Bob, I resemble those remarks!

All too true, I'm afraid. In fact, when I look at a modern pop "star," I see a dancer whose primary task is to look sexy on stage. Music and musicianship are secondary or even tertiary. You know, historically, I've never been much of a fan of Country and Western music. But I find myself gravitating toward it now because musicianship is still on display, for the most part, with C&W performers and their music. I suppose the fact that modern C&W sounds a whole lot more like country rock or even all-out rock has probably helped some in that regard.

Anyway, what I see happening in the music industry is a decline overall in musicianship. It used to be something to make fun of, with boy bands and hip hop and all, but these trends are persisting -- much longer than I ever thought they would.

So I wonder now if the REAL musicians where "music" is being made are not unlike little gnomes hidden away in the dark labyrinths of modern music production facilities, and it is for this select few that full-featured music production software is even being put to use. There's no wonder the industry is hurting. And there's no wonder a company like Gibson is hurting. If it weren't for amateurs and hobbyists who don't mind paying dizzying amounts for their guitars, Gibson would have probably gone belly up years ago.

Take me, for instance. Until a couple years ago, it had been some 45 years since I'd owned a Les Paul (I bought a first year of reissue LP Custom back in 1968. I was sixteen.) I sold in in 1972 -- I always had a love/hate relationship with that guitar: love because of its sound, but hate because of its non-existent frets. I've owned a few Gibsons since then, but never a genuine traditional-looking Les Paul until recently. A couple years ago, I had some spending money burning a hole in my pocket and I was determined to buy a nice LP. I was almost ready to pull the trigger on one at Guitar Center, but of all places I found one that looked like it had never been played in a pawn shop I drop in on occasion, in which I had found various cool items in the past. First thing I noticed when I walked in was an LP Traditional hanging on the wall. I walked out with it for $1300 -- about $700 less than what Guitar Center was asking for a new one.

Me, I usually can't afford Gibson prices, so I have to scrounge for deals on used Gibson gear, which doesn't help Gibson at all. The only new Gibson I bought in recent memory was a Les Paul Special (double cutaway, two P90 single coils) at the now defunct Mars Music some 17 years ago. Yeah, it's a Les Paul, but not a traditional one like the Standards and Customs.

Gibson's prices continue to skyrocket. I just visited their website and they now have a few models with a $12,000 list price. Geez. That's some serious money and I'll bet they don't sell very many of 'em. Sure, Gibson still tries to compete in the cheaper price ranges, but to me their cheaper offerings look like dogs. I'd rather buy a nice Ibanez (I like Ibanez) and get a lot more guitar for the same amount of money. Hey, I can buy an eight-string Ibanez for about $400. That's a heck of a deal, ask me.

So, where does it all end? I dunno. I even have a hard time understanding today's popular music. So I'm definitely not writing it. I reckon I'll just stick with what I know how to do, using the software I know how to use (like BiaB and Sonar) and if folks like it, well great. And if they don't, well we all have our own tastes. I can't please everybody, so I may as well please myself and hope for the best.


Last edited by cooltouch; 11/26/17 08:21 AM.
Best,
Michael

My Music:
https://soundcloud.com/michaelmcbroom/albums