There still are some "pre-internet" guitar players out there

[Telecastoff1]

I too, am a pre-internet player, but I might possibly be a better player today if I'd had the resources and information available what it is today. Who knows? This site is truly only one of two that I go to on a semi-regular basis.....mostly for entertainment and information. I don't spend too much time on here, as is reflected by my relatively low contribution count numbers, given the length/ start-date of my membership. I still play/practice at least an hour each day, and the internet hasn't ever got in the way of playing and my life. Lots of good, reliable information here and other places on the internet. It's just tough sometimes to weed out the bs, misinformation and valuable personal experiences. It was really tough back in the 60's and 70's to find good, knowledgeable technical information on anything, except a SAM'S MANUAL or a CHILTON'S.

 

[tfarny]

I know lots of people like that IRL. The singer and rhythm guitarist in my band is like that. She has one acoustic that she plays all the time (a decent Takamine) and a Gibson SG Standard with P90s that I have never seen her play. She considers me to be guitar-crazy for owning 4 electrics and her eyes glaze over when I talk gear with anyone else. She took her Takamine to the local shop a few years ago and said "Make it easier to play" and they set her up with 11s and quite low action, which suits her playing just fine. No need to know or learn more unless you want to.

The bass player in my last band has one bass and wouldn't do anything to it except tune it once in a while. The action on it is pretty high and I offered to "fix" it for her, she had no interest.

Guitar modding is just fun for some people. As long as you don't fool yourself that it's necessary or makes much difference to anything it's pretty harmless.

 

[fretWalkr]

This thread made me remember something that I had forgotten. I was prolly 9 and had a guitar but no idea how to tune it. I also had a Mel Bay book. So I got the strings in the general vicinity of what I thought was in-tune and then turned the tuning keys to match his guitar in the pic. That was the most value I got out of that book

How pathetic is that? It's soooo much easier to learn to play these days.

 

[kiwi blue]

Somewhere in the middle of the new Get Back doco George Martin asks Paul to turn up the bass on his Hofner. Paul looks blankly at him and says "I don't know what any of the knobs do to be honest". Think about that. One of the most revered and famous musicians of modern times has no idea what the controls on his bass do.

And just as gob-smacking, George Martin seems to have no idea that you cannot turn up the bass on a bass guitar. (But you can turn it up on the amp.)

No wonder they never got anywhere!

 

[NC E30]

If only the time I wasted on the internet reading about guitars had been spent learning to play it.

 

[Ben Harmless]

If I have regrets, they're about the amount of time I've spent worrying about the small stuff that only other guitar players would ever care about, and the rest of the audience would never know. I've started recording other people again, for fun instead of as a job this time. I've made a decision not to be too precious about it. I recorded a friend the other day, and realized that the technique I wanted to use required a specific kind of mic. I just grabbed the one on the stand and pointed it at her guitar. I'd never used it before, and it was left in the room as a vocal mic, but it was a nice mic, and it was gonna be good enough. I didn't need to Google it for half an hour to make sure it was "good on acoustic guitar." Nobody who listens to the song is gonna Google it either, and if you listen to it and say "that's the wrong mic for the guitar" then you've just missed a good song.

...And it's taken me a long time to simplify that way. I made the mistake of starting to play the same year that the web began. I wish I'd been practicing for even half the time I've wasted staring at gear sites and debating about the "right" way to do things, or about whether some expensive toy was good enough to play rock music.

 

[El Marin]

I'll selfishly object here. I have greatly appreciated the touch of Spain you've brought to me, and I'll miss you if you're gone.

Edit: I understand your sentiment, however.

Thanks, I'll miss this too

But now I am in the feel of taking my motorbike, guitar and have a looong ride alone. That means disconnect for a long while.

Nevertheless, I will not delete my account

 

[beninma]

A lot of stuff the OP is talking about it stuff we'd all be better off not knowing from the internet.

Trogly has absolutely nothing to say that can help you become a better guitar player..

 

[Tele-friend]

A lot of stuff the OP is talking about it stuff we'd all be better off not knowing from the internet.

Trogly has absolutely nothing to say that can help you become a better guitar player..

Like someone said in this thread, there are players and there are guitar nerds. Trogly is a collector and a guitar nerd

 

[Tele-friend]

Thanks, I'll miss this too

But now I am in the feel of taking my motorbike, guitar and have a looong ride alone. That means disconnect for a long while.

Nevertheless, I will not delete my account

Man, I understand you, but I will miss you my fellow European here on TDPRI.
Take a break and maybe come back if you will ever feel this way.
Wish you all the best. Keep on rocking your Telecaster

P.s. I remember your story how you found your old amp and bought it back after many years. So cool. Stories like this is what I really like on this forum.

 

[aging_rocker]

Thanks, I'll miss this too

But now I am in the feel of taking my motorbike, guitar and have a looong ride alone. That means disconnect for a long while.

Nevertheless, I will not delete my account

I'll miss you too, man.

Enjoy that ride, have fun and stay safe. We'll still be here if you need us....

 

[doghouseman]

Let me explain what I mean with a story that happened today. I have been to my neighbour's appartment today. Really cool dude, an architect, married, has two kids, about 45 years old.
This was the second time I was at his place, so I knew that he has a really nice Les Paul hanging on the wall. This time I actually asked him if I can hold it in my hands and take a closer look at it. First impression was that it looks really cool, plays nice, has lots of real "battle scars" all over the body. A real vintage beauty which is definitely not a closet queen. Been played a lot.
Then we talked a bit and I asked him if he can tell me a bit about it. It is a '72 Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top. He is the second owner, has it for about 20+ years, told me how much he paid for it and has been playing it on lots of gigs. He also loaned it for free to two well known local bands, which used it on some recordings. How cool!
So then I asked him about the specifications of the guitar, did he mod it or anything. And he said, "well I don't know and don't care much about the specs, I just really like this guitar and it is my only electric guitar."
Maybe he was just being moddest, so I asked him if the finish is nitro (there was some slight checking on the sides). And he said, what is nitro? OK... I explained (not that I am a real expert). Then I go, "It appears, that your guitar has a pancake body" (I never saw that before live). And he said again, "What is that"? I also noticed that the binding close to the neck is much wider than on other places (I have learned that from Trogly ) and my neighbour goes again, "Wow, I have never noticed that".
I have also seen that his guitar has a good ol' headstock break (from previous owner), which was repaired quite professionally. And the neighbour just said, "yeah I dont mind about that, as long as the guitar plays nice".

OK, end of long story. I was really positively surprised by the fact that:
a) guy has only one good guitar and has been totally happy with it for the last 20+ years (has no intention of buying anything new or changing it)
b) doesn't care about the headstock break
c) doesn't care about guitar specs
d) doesn't really feel the need to go deep diving about the history of Les Pauls
e) prefers the Deluxe over Standard (he said that he doesn't like the sound of humbuckers)

So back to the title... he is a guy from pre-internet era, when things were much simpler in a way. No fuss about the detailed specs and modifications to the guitars, just playing music and enjoying a fine instrument. He does use internet, but doesn't care what people on the internet forums say
Today it can be really frustrating when everybody seems to have an opinion about what is good and what is crap (70's Gibsons are junk, right?, Deluxes are inferior to Standards). For my neighbour, he doesn't care about others opinions, for him this is the best guitar ever.

It made me humble.

P.s. of course his LP is a total boat anchor. But he doesnt care

Dave Grohl is kinda like this. He is not really a guitar nerd. I have seen interviews with him where he doesnt really know much about guitars at all. He is just not that into them, even though he plays really well and is about to start a world tour playing guitar.

 

[oregomike]

Let me explain what I mean with a story that happened today. I have been to my neighbour's appartment today. Really cool dude, an architect, married, has two kids, about 45 years old.
This was the second time I was at his place, so I knew that he has a really nice Les Paul hanging on the wall. This time I actually asked him if I can hold it in my hands and take a closer look at it. First impression was that it looks really cool, plays nice, has lots of real "battle scars" all over the body. A real vintage beauty which is definitely not a closet queen. Been played a lot.
Then we talked a bit and I asked him if he can tell me a bit about it. It is a '72 Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top. He is the second owner, has it for about 20+ years, told me how much he paid for it and has been playing it on lots of gigs. He also loaned it for free to two well known local bands, which used it on some recordings. How cool!
So then I asked him about the specifications of the guitar, did he mod it or anything. And he said, "well I don't know and don't care much about the specs, I just really like this guitar and it is my only electric guitar."
Maybe he was just being moddest, so I asked him if the finish is nitro (there was some slight checking on the sides). And he said, what is nitro? OK... I explained (not that I am a real expert). Then I go, "It appears, that your guitar has a pancake body" (I never saw that before live). And he said again, "What is that"? I also noticed that the binding close to the neck is much wider than on other places (I have learned that from Trogly ) and my neighbour goes again, "Wow, I have never noticed that".
I have also seen that his guitar has a good ol' headstock break (from previous owner), which was repaired quite professionally. And the neighbour just said, "yeah I dont mind about that, as long as the guitar plays nice".

OK, end of long story. I was really positively surprised by the fact that:
a) guy has only one good guitar and has been totally happy with it for the last 20+ years (has no intention of buying anything new or changing it)
b) doesn't care about the headstock break
c) doesn't care about guitar specs
d) doesn't really feel the need to go deep diving about the history of Les Pauls
e) prefers the Deluxe over Standard (he said that he doesn't like the sound of humbuckers)

So back to the title... he is a guy from pre-internet era, when things were much simpler in a way. No fuss about the detailed specs and modifications to the guitars, just playing music and enjoying a fine instrument. He does use internet, but doesn't care what people on the internet forums say
Today it can be really frustrating when everybody seems to have an opinion about what is good and what is crap (70's Gibsons are junk, right?, Deluxes are inferior to Standards). For my neighbour, he doesn't care about others opinions, for him this is the best guitar ever.

It made me humble.

P.s. of course his LP is a total boat anchor. But he doesnt care

He has the right attitude. "No idea. I just play the thing and it works."
As someone who remembers life without the intertubes (and who currently works in hi-tech), I come to the forums to ask questions and try to learn all the technical things I want to know. I take opinions with a grain of salt, or ignore them altogether. I don't have GAS, as my approach is "get it right the first time." I don't buy guitars based on collectability or resale value (something I just don't get, but to each their own). I have one main guitar (Tele) which I built to my specs and it does everything I need it to do. That said, I'm building a JM because I've always wanted one and it fits the current soundscape I'm into. I could easily get nerdy about guitars, but I've decided not to go down that rabbit hole. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate that stuff as much as the next person, I just don't have Bonamassa's deep pockets. : )

 

[WireLine]

I am a fan of hard core instructions available covering theory and playing mechanics. At age 65 I still refer to my “Harmony” theory book from decades ago.

 

[Telenator]

I have arrived!
No longer do I really care about the tiny differences in guitars.
I still enjoy this forum but, now it's more about dispelling myths and untruths about guitars that so many hold so dear.

When you get old, have played a lot, and built countless guitars, the bullcrap just doesn't matter anymore.

To quote Prem Rawat, "Why does the mist rise from the lake in the morning?" "I don't know. But I like it!"

 

[Mur]

Internet is a fad and will be gone in couple years.

 

[daddyplaysbass]

Someone once said guitars are just wood and wire

 

[Quexoz]

...kids today..get off my lawn...when i was your age..

...We had to carry our guitars, amps, and pedals all the way to the only drummer for 50 miles garage...up hill...both ways.

 

[rand z]

Me.

I h

I’m WAY pre-internet.
I’ve been a confirmed guitar nut since 1967.
I use the internet, but only for information and entertainment.
What I’ve learned about guitars and music is all hard earned, real world experience.
I started gigging at age 16 in 1973.
I got my first retail music store job in 1975.
I’m a lifer, I suppose.

Me too.

 

[cactusrob]

He's right, y'know?