T
hese days, it seems everyone
plays guitar. Part of the reason
for this is that the cost of
acquiring a quality, massproduced guitar or bass has come down
radically over the last decade or so, making
these instruments extremely accessible for
aspiring musicians in every stratum of
society. Factor in the incredible number of
online resources for learning how to play,
and voila, there are now millions of guitar
bands of all stripes operating in every farflung corner of the world. This development
is unquestionably a good thing, but for
every positive there must also be a negative.
One such negative: Although guitars, guitar
players, and guitar bands are everywhere,
there seem to be fewer players cultivating
distinctive, signature tones. Thinking back to
the classic rock era and the legendary
pioneers of the instrument, such as Hendrix,
Page, Gibbons, Ronson, and Fripp, each of
these players had a very recognizable sound
resulting from a combination of their playing
style and the unique evolution of their
equipment preferences. Back in the day,
educated listeners were often able to tell
who was playing guitar on a new song after
hearing just a few notes. This is much rarer
today, for a variety of reasons, but there are
ToneReport.com
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