"Guitarists": Exploiting our demographic has gone too far

[Rick Lee]

Eddie Van Halen had a pretty good signature model amp, the Peavey 5150. Back when he had just started out with Kramer, the Baretta was a pretty sweet axe, though they went downhill. Now Fender is making a perfect copy of his Frankenstrat and selling them for $30k. Who knows if it's true, but EVH swears he can't tell the difference between the real one and the copies. Even the cigarette burn marks are copied and they rounded up batches of 1976 quarters like the one Ed screwed into the body to even up the bridge.

Does EJ play his signature models live? Last I saw him, he was playing some pretty old and expensive looking Strats.

[ToddM]

But have any of these signature models actually ever gave something NEW to the consumer? Why would pay $10K for a relic job to LOOK like Rory's or Stevie's strat? It doesn't play or sound any different than any other high end custom shop strat. It's such a joke.

At least when Brian May's Red Special was copied and produced, it was providing us with something genuinely new.

[ToddM]

I don't know about EJ but EC definitely doesn't play his signature strats. The closest thing he plays to a signature strat is various mercedes blue Todd Kraus or Mark Kendrick masterbuilt strats that resemble a signature strat.

The last time Clapton was around I was totally unimpressed. He came out and did a bunch of blues standards and Derek trucks was playing circles around him. Clapton also used this cream coloured strat which may had sounded good somewhere (studio?) but it was one of the worst sounds I have ever heard from anybody at any concert.

When you get to Clapton status, you can pretty much go on stage, slam ham, and 99% of the audience will be thrilled; I was disappointed.

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by ToddM
But have any of these signature models actually ever gave something NEW to the consumer? Why would pay $10K for a relic job to LOOK like Rory's or Stevie's strat? It doesn't play or sound any different than any other high end custom shop strat. It's such a joke.

At least when Brian May's Red Special was copied and produced, it was providing us with something genuinely new.

Nothing but talent is gonna make someone sound as good as the endorser. Remember, EVH's original Frankenstrat was slapped together with about $250 of spare parts laying around. Now, he'll end up playing the Fender replicas because the original is worth millions and is too risky to take on the road. I can't believe he actually loaned it out to the guy who did the Fender replicas.

I was in the R&R Hall of Fame last Tues. and at the Queen exhibit, I was a little disappointed to see the Guild copy instead of Brian May's original. But I guess he's still playing it and only made one of them. I've played the Guild copy before. Why didn't I sound like Brian May? LOL.

[ToddM]

Brian May is one of those guys - he has his own sound.. you hear it on the radio and its instantly recognizable.

I've known some guys that were just amazing who couldn'd afford anything more than Squier Strats, etc.

For a Strat, anything more than a used custom shop isn't going to do anything for you, your playing, or your sound. I had to actually build my own out of parts because Fender didn't make what I want. It cost me about $1700 to do but I can tell you I don't look at Strats or even to the guitar store anymore because its the one for me.

I guess I just don't understand the "i wanna be like..." anything because I have alway sjust wanted to be like me and if there was something I didnt like about me, I tried my best to change it.

[widebody911]

How do you afford your rock-n-roll lifestyle?

[red-beard]

Originally posted by Victor
Pardon the ranting by the way....It is alchohol induced...

Did you get into "The Jimi Hendrix Liquid Experience" ?

[nota]

I am wondering what a ""WHO'' distroyed on stage ax is worth today
or the bits of one

[Az911]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Eddie Van Halen had a pretty good signature model amp, the Peavey 5150. Back when he had just started out with Kramer, the Baretta was a pretty sweet axe, though they went downhill. Now Fender is making a perfect copy of his Frankenstrat and selling them for $30k. Who knows if it's true, but EVH swears he can't tell the difference between the real one and the copies. Even the cigarette burn marks are copied and they rounded up batches of 1976 quarters like the one Ed screwed into the body to even up the bridge.

I read they are only to make 300 copies so I'm sure they will go for big bucks.

[Rick Lee]

I made a pretty decent Frankenstrat copy years ago for about $400 in parts and eBay'ed it for $600. $30k is just insane. It's not like playing that guitar is gonna make anyone sound like old VH or give them the brown sound. It's all in the hands, next in the amp and last in the guitar.

[Az911]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
I made a pretty decent Frankenstrat copy years ago for about $400 in parts and eBay'ed it for $600. $30k is just insane. It's not like playing that guitar is gonna make anyone sound like old VH or give them the brown sound. It's all in the hands, next in the amp and last in the guitar.

To sound like EVH you need the whole package, guitar, amp, effects rack, and a fair amount of skill.

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by Az911
To sound like EVH you need the whole package, guitar, amp, effects rack, and a fair amount of skill.

Skill is right. EVH tells a story about when they were touring with Ted Nugent and Ted asked to try out Ed's rig and still couldn't make it sound anything like Ed did. Listen to the intro of Take Your Whiskey Home. Nothing but pure feel, iron-strong hands and super musical talent.

I always like going to concerts where the guitar tech comes out before the show with the star's guitar and warms it up, just playing through their amp rig with the PA off. I've seen EJ's and EVH's techs do it and it's always a thrill to hear that raw sound.

[Victor]

Originally posted by red-beard
Did you get into "The Jimi Hendrix Liquid Experience" ?

No - Heineken. Still had a fairly liquid experience though. I reckon that catch phrase is going to stick.

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Nothing but talent is gonna make someone sound as good as the endorser. Remember, EVH's original Frankenstrat was slapped together with about $250 of spare parts laying around. Now, he'll end up playing the Fender replicas because the original is worth millions and is too risky to take on the road. I can't believe he actually loaned it out to the guy who did the Fender replicas.

A min. of $25k will transform you into the next EVH, courtesy of Fender Custom Shop.

[Rick Lee]

Ah, so it was 1971 instead of 1976. I read an interview with the guy who did these guitars and he had a real hard time finding enough 1971 quarters. He ended up buying some rolls of them on eBay.

[bigchillcar]

nice closeups. the guitar we love.

[ToddM]

**** i can stick a lot of tape, reflectors, and drill as many quarters as I want into my strat for $25K

[stuartj]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Remember, EVH's original Frankenstrat was slapped together with about $250 of spare parts laying around.

Yeah, and the irony is that, if IIRC, it wasnt even made from Fender bits.

The EVH strat, while an amazing bit of repro craftmanship, is just a joke. 25k-30k? The joke is that a market exists for such a thing.

[Victor]

I'm convinced it's the same dude's that are paying $7000 for a push bike and $30k for a Hardley Davidson.

[ToddM]

Actually that is funny, can you spot the use of a quarter in my 3.6?