Why aren't all wealthy musicians using custom/boutique quiars

[EZYPIKINS]

Let's say you are a hot commodity in the music industry. The latest up and comer. With hits on the chart. First of all they'll sound like crap. ( Just a sign of the times.) But you are hot. Riding around in a fancy tour bus. Selling out concerts all over. You are broke. Lucky if you have a dime in your pocket. In walks Brand X guitar company. If you sign our contract to play the brand X guitars exclusively while on stage we'll give you a royalty check for $$$ per year. You're broke, so you sign. People see you playing brand X, and figure they must be good. After all You're playing them. So they go out and buy a brand X. Out of their loyalty to you. Brand X makes a bunch of money, they wouldn't have made otherwise. You have an income that execs. cant touch. You see all the other money you are making is going back for studio time, engineers, musicians, (you don't really think you get to have YOUR band in the studio) Music execs. You got fronted all that money. And they take their cut. Off the top. So years down the road. If you are lucky and don't get dropped. When you are actually making money. What 'cha gonna do? Will you throw away your easy income? Just because you want to play brand Y ? That's a question only you can answer. Some strike a deal with a company. To make a signature model. If you have seen any rig rundowns. You'll know that even the signature models aren't left stock. especially electrics. Pickups are tossed and replaced with the artists preference. Techs do all kinds of things to get the guitars to sound and play the way they need to. Those signature guitars that are on the wall in your local shop. Only thing that makes them artist related is the name on them. They (the artist) make a pretty good little check, by letting them use a likeness of their signature. Myself I'm not a Taylor lover. But if Taylor put $20,000 per year in my bank account I'd be a Taylor guy.

[warfrat73]

There are a few reasons that I can think of. One that has obviously been mentioned already, is that some just aren't gearheads and don't really care. Another is sponsorship.

Another one though is that the best sounding guitar in the studio is not necessarily the best sounding guitar on stage. Really responsive, articulate, dynamic guitars are going to be more likely to feedback at stadium volume (why Garth Brooks new Takamine has that weird soundhole). A lot of the subtleties and nuance of tone and dynamics are going to be lost at stadium level volumes and through even the best quality venue PA systems. So, even if you're willing to risk your $20k Wingert, it might not actually be the best tool for the job.

Another reason is that the brand is the image... Martin is the image, Gibson is the image that they're after. American, working class, dusty and a bit beat up, of the folk (even though they're expensive) they're part of the mythology of Americana that they are trying to sell and reproduce. Boutique brands or individual luthiers might seem elitist (having Dana Bourgeois' last name on the headstock doesn't help in this matter) and alienating to some folk.

[davidbeinct]

Some also have instruments that became iconic because they played them. Willie’s Trigger has already shown up in this thread. There’s also Prince’s Hohner Tele, which he supposedly paid $30 for.

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by davidbeinct

Some also have instruments that became iconic because they played them. Willie’s Trigger has already shown up in this thread. There’s also Prince’s Hohner Tele, which he supposedly paid $30 for.

Prince's Hohner is an interesting case - apparently Prince commissioned a well regarded Seattle luthier to recreate finely crafted Hohner replicas for him that he played on stage, at least 2 of them, and they weren't cheap! No idea if Prince was a gearhead, or just a musical genius who spoke through his crafted tools.

[woodbox]

The OP asks :

“ Why aren't all wealthy musicians using custom/boutique .. “

Many are, but you wouldn’t know it unless you look closer.
You might be surprised by what some people actually play.
The OP wrote:
“ I mean I’m sure slash could pay someone to make him a better Les Paul then Gibson can... “

From the Slash Paradise website:

“ Slash is probably one of the most famous Les Paul players in rock. He has a huge collection of Les Pauls, but his best known and best loved is actually a 1959 replica built by Kris Derrig. “

“ For studio sessions, Slash almost exclusively uses a 1959 Les Paul Standard replica made by Kris Derrig. “


Kris Derrig is not (was not) the only guy to make replicas for famous players.
I personally know a guy .. a guy like Kris Derrig .. who makes replicas of Les Pauls for guys like Slash.
My friends client list would likely surprise and impress you.. it sure did me.
(for example, there’s a “reverend” from Texas mentioned occasionally)
His specialty is 1959 replicas, and repair/restoration on actual ‘59 Les Pauls.
Point being, many prominent players play hand built custom guitars THAT LOOK like factory built guitars.

Brad Paisley often plays guitars built by Bill Crook, THAT LOOK like a Fender Telecaster, but they are not.

Check out electric guitar amps built by Clark Amplification.
I have a friend who plays one THAT LOOKS just like a Fender Tweed, but it’s not.
I’m not talking about a cheap copy here.. no, his Clark was much more expensive than the Fender it replicates.

My point being, things are not always what they seem.

[lowrider]

I think this thread is a statement as to just how good the standard guitars are from Martin, Gibson, Taylor, and Fender electric. Professional musicians, who earn their living and in some cases, earn a fortune play the same instruments that anyone can buy in the store. It's not really necessary to travel around with a 10,000+ dollar guitar to make music. The standard guitars are great guitars, boutique and custom guitars are better but by how much?

If James Taylor showed up playing an HD-28, just how many people in the audience would be wishing he played the Olsen? I'll be more people would notice if Springsteen showed up playing a custom electric instead of his Telecaster.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by ChrisN

For those with talent, it's likely more about making original music. For those with more modest capacities, it's likely to be more about the gear, as that's easier than trying to compensate for a (relative) lack of talent.

As one of very modest musical talent, I love the gear and know a lot about it, so I'm consistently surprised to hear guitar legends respond to questions about their gear. If they're to be believed, they have no idea of any aspect of their guitar/rig's physicality- That stuff's handled by others (and, apparently, 'twas ever thus). They don't know neck dimensions, string gauges they prefer, pickups used, amps, etc.

James Taylor's a good example. He participated in a video series about his guitars (he's probably got 12 or so) and was asked about his Olson-love origin. He said he liked the Olson because the neck was "wider" than other guitars, which was better for his fingerstyle stuff. He made the wider neck sound like magic, and we now know that his guitar was probably one of the few back then to come with a 1 3/4" neck.

But, . . . . the legends do know how to play guitar. While many legends are also also avid gearheads/collectors (eg Joe Bonamassa and John V, Clapton, Richards, etc.), I think for many of them the gear is just a tool. And, sometimes there's a factory sponsorship involved - millionaires gotta millionaire, after all.

James Hetfield comes to mind as a another with ability by the truckload and is a genuine gearhead as well (and he does tour with custom made guitars).

It's also pretty clear though, if you listen to him, it really is all about the music, not the fiddling with toys, like it is for me if I'm honest..

[jmagill]

To address the OP's question: "Why aren't all wealthy musicians using custom/boutique quitars?"

Who says they're not?

What you see them playing is a working musician's tool for performance. What they like to play at home for their own pleasure may be very different.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by jmagill

To address the OP's question: "Why aren't all wealthy musicians using custom/boutique quitars?"

Who says they're not?

What you see them playing is a working musician's tool for performance. What they like to play at home for their own pleasure may be very different.

Best answer.

[Dwight]

Paul Stanley (Kiss) recently posted a couple of NGD's on Facebook including a custom ordered Olson and a Collings I35. Good chance he as a few others at home.

[Rosewood99]

Brad Paisley seems to be playing a pretty nice Santa Cruz guitar in those Allstate commercials.

[FrankHudson]

The answer varies, and a lot of the varies have been given above.

I think the largest factor is that beyond a certain point (and a good Taylor, Martin, or Gibson etc is beyond that certain point) it doesn't make any real difference. Heck, below that certain point with adequate maintenance and playability it probably doesn't make any difference.

If we're talking about the real rich and highly commercially successful musicians that would play sports arenas and big outdoor venues you're not going to hear a difference in the type of wood used in the bracing or how tight the grain is on the top, and the in-ear-monitors the musician is using probably can't portray that either.

[beatcomber]

Originally Posted by RalphH

Gaah, all that money and he can't afford a pair of wire cutters?!? >_<

Heh heh. Blame Mal Evans!

[RP]

I think that there are those professional musicians who see the instruments that they play on tour and in the studio as mere tools of the trade. If a set of Craftsman screwdrivers does the job day in and day out, why buy a set of handmade screwdrivers that costs ten times as much?

[rgregg48]

Just as an example Tommy Emmanuel ( he's the easiest to pick on )
He plays Maton which in my opinion are acousticly pretty lame..but have a fine pickup system and Tommy performs plugged in. He feels a connection to the Australian guitar maker from childhood and his influence in the last 20 years
Has almost singlehandedly sparked.sales in the USA.
Truth be known Tommy owns Martin, Larrivee, Kirk Sand
And many others which other than occasional recording
He keeps off the road!