I was thinking about this for a while because some limited edition guitars that came out last year (10 for 15? i think it was called) had Edge's input in it; sure, the first batch of the series had 70s headstock and it was hardtail. well I was kinda excited when I heard that happened so I guess I was overestimating how flexible Fender is as a company; i don't blame them but.....
What do you think of new line of Fender Elite? people has mixed opinions about it (i.e. thinner necks, new noiseless pups, etc). Have you used Noiseless pups? it seems to be everywhere in the high-end Fenders, and I hear people say it's inferior to Lace Sensors.
I've never used any noiseless pups, only Lace Sensors, which were awesome. They can't be that bad though considering that Clapton ditched the Lace Sensors in favor of Noiseless pups. Of course any true verdict can only come from an A/B test and even then it would still be a matter of taste. As always in these matters the rule of thumb is if it sounds good to you, stick with it.
As for thin necks, thin necks are awesome. I can't for the life understand why anyone would want to play a thick baseball bat neck. Sure, shredders favor thin necks above all, but does that automatically taint them as guilty by association?
I feel like Gibson is slowly getting what people actually want. Especially Memphis line gets it; they get that quality and details are what Gibson has been known, not those weird gizmos. I was seriously considering buying ES Les Paul Studio if I had money. Well money part is getting more and more hopeless on my end so I'm sure even if I manage t buy one it'll be pretty distant future.
As much as Im leftist (at this point I'm randomly sharing about Bernie), I'm actually fine with Rage signing with major labels. I mean, if they were in unknown labels in the 90s, they probably wouldn't have made it. now, sure it's kinda easy to distribute music without big system but i guess 90s was different time. but i got to admit that Tom Morello and co. kinda sold out a bit when they formed Audioslave, though; I've heard that the reason they only released 3 albums was because their original contract was 3 album deal. And there were some personal issues, and all that.
I'm fine with a band signing with a major label, you had to back then and to a degree you still do to reach a major audience. Which I guess was what Rage wanted to do, get their message out to a major audience. In Rage's case it was extremely ironic though considering their anti-corporate stance. Of course you can never use the system and not become tainted by it. That's why politicians, whom I willing to believe start out with the best of intentions, always become assholes. Of course Rage was never that into milking the system for money. Tom Morello never went for endorsement deals and went as far as to cover up brand names on his gear.
In U2's case there's a Dutch saying that applies very well, you talk to the left, but you line your pockets to the right. It usually applies to left wing politicians who always start out as firebrand political activists or union leaders and inevitably end up as spokesmen or members of the boards of major corporations. Or even worse, become executives themselves. U2 has always endorsed many leftist political and humanitarian causes but it has also become a well oiled money spinning machine. Which explains in no small way why so many people loath Bono for being a hypocrite. He always talks about how we should give to charity and yet U2 not only makes countless millions each year, its also very adept at finding tax loop holes to pay less taxes. And every cent avoided in paying taxes means less government money that can be spent of aid to the poor, fighting AIDS, social/welfare programs and the refugee crisis. Talking to the left, lining your pockets to the right, no, I can't say I'm surprised that Bono and the Edge are on Fender's board of directors. And again, if that makes me sound like a cynic, then I am. I don't hold it against them though. If Fender offered me that job I'd take it too. Easy money, freebies, what's not to like? And I'd promise to take my job seriously as well. Kinda.
thanx for the long response, though. I kinda think if Bono hadn't experienced that bike clash and still play guitar, he could've released bunch of models that are tied to whatever charity he are supporting. I mean, the sunglasses he wrote during tour last year was tied to charity, i remember.
I never understood though, what is up with those sunglasses?
and Im also in a weird position where I'm arguing about tone-wood on Youtube comment. it's hilarious and frustrating at the same time. especially when in one interview Edge said that electric guitar is glorified plank of wood until the signal from the pup is sent to the amps (and obviously effected like hell by pedals in between).
It seems incredibly ironic knowing that Edge has dozens of guitars, many of them of the same model and is on record saying with a straight face that they all sound different. To me most of them sound the exact same. I am perfectly willing to accept that what kind of wood you use to build a guitar will influence the sound. If you run it straight into a clean amp using the exact same pickups you might hear a difference. But pickups will probably make up the biggest difference, let alone if you run a guitar into a distorted amp through a shitload of pedals.
