best decade for electric guitars?

tomin8r · Post by **tomin8r** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 11:54 pm

I'm gonna have to say the late 80s/early 90s.

When grunge broke, it spoke to a generation, you didn't have to do wild pull offs and 2 handed tapping, you could just learn a few chords, start a band and just express yourself through music instead of huge hair and leather.

Rayjaysonic · Post by **Rayjaysonic** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:32 pm

tomin8r wrote:I'm gonna have to say the late 80s/early 90s.

When grunge broke, it spoke to a generation, you didn't have to do wild pull offs and 2 handed tapping, you could just learn a few chords, start a band and just express yourself through music instead of huge hair and leather.

True but most guitars (if not all) used by grunge bands were 50/60s design.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:04 pm

rlm2112 wrote:The electric guitar will cease to exist before someone comes up with a better model than the ones form the 50s and 60s. That may be my 26 year old "old man" bias, but I think it's true.

That's quite possible.
Hell, look at pretty much every orchestral or folk instrument; those fuckers haven't changed in centuries and are wonderful. Who's to say that the instrument needs to change any more than it has? A good design is a good design, no matter how old.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:26 pm

Ankhanu wrote:Hell, look at pretty much every orchestral or folk instrument; those fuckers haven't changed in centuries and are wonderful. Who's to say that the instrument needs to change any more than it has? A good design is a good design, no matter how old.

Nope. Modern pianos or flutes are very, very different to ones from two hundred years ago. Actually, I suspect that's true for all woodwind instruments, but the flute's the only one I know well.

Also, people have already come up with guitars better than those from the 50s and 60s. People don't like them though.

JJLipton · Post by **JJLipton** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:39 pm

BacchusPaul wrote:
Ankhanu wrote:Hell, look at pretty much every orchestral or folk instrument; those fuckers haven't changed in centuries and are wonderful. Who's to say that the instrument needs to change any more than it has? A good design is a good design, no matter how old.
Nope. Modern pianos or flutes are very, very different to ones from two hundred years ago. Actually, I suspect that's true for all woodwind instruments, but the flute's the only one I know well.

Also, people have already come up with guitars better than those from the 50s and 60s. People don't like them though.

True, for example even the modern day strat is very different from the 50's version. Locking tuners, 2 point trem, noiseless pickups. s1 switch etc.

finboy · Post by **finboy** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:12 pm

1955-1965 seems to encompass most of the "classic" guitar designs

James · Post by **James** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:19 pm

JJLipton wrote:
BacchusPaul wrote:
Ankhanu wrote:Hell, look at pretty much every orchestral or folk instrument; those fuckers haven't changed in centuries and are wonderful. Who's to say that the instrument needs to change any more than it has? A good design is a good design, no matter how old.
Nope. Modern pianos or flutes are very, very different to ones from two hundred years ago. Actually, I suspect that's true for all woodwind instruments, but the flute's the only one I know well.

Also, people have already come up with guitars better than those from the 50s and 60s. People don't like them though.
True, for example even the modern day strat is very different from the 50's version. Locking tuners, 2 point trem, noiseless pickups. s1 switch etc.

I think he means overall improvements. Not a tarted up 50s guitar.

Your example shows it perfectly though. As modern as most guitarists are willing to get is a version of something designed in the 50s with modern appointments installed in as stealth a way as possible.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:35 pm

tomin8r wrote:I'm gonna have to say the late 80s/early 90s.

When grunge broke, it spoke to a generation, you didn't have to do wild pull offs and 2 handed tapping, you could just learn a few chords, start a band and just express yourself through music instead of huge hair and leather.

I wonder what that reminds me of....

► Show Spoiler

tomin8r · Post by **tomin8r** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:59 pm

Well played good sir

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:35 am

James wrote:
JJLipton wrote:
BacchusPaul wrote: Nope. Modern pianos or flutes are very, very different to ones from two hundred years ago. Actually, I suspect that's true for all woodwind instruments, but the flute's the only one I know well.

Also, people have already come up with guitars better than those from the 50s and 60s. People don't like them though.
True, for example even the modern day strat is very different from the 50's version. Locking tuners, 2 point trem, noiseless pickups. s1 switch etc.
I think he means overall improvements. Not a tarted up 50s guitar.

Your example shows it perfectly though. As modern as most guitarists are willing to get is a version of something designed in the 50s with modern appointments installed in as stealth a way as possible.

Yup, I'm talking about serious redesigns, not tweaks on existing designs. Something like a whole new induction system for pickups or something.

But yeah, some orchestrals instruments have had fairly recent revisions... but many have not. Even the acoustic guitar has seen major improvements in design in the last century; particularly in strings and to bracing.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 3:50 pm

This is the best decade for electric guitars, as I can afford to buy them these days