Young Bands & Gibson

[westen44]

I was going to post this under the guitars section.  But then no one would see it.  Also, Gene Simmons is briefly mentioned in the video.  So that makes it at least a little about basses, too and not just guitars.

What I'm wondering is this:  Are all the people who think Fender is mostly for young people aware of the fact that Fenders have been played since the dawn of time?  Also, labeling Gibson as mostly for boomers is too much of a generalization. 

[Dave W]

I saw this posted at the elsewhere the other day, IIRC at TDPRI. It's just clickbait from a wannabe influencer.

Gibson dealers buy everything the company produces. End of story.

Working bands are but a small part of the guitar market anyway.

[westen44]

I saw this posted at the elsewhere the other day, IIRC at TDPRI. It's just clickbait from a wannabe influencer.

Gibson dealers buy everything the company produces. End of story.

Working bands are but a small part of the guitar market anyway.

Oh, at the elsewhere.  I'm totally unaware of that and never know what's going on.  The only way I can relate to what he is saying is that when I, for instance, see new bands like on late night shows, they seem very concerned with image.  There tends to be what is perceived as a concentrated effort to project a trendy, cool and maybe even mysterious image.  How much brands are involved in that, I don't know.  I do see a lot of Fenders, but Fenders have been very common for a long, long time. 

[uwe]

If we're talking guitars, my impression is that the Strat era had reached its zenith by the time Nirvana arrived. With Indie bands today, I can't see a Strat (and Strat-influenced guitars) dominance like what existed in the 70ies and 80ies when you hardly ever saw anyone with a Les Paul or an SG (and then they were likely to be either Al Di Meola or Frank Zappa diehards!), at least in Germany.

The Les Paul shape still cries "rock!" to me. And everyone knows what music you'll be playing if you strap on a Flying V or an Explorer - the harder kind. Just like I have never met a young musician playing a Fender Jaguar (or something similar) that did not have an affinity for Grunge or Indie - Kurt Cobain is their Jimi Hendrix (and that's ok).

But I don't really see a faith schism going on, more a matter of availability and price, any guitarist who can afford it will likely have a Fender and a Gibson. There is the old adage that you can get a Strat to sound like a Les Paul but not the other way around, but then even a Les Paul-like sounding Strat is not gonna look or feel like a Les Paul.

For some reason, Firebirds have never been really popular (especially in Germany) even though it is both visually and soundwise my favorite Gibson guitar model. And for all the tongue-in-cheek phony disdain I show for Fender basses here, as regards guitars my heart really lies with Fender Strats and Teles - being surrounded in my youth by Blackmore



and Status Quo



posters and pictures has no doubt done undeniable damage to my impressionable mind, but I also believe that I have a preference for the longer scale induced general snappiness and clarity of those two Fender models. And to this day, I automatically assume that if someone plays a Strat, then he is most likely a better-than-standard soloist - call it the "Strat guitar hero"-thing ingrained with me.   

[TBird1958]

Heresy! 

All Gibson show........Including a pantsless Mr. Hawkins.

[gearHed289]

I, for instance, see new bands like on late night shows, they seem very concerned with image.  There tends to be what is perceived as a concentrated effort to project a trendy, cool and maybe even mysterious image.

This could have been written in 1965. 

Grunge/alternative started a trend toward more traditional guitars and basses. Goodbye super Strats and slimmed down, pickguard-less J basses. I do have to give some credit to Slash for bringing the Les Paul back into the spotlight a few years earlier. Now I'm seeing more oddball "cheap" vintage guitars with younger bands. 60s-70s Japanese stuff and the like.

[westen44]

This could have been written in 1965. 

Grunge/alternative started a trend toward more traditional guitars and basses. Goodbye super Strats and slimmed down, pickguard-less J basses. I do have to give some credit to Slash for bringing the Les Paul back into the spotlight a few years earlier. Now I'm seeing more oddball "cheap" vintage guitars with younger bands. 60s-70s Japanese stuff and the like.

I look at 1965 as something fairly different.  Bands didn't have as much competition, etc.  Today if some bands have to use far-fetched methods, I'm not surprised and I don't blame them. 

[Dave W]

Oh, at the elsewhere.  I'm totally unaware of that and never know what's going on.  The only way I can relate to what he is saying is that when I, for instance, see new bands like on late night shows, they seem very concerned with image.  There tends to be what is perceived as a concentrated effort to project a trendy, cool and maybe even mysterious image.  How much brands are involved in that, I don't know.  I do see a lot of Fenders, but Fenders have been very common for a long, long time.

I don't watch late night shows, so I don't know what's going on there. Local and area bands use mostly Gibsons and Fenders and always have, even in the pointy guitar era. But that probably varies by geographic area and type of music.

Regardless, this YT guy is just out for clicks, he's no authority. Gibson isn't losing popularity.

[morrow]

I play in the house band in the local blues dive , we do a jam on Sundays , been doing the gig for around twenty five years . Now I realize that blues aficionados are a pretty funny little sub group among guitar players , but we have seen a continual stream of fairly young guitar players over the years .
Many initially show up with Squiers and Epis , and it's with some pride when they turn up with a real Gibson or Fender . Some manage to dig up old Harmonys , Supros , and there's a certain cool factor with the older Japanese stuff .
Gretsch remains king with the trad country and rockabilly gangs .
Things seem to be much as they've always been .
And the future is in good hands .

[westen44]

I don't watch late night shows, so I don't know what's going on there. Local and area bands use mostly Gibsons and Fenders and always have, even in the pointy guitar era. But that probably varies by geographic area and type of music.

Regardless, this YT guy is just out for clicks, he's no authority. Gibson isn't losing popularity.

Over the past months from time to time I have watched some of the late night talk shows.  This is in spite of the fact that I don't like any of the current late night talk show hosts.  Usually, I do it to see a particular guest.  Sometimes I keep watching to see the musical guest.  It is all subjective and anecdotal, but I have noticed that a lot of the guitarists do play Fenders.  Also, there seems to be a tendency for them to be the weak link in the band.  I thought about posting a video of a band I saw last night on one of the shows to illustrate the point.  But now I can't find the video.  That's just as well.  They were nothing to write home about. 

Personally, I'm not a fan of Fender guitars.  As a teenager, I had a Tele guitar for a while until it got stolen.  I did kind of like it.  However, compared to Fender, I always preferred the sound of Gibson guitars.  This topic has been discussed here before.  Many people's guitar heroes play Fender.  In my case, I would include Hendrix.  But that doesn't mean Fender guitars are my favorite.  If Gibson guitars aren't losing in popularity, that's certainly fine with me.  I'm glad to hear it.  It does kind of go against my anecdotal evidence, but I would be glad to be wrong in this particular case. 

In my first band, I did play that Tele for a while.  Like I said, I did kind of like it.  I was doing the singing and playing rhythm guitar.  However, when our bassist decided to join the military (I think mostly to get away from his father) I jumped at the chance to switch to bass.  Singing and playing bass was a lot harder than playing guitar and singing at the same time.  But playing bass was my choice and I never turned back.  The point, though, is that I did have some experience with both Gibson and Fender guitars.  The sound of Gibson was always way more impressive than anything else.

[morrow]

As a bass player , my favourite guitar sound is probably a 335 in the right hands . They really can be magic .

[uwe]

Look no further then, your journey has reached its final destination.





Why didn't you ask for my advice any sooner? I can help with most anything.

[Dave W]

As a bass player , my favourite guitar sound is probably a 335 in the right hands . They really can be magic .

A 335 in the hands of Dave Edmunds would be near the top for me.

[morrow]

For years played in a little rock and roll band that did much of their material . And other covers they might have considered . It was one great little band with a huge local following . Dance floor would be packed two bars into the first song .

[Chris P.]

I do like the fact Fender is using a lot of young, up and coming musicians in their ads. A lot of young bands, young bass players. As it should be!