rsclosson
For those of you who don't know his style and what he does to his L-5s, he puts in a Bartolini neck pickup with preamp and stuffs it with socks and foam rubber. His playing is euphmistically described as hard - he beats the cr@p out of his guitars. But he's one of the most amazing players I've ever heard.
-
I love Tuck's playing...even when he slaps his L5's ass during some of his more aggressive, passionate performances. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
If Willie Nelson can still beat the hell out of his vintage Martin "Trigger", then I say let Tuck have his way with his L5. He is amazing!!
-
When the collectors/collecting surpasses musicians making music we all lose. An L5 (& others) is not an old comb some dead queen wore in her hair 500 years ago.
These were built to make music, not groom egos!
Tuck indeed gets to do what he wishes! Anyone who can play how Tuck does deserves to.
Was on a fast two day business trip to SFO and much younger me caught much younger Tuck and Patty by chance at Top of the Mark. Been a fan ever since.
Check out his Christmas CD, just brilliant)!
jk
-
He probably has more guitars, but I believe Tuck Andress has basically gigged with two old Gibson L5s all these years, heavily modified and worn from all that playing and touring. I remember reading that he checks them in airplanes too!
-
Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Hi, RP,
Yes. Mouthpieces, reed strength change with your skill level. However, at some point, the pros usually settle on their favorite combination and changes are rare once you get "your sound."
Marinero
-
Yes. And, for many, they believe a "better" guitar will make them play better. For me, sound is the most important consideration-- then followed by ease of playability. Craftsmanship is a given. Many "players" make excuses for their playing blaming it on the instrument rather than their lack of skills/time spent in serious study. This IS the status quo with many guitarists. I never saw this as a horn player.
Marinero
P.S. Classical guitarists are also afflicted with this disease and for the same reasons.
M
-
I disagree. I need many different instruments for my theater work. Archtop, solid, steel string, nylon, banjo, bass-6, uke, etc. Some of those I have two in case a problem arises with one. Now if all I did was straight jazz guitar, the Sadowsky and Eastman would be the only two I need. My only problem is keeping up with all the different string changes. Originally Posted by Stefan Eff
-
I recall a guy showing up with his brand new, super expensive, nylon instrument.
He hands it to another guy who is a fine player. The instrument sounds dull and ordinary.
Then, the owner plays his new guitar and it sounds incredible.
Why? The owner had proper fingernails and the other guy didn't.
If you look at pictures of Wes playing, his right hand was splayed out, not curled. When I strum that way, I get a better sound than if I pluck the notes or strum with a curled hand.
Maybe we don't nitpick enough about playing technique.
-
I don't see any harm with spending time in these forums obsessing over this stuff. There's plenty of time in my day, and I still practice plenty.
Maybe the old school jazz guitarists were fine with plugging their one guitar into their one amp to get their sound, and more power to them! Most of the time I play one of my two jazz guitars into the same amp. But I am very interested in other sounds, and I guess other genres.
However, most of the great players I have met or read about are as obsessive about their tone as we are. And why wouldn't they be? That's what they do with their lives.
The idea of focusing on your playing and obsessing over your gear/sound are not mutually exclusive. The Venn digram of folks in those two camps overlaps a lot. Besides, it's fun!
Reply With Quote
I concentrate on you
Today, 06:40 AM in The Songs