My, How My Tastes Change

Treenewt · #1 06-21-2019, 09:33 AM

Thanks to the wonder of the interwebs, all the wonderful things we post and comment on stick around on this here website. Lately, I've run across quite a few of my older posts and just had to laugh at myself. My, how my tastes have changed!

I've noticed that, for those of us who list our guitars in our signatures, there are often posts raving about one particular instrument/brand from a few years back, but that same instrument or brand is nowhere in our sig today! I'm guilty for sure!

I know that much of the reason, for me, is being relatively new to the world of AGF and all that it entails. I've learned a TON in the last 6 years. I've also been exposed to many more brands of guitars than I paid attention to years ago. That certainly has an effect, as well as changes in our styles/ears/abilities as time goes on.

Anyone else every smile/get embarrassed, wonder about your old posts? Anybody have to resist the urge to delete and ad .............. just to make some go away?

Is it just me?

Tnfiddler · #2 06-21-2019, 09:43 AM

I’m right there with you. For many years, I thought Taylor guitars were the only guitars in the world! I’ve raved about some Taylors that I’ve owned that were the best guitars I’ve ever owned or played and they’re almost all gone! Replaced by a Bourgeois! I’ll always love Taylor guitars, but my tonal tastes have definitely changed to the Bourgeois sound.

Bearstudio · #3 06-21-2019, 10:12 AM

and there is the joy of playing these wonderful instruments

I'm new around here, but have been in the business of playing and recoding for too long to own up to. I would hate to be given recorded evidence of my tastes and opinions when I was a) starting out and b) when I was young enough to think that I knew everything

These days I write, record and get out and play, and find myself reaching for different guitars depending on both the work required and my current tastes.
I stopped selling guitars some years ago ( still keep buying them ) when I realised that one week I would be loving my old D28 but next week I would be picking up a Gibson/Collings/Bourgouise/Sobell etc to work with. Sometimes picking up a different guitar is enough to find a new song or nail a part that just wasn't happening.
I have times ( even about a week ago) when I dug out a guitar that I wasn't getting on with two years back , only to find that it was just what I needed and went through the process of falling in love all over again

Some would say that it's better to stick to one instrument, get to know it and play the hell out of it, In the early days I did that, then sold it to get something else, only to go out a few years later to hunt down a similar guitar.
To sum up, if our tastes and opinions didn't change, we would never get a chance to explore new styles / techniques / sounds. Its kept me going for many years, and kept me at worst interested enough to get up for work and at best still in love with the guitar

Jim Owen · #4 06-21-2019, 10:13 AM

Hi Treenewt,

Yepper. I'm not so sure that it's a product of the interweb or just a natural progression? I've been banging on guitars for about fifty years now, and I can think of quite a few things that I've changed (for better or for worse).

For example, I thought I would never buy a guitar that I hadn't actually held in my hands and played a while. But I've bought a few guitars now sight unseen, and have been absolutely fine with them.

During the sad decade of the 70s, most Gibson Acoustics that I played in shops were basically pieces of furniture. (A lot of the electrics were hit and miss, but my 72 Les Paul and I have never been parted). This led me to avoid Gibson acoustics--actively. I was convinced that I was a Martin guy.

But now I have two main guitars--my old 000 18 and a Fullers Vintage J 50. I probably play the J 50 more than the Martin--as most of the folks I play with are from the tribe of Martin, I find that the Gibson occupies a different sonic space.

Strings are another oddity. When Phosphor Bronze alloys and hex cores started hitting the shops, I thought they were the bees' knees. I've done a 360. One of my guitars has either monels or nickels on it. The other has round cores--either pyramids or newtones, depending on what I can find.

DanR · #5 06-21-2019, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Treenewt

I've noticed that, for those of us who list our guitars in our signatures, there are often posts raving about one particular instrument/brand from a few years back, but that same instrument or brand is nowhere in our sig today! I'm guilty for sure!

I'm guilty, as well. My first AGF post was a NGD, which was a Martin OM-28. That guitar is now gone. When I purchased that guitar, I wanted was the best guitar I could afford that was versatile for flat picking and finger picking. Since then, I've acquired guitars that excel in one or the other picking styles.

Plus, my tastes have evolved since that purchase. I never cared for the tonal quality of mahogany bodied guitars. That has since changed and I now prefer mahogany for finger picking. And I think a mahogany dread has a quality that is useful to me although my HD-28 complements my particular picking style best. Lastly, I was up to 5 acoustic guitars in my herd and with the purchase of the 5th one (000-18) I got the feeling that 5 was too many for me. So currently, going from 5 to 3 acoustics works for me.

Naturally, all of the above is subject to change

jazzguy · #6 06-21-2019, 10:37 AM

Interesting thread. I was thinking about this very thing a few days ago. My tastes have also changed - or should I say expanded - in two ways: preference for woods, and manufacturer flavors. I too leaned heavily toward Taylor for many years. Of the 30+ acoustics I have owned, approximately 1/3 were Taylors and the rest Alvarez, Eastman, Martin and others.

My preference has evolved to a more dry and fundamental tone traditional vs super lush sound, modern tone. As such this seems lean toward Mahogany (or similar) woods with various tops. It also has changed to a "thicker" tone than Taylor in general. I still love my Taylor 512e with Cedar top though, it is an excellent guitar. Lastly, I have gravitated to smaller body guitars no bigger than a 000.

So what is in my future? Hmmm - perhaps a Gibson or boutique brand with a more traditional tone.

Howard Emerson · #7 06-21-2019, 11:00 AM

I don’t have any issues with any of my older posts. I’ve certainly gotten better at explaining & describing stuff.

My tastes have expanded a little, but overall there’s consistency and continuity in 6000+ posts. I think that’s due to having made my own mistakes and knowledge instead of putting decisions up to committee, one of the more herd-like habits demonstrated here too often.

I started taking Ritalin before I started posting on the internet, and when you take the time to read your thoughts before hitting ‘send’, it makes for better quality control.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

llew · #8 06-21-2019, 11:37 AM

I know my tastes have changed. How else could I attempt to account for all the guitars that have cycled in and out of my hands?

bufflehead · #9 06-21-2019, 11:43 AM

All I played for 30 years was a Guild, an all-hog D-25. It wasn't until I literally wore it out that I looked into alternatives.

Every time I see a D-25 in a guitar shop I play it just to realize how far I've come. No going back for me, and yet I think I'll always be a mahogany guy.

DukeX · #10 06-21-2019, 12:18 PM

Tastes do change. But they also expand. I still love my 1995 Webber OM and 1996 Larrivee L-30. But I also love my newer Taylor 324 and Martin 000-15SM.

Each one is different but special.

ChrisE · #11 06-21-2019, 12:31 PM

When I first starting getting more "serious" about 6 years ago, I figured I really "needed" a professional-quality instrument and after lots of research, I decided the Taylor 314ce would be my lifetime instrument and I ended up getting a used one. Done. I have a great guitar. Now just play it the rest of your life and die happy.

Then...

I decided I needed a Martin to go with it, so I got a D-18. Then I got my grandfather's HD-28 and decided I needed to put some money into it so I could have a mahogany AND a rosewood Martin that I could gig with.

I'm pretty set (for now) but I kind of like the all-mahogany Martins (15 and 17 series).

llew · #12 06-21-2019, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisE

When I first starting getting more "serious" about 6 years ago, I figured I really "needed" a professional-quality instrument and after lots of research, I decided the Taylor 314ce would be my lifetime instrument and I ended up getting a used one. Done. I have a great guitar. Now just play it the rest of your life and die happy.

Then...

I decided I needed a Martin to go with it, so I got a D-18. Then I got my grandfather's HD-28 and decided I needed to put some money into it so I could have a mahogany AND a rosewood Martin that I could gig with.

I'm pretty set (for now) but I kind of like the all-mahogany Martins (15 and 17 series).

You'd like the Martin DSS-17 Chris! And you can buy them inexpensively. Come by anytime and try mine! And stay cool while you're gigging outside in this heat?!?

Treenewt · #13 06-21-2019, 02:32 PM

I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

For me, exposure to more brands/builders came as a result of this forum. I was able, for a period of time, to have a job where music was a part of what I was paid to do, and I milked that by buying and selling quite a few. I came to realize that, one, I prefer mahogany to rosewood 99 out of 100 times and, two that I prefer smaller bodied guitars to dreads (and not just for comfort...I like the tonal differences in a 000 vs a dread).

And I guess we all suffer from the excitement of a new purchase being the best thing ever, gushing about it on here, and then GAS starting again. I'm currently trying to learn contentment.

Dru Edwards · #14 06-21-2019, 03:06 PM

In addition to our tastes changing over the years our ears change too. I had a stapedectomy (removal of a bone in the inner ear and replaced with a prosthesis) a few years back. I'm sure that changed my perspective on some guitars.

Jim Owen · #15 06-21-2019, 05:22 PM

When I bought a Gurian Size 3 r sometime in the mid 70s, I was very comfortable playing it. At the time, I was mostly a flat picker.

Now, it feels really cramped. And I’m thinking that my 000 18 is less comfy than my Gibson, and I’ve been playing Martin necks since 72. Methinks it’s a result of ageing?