Pablito
coco frío
I had the good fortune to hear Joshua Bell in concert at Tanglewood a few days ago and his Stradivarius sounded excellent.
HCB's Leicas took excellent pictures too...
peter_n
Veteran
Good one Pablito! I should have said he sounded excellent, but I fell under the spell of the thread title...
gho
Well-known
Sure, sure, no fool making implied from my side. Even though there may not be a sonic superiority of the instrument, playing one may well have a psychological effect on the musician to bring out his/her best. And knowing to listen to a Stradivari may as well have an effect on the audience too.
In short, it may not only be the object itself, but also the narrative attached to the object that influences its percieved value.
In fact there is some interesting research going on with regard to brands and the brain.
Check out this article in the Journal of Consumer Behavior, if you are interested:
http://web.mit.edu/tkp/www/Perrachione_Perrachione_2008_J_Consumer_Behaviour.pdf
One highlight:
"Regardless of the real cost of the wine, subjects reported a more pleasant tasting experience as the wines’ indicated price increased."
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
One highlight:
"Regardless of the real cost of the wine, subjects reported a more pleasant tasting experience as the wines’ indicated price increased."
Oh certainly -- just as people are more inclined to buy tickets to a performance or fundraiser if they're not TOO inexpensive. There's a certain "if it's expensive, it must be good" assumption.
"Regardless of the real cost of the wine, subjects reported a more pleasant tasting experience as the wines’ indicated price increased."
Oh certainly -- just as people are more inclined to buy tickets to a performance or fundraiser if they're not TOO inexpensive. There's a certain "if it's expensive, it must be good" assumption.
victoriapio
Well-known
my wife is a pianist, organist and choral conductor. She adores the Renner action of the Hamburg Steinway L and the sound of the 1918 Baldwin baby grand in the living room. They are her "Leicas" although she is not one to sit and drool over keyboards, pedals and the ebony finish.
rhl-oregon
Cameras Guitars Wonders
At this point in this I'm inclined to suggest that we start a new thread or two in the spirit of Show Us Your Leica, but focused--for starters, at least--on guitars (and other stringed instruments including violins and pianos) and fountain pens. In the spirit of the OP, of course--the craftperson's highly specific and mechanical appreciation of the instrument that makes her/his art possible.
And after all, there are threads on RFFer watches and bicycles!
And after all, there are threads on RFFer watches and bicycles!
J450N
Member
(edit: Caught up with the thread. My apologies rhl-oregon.)
Ahh... another TGP member.
I've seen countless threads and online classifieds where people discuss the weight of their Les Paul guitars and how it impacts the value. They measure them down to the hundredths of a pound.
Ahh... another TGP member.
I've seen countless threads and online classifieds where people discuss the weight of their Les Paul guitars and how it impacts the value. They measure them down to the hundredths of a pound.
But of course! Just ask a player about his '59 Gibson Les Paul or '57 Stratocaster; or why does he keep that ultra-expensive set of NOS Sylvania "Coke Bottle" 6L6 vacuum tubes for his amp.
I know, after all I'm a "Strat cat"
Heck, some players (Eric Johnson comes to mind) even require their effects pedals to be fed by carbon 9 volt batteries because it gives the best sound!
Sounds similar to all the body, lens, film, developer, sensor, etc talk around here, doesn't it?
Just like great photographers can take great pictures regardless of the camera, a great player will get his/her sound on any guitar and amp. I remember reading an article where Jon Bon Jovi tells how he once heard Jeff Beck play 'Where Where You?' in a crappy transistor practice amp backstage in a concert... and it sounded as amazing as the studio recording; or B.B. King saying that his sound is in 'his fingers'.
zauhar
Veteran
redisburning
Well-known
(edit: Caught up with the thread. My apologies rhl-oregon.)
Ahh... another TGP member.
I've seen countless threads and online classifieds where people discuss the weight of their Les Paul guitars and how it impacts the value. They measure them down to the hundredths of a pound.
which is ironic given that the words "Gibson" and "precision" don't belong in the same sentence.
rhl-oregon
Cameras Guitars Wonders
Just got a copy of this on my trip back to the Carolinas. That's a 61 Strat in my arms, and a 58 Gibson ES 175D played by Kelly. It's probably 1970, and we are almost ceretainly performing "Tuesday Afternoon," given that our friend Joey is fluting away.
Although I own a much more modern and versatile (non-Fender) Strat these days (see detail below), I would of course love to have the liquid value of those 2 guitars, in which I invested a total of $190....
Oh, and since this is RFF, the photo almost certainly was taken with a Speed Graphic by John Kelly of Wilmington NC. He was contracted to the 2 high schools to shoot for their yearbooks, and as an editor, I got to play DP at a time when I knew nothing about cameras. But the impression he made on me was not wasted....
Le Strat: walnut body, birdseye neck, SCN pickups + Biltoft p90 in bridge position.
Although I own a much more modern and versatile (non-Fender) Strat these days (see detail below), I would of course love to have the liquid value of those 2 guitars, in which I invested a total of $190....
Oh, and since this is RFF, the photo almost certainly was taken with a Speed Graphic by John Kelly of Wilmington NC. He was contracted to the 2 high schools to shoot for their yearbooks, and as an editor, I got to play DP at a time when I knew nothing about cameras. But the impression he made on me was not wasted....
Le Strat: walnut body, birdseye neck, SCN pickups + Biltoft p90 in bridge position.
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Messsucherkamera
Established
Amen to that.
We should be able to do our work with our film Leicas and not be badgered and pressured to trade them in for digital cameras, too.
A photographic colleague of mine does this and it is really getting old. He is SUCH a digital zealot it's like he's a Jehovah's Witness missionary with a Nikon D800 n his hand instead of a Bible.
Paul T.
Veteran
Was trying to wean myself off this guitar... used it on a recent recording. Mistake. The nipper might have to pay his own college fees...
Guitars are perhaps the best man-made items left to us, I think. Just got the boy a Fender Mustang bass in Japan. It will last a lifetime, be more beautiful as the years go by, and will be worth far more in 20 years than it is today.
Guitars are perhaps the best man-made items left to us, I think. Just got the boy a Fender Mustang bass in Japan. It will last a lifetime, be more beautiful as the years go by, and will be worth far more in 20 years than it is today.
Messsucherkamera
Established
Not to worry - if the nipper learns to wield his Mustang effectively, he will have WAY more opportunity and financial security than 95% of sheepskins could ever give him.
At least you didn't buy him a camera - that is the vehicle of choice if your preferred lifestyle is anonymity and financial under-achieviment.
The destination of most photographers is not a goldmine but the journey is worth the thin wallet that usually comes with it. JMHO.
At least you didn't buy him a camera - that is the vehicle of choice if your preferred lifestyle is anonymity and financial under-achieviment.
The destination of most photographers is not a goldmine but the journey is worth the thin wallet that usually comes with it. JMHO.
BobYIL
Well-known
"... its all about passion and small details."
Very true..
I do not remember one great photographer claiming that "after switching to this brand I became a better photographer." They were great with the Contax II's, Barnacks, Nikon S or Canon P's too.. and then with an array of SLRs too. Same as what Alex Majoly was with an Olympus C-5050.
The great majority of the "great" 35mm pictures decorating the walls of museums, exhibitions and the pages of famous photo books are to be regarded by today's digital standards as "meh", having horrible resolution, too much "noise" and weird tonality if not also unacceptable coma, corner fall-off, etc.
As long as we are impressed by the "essence" we do not care much about the "packing".. When we listen to Jasha Heifetz playing Ziguenerweisen, we forget about the limited bandwidth of the tube-cut vinyl soundtrack; as right with the first notes of the violin we feel being carried away.. And after being acquainted with Haifetz' talent and style we start to believe that any violin in his hands is to sound better than what it can do in our hands.
So the matter is not how a Stradi would sound in master hands.. no, the magic is not in the Stradi at the first rate but how a Stradi would sound in our hands..
River Dog
Always looking
How 'handmade' are Leicas? Can you ask for options at manufacture, colour, materials, performance parameters etc. I ask, because I had my own guitar made for me, just how I wanted it, by hand. Many flamenco and classical guitarists commission their own instrument when they reach a certain level. I suspect (but don't know) that Strads were originally commissioned works.
Anyway, you might be inspired by the luthier in this documentary I made of the build. He is now starting out on violins.
http://www.foroflamenco.com/elguitarrero/
Anyway, you might be inspired by the luthier in this documentary I made of the build. He is now starting out on violins.
http://www.foroflamenco.com/elguitarrero/
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Nib of my dad's Montblanc 149. I never could write with it because the grip separates my fingers too widely. I can't control it to make it work for my very small handwriting. Now, my Parker 75, that's another matter. I wrote my way through college with it and a Cross ballpoint.
A Rangefinder Leica is my Stradivarius. And so are most Nikons--FE2, F3, FA, F100 . . . The Leica SLRs are not my Strads. I tried very hard to make them work for me. No luck.
James Krenov (google it), a cabinetmaker, wrote that the hand plane is "the cabinetmaker's (did he say, Stradivarius, or Violin?)"
I suppose a Stradivarius is anything that lets us make a reality of our intentions. Does that sound right? I would say it is anything that becomes a part of us; but one of the violinists said that would be a Guarneri.
Attachments
patois
Established
If you just bought one camera and used only it rather than constantly buying and selling cameras it wouldn't be too expensive.
peter_n
Veteran
Not as handmade as violins. Recently my youngest had one of her violins repaired and adjusted by a local luthier and there are many signs of repair and restoration inside the instrument.
