For me, 69SL's recent post about the Hendrix Strat stirred some interesting thoughts - most especially those involved with the appreciation of vintage gear. While this has been addressed in various shapes and forms in other threads, I have always found it interesting to see how vintage gear hounds culminated their own interests / opinions about that which is vintage.
Early 80's metal was at the headwaters of my first gear-buying experiences, and like most kids around that time, I had a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant, and barely eeked out enough bones to set myself up with my first rig. Thoughts about owning / playing vintage gear were about as far from my mind as me mastering EVH's two-handed tapping technique, which at the time, was THE rage.
Anyways, I was perfectly happy playing entry-level guitars and solid-state amps for my initial foray into the world of guitar, and things remained that way for about (7) years or so - all of which would bring us to right around 1990, and my discovery of the blues. Spear-heading my transformation into the realm of "vintage" was none other the bearded wonder himself - the Right Reverend Billy F. Gibbons. As I immersed myself in the early ZZ catalog, I became more cognizant of the variances in tone between his material, and the omnipresent metal sound I'd been so accustomed to. I mean really, if you're talking about a kick-a$$, bluesy, vintage rock tone - who better to usher you into that realm that The Rev?
Naturally, I was intent on finding out what kind of gear he used to create those sounds, and that, in short, was how I found out that my "grail tone" was not going to found in stacks of shiny, solid-state amplifiers - but rather, in crusty old relics from the past. Yeah, that was quite a news flash to me - esp. since custom-painted Charvels and 200W rated thunder-stacks were the most prominent features of the landscape during my formative playing years. A few years later, I would trade in my Yamaha 112II for my first all-tube amp, and the rest is pretty much history. From that point on, vintage gear would play an integral part in the search for my own personal "grail tone" (which for me, is still a never-ending quest), as well as the development of my own playing style.
For some of our FN Senior Statesmen (isn't that much more dignified than "old"??!!, the vintage tone was THE tone when they started playing - and oh how I envy them. Yet, I always find it very interesting that the roads that lead to an appreciation of, or a desire to own, vintage gear are so very different. Many of our younger FN members are also starting to move along the various in-roads to the vintage world, and its really a lot of fun to share in the thrill and wonder of them buying their first Les Paul / Stratocaster, or playing a tube amp for the first time. That, and knowing the players, music, and history behind some of these rock n' roll gear staples makes it even more exciting. This point is perfectly illustrated by our FN brother Riley recently posting a clip of "Sunshine of Your Love". Hearing him capture some of that vintage Clapton mojo, and then combine it with his own style - to me, that's what's really awesome about the vintage thing - putting a fresh spin on something that's undoubtely influenced and has been an integral part of rock n' roll history - - which as guitar players - is our history.
While it might not be all that surprising that a Gen X'er and die-hard metal player like myself would eventually end up as a vintage gear fan, I do think that culminating an appreciation for it takes time. When you initially start playing, you probably aren't really familiar with terms like "Woman Tone", "Brown Sound", "Tweed", "Plexi", or "sag" - even though you probably know a lot of the artists that created music that is associated with them. As you become more familiar with gear as a whole, and the tones / sounds that they produce, you eventually assimilate some of these things into your own repetoire.
So how did it happen for you? What flipped your switch "on" to vintage gear? Was it a particular player or song? Did your buddy's dad have a crusty old Fender Tweed in the basement, that you and him would sneak down and play? Or maybe it hasn't even "happend" for you yet. Perhaps you're living your vintage dream vicariously though our forum. Tell us . . .
Early 80's metal was at the headwaters of my first gear-buying experiences, and like most kids around that time, I had a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant, and barely eeked out enough bones to set myself up with my first rig. Thoughts about owning / playing vintage gear were about as far from my mind as me mastering EVH's two-handed tapping technique, which at the time, was THE rage.
Anyways, I was perfectly happy playing entry-level guitars and solid-state amps for my initial foray into the world of guitar, and things remained that way for about (7) years or so - all of which would bring us to right around 1990, and my discovery of the blues. Spear-heading my transformation into the realm of "vintage" was none other the bearded wonder himself - the Right Reverend Billy F. Gibbons. As I immersed myself in the early ZZ catalog, I became more cognizant of the variances in tone between his material, and the omnipresent metal sound I'd been so accustomed to. I mean really, if you're talking about a kick-a$$, bluesy, vintage rock tone - who better to usher you into that realm that The Rev?
Naturally, I was intent on finding out what kind of gear he used to create those sounds, and that, in short, was how I found out that my "grail tone" was not going to found in stacks of shiny, solid-state amplifiers - but rather, in crusty old relics from the past. Yeah, that was quite a news flash to me - esp. since custom-painted Charvels and 200W rated thunder-stacks were the most prominent features of the landscape during my formative playing years. A few years later, I would trade in my Yamaha 112II for my first all-tube amp, and the rest is pretty much history. From that point on, vintage gear would play an integral part in the search for my own personal "grail tone" (which for me, is still a never-ending quest), as well as the development of my own playing style.
For some of our FN Senior Statesmen (isn't that much more dignified than "old"??!!, the vintage tone was THE tone when they started playing - and oh how I envy them. Yet, I always find it very interesting that the roads that lead to an appreciation of, or a desire to own, vintage gear are so very different. Many of our younger FN members are also starting to move along the various in-roads to the vintage world, and its really a lot of fun to share in the thrill and wonder of them buying their first Les Paul / Stratocaster, or playing a tube amp for the first time. That, and knowing the players, music, and history behind some of these rock n' roll gear staples makes it even more exciting. This point is perfectly illustrated by our FN brother Riley recently posting a clip of "Sunshine of Your Love". Hearing him capture some of that vintage Clapton mojo, and then combine it with his own style - to me, that's what's really awesome about the vintage thing - putting a fresh spin on something that's undoubtely influenced and has been an integral part of rock n' roll history - - which as guitar players - is our history.
While it might not be all that surprising that a Gen X'er and die-hard metal player like myself would eventually end up as a vintage gear fan, I do think that culminating an appreciation for it takes time. When you initially start playing, you probably aren't really familiar with terms like "Woman Tone", "Brown Sound", "Tweed", "Plexi", or "sag" - even though you probably know a lot of the artists that created music that is associated with them. As you become more familiar with gear as a whole, and the tones / sounds that they produce, you eventually assimilate some of these things into your own repetoire.
So how did it happen for you? What flipped your switch "on" to vintage gear? Was it a particular player or song? Did your buddy's dad have a crusty old Fender Tweed in the basement, that you and him would sneak down and play? Or maybe it hasn't even "happend" for you yet. Perhaps you're living your vintage dream vicariously though our forum. Tell us . . .
My formative years in guitar were during the late 70's. During this time I had no clue about vintage equipment, tone, or anything. I could only afford used crappy guitars and solid state amps. Most of my tone came from cheap stomp boxes. I was perfectly happy just having something to plug in and play. I just wanted something to make some noise. Then one day my rich friend bought a Marshall and invited me over to try it out. It was a 100-watt head (plexi). It was really nice.
