This is interesting as are all thread with such subjective topics being
discussed. I've had Willie Nelson's "Trigger" here on one of my benches
and it is truly a nostalgic and emotional attachment that keeps it on tour
with him. It does sound great, but it is really beaten. The same is true of
Jaco's Jazz bass. He frequented the college that I attended in Boston and
would sit in on classes and give some input so it was easy to grab a
glimpse of it up close. He would coax and awesome tone from it and had
made it recognozable at a glance, but it was Jaco that made that bass
famous....not the other way around.
It is by no means a beautiful guitar and even though some may say it is
for the sake of controversy or to give the impression that they have some
deeper "artistic sensitivity" or a "true" understanding of beauty that others
lack.
It has been repaired many times and not always by the most skilled
craftsmen, it has suffered the weather and wear of long tours and
handling by careless techs and roadies, but it plays and sounds just the
wy Willie likes it to and that's all that really matters.
I think that the beauty in that particular guitar lies in its affiliation with
the player that has made it famous and the endearing character and style
that he has shown over the past decades. That same guitar coming out of
an attic in some rural setting would be quickly thrown in the trash or
given to the kids to beat on until it was destroyed, but its long time
connection to Willie Nelson and his great songs makes it a treasure to
him and the music world.
Too many times, people will attack and belittle the work of others in an
effort to separate themselves as authorities on the artistic or expressive.
Other times, they do so simply because they can't do the quality work
that others can and don;t want to be viewed as less skillful, talented or
willing to put the efoort and time in to develop those abilities.
It's the old, "I build sloppy guitars because tone is all that matters to
me." syndrome and it's gotten a little old to those who have not only
ficused on growing as tone creators through their instruments, but have
also taken the time and developed the patience necessary to perform
those little tasks that players consider beautiful in a guitar.
There are a small group of builders, some wth loads of time and
guitars to their credit and others with little of both, but with loads of self
ascribed accolades, who just refuse to put the aditional time into making
things fit right and look right after they've shaped the tone sufficiently.
They will be the first to tell you that the beauty of their instruments lies in
their tone with a real, "you'll only appreciate and understand it if you
really know what you're talking about." attitude in an effort to shame
people into agreement. I'd much prefer people liking my work because
they like it rather because they're afraid to be the next on the list to be
criticized for not getting it. (The story of the Emperor's new clothes pops
into my head every time they talk.)
Some players are inspired by a brand new guitar straight off of the rack
and others are inspried by one from the latest vintage auction that looks
like it's been through a war, but the inspiration is real in either case. The
interesting thing is, though, that most vintage lovers usually have a nice
stable of brand new guitar too, while alot of new guitar lovers shy away
from the worn and beaten look of the vintage pieces.
This is one of those situations where the old cliche', "Beauty is in the
eye of the beholder." is perfectly applied. We really need to consider the
motives of anyone who offers the abstract or controversial in these
threads.
"Y'all need to read, and understand." is certainly true, but falls on more
fronts than just tone or what artist has made an instrument famous. If
tone was all that mattered, I'd venture to say that the builders who make
that claim would be saving the time and money that it takes to put a
finish on their guitars at all. Their guitars would be leaving their
respective shops with nothing but a quick sealer of some sort...if that.
The fact is, though, that they all try to out the best finish that they are
able to on them...some with great results....others with not so great
results, but time, effort and expense are invested because, in the end,
they do know that appearance is and important aspect of producing a
great guitar.
Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars
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