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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Dweezil’s sudden lust for that Flamed EliteT got me thinking.
To bling, or not to bling... that is the question.
Think of all the all the thought put into tone issues such as bracing, neck angles, nut & saddle material, bowl depth, straightness of grain, degree of texture, sound holes (how many and where), and last but not least, what kind of strings should I use? Now think of the first attraction you have to a guitar. 999 times out of 1000, it's not the sound, it's the eye candy appeal. Thus... bling was born.
It's like clothes….. They have to fit and be functional but it’s nice to have them
look right on you.
It's like a pretty women…. walkin' down the street, a pretty women, the kind I'd like to meet.... the better she looks, the better.... but she has to be functional as well.
Maybe we should develop some sort of universal short hand to more accurately describe the relationship of the Tone and Bling on a particular guitar. This formula would not describe the quality of the tone or level of the bling, just the relationship of those two factors in one particular instrument.
For instance…. I’d list my collection as…..
’70 Balladeer…. T75/B25
Breadwinner…. T40/B60
AD-II…………… T45/B55
UTE…………….. T70/B30
Koa EliteT……. T45/B55
Applause Uke… T10/B90
I guess the most desirable score would be T50/B50.
If those two number did not total 100, I wouldn’t’ want it. For instance, a score of T30/B20 would never make it out of the store.
Perhaps “bling” is not the right term to use because sometimes a guitar that is basic and understated in appearance is still attractive. Maybe the letter “A” for appearance would work better.
In conclusion, I think we are more driven to like or dislike a guitar based just on how it looks than we might want to admit. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Sometimes, bling works against us. I love my 87C, but there are times when it's not the guitar I grab to take somewhere just because it has so much bling. I'll grab something a little plainer.
I donno..... |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | I tend to go either way. I definately own some guitars based on their looks alone. Their tone is nothing special. The XXXXXX is a good example. It's tone is average at best, but it's one of the best looking Ovation guitars I've ever owned. The Takamine Bluegrass is at the other end. The plainest jane piece of dreadnaught you ever saw, but son of a bitch if it's not one of the finest sounding guitars most of us will ever hear.
I buy instruments because they "speak" to me. But they often speak in different ways and not necessarily with their voice. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | My 99 Collector was gorgeous, in my opinion, but didn't have "bling" in the sense of the collector fret marker or any abalone. Patch's has both. I didn't play it much, but loved to look at it, so I sold it.
The plainer guitars I have, like the Folklore or K1111 RI, appeal to my eyes for some reason, but my ears may be talking to my eyes, since I know they are tone monsters. I try to play all my guitars, but if I pick up one of those because I haven't played it in awhile, I usually find that I'm still playing it when it's time to go to bed. |
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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 39
| Originally posted by Slipkid:
999 times out of 1000, it's not the sound, it's the eye candy appeal. Thus... bling was born. It's an art thing. What you call "bling" is actually nothing more than the modern incarnation of hundreds of years of stringed musical instrument art traceable at least back to lutes, many of which were incredibly ornate. Some of the most over-the-top instruments (including entire fretboards of elephant ivory, elaborately inlaid with pearl and gold) were produced a century ago. By comparison, even today's most lavish production instruments are rather spartan. Here's an oldie but goodie:
The guitar is also a little unusual by today's standards. ;) |
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May 2006
Posts: 4226
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I think the biggest issue is that, for me at least, there's a difference between being decorated and looking...well...elegant or well appointed for lack of better terms. We've all seen instruments that that have slipped (or perhaps taken a flying leap) past the point of tasteful/appropriate acoutrements. Likewise, I'm sure we've all seen minimally flashy guitars that simply ooze class and dare you to look away.
I own guitars at both ends of the spectrum. My 87C, Custom Legend, Book Mandolin, and Custom Buiinga Elite have enough abalone on them to signal low-flying aircraft. However, I use the same words to describe them as I do my 1537, 97C, CA LX, or an 05C; elegant or gorgeous or beautiful.
As far as sound goes, every guitar I listed above can hold its own in any company. I'm admittedly biased, but I would rate any of the above as pretty darn close to A-50/T-50. Just my 2 cents though.  |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I'm just the opposite: it's gotta play and sound good...I use my guitars in live applications for the most part: in fact I have been selling some of the ones that just sit: and have one or two more that do the same to meet the same fate...
Looks is important and when I find one that meets all three of my qualifications, then I buy it...
Like this:
Latest Addition |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Good topic, Brad. For me, unless there is some vintage appeal, I would not really consider any guitar that was below an acceptable level on your tone spectrum, whatever that specific level might be. From there, I just start adding the bling. I'm probably more visual and into color and shape than most guys. As you said, if it doesn't appeal visually, then no matter how good it sounds, I'm not likely to show much interest. We're all like this to a certain degree, just more so for some of us than others. Just look at our clothes, our car, the house, the yard, etc. |
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July 2004
Posts: 766
Location: New Hampsha | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
I buy instruments because they "speak" to me. But they often speak in different ways and not necessarily with their voice. The Master speaks the truth.
I find that if a guitar doesn't first speak to my eyes it will never get a chance to speak to my ears. "If it doesn't *bling* it'll never sing." |
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September 2007
Posts: 153
Location: New Jersey, USA | If a fancy looking guitar doesn't speak or play well, it immediately becomes cheap and gaudy - a poser. If it matches fancy looks with high performance, it is "gorgeous" or a "work of art."
If its performance outmatches its plain looks, it is "simple and elegant." If it is plain looking AND performs the same, it's just crap. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | there are times when it's not the guitar I grab to take somewhere just because it has so much bling. I'll grab something a little plainer.
Been there, Done that...however, I have found that sometimes folks are drawn to the looks of say the Adamas or the CL 12, and that actually gives me a chance to speak about the guitars and do a little educating on the side...
So, I try not to talk myself out of playing a praticular guitar just because it is a bit flashy... |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | Our opinions might be jaded. I have always liked the looks of Ovations, even when they were "plain". The headstock, lack of a pick guard and rosette were unique and that attracted me before I ever heard the word "bling". I was never big on sunburst or the Elite style, but if I see an Ovation, I'm drawn to it. |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | Bling, appearance, whatever, are so subjective as to become meaningless metrics.
But i think i know what you're trying to get at. And obviously, from some of the posts here, not everyone is going to have the same weighting factors.
Just to add another parameter -- attachment. For example; i own a completely beat to shit 1965 Guild M20 that i have owned since 1968. It really doesn't sound that great either. But -- it would probably be the last guitar i would sell. It always gets fresh strings and a regular work-out. Don't really know why; i have other guitars that play and sound SO much better. But dang, i just love that little guitar!
_____
gh1 |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | To me bling is being able to see the gaudiness from across the room (think Mr. T). Elegant or gorgeous is when you approach the instrument and it reveals itself and the workmanship one step at a time (think Sophia Loren). |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Pretty woman. I like mine shapely, elegant, beautiful, and intelligent. And most importantly, what's inside her heart. If she's wearing just the right makeup, necklace, earrings, and outfit, she becomes simply drop dead gorgeous and more desirable than I can stand. We're closing in on 30 years for reasons that have nothing to do with make-up, necklaces and earrings.
But no doubt about it, I do like it when she gets dressed up. |
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September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I love bling, but without performance it's just a wall hangar. Sometimes the bling is in the decorative inlay and sometimes it is in the pure elegance of the wood itself. As long as it plays great and the expert workmanship is obvious in the visible construction also, it's up for my playbook. |
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July 2004
Posts: 766
Location: New Hampsha | Scenario:
Two women at the dance; they both can cha-cha with the best of them.
One looks like Eva Longoria and one looks like Mama Cass.
Who do you dance with?
You gotta like the looks of what you pick up first. Or, you won't play with it if you don't like the looks. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | And the looker invariably turns out to be a psycho. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
And the looker invariably turns out to be a psycho. I'm gonna tell Susan you said that..... |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | She doesn't care, she knows I'm an idiot. I was lucky with Susan, I meant the other one...... remember? |
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November 2005
Posts: 4827
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Kris Kristofferson said: Never go to bed with a woman crazier than you. You will break this rule, and you will regret it.
.........................................
I go for the No Bling Guitars every time. When I'm only playing for myself, only the sound matters. When I'm playing out, I don't want to be upstaged by my guitar. (Hell, I can by upstaged by my HAT!) |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I hate getting dressed up. I am a jeans and t-shirt girl. I like my guitars plain too. While I wouldn't reject a guitar with a lot of fancy inlay and pretty woods if it was easy to play and sounded good, it would probably be the last one in the store I would try. My favorite guitars at the moment are my Morgan Monroe Bean Blossoms which are yellow (my least favorite color) and my old black Legend with all the cracks, followed closely by my new 2077LX, which is also black. No bling at all, but man, do they sound good. |
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October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | I'm not into all the fancy inlay or carved briges either. Bling for me is a nice Sunburst and maybe some tuner buttons other then "Silver or gold! :) |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Alison, I like basic Black as well:
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April 2008
Posts: 498
| Originally posted by MusicMishka:
[QB] Alison, I like basic Black as well:
Mike, how many 1758s have you owned over the years?
just wondering.
I've had 3, and they're still my favorite O 12 string.. tho mine have all been -1 models.
looks good, and I do know how great it sounds!
Glenn |
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A Short Essay About Bling
