Local Music Gear Feature Story
Written By: Jac Harrison
Written By: Jac Harrison
Recently I was called a "guitar snob" on a social network and at first I took offence to it, but then I really thought about it and I have to agree. Here are my thought on it --
In my twenties I knew everything -- but now at the ripe old
age of thirty-four I have realized that I know very little in the grand scheme of things, but what I do know I understand completely or find out about by research. As a self-proclaimed guitarist with
over 25 years of experience, I would like to think that I have developed a refined palate and consider myself knowledgeable when it comes to understating guitars and related musical equipment. With
my "refined palate" I have also developed a taste for quality gear much like a wine snob has to wine. Now that word "snob" -- it is a
label that most guitarist do not want to be associated with, who would?
The definition of the word is less than flattering. According to the Bing
Dictionary there are two ways to use this word to describe a person :
(1) somebody who looks down on others: an admirer and cultivator of
people with high social status who disdains those considered inferior (2) somebody
who feels superior: somebody who disdains people considered to have
inferior knowledge or tastes. But when the word "snob" is used
to descried a person in relation to a particular product or
hobby, I believe that it takes on a different meaning. For example; I enjoy a good bottle of wine with breakfast just like the next guy, but there is no way I would know what to look for when buying a bottle out of the novices price point. I would want an expert with an unbiased opinion to coach me through the different types of wine, explaining what makes them different from each other and most importantly what I should be paying for them based on their quality, like a "wine snob" would. So why not the same in the music world?
As a "guitar snob", my opinion is that the average guitarist is a hobbyist and lacks the knowledge to make an educated decision when shopping for a what I refer to as a semi-permanent /permanent guitar or related musical equipment. Now I do not feel superior or look down on this group of people -- it is just fact. Most hobbyist are just unaware of the different elements that go into making a quality instrument and/or related musical equipment. For example -- when I was younger and knew everything, you couldn't tell me anything bad about the Gibson guitar company. To me they were "top shelf" -- because I didn't know any better. At the time I would go into the BIG BOX music stores and see them behind glass or out-of-reach with a huge price tag. I figured that if they were expensive they must be good... right? Boy was I ever wrong. I learned very quickly that perception of quality based on price and the company's history does not equal a current quality product. Especially when the manufacturer has changed their business and build practices to reflect a financial profit while loosing focus on the quality of build -- but that's a thorn in my side and a totally different story for a different time. There are a few thing that I believe that the guitarist at any level should fully understand before buying a guitar and/or related musical equipment... unless you fully trust your salesperson that is trying to make a buck off you.
To start, there are more brands of guitars and related musical equipment on the market then you can even imagine. From custom, to boutique, to mass-produced and they all have one thing in common -- you can buy a better quality product for less than what you would spend when buying the same product with a "name brand" stamped on it. I know many luthiers (guitar builders) that make a product that sells for under $2,000 USD that would sell for over $5,000 USD if it had a "name brand" stamped on the head-stock. Now this may go against everything you have heard about buying boutique -- but it is 100% accurate. With that said, you will never find boutique or custom gear at an Epiphone or Squier price point simply because of two reasons. (1) a luither uses better build materials and has pride with attention to detail in his/her work (2) Epiphone and Squier are built by machine in a factory then assembled and setup by underpaid assembly line workers and not a luthier. With the average American hobbyist spending the equivalent of one to two weeks earnings on their guitar and/or related musical equipment, I would think that we as the consumer would want the equivalent value to what we are spending in gear -- but we just open our wallets and say "here, take my money" without fully understating the quality vs value in our purchase. This results in grossly over paying for a lesser quality end product. So I would recommend to anyone before their next purchase to use your google box and search the interwebs for a local luthier or manufacturer of musical equipment. You may have the next Leo Fender in your hometown.
Now that you know the secret that The BIG BOX stores didn't want you to know about the poo they sell, you need to fully understand the differences in the materials and how they affect your tone, voicing and the charter of the guitar and/or related musical equipment that you are looking to acquire. Now there is way too much to go into detail in this rant that you will truly benefit from, but I think a good jump off point is that composite woods or "wood-like" materials are not a desirable tonewood. Even the Martin Guitar company has jumped on the bandwagon and uses a compost material they call "Mahogany Pattern HPL Textured Finish" apposed to wood on some of their guitars. That's right! You can now spend your hard earned cash (up to $1,000 USD) on a guitar that is made from crap just because it has the Martin name on it when the guy down the road from you can make you a solid wood guitar for around the same price, and I say that is BS. There are many ways you can find out what build materials will give you your desired tone from tonewoods and pickups for guitar, to tubes and magnets for amps. All you have to do is do your research before you shop.So, to sum-it-up -- I am proud to be considered a "guitar snob". I know that I will never overpay for my musical gear and I have the knowledge to make an educated purchase based on my needs as a musician -- but most of all If you look at the core of the definition of the word "snob", I do look down on others. The others that make the crap gear and sell it as "top shelf" to the unsuspecting consumer.
Posted 07/2013
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