DAZED and CONFUSED
Guitar World|November 2024
Providing more hits and misses than a vintage K-Tel Top 40 compilation, the guitar industry during the '70s was anything but boring
CHRIS GILL
DAZED and CONFUSED

“IT WAS THE best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

The preceding quote is the introduction to Charles Dickens’ immortal classic A Tale of Two Cities, set in Paris and London around the time of the French Revolution, but it’s also a pretty damn accurate description of the state of the guitar industry during the Seventies. That decade is commonly disparaged as a depressing era when the industry’s leading manufacturers produced some of their worst guitar models, which is not entirely untrue, but it also was an auspicious period when exciting new guitar companies emerged and amp and effect technology rapidly advanced.

The decline of America’s biggest guitar companies during the Seventies was essentially a hangover from the overambitious reaction to the Beatlemania-inspired guitar boom of the Sixties. Hoping to cash in on the phenomenon, major corporations purchased America’s biggest guitar companies, with CBS buying Fender, Norlin purchasing Gibson and Baldwin taking over Gretsch. Although the electric guitar remained massively popular during the Seventies, sales dropped rather steeply from the staggering heights of the Sixties peak.

In typical corporate fashion, management typically believed that the accounting department’s cost-cutting measures were a more effective means of maximizing profits than investments in better materials, tools and craftsmanship, and quality took a hit as a result.

Bu hikaye Guitar World dergisinin November 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Guitar World dergisinin November 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

GUITAR WORLD DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
THE JESUS LIZARD
Guitar World

THE JESUS LIZARD

Duane Denison tells you everything you need to know about his gear, trying to sell Steve Howe a guitar in the Seventies and oh, yeah! - 2024's Rack, the Jesus Lizard's first new studio album in 26 years

time-read
10+ dak  |
January 2025
MATTEO MANCUSO
Guitar World

MATTEO MANCUSO

The Italian jazz-shredder on social media, his love of the Yamaha Revstar and the advice given to him by Steve Vai

time-read
6 dak  |
January 2025
GRACE BOWERS
Guitar World

GRACE BOWERS

After a \"whirlwind\" year, the 18-year-old sensation discusses her love of SGS, inspiring a new generation of female guitarists, and how she's more than just a blues player

time-read
7 dak  |
January 2025
THE GUITARISTS OF THE YEAR
Guitar World

THE GUITARISTS OF THE YEAR

GUITAR WORLD'S EDITORS AND WRITERS SELECT 2024'S GAME-CHANGERS AND TASTEMAKERS

time-read
10+ dak  |
January 2025
OUR FAVORITE GEAR OF THE YEAR
Guitar World

OUR FAVORITE GEAR OF THE YEAR

THERE WAS AN ONSLAUGHT OF NEW GUITAR PRODUCTS RELEASED OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS. HERE ARE THE ONES THAT HAD US ALL TALKING

time-read
10+ dak  |
January 2025
NEWS OF THE (GUITAR) WORLD
Guitar World

NEWS OF THE (GUITAR) WORLD

SIT BACK AND GET READY TO RELIVE THE BIGGEST, BADDEST AND DOWNRIGHT CRAZIEST GUITARCENTRIC HEADLINES OF 2024

time-read
10+ dak  |
January 2025
The Courettes
Guitar World

The Courettes

A PAIR OF FUZZ-TINGED GARAGE ROCK MANIACS EXPAND THEIR SOUND AND THE RESULTS ARE EXQUISITE

time-read
2 dak  |
January 2025
Within the Ruins
Guitar World

Within the Ruins

JOE COCCHI REVISITS HIS CLASSIC PHENOMENA TONE (AND A COUPLE OF COMIC BOOKS) TO CRUSH THROUGH A SUPERHEROIC SEQUEL

time-read
2 dak  |
January 2025
The Bad Ups
Guitar World

The Bad Ups

PHILADELPHIA PUNKS LOAD UP WITH PAINT-PEELING POWER CHORDS ON THEIR DEBUT ALBUM

time-read
2 dak  |
January 2025
The Return of Tab Benoit
Guitar World

The Return of Tab Benoit

AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE COMMITTED TO THE ROAD, THE LOUISIANA BLUES ARTIST IS BACK WITH A NEW 10-SONG COLLECTION, I HEAR THUNDER

time-read
4 dak  |
January 2025