BB King about Vintage Guitars

[Bensen]

Thought this was interesting and worth sharing. It's from some Guitarmags interview:

"St. James: Do you notice a difference in the quality of the guitars through the years? Are you a fan of vintage instruments, or are the newer ones fine?

King: Not really. I like to look at them, but I don’t know…I hear people talking. A guy told me the other night
he had a vintage 335 I believe, and I don’t know the difference. I just know it’s a good guitar. But in my case I play the 355. It’s a solid body one. And that’s all I think about. I don’t think of all the others. I think all of them sound good. It has to do with the guy that’s playing it, I think."

You can find the rest of the interview here:
http://maildogmanager.com/page.html?p=0 ... DnWsMUQaKG

cheers
ben

[Les Paul Lover]

Some of the original vintage instrument have loads of mojo, but in most cases, modern instruments tend to be better build.

The older fender & Gibson though have the collectible aura about them. I wouldn’t mind owning one, but one mortgage is enough for the moment!!!!!!!

[Aslan]

I agree with BB, some vintage instruments are amazing but some were dogs. I once had a collection of vintage Gibson and Fenders but was afraid to take them out to play at gigs so I ended up selling them and now I only buy guitars and amps that I play out with. I've recently gravitated to the PRS guitars because the workmanship is flawless and I like their newer pickups. Pretty much the same reason I moved to Orange Amps, they are well built, versatile and have killer sounds. My PRS into my Rockerverb 50 gives me all the tones I want, put a delay and tremolo in the effects loop and a wah pedal and boost between the guitar and amp and I'm good to go.

[nguideau]

That's why I love vintage reissues... you get the undeniable mojo of a vintage-style guitar, with a lot of the modern benefits.

[blackcloud45]

I agree w/ you guys. The guitar should be played not hung on the wall. I would like a strat from the year / month I was born though...

[Bensen]

I would like a strat from the year / month I was born though...

Hmm, Fenders and Gibsons from my birthyear don't have a great reputation

[MaxRossell]

I would like a strat from the year / month I was born though...

Hmm, Fenders and Gibsons from my birthyear don't have a great reputation

Same here. Dec 1980, not a fabulous vintage for gear by anyone's standards. But then it remains way more affordable than actual vintage gear.

[blackcloud45]

I'm old. 73 I guess the quality could go either way. I mean, look at me

What's messed up is, one day 1980 will be considered vintage. I can see it now, lightly checked finish to simulate years of spandex wear. Chemical burn pickguards due to reaction of hairspray w/ vinyl... on and on.

[Deacon Blues]

aside from the quality and reputation of a few famous models of guitar (59 les paul standard, 57 stratocaster, 61 SG/les paul) the vintage thing is just hype. a nice quality instrument made today is going to sound and play just as nice. i've played 70s strats that people paid big money for that aren't as nice as the 62 and 57 reissues that i've played

[Norrin Radd]

aside from the quality and reputation of a few famous models of guitar (59 les paul standard, 57 stratocaster, 61 SG/les paul) the vintage thing is just hype. a nice quality instrument made today is going to sound and play just as nice. i've played 70s strats that people paid big money for that aren't as nice as the 62 and 57 reissues that i've played

Yep - there's a lot of old dogs out there. I like the vintage vibe, specs and hardware style a lot though - so I went Fender CS - a lot cheaper than vintage and they really only do use the best stuff available. It is tough to find a CS piece that isn't very very very good.

[MaxRossell]

Given the popularity of vintage models and general retro-y stuff, do you guys not find it weird how Gibson aren't really cashing in on it and are instead releasing loads of bizarre modern models, having discontinued a lot of their popular older models (specials and Jrs etc)?

[Neiloler]

I think BB's on the money. As much as I've always been quick to personally doubt when you get the old cliche of "it's all in the fingers!", it really is all in the fingers. How I play a guitar sounds how I play a guitar, and while I can notice nuances and things that I want my tone to sound like more than the people watching me at shows (on average), they never tell me "hey, I noticed your tone was organic and rich tonight, great single coil sound!", they instead say "great show!"

Maybe it's because I've had no money at all lately, but it's really something I've been coming back to that I've been forced to enjoy what I have and stop pining after the next big thing. Are there other guitars I'd love to have? Sure. There's a ton of stuff I'd like to buy if I get the money and the chance.

But the tone I've been getting lately has felt very personal to me, very real, very soulful, and it's all with the same gear I've been using for a while now. I've just been learning how to squeeze the soul out of my instrument. And it's nothing fancy.

[Nork]

i'm with BB as well. i don't really get hyped up about the vintage stuff. i buy and like stuff that speaks to me, not because of the year its built in. this new internet age has created a lot of people who spend more time researching and finding out what the latest gear blah blah blah is instead of just playing the instrument.

i'm on the hunt for an empress super delay. little company outta my hometown here that makes decent stuff. it'll be my 4th delay, 'cause i'm looking for a really great delay that will keep me from spending more money than i should on other pedals - and i can get a scratch and dent for a good price from one of the guys that builds'em. i love how they sound, and i love how they seem to gel with me.

but all my other delays that i've been unhappy with have been because of the user. the dl4 is a fantastic delay...i just couldn't get alnog with it. i really like my nd1 - but most of the setting i use in it sound better in the empress, so i'm gonna get an empress.

i reallly don't like the DMM at all. *puts on flame retardant suit*. and that's because it doesn't speak to me. i can dial sounds that i like it, but it doesn't settle me.

just play it. whatever it is. if it sounds great to you, sweet. the strat that stevie played was really nothing special. it was a strat, and a beat up one. but it spoke to him. it didn't come off the factory line with an aura of awesomeness around it.

[Bensen]

the strat that stevie played was really nothing special. it was a strat, and a beat up one. but it spoke to him. it didn't come off the factory line with an aura of awesomeness around it.

Yeah, I saw an interview with Peter Green where they asked him about his "magic" guitar (the 59 LP with the phase reversed neck pup). He just responded: "There was nothing magical about my guitar, it barely worked!"