The history of the Guitar BBC Documentary

[Philly Q]

 :x  Forgot to watch it.  I was watching Jack Frost, which was rubbish.

I should've watched that new Stephen Fry thing too.

[Afghan Dave]

Didn't seem to be as good this week. Though it warmed up at the end, when the strat stuff came on. I hope next week will be fierce.

+1 - I think they really missed an opportunity on the last show... It lacked pace and focus. Yes Hawaiian guitar was important but not THAT important.

"It is like a finger pointing toward the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory." Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)



 

[rohlfo]

I admit I quite liked it - ok, yes too much hawaiian guitar, but loads of good facts about blues players (and not just about Elvis, who personally I'm not a fan of), and I now know why everyone wanted a 'red' strat!

[Elliot]

The Hawaiian stuff is pretty important to the development of the electric guitar as it was partly the basis of Mississippi blues slide and the desire to produce an amplified guitar (i.e. the Rickenbacker frying pan and the Fender lap steels).  Leo Fender, after all, built his first lap steels for the Hawaiian craze.  No Hawaiian guitar, no electric guitar.

I thought Brozman and the interview with Les Paul were great.  Its a shame that they didn't talk to anyone still alive connected with the early days of Fender (like Abigail Ybarra or George Fullerton).  But all in all I liked the 2nd episode.

[mikeluke]

I thought that the whole Les Paul thing was a bit odd too. Lots of focus on Les Paul himself but hardly any on the guitar that actually resulted from the story!! As compared to lots of attention on the Tele and the Strat. Perhaps Gibson would not play ball?

[WezV]

I think we needed more on the development of the pickup... they mentioned the horseshoe construction on the frying pan but didnt go beyond that.

i liked the 50's fender factory footage

[ToneMonkey]

Now I know why so many reso's have palm trees on.... actually the missus made that link.

Thought it was quite good, but thought that Gibson mahogany looked a bit light aneamic

[Johnny Mac]

I'm really enjoying it. There's a lot of things I've learned about guitars that I never knew. My old Grandma was into this Hawaiian music, this is the first thing I've heard of it for years, I didn't know it was so popular. It all has its place on what we play and listen to now. I loved the Robert Johnson stuff too even though I've heard the story loads of times before, its just a really good tale. Old Hank Marvin was a massive influence on lots of players too because of Cliff...arghhh!  :lol: People I know who don't play the guitar are watching it too and really likeing it, anything that promotes the instrument is good in my book. If it continues to get more popular, coupled with the guitar hero game, those of us without pensions (all of us then) can supplement our meagre state handouts giving guitar lessons on the basics!!  :lol:

[AndyR]

I really enjoyed it again. And I was very contented that the Hawaiian stuff was there - they were very important in the development of out beloved instrument (and looking back at the previous week's, the Hawaiian stuff flowed very neatly in the story he's telling), and I've also been thinking for some time that I must learn how to play it - so I might be biased :roll:

I suspect that Gibson and the Les Paul itself might get a bit more attention next week - remember that Gibson couldn't catch a cold on electric guitars (sales/popularity) in comparison to Fender in the late 50s early 60s. And the Les Paul itself didn't really take off until a bunch English chaps started using them in the late 60s for blues rock. The program hasn't really got past the very early 60s yet - the Beatles will have to be mentioned, at least in passing... (sorry Roo :D).

I was well chuffed with the strat stuff though. My #1, "Edith", is a 62 re-issue in Fiesta Red. When my wife offered me a strat 18 months ago, looks-wise I went for the one I wanted in the early 80s. Why did I want it? Because of Mark Knopfler. And why did he want it? Because of Hank :D

I very nearly went looking for a Fiesta red with a maple board instead, because of Hank (I hate gold fittings though...). But I prefer rosewood boards on strats. Imagine my surprise and joy when the clip from the "gig" in the Young Ones shows that Hank is playing "my guitar". Of course, I've seen it many times (sorry again Roo :D), years ago, but I'd never registered that he played a rosewood board as well.

I kind of agree with Wez on the pickup thing... BUT, my missus sat next to me would not - her eyes glaze over every time I try to explain why they work and why they're so amazing (and why I need to buy more guitars to put more of these really good different ones in) :lol:

EDIT: Johnny Mac you posted while I was writing - looks like a few "Sorry Johnny"s might have been in order as well! I love the early Cliff & The Shadows :D - in fact, that film was one of my earliest music influences when I was little (even though it was old hat by the time I saw it)

[Elliot]

Fiesta Red strats rule - My JV is Fiesta Red and it makes it sound much better for the colour.

[Philly Q]

One of the few guitar-related things I've never once changed my mind about in 30 years is that I can't stand the look of Fiesta Red Strats! 

Other colours go in and out of favour but... I don't know what it is, it just does nothing for me.  Not particularly keen on other shades of red either - although a bound Candy Apple Red Tele can look nice.

Sorry Andy and Elliot!  :oops:

[MrBump]

Yeah, I thought it was pretty good.

And Les Paul was pretty damn hot in his day!

(I meant that in an appreciative guitar sort of way, not in a homosexual sort of way.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  Obviously...)

[dave_mc]

i liked it. some bits i wasn't as fussed on, as you'd expect, but i'd rather they'd make the documentary, with some not so good bits, than not have bothered at all...

[Twinfan]

Les Paul was pretty damn hot in his day!

I've just watched the second episode and thought exactly the same thing!

Being a bit of a guitar anoroak, I've not learnt anything new about electric guitars yet  :oops:

The only fact that made me go 'wow' was that Freddie Tavares played on the Warners Bros into theme!  :lol:

[Elliot]

I am beginning to think it would be better if they skipped the history part and the granddad guitars and just went onto brutal down tuned metal played on BC Rich's - that after all is what the guitar is for  :D