If you want a good example of how marketing shapes our lives, you only have to think about how readily the idea of progress is accepted by consumers, in relation to certain products. With digital cameras, for example, progress is seen not only as good but indispensable. Every year, makers such as Canon and Nikon launch new models that boast the highest-ever image quality and the most-advanced features ever brought to market.
But what if we were talking about malt whisky, instead of cameras? In that context, progress feels like a dirty word. Heritage, tradition and craft are the qualities we think about as we swirl the amber liquor around in our glass. And yet, behind the scenes, technology helps improve our favourite drinks, just as it does cameras. From improving maturation to filling casks more precisely, whisky is better today because distillers use tech alongside traditional techniques to craft their spirits.
What has all this got to do with guitars, you may ask? Well, an argument can be made that acoustic guitars, as products, are a little like whisky. We like the idea of craftsmanship being behind their rich sound but shy away from the idea that technology, too, can make guitars perform better than they used to. For example, we revere the iconic acoustic guitars that were made by hand in the workshops of early 20th century America – and with excellent reason in many cases. But talk to any vintage-guitar dealer and they’ll tell you that for every jaw-droppingly great vintage flat-top there are many wall-hangers that don’t sound or play halfway as good.
Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms