For me , the “look” of certain guitars makes me want to pick them up. I’m highly attracted to a certain level of flame on a neck: not too much but just a little. And if it has a Floyd Rose you damn right I’m picking it up.
I agree RJ. I see pretty much ANY Les Paul or Tele and I just want to pick it up and play. So many of my heroes play those two (Zakk Wylde and Jerry Cantrell, And then John 5 and Prince respectively). Doesn’t have to be Gibson or Fender but just a good single cut with a thick neck. Love your channel too by the way brother!
@@agnessofiacastrocarvalho774maple has a natural look to it with light and dark streaks that sometimes makes it look like a dancing flame. Leo Fender saw this as a flaw, but now it’s thought of as a luxury look. I think it’s beautiful the way the colours of the wood dance in different light :)
It's all about the "vibe". As a guitar builder I've made a white explorer to write thrash metal, a worn-out looking Les Paul type body for doom/stoner rock and a teal blue strat style with coil splitting for other genres. I wouldn't feel inspired to write low tuned Meshuggah type riffs on a telecaster as an example. Aesthetics are very important.
I thought jazzmaster were weird and then one day I saw one that just for whatever reason looked cool to me. I played it and realized jazzmaster/jaguar styles are the most comfortable guitar for me and now I’m hooked on offsets haha.
I think one of the coolest things about being a musician is the fusion of different art forms. Woodworking, wood finishing, engineering, electrical design etc come together to make a cool thing I can be proud to hang on my wall AND it’s a tool to make music with.
PRS has always had it's place in my head as the Linkin Park/Breaking Benjamin brand. The late 90s/early 00s models have a kind of mojo that earlier and later models lack. It's definitely all mental, but still.
I definitely was into the killing people aesthetic as kid starting guitar, and my first show was Vader. And so I had to have an aggressive Jackson-like V. Except I couldn't afford it, so dad assembled one for me, cutting and painting the body all by himself, just the way I've been picturing it in my head, and putting it together with some online-bought used parts. I'm playing it to this day. I can afford decent gear now and all, but I still love that V the most. It really is an exstension of myself, on quite a deep level.
For me I tend to play in the classical position so Flying V, and Strats work best for me vs a Les Paul. But I do believe that the guitar should inspire you to play and make you WANT to pick it up and play IMO 🤘🔥🔥🤘
Man cool topic! As a I grew up with Nirvana, I'm really into offset guitars, and I'm sooo with you for the "I play aggressive music but I have a sparkling guitar". Cool video and thumbnail
I didn’t start playing guitar until I turned 48 which was a few years ago. I began to notice a trend that I really liked both telecasters specifically and white guitars generally but didn’t really put my finger on it. Then one day watching purple rain it hit me. we had just gotten cable and therefore MTV back when I was in high school and prince playing a T style guitar and then the all white guitar from Apollonia made it all become crystal clear.
For me, there were a few factors. I was REALLY into The Wiggles when I was a little kid, that really inspired me to be a musician- they played strat style guitars. While I ended up gravitating towards the drums in 4th grade and played drums since, most guitarists I’d see in bands would play a strat. My brother would rent his saxophone from a local music lessons center, and they had a whole bunch of black, red and blue strats hanging on a rack on the wall- the light blue in particular caught my eye. Many years later, at age 21 when I bought my electric guitar, I was intimidated by so many options but ended up going for a Tidepool Blue player stratocaster as it reminded me of the time before I was a musician. And it ended up feeling perfect!!
I hated the look of Telecasters. Only old men and cowboys played them. Then I played one and well...now I have 2 and they are my main guitar. Good point to try new things or looks. Sometimes you love what you least expected to.
I think that's everyone's story with teles, me included. Yeah, they're great for country, but they have a certain nastiness to them when you crank up the gain.
@@AndiKravljacaI’ve hit middle age too early I guess, chronologically speaking, but yeah, that’s a pretty good way to put it. One day you realize you actually like Teles, usually around the same day you realize your back hurts and you’re getting a bit annoyed with the dagnabbed whippersnappers of the younger generations. It’s kind of mind-boggling how much Leo got right on his very first try.
Me too! But there is something about Teles that says you’ve matured, are non-nonsense, and want to be low-key but taken seriously. Teles taking a beating and look more distinguished with age and they have the cohones to play any kind of music. What can I say my favorite. Has everything you need and nothin’ you don’t.
In my 16 or so years of playing 1st guitar. A black and white strat copy. Grew out of that very quickly. 2nd guitar. A cheap Dean dimebag replica. I had a no idea who pantera were at the time. I just liked it 😆. Lightning bolts and everything. Spending my days learning songs from the Rockschool song book on it. Parisian Walkways over and over again at my school guitar lessons. 3rd guitar A bc rich flying V. Playing a little better but not by much. A lovely red finish and a floyd rose (that was a learning curve). 4th guitar A second hand Semi Hollow red Squire Telecaster with a Les Paul layout. I still have this guitar. Over 10 years. I bought this after maturing a good bit in my 3rd year of college. My playing was much better now and no longer was I just the metal person. I was now jazz, pop and rock too. Workhorse guitar. I love it. Used that guitar for Jazz, pop punk and black metal gigs. It's sounds and looks good for all of those gigs. Fits right in at any gig. 5th guitar Hofner shorty. Mini guitars are fun. Great for DIY punk bands and noise jams. 6th guitar Epiphone Sheraton with coil tapping humbuckers. I was really into Elliott Smith at the time so a cheaper version of an Es335 would do. Ok guitar but a little too heavy to carry around. My friends called it the grampa guitar. Sold it recently but may get a similar guitar one day. 7th guitar Ibanez RG550 neon purple with tremolo. Beautiful thing. Softer sound than the Telecaster. Can get some really good galloping classic metal riffs out of it as well as some sweet neo funk tones. It's really fun using a tremolo now. I've used it for a pop gig and making weird sounds for my experimental band. Currently I'm very happy with the Tele, the RG and the silly shorty.
I learned this lesson after buying my dream guitar in a color I didn’t love because it was crazy cheap. I snagged it, because it was a kinda rare guitar (an early 2010’s EVH Wolfgang special with stainless frets and the flat top) and because I found it for a stupid cheap price, I opted for a finish that wasn’t my favorite (I wanted the flat black, but went with a tobacco burst). As a result, I never deeply bonded with the guitar, even though it was exactly what I wanted otherwise. In contrast, I now aesthetically have one of my #1 dream guitars, as well as spec wise: a jazzmaster with a Floyd rose (SBS brand, covered humbuckers with coil splitting, a 60’s Fender-looking satin blue finish reliced, aftermarket pearloid block inlay decals, and original Jazzmaster knobs). For me, I love bridging the world of that beautiful, classy 60’s offset Fender look, yet can actually stay in tune with super modern specs, can get heavy/high output or stay mellow and beautiful with the volume knob, and that also connects to my roots in 80’s alternative music. I love that guitar to death. Now that I’ve set it up really well, I can’t wait to put miles on it and write its story.
I started playing the bass when I was 14 and immediately connected with Fenders. I spent years solely playing P and Jazz Basses because nothing ever sounded as good, played as well, or looked as cool as a Fender bass to me. My ultimate bass was a P Deluxe Special with a Blizzard Pearl finish and a maple neck. It’s like a vintage Cadillac of an instrument, bright, curvy, a little heavy and unwieldy, but dripping with style. It would glow under stage lighting. When I started seriously playing a six string in my 30s, I went directly to my earliest influences and bought a dirt cheap Epiphone SG to learn on because of Angus Young. After that I bought a black Gretsch hollowbody, because something about it’s iconic old-school looks truly spoke to me. Brian Setzer and Tim Armstrong both looked cool as hell with one, and I loved that mojo. Recently I bought a Fender 72 Telecaster Deluxe specifically because a big guitar influence on me was my one of my best friends. He had one, and I always thought it was the coolest guitar that Fender ever offered. Just the combination of the Tele body with the shiny chrome humbuckers, sweeping pickguard, and awesome jumbo 70s Strat headstock gives me a palpable joy.
I always love the look of headless guitar, especially strandberg salen and kiesel osiris series. It looks cool and very different than any guitar. On strandberg it's so comfortable to play in almost any position, also both being fairly light is also a good bonus. The only problem i had is if i see someone playing it on a stage in my opinion it looks less cooler than normal guitar, since i found the headless nature giving that something is missing when i play it.
I have an Osiris and trying a headless guitar is a game changer! I might not like Kiesel as a company anymore, but the guitar is so ergonomic, comfortable and cool, I can't deny it... I'd go for a Strandberg if I had to pick now.
Tastes change. Yours will, other people’s will. When I started playing electrics, I wanted nothing more than a les paul. Then I got into rg’s and jems. After that a long stint of vintage-y stuff. And I still like elements of all of them, though some more than others. It’s a blessing to have a couple of instruments around that do different things for you, be it sound or simple aesthetics.
Well said. Starting off playing when I was 13 or so I loved Mark Tremonti and and his playing along with some punk bands that tended to play Les Pauls exclusively and for many years I was a hater of strats. Now flash forward to me at 36, my #1 guitar when I play is an HSS Strat that I built myself and I absolutely love the feel it has.
I Love Leo Fenders take on offsets like the doheny or espada,sixty six where the knobs and pickguard etc is metal on classic natural woodgrain.Just beautiful.👍
I feel like you and I cut our guitar playing teeth around the same time with the same music. While I was kind of a metal kid at the end of the 80s (Metallica, Megadeth, etc.), it was Nirvana/Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement of the early 90s that inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn to play.
Every guitar I own is different in the sense that when i pick each of them up, I'm always inspired to play something different on each one. I'm very thankful that I own three of my dream guitars and they're all genuinely amazing, and I go through periods of using each one. Every time I pick one up, I'm reminded of why I love that particular guitar and it continues to drive me to be a better guitar player and be influenced by the guitars themselves. I played in a mathcore band and I played a sparkly purple custom jazzmaster and everyone always asked me about it and commented that it just didn't seem like a guitar for the genre, but it was also how I expressed myself on stage, both physically and sonically.
I agree with this vibe, there's no perfect or bad guitars per se, you just pick one up and see what comes out It can be fun and surprising to find out what different guitars bring out of you
Definitely a big reason I gravitate towards Stratocasters. I have a Howlin' Wolf t shirt (still) from the 90s that pictures him with a white Strat. This is the whole reason I was compelled to have one. Luckily, it happens to be the greatest guitar design of all time😊.
When I was growing up, seeing Brian Setzer on TV playing a Gretsch Nashville inspired me to start playing guitar, but it was Mark Knopfler playing that Red strat of his, a Schecter Dream Machine as it turned out, that made me go "That's MY guitar!" And as I grew up I saw Strats in the hands of the widest array of players: Gary Moore, Roland Orzabal (Tears for fears), Adrian Smith and Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) but also Kurt Cobain, Mike McCready, John Frusciante. There was a good reason why everybody played strats. So from 1988 on, when I bought my first electric guitar, I tried out every single style but kept on returning to Fender Strats and I kept fine-tuning what kind of specs I favored over others. And these days my main axes are strats that have: - Maple fingerboards - Classic whammy bar bridges which are fully functional. (I hate Floyd Rose bridges) - Dimarzio Super distortion Hotrail bridge pickups, since that was what I always considered a Strat's weak point, that ice pick bridge pickup. Last week I was in a shop with a friend of mine who saw this Epiphone Matt Heaffy model, and he was gushing over it. When I told him that I didn't really like it, he went "why not, aren't you into Fishman pickups or his music?" At which I said "No, I'm not into Les Paul models, they don't feel comfy for me to play, that's all."
Great video. I used to be a huge proponent of players doing the blind test (how does it sound and feel to you without regard for color or worse, brand?). As I’ve matured, I still feel you can’t really go wrong with this approach. And yet, the more I show up to gigs with my Black 1999 Parker Fly Deluxe and just own the fact that I love a non-traditional body style, it becomes more of an expression of myself without regard for what other people think. I love teles and LPs, don’t get me wrong and I have upwards of 30 axes. But most of the time I make a point of playing whatever it is I need to play on either the Parker, or occasionally change to my Eastman 335 copy. To each, their own, and I’ve chosen my path. If nothing else, it’s a great conversation starter as well. Rock on, gang.
Creative people find inspiration in random, day to day things. Whether a "look" is important, cool, or neutral to you... it may trigger some highly creative person's creativity, and there you go. Art.
Yeesss! One of my favorite bands. When I got into them, he was playing a goldtop custom 24 and a white baritone. I’m not a PRS fan, so I love his Fender guitars now much more, but I’ll always have a soft spot for the gold and white ones.
I managed to fix my financial mindset over the past years and finally got some music man guitars, three in particular. I just recently got my third one, a Luke III Ocean Sparkle (the color of your artist signature stingray). I'm so happy that I made that switch. There's three reasons I play music man and I wouldn't wanna change it: 1) their unfinished necks are unreal. 2) they are super reliable in any setting and are BUILT TO PLAY 3) the finishes and looks of these guitars keep me inspired to pick it up everyday. It's so much fun!
I would LOVE a music man, I love the mariposa shape bc it's so different and beautiful, but I can never justify spending that much for me to play in the living room, the sterling may be an option though 🤔
Hey Fluff, i recall diggin' your channel since '15, '16 or shit, a salute from Mexico. lml My personal taste in guitar has been interesting. My dad being a classical guitarist since the 80's, already had quite a solid idea on the electric instrument overall and he bought for me a Squier Strat Standard, candy apple red with a CBS headstock and a maple board, back in late '15. How could i forget about her... She even survived a couple of times i thought of selling her and stuff. I recall digging Nirvana riffs on her back in the day, the instrument helping me overcome my first romantic breakup, playing on her punk, thrash, deathcore, metalcore, funk, jazz, djent, she was in pretty much any tuning ranging from E standard to Drop A and even lower. The thing is, i dreamt of having other guitars back in the day instead of her, or imagining having a custom guitar made for me, and that also happened to me in my classical era, but, having never obtained any of my dream instruments during that time, i just kept playing my Roxy Strat until i found in mid pandemic (Around 6 years after having her) that my hands had shaped to her neck profile and her string spacing and such, and that i really didn't need any signature guitar of some sort, since, the hands of another axeguy will very surely not be exactly as mine. I learned to do everything in that guitar, and for that, i thank her, and i thank my dad, and the people who built her, because that thing shaped a good part of me as a musician. Years later, a Les Paul came into my hands, and it has been my main both hard rock and jazz guitar. Yet, i never sold Roxy, and i am waiting to get some money to restore her since i will not let her go, ever. She just needs a bit of love from time to time. Fret recrowning, changing pots and electronics, changing tuning machines, tightening the trem claw, cleaning the bridge and saddles... Right now she sleeps, but i hope very soon, soon as possible, she'll come back into the world of the living. I will paint her fiesta red, relic her, put a locking nut, shape the headstock into a regular Strat one, put locking tuners, and a single humbucker, to pay homage in a way to my greatest influence of all time, mister Edward Van Halen.
Before I knew anything about guitars I was always drawn to semi-hollow body guitars because of my love for the blues players in BB King. I actually stumbled into what ended up being one of the best starter guitars for me. A d'angelico hollow body that had some Seymour Duncan filter-tron style pickups in it. I grabbed it because I got a great deal from a friend, but I ended up loving it because of the versatility of the pickups. I had no knowledge of pickups and what sound was best for what style of music, but because of my being drawn to certain Aesthetics of a guitar I ended up with pickups that could pretty much play any style of music
How my tastes have landed and developed at this point in my life is that for whatever reason for my own collection personally I tend to prefer lighter colors on guitars. Shades of white, yellow, silver, or just a natural wood grain. I think most ash bodies look so sick most of the time. I basically always need a six in line headstock guitar. My whole thing is sustain. There will be no trem usage. I’m too stupid too. I actually don’t prefer locking tuners, although I think what every guitar really should come with is a spoke wheel truss rod adjustment. Regarding nostalgia, I will always stick up for the Ibanez standards and even gios. I kind love them, even the infinity humbuckers I kind of don’t completely hate. They’re such actually awesome like I’m 13 and I have cheap parents guitars for what they are, the same way hp is for laptops and lg is for phones.
I picked up my telecaster last year because it was just...a beautiful shade of blue. white pick guard, cream pickups. maple neck. idk, it's just a very classic look to it. it's now covered in stickers and I regularly play grunge and metal on it, it has a surprisingly aggressive and heavy tone to it despite how it looks. it always surprises my friends who try it. I just love a guitar that subverts expectations.
It's like Mick and Dan on That Pedal Show say. "The 3 most important things when choosing a guitar are: what it looks like, what it looks like, and what it looks like." You want something that looks cool to you and makes you want to pick it up and play it. Also something that inspires you to play a particular style that it puts you in the mindset for. Luckily or unluckily for me, I don't actually have any attachment really to any guitars that my musical influences play. Dean ML shapes are very comfortable to me in classical position because that's what I grew up playing as my first guitar, but I'm not and never was a big Pantera fan. My parents just happened to pick that for me as a christmas gift. I didn't have any say in it. I grew up listening to people play mostly gibson, jackson, Ibanez, and ESP, but I don't like gibsons, jacksons, or Ibanez and I'm indifferent to ESP. I ended up being more into Schecter, Solar, PRS, and Fender.
Looks are important. People heard with their eyes. Guitarists buy explorers, warlocks, and teles due the music they play and the image they want to give off.
I fell in love with the Peavey Vandenberg EX Limited Edition. I bought 3 of them and I love it for the violin body cut ultra narrow neck and the hollowed out tuners. It has been my go-to guitar for over 20 years. The only thing I have change is the pickups. I use Zebra Seymour Duncan’s. JB in the bridge and Saturday Night Special in the neck. Killer guitar!
I haven’t really liked the feel of the jazz masters I’ve tried at guitar stores, but my mind immediately thinks of Sonic Youth and Dino Jr. whenever I see one. The epitome of cool to me.
I'd say about 90-95% of the guitars I like are directly because they're made in the 50s and 60s or are directly invoking the spirit of them, like an reissue Les Paul or a Vintage/Vintera/Classic Vibe Fender. I grew up listening to mainly Rock music from the 60s and 70s, so I naturally like the guitars that were popular in that era. When it comes time for me to identify what guitars I truly desire to own, I look back at the history, pick out certain years that I like the most and then which finish for that year speaks the most for me and I tend to land on seemingly lesser loved years like 1958 for the Les Paul Standard or 1964 for the Stratocaster etc
I always say Look Good, Feel Good, Play good. Nobody was ever inspired to play guitar by what a good deal they got or the value of a guitar. It's gotta look cool and inspire you.
Guitars to me are like cars. Gibsons are like Ferraris. The older ones are very sought after but also very expensive. The newer ones still have the same elements but do not have the age. Fender Strats are like the Honda Civic, and the superstrat is like the NSX. But me I'm an American Muscle kinda guy, so I tend to go for the explorers. The guitar equivalent of a 1967 pre-coke bottle Dodge Charger.
I don't know why but I'm a church musician with a love for explorers. Could it be paul and Ace of Kiss who both played them . Or maybe Billy from ZZTop. ANYWAY I have a Gibson Explorer. It's always been my favorite for decades. Finally got one this past Christmas and I love it ,
I recently bought a DIY headless guitar kit. It was fun to put together and stain the body to my liking. With this Guitar, I have stepped out of my comfort zone with having a headless Guitar and the color of choice I chose for it.
i agree with the it's an extenstion of ourselves claim the most. as for nostalgia, for me it's more of the nostalgic feeling when i just started playing 16 years ago and watched old alexi laiho videos playing his jackson RR guitars... therefore, Jacksons and RR shaped guitars will always evoke those emotions in me! great vid i enjoyed watching
I would’ve hated Fluff’s MM back in the day. Guitars were only supposed to come in one color back then to me black, my friends used to joke that I’d say I was wanting or had gotten a new guitar they would say let me guess it’s a black guitar. As I get older I still love black guitars but I actually love the bright 80s colors and the sparkling bass boat finishes and appreciate more classic shapes. The flamed neck on Fluff’s Sting Ray is Sexy AF . I used to really hate sunburst Strats now I want one so bad I can’t stand it, in fact I think Dave Brewster’s Strat is the closest Fender on RUclips.
I wish I could find a superstrat but with a full set of classic single coils. Only ever seen them with 2 humbuckers or a humbucker in the bridge position. I’m a fender guy, but I love the way those superstrats feel. Buttery. My love for strats goes back to my love for Hendrix and Gilmour and the tones they pulled out of them. As a kid, they were the reasons I wanted to pick up the instrument. And I just thought they were beautiful, simple workhorses. The Les Paul is my second and I love my epi LP, but I more often than not reach for the strat.
I grew up in SoCal primarily on skate punk music so I'll always be drawn to Fender instruments, no matter how much hate they get online these days. These days though I've grown to really dislike super bright and shimmery finishes and tend to be more attracted to wood grain or straight up black finishes, which are colors I thought were super boring when I was young 😂
Despite never being practical for storage purposes -- whether it's not sitting nicely on a stand or the need for an huge case -- I've always loved Flying V's. The first two that really registered for me were Tom Dumont's Hamer in the "I'm Just A Girl" video and James Iha's Cherry '67 in the "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" video.
Vs are some of the most comfortable guitars I’ve ever played but they do have big ass cases, you just got to get a string swing and hang ‘em on the wall.
Seems like we have a very similar taste in guitars, because your music man is pretty much exactly what I would choose. Metallic or even metal flake finish with a black pickguards and black hardware on a roasted maple neck. It just looks sooooooo frickin good.
Interesting, thanks for the vid Fluff! Funny enough, I have gone almost the exact opposite direction. I play with bands/jam buddies that play more classic rock than anything else and play almost exclusively flying Vs and explorer-bodies. I have 6 Vs and only 1 is a Gibson style - lol, I show up to play some Dylan, Zeppelin, Black Crowes, etc. rocking a KV2 most jams 🤣 I always loved flying Vs and later explorers as a kid, my OG guitar crush was the Les Paul. I ended getting a flying V before any of the rest though and have never been without one since. It was super comfortable for me to play (I naturally played in the "classical" position for some reason) and the explorer comes in as more of a 1a than a #2, both guitars just hang right on me when standing and feel comfortable when sitting. It usually comes down to a choice between 22 or 24 frets (though I do have Vs with 22 frets as well). Ironically, I hate playing the Les Paul, as much as I still adore them visually. I LOVE looking at them, and how I (think 😋) I look playing one, but they are just not comfortable for me and hang weirdly for me when standing. Similar issues with strat-style guitars, though I rarely find them visually appealing (sorry strat/super-strat-Fender fam fans, but it leaves more for you!). I have had several, and only ever kept 1 because it's to beautiful to let go 🤣 I also have an Eclipse that I cannot let go as well, though a different animal in many regards I have the same playability issues with not being able to get truly comfortable playing them. Anyway, I sure do get some odd looks for my guitar aesthetics with some of the folks I llay with until they figure out I'm not going to break out in Raining Blood in the middle of Black Dog...I at least wait until we finish the Zeppelin 😎
In 1995 my friend had a 7-Up green Clapton that had an amazing sound. Been a Strat guy ever since. If you've never played a Clapton Strat, do yourself a favor and check one out 🤘
Some guitars/basses I once owned & still have were heavily inspired by the 2003 band lineup of Evanescence. Me just watching many live recordings from the global tour that year, their stage prescence & gear during high school.
Looks are subconsciously the most important part of a guitar. If a guitar looks good you’re likely to pick it up. If you pick it up, you’re going make sure it feels right. If it feels right, then you’ll hear what it sounds like. If it checks all those boxes you will find a way to get that guitar :P
I know I'm massively in the minority here. But aesthetics and looks play very little into what i like. Not just with guitars, with pretty much everything cars, clothes, home decor, ect. I'm very fit and functional minded. Does it work? Does it do what i need it to do? Do i feel comfortable playing it?
Yeah man. A 59 Supro lp was my first guitar, so they're close to my heart. Like you said, Jimmy Page. And big hollow body Gretsches, from the years of watching singing cowboys in Oklahoma in the late sixties, when I was under five. Those two styles are just my jam.
For me, as far as my experience goes, I've found strandberg's design to be the most appealing, and ergonomic. I've not found anything that has as much explicit attention to comfort, and playability as their instruments do.
When i first started playing i was really into metal so my first guitar was a jackson dinky with a floyd rose. A while later i got really into nirvana and as a result started liking offset fender guitars like the jazzmaster, mustang and jaguar and because of that my second guitar was a jazzmaster style kit guitar that i built myself. Ironically i usually play metal on my jazzmaster and nirvana stuff on my jackson.
I play rock, metal, blues, and reggae. I am completely a Starcaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster type of guy. That is why my baritone is that Squier Baritone Jazzmaster, and BOTH my basses are a Bass VI (Squier Classic Vibe, and Fender Pawn Shop). That is why I jumped on the bandwagon when Jim Root started playing a Jazzmaster, and why I am pre-ordering that LTD XJ.
It's crazy how just a different color can make a huge difference! And what I also often find: Things I like in terms of feel when I'm picking up a guitar or bass are not necessarily what I like when seeing myself play the instrument. E. g. I like the feel of matte finishes or plain, barely treated wood, but often I don't like the look.
Funny, as a teenager i always wanted a PRS custom 22/24 because of Mike Einziger of Incubus. Like, PRS and Dual rectifiers were what everyone seemed to play, POD, Creed etc. But when i actually got to play them and i started to figure out what i actually liked to play the PRS didnt quite hit the mark. I still want one but for my daily drivers i prefer longer scales, flatter radiuses, and no pick up rings etc
My first (and current) guitar hero is Alexi Laiho, and some of the first song I hear from him are from Follow The Reaper. No wonder I like sharp-looking guitars as much as sharp-sounding guitars.
For the first couple of albums of Led Zepplin Jimmy Page played a Fender Telecaster that he was given by Jeff Beck. It wasn't until they started touring extensively the USA that he started playing a Les Paul.
Stephen Carpenter is a perfect example he only uses the bridge pickup of his ESP guitars but always has the two humbuckers stacked on top of one another for the aesthetic.
I had the poster of EVH playing the Musicman EVH. I dreamed of having one, cranked Carnal Knowledge and Balance on my headphones…. When money showed up I started buying em’ and the wolfgangs later on. Played em in a country band, people were amazed I could chicken pick on a wolfgang…blues, jazz, fusion, on an EVH😁🎸🎸🎸
When I was younger I was really only drawn to Les Paul/single cut shapes but a few years ago I got randomly into classic fender shapes. I still love both but I never thought I would be into those shapes and more recently I purchased a solar V and love it too. Nothing wrong with your opinions growing and changing! Great video Fluff!!
Agreed. For years I played whatever I could. But I always loved single cuts, hated the look of teles and PRS custom 24s. Now I own a tele and a custom 24. I think people (myself included) forget that it's ok to change opinions of things over time.
Yeah, I find this mentality kind of insane. I'm not saying I don't care at all (and I agree with Fluff's point about the contrast of playing heavy music with a "not heavy" guitar), but I feel like people are really ignoring that there's so many more important things to a guitar. And I also just don't really care as long as it looks "ok". Like, I'll find something to like about a guitar if I play it long enough lol. Besides, it's actually kind of harmful, because I notice people ignore guitars because of their looks (cough headless guitars) and then buy like five guitars that are literally just a strat and tele (already like 99% closer to each other than most guitars) with different colors.
For it will always be the Explorer shape, the first guitar that caught my attention was the James Hefted Garage Day and later I became a huge Jesper Stromblat fan a that also use the Explorer and as of late the same happen with Niklas from Orbit Culture. For me that shape represent what I love of metal, The intensity and the melodic side.
All my guitars have a common aesthetic. I tend to go through moods and at times I like to have all pointy guitars, and then at another time I get into vintage guitars. Currently love the black beauty look and have mostly Custom Gibsons and Epiphones at the moment. It's a matter of personal taste, and you're right. Nice video.
"We have to play what inspires us," I've been told again and again. For all of my non-playing life, I thought a Stratocaster would be the ultimate guitar for me. But from the very beginning of actually playing guitar, Strats prove they don't fit my style. Thought the same about Telecasters only I never liked the shape. I own a very strange Telecaster now. I picked up a Gretsch Duo-Jet, thinking it was a Les Paul, and fell in love before I realized I'd made a mistake. Been lusting for one ever since. I'm also not one for the relic-craze these days. I'd just assume do all that damage myself, and come by it honestly. I prefer metallic and flamed wood finishes, but I don't own any. It's ultimately my ear and hands that make decisions for me. Of the ones that got away, I include a PRS Custom 22 triple soapbar that oozed blues. Never heard anything like it before or since, and I've played a lot of PRS guitars trying. The PRS Tremonti SE model is wonderfully built, and my hands hurt within minutes of picking one up. The neck is all wrong for me. The looks are everything I want. The sound and feel are off. Jaguars: too short. Feel like a toy in my hands. Jazzmasters: Pusheen has opened my eyes to why these never work for me, they are fiendishly idiosyncratic to set up properly. Most likely I've never played a properly sorted example. Les Pauls: Be 90's vintage or be gone. Everything since has been a steady decline. SG: The Guild Polara is the only one I can stand. Come to find out, the body is a bit thicker, and the neck joint is different. Plus the added offset gives better access. There's always a caveat to my thinking that sidestepped appearance.
I like a cherry burst LP because of Ace Frehley, a white LP because of Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. I love the Jackson Kelly because of Marty Friedman. The Jem/Rg because of Vai. The Iceman because of Paul Stanley. They all remind me of certain times gone by in life that I’ll never be able to go back to but I can be there for just a moment when I pick one of these up.
Never in a million years did i think id ever consider a jim root jazzmaster, i just couldn't put metal and fender together in my own taste, feel or logic. Then this past week, after not having a holiday for nearly 4 years, I had about 8 guitars out fiddling around,6,7,8 strings, etc. Anyway, i guess you could say our taste, look and feel refines over time. I think my inner teenage metal head has had his day. Gone are the days of buying something for looks and doing it up. I think a prs will do that to you, you simply can't imitate quality. Our taste definitely evolves with age. My teenage metal head would have hands down went an e.g. Mick Thompson. There it is. I think as we age, we are listening more for tone over that of looks. Also as we age we refine. This is a timely video, i literally redefined my view on guitars this last week. Heres to doing it til the day we drop 💪
For me I have the following for the following reasons of inspiration: PRS Custom 22 - Daniel Johns, Brad Delson & Wes Borland Jazzmaster - Mascis, Cobain, Rossdale Single Cut - Cantrell (It's a white PRS SC but it has Deg Trip vibes for me) Modded HH Telecaster - Cantrell again.... very much for me it's like his Blue Dress meets his Boogie Bodies H Tele
For me , the “look” of certain guitars makes me want to pick them up. I’m highly attracted to a certain level of flame on a neck: not too much but just a little. And if it has a Floyd Rose you damn right I’m picking it up.
Hell yeah brother
I agree RJ. I see pretty much ANY Les Paul or Tele and I just want to pick it up and play. So many of my heroes play those two (Zakk Wylde and Jerry Cantrell, And then John 5 and Prince respectively). Doesn’t have to be Gibson or Fender but just a good single cut with a thick neck. Love your channel too by the way brother!
Yey, I'm not the only freak 🤘🤘🤘
Can you tell me flame on neck is please? English isn't my first language
@@agnessofiacastrocarvalho774maple has a natural look to it with light and dark streaks that sometimes makes it look like a dancing flame. Leo Fender saw this as a flaw, but now it’s thought of as a luxury look. I think it’s beautiful the way the colours of the wood dance in different light :)
It's all about the "vibe". As a guitar builder I've made a white explorer to write thrash metal, a worn-out looking Les Paul type body for doom/stoner rock and a teal blue strat style with coil splitting for other genres. I wouldn't feel inspired to write low tuned Meshuggah type riffs on a telecaster as an example. Aesthetics are very important.
this
yeah but people do be ripping brutal drop f thall riffs on a tele tho ruclips.net/video/x08O6LlNcw4/видео.html
I looove playing doom on my strat
all about that classic vibe
This may be controversial but whenever I see a PRS it always makes me think about Chad Kroeger
I think of tribal tattoos and goofy butt rock
I think of John McLaughlin! 😊
I suppose this is how it reminds you
I don’t know what guitars bands use. Never had mtv
😂😂😂
I thought jazzmaster were weird and then one day I saw one that just for whatever reason looked cool to me. I played it and realized jazzmaster/jaguar styles are the most comfortable guitar for me and now I’m hooked on offsets haha.
I think one of the coolest things about being a musician is the fusion of different art forms. Woodworking, wood finishing, engineering, electrical design etc come together to make a cool thing I can be proud to hang on my wall AND it’s a tool to make music with.
PRS has always had it's place in my head as the Linkin Park/Breaking Benjamin brand. The late 90s/early 00s models have a kind of mojo that earlier and later models lack. It's definitely all mental, but still.
I definitely was into the killing people aesthetic as kid starting guitar, and my first show was Vader. And so I had to have an aggressive Jackson-like V.
Except I couldn't afford it, so dad assembled one for me, cutting and painting the body all by himself, just the way I've been picturing it in my head, and putting it together with some online-bought used parts. I'm playing it to this day. I can afford decent gear now and all, but I still love that V the most. It really is an exstension of myself, on quite a deep level.
Mine is a Jackson Soloist with a reverse headstock. I'm a child of the 80s.
I play a PRS Floyd.
It's simple, if it's hot pink and has Hello Kitty on it it's the best looking guitar automatically.
😂😂🙌🙌🙌
For me I tend to play in the classical position so Flying V, and Strats work best for me vs a Les Paul. But I do believe that the guitar should inspire you to play and make you WANT to pick it up and play IMO 🤘🔥🔥🤘
Man cool topic! As a I grew up with Nirvana, I'm really into offset guitars, and I'm sooo with you for the "I play aggressive music but I have a sparkling guitar". Cool video and thumbnail
I didn’t start playing guitar until I turned 48 which was a few years ago. I began to notice a trend that I really liked both telecasters specifically and white guitars generally but didn’t really put my finger on it. Then one day watching purple rain it hit me. we had just gotten cable and therefore MTV back when I was in high school and prince playing a T style guitar and then the all white guitar from Apollonia made it all become crystal clear.
For me, there were a few factors. I was REALLY into The Wiggles when I was a little kid, that really inspired me to be a musician- they played strat style guitars. While I ended up gravitating towards the drums in 4th grade and played drums since, most guitarists I’d see in bands would play a strat. My brother would rent his saxophone from a local music lessons center, and they had a whole bunch of black, red and blue strats hanging on a rack on the wall- the light blue in particular caught my eye. Many years later, at age 21 when I bought my electric guitar, I was intimidated by so many options but ended up going for a Tidepool Blue player stratocaster as it reminded me of the time before I was a musician. And it ended up feeling perfect!!
I hated the look of Telecasters. Only old men and cowboys played them. Then I played one and well...now I have 2 and they are my main guitar.
Good point to try new things or looks. Sometimes you love what you least expected to.
I think that's everyone's story with teles, me included. Yeah, they're great for country, but they have a certain nastiness to them when you crank up the gain.
It's a rite of passage. It's how you know you've reached middle age.
Same. I’ve disliked the shape my whole life, and now I’m obsessing over building one. 🤦🏼♂️
@@AndiKravljacaI’ve hit middle age too early I guess, chronologically speaking, but yeah, that’s a pretty good way to put it. One day you realize you actually like Teles, usually around the same day you realize your back hurts and you’re getting a bit annoyed with the dagnabbed whippersnappers of the younger generations.
It’s kind of mind-boggling how much Leo got right on his very first try.
Me too! But there is something about Teles that says you’ve matured, are non-nonsense, and want to be low-key but taken seriously. Teles taking a beating and look more distinguished with age and they have the cohones to play any kind of music. What can I say my favorite. Has everything you need and nothin’ you don’t.
In my 16 or so years of playing
1st guitar.
A black and white strat copy. Grew out of that very quickly.
2nd guitar.
A cheap Dean dimebag replica. I had a no idea who pantera were at the time. I just liked it 😆. Lightning bolts and everything.
Spending my days learning songs from the Rockschool song book on it. Parisian Walkways over and over again at my school guitar lessons.
3rd guitar
A bc rich flying V. Playing a little better but not by much. A lovely red finish and a floyd rose (that was a learning curve).
4th guitar
A second hand Semi Hollow red Squire Telecaster with a Les Paul layout.
I still have this guitar. Over 10 years. I bought this after maturing a good bit in my 3rd year of college. My playing was much better now and no longer was I just the metal person. I was now jazz, pop and rock too.
Workhorse guitar. I love it. Used that guitar for Jazz, pop punk and black metal gigs. It's sounds and looks good for all of those gigs. Fits right in at any gig.
5th guitar
Hofner shorty. Mini guitars are fun. Great for DIY punk bands and noise jams.
6th guitar
Epiphone Sheraton with coil tapping humbuckers. I was really into Elliott Smith at the time so a cheaper version of an Es335 would do. Ok guitar but a little too heavy to carry around. My friends called it the grampa guitar. Sold it recently but may get a similar guitar one day.
7th guitar
Ibanez RG550 neon purple with tremolo.
Beautiful thing. Softer sound than the Telecaster. Can get some really good galloping classic metal riffs out of it as well as some sweet neo funk tones. It's really fun using a tremolo now. I've used it for a pop gig and making weird sounds for my experimental band.
Currently I'm very happy with the Tele, the RG and the silly shorty.
I also have a semi-hollow tele, idk there's just something to them that I can't quite put my finger on. surprisingly versatile guitar.
I learned this lesson after buying my dream guitar in a color I didn’t love because it was crazy cheap. I snagged it, because it was a kinda rare guitar (an early 2010’s EVH Wolfgang special with stainless frets and the flat top) and because I found it for a stupid cheap price, I opted for a finish that wasn’t my favorite (I wanted the flat black, but went with a tobacco burst). As a result, I never deeply bonded with the guitar, even though it was exactly what I wanted otherwise.
In contrast, I now aesthetically have one of my #1 dream guitars, as well as spec wise: a jazzmaster with a Floyd rose (SBS brand, covered humbuckers with coil splitting, a 60’s Fender-looking satin blue finish reliced, aftermarket pearloid block inlay decals, and original Jazzmaster knobs). For me, I love bridging the world of that beautiful, classy 60’s offset Fender look, yet can actually stay in tune with super modern specs, can get heavy/high output or stay mellow and beautiful with the volume knob, and that also connects to my roots in 80’s alternative music. I love that guitar to death. Now that I’ve set it up really well, I can’t wait to put miles on it and write its story.
I started playing the bass when I was 14 and immediately connected with Fenders. I spent years solely playing P and Jazz Basses because nothing ever sounded as good, played as well, or looked as cool as a Fender bass to me. My ultimate bass was a P Deluxe Special with a Blizzard Pearl finish and a maple neck. It’s like a vintage Cadillac of an instrument, bright, curvy, a little heavy and unwieldy, but dripping with style. It would glow under stage lighting.
When I started seriously playing a six string in my 30s, I went directly to my earliest influences and bought a dirt cheap Epiphone SG to learn on because of Angus Young. After that I bought a black Gretsch hollowbody, because something about it’s iconic old-school looks truly spoke to me. Brian Setzer and Tim Armstrong both looked cool as hell with one, and I loved that mojo. Recently I bought a Fender 72 Telecaster Deluxe specifically because a big guitar influence on me was my one of my best friends. He had one, and I always thought it was the coolest guitar that Fender ever offered. Just the combination of the Tele body with the shiny chrome humbuckers, sweeping pickguard, and awesome jumbo 70s Strat headstock gives me a palpable joy.
I always love the look of headless guitar, especially strandberg salen and kiesel osiris series. It looks cool and very different than any guitar. On strandberg it's so comfortable to play in almost any position, also both being fairly light is also a good bonus.
The only problem i had is if i see someone playing it on a stage in my opinion it looks less cooler than normal guitar, since i found the headless nature giving that something is missing when i play it.
I’m post-boomer aged, 40, and admittedly hesitant to even try a headless. They’re dorky, and I’m afraid I’ll love it. 😬😅
I have an Osiris and trying a headless guitar is a game changer! I might not like Kiesel as a company anymore, but the guitar is so ergonomic, comfortable and cool, I can't deny it... I'd go for a Strandberg if I had to pick now.
Great shoutout Sparkle and Fade great album ! Always loved Gavin Rossdales purple jazzmaster and corgans Born to lose strat
Whatever creative work you do, you should strive to use the best tools available to you, but more important, you should use the tools that INSPIRE you
The Legenddddddd!!!!👍Love ya Fluff!!!Hope you're feeling better.
Prayers for you and your family.
GodBless brotha!!!
More than heros that played such and such guitars will ever be an influence on me, are the times and people in my own life.
Tastes change. Yours will, other people’s will. When I started playing electrics, I wanted nothing more than a les paul. Then I got into rg’s and jems. After that a long stint of vintage-y stuff. And I still like elements of all of them, though some more than others. It’s a blessing to have a couple of instruments around that do different things for you, be it sound or simple aesthetics.
Well said. Starting off playing when I was 13 or so I loved Mark Tremonti and and his playing along with some punk bands that tended to play Les Pauls exclusively and for many years I was a hater of strats. Now flash forward to me at 36, my #1 guitar when I play is an HSS Strat that I built myself and I absolutely love the feel it has.
I Love Leo Fenders take on offsets like the doheny or espada,sixty six where the knobs and pickguard etc is metal on classic natural woodgrain.Just beautiful.👍
I feel like you and I cut our guitar playing teeth around the same time with the same music. While I was kind of a metal kid at the end of the 80s (Metallica, Megadeth, etc.), it was Nirvana/Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement of the early 90s that inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn to play.
Every guitar I own is different in the sense that when i pick each of them up, I'm always inspired to play something different on each one. I'm very thankful that I own three of my dream guitars and they're all genuinely amazing, and I go through periods of using each one. Every time I pick one up, I'm reminded of why I love that particular guitar and it continues to drive me to be a better guitar player and be influenced by the guitars themselves. I played in a mathcore band and I played a sparkly purple custom jazzmaster and everyone always asked me about it and commented that it just didn't seem like a guitar for the genre, but it was also how I expressed myself on stage, both physically and sonically.
I agree with this vibe, there's no perfect or bad guitars per se, you just pick one up and see what comes out
It can be fun and surprising to find out what different guitars bring out of you
Definitely a big reason I gravitate towards Stratocasters. I have a Howlin' Wolf t shirt (still) from the 90s that pictures him with a white Strat. This is the whole reason I was compelled to have one. Luckily, it happens to be the greatest guitar design of all time😊.
When I was growing up, seeing Brian Setzer on TV playing a Gretsch Nashville inspired me to start playing guitar, but it was Mark Knopfler playing that Red strat of his, a Schecter Dream Machine as it turned out, that made me go "That's MY guitar!" And as I grew up I saw Strats in the hands of the widest array of players: Gary Moore, Roland Orzabal (Tears for fears), Adrian Smith and Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) but also Kurt Cobain, Mike McCready, John Frusciante. There was a good reason why everybody played strats.
So from 1988 on, when I bought my first electric guitar, I tried out every single style but kept on returning to Fender Strats and I kept fine-tuning what kind of specs I favored over others. And these days my main axes are strats that have:
- Maple fingerboards
- Classic whammy bar bridges which are fully functional. (I hate Floyd Rose bridges)
- Dimarzio Super distortion Hotrail bridge pickups, since that was what I always considered a Strat's weak point, that ice pick bridge pickup.
Last week I was in a shop with a friend of mine who saw this Epiphone Matt Heaffy model, and he was gushing over it. When I told him that I didn't really like it, he went "why not, aren't you into Fishman pickups or his music?" At which I said "No, I'm not into Les Paul models, they don't feel comfy for me to play, that's all."
Great video. I used to be a huge proponent of players doing the blind test (how does it sound and feel to you without regard for color or worse, brand?). As I’ve matured, I still feel you can’t really go wrong with this approach. And yet, the more I show up to gigs with my Black 1999 Parker Fly Deluxe and just own the fact that I love a non-traditional body style, it becomes more of an expression of myself without regard for what other people think. I love teles and LPs, don’t get me wrong and I have upwards of 30 axes. But most of the time I make a point of playing whatever it is I need to play on either the Parker, or occasionally change to my Eastman 335 copy. To each, their own, and I’ve chosen my path. If nothing else, it’s a great conversation starter as well. Rock on, gang.
Creative people find inspiration in random, day to day things. Whether a "look" is important, cool, or neutral to you... it may trigger some highly creative person's creativity, and there you go. Art.
I always thought of Pete from Chevelle when I saw a PRS.
Yeesss! One of my favorite bands. When I got into them, he was playing a goldtop custom 24 and a white baritone. I’m not a PRS fan, so I love his Fender guitars now much more, but I’ll always have a soft spot for the gold and white ones.
I managed to fix my financial mindset over the past years and finally got some music man guitars, three in particular. I just recently got my third one, a Luke III Ocean Sparkle (the color of your artist signature stingray).
I'm so happy that I made that switch. There's three reasons I play music man and I wouldn't wanna change it:
1) their unfinished necks are unreal.
2) they are super reliable in any setting and are BUILT TO PLAY
3) the finishes and looks of these guitars keep me inspired to pick it up everyday.
It's so much fun!
I would LOVE a music man, I love the mariposa shape bc it's so different and beautiful, but I can never justify spending that much for me to play in the living room, the sterling may be an option though 🤔
I hope to own a MM Sabre one day.
For the guy that thought “PRS reminds me of Chad Kroeger” that a way he found of reminding you, of what he really was
Hey Fluff, i recall diggin' your channel since '15, '16 or shit, a salute from Mexico. lml
My personal taste in guitar has been interesting. My dad being a classical guitarist since the 80's, already had quite a solid idea on the electric instrument overall and he bought for me a Squier Strat Standard, candy apple red with a CBS headstock and a maple board, back in late '15. How could i forget about her... She even survived a couple of times i thought of selling her and stuff. I recall digging Nirvana riffs on her back in the day, the instrument helping me overcome my first romantic breakup, playing on her punk, thrash, deathcore, metalcore, funk, jazz, djent, she was in pretty much any tuning ranging from E standard to Drop A and even lower.
The thing is, i dreamt of having other guitars back in the day instead of her, or imagining having a custom guitar made for me, and that also happened to me in my classical era, but, having never obtained any of my dream instruments during that time, i just kept playing my Roxy Strat until i found in mid pandemic (Around 6 years after having her) that my hands had shaped to her neck profile and her string spacing and such, and that i really didn't need any signature guitar of some sort, since, the hands of another axeguy will very surely not be exactly as mine. I learned to do everything in that guitar, and for that, i thank her, and i thank my dad, and the people who built her, because that thing shaped a good part of me as a musician.
Years later, a Les Paul came into my hands, and it has been my main both hard rock and jazz guitar. Yet, i never sold Roxy, and i am waiting to get some money to restore her since i will not let her go, ever. She just needs a bit of love from time to time. Fret recrowning, changing pots and electronics, changing tuning machines, tightening the trem claw, cleaning the bridge and saddles... Right now she sleeps, but i hope very soon, soon as possible, she'll come back into the world of the living. I will paint her fiesta red, relic her, put a locking nut, shape the headstock into a regular Strat one, put locking tuners, and a single humbucker, to pay homage in a way to my greatest influence of all time, mister Edward Van Halen.
The look and style of my guitar makes me want to pick it up more and practice.
Before I knew anything about guitars I was always drawn to semi-hollow body guitars because of my love for the blues players in BB King.
I actually stumbled into what ended up being one of the best starter guitars for me. A d'angelico hollow body that had some Seymour Duncan filter-tron style pickups in it. I grabbed it because I got a great deal from a friend, but I ended up loving it because of the versatility of the pickups. I had no knowledge of pickups and what sound was best for what style of music, but because of my being drawn to certain Aesthetics of a guitar I ended up with pickups that could pretty much play any style of music
How my tastes have landed and developed at this point in my life is that for whatever reason for my own collection personally I tend to prefer lighter colors on guitars.
Shades of white, yellow, silver, or just a natural wood grain.
I think most ash bodies look so sick most of the time.
I basically always need a six in line headstock guitar.
My whole thing is sustain. There will be no trem usage. I’m too stupid too.
I actually don’t prefer locking tuners, although I think what every guitar really should come with is a spoke wheel truss rod adjustment.
Regarding nostalgia, I will always stick up for the Ibanez standards and even gios.
I kind love them, even the infinity humbuckers I kind of don’t completely hate.
They’re such actually awesome like I’m 13 and I have cheap parents guitars for what they are, the same way hp is for laptops and lg is for phones.
I picked up my telecaster last year because it was just...a beautiful shade of blue. white pick guard, cream pickups. maple neck. idk, it's just a very classic look to it. it's now covered in stickers and I regularly play grunge and metal on it, it has a surprisingly aggressive and heavy tone to it despite how it looks. it always surprises my friends who try it. I just love a guitar that subverts expectations.
I’m really into the superstrat/floyd rose scene like Kramers, charvels and evh guitars
It's like Mick and Dan on That Pedal Show say. "The 3 most important things when choosing a guitar are: what it looks like, what it looks like, and what it looks like." You want something that looks cool to you and makes you want to pick it up and play it. Also something that inspires you to play a particular style that it puts you in the mindset for.
Luckily or unluckily for me, I don't actually have any attachment really to any guitars that my musical influences play. Dean ML shapes are very comfortable to me in classical position because that's what I grew up playing as my first guitar, but I'm not and never was a big Pantera fan. My parents just happened to pick that for me as a christmas gift. I didn't have any say in it. I grew up listening to people play mostly gibson, jackson, Ibanez, and ESP, but I don't like gibsons, jacksons, or Ibanez and I'm indifferent to ESP. I ended up being more into Schecter, Solar, PRS, and Fender.
I think the most important part of your gear is the guitar shape and colour.
I want to look cool AF while my tone sucks just as bad as my playing.
Looks are important. People heard with their eyes. Guitarists buy explorers, warlocks, and teles due the music they play and the image they want to give off.
I fell in love with the Peavey Vandenberg EX Limited Edition. I bought 3 of them and I love it for the violin body cut ultra narrow neck and the hollowed out tuners. It has been my go-to guitar for over 20 years. The only thing I have change is the pickups. I use Zebra Seymour Duncan’s. JB in the bridge and Saturday Night Special in the neck. Killer guitar!
I haven’t really liked the feel of the jazz masters I’ve tried at guitar stores, but my mind immediately thinks of Sonic Youth and Dino Jr. whenever I see one. The epitome of cool to me.
Yeah man! I have nostalgia for Caparison guitars because of KSE and as a bassist, the Fender jazz Jaco used!
I'd say about 90-95% of the guitars I like are directly because they're made in the 50s and 60s or are directly invoking the spirit of them, like an reissue Les Paul or a Vintage/Vintera/Classic Vibe Fender.
I grew up listening to mainly Rock music from the 60s and 70s, so I naturally like the guitars that were popular in that era.
When it comes time for me to identify what guitars I truly desire to own, I look back at the history, pick out certain years that I like the most and then which finish for that year speaks the most for me and I tend to land on seemingly lesser loved years like 1958 for the Les Paul Standard or 1964 for the Stratocaster etc
I have a deep love for the Iceman, seeing the chop suey music video when I was 14 just did something to me
I always say Look Good, Feel Good, Play good. Nobody was ever inspired to play guitar by what a good deal they got or the value of a guitar. It's gotta look cool and inspire you.
Guitars to me are like cars. Gibsons are like Ferraris. The older ones are very sought after but also very expensive. The newer ones still have the same elements but do not have the age. Fender Strats are like the Honda Civic, and the superstrat is like the NSX. But me I'm an American Muscle kinda guy, so I tend to go for the explorers. The guitar equivalent of a 1967 pre-coke bottle Dodge Charger.
To me the Les Paul is absolutely associated with Slash. Especially in this color.
I don't know why but I'm a church musician with a love for explorers. Could it be paul and Ace of Kiss who both played them . Or maybe Billy from ZZTop. ANYWAY I have a Gibson Explorer. It's always been my favorite for decades. Finally got one this past Christmas and I love it
,
feels like the old beard files videos! bring this back! more of this dude!
You look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you play better. It’s a mental thing, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t some truth behind it.
I recently bought a DIY headless guitar kit. It was fun to put together and stain the body to my liking. With this Guitar, I have stepped out of my comfort zone with having a headless Guitar and the color of choice I chose for it.
thank you for this man. i need it!
Mine is a 1979 All black Strat played by The Edge in the Live at Red Rocks concert. I totally relate to this video!
Well said! That’s why we all need so many guitars!
I like Strats, Teles, LPs, Revstars and Gretsches Semihollows, covers all my bases both musically and aesthetically
i agree with the it's an extenstion of ourselves claim the most.
as for nostalgia, for me it's more of the nostalgic feeling when i just started playing 16 years ago and watched old alexi laiho videos playing his jackson RR guitars...
therefore, Jacksons and RR shaped guitars will always evoke those emotions in me!
great vid i enjoyed watching
This was beautifully said.
Whenever I pick up a Music Man Richardson at the factory, I can't help but play it for a little bit before sending it on it's way.
I would’ve hated Fluff’s MM back in the day. Guitars were only supposed to come in one color back then to me black, my friends used to joke that I’d say I was wanting or had gotten a new guitar they would say let me guess it’s a black guitar. As I get older I still love black guitars but I actually love the bright 80s colors and the sparkling bass boat finishes and appreciate more classic shapes. The flamed neck on Fluff’s Sting Ray is Sexy AF .
I used to really hate sunburst Strats now I want one so bad I can’t stand it, in fact I think Dave Brewster’s Strat is the closest Fender on RUclips.
Thanks for recognizing Tim Mahoney!!!=311
I wish I could find a superstrat but with a full set of classic single coils. Only ever seen them with 2 humbuckers or a humbucker in the bridge position. I’m a fender guy, but I love the way those superstrats feel. Buttery. My love for strats goes back to my love for Hendrix and Gilmour and the tones they pulled out of them. As a kid, they were the reasons I wanted to pick up the instrument. And I just thought they were beautiful, simple workhorses. The Les Paul is my second and I love my epi LP, but I more often than not reach for the strat.
I grew up in SoCal primarily on skate punk music so I'll always be drawn to Fender instruments, no matter how much hate they get online these days. These days though I've grown to really dislike super bright and shimmery finishes and tend to be more attracted to wood grain or straight up black finishes, which are colors I thought were super boring when I was young 😂
Despite never being practical for storage purposes -- whether it's not sitting nicely on a stand or the need for an huge case -- I've always loved Flying V's. The first two that really registered for me were Tom Dumont's Hamer in the "I'm Just A Girl" video and James Iha's Cherry '67 in the "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" video.
Vs are some of the most comfortable guitars I’ve ever played but they do have big ass cases, you just got to get a string swing and hang ‘em on the wall.
I dont even play a guitar but I bought a Jim Root squier tele cos it looked cool. Love teles, strat and hollow bodies.
Seems like we have a very similar taste in guitars, because your music man is pretty much exactly what I would choose. Metallic or even metal flake finish with a black pickguards and black hardware on a roasted maple neck. It just looks sooooooo frickin good.
Interesting, thanks for the vid Fluff! Funny enough, I have gone almost the exact opposite direction. I play with bands/jam buddies that play more classic rock than anything else and play almost exclusively flying Vs and explorer-bodies. I have 6 Vs and only 1 is a Gibson style - lol, I show up to play some Dylan, Zeppelin, Black Crowes, etc. rocking a KV2 most jams 🤣
I always loved flying Vs and later explorers as a kid, my OG guitar crush was the Les Paul. I ended getting a flying V before any of the rest though and have never been without one since. It was super comfortable for me to play (I naturally played in the "classical" position for some reason) and the explorer comes in as more of a 1a than a #2, both guitars just hang right on me when standing and feel comfortable when sitting. It usually comes down to a choice between 22 or 24 frets (though I do have Vs with 22 frets as well).
Ironically, I hate playing the Les Paul, as much as I still adore them visually. I LOVE looking at them, and how I (think 😋) I look playing one, but they are just not comfortable for me and hang weirdly for me when standing. Similar issues with strat-style guitars, though I rarely find them visually appealing (sorry strat/super-strat-Fender fam fans, but it leaves more for you!).
I have had several, and only ever kept 1 because it's to beautiful to let go 🤣 I also have an Eclipse that I cannot let go as well, though a different animal in many regards I have the same playability issues with not being able to get truly comfortable playing them. Anyway, I sure do get some odd looks for my guitar aesthetics with some of the folks I llay with until they figure out I'm not going to break out in Raining Blood in the middle of Black Dog...I at least wait until we finish the Zeppelin 😎
Reminds me of the ‘Guitar Files’ videos. 🤘🏽
In 1995 my friend had a 7-Up green Clapton that had an amazing sound. Been a Strat guy ever since. If you've never played a Clapton Strat, do yourself a favor and check one out 🤘
Some guitars/basses I once owned & still have were heavily inspired by the 2003 band lineup of Evanescence. Me just watching many live recordings from the global tour that year, their stage prescence & gear during high school.
Looks are subconsciously the most important part of a guitar.
If a guitar looks good you’re likely to pick it up. If you pick it up, you’re going make sure it feels right. If it feels right, then you’ll hear what it sounds like.
If it checks all those boxes you will find a way to get that guitar :P
Thats one of the nicest PRS ive ever seen
I know I'm massively in the minority here. But aesthetics and looks play very little into what i like. Not just with guitars, with pretty much everything cars, clothes, home decor, ect. I'm very fit and functional minded. Does it work? Does it do what i need it to do? Do i feel comfortable playing it?
Yeah man. A 59 Supro lp was my first guitar, so they're close to my heart. Like you said, Jimmy Page. And big hollow body Gretsches, from the years of watching singing cowboys in Oklahoma in the late sixties, when I was under five. Those two styles are just my jam.
For me, as far as my experience goes, I've found strandberg's design to be the most appealing, and ergonomic.
I've not found anything that has as much explicit attention to comfort, and playability as their instruments do.
When i first started playing i was really into metal so my first guitar was a jackson dinky with a floyd rose. A while later i got really into nirvana and as a result started liking offset fender guitars like the jazzmaster, mustang and jaguar and because of that my second guitar was a jazzmaster style kit guitar that i built myself. Ironically i usually play metal on my jazzmaster and nirvana stuff on my jackson.
I play rock, metal, blues, and reggae. I am completely a Starcaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster type of guy. That is why my baritone is that Squier Baritone Jazzmaster, and BOTH my basses are a Bass VI (Squier Classic Vibe, and Fender Pawn Shop). That is why I jumped on the bandwagon when Jim Root started playing a Jazzmaster, and why I am pre-ordering that LTD XJ.
It's crazy how just a different color can make a huge difference! And what I also often find: Things I like in terms of feel when I'm picking up a guitar or bass are not necessarily what I like when seeing myself play the instrument. E. g. I like the feel of matte finishes or plain, barely treated wood, but often I don't like the look.
Funny, as a teenager i always wanted a PRS custom 22/24 because of Mike Einziger of Incubus. Like, PRS and Dual rectifiers were what everyone seemed to play, POD, Creed etc. But when i actually got to play them and i started to figure out what i actually liked to play the PRS didnt quite hit the mark. I still want one but for my daily drivers i prefer longer scales, flatter radiuses, and no pick up rings etc
For me head stock shape really matters too. It could be a beautiful guitar but if it has an ugly headstock it’s a deal breaker.
My first (and current) guitar hero is Alexi Laiho, and some of the first song I hear from him are from Follow The Reaper. No wonder I like sharp-looking guitars as much as sharp-sounding guitars.
TIESCO Strat,to an SG, to a LesPaul, in 85 went to an Explorer… Never looked back.
For the first couple of albums of Led Zepplin Jimmy Page played a Fender Telecaster that he was given by Jeff Beck. It wasn't until they started touring extensively the USA that he started playing a Les Paul.
Hope you're feeling better! Great video!
Stephen Carpenter is a perfect example he only uses the bridge pickup of his ESP guitars but always has the two humbuckers stacked on top of one another for the aesthetic.
We need a guitar collection video, Fluff! Would love that!
I had the poster of EVH playing the Musicman EVH. I dreamed of having one, cranked Carnal Knowledge and Balance on my headphones…. When money showed up I started buying em’ and the wolfgangs later on. Played em in a country band, people were amazed I could chicken pick on a wolfgang…blues, jazz, fusion, on an EVH😁🎸🎸🎸
When I was younger I was really only drawn to Les Paul/single cut shapes but a few years ago I got randomly into classic fender shapes. I still love both but I never thought I would be into those shapes and more recently I purchased a solar V and love it too. Nothing wrong with your opinions growing and changing! Great video Fluff!!
Agreed. For years I played whatever I could. But I always loved single cuts, hated the look of teles and PRS custom 24s. Now I own a tele and a custom 24. I think people (myself included) forget that it's ok to change opinions of things over time.
being honest yeah it doesn't matter , the ones i have i purchased due to feel and playability . i honestly don't care what they look like
Yeah, I find this mentality kind of insane. I'm not saying I don't care at all (and I agree with Fluff's point about the contrast of playing heavy music with a "not heavy" guitar), but I feel like people are really ignoring that there's so many more important things to a guitar.
And I also just don't really care as long as it looks "ok". Like, I'll find something to like about a guitar if I play it long enough lol. Besides, it's actually kind of harmful, because I notice people ignore guitars because of their looks (cough headless guitars) and then buy like five guitars that are literally just a strat and tele (already like 99% closer to each other than most guitars) with different colors.
For it will always be the Explorer shape, the first guitar that caught my attention was the James Hefted Garage Day and later I became a huge Jesper Stromblat fan a that also use the Explorer and as of late the same happen with Niklas from Orbit Culture. For me that shape represent what I love of metal, The intensity and the melodic side.
Same here. Saw a pic of James with his White ESP back in like 87', and just thought it was amazing!
I love the Korina Explorer it just doesn’t feel like me .
All my guitars have a common aesthetic. I tend to go through moods and at times I like to have all pointy guitars, and then at another time I get into vintage guitars. Currently love the black beauty look and have mostly Custom Gibsons and Epiphones at the moment. It's a matter of personal taste, and you're right. Nice video.
Saw the video thumbnail. Couldn't agree more 🤘🏻🔥
"We have to play what inspires us," I've been told again and again. For all of my non-playing life, I thought a Stratocaster would be the ultimate guitar for me. But from the very beginning of actually playing guitar, Strats prove they don't fit my style. Thought the same about Telecasters only I never liked the shape. I own a very strange Telecaster now.
I picked up a Gretsch Duo-Jet, thinking it was a Les Paul, and fell in love before I realized I'd made a mistake. Been lusting for one ever since.
I'm also not one for the relic-craze these days. I'd just assume do all that damage myself, and come by it honestly. I prefer metallic and flamed wood finishes, but I don't own any.
It's ultimately my ear and hands that make decisions for me. Of the ones that got away, I include a PRS Custom 22 triple soapbar that oozed blues. Never heard anything like it before or since, and I've played a lot of PRS guitars trying. The PRS Tremonti SE model is wonderfully built, and my hands hurt within minutes of picking one up. The neck is all wrong for me. The looks are everything I want. The sound and feel are off.
Jaguars: too short. Feel like a toy in my hands.
Jazzmasters: Pusheen has opened my eyes to why these never work for me, they are fiendishly idiosyncratic to set up properly. Most likely I've never played a properly sorted example.
Les Pauls: Be 90's vintage or be gone. Everything since has been a steady decline.
SG: The Guild Polara is the only one I can stand. Come to find out, the body is a bit thicker, and the neck joint is different. Plus the added offset gives better access.
There's always a caveat to my thinking that sidestepped appearance.
I like a cherry burst LP because of Ace Frehley, a white LP because of Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. I love the Jackson Kelly because of Marty Friedman. The Jem/Rg because of Vai. The Iceman because of Paul Stanley. They all remind me of certain times gone by in life that I’ll never be able to go back to but I can be there for just a moment when I pick one of these up.
Never in a million years did i think id ever consider a jim root jazzmaster, i just couldn't put metal and fender together in my own taste, feel or logic. Then this past week, after not having a holiday for nearly 4 years, I had about 8 guitars out fiddling around,6,7,8 strings, etc. Anyway, i guess you could say our taste, look and feel refines over time. I think my inner teenage metal head has had his day. Gone are the days of buying something for looks and doing it up. I think a prs will do that to you, you simply can't imitate quality.
Our taste definitely evolves with age. My teenage metal head would have hands down went an e.g. Mick Thompson.
There it is. I think as we age, we are listening more for tone over that of looks. Also as we age we refine. This is a timely video, i literally redefined my view on guitars this last week. Heres to doing it til the day we drop 💪
Man, I really love a sparkle guitar.
For me I have the following for the following reasons of inspiration:
PRS Custom 22 - Daniel Johns, Brad Delson & Wes Borland
Jazzmaster - Mascis, Cobain, Rossdale
Single Cut - Cantrell (It's a white PRS SC but it has Deg Trip vibes for me)
Modded HH Telecaster - Cantrell again.... very much for me it's like his Blue Dress meets his Boogie Bodies H Tele