Jack White....

lustycourtier

Are people seriously implying Swift isn't a decent guitarist?! Wow. 

Hattigol

Does anyone know what we are actually arguing about on this thread now?

thegummy

Moloch said:

thegummy said:

haha amazing - it exists and I am indeed surprised.

Suggests to me that you've never really paid any attention to him. He's an excellent guitarist and extremely influential to a couple of generations of indie players.

As for the comments about Swift: Pure snobbery. I have yet to encounter someone 'in their first year of playing' who is up to playing like that, while singing like that and in front of an audience, while being recorded for an international video release. She's no shredder and I certainly wouldn't describe her as a 'guitar hero' (which is a monumentally cringe boomer term anyway), but she's a competent guitarist and certainly doesn't need to be cut out of the mix as you suggest.

It's not snobbery just because you're impressed with something that I'm not.

There's nothing she's playing in that video that isn't in a beginners guitar course; if you've never seen someone get that good within a year then big deal, I doubt you see that many new guitar players anyway.

Do you think there are members on here who can't play as well as that? Or any that would say they can't without them being overly humble?

thegummy

TeleMaster said:

Hattigol said:

thegummy said:

TeleMaster said:

I think having an image and a personality in your playing, as well as your dress sense and style sets you apart from other acts. Would Slash be considered as he is if he didn't look and dress how he does, if he didn't have a finely honed image? It's the whole package isn't it. I think she has that. 

Annie Clarke is a guitarist, not a musician who plays guitar. You can't lump her in with someone like Taylor Swift. She's a legitimately good guitarist and a champion for the instrument, especially for women guitarists. 

That's an interesting point about Saul Hudson. I personally find "image" cringey but I think a lot of people, maybe most, would be less impressed by him if he just dressed normally.

BTW I'm not putting St. Vincent in the category with Taylor Swift, though I can see how the way I said it made it seem that way. She doesn't "just happen to play guitar", she does it competently and as a valid part of the music (whereas Swift holding one is a gimmick, wouldn't surprise me to hear that it was very low in the mix or maybe even muted). St. Vincent is in between Swift and Eric Johnson.

Just saw that you see James Dean Bradfield as a guitar hero too so it seems we have wildly different ideas on what constitutes one is.

Think about this - if there was a compilation album or a book released called "guitar heroes" - would you honestly not be surprised if Bradfield was in it?

You mean like this one - with Motorcycle Emptiness on it?

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Pure-Guitar-Heroes/release/5678975

Haha amazing. 

Taylor Swift has indeed also done a crap load inspiring young women and girls to play. In their eyes she may be a guitar hero just like Joan Jett was in my Mother's eyes. 

We don't own a monopoly on what constitutes guitar heroism! 

Aye if it's inspiring people to start playing guitar (or at least buy one with that intention) then her and Ed Sheeran are probably up there with all the classics. I'd bet Ed Sheeran's success correlates to a massive jump in acoustic guitar sales. Any idea if that's true?

BTW, going back to your favourite guitarist, I'm in the middle of watching an instructional video series she made about song writing. You should defo check it out if you write songs.

I'm not really in to her personality, she's a bit Hollywood for me (I personally prefer a borderline autistic engineer type giving just the facts in educational vids) but I'm persisting with it expecting to get some valuable advice from her.

SPECTRUM001

thegummy said:

Moloch said:

thegummy said:

haha amazing - it exists and I am indeed surprised.

Suggests to me that you've never really paid any attention to him. He's an excellent guitarist and extremely influential to a couple of generations of indie players.

As for the comments about Swift: Pure snobbery. I have yet to encounter someone 'in their first year of playing' who is up to playing like that, while singing like that and in front of an audience, while being recorded for an international video release. She's no shredder and I certainly wouldn't describe her as a 'guitar hero' (which is a monumentally cringe boomer term anyway), but she's a competent guitarist and certainly doesn't need to be cut out of the mix as you suggest.

It's not snobbery just because you're impressed with something that I'm not.

There's nothing she's playing in that video that isn't in a beginners guitar course; if you've never seen someone get that good within a year then big deal, I doubt you see that many new guitar players anyway.

Do you think there are members on here who can't play as well as that? Or any that would say they can't without them being overly humble?

Reckon there are lots of members on here who are at or less than this level.

One of the marvellous things about guitar is just how much you can achieve creatively without being overly accomplished. 

Limits what you can do, but from small acorns...

idiotwindow

thegummy said:

Moloch said:

It's not snobbery just because you're impressed with something that I'm not.

There's nothing she's playing in that video that isn't in a beginners guitar course; if you've never seen someone get that good within a year then big deal, I doubt you see that many new guitar players anyway.

Do you think there are members on here who can't play as well as that? Or any that would say they can't without them being overly humble?

Why do you need to be impressed? You suggested that Taylor Swift couldn't play at all, that the guitar was probably a prop  and muted in the mix. It's been demonstrated that you are wrong about that and that she can play the guitar (and the piano). Whether she can play like Eric Johnson or St. Vincent is besides the point. In any case, how do you know she can't play as well as St. Vincent? The songs in the Tiny Desk video are straightforward singer-songwriter stuff – there's no need for her to do anything with the guitar beyond what she is doing. It would be odd if she did a shreddy solo in the middle.

lukedlb

Hattigol said:

Does anyone know what we are actually arguing about on this thread now?

I’ll make my request again about the guitar jack white uses in the first song. 

stickyfiddle

lukedlb said:

Hattigol said:

Does anyone know what we are actually arguing about on this thread now?

I’ll make my request again about the guitar jack white uses in the first song. 

If you mean colourbox’s post on p3, it’s an Airline.

if you mean the Raconteurs vid in the OP, is a (very) customised Gretsch Jet which iirc wasn’t actually made by Gretsch but is absolutely badass.

lukedlb

stickyfiddle said:

lukedlb said:

Hattigol said:

Does anyone know what we are actually arguing about on this thread now?

I’ll make my request again about the guitar jack white uses in the first song. 

If you mean colourbox’s post on p3, it’s an Airline.

if you mean the Raconteurs vid in the OP, is a (very) customised Gretsch Jet which iirc wasn’t actually made by Gretsch but is absolutely badass.

Yes, the raconteurs vid. Any idea who made it, then? Yes, it is beautiful enough to drag me from my strats. 

Dan_Halen

lukedlb said:

Hattigol said:

Does anyone know what we are actually arguing about on this thread now?

I’ll make my request again about the guitar jack white uses in the first song. 

Gretsch Triple Jet in the first vid I think. Very cool.

LPManic

Is it possible to argue without quoting? My thumbs are sore and I need them for later.

thecolourbox

lukedlb said:

Haz478 said:

No fan in particular, but I stumbled on the below this morning. Brilliant. His guitar sounds awful but great but awful but..... https://youtu.be/Y8E09h5-tho

Forgive my ignorance. 

What guitar is jack playing in the first song?

@lukedlb it's his "Gretsch" Triple Jet I think, had it made for him, not by Gretsch, for the Raconteurs specifically. It has three pickups (he usually has three way switch for one pickup at a time). He did a bigger Gretsch in green as well with built in harmonica mic.

I think both guitars may have had the mxr micro amp built in as well

thegummy

idiotwindow said:

thegummy said:

Moloch said:

It's not snobbery just because you're impressed with something that I'm not.

There's nothing she's playing in that video that isn't in a beginners guitar course; if you've never seen someone get that good within a year then big deal, I doubt you see that many new guitar players anyway.

Do you think there are members on here who can't play as well as that? Or any that would say they can't without them being overly humble?

Why do you need to be impressed? You suggested that Taylor Swift couldn't play at all, that the guitar was probably a prop  and muted in the mix. It's been demonstrated that you are wrong about that and that she can play the guitar (and the piano). Whether she can play like Eric Johnson or St. Vincent is besides the point. In any case, how do you know she can't play as well as St. Vincent? The songs in the Tiny Desk video are straightforward singer-songwriter stuff – there's no need for her to do anything with the guitar beyond what she is doing. It would be odd if she did a shreddy solo in the middle.

So hold on, how was the video a reply to me saying her guitar playing is a gimmick if it doesn't include impressive guitar playing, even to you? They're obviously not going to mute the guitar in that video or it would just be a capella singing...

I still wouldn't be surprised if her guitar signal was much lower in the mix than session players' guitar signals or even muted, not sure why it would surprise you - is it just Swift that you doubt gets that or do you think it's not something that happens in the pop world for anyone?

Have you never been watching a pop act on TV where someone is holding a guitar and you think "but there isn't any guitar playing in this song"?

And obviously I have no idea what Taylor Swift can play in her spare time but when TeleMaster used her as an example of a type not to lump St. Vincent in with, I assumed he would have been talking about the stuff she plays to her audience.

thegummy

thecolourbox said:

I sometimes forget how hot he is.

TeleMaster

thegummy said:

thecolourbox said:

I sometimes forget how hot he is.

Sure, but how loud is he in the mix?

Creed_Clicks

@thecolourbox I can think of 3 songs off that first SP album that are crackers.

thecolourbox

TeleMaster said:

thegummy said:

thecolourbox said:

I sometimes forget how hot he is.

Sure, but how loud is he in the mix?

Ha. 

Not sure he's ever low in a mix though!

This was from the Raconteurs show I went to, they recorded the show live and gave you a CD just after the show which was pretty good. You definitely don't struggle to hear him... 

LPManic

Jack White’s energy for Consolers of the Lonely in that Basement set is incredible!

lukedlb

thecolourbox said:

lukedlb said:

Haz478 said:

No fan in particular, but I stumbled on the below this morning. Brilliant. His guitar sounds awful but great but awful but..... https://youtu.be/Y8E09h5-tho

Forgive my ignorance. 

What guitar is jack playing in the first song?

@lukedlb it's his "Gretsch" Triple Jet I think, had it made for him, not by Gretsch, for the Raconteurs specifically. It has three pickups (he usually has three way switch for one pickup at a time). He did a bigger Gretsch in green as well with built in harmonica mic.

I think both guitars may have had the mxr micro amp built in as well

my god, they are beautiful

Jalapeno

He has another Gretsch with a Bullet mic on a retracable lead built in !  It's brilliant !