I recently walked into a well-respected music store in Los Angeles and could not believe what I found. The magic of a new guitar has never gone unappreciated by me. The feeling of walking into a room a brand new showroom of gear is one of the greatest thrills for me in the world…until recently. Was it my hearing? Am I getting old? (I’m not…not yet anyway) What was the explanation for the unplayability and lack of tonal response from guitars and amps alike? “It’s all in your fingers!” people will say. “You didn’t have it set up right!”, others will argue. The reality is, there is some very uninspiring craftsmanship and designs being cranked out in this “Made in China” atmosphere.

Let’s talk vintage for a second. Vintage instruments are loved and adored for their construction, playability, and tone. So let’s go back, all the way, to the (dare I say) 1990’s. I would argue it is one of the best decades of design, value, and craftsmanship that the guitarist has ever seen. The current stable of axes and amps cannot go head to head, which is why there are reissues (never as good) of some 90’s designed guitars and amps. While there are exceptions to the rule (the Marshall 900’s could be debated) the argument stands up.

Never before have I seen on guitars binding that was this consistently flawed and discolored. Pickups, which seemed cheaper and less alive then cheaper guitars of the past. What made these construction flaws worse was the price! Back in the “Vintage 90’s”, a guitar costing $2,000-3000 was an immaculate thing of beauty. It was a value at that price. Now, a similar model guitar, during an economic recession mind you, is $4,000-5,000 and I can create a checklist of setup issues and defects. (Yet, Sears made a better guitar out of plywood for $100 in the 50’s,)

So, as many friends and I scour Ebay for guitars and amps from 93’-98’and have contempt for a lot of manufacturers right now, I am drawing a line in the sand. I will review gear honestly and not get excited because something is “new”. Very little is. What I want to hear is tone, tone, and more tone. For all you newbies, what is tone? A long time ago you could simply just plug into and amplifier and it would sound real good. People still do it with newer stuff, but I would say the latter part is less true. Tone is effortless sustain with a big sound. Big does not mean loud Line 6 lovers, so don’t get excited. Tone is musicality. The only way to learn it is to play on stuff that turns your head so hard you’ll do anything to get it. So, let’s get real, honest and expect better. Boutique and custom are becoming quasi terms for “almost cool”. You should not have to buy new tubes and speakers for a $2,000 amp. People get G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) so often these days because they have been left uninspired and disappointed. As this site rolls out, we are going to weed out the crap and find out who’s doing it right.

Feel free to ask my opinion on any piece of gear and I will do my best to research and try it out. My personal thanks to the manufacturers doing a shitty job, it gives me plenty to write about.