Big Poppa said if you if U want make a Mayer thread

[straycat113]

Sterling I would believe that you have spent time with the Royalty of guitar history that is a given. The things I brought up were just issues in that thread. It seems like Eddie Vs name is not to popular here for whatever reason and the only puzzling thing about that is I would believe he would be a popular part of the history of this company as his model and the Axis which it became, I believe are one of the classics in the modern guitar world.

As far as those forums that worship him I can do without that, as the bottom line comes down to as a person I think the guy is a prick and has screwed over every company and most of the people he was friends with for a buck and the size of his ego. There is no denying his genius as a player but I will agree that seems a long time ago.

I said I think Mayer is a talented singer and songwriter and a good guitar player, and to be honest I bet he would be cool to hang with as the guy has a good sense of humor. But there is no way the guy deserves all this great player talk because he is not special in that sense. He is an awesome rhythm player and his chord voicings are really interesting and complex but as a lead player no way. And I think his fame has a lot to do with hanging and going out with Hollywood A list actresses as it does with his music. I thought Kurt Cobain was a great writer and in RollingStone magazines, joke of the 100 greatest guitar players in rock history they had him something like #14 and Jack White # 21 while Randy Rhoades was in the 80s and Danny Gatton in the 50s. But I have to admit I was surprised to see they even knew Gatton.

Now over at Fender they would call me a hater when it comes to Mayer but I do not hate the guy and I said he is a very talented singer and songwriter just not a great guitar player in the sense that people who play would call him great. Now I know the guys who play EBMM guitars and the players they are into and I would like to hear what the guys on the forum think of his skills as a player.

And Sterling this I am saying dead serious, I have to tip my hat to your company as I believe you are making the best guitar out there today in every aspect as well as working with some of the greatest players on the planet and not the flavors of the week., The designs are original and not the rehash of a Gibson or Fender bodies and just the overall quality from wood to electronics is top shelf. And the color schemes are by far the best on the market and you do right by you consumers as you could easily charge 2 or 3 grand more.

When I mentioned Hendrix I meant being the first hard rock guitarist to have the world of guitar players running for the hills. And yes he bit off of Buddy Guy big, and also got his rhythm style from cats like Curtis Mayfield and took it to another level.

I still stand by what I said as having some truth as I drop in often and rarely post but many times I have seen you have to put your foot down and restore order. But you have a great forum with problably the most diehard members, who I must say really have your back.lol So Big Poppa I put up my thread and would really like to hear what the forum guys really think of Mayer as a player. And the next time you are in NY with someone go eat at Rao's up in Harlem. I am sure you know the place and I will pick up the tab just put it up ahead of time. And if I happen to be there we can have a drink and you could probably tell me some crazy stories though you probably would never take me for a guy who ever touched a guitar in his life..lol

 

[Dizzy]

My brain hurts.

 

[walleye]

I said I think Mayer is a talented singer and songwriter and a good guitar player, and to be honest I bet he would be cool to hang with as the guy has a good sense of humor. But there is no way the guy deserves all this great player talk because he is not special in that sense. He is an awesome rhythm player and his chord voicings are really interesting and complex but as a lead player no way. And I think his fame has a lot to do with hanging and going out with Hollywood A list actresses as it does with his music. I thought Kurt Cobain was a great writer and in RollingStone magazines, joke of the 100 greatest guitar players in rock history they had him something like #14 and Jack White # 21 while Randy Rhoades was in the 80s and Danny Gatton in the 50s. But I have to admit I was surprised to see they even knew Gatton.

why would you even bother with rolling stone magazine?
their opinion shouldn't matter to you.

 

[whitestrat]

John Mayer is a guitarist. You are a guitarist. We all are guitarists.

How many guitarists does it take to screw in a light bulb? 10. 1 to do it, and 9 others to stand around saying they could have done it better.

JM has my respect as a player and songwriter. I dig him, as do many others. You dont' dig him? So be it. Different strokes for different folks. Nothing to lose sleep over.

What I DO lose sleep over, is that he's managed to bag some ladies that many of us wished we had the chance. He's done/doing what many of us wished we could do. If his playing makes more younger kids today pick up guitar, more power to him.

Besides, being a good guitarist is a lot more than just being able toplay a nice solo.

 

[azazael]

Sterling I would believe that you have spent time with the Royalty of guitar history that is a given. The things I brought up were just issues in that thread. It seems like Eddie Vs name is not to popular here for whatever reason and the only puzzling thing about that is I would believe he would be a popular part of the history of this company as his model and the Axis which it became, I believe are one of the classics in the modern guitar world.

As far as those forums that worship him I can do without that, as the bottom line comes down to as a person I think the guy is a prick and has screwed over every company and most of the people he was friends with for a buck and the size of his ego. There is no denying his genius as a player but I will agree that seems a long time ago.

Dude, why do you think we even care?
We all have our opinion of Ed. Sure I love and hate the guy to some extent. Personally the Ed I keep in my head is him in his prime and sure I perhaps don't agree with his business practices but... its business. Its a dog eat dog world for the most part. It's also HIS business and Sterling's business...not ours.

With all this bashing you are going down a slippery slope and you are certainly off to possibly the worst start of any new user I have witnessed on this forum.

 

[mesavox]

Hendrix wasn't the first hard rock player to have other guitar players heading for the hills. It amazes me how many people forget about Chuck Berry, Jeff Beck, Clapton, and all these other players who caused rubbernecking for years when they played. Hendrix set the world on its ear yes... but in the grand scheme of history, it's hard to say he did so any more than Chuck Berry did the previous decade.

Everyone remembers Hendrix at Woodstock because of that movie... he played last and a BUNCH of people had left. He rocked, no doubt... but it's a shame Santana is mentioned so little by comparison... They absolutely owned opening day. Would Carlos have set the world on its ear if his blend of jazz, latin, and rock had been heard just a year or so earlier, and thus before the world knew much about Hendrix? I think he would have. In any case, Hendrix was by NO MEANS even close to the first significant hard rock, rock, or electric guitar player. Townsend and Clapton may have been intimidated by him, but I'd be surprised to discover that Beck or Page were.

As for Mayer... people like him. Just like Hendrix. That's what matters. People like his music, his style... all of that. So what if he is building on a lot of what Dave Mathews did? Who did Dave copy? I won't go into that list.. it's too long, but as good as he is.. he's not the first or the best at the style. He is good enough to matter and he deserves the attention he gets. Being the best player isn't the goal. That's impossible. No one can be the best. There is always someone better and art is not about that. That's like everyone who asks me if Vai or Satch is better... I respond every time... "they both can do things you don't normally hear them do, and they both are world class masters, and that is all that matters." Just about the time I start thinking to myself.. "Man so and so is better than so and so..." I listen to the other so and so a few weeks later, and that sound really grabs me and all the sudden he's now better in my mind than the first guy and... vicious circle that doesn't mean a darn thing. What it amounts to is.... whichever one is touching that "I really dig it" bone at the moment... is better at that moment because it's what I want to hear.

Morse and Petrucci are two good examples. Very similar approaches in terms of precision and alternate picking techniques. Two very similar approaches to use of scales in a song. But, two very different approaches to the use of sound and guitar amps. John is obviously much more aggressive for the most part. I do think Steve is probably the more versed in various styles of music... Well, I think Steve is one of the most versed guitar players ever to live but... which one is better? I'd lean towards Steve even though I tend to like John's Melodies a bit more most of the time. But in the end.. they both make me stop what I'm doing and listen. They both make me smile. They both make me want to be better at what I do. They both make me want to tell people to check them out. Which one is better? I couldn't care less what the answer to that question is. Neither do I care if Mayer isn't quite as good as Mathews. To me they both deserve what they have achieved, and if you want to gripe about musicians being overrated... at least stick to those who actually get praises for being great and just sing other people's songs after being coached up on the notes. (And no, singing other people's songs does not equate to being a bad muso... I didn't say that. lol)

You know... I don't think Taylor Swift can sing her way out of a paper bag, but she writes catchy songs that I actually don't mind catching myself singing along to, and even at that.. I've heard worse singers that are/were even more popular and famous. The recent music awards show... whew man... there was some pretty questionable singing all throughout that show. But... we are spoiled by recordings in our generation. Music wasn't as perfect as we think it was 150 years ago. Beethoven dealt with imperfection in his orchestras... and he didn't particularly get too annoyed by it. He understood that live performance is imperfect.

So, I guess I just don't see the reason for the negativity. But... there is my long response to two long rants. lol

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Azazael, I don't think this will ever lead anywhere, I look at it as an upmanship game, and I rate you wiser than to fall into the entrapment.

Best leave it between him and the Guv'nor.

 

[DrGonzo5150]

...I have to tip my hat to your company as I believe you are making the best guitar out there today in every aspect as well as working with some of the greatest players on the planet and not the flavors of the week. The designs are original... And the color schemes are by far the best on the market...

Welcome straycat, I certainly agree with you on this point

...you are certainly off to possibly the worst start of any new user I have witnessed on this forum.

Oh... I dunno..
There have been some serious clangers
Lets face it, we've all been guilty at some stage or another.

Different strokes for different folks. Nothing to lose sleep over.

For what it is worth, I'm with you Lionel - Far more important things to worry about.

Now.. What makes a metal guitar and does the JP meet this criteria?
Joking

 

[Stratty316]

Azazael, I don't think this will ever lead anywhere, I look at is as an upmanship game, and I rate you wiser than to fall into the entrapment.

Best leave it between him and the Guv'nor.

I agree, it seems to me like someone is just trying to poke the bear...

 

[robelinda2]

Ed who?

Long live Albert.

 

[Josh O]

I've carried all of my JPs in my John Mayer Fender/Incase gig bag. There, I said it!!

 

[threeminutesboy]

I don't understand this thread

must be my terrible English I guess ....

 

[whitestrat]

Now.. What makes a metal guitar and does the JP meet this criteria?

I already stated this... 27 frets, Stealth black with only ONE humbucker in the bridge!!!

 

[e.mate]

*crzzzapapabing-bbbbzzzzzzzz-beeep*

 

[Big Poppa]

OK This is good lets al relax and see if there is a real conversation here.

I think that the first inportant point that I get make is that I don't allow bashing of other players....even EVH. I also said if you wanted a John Msyer thread then start one and its first off about EVH and presenting mixed but mostly negative. I recognise EVHs contributions to the company and he may even realize the stuff we did for him but enough. I dont want this to turn into the EVH shrine or the Evh bash central. Too much else to talk about. So if this goes one more post that mentions evh it gets closed too. Got it everyone? Its been beat to death.....

Also Stray cat may come off different than the norm but you all did. Lets please try to not be armchair mods...if there is a point you want to DISCUSS then fire away...if not go to another thread that captures your fancy....THe balance here is very important to me and it has gotten a little mean recently.

Lets discuss guitar eras to help with the Mayer deal. Clapton came up with Page Beck Hendrix....most of the blues guys you brought up came that way...Luke came up with Carlton Ford Ritenhour..... Morse with Vai and Stariani and Malmsteen. Whos standing up next to John Mayer?....where is the peer pressure? You could say Bonamassa, Sheppard, Hiland but the level of visibility that Mayer brings to playing the guitar is huge. He won me over when he played at the Grammys with just ann archtop and a blackface and played the Fathers and daughters song.

I think John Mayer is a very talented man who is consumed by tone and loves the guitar more than some of the babes that Lionel brought up. I believe that he will continue to evolve as a player and an artist.

Stray...Look at it this way...there is a heart throb major media figure that plays guitar.....usually they just hold them as a prop. Its like the guys bitching ad nauseum about gutiar hero....Ive said it a million times here..."Would they rather it be called Tractor Hero" The funny thing is much like Guitar Hero John Mayer has introduced the concept of playing the guitar to many who may not have otherwise.

Also we may have heard most of it before but we must not be like our parents who are too critical of things that make the younger generation happy.

 

[tornandfrayed]

It seems like the media is always trying to shove the {next big thing} down our throats...if your the real deal guitar players will find soon enough!

 

[Big Poppa]

WE demand it from the media MOre people are experts at Tiger WOods and his dilema than the war.

 

[d0nba3r]

BP, you're right. Somehow we've lost perspective, maybe because the bigger issues are too big and too hard to fix. Music, and your guitars give us a welcome break from those big, nasty issues that we can't quite get a handle on. Is music more important than health care, the huge budget defecits and the near-depression we're just starting to crawl out of? No way - they're not more important, but they are a hell of a lot more fun. I say that as someone who has played guitar for over 25 years and loves it. But I get up and go to work every day to support my family. And these big issues are the ones that will make us or break us.

I hope Music-Man keeps doing what they're doing, cause they are great people building great instruments. As far as guitar players, listen to what you like, and listen to (and play with) people better than you so you can keep on learning. That's the name of the game.

Peace in the new year!

Don

 

[leftyguitarblue]

BP, you're right. Somehow we've lost perspective, maybe because the bigger issues are too big and too hard to fix. Music, and your guitars give us a welcome break from those big, nasty issues that we can't quite get a handle on. Is music more important than health care, the huge budget defecits and the near-depression we're just starting to crawl out of? No way - they're not more important, but they are a hell of a lot more fun. I say that as someone who has played guitar for over 25 years and loves it. But I get up and go to work every day to support my family. And these big issues are the ones that will make us or break us.

I hope Music-Man keeps doing what they're doing, cause they are great people building great instruments. As far as guitar players, listen to what you like, and listen to (and play with) people better than you so you can keep on learning. That's the name of the game.

Peace in the new year!


Don

Perfect.

 

[beej]

Bashing people's playing is something I left behind in high school along with the "I'm a better guitarist" ego.

Man, anyone who gets up in front of a crowd and plays gets my respect. Anyone that can make a career out of it, my admiration.

Why label someone a guitarist when they sing, write and play? Realize that's a totally different thing than being a sideman or a studio guy.

Most guys would kill for an ounce of talent and good fortune like that.