Are Electric Guitars Dying A Slow Death

[blue]

Found this article in the Washington Post.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/the-slow-secret-death-of-the-electric-guitar/?utm_term=.9ed6facd5c6d


I recommend you read it, were included in this.

Blue

[T-Bay]

Nah, they just last a long time. There may be an issue with some youngsters wanting quick and easy game style satisfaction but the club I help run for kids is one small example of how kids are still getting involved in live music. The Internet also makes learning a hell of a lot easier than it used to be,

[Freddy Le Cragg]

Nahhhh. No more than any other instrument, except the Mongolian Nose Flute. That bad boy has had it's day.

[blue]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1498251426' post='3323478']
Nah, they just last a long time. There may be an issue with some youngsters wanting quick and easy game style satisfaction but the club I help run for kids is one small example of how kids are still getting involved in live music. The Internet also makes learning a hell of a lot easier than it used to be,
[/quote]

Are they interested in live music or the electric guitar?

Blue

[Cato]

It's a cycical thing.

We get the same sort of articles over here every few years.

I remember journalists claiming guitar music was dying in the 90s just before the Britpop explosion of the 90s, and again shortly before Artic Monkeys inspired a whole load of new guitar bands.

[timmo]

I think the problem is having too many made and not enough people. There are so many manufacturers, and with cnc machines etc, everything is quicker and quality better resulting in longer lasting guitars. It is easier than ever to learn to play an instrument now

[blue]

They mention the decline in electric guitar sales.

Rock and Pop music certainly isn't driven by electric guitar the way it was 40 years ago.

Look at Gibson, only 30% of their sales are from electric guitars the remainder is from electronics.

Acoustic orientated pop and rap are the only genres making it to the top 100 on Bill Board.

Ed Sheeran & Taylor Swift, both acoustic not electric.

Blue

[blue]

Summerfest 2017, largest music fest in the world. 2 weeks of artists from all over the world. Not much electric guitar driven stuff. Peter Frampton, my band and maybe a few blues bands. Outside of that, nothing.

Blue

[blue]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1498253379' post='3323505']
I think the problem is having too many made and not enough people. There are so many manufacturers, and with cnc machines etc, everything is quicker and quality better resulting in longer lasting guitars. It is easier than ever to learn to play an instrument now
[/quote]

Good point.

Blue

[Geek99]

I think it's been de-skilled a bit by the easy availability of in person tuition and on-demand learning materials; it's a lot less /mystical/ than it was. No one is spray painting "ed Sheehan is god" on walls like they did with Eric Clapton

I'm not convinced at all that it's to do with manufacturing or quality

Edited June 23, 2017 by Geek99

[peteb]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1498253676' post='3323508']
They mention the decline in electric guitar sales.

Look at Gibson, only 30% of their sales are from electric guitars the remainder is from electronics.

Blue
[/quote]
The thing with Gibson is that they have relied so much on their name for so long and the quality of their new stuff is so poor for what they charge, that anyone with that sort of money will buy from the many other guitar builders that offer better pieces at much better value.

There is still interest in electric guitar based music and there are still plenty of kids who want to play, BUT... young people have so many other other alternatives for entertainment (both musical or otherwise) that it is never going to regain the importance that it had in he latter past of the last century...

[CamdenRob]

Yes 😐

[blue]

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1498255170' post='3323531']

The thing with Gibson is that they have relied so much on their name for so long and the quality of their new stuff is so poor for what they charge, that anyone with that sort of money will buy from the many other guitar builders that offer better pieces at much better value.

There is still interest in electric guitar based music and there are still plenty of kids who want to play, BUT... young people have so many other other alternatives for entertainment (both musical or otherwise) that it is never going to regain the importance that it had in he latter past of the last century...
[/quote]

Several good points here.

I remember when we were 16, 17 years old crowding into The Filmore East to see all the great underground rock bands of the era.

Now young people are completely disconnected from the rock I know and love.

Must be the way my Dad felt when he realized big bands were never going to make a come back.

Blue

[gjones]

My niece is in her mid twenties and she would disagree. She and her friends love guitar, based, bands. She loved Johnny Marr, and John Mayer (very different styles), when she was growing up. She also loved Courtney Love and her band Hole, which were very guitar based. She loved guitars so much that she stole her dad's and formed her own band. Her band is doing pretty good and she plays to sold out venues in the UK and Europe (she's toured the US too, a couple of times).

She's now one of the 10 acts that have been shortlisted for the Scottish Album Of The Year awards 2017.

Hopefully she'll inspire a whole new generation of kids to get themselves an electric guitar. I know it was the best decision, the 16 year old me, ever made.


This is her...........guitar bands rule!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Jx2iXgYCM

[blue]

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1498266290' post='3323572']
My niece is in her mid twenties and she would disagree. She and her friends love guitar, based, bands. She loved Johnny Marr, and John Mayer (very different styles), when she was growing up. She also loved Courtney Love and her band Hole, which were very guitar based. She loved guitars so much that she stole her dad's and formed her own band. Her band is doing pretty good and she plays to sold out venues in the UK and Europe (she's toured the US too, a couple of times).

She's now one of the 10 acts that have been shortlisted for the Scottish Album Of The Year awards 2017.

Hopefully she'll inspire a whole new generation of kids to get themselves an electric guitar. I know it was the best decision, the 16 year old me, ever made.


This is her...........guitar bands rule!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Jx2iXgYCM
[/quote]

Very cool indeed.

However, I would say your neice and her band are the exception.

Blue

[Bilbo]

I don't think that things die out as much as they become minority interests. So many genres now that didn't exist in my day. Home production is easier, technology etc. If find myself wondering whether the standard of players is now so high, it disincentivises the beginner.

[T-Bay]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1498252988' post='3323497']


Are they interested in live music or the electric guitar?

Blue
[/quote]
Very much both, we have two bands and about a dozen more individuals. The bands are both five piece in traditional line up of drums, bass, 2x six string and vocalist. The dozen individuals are four bass players, seven six stringers and another vocalist, no more drummers mostly due to lack of spare kit. We have to limit numbers, we could have more kids but couldn't fit them all out with equipment but are gradually building stuff up. We alternate over two days as it is. Both bands were involved in a charity event locally on Thursday and played short sets. All of them are 12-15 years old.

Locally the live music scene is very active, a lot of covers bands but a lot of young originals bands as well. The non mainstream music around here is split between dance (non guitar) and rock/ alternative (guitar based) ,apologies for the simplification, and is biased very heavily in favour of the rock/ alternative. Most of the dance stuff seems to be geeks in their bedrooms on an iPad.

[T-Bay]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1498262021' post='3323563']


Several good points here.

I remember when we were 16, 17 years old crowding into The Filmore East to see all the great underground rock bands of the era.

Now young people are completely disconnected from the rock I know and love.

Must be the way my Dad felt when he realized big bands were never going to make a come back.

Blue
[/quote]

The odd thing is that if you put a Queen song in the kids all know it, if you put some chart stuff on from ten years ago they haven't got a clue. I don't think kids are disconnected around here at all. I was in a minority growing up as I was into the sex pistols and iron maiden when my mates were listening to Duran Duran, nothing much has changed from what I can see.

[Dan Dare]

These things are fashion led and go in cycles. People were saying similar things - has the guitar had its day, etc -during the electronica/keyboard era.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Dan Dare

[blue]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1498283781' post='3323591']

Very much both, we have two bands and about a dozen more individuals. The bands are both five piece in traditional line up of drums, bass, 2x six string and vocalist. The dozen individuals are four bass players, seven six stringers and another vocalist, no more drummers mostly due to lack of spare kit. We have to limit numbers, we could have more kids but couldn't fit them all out with equipment but are gradually building stuff up. We alternate over two days as it is. Both bands were involved in a charity event locally on Thursday and played short sets. All of them are 12-15 years old.

Locally the live music scene is very active, a lot of covers bands but a lot of young originals bands as well. The non mainstream music around here is split between dance (non guitar) and rock/ alternative (guitar based) ,apologies for the simplification, and is biased very heavily in favour of the rock/ alternative. Most of the dance stuff seems to be geeks in their bedrooms on an iPad.
[/quote]

Well that's certainly encouraging.

Blue

[blue]

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1498283928' post='3323592']


The odd thing is that if you put a Queen song in the kids all know it, if you put some chart stuff on from ten years ago they haven't got a clue. I don't think kids are disconnected around here at all. I was in a minority growing up as I was into the sex pistols and iron maiden when my mates were listening to Duran Duran, nothing much has changed from what I can see.
[/quote]

I get that. Me Yards Birds and Fleetwood Mac, friends were into Paul Revere & The Raiders & Mitch Ryder.

Blue

[Phil Starr]

There was an article in New Scientist a couple of years ago, if I can find it anywhere I'll post a link. It was re-reported around the rest of the British press so if someone else finds it feel free to put up a link.

Some researchers had simply run chart music over the decades through some software that analysed frequency and volume. It showed certain frequencies appearing in the 50's then coming and going with peaks and troughs. A whole batch of frequencies disappeared in the 80's reappeared in the 90's and have since faded away again. When the researchers correlated it with what was happening in music it was the frequencies of the electric guitar. That's probably as near as you will get to an objective assessment, and yes it is way less important than it was.

Music goes through cycles as each generation creates their own music. You'll never kill off human creativity, or probably young men showing off. The Jazz age would have been dominated by the sound of brass and drums. I'm old enough to have started with Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly running through the Trad revival, Folk revival, Blues revival, British Pop, Rock, Punk and so on. Even within that there were fashions in music. It's left a huge inheritance of great music which the kids can dip back into, hence they can sing most of Queen's back catalogue, or indeed enjoy the wrinklies in the cover bands strutting their stuff.

Things move on though, as they should. The charts are dominated by female musicians and a lot of singer songwriters at the moment, as well as hip hop. Both reference what has gone on before but are applying things in new ways. Isn't that a good thing? I just don't get hip hop/rap but that's probably just my reluctance to engage. There's stuff out there that uses all sorts of unusual modalities and rhythms and some of the drumming is bloody fantastic.

The good news is that bass and drums seem to be immune to changes in musical fashion. There's plenty of work for us all yet.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Phil Starr

[musicbassman]

Well, boo hoo for the guitar dealers and mass manufacturers – decent guitars (and basses) aren’t an ever evolving product with a limited life - like a family car that is worn out and obsolete after 10 years. You’re selling musical instruments, not refrigerators.
Decent guitars, with a few exceptions, usually play just as well (or better) at 20 or 30 years old than when new. Unless they are physically damaged or subject to extremes of heat or humidity they still play perfectly and any minor electrical or fret problems can be quite easily fixed.
So there is not just an ever decreasing customer base amongst the young, as the article explains, but most older players already have several guitars, and unless they have chronic GAS maybe rather wish they had a few less.
Mass manufacturers can’t keep on churning out millions of guitars a year into an already saturated market, no matter how cheap and well made they are, so maybe their days are numbered.

[steve-bbb]

i live in a town that has long had a decent thriving music scene especially with college bands, and doesnt seem much different here - the one thing that is noticable is that the young upstarts around here do seem to be much more technically proficient than my generation were when we were their age

[Happy Jack]

Last time I looked, it was the Washington Post that was dying slowly ...