Pick That Guitar!
Wednesday June 24th, 2009
by Gerard Egan
The electric guitar is the ubiquitous instrument of modern popular music. Seen in bands playing country, indie rock, jazz, blues and any other genre you can think of, the electric guitar serves the musician in both utility and as stage prop. A guitar player’s choice of instrument is a statement, a declaration to the world. It is indicative of both the player’s practical need for certain sounds as well as reflective of his/her personality. While it can be argued that you only really need one guitar, many players have extensive collections of instruments they call upon based on the needs of the song at hand. In today’s new and vintage guitar market, there is a seemingly infinite variety of choices available to the player.
So what are the determining factors in a guitar player’s choice of instrument?
Let’s take a look.
The electric guitar came in to being for one reason: a need for more volume. Jazz orchestras of the 20’s and 30’s started to get bigger and louder, drowning out the acoustic instruments such as banjos and guitars. From Duke Ellington’s big bands to western swing pioneer Bob Wills’ country dance orchestras, the guitar simply could not compete in these large ensemble settings. In jazz, horn sections were growing in size while western swing bands added multiple fiddles and accordions to their lineup. The guitarist in either band struggled to be heard in the mix. Listen for rhythm guitar great Freddie Green in his legendary recordings with Benny Goodman and you don’t so much hear what he’s playing as much as you ‘feel’ the steady pulse of his strumming. Green was a superb accompanist in anyone’s book but when playing an acoustic archtop guitar, he was certainly limited in his ability to take a solo and stand out in the mix of other instruments, had the opportunity even presented itself.
To remedy this problem, guitar manufacturers began adding their own homemade pickups (a pickup is the device under the strings beneath the player’s picking hand which in effect acts as a microphone for the strings, allowing the guitar to be amplified) to standard archtop jazz guitars and running them through low wattage tube amps. These electrified archtop guitars yielded the quintessential jazz tone of soloists such as Charlie Christian, who upon sitting in with Goodman’s orchestra for the first time in 1939 was called on for solo after solo (reportedly over 20 choruses in one song!) as the audience delighted to a sound and style completely new to them.
Instrumentalists such as Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Les Paul changed the role of the guitar player, opening up new possibilities of grandstand soloing as opposed to simply beating out a steady pulsing rhythm in the background. Finally, guitarists could enjoy the spotlight previously occupied by horns, fiddles and woodwind instruments. Problems soon arose with these early electrified guitars however, namely with feedback. The design of acoustic archtop guitars tends to encourage howling, uncontrollable feedback when amplified due to the delicate design of the instrument. An acoustic archtop guitar is built so that its wooden top vibrates freely to produce as big a sound as possible. By simply placing a pickup on one of these guitars and running it through an amp, you are just asking for trouble. The volume of the amplifier reacts with the guitar’s sensitive top, sending it into uncontrollable vibrations and creating a feedback loop.
In response to player’s complaints of this unwanted feedback and the encumbering size of the large archtop guitars, guitar inventor Paul Bigsby designed the first ever solid body electric guitar for country music star Merle Travis in 1948, thus ushering in the modern era of electric guitars as a showcase instrument.
So where does all this leave us today?
After 70+ years of electric guitar development, it leaves us with a ton of options. Why choose a Telecaster over a Les Paul? Why a Rickenbacker over a Gretsch? Well let’s break down the divisive factors: sound, feel/playability and the guitar’s appearance. While theoretically you could use one electric guitar for many different styles, certain sounds are synonymous with certain types of music. Our minds have now subconsciously absorbed 50 years of rock n’ roll music and over 80 years of jazz and blues. Consider how well accustomed we are to the tone of Charlie Christian’s 40’s jazz guitar, or Buddy Holly’s Stratocaster sound of the 50’s or Jimmy Page’s screaming Les Paul of the 70’s. Many guitarists nowadays simply select an instrument because it sounds familiar to them. The tones of classic recordings by The Beatles or Rolling Stones dictate what a guitar ‘should’ sound like. Quite naturally, when trying different guitars, people may gravitate towards the sounds of the same instruments used to record these classic hits simply because those sounds are so well ingrained in their heads.
When it comes to choosing a guitar based on sound, you might narrow your options down based on what other similar players have done before you. If you are a jazz guy, you might gravitate towards the mellow sound produced by hollowbody guitars like Gibson’s L-5 archtop. As a general rule, most jazz players would not find the spanky sound of a Fender Telecaster tone-appropriate. Of course, this might simply reflect a purist school of thought. There is an aspect of peer pressure in the world of guitar players when it comes to choosing an instrument. For instance, a musician who shows up at his gig at the Jazz Standard might be ridiculed by some for playing a modern instrument like a Parker Fly. Why? Well it’s simply an unusual choice sonically and visually, based on established precedent. While the player might be completely happy with his choice, such a guitar neither sounds or looks like what most people associate with a ‘jazz guitar.’
Let’s not disregard the appeal of a certain guitar simply because a certain rockstar is associated with it. Jimi Hendrix is synonymous with the Fender Stratocaster and has made millions of dollars for the Fender Musical Instrument Company based on his instrument of choice. Sales of Strats in the late 1960s skyrocketed after Hendrix burst on the scene with his wild stage presence and colossal technique, the likes of which humbled other ‘guitar gods’ of the era and cemented Hendrix as one of the most influential and inspiring musicians of the 20th century. Although his records were groundbreaking, it was the way he manipulated his Strat that caused millions to hold him in awe. The guitar had simply never been played that way before. Indeed, the star appeal of certain guitars has caused the value of specific instruments to reach record levels amongst collectors. Players like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Mike Bloomfield are forever associated with their respective 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standards. Due to this rockstar association, a ’59 Les Paul will currently set you back around half a million bucks… that is, if you can find one. You may not be Eric Clapton but you can buy the same guitar he played.
Sometimes you pick up a guitar without much thought and it just feels right… plain and simple. The feel of the strings as you fret a chord, the weight, balance and size of the instrument may all factor in to why someone chooses one instrument over another. It is not uncommon to know within a few seconds if a guitar is going to work for you or not simply based on the initial impression. The first few chords played will speak volumes to the experienced player based on how it feels in your hands. Is the body too big? Does it sit comfortably in your lap? Are you able to fret chords more easily than you are used too? Does it just sing?
A guitar that plays well will only encourage you to play more.
Two guitars of the same make and model can feel completely different based on the nature of their construction, even if built on the same day by the same craftsman. Guitars are built by humans out of metal and wood and as such, are susceptible to subtle fluctuations in tone and inconsistencies in build quality. So while a player may fancy himself a ‘Les Paul guy,’ he may also own a number of the same model simply because he can appreciate the subtle differences between each, the strengths and weakness unique to each guitar. Such a player may find himself on a never ending quest to find that one Holy Grail instrument that satisfies all his needs.
In the grand scheme, however, certain guitars are known for ‘that sound’ and as such, are called upon by guitar players seeking a specific tone. Most players would agree that certain instruments are simply better suited to certain styles of music than others. The electronics, specifically the pickups, of an electric guitar have a large impact on the overall sound. Different manufacturers use different pickups in an effort to impart a signature sound on their instruments.
The bright, biting sound of a Fender Telecaster is vastly different than the warm, fat tone of a Gibson Les Paul and as such will be used at the player’s discretion.
Finally, the visual impact of a guitar is an aspect that cannot be denied. Whether it is the unconscious appeal of the guitar’s curves or simply a wild paint job that catches your eye, there exists an infinite variety of guitar designs to satisfy just about anyone. A guitar can be eye candy on stage or on your living room wall.
The curves of guitar, like violins before them, can mirror the curves of the idealized female form: sexy and undeniably appealing. Or they can be unusual, pointed and aggressive in design. This might be the area where the player’s personality is most clearly reflected in the guitar he/she plays. Most guitar manufacturers offer the same model in a variety of colors to suit a wide variety of consumers and of course, if it doesn’t exist, there are plenty of aftermarket guitar technicians who can modify your guitar to your taste.
Guitars are tools, instruments of musical expression. They can also be functional art and serve to enhance a player’s performance or act as an art piece in your home. There are millions of guitars out there with a host of options to choose from. No matter what the music you play, there is an instrument for you. It can be a daunting search, but that can also be part of the fun. Ultimately, your guitar should sound great, play well and when you wake up in the morning it should catch your eye, inspiring you to play.
