with these plain flat heastocks with tiny amount of shaping, they look unfinished with out some sort of name on them. but if the heastock was carved or 3D shaped there wouldn't be any need for a name. it's a design fault. a sticker is one of the cheapest forms of decoration. why people pay $10,000 for this kinda stuff is beyond my level of thinking.
I agree that the amp has far more to do with it than the guitar. However, I could still make a setup like that sound like shit!
I like Fender Custom Shop guitars from the early 90s to the late 90s. I think the build quality is as good as the modern master built guitars- maybe better and they are cheaper. I have seen some horrible modern Gibson Custom Shop guitars that were $4,000.00 and up that had horrible craftsmanship. I like the Gibson guitars from the 90s, I think they are better than the newer ones.
The hot noiseless have ceramic mags (Jeff Beck) and the vintage noiseless have alnico mags (Eric Clapton). The magnetic field design pickups by G&L are great pick-ups.
...But, didn't someone say that the tone was in their hands? They must've meant when playing air guitar.
Great/lame gear doesn't guarantee great/lame results. It only provides the potential for a particular range of results.
I have several guitars. Some have no name on the headstock, some have the manufacturer's name. Pro Players, Investor/Collectors, & Hobbyists all have various considerations, when choosing gear-- for a number of different reasons. If the guitar is to be used to play, the name is meaningless. If the guitar is an investment piece, it matters. My $.02
What's important is how you feel on stage. If a name on a headstock makes you feel confident then why resist it... Ya, I like the way Fender or Gibson looks on my guitar, so I rock it..
I'm a name snob. Plain n simple. One of my Les Pauls has my name on the truss cover. Cant get anymore snob than that.
Who is the most handsome fellow? Is this the one and only Zachman Wildman from the land of DOG, the Bounty Hunter? ;>)/
My OP wasn't so much about brand snobbery as value. The fact is a Fender Strat compared to a kit Strat, all things being equal, the name brand will carry a much higher value. But if I were to speak to brand "snobbery" (a term seemingly fostered by jealousy) , I would say I clearly choose the most popular name brands possible. In my eyes Gibson and Fender pretty much covered all the bases, I see no reason to buy copies (commonly inferior) over originals. People have been loyal to brands since the beginning of retail. Ford vs Chevy, Fender vs Gibson, Buck Knives vs Case knives, Sony vs Pioneer and AudioTechnica, Walmart vs Target, McDonalds vs Burger King and Wendy's, Seiko vs Citizen and so-on. Brand names are usually associated with quality and design originality. The idea is that if you want the best quality, choose the most popular name brand. I would rather own one expensive name brand guitar or amp than anything that copies or emulates it. That's my taste.
If it's only about value well of course it matters. We've been programed that way. There's no such thing as quality with out that brand name.
There was a time name was not important to me because I couldn't afford names. Now years later I can afford, so name is now important to me, not just guitars but amps too.
