What's The Deal With One-Trick Pony Guitars?

[stevieb]

A recent post on Atlanta Craig's List got me thinking about something again...

Some guy's offering a Kramer Baretta- he wants nine hundred bux! for a guitar with ONE pickup and ONE volume control- no tone control, whammy bar is apparently missing (altho he says the guitar is brand new, unplayed.) Never mind that sounds like an obscene amount of money, at least to me- what I wanna know is, why even have a guitar that makes such a narrow range of tones? (actually, "a narrow range of tone"- singular.) Yeah, I know, tone controls and such may have an effect on tone, but switches are either "on" or they are "off"- and when off, NOTHING flows thru them, so no tone loss there, or because of anything down stream of the switch- like tone controls or pickups. So, who's got the money to buy these one-trick ponys, who's got the space to keep 'em in, and who's got so many rodies on the payroll that he has to pack around guitars that seem to only provide employment for extra hands?

'Splain this to me, Lucy.

 

[legionserial]

If the guitar sounds nice and plays well, then someone is bound to fall in love with it.

 

[BrentDomann]

Esquire players might be able to show you the way.

 

[BrentDomann]

Oh, and I forgot, Gibson charges about $2300 for that kind of an electronics complement (LP Jr.)

!

 

[famous beagle]

And don't forget, many acoustic manufacturers charge $3K, $4K, or more for a guitar that doesn't even have a volume knob!

By your definition, all acoustic guitars would be one-trick ponies (the ones without electronics).

If a guitar (or amp for that matter) gets the tone you want and plays the way you like, then that's all you need.

I'm not saying I would pay even $100 for that thing, but I don't play metal.

Lots of people feel the same way about amps. Why would someone pay $2K for an old vintage XXXX with only one sound when they could have a Boogie with 13,475 different options for the same price? The reason is that none of those 13,475 options on the Boogie sound the way that one sound from vintage amp XXXX does.

 

[hotrodder]

And don't forget, many acoustic manufacturers charge $3K, $4K, or more for a guitar that doesn't even have a volume knob!

By your definition, all acoustic guitars would be one-trick ponies (the ones without electronics).

If a guitar (or amp for that matter) gets the tone you want and plays the way you like, then that's all you need.

I'm not saying I would pay even $100 for that thing, but I don't play metal.

Lots of people feel the same way about amps. Why would someone pay $2K for an old vintage XXXX with only one sound when they could have a Boogie with 13,475 different options for the same price? The reason is that none of those 13,475 options on the Boogie sound the way that one sound from vintage amp XXXX does.

Well said.

 

[hotrodder]

double post ...

 

[Topcat53]

I believe there was this guitar player named Eddie something that played a guitar with only one pick up and one volume knob - and his playing sure didn't sound like he had only one trick to me.

 

[zwh]

I believe there was this guitar player named Eddie something that played a guitar with only one pick up and one volume knob - and his playing sure didn't sound like he had only one trick to me.

It sure did to me. One very good trick though.

I think the others above have nailed it. Kind of like spending $3k on that one Neumann mic, when you could buy a vast variety of different toned mics for that price. It's that specific sound they're after.

Also, a skilled guitarist can create many tricks with a simple setup.

 

[Unsprung]

Esquire players might be able to show you the way.

Having read the description of Esquire switching options at the Fender web site, I decide that I'll wire my home brewed lap steel guitar similarly, but using a 3 position rotary switch (a la Gibson/Epiphone EB3 bass) with a chicken head knob.

Oh, and I forgot, Gibson charges about $2300 for that kind of an electronics complement (LP Jr.)!

I wish Gibson hadn't stopped making their lower priced (non-Custom Shop/Tom DeLonge signature) Les Paul Juniors, but if I ever happen to come across a used one and the money's available, it will be mine. Otherwise, I'll have to "put up with" my used Gibson Les Paul Melody maker that I bought this spring. I've also got a Squier Bullet Special, Fender So Cal Speed Shop Strat, Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90.

Matt

 

[ido1957]

A recent post on Atlanta Craig's List got me thinking about something again...

Some guy's offering a Kramer Baretta- he wants nine hundred bux! for a guitar with ONE pickup and ONE volume control- no tone control, whammy bar is apparently missing (altho he says the guitar is brand new, unplayed.) Never mind that sounds like an obscene amount of money, at least to me- what I wanna know is, why even have a guitar that makes such a narrow range of tones? (actually, "a narrow range of tone"- singular.) Yeah, I know, tone controls and such may have an effect on tone, but switches are either "on" or they are "off"- and when off, NOTHING flows thru them, so no tone loss there, or because of anything down stream of the switch- like tone controls or pickups. So, who's got the money to buy these one-trick ponys, who's got the space to keep 'em in, and who's got so many rodies on the payroll that he has to pack around guitars that seem to only provide employment for extra hands?

'Splain this to me, Lucy.

Solution: Buy a cheaper guitar with two pickups that you can afford. If you are serious about playing a quality guitar, it's going to cost you at least what the Kramer costs. It has it's purpose, as does a strat and les paul. The latter will cost you that as a minimum. That Kramer is a nice axe and the price sounds reasonable to me. The MSRP on mine was $1350 back in 1985.

 

[BrentDomann]

I wish Gibson hadn't stopped making their lower priced (non-Custom Shop/Tom DeLonge signature) Les Paul Juniors, but if I ever happen to come across a used one and the money's available, it will be mine.

+1 million. I want a Junior in my stable, but having the custom shop be the cheapest "new" option is ridiculous.

Otherwise, I'll have to "put up with" my used Gibson Les Paul Melody maker that I bought this spring.

+100 billion. I had one (if you mean the P-90 one). I sold it for very little. I should not have done so.

 

[stevieb]

Solution: Buy a cheaper guitar...

That Kramer is a nice axe and the price sounds reasonable to me. The MSRP on mine was $1350 back in 1985.

No "problem" to be solved- I requested an explination as to why someone might buy a one-trick pony guitar if money, space or hands to carry stuff might be a a premium. Oh, shure (misspelling intended) EVH had plenty of all three, so he could buy/store/(have others)carry whatever he wanted- but most of us don't have those luxuries.

And as for $900 being reasonable, when compared to it's SUGGESTED retail price of $1350- I can't recall the last time I saw any piece of gear sell for SRP. And, to put that price in a bit of perspective- my Gallien-Krueger 250ML had, I recall from someone telling me, a SRP of about... $1350. It's from the same era, too.

 

[Ironklad Audio]

a lot of people have guitars with single pickups/tone knobs/whatever

i have a jackson PS-4 that came stock with 2 humbuckers and a single coil, along with a single volume and tone knob. the guitar has an extremely thin neck, and i love it for lead work, but nothing else...so i swapped the stock bridge pickup out for a SD blackout, and didn't bother wiring in the other 2 pickups, the switch, or the tone knob, because i know damn well that i don't use them

 

[Unsprung]

+1 million. I want a Junior in my stable, but having the custom shop be the cheapest "new" option is ridiculous.



+100 billion. I had one (if you mean the P-90 one). I sold it for very little. I should not have done so.

The Billie Joe Armstrong signature model (has a P-100 pickup) is the cheapest Gibson Les Paul Junior currently available; at roughly 1/2 the price of the cheapest Custom Shop Les Paul Junior. I don't know why I said "Tom DeLonge signature model," except that I was possibly thinking about the old Fender Tom DeLonge Strats that I lusted for, but never could afford when they were new. I'll eventually get me a Fender Tom DeLonge Strat into my stable. My Melody Maker does have a P-90 pickup, and it along with my Gibson Les Paul Faded Double Cut (cheap Special, having two P-90s) will be getting a Bigsby B5 vibrato added.

As soon as I get some free time, and along with finishing my parts collecting toward home brewing a lap steel, I'm also going to collect the necessary parts to home brew my own vision of a single pickup "Strat," but with a Strat tremolo. Depending on the source for the body and neck, I'll either use a P-90 pickup, or a humbucker sized P-90.

Matt

 

[DrewPeterson7]

No "problem" to be solved- I requested an explination as to why someone might buy a one-trick pony guitar if money, space or hands to carry stuff might be a a premium. Oh, shure (misspelling intended) EVH had plenty of all three, so he could buy/store/(have others)carry whatever he wanted- but most of us don't have those luxuries.

Personally, I don't think I'd ever grab a guitar with a single humbucker and no tone, so take the below with a grain of salt. That said...

That's all some people want. If you're playing hard rock and play all of your rhythm and lead parts on the bridge pickup (and I know plenty of guys who do this), then why bother with a neck? If you're not using it, why even have it there?

Likewise, there are plenty of people who prefer guitars without tone circuits - even with the tone all the way up, it's never entirely out of the circuit. Some people prefer the slightly brighter tone you get without a tone knob. I've heard plenty of players rave about how much better their guitars sounded after they disconnected the tone circuit. I'm not one of them, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Also, part of it is probably image. If you lived through the 80's and all your favorite players were playing guitars with one humbucker and one volume, then that's going to appeal to you in a way that it won't for someone like me who grew up on the sound of a neck singlecoil through a moderately driven amp.

Hey, I certainly wouldn't want a single 'bucker guitar with no tone knob as my main player, but there's a whole slew of people who do. I'm not going to tell them they can't have what they want simply because I like the options a pickup switch and tone knob provide.

By the way, if it's a clean '80's Kramer, $900 isn't asking a premium - hell, I'm a little fuzzy on my pricing of 80's Kramers, but that might even be a pretty good price.