merciful-evans Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Currently its: Stainless Steel Frets Locking Tuners Rolled Edge Fingerboards Peter Honore (Danish Pete) complained about all guitars feeling the same a while back. He had been playing a bunch blindfold on an Andertons vid. The PRS CE24 I had, came with locking tuners. They were ok, but I don't need them. Stainless Steel Frets? I have not played a guitar with these yet. I do have a concern about how this would alter the sound. Also, I would hate having to do any fretwork (levelling & crowning) on them. Nickle alloy is hard enough already. The real deal breaker has to be the radiused (rolled) edges though. I just cant play them without pushing the E strings off. Fine for chords & that's about it. They are said to be 'comfortable'; but I never touch the edges when I play electric anyway. That's why the Fender TC 90 had to be quickly moved on. I loved everything about that guitar, but the rolled edges rendered it unplayable. Another reason to keep to traditional guitars and older models I suppose. The 80's had Floyd Rose/Kahler systems, compound radii boards, and all the other Jackson/Charvel style innovations. Some of it was great. I liked the flatter, wider boards etc. Not so keen on active PUs though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 With acoustics it's fancy pickups with multi sensors, emulators and effect boards. WTF. I prefer a mic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 All my guitars have nickel frets. Even the newest acoustics (from 2020/2016) have visible fret wear Not effecting anything but the frets are showing use. Stainless Steel frets will last WAY Longer than nickel Are they any brighter? I dunno, my kid has a few tele's his Lux has SS frets. Same pickups, I'm not sure the difference is that noticable if at all the only negative about SS frets is if they get damaged, (like a ding or dent in them) they have to be replaced, they can't be reshaped to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 I don't need any of that stuff. I'm a cheap date ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 9, 2023 Author Share Posted March 9, 2023 37 minutes ago, Murph said: With acoustics it's fancy pickups with multi sensors, emulators and effect boards. WTF. I prefer a mic. Now I come to think of it, that's right! They have also purloined the expression 'electric acoustic', which previously belonged to ES-330s etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 On acoustics - sound holes that aren't. Weird shapes and places. Sort of like a guitar Picasso would design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 1 hour ago, Karloff said: I don't need any of that stuff. I'm a cheap date ... I don't know bout dat.. ...I've seen your Telecaster collection 🤪 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 (edited) Strandberg; headless, 7 strings, fanned frets. Relicing is still in fashion. I can't get my head round what they do to some of the new Fenders. Edited March 9, 2023 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 19 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said: On acoustics - sound holes that aren't. Weird shapes and places. Sort of like a guitar Picasso would design. I don't know. If a person never performs, and only plays for themselves, those soundholes on the top/side actually do make sense. They sound great to the player and are pretty nice for solo porch pickin'. I don't own one, but have played a few and it works. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 (edited) Guess I'm more of a traditionalist.... I like my sound holes in the front....round...... on a spruce top..... My J-50 is a 1975....but not played much (at all?) until I got it 2-1/2 years ago....now it's my daily player.... So I don't think I'll live long enough to wear out the frets on it ... and I rotate the other 5 acoustics, so their fret wear is minimal...and again, I don't think I'll be around long enough to wear any of them to the point where they need replacing. My luthier retired, so I don't think he'd be up to replacing frets now....so I'd need to find a new luthier around here. Edited March 9, 2023 by DanvillRob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Personally, I find nothing wrong with whatever the new "fashions" are now. As long as what's considered traditional is still available. After all, we're not talking about the electronics market. Whitefang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 1 hour ago, DanvillRob said: Guess I'm more of a traditionalist.... I like my sound holes in the front....round...... on a spruce top..... My J-50 is a 1975....but not played much (at all?) until I got it 2-1/2 years ago....now it's my daily player.... So I don't think I'll live long enough to wear out the frets on it ... and I rotate the other 5 acoustics, so their fret wear is minimal...and again, I don't think I'll be around long enough to wear any of them to the point where they need replacing. My luthier retired, so I don't think he'd be up to replacing frets now....so I'd need to find a new luthier around here. Im not much of an acoustic player but from what I understand, having a sound hole on the top edge of the guitar actually improves the sound for the player as its pointing up towards your head... Locking tuners are neither here nor there.. They making stringing up a guitar a bit easier.. None of that guessing how much slack to wind.... Stainless-steel frets. Theres definitely something to that as in, they will last longer but as to what effect they have on sound or the nickel strings which are softer im not sure. Again its not a deal breaker is it. At least they seemed to have stopped making Firebird X type guitars with a million built in effects that all sound crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 7 hours ago, merciful-evans said: Currently its: Stainless Steel Frets Locking Tuners Rolled Edge Fingerboards Peter Honore (Danish Pete) complained about all guitars feeling the same a while back. He had been playing a bunch blindfold on an Andertons vid. The PRS CE24 I had, came with locking tuners. They were ok, but I don't need them. Stainless Steel Frets? I have not played a guitar with these yet. I do have a concern about how this would alter the sound. Also, I would hate having to do any fretwork (levelling & crowning) on them. Nickle alloy is hard enough already. The real deal breaker has to be the radiused (rolled) edges though. I just cant play them without pushing the E strings off. Fine for chords & that's about it. They are said to be 'comfortable'; but I never touch the edges when I play electric anyway. That's why the Fender TC 90 had to be quickly moved on. I loved everything about that guitar, but the rolled edges rendered it unplayable. Another reason to keep to traditional guitars and older models I suppose. The 80's had Floyd Rose/Kahler systems, compound radii boards, and all the other Jackson/Charvel style innovations. Some of it was great. I liked the flatter, wider boards etc. Not so keen on active PUs though. I agree with you. I've no idea if stainless steel frets change the sound - but I've found just about EVERYTHING changes the sound if you change it. I don't play enough to have to re-fret every year, so longevity isn't an issue. Plus, they're expensive and I hear luthiers don't like working with them (so they're expensive). I've never felt I needed locking tuners. Rolled fretboard edges are okay if they're just rolled very very slightly. Imperceptibly. So then you might as well not roll them? I dunno... I feel there are new trends every now and again, but basically no improvements. The strap lock, that's my idea of cutting edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 I like dressed frets.. And top quality Built in Electronics & Tuner.. Saves a lot of extra time, work & hassle hauling extra Gear around which for me is a pain in the Butt.. I haul an Amp anyway for my Electric Guitar… I can plug the Acoustic into my Amp or the Board.. Just makes life easier for me… Less is more.. In the Studio I prefer 2 Condenser Mic’s & plug into the Board… Get a really nice full Sound.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNJ Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Well, here's my two cents on guitar fashions... XXXXXXX.webp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I imagine the ES="electric Spanish" started out back in the day when many acoustic guitars were hollow bodied archtops used as rhythm guitars in big bands and earlier smaller "swing" bands and electrified guitars were just beginning to pick up(no pun intended) in use and popularity. Whitefang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 39 minutes ago, Whitefang said: I imagine the ES="electric Spanish" started out back in the day when many acoustic guitars were hollow bodied archtops used as rhythm guitars in big bands and earlier smaller "swing" bands and electrified guitars were just beginning to pick up(no pun intended) in use and popularity. Whitefang I have a pretty comprehensive Gibson history book, from my recall of reading through it, that's pretty much the gist of the ES name brand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Styles in guitars move slowly but if you take the acoustic guitars Dreadnoughts were in fashion for a long time from Beatles in the sixties to into the seventies you only saw a Concert shape on the country players just not cool if you were in a rock band. Slowly the Concert shape took over starting with the likes of James Taylor and C S N. Today you never see a Dreadnought, just not cool all players use Concert shape but also Parlour shapes are becoming fashionable thanks to Ed Sheeran. The only fast fashion guitar I can think of was the Ovation, many sound holes and a rounded back, big in the 70s never see one now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 9 minutes ago, fretplay said: The only fast fashion guitar I can think of was the Ovation, many sound holes and a rounded back, big in the 70s never see one now. I had an Ovation 12-String. The rounded back became problematic as my front got more rounded. Played like a RailRoad tie anyway....gave it to my luthier... he robbed the electronics off it, sold the case and threw the guitar away! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 I had thought that Classical guitars never changed, but they do. I've just checked the Camps website. They now have thin bodies, onboard electrics, cutaways etc. My old one has a 2.05" inch nut width, flat fingerboard and action like a trampoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 1 hour ago, merciful-evans said: I had thought that Classical guitars never changed, but they do. I've just checked the Camps website. They now have thin bodies, onboard electrics, cutaways etc. My old one has a 2.05" inch nut width, flat fingerboard and action like a trampoline. I have an Alvarez Classical Guitar that’s about 15 years old. It has Electronics, built in Tuner & is Cutaway… Those features aren’t really new for those types of Guitars.. I don’t know the Nut width, I have to check, but it’s pretty wide.. It wasn’t very expensive but it is a really good Guitar.. I keep it on a Stand in our Master Bedroom.. I play it nearly everyday.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 22 hours ago, fretplay said: Styles in guitars move slowly but if you take the acoustic guitars Dreadnoughts were in fashion for a long time from Beatles in the sixties to into the seventies you only saw a Concert shape on the country players just not cool if you were in a rock band. Slowly the Concert shape took over starting with the likes of James Taylor and C S N. Today you never see a Dreadnought, just not cool all players use Concert shape but also Parlour shapes are becoming fashionable thanks to Ed Sheeran. The only fast fashion guitar I can think of was the Ovation, many sound holes and a rounded back, big in the 70s never see one now. You mean country players like: or...... or Hank Williams Lester Flatt Ernest Tubb....? Those look like Dreadnoughts to me. But then too..... There's Taylor And Stills James, Stephen and even Paul Simon didn't move to concert or "parlor" styles until much later in their careers. Whitefang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Nice looking guitars WF. Coincidence? No sunbursts? Maybe THAT'S a fad !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) Ed Sheeran is not very tall & smaller Guitars may look more proportionate to his height & may be easier to play.. Although, it could be for their Sound…. Definitely easier to haul around… I’m 6’ tall & Parlor Guitars look kinda like toy Guitars on me if I play live.. I do like them for noodling & recording though.. Some have really great sound… Edited March 13, 2023 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 22 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: Nice looking guitars WF. Coincidence? No sunbursts? Maybe THAT'S a fad !!! It's really all a matter of personal taste. For instance, the only acoustic I liked in any kind of "burst" finish is a Hummingbird. The rest? Well, a natural finish spruce top dreadnought suits me fine. Don't ask why the Hummingbird is the exception. I think it's because the first(and only) one I picked up and played around with was a cherryburst. 21 hours ago, Larsongs said: Ed Sheeran is not very tall & smaller Guitars may look more proportionate to his height & may be easier to play.. Although, it could be for their Sound…. Definitely easier to haul around… No doubt the reason Paul Simon made the switch. Back in the "day" whenever I'd see Simon and Garfunkel on TV it looked like Simon was a little kid trying to play daddy's guitar. Whitefang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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