Fender Missed the Boat...

[BroadMaster]

Originally Posted by Chrismeyer

Elliot hit on a point that I think went by some people.
Does anyone really believe that if you have ANY sig guitar that YOU'RE gonna SOUND like the artist it's named for cause that's just crazy talk!
Does anyone think that you'll be able to play the licks that ONLY SRV could play with the love and heart and soul that made SRV's sound unique?
NOT!
Better yet,if I'm not mistaken EVERYONE that has their own sig model had their personal sound and style when they got thier guitars from local music shops in thier home towns!
No guitar can give you anything you can't get from your hands.Sure the right pups help and even more,the right amp helps,but it's not gonna get you anything you don't have to earn first.
Any talk of"I gotta get that sig guitar so I can sound like (insert fav player here) is stupid.
You get any guitar because it's utility's and sonic abilities are what YOU need for YOU.
Duh

WELL PUT, Chris. I agree wholeheartedly. Clapton's was made from parts of three or four, wasn't it?

[PJ]

BTW....Travis - I'm listening to the acoustic work on your "MySpace" page. I'm enjoying it immensely!

[13ontheB]

Originally Posted by rajustice24

Was he singing in English?

No. He was shouting in English!

[Dennis68]

Originally Posted by 13ontheB

No. He was shouting in English!

Yea, I thought music was supposed to be melodic. That wasn't melodic to my ears.

[PJ]

Elliot....as the previous poster suggested, I, too, would like to hear more about your signature guitar. It's a three-pickup white SG, correct? I'd like to know how your pickups are voiced and how you use the three in different situations. Are they coil-tapped? How are they wired? Was it used on "Let's Go?" Candy-O is an ageless & timeless classic, IMO. BTW - it must be fun working with Todd. He and I went to the same high school, a few years apart, and he was big influence to me, early-on.

[65flh5326]

From paid for inside information, I was able to get on the list for this very limited production signature guitar.
And, I was garanteed to sound just like him!
http://a820.g.akamai.net/f/820/822/1...P/CSM/7981.jpg

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by PJ

BTW - it must be fun working with Todd.

Todd is simply amazing and has influenced me greatly, but I totally understand if Elliot does not respond to this post.

I was just thinking about something Andy Partridge was saying. Being incredibly talented and prolific does not automatically make you Mr. Congeniality, and that's ok for me as the listener.


Sorry.

[Elliot Easton]

[Flat357]

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by markw51

Call me old fashioned but my son brought home a Slipknot CD and I make him throw it out.

Just curious, why on earth would you do that? Did he throw out a cd of an artist you listen to?

I'm certified "old fasioned" (by my wife ) and I would never think about doing that (but of course that's hard when a teen walks into your home office and catches you in the middle of 27 minutes of "Dazed and Confused or Sweet Child in Time live versions"....)

I say let them learn what they like for themselves. My niece (17) is in an all girl rock band and I thought their pop tunes were well played but "crap". I lent them some of a "healthy" selection of real music and they really appreciated it, and I didn't have to pitch out their Simple Plan and Hedley discs.

[Flat357]

[BroadMaster]

Originally Posted by newtwanger

Just curious, why on earth would you do that? Did he throw out a cd of an artist you listen to?

I'm certified "old fasioned" (by my wife ) and I would never think about doing that (but of course that's hard when a teen walks into your home office and catches you in the middle of 27 minutes of "Dazed and Confused or Sweet Child in Time live versions"....)

I say let them learn what they like for themselves. My niece (17) is in an all girl rock band and I thought their pop tunes were well played but "crap". I lent them some of a "healthy" selection of real music and they really appreciated it, and I didn't have to pitch out their Simple Plan and Hedley discs.

ummmm....... did your neice's band cuss vehemently, blaspheme and incite seriously maladaptive behavior in a crowd of young people with their pop music?

Please, give me a break.... That's comparing peaches to hand grenades. IMHO. OMMV

BTW, did anyone in your niece's band play a tele? Curiously, which model?

[Elliot Easton]

Originally Posted by Flat357

Wow , what a nice guy you are .
Have a great weekend

I am a nice guy. I was just reacting to your needling. Are you really not aware of the aggressive nature in your wording? If you read any of my posts on this forum I think you will find me to be a courteous, good natured person who is very generous with information about guitars, music etc., and very open and friendly with everyone here. There is just something about the way you put things-it just doesn't seem very well-meaning.

[Flat357]

.

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by BroadMaster

ummmm....... did your neice's band cuss vehemently, blaspheme and incite seriously maladaptive behavior in a crowd of young people with their pop music?

Please, give me a break.... That's comparing peaches to hand grenades. IMHO. OMMV

BTW, did anyone in your niece's band play a tele? Curiously, which model?

point 1. If guess at this point my ignorance would be bliss, to me they're just todays generation version of KISS, playing the music that sells with a gimmick that helps sell it. (I was whupped upside the head if I cussed as a teen. )
I'd rather they listen to that than some of the bands that impose their political opinions on the nations youth, they get enough malinformed smoke blown up their arses. (dear moderator: I'm not talking politics, just mentioning that some bands do)

point 2. It's actually like comparing music I don't like (though some do) with other music I don't like (though some do), nothing sweet and nothing goes boom . Censorship only makes people want it more.(IMHO, OMMV heheh)

point 3. (The important one) Sigh, not a Tele in sight except when she swipes my Deluxe. It's your mandatory lead guitarist on a Les Paul, rhythm guitarist (my niece) on a Strat (Lake Placid Blue, maple fretboard). But the Les Paul IS a "signature model" Tobacco Sunburst (I will not mention the artist name) and it is BEAUTIFUL. They do play a tune by Hole, which could be seen as a "bad influence" group. I'll let them keep my disc though.

But back to the original topic of Fender and signature models. Ya ever wonder how Sting feels with Andy's Telecaster retailing at over 10 grand but his signature bass is only $599?

Sting: "So my bass is made in Asia and your is hand crafted and minutely detailed by craftsmen in California. Why is that again?"

Andy: "Because you're a right tosser, and...and... well I truly don't know why anyone would want a copy of my beat up plank but it seems to be the case so there."

Telecaster Content highlighted in Blue.

Now back to the other mayhem in this thread.....

[Elliot Easton]

Originally Posted by PJ

Elliot....as the previous poster suggested, I, too, would like to hear more about your signature guitar. It's a three-pickup white SG, correct? I'd like to know how your pickups are voiced and how you use the three in different situations. Are they coil-tapped? How are they wired? Was it used on "Let's Go?" Candy-O is an ageless & timeless classic, IMO. BTW - it must be fun working with Todd. He and I went to the same high school, a few years apart, and he was big influence to me, early-on.

Actually, the main difference between my signature model and a regular SG Custom is that mine has two pickups rather than three. I've always felt the the SG Custom was one of the most beautiful solidbody guitars ever produced, but I also felt that the reason the SG Standard was so much more popular is that many players don't get on with that middle pickup and so have tended to shy away from that model. The 3rd, or middle pickup tends to get in the way of picking; it simply takes up too much real estate. Also, the wiring on the 3 pickup model eliminates the combination of bridge and neck pickup, one of the sweetest tones on a Gibson. Instead, with the toggle switch set to the middle position you get the bridge/middle combination which is sort of a phasey, nasal sound that most players, including myself don't find all that useful. Tracing the history of the Les Paul, the Custom model began life with 2 single coil pickups and then when the humbucker was introduced became a 3 pickup guitar. Not long after, the Les Paul Custom (or 'Black Beauty', or Fretless Wonder, for it is known by all of these names) became available as a 2 pickup model, which to this day is by far the most popular iteration of the Les Paul Custom. However, in 1961, when the single cutaway Les Paul was discontinued in favor of the new, modern SG shape (or SG Les Paul, as the early ones are known), the SG Les Paul Custom reverted back to the 3 pickup configuration, as it remains to this day. Gibson never made the same adjustment that they did with the original Les Paul Custom. I wanted to redress that situation-to me it is something they should have offered for years, but anyway I had found a niche that I thought my guitar could fill and Gibson agreed. As far as the other specs go, it's got '57 Classic Humbuckers, a slim, '60's style neck, the smaller, "Jimmy Page" frets (I hate jumbo frets), and a Tiki God engraved in the Vibrola rather than the traditional Lyre engraving. There's more but you can just go to the Gibson site and read about it if you're so inclined. It's a great guitar though...

To answer your other question, it's an absolute blast working with Todd, and he has been an invaluble member of the new line-up. He's just a brilliant guy-great guitarist, singer, writer, producer, engineer, iconoclast, and purveyor of good times the world over. Not a bad guy to have in your band; an honor, actually.

[Echoplex]

I'd love to see a Keith Richards signature Tele.

[alexpigment]

hey, i just wanted to say this has become an "elliot easton is in the cars" thread and i have been feeling like this could be (and already has been) uncomfortable for him. i think he's probably here for the same reason we all are - to nerd out about guitars. so let's try not to blow this out of proportion ok? at least let's try to keep this thread on topic

[PJ]

Elliot...thanks for the information. I enjoyed it. It was kind of a coincidence to run into you here, because I'd been trying to catch-up on the new Cars activities, since reading the article on you, that ran a few months ago. It's interesting that you mention the lack of real estate with the three-pickup SG, since that had always been my opinion of that model. And one of the reasons I became mostly a Tele-guy is that I always liked the open architecture in the picking area. The 2-pickup SG seems to be good in that area, as well. I'll have to see if I can locate the Cars appearance schedule, since I'm sure you'll pass through the Philly area, at some point. I did catch a couple of vintage Cars clips on YouTube, which were fun to see. Pretty tight band. Nostalgic stuff, for sure. Some songs mark a point in time and, for me, the Candy-O tunes do that.

In this thread, all the banter about what the younger players listen to, vs. the older, how cool (or uncool) SlipKnot might be, how signature guitars have proliferated, its all about making good music. And, at least for me, the Cars work was just terrific and I'm sure will continue to be. Thanks for all your fine work, and for being available to this group. It's been a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure I'll catch the new band, sometime soon.

Keep-up the good posts with the group. I'm sure everyone here enjoys them as much as I do. It brings a special dimension to otherwise sometimes sterile talk about the instrument, which although important and interesting, not quite as interesting as meeting the accomplished players.

[shoretyus]

Originally Posted by alexpigment

"elliot easton is in the cars" thread a..... i think he's probably here for the same reason we all are - to nerd out about guitars. so

Elliot seems to just another Tele dude like the rest of us. His post's read with the same passion as all of us.

He is indeed a nice guy. ...Elliot the key to my front is under the mat. Make yourself at home.

[franchelB]

Personally, I think Fender has way too many artist "designed" signature guitars. Same goes for Martin.

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by franchelB

Personally, I think Fender has way too many artist "designed" signature guitars. Same goes for Martin.

I think they just have too many models overall, but it seems to be what the public is demanding.

It would be great if they did like auto manufacturers did and let you start with a base model and select your options from a list. You wait 2 months and you get what you want without having to buy a guitar with a bunch of stuff you know you'll change, then end up with a drawer full of swapped out parts.

And I don't need no Custom Shop guy to bolt on my options, the nice ladies and gentlemen in Mexico will do just fine thanks. No need for signature models, just a list of how your favorite players set theirs up so you can order some of the same options if you wish.