I really dug his Andertons interview, specifically where he talked about the expectations when someone buys from Fender, and making sure that whatever he creates fits into the Fender frame so to speak. The idea that when you go to mcdonalds you don't want spaghetti, you want a cheeseburger, so instead of trying to make good spaghetti they just focus on making great burgers, and I think that's exactly the kind of thinking Fender needs to be successful, i.e. doubling down on what people already love and not trying to fix a model that isn't broken. I didn't love his take on wood in this one though, and its not necessarily about the wood, but more his philosophy of the guitar. He speaks about pickups mattering more than wood, and I think when you get into the argument of what matters more, you've already decided you're making a subpar instrument, because at least to me, everything matters... what you ate for breakfast matters, wood matters, tuners matter, alloys, pigments, viscosity, temperature, relative humidity, density, gauss, chamfering, environment, intent... all of it matters equally when you conceptualize the instrument as a whole, rather than the sum of its parts, like when you're cooking... nobody says "its the salt that really matters" and then pays no attention to the meat quality lol. The pickup choice should influence the wood choice, which should influence the finish, and the environment itself should be suited to fit the finish being applied, etc etc... the idea of compartmentalizing each piece makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint but does it come at a cost the the artistic integrity of the piece itself? How could it not? I'm not inspired by the clinical approach at all really, and to me it either all matters greatly, or none of it matters at all... but I see guitars as art rather than just a tool, and I respect that some people just want a tool to make a couple bucks playing cover songs in bars on the weekends.... but with the Fender legacy to stand on, they could be capable of so much more if they bought in....
Love this series
Cool episode. Paul is living my dream man. Nice work !
Great video
Got to love it!
Great Episode short and shinny
I'd probably go with the builder who thinks wood is important, but appreciate the candor.
Anyone who tells you wood affects the tone on an electric guitar is selling you snake oil and sailboat fuel.
I really dug his Andertons interview, specifically where he talked about the expectations when someone buys from Fender, and making sure that whatever he creates fits into the Fender frame so to speak. The idea that when you go to mcdonalds you don't want spaghetti, you want a cheeseburger, so instead of trying to make good spaghetti they just focus on making great burgers, and I think that's exactly the kind of thinking Fender needs to be successful, i.e. doubling down on what people already love and not trying to fix a model that isn't broken. I didn't love his take on wood in this one though, and its not necessarily about the wood, but more his philosophy of the guitar. He speaks about pickups mattering more than wood, and I think when you get into the argument of what matters more, you've already decided you're making a subpar instrument, because at least to me, everything matters... what you ate for breakfast matters, wood matters, tuners matter, alloys, pigments, viscosity, temperature, relative humidity, density, gauss, chamfering, environment, intent... all of it matters equally when you conceptualize the instrument as a whole, rather than the sum of its parts, like when you're cooking... nobody says "its the salt that really matters" and then pays no attention to the meat quality lol. The pickup choice should influence the wood choice, which should influence the finish, and the environment itself should be suited to fit the finish being applied, etc etc... the idea of compartmentalizing each piece makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint but does it come at a cost the the artistic integrity of the piece itself? How could it not? I'm not inspired by the clinical approach at all really, and to me it either all matters greatly, or none of it matters at all... but I see guitars as art rather than just a tool, and I respect that some people just want a tool to make a couple bucks playing cover songs in bars on the weekends.... but with the Fender legacy to stand on, they could be capable of so much more if they bought in....
Tip of the hat to ya.
Ok Paul
Why did Johnathon trim his beard and try to sell me a hat?
The mad hatter…
What happened to his British accent? ;)