littlebadboy
Roadie
- Messages
- 124
Interesting stuff from an online friend of mine:
Why are so many guitarists afraid of innovation?
What do you guys think?
Why are so many guitarists afraid of innovation?
What do you guys think?
Why are so many guitarists afraid of innovation?
- Thread starter littlebadboy
- Start date
- Messages
- 1,904
- Messages
- 3,560
Cuz that shit is scary
the-trooper
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,837
Because guitarists are idiots.
Didn't watch the video, I'm guessing he came to the same conclusion.
Didn't watch the video, I'm guessing he came to the same conclusion.
likitlikeyoulikeit
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,150
Online Friend
laxu
Rock Star
- Messages
- 5,098
Skimmed through the video. He's not saying much of anything here, it's basically "why don't guitarists use these tools that can do all these cool things?" without any real insight to why this could be the case.
People are alienated by things like modelers simply because they are not easy to use or understand.
The average guitarist knows how to toggle channels on an amp and turn pedals on/off, turn a few knobs while they're at it. Beginner guitarists still struggle with things like "WTF should I do with these EQ knobs?" or "How do I get a great overdrive sound?"
So now imagine being thrown a way more complex setup in front of you that requires you to go through menus, figure out a whole recording chain, has an infinite number of options to choose from...
I remember back in the late 1990s when I tried my very first modeler, the Yamaha DG-80 1x12 combo. IMO still the best user interface design on a modeler ever made. I was drawn to this amp when I saw some random guy in a guitar store play Dream Theater riffs and leads with really good sounds through it. I have no idea who that guy was, but he could play!
So of course I wanted to try the thing that made those cool sounds. I plugged in, pressed one of the preset recall buttons and suddenly the motorized pots started moving. I was like "Oh shit, what is happening?! What did I do? Did I break it?! How do I get back?!" I had to call a store employee to help me with it. Remember, this is what I consider one of the easiest to figure out user interfaces on a modeler made to this day.
This forum is full of people who have become experts in using digital modelers so we don't think much about this stuff. I can pick any new modeler and understand how to use it pretty quickly.
Then we get to the tube amps. Look at any forums, YT etc and there's plenty of people touting the superiority of tube amps. It's a club that guitarists aspire to join because their heroes play tube amps. They probably buy something affordable like a Blues JR, HRD or DSL40CR as their first tube amp, played at louder volumes at a guitar store than they are able to ever use at home.
It's easy to get a good sound out of most tube amps. Turn it loud enough, and don't completely fuck up the EQ settings.
With modelers it's often more involved to get a great sound. First impressions matter and lot of people will just abandon it if they can't get great results right out of the gate. This can be due to user error, not finding a great preset, or not having an adequate playback system.
Maybe a big part of the Tonex pedals or NeuralDSP VST plugins success is that it's relatively easy to get a good sound out of those thanks to good presets or the limitations of captures. You have captures someone else already dialed in and they either work for you or they don't.
It's worth remembering that for a lot of people making their own presets out of scratch is a daunting experience so they look to e.g buy preset packs or download presets online. I'd wager there's a lot of people playing e.g marginally tweaked Fractal stock presets to this day.
For solid-state or hybrid units like the BluGuitar Amp 1, it's tough to try to convince someone that a tiny ugly box could sound and feel as good as that big all tube Marshall head.
Even I had to fight some dissonance where I had to tell myself to believe my ears. I was able to get pretty much the same sounds/feel out of the BluGuitar as I was getting from my way more expensive Bogner. I compared them through the same cab, volume matched and played at band levels.
Yet my brain was still going "No, that tube amp must be better! Look at that tolexed beast sitting on the cab! Those real tubes glowing!"
People are alienated by things like modelers simply because they are not easy to use or understand.
The average guitarist knows how to toggle channels on an amp and turn pedals on/off, turn a few knobs while they're at it. Beginner guitarists still struggle with things like "WTF should I do with these EQ knobs?" or "How do I get a great overdrive sound?"
So now imagine being thrown a way more complex setup in front of you that requires you to go through menus, figure out a whole recording chain, has an infinite number of options to choose from...
I remember back in the late 1990s when I tried my very first modeler, the Yamaha DG-80 1x12 combo. IMO still the best user interface design on a modeler ever made. I was drawn to this amp when I saw some random guy in a guitar store play Dream Theater riffs and leads with really good sounds through it. I have no idea who that guy was, but he could play!
So of course I wanted to try the thing that made those cool sounds. I plugged in, pressed one of the preset recall buttons and suddenly the motorized pots started moving. I was like "Oh shit, what is happening?! What did I do? Did I break it?! How do I get back?!" I had to call a store employee to help me with it. Remember, this is what I consider one of the easiest to figure out user interfaces on a modeler made to this day.
This forum is full of people who have become experts in using digital modelers so we don't think much about this stuff. I can pick any new modeler and understand how to use it pretty quickly.
Then we get to the tube amps. Look at any forums, YT etc and there's plenty of people touting the superiority of tube amps. It's a club that guitarists aspire to join because their heroes play tube amps. They probably buy something affordable like a Blues JR, HRD or DSL40CR as their first tube amp, played at louder volumes at a guitar store than they are able to ever use at home.
It's easy to get a good sound out of most tube amps. Turn it loud enough, and don't completely fuck up the EQ settings.
With modelers it's often more involved to get a great sound. First impressions matter and lot of people will just abandon it if they can't get great results right out of the gate. This can be due to user error, not finding a great preset, or not having an adequate playback system.
Maybe a big part of the Tonex pedals or NeuralDSP VST plugins success is that it's relatively easy to get a good sound out of those thanks to good presets or the limitations of captures. You have captures someone else already dialed in and they either work for you or they don't.
It's worth remembering that for a lot of people making their own presets out of scratch is a daunting experience so they look to e.g buy preset packs or download presets online. I'd wager there's a lot of people playing e.g marginally tweaked Fractal stock presets to this day.
For solid-state or hybrid units like the BluGuitar Amp 1, it's tough to try to convince someone that a tiny ugly box could sound and feel as good as that big all tube Marshall head.
Even I had to fight some dissonance where I had to tell myself to believe my ears. I was able to get pretty much the same sounds/feel out of the BluGuitar as I was getting from my way more expensive Bogner. I compared them through the same cab, volume matched and played at band levels.
Yet my brain was still going "No, that tube amp must be better! Look at that tolexed beast sitting on the cab! Those real tubes glowing!"
Byrdman
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,045
I'm not afraid of innovation but I am afraid of how much innovation could cost me as a hobbyist. I embraced modeling amps and equipment early and had a Line 6 Duoverb and then a Flextone after that over 20 years ago, but I was well above average in experience when computers and internet was starting to become the norm in the home. Many were not.
If I were a professional and made my living playing, innovation and top tier equipment would be a necessity I believe. OTOH, a lot of the old stuff has been battle tested over the years and there is the if it's not broke, why fix it argument that carries a lot of water as well.
I also keep in the back of my mind that almost all YT videos on innovative guitar gear are really just infomercials trying to sell you something so they can make money.
If I were a professional and made my living playing, innovation and top tier equipment would be a necessity I believe. OTOH, a lot of the old stuff has been battle tested over the years and there is the if it's not broke, why fix it argument that carries a lot of water as well.
I also keep in the back of my mind that almost all YT videos on innovative guitar gear are really just infomercials trying to sell you something so they can make money.
the-trooper
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,837
JiveTurkey
Goatlord
- Messages
- 15,892
Needs more video title on the face content
laxu
Rock Star
- Messages
- 5,098
BluGuitar in one of their live streams plugged the Bogner Mini's fx send into the BluGuitar Amp 1's fx return. It sounded way, way better like that. Much more like a real amp.
laxu
Rock Star
- Messages
- 5,098
What products would you say are like that in guitar gear?
metropolis_4
Rock Star
- Messages
- 2,763
Gear is just a tool. A means to an end. “Innovation” is relative to what your musical goals are.
Make music the goal and use whatever tools best help you achieve that goal.
If old low-tech gear is what achieves your musical goals, go for it!
If new high-tech gear is what achieves your goals, go for it!
I think the reality is that many guitarists musical goals don’t require modern gear innovations and are easily met with old low-tech gear, and having no need for new gear gets misconstrued as “fear” of change/innovation
Make music the goal and use whatever tools best help you achieve that goal.
If old low-tech gear is what achieves your musical goals, go for it!
If new high-tech gear is what achieves your goals, go for it!
I think the reality is that many guitarists musical goals don’t require modern gear innovations and are easily met with old low-tech gear, and having no need for new gear gets misconstrued as “fear” of change/innovation
- Messages
- 1,290
i dont follow gear that closely anymore but just for instance the stuff yesterday in that thread about 4cm. like adding one ethernet cable with 8 extra cables at the modeler and your amp is somehow groundbreaking lolololololol.
Similar threads
