Billy Strings is good and gets plenty of attention. Hopefully that will open folks eyes to the other great flatpickers out there. Flatpicking and metal are very similar.
I think other than stars/hit songs pushing acoustic sales, the other factor is that acoustics don't drive GAS in the same way. Once I got my Martin dreadnought, I didn't really get the itch for other acoustic brands/sizes (maybe a 12string at some point). But when I got my Strat, I still got the itch for a Tele, then an SG, Les Paul, Nashville Tele, hollow body, something with P90s, hardtail Strat, Tele with humbuckers, and so on.
I wouldn't mind getting a Telecaster but I probably won't. I play mostly acoustic and I don't have a resonator yet.I do have a 12 string, a cedar over rosewood, a Sitka over rosewood, Adirondack over mahogany (a dreadnought and a 00)and an all mahogany (well two, actually). Plus ukes etc...but I need a resonator and a Tele would be fun but not played much.
I have played more acoustic solo gigs than band gigs this past year and have really come to love the feel and sounds of my acoustic-electric guitars. I've added two new guitars to my live sets this year as well, and those three main instruments each have their own distinct personality. I have my eye on a new Martin and I'm interested in the Fender Acoustasonic. Looking forward to and wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a most prosperous New Year.
7:04am once one gets an acoustic guitar, you have to learn to play it-it depends very much on how much effort you put into it. It requires the player to bring out the sound, timbre, and nuances- you can’t add pedals or amps to do it for you. I own both types of guitars and I love playing both types depending on my mood. I learned a long time ago to avoid blanket statements about almost anything.
I have several electrics including a couple of custom shops, but they pretty much live in their cases until weekends. My $120 Epiphone acoustic gets 99% of my playing time these days 😧
I find playing my acoustic guitars is very relaxing. As they age, the tops are really opening up. My Alvarez AD66SHB and Yamaha FG830 has such a great sound.
Those Yamahas are great. Still play my 730s from 2007. Easily the best bang for the buck. Always suggest an 830 to anyone looking for an acoustic on a budget.
You kind of nailed it at the end. The vast guitar buying demographic plays at home, I started learning on a Yamaha 800 acoustic and it perfectly suits my needs for years probably. But I can’t stop looking for the perfect electric, just so many more options and genres.
One thing about acoustic, I think a real nice one costs much more than an equivalent in the electric world. A Squire Classic Vibe tele is around $400 and it's a pretty nice guitar. I haven't found a $400 acoustic that I really loved and personally feel like I have to double that price to get an equivalent to the Classic Vibe. It's also enticing for parents to get their kid a guitar, tiny practice amp, and headphones and the kid can play all they want.
I have a Squier Classic Vibe 70's Strat HSSand an Ibanez AEG70L Acoustic-Electric that was around $450. It has a nice resonance to it and sustains well, even in full acoustic.
Genre driven, as you point out. Plenty of country folks use acoustics and those who listen to it have acoustic guitars. Same with folk. I have both acoustic and electric. They both have their place. But on a side note, electric is just easier to play and learn to play on. I went acoustic to electric, and can't imagine going the other way. Going from electric to acoustic would be such a let down and you have to build yourself back up. LOL Cheers!
I picked up a NOS Gibson J35 online for quite a bargain earlier this year and I was shocked at how much I recognised the sound from so many classic records. I feel like Martins have the same impact with that other classic recognisable recorded sound. It’s my first good acoustic and I love it. It’s harder to hide fluffs and sloppy playing on an acoustic though.
Lately i'm hearing more acoustic guitars from producers than rock bands. Janet Jackson's Someone to Call My Lover is a throwback now but it's a great example of this. The song opens with a great acoustic riff that flows so well into the hard hitting drums
I pick up my acoustic more than my electric because I don’t have to plug it in. I think the “machine” pushes electrics because you have to buy more stuff, amps, pedals, cords, and then there’s the whole mod your guitar thing with pickups and electronics and bridges and nuts and tuners. Who argues over a brass nut for their Taylor or Martin?
I’m watching a bunch of videos from “Western AF” right now. Sierra Ferrel seems to be getting bigger right now, and Sturgill Simpson is kinda walking all over that crossover line.
Electric guitars require life support. Cables,amps, pedals. Acoustics can go anywhere you do. If you actually play, you play both. But after the apocalypse, your old Stella will be worth more than any electric that survives.
I love my Kramer Ferrington! My wife bought it for me about 30 years ago. It's got my absolute favorite neck, and all my Kramers have/had great necks. It stays in tune and it's an awesome couch guitar because of the shape and thinness of the body, and it really doesn't sound as bad as some people make it out to be. I used to take it to college with me and it got so much attention and playing from my friends and players just passing by. Not just a few offered to buy it or said they wanted to get one. A Martin, Gibson, or Taylor it ain't, but for what it is it's a great guitar!
Polyphia has an acoustic driven song with Playing God. 17 millions views. Tim Henson actually convinced Ibanez to resurrect a past model and he now has a signature, the TOD10N. Maybe that isn’t “acoustic “ enough?
Always has been, always will be. The only people we've had that transcend the echo chamber are folks that genre blend to the point that it doesn't really resemble "bluegrass" anymore
Mandolin orange/watchhouse are an acoustic driven group that is amazing. Even they have a spacious sounding Tele from time to time. But still very much so acoustic in their roots. A lot of folks resonate with Tyler childers, Zach Bryan and other folky acousticish groups. But I do agree it's not a sound heard very often in "rock" music nowadays..really since the 90s.
Here's a reason...electrics stayed affordable but flagship models from the big companies went the other way. They electrified many acoustic models which many of us don't want or need. But we have to pay more now for some acoustics because of that.
Let’s talk about Paddy McAloon. And Prefab Sprout. And Steve McQueen. One of the great records of 1985. About fifteen years ago Paddy McA decided it was time to revisit his masterpiece, but using acoustic guitars instead of the electric instruments the band used tracking the original album. It is sublime. It is beyond definitive. It was a labor of love (he spent almost two years recording it). And it elevates the sophistication of those songs in a way that we can appreciate them at an entirely new level. If you know the original record but haven’t heard the acoustic reissue check it out. You won’t be sorry. I didn’t know people made guitar records without an acoustic somewhere in the mix. Must have been asleep? As the guys say, its the guitar you reach for to write songs. If it does’t work acoustically it doesn’t work. And if you have more than one electric guitar and no acoustic guitar you aren’t really a guitarist. You are a wannabe. In fact you really shouldn’t be allowed to own an electric guitar unless you have an acoustic. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Just have decent intonation and play straight. And playing it will make you better at playing your electric guitars. That is a rule.
You are likely to get sleeper effect from a revival in country adjacent genres though. Somebody already mentioned Billy Strings and he is starting to fill up 20k seat arenas now which is new for bluegrass. The important thing with him is that he is redefining the way that acoustic guitars are used to do that. His style is a mix of Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, and heavy metal riffing with effects including overdrive that is likely to be extremely influential. I don’t see him selling records and spawning clones like John Mayer but despite Mayer being in Dead and Co. Billy is the innovation driver in the jam band scene right now. At some point you are going to see people who want to play like him with all the guitar effects coming in. Also a singer-songwriter named Zach Bryan is having what you’d call a meteoric rise. He’s an interesting character because while appealing to a young country audience his aesthetic approach to songwriting is much more in the post Dylan introspective folk style with the stripped down DIY attitude of old indie punk rockers. He’s likely to end up being a generation influence driving younger folks toward song writing.
Did anyone else used to play around on the stumble button site? That had the best algorithm for learning your tastes. Like before RUclips's became so clearly self serving there was a little period of time where you'd see people say things like "I didn't know I was interested in *x-topic* but thanks to RUclips I am now obsessed". Stumble was like that... and the amount of tailoring you could do with your interaction with various types of content was borderline clairvoyant.
I played doom country on acoustic doing my Ghostwitch thing for like 15 years and then took a step back from music for a few months. When I came back, it was because I got a Strat. Acoustics don't excite me as much anymore but I did a Ghostwitch show last month and really enjoyed playing acoustic. I got a new DeArmond pick up and I'm getting some really cool sounds. Now I'm on the hunt for a new acoustic. 😂
I saw Punch Brothers, Bela Fleck, and Watchhouse recently. Looks like the acoustic guitar is alive and well (played). Pop music (especially today's version) is not be all end all of music.
I’ve never seen Punch Brothers live, but I have tickets to one of the three Nickel Creek concerts at the Ryman in April and I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited about a concert than this one.
My past acoustic guitars were a Gibson Dove, a Martin D-35, a Yamaha APX-7 and a rather crappy Emperador 12 string. I learned how to play on acoustic and although I went for many years without an acoustic, I can't imagine not having one now. So much more personal than an electric, but I have plenty of those, too, I have a Gibson J-29 rosewood for most acoustic strumming and a '74 Guild F-20 parlor sized guitar tuned to open D for slide fumbling.
Josephine Alexandra, Mike Dawes, Andy McKee, Luca Stricagnoa, 40 Fingers, Gabriella Quevedo, Tommy Emmsnuel, Alexander Misko ... and a bunch of others. Awesome acoustic guitarist.
If you haven’t herd of them - Check out Cole Clark guitars. Handmade in Australia. I have 2, they’re not cheap but they’re priced right about what they’re worth in my opinion. You can’t get a better plugged in sound.
Couldn't agree more. I managed to get a new factory recalled one in 2020 and saved over a grand in the process (still cost a lot though). When I record it, I split the signal between the mic-ed up sound and one plugged into the interface. I can barely hear the difference between the plugged in or the room recording, it's so natural it's incredible. Sensational guitars.
I just recently saw some Cole Clark guitars in person for the first time, and I really like them, too. One thing that really appeals to me is they are one of the very few companies that offer acoustics with fretboards that aren’t dark colored woods like Rosewood or Ebony. That is something I have specifically wanted in an acoustic for a while. I started talking to Gallagher Guitars about building me an acoustic with a flame maple fretboard back in the summer, but now that I’ve found these Cole Clarks I might end up buying one of them instead especially since they are half the price of what my custom Gallagher would cost.
@@charlesbolton8471 I highly recommend Cole Clark. I bought a Redwood/Blackwood Angel 2 several years ago and I feel like it’s a part of me now. I love it.
A true musician can appreciate both acoustic and electric. This is one of the silliest videos I’ve seen from you guys. Acoustic music is great. Little Martin guitars aren’t going to sound like a Martin dreadnought but it’s not supposed to, Some of the greatest acoustic guitar is from Jimmy Paige, as well as hard rock. A good musician has to own both. I am not claiming to be a good musician but I have 7 acoustics and 5 electrics. If you’re going to solo to a small group rhythm on acoustic is what you want.
@@user-tz2zz5ij1s Yeah. you’re probably right. They are are hard to understand sometimes the way they sometimes say the opposite of what they mean and the way they ramble on about movies few people have seen. But I do think what Baxter said about little Martins was unnecessary. People with small hands think they’re the cat’s pajamas.
Punk folk, Billy Strings, it's out there, you just gotta hunt it down. I feel like Billy Strings is still right on the edge of really busting out in to the main stream.
The only problem I have with this video is that my drive to work is 20 minutes and this was only 11 Edit: this vid is getting some hate in the comments - Baxter and Jonathan are just pointing out that current popular music icons aren't playing acoustic guitars right now at the same level as they have in the past & that the internet algorithms that curate their social media feeds seems to be pushing electric instruments because that sort of content drives views and ad revenue $s. Them stating their observations regarding acoustic sales in their industry doesn't mean that they don't like acoustic guitars or acoustic music. In fact if you watch the video it's clear that they want to sell more acoustics to people but they are pointing out that there is a correlation (in their shop and likely in the industry as a whole) that exists between acoustic guitar sales and the general public seeing an acoustic guitar being played by that one special musician that is wildly popular and iconic in the present moment. They aren't saying that there aren't other amazing acoustic guitar players out there - but they are saying that those players don't drive sales in the same way that a mega-star playing an acoustic does.
For me, the thing is I have my basic Taylor acoustic, I play it every day and I’m happy. Maybe some day I’ll feel my playing has progressed far enough that I can justify a high end acoustic but that day is likely to be a long time away, if it ever arrives. In contrast to that, I have a Tele and a SG which cover a lot of ground but I’m always thinking about the next one, maybe it will have P90s, perhaps something semi-hollow, maybe something for shredding, the list is fairly endless. I do think that the comments early in the video are correct, to get acoustic guitars into the hands of new players in big numbers, it will require whoever is the next big thing to be seen with one because as much as we might dislike fads, there’s a lot of people out there who are basically just sheep!
Acoustic guitars rock! I would love a video on bands to check out. As a giy in my 40s I'm a bit out of touch with new stuff. Hadn't heard of Idles but turns out they're from my hometown of Bristol!
This is a super interesting topic...and BTW only .1 subscribers to go!.......I think celebrity driven boosts in popularity and demand regardless if electric or acoustic is good all around because it help refill depleted musicians and instruments. The exception is some of those celebrity branded guitars are crap, but not all. Seems like acoustic has always taken back seat to electric visibly to the main stream but there is a very deep base of acoustic established and maintained. I'm not worried about it at all. All of Taylor's guitars are going somewhere, right? I would be interested in what the general guitar manufacturing industry stats are comparing electric sales to acoustic sales. Its probably safe to say that more electric guitar players also have an acoustic whereas a lesser amount of acoustic players also have an electric. Just speculation but seems reasonable.
He’s not popular on radio or the charts. I think he still draws a crowd to his live shows, but I’m not even sure that he’s toured that much (if any) post pandemic.
I always heard if you had a great riff it would sound good on acoustic guitars as well as electric the unplugged shows proved this as do all the Chris Cornell one man acoustic shows you can find on RUclips even the Audioslave songs sound incredible with just Chris an acoustic and a couple mics, of course his voice is amazing but it proves those are great songs when you can strip them down to their bones and they still be awesome. I think the reason why Guns N Roses songs were so good is because Izzy wrote them on an acoustic or his dot , he said he played the dot because he could use it on stage and on the bus or hotel room and it was louder than an acoustic but not so much to get complaints, the fact that Duff, Slash, and Izzy were all pretty capable on an acoustic is a testament to the idea that a great song doesn’t need much more than an acoustic guitar or two, and some creative minds. I think acoustic will always be in and out of fashion but the real stand out songs will always work and be just as great on just one acoustic and a singer .
As a nearly 100% electric player and aficionado. I see them much like Dethklok…as “grandpas guitars” lol, I kid. BUT for real the one group that reminds me how cool acoustics are is the legendary Tenacious D. 🤘
I’ve got a couple el’cheapo acoustic basses one is a wall hanger and one was intended to be my bedtime bass.😂 It’s a dean fretless.. i can’t remember the last time I played it. The action is horrendous. I’m so used to playing regular basses. 🤷🏻♂️
Love short scale acoustics if they're built right. Breedlove Companion are hit or miss but I bought 2 and 1 was great but the other had so many issues. But if they could get it right most of the time, that's a GREAT all solid wood SS acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitars are alive and well on the festival circuit, and in the recording studio. My bet is that $3K spent on an acoustic gets you a lot more quality than 3K spent on a guitar and an amplifier.
In all honesty, I heard a song on Sirius and thought it was great, I looked at the artist and it was Kiefer Sutherland. I was shocked. Marcus Mumford or a Mumford and Sons comeback could help the acoustic guitar. Lumineers are fading a little bit. Billy Strings is a guitar god and is starting to infiltrate pop country (which is mostly electric) but he probably won't go full mainstream. I think you need a Silk Sonic/Bruno Mars acoustic lead track to open some eyes. Something massive. I love acoustic though and always listen to acoustic music but it's never on the radio. I can only get it on RUclips or Sirius (Bluegrass Junction and North Americana)
Enjoyed this video and acoustic guitars will always be used and will always have a place in music. The obsession with shredding on electric will always have a place too as will more traditional soaring not so shreddy guitar solos
i enjoy both acoustic and electric guitars. As for current popularity, I would have no idea, as to my knowledge there has not been any consistently good music released in a very low time. Plus, I don't care a whit for is popular with other folks and the pop stars (pop tarts?) have no influence on my guitar choice. If acoustic sales are down, that's just cyclical, No news there. After the folk boom, acoustic sales slid dramatically. Then they came back and then went away. So it goes. As for pencil pushing bean counters, I do have a couple of suggestions where they can push their pencils. Music industry bureaucrats are really detrimental to music. Just like antisocial media. Just play for your own enjoyment and ignore the rest of the noise. Merry Christmas
electric guitar made a resurgence during the pandemic, but even that felt like it was disappearing from pop music. they are selling well but they are not popular as they were before 2012
Acoustic guitars sold like crazy during the pandemic, too. I’ve got a friend who works at a guitar store that is a Fender dealer (everything Fender sells except Custom Shop including all sub brands) and Martin, Yamaha (acoustics instruments, keyboards, and band instruments) and had just become a Taylor dealer the week before pandemic shutdowns started. I bought my GS-mini after work on the last day I worked before my employer was shutdown for two months. They sold completely out of American made Martins after the Martin factory went on shutdown. They had one customer who actually bought every low end Mexican made Martin they had, and that guy doubled his money by flipping them online. They also sold out of Yamaha guitars and the most popular models of Taylor.
I think I'd agree that the acoustic tends to suffer from trends & fads. I knew so many guys who saw Ed Sheeran, and immediately got an acoustic & started writing songs about breaking up with their ex. There was a lot of that round 2011-2016. But even those guys have onto other things since then. King Gizzard playing around with their microtonal acoustics has been really cool, but I don't think that's spawned new players in the same way. When I think of great contemporary female acoustic players, I think of Laura Marling. Absolute beast when you look at what she's doing. But even she eventually moved onto electric. And we're blessed with of lot really cool girl groups/artists atm (Los Btichos, Mitski, Linda Linda's, etc.) but the electric is still favoured among them. It just seems to be a like phase that happens with players. Acoustic doesn't change that much in the ways electrics do as well. No new pickups & pedals to nerd out over year on year like with electric. And it's also interesting when you think of how popular things like NPR'S Tiny Desk (arguably our current equivalent of MTV Unplugged) still are, but even that's not enough to drive the desire for an acoustic among players. There are great players out there. Just not enough to sustain it year on year.
Acoustics are very uninspiring to me when the action is set sky high in music stores. They need more care and maintenance, can easily be ruined if you don't take care of them properly. I used to work in an OP shop, every acoustic had a broken neck and the bridge coming off.
most electric guitarists eventually get that one or more acoustic, and most song making for bands or individuals that guitar do usually start on acoustic or they use their electric but unplugged . . . another factor is acoustics are ubiquitous in the music scene, like how all singers use microphones kinda thing . . . Stylize body design or hot engines specs will draw attention, but people's excitement over 4 being the amount of wheels on a car isn't happening much. Acoustics have their own version of gear heads, and like bassists, it does run into complexity similar to electric, but electric takes the cake in amps, pedals, price points . . .
Acoustics have higher cost of entry. I'm generalizing, and of course there are exceptions, . . . eclectic you can get $200 USD ones that are decent, playable, and sound decent to good. One can score good digital amps for around 100 ish . . . Acoustics the decent ones start showing up around $700 USD, with most good ones starting out at 1500 USD . . . acoustic amps same thing, the decent to good ones start showing up around 1500 ish . . . 700-800 USD you can have amazing electric guitars and amazing amps, but meh to decent in acoustics. 1500 USD electric puts you in ultra amazing, same with electric amps. People balk at 10K USD collins electrics but acoustic guys laugh because that level of quality for acoustics starts at 20K. That said that doesn't stop beginners from getting the sub $500 / acoustic guitars and starter packs and learning guitar . . .
No electric guitar can match the satisfaction for me derived from a Santa Cruz H/13 through a Genzler Acoustic Array with some Baggs pedals to add a bit of flavor... BTW... you guys might think a bit deeper on this subject...
Billy Strings is getting more attention than I would have ever imagined. Maybe talent still counts for something after all.
a guitarist named billy strings? what are the odds
Billy is awesome.
@@H43N look him up Billy is the
S*$#
Billy Strings is good and gets plenty of attention. Hopefully that will open folks eyes to the other great flatpickers out there. Flatpicking and metal are very similar.
@@H43N You don't know?
I think other than stars/hit songs pushing acoustic sales, the other factor is that acoustics don't drive GAS in the same way. Once I got my Martin dreadnought, I didn't really get the itch for other acoustic brands/sizes (maybe a 12string at some point). But when I got my Strat, I still got the itch for a Tele, then an SG, Les Paul, Nashville Tele, hollow body, something with P90s, hardtail Strat, Tele with humbuckers, and so on.
I wouldn't mind getting a Telecaster but I probably won't. I play mostly acoustic and I don't have a resonator yet.I do have a 12 string, a cedar over rosewood, a Sitka over rosewood, Adirondack over mahogany (a dreadnought and a 00)and an all mahogany (well two, actually). Plus ukes etc...but I need a resonator and a Tele would be fun but not played much.
@@johnwashburn3793 I did end up getting a resonator, but only after I learned to play slide on electric.
I have played more acoustic solo gigs than band gigs this past year and have really come to love the feel and sounds of my acoustic-electric guitars. I've added two new guitars to my live sets this year as well, and those three main instruments each have their own distinct personality. I have my eye on a new Martin and I'm interested in the Fender Acoustasonic. Looking forward to and wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a most prosperous New Year.
7:04am once one gets an acoustic guitar, you have to learn to play it-it depends very much on how much effort you put into it. It requires the player to bring out the sound, timbre, and nuances- you can’t add pedals or amps to do it for you. I own both types of guitars and I love playing both types depending on my mood. I learned a long time ago to avoid blanket statements about almost anything.
I've been writing a load of acoustic tunes. Thanks for crushing my dreams!
Acoustic guitars reveal your playing skills, can't hide behind pedals & gain!
How so?
I have several electrics including a couple of custom shops, but they pretty much live in their cases until weekends. My $120 Epiphone acoustic gets 99% of my playing time these days 😧
Acoustic guitars are so 1971. Which is why I play for hours every day.
I'll work on creating that next big acoustic hit. Or, more likely, I'll just keep playing open mics and failing to record anything.
I always wait for this channel to cover acoustics, since they are all I play. And this is what I get?
I hear you brother, and I actually bought a Martin CEO 7 from these clowns. That will not happen again.
I hope you're joking. Don't take it so personal if you aren't. It's just their opinion. Does it matter, do you boo
@@TomASwift Cute butt that guitar is great. I might buy a Tele from them but not an acoustic.
I think the acoustic guitar definitely has its place and it is always somewhere, in pretty much every popular song ever recorded.
I find playing my acoustic guitars is very relaxing. As they age, the tops are really opening up. My Alvarez AD66SHB and Yamaha FG830 has such a great sound.
Those Yamahas are great. Still play my 730s from 2007. Easily the best bang for the buck. Always suggest an 830 to anyone looking for an acoustic on a budget.
You kind of nailed it at the end. The vast guitar buying demographic plays at home, I started learning on a Yamaha 800 acoustic and it perfectly suits my needs for years probably. But I can’t stop looking for the perfect electric, just so many more options and genres.
The 800 Series from Yamaha is the best bang for the buck, in my opinion
One thing about acoustic, I think a real nice one costs much more than an equivalent in the electric world. A Squire Classic Vibe tele is around $400 and it's a pretty nice guitar. I haven't found a $400 acoustic that I really loved and personally feel like I have to double that price to get an equivalent to the Classic Vibe. It's also enticing for parents to get their kid a guitar, tiny practice amp, and headphones and the kid can play all they want.
I have a Squier Classic Vibe 70's Strat HSSand an Ibanez AEG70L Acoustic-Electric that was around $450. It has a nice resonance to it and sustains well, even in full acoustic.
Genre driven, as you point out. Plenty of country folks use acoustics and those who listen to it have acoustic guitars. Same with folk.
I have both acoustic and electric. They both have their place. But on a side note, electric is just easier to play and learn to play on. I went acoustic to electric, and can't imagine going the other way. Going from electric to acoustic would be such a let down and you have to build yourself back up. LOL
Cheers!
It’s disappointing that people need a star to inspire them to pick up a guitar and make music.
I live in St Augustine Florida.
here most all of the restaurants and bars with live music, use Acoustic guitars!
Congratulations on 50k! Someone is about to have a Christmas miracle!!
I picked up a NOS Gibson J35 online for quite a bargain earlier this year and I was shocked at how much I recognised the sound from so many classic records. I feel like Martins have the same impact with that other classic recognisable recorded sound. It’s my first good acoustic and I love it. It’s harder to hide fluffs and sloppy playing on an acoustic though.
Lately i'm hearing more acoustic guitars from producers than rock bands. Janet Jackson's Someone to Call My Lover is a throwback now but it's a great example of this. The song opens with a great acoustic riff that flows so well into the hard hitting drums
I hadn’t realised they had gone away, but that is good to know, long may this situation continue!
I pick up my acoustic more than my electric because I don’t have to plug it in. I think the “machine” pushes electrics because you have to buy more stuff, amps, pedals, cords, and then there’s the whole mod your guitar thing with pickups and electronics and bridges and nuts and tuners. Who argues over a brass nut for their Taylor or Martin?
I’m watching a bunch of videos from “Western AF” right now. Sierra Ferrel seems to be getting bigger right now, and Sturgill Simpson is kinda walking all over that crossover line.
Electric guitars require life support. Cables,amps, pedals. Acoustics can go anywhere you do. If you actually play, you play both. But after the apocalypse, your old Stella will be worth more than any electric that survives.
I love my Kramer Ferrington! My wife bought it for me about 30 years ago. It's got my absolute favorite neck, and all my Kramers have/had great necks. It stays in tune and it's an awesome couch guitar because of the shape and thinness of the body, and it really doesn't sound as bad as some people make it out to be. I used to take it to college with me and it got so much attention and playing from my friends and players just passing by. Not just a few offered to buy it or said they wanted to get one. A Martin, Gibson, or Taylor it ain't, but for what it is it's a great guitar!
Polyphia has an acoustic driven song with Playing God. 17 millions views. Tim Henson actually convinced Ibanez to resurrect a past model and he now has a signature, the TOD10N. Maybe that isn’t “acoustic “ enough?
Bluegrass music must be in its own world.
Always has been, always will be. The only people we've had that transcend the echo chamber are folks that genre blend to the point that it doesn't really resemble "bluegrass" anymore
@@blakebottoms2682 Billy Strings is staying true and getting popular.
Yeah billy, Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, just a few examples of keeping it alive and well!
Mandolin orange/watchhouse are an acoustic driven group that is amazing. Even they have a spacious sounding Tele from time to time. But still very much so acoustic in their roots. A lot of folks resonate with Tyler childers, Zach Bryan and other folky acousticish groups. But I do agree it's not a sound heard very often in "rock" music nowadays..really since the 90s.
I would love U2 to do an unplugged show/live album
"Patience" pretty much has the best recorded acoustic tone ever. Just perfect
Here's a reason...electrics stayed affordable but flagship models from the big companies went the other way. They electrified many acoustic models which many of us don't want or need. But we have to pay more now for some acoustics because of that.
Congrats on 50k subs, guys. Waiting for the arm-wrestling video!
Melisa ethridge, powerful acoustic player and went on a acoustic guitar solo tour……….Unplugged…..
50K Congrats!!!
Acoustic players are nice people. Lol Semper Fi
The silver sky is back and we are so close to 50K!
Let’s talk about Paddy McAloon. And Prefab Sprout. And Steve McQueen. One of the great records of 1985. About fifteen years ago Paddy McA decided it was time to revisit his masterpiece, but using acoustic guitars instead of the electric instruments the band used tracking the original album. It is sublime. It is beyond definitive. It was a labor of love (he spent almost two years recording it). And it elevates the sophistication of those songs in a way that we can appreciate them at an entirely new level. If you know the original record but haven’t heard the acoustic reissue check it out. You won’t be sorry.
I didn’t know people made guitar records without an acoustic somewhere in the mix. Must have been asleep? As the guys say, its the guitar you reach for to write songs. If it does’t work acoustically it doesn’t work. And if you have more than one electric guitar and no acoustic guitar you aren’t really a guitarist. You are a wannabe. In fact you really shouldn’t be allowed to own an electric guitar unless you have an acoustic. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Just have decent intonation and play straight. And playing it will make you better at playing your electric guitars. That is a rule.
You are a scholar and it is appreciated!
oh wow. you are so close to 50000 subscribers. well done 😉🎸
Until all the acoustic guitar players unsubscribe, lol
It seems like they got to 50k
You are likely to get sleeper effect from a revival in country adjacent genres though. Somebody already mentioned Billy Strings and he is starting to fill up 20k seat arenas now which is new for bluegrass. The important thing with him is that he is redefining the way that acoustic guitars are used to do that. His style is a mix of Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, and heavy metal riffing with effects including overdrive that is likely to be extremely influential. I don’t see him selling records and spawning clones like John Mayer but despite Mayer being in Dead and Co. Billy is the innovation driver in the jam band scene right now. At some point you are going to see people who want to play like him with all the guitar effects coming in.
Also a singer-songwriter named Zach Bryan is having what you’d call a meteoric rise. He’s an interesting character because while appealing to a young country audience his aesthetic approach to songwriting is much more in the post Dylan introspective folk style with the stripped down DIY attitude of old indie punk rockers. He’s likely to end up being a generation influence driving younger folks toward song writing.
Did anyone else used to play around on the stumble button site? That had the best algorithm for learning your tastes. Like before RUclips's became so clearly self serving there was a little period of time where you'd see people say things like "I didn't know I was interested in *x-topic* but thanks to RUclips I am now obsessed". Stumble was like that... and the amount of tailoring you could do with your interaction with various types of content was borderline clairvoyant.
I played doom country on acoustic doing my Ghostwitch thing for like 15 years and then took a step back from music for a few months. When I came back, it was because I got a Strat. Acoustics don't excite me as much anymore but I did a Ghostwitch show last month and really enjoyed playing acoustic. I got a new DeArmond pick up and I'm getting some really cool sounds. Now I'm on the hunt for a new acoustic. 😂
I saw Punch Brothers, Bela Fleck, and Watchhouse recently. Looks like the acoustic guitar is alive and well (played). Pop music (especially today's version) is not be all end all of music.
Also, your back wall does not have one acoustic guitar displayed. It takes all of us.
I’ve never seen Punch Brothers live, but I have tickets to one of the three Nickel Creek concerts at the Ryman in April and I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited about a concert than this one.
My past acoustic guitars were a Gibson Dove, a Martin D-35, a Yamaha APX-7 and a rather crappy Emperador 12 string. I learned how to play on acoustic and although I went for many years without an acoustic, I can't imagine not having one now. So much more personal than an electric, but I have plenty of those, too,
I have a Gibson J-29 rosewood for most acoustic strumming and a '74 Guild F-20 parlor sized guitar tuned to open D for slide fumbling.
I wanna check out one of those Gretsch Rancher acoustics with a bigsby. So hideous and ugly that it's kinda cool.
Jeff Tweedy even had a signature Martin. Damien Jurado. Tons of indie acoustic people.
Josephine Alexandra, Mike Dawes, Andy McKee, Luca Stricagnoa, 40 Fingers, Gabriella Quevedo, Tommy Emmsnuel, Alexander Misko ... and a bunch of others. Awesome acoustic guitarist.
Hey Baxter, COREY FELDMAN was just here in Asheville Dec 6th.. I did miss the show though..
If you haven’t herd of them - Check out Cole Clark guitars. Handmade in Australia. I have 2, they’re not cheap but they’re priced right about what they’re worth in my opinion. You can’t get a better plugged in sound.
Couldn't agree more. I managed to get a new factory recalled one in 2020 and saved over a grand in the process (still cost a lot though). When I record it, I split the signal between the mic-ed up sound and one plugged into the interface. I can barely hear the difference between the plugged in or the room recording, it's so natural it's incredible. Sensational guitars.
I just recently saw some Cole Clark guitars in person for the first time, and I really like them, too. One thing that really appeals to me is they are one of the very few companies that offer acoustics with fretboards that aren’t dark colored woods like Rosewood or Ebony. That is something I have specifically wanted in an acoustic for a while. I started talking to Gallagher Guitars about building me an acoustic with a flame maple fretboard back in the summer, but now that I’ve found these Cole Clarks I might end up buying one of them instead especially since they are half the price of what my custom Gallagher would cost.
@@charlesbolton8471 I highly recommend Cole Clark. I bought a Redwood/Blackwood Angel 2 several years ago and I feel like it’s a part of me now. I love it.
"Fetch" is mean girls not clueless.
I regularely go through Carl Miner's demos on The North American Guitar channel for fun. Love acoustic guitar!
A true musician can appreciate both acoustic and electric. This is one of the silliest videos I’ve seen from you guys. Acoustic music is great. Little Martin guitars aren’t going to sound like a Martin dreadnought but it’s not supposed to, Some of the greatest acoustic guitar is from Jimmy Paige, as well as hard rock. A good musician has to own both. I am not claiming to be a good musician but I have 7 acoustics and 5 electrics. If you’re going to solo to a small group rhythm on acoustic is what you want.
Pretty sure you missed the whole point of the video
@@user-tz2zz5ij1s Yeah. you’re probably right. They are are hard to understand sometimes the way they sometimes say the opposite of what they mean and the way they ramble on about movies few people have seen. But I do think what Baxter said about little Martins was unnecessary. People with small hands think they’re the cat’s pajamas.
Punk folk, Billy Strings, it's out there, you just gotta hunt it down. I feel like Billy Strings is still right on the edge of really busting out in to the main stream.
This Wild Life is an amazing acoustic driven pop punk duo
What about 40 Fingers, Paul Simon or Tommy Immanuel??
I love your Channel. The Anti-dote to the channels that take themselves too seriously.
The only problem I have with this video is that my drive to work is 20 minutes and this was only 11
Edit: this vid is getting some hate in the comments - Baxter and Jonathan are just pointing out that current popular music icons aren't playing acoustic guitars right now at the same level as they have in the past & that the internet algorithms that curate their social media feeds seems to be pushing electric instruments because that sort of content drives views and ad revenue $s. Them stating their observations regarding acoustic sales in their industry doesn't mean that they don't like acoustic guitars or acoustic music. In fact if you watch the video it's clear that they want to sell more acoustics to people but they are pointing out that there is a correlation (in their shop and likely in the industry as a whole) that exists between acoustic guitar sales and the general public seeing an acoustic guitar being played by that one special musician that is wildly popular and iconic in the present moment. They aren't saying that there aren't other amazing acoustic guitar players out there - but they are saying that those players don't drive sales in the same way that a mega-star playing an acoustic does.
For me, the thing is I have my basic Taylor acoustic, I play it every day and I’m happy. Maybe some day I’ll feel my playing has progressed far enough that I can justify a high end acoustic but that day is likely to be a long time away, if it ever arrives. In contrast to that, I have a Tele and a SG which cover a lot of ground but I’m always thinking about the next one, maybe it will have P90s, perhaps something semi-hollow, maybe something for shredding, the list is fairly endless. I do think that the comments early in the video are correct, to get acoustic guitars into the hands of new players in big numbers, it will require whoever is the next big thing to be seen with one because as much as we might dislike fads, there’s a lot of people out there who are basically just sheep!
Acoustic guitars rock! I would love a video on bands to check out. As a giy in my 40s I'm a bit out of touch with new stuff. Hadn't heard of Idles but turns out they're from my hometown of Bristol!
I'm going to start learning "Wonderwall" and "Closer to Fine" starting today!
Baxter talking diablo class builds in an acoustic guitar video, thats why I keep coming back... well, that and the arm wrestling/silver sky giveaway!
This is a super interesting topic...and BTW only .1 subscribers to go!.......I think celebrity driven boosts in popularity and demand regardless if electric or acoustic is good all around because it help refill depleted musicians and instruments. The exception is some of those celebrity branded guitars are crap, but not all. Seems like acoustic has always taken back seat to electric visibly to the main stream but there is a very deep base of acoustic established and maintained. I'm not worried about it at all. All of Taylor's guitars are going somewhere, right? I would be interested in what the general guitar manufacturing industry stats are comparing electric sales to acoustic sales. Its probably safe to say that more electric guitar players also have an acoustic whereas a lesser amount of acoustic players also have an electric. Just speculation but seems reasonable.
Is dave matthews not popular anymore? I'm not really hip to what's popular these days but he pretty much is synonymous with the acoustic guitar.
He’s not popular on radio or the charts. I think he still draws a crowd to his live shows, but I’m not even sure that he’s toured that much (if any) post pandemic.
Happy Christmas and New year 🇬🇧👍✝️🙏🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Got to 50k congrats guys.Baxter for the win
No way Baxter wins, if Jonathan gives his best.
I think R.E.M. also played a major role in acoustic popularity in the 90's
They certainly did with Out of Time and Automatic for the People.
I always heard if you had a great riff it would sound good on acoustic guitars as well as electric the unplugged shows proved this as do all the Chris Cornell one man acoustic shows you can find on RUclips even the Audioslave songs sound incredible with just Chris an acoustic and a couple mics, of course his voice is amazing but it proves those are great songs when you can strip them down to their bones and they still be awesome.
I think the reason why Guns N Roses songs were so good is because Izzy wrote them on an acoustic or his dot , he said he played the dot because he could use it on stage and on the bus or hotel room and it was louder than an acoustic but not so much to get complaints, the fact that Duff, Slash, and Izzy were all pretty capable on an acoustic is a testament to the idea that a great song doesn’t need much more than an acoustic guitar or two, and some creative minds. I think acoustic will always be in and out of fashion but the real stand out songs will always work and be just as great on just one acoustic and a singer .
Need more pop n folk festivals for local venues
Great sounding acoustic and a Fishman mini amp...good to go
As a nearly 100% electric player and aficionado. I see them much like Dethklok…as “grandpas guitars” lol, I kid. BUT for real the one group that reminds me how cool acoustics are is the legendary Tenacious D. 🤘
Where do you start with a Martin Acoustic?..D18 or D28.Or a 000scale?.......🤘🏼🤘🏼😎😎👌🏼👌🏼🎄🎄🎸🎸🎸🎸✍🏼✍🏼
000, because I'm fat & old... my 000-15m is my "go to" every time.
I’ve got a couple el’cheapo acoustic basses one is a wall hanger and one was intended to be my bedtime bass.😂 It’s a dean fretless.. i can’t remember the last time I played it. The action is horrendous. I’m so used to playing regular basses. 🤷🏻♂️
Love short scale acoustics if they're built right. Breedlove Companion are hit or miss but I bought 2 and 1 was great but the other had so many issues. But if they could get it right most of the time, that's a GREAT all solid wood SS acoustic guitar
Just bought a Breedlove pursuit. The thing that I like about acoustic is that no other devices are required to play. A pick is optional.
Acoustic guitars are alive and well on the festival circuit, and in the recording studio. My bet is that $3K spent on an acoustic gets you a lot more quality than 3K spent on a guitar and an amplifier.
Latest acoustic purchase:
Double neck 12 and 6 string K.Yairi.
Diablo/gamer references. Instant thumbs up :)
In all honesty, I heard a song on Sirius and thought it was great, I looked at the artist and it was Kiefer Sutherland. I was shocked.
Marcus Mumford or a Mumford and Sons comeback could help the acoustic guitar. Lumineers are fading a little bit. Billy Strings is a guitar god and is starting to infiltrate pop country (which is mostly electric) but he probably won't go full mainstream.
I think you need a Silk Sonic/Bruno Mars acoustic lead track to open some eyes. Something massive. I love acoustic though and always listen to acoustic music but it's never on the radio. I can only get it on RUclips or Sirius (Bluegrass Junction and North Americana)
Enjoyed this video and acoustic guitars will always be used and will always have a place in music. The obsession with shredding on electric will always have a place too as will more traditional soaring not so shreddy guitar solos
i enjoy both acoustic and electric guitars. As for current popularity, I would have no idea, as to my knowledge there has not been any consistently good music released in a very low time. Plus, I don't care a whit for is popular with other folks and the pop stars (pop tarts?) have no influence on my guitar choice. If acoustic sales are down, that's just cyclical, No news there. After the folk boom, acoustic sales slid dramatically. Then they came back and then went away. So it goes. As for pencil pushing bean counters, I do have a couple of suggestions where they can push their pencils. Music industry bureaucrats are really detrimental to music. Just like antisocial media. Just play for your own enjoyment and ignore the rest of the noise. Merry Christmas
I miss the fret Buzz
I work at a guitar shop and acoustic sales have slowed down like crazy!
I was wondering after the pandemic how long before the guitar sales boom would go to Disco Heaven? Ought to make some great used sales soon. Semper Fi
Acoustic guitars are less fun to shop for (the main activity of many guitarists).
I literally tell anyone that will listen to me that Idles is the best thing ever! I'm a new fan and kinda mad I hadn't heard of them before recently!
Baxter what are you talking about and Jonathan when did you join a SWAT team?
electric guitar made a resurgence during the pandemic, but even that felt like it was disappearing from pop music. they are selling well but they are not popular as they were before 2012
Acoustic guitars sold like crazy during the pandemic, too. I’ve got a friend who works at a guitar store that is a Fender dealer (everything Fender sells except Custom Shop including all sub brands) and Martin, Yamaha (acoustics instruments, keyboards, and band instruments) and had just become a Taylor dealer the week before pandemic shutdowns started. I bought my GS-mini after work on the last day I worked before my employer was shutdown for two months. They sold completely out of American made Martins after the Martin factory went on shutdown. They had one customer who actually bought every low end Mexican made Martin they had, and that guy doubled his money by flipping them online. They also sold out of Yamaha guitars and the most popular models of Taylor.
Steel Beams: “F**K It - I don’t need no stinkin’ guitar player”
Instant like for the Diablo reference! 😁
OK you talked me into it, I will play more acoustic music.
Just to let you know…acoustic and nylon string has seen a pretty big resurgence thanks to a little band called Polyphia.
Was totally about to mention Tim’s nylon string guitar.
I think I'd agree that the acoustic tends to suffer from trends & fads. I knew so many guys who saw Ed Sheeran, and immediately got an acoustic & started writing songs about breaking up with their ex. There was a lot of that round 2011-2016. But even those guys have onto other things since then.
King Gizzard playing around with their microtonal acoustics has been really cool, but I don't think that's spawned new players in the same way.
When I think of great contemporary female acoustic players, I think of Laura Marling. Absolute beast when you look at what she's doing. But even she eventually moved onto electric. And we're blessed with of lot really cool girl groups/artists atm (Los Btichos, Mitski, Linda Linda's, etc.) but the electric is still favoured among them. It just seems to be a like phase that happens with players. Acoustic doesn't change that much in the ways electrics do as well. No new pickups & pedals to nerd out over year on year like with electric.
And it's also interesting when you think of how popular things like NPR'S Tiny Desk (arguably our current equivalent of MTV Unplugged) still are, but even that's not enough to drive the desire for an acoustic among players. There are great players out there. Just not enough to sustain it year on year.
So.....getting super close....have you gents scheduled the arm wrestling match yet?
Acoustics are very uninspiring to me when the action is set sky high in music stores. They need more care and maintenance, can easily be ruined if you don't take care of them properly. I used to work in an OP shop, every acoustic had a broken neck and the bridge coming off.
Guys acting like Billy Strings isn’t the new hot shit on the tour circuit.
Just grabbed a 2022 j45, so good!
ES-335 style with piezo electronics as an acoustic. Or, any arch top with acoustic electronics.
any guitar, without pickups, you can consider acoustic, in my opinion
Just enjoy any performance by Mike Dawes at one of his live shows...
"Fetch" was Mean Girls :p
most electric guitarists eventually get that one or more acoustic, and most song making for bands or individuals that guitar do usually start on acoustic or they use their electric but unplugged . . . another factor is acoustics are ubiquitous in the music scene, like how all singers use microphones kinda thing . . . Stylize body design or hot engines specs will draw attention, but people's excitement over 4 being the amount of wheels on a car isn't happening much.
Acoustics have their own version of gear heads, and like bassists, it does run into complexity similar to electric, but electric takes the cake in amps, pedals, price points . . .
Acoustics have higher cost of entry. I'm generalizing, and of course there are exceptions, . . . eclectic you can get $200 USD ones that are decent, playable, and sound decent to good. One can score good digital amps for around 100 ish . . . Acoustics the decent ones start showing up around $700 USD, with most good ones starting out at 1500 USD . . . acoustic amps same thing, the decent to good ones start showing up around 1500 ish . . .
700-800 USD you can have amazing electric guitars and amazing amps, but meh to decent in acoustics. 1500 USD electric puts you in ultra amazing, same with electric amps. People balk at 10K USD collins electrics but acoustic guys laugh because that level of quality for acoustics starts at 20K.
That said that doesn't stop beginners from getting the sub $500 / acoustic guitars and starter packs and learning guitar . . .
Modern fingerstyle players are a niche market. You'd be amazed with how much people are spending on extremely high end acoustics!
No electric guitar can match the satisfaction for me derived from a Santa Cruz H/13 through a Genzler Acoustic Array with some Baggs pedals to add a bit of flavor... BTW... you guys might think a bit deeper on this subject...