From: Wilson, NC USA 27896

From: Meridian, Mississippi USA

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

From: Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA

I have talked to a lot of guys who have bought new guitars because they want lighter weight and better mechanics, but the still hold on to their old "boat anchors".

From: Bohmte, Germany

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Remington D 10 8/8, Session 400 LTD

From: Europe

From: Cloverdale, North California, USA

From: Europe

From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.

From: West Hurley,NY

From: Inverness, Florida

The Carter starter, is the exception, for a new guitar, but then it's aimed at the new player.

From: Phoenix, AZ

I'm not hip to all the surveys that may be out there, but from experience, it seems that a lot, maybe most players tend to pattern their play list and style after some of the arguably "great players". Nothing at all wrong with that, but...(BIG BUT here), most seem to get hung up there.
For example, the tunes players will play...although I think some instrumentals are still wonderful and great and all credit is due to the incredible players who came up with them, most of us are still playing those instrumentals. (I won't name tunes cause I'm certainly not slamming the songs or the players themselves). But, I think many of us are setting our limits based on the players who played those songs and we never go past that.
When I used to go the steel shows (and especially the St. Louis Convention), I'd hear all these great players and a lot of the same instrumentals over and over and over again. I was sitting in the coffee shop one year and overheard some convention goers debating on how a dozen different players played a certain song. All those players were being judged against the original recording and how fast this player played it or how much better the tone was, how much prettier, etc.... That's fine, but when enough players decide to blaze their own path, whether they write their own stuff or not, we'll see more comments like the one about Robert Randolph above.
So you don't like blues or jazz or whatever, fine....do what you like, but think about doing something a bit different, something outside of what has already been done, be explorers of music and the instrument and see where it takes you. This is what I believe the great players have always done.
My roots were what I would call very traditional and I listened to Buddy E. and Buddy C. and many others, but I've also learned to like things outside of that tradition. Look at what Paul has done...he learned what everyone else did (and can still do it great)and then went where his ears led him. The result has been pretty fantastic.
Having said all of this...if you still feel that playing the (truly) great instrumentals of decades ago is your way to go without venturing elsewhere, then great. I'll cheer you on from the sidelines and probably raise my opinions and comparisons with the gang in the coffee shop. By the way, if I get a request for Steel Guitar Rag....I play it.

From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.

From: Brooklyn, NY

Bob

From: Tahlequah, OK, USA

Jerry

From: Britain

From: Oklahoma City, OK USA

OPERA: Someone singing who should be talking.

From: Inverness, Florida

From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.

You see, when it comes down to basics, it's really hard to sell something out of its usual area of appeal. Oh, it happens...but just not very often. For instance, back in the '80s, Slim Whitman released a couple of new recordings of his old songs, and we saw them advertised on UHF-TV at 2:00 in the morning. A lot of people laughed (Slim wasn't really that "popular" when he was popular!) at him singing "Rose Marie" again. But when his sales went over 12 million, a lot of them stopped laughing!

From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

From: Tahlequah, OK, USA

Jerry

From: Cedar Springs,MI USA

One big thing is beautiful E9 melding with jazz, swing , and rock, and E6 all on one neck. Buddy Emmons has been working on that very same thing. Ahead of his time as usual.....al

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