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Comments
Some of the best sounding guitars I've played have been 50s and 60s designs.
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Most of the other gear will have been dialled in referencing classic guitars, ie what was available.
Guitar speakers are very coloured for starters - not flat at all.
I think theres probably a limit to how far you can stray from a ‘normal’ sounding guitar before it doesn’t work with the rest of the signal chain.
Then again, if we all liked the same things...
I like the looks which is down to opinion but the rest.
They weigh 4lb, they are perfectly balanced on a strap.
The comfort thing is only an issue if you slouch when you sit down with one.
Sound wise they are great. The most balanced output I've ever heard and none of the mid hump you usually get from a humbucker.
The fret thing isn't as common as you make it. There are loads of members on the Parker forum that are still on their original frets.
The pickups can be swapped as well. It's not as difficult as you are making out.
Most of your points are sounding like opinion being passed off as fact
"A Ric 4001/3 is:
Ugly with it's odd combo of waves and curves
Needlessly uncomfortable with it's non-bevelled stick-in-your-ribs binding
Sound pretty awful
Have durability issues (on the bridge especially and that lacquered fretboard.. sheesh!)
Are a pain in the butt to upgrade the pickups"
You'll know now for next time
Not for me it wasn't. That point of the 'hook' has a nasty tendency to catch in the notch of my sternum - that might be due to my height or the particular way I hold it, but nevertheless it is *not* a good ergonomic design if it does that to anyone - it could so easily have been avoided by having a smooth curve there - like almost every other guitar.
You should see a woman try to play one...
I really disliked the sound, and found it very middy in a bad way.
Probably. I'm sure there are people with original Marshall DSLs that have never failed too .
But it's more difficult than it needs to be.
Just like everything anybody likes or dislikes about any instrument really... apart from the headstock design, which *does* make it impossible to put on a normal hanger.
The point I was making isn't so much about one guitar design anyway - it's that a lot of it was needlessly different for the sake of it, and that doesn't make it a good innovation, it makes it a bad one. That's why so many players stick with what they know - because they don't want two steps forward and five back.
All true of course .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I hope you appreciate the gargantuan level of self control
For example:
Past
Present
Somthing raaaaaather familiar about that shape.. but yet also rather different too
As it happens - I really quite like it...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Interestingly though it wasn’t made by Spector in the US but by their Far East distributor/manufacturer - thus neatly avoiding any over zealous lawyer waving.. I doubt it would make production though, which is a shame as it’s the nicest Ric shaped bass I’ve seen to date.
Past
...and 30 years later, present:
To be fair the differences are harder to spot on this one.