BoomerGirl Diary

I read that statement recently in a music industry newsletter I subscribe to. It was talking about what kind of music still turns us baby boomers on. They suggested, when all is said and done, boomers love guitars. I had to agree.

Probably one of my favorite songs of all-time, "Money for Nothin’" by Dire Straits, has the most amazing guitar sequence known. At least to me. When I put it on the stereo, I have to crank it up loud. Window-shattering loud. Those beginning bars and Sting’s voice coming in a whisper, “I want my, I want my MTV.” The drum rolls, and then those incredible guitar licks that come in, and Mark Knopfler’s sublime voice. All this sends me into instant nirvana. For me, nothing is better.

Ever wonder where guitars come from? Who makes them? And what kind do the best guitarists play? Well, I went to Wikipedia and found a few facts.

The most prominent and respected acoustic guitars in the marketplace are Martins. C.F. Martin has been making guitars for 175 years by the same committed family. Their factory is in Pennsylvania. They employ 650 devoted craftspeople, most of them working there for extended periods of time; 42 years, 21 years, 38 years, 9 years, the list goes on. It takes six weeks to three months to make one guitar and they produce 80,000 guitars a year. The finely crafted instruments range in price from $800 to $110,000. Some famous Martin guitarists are: Paul Simon, Stephen Stills, Sting, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Arlo Guthrie and Roger McGuinn.

There are three kinds of electric guitars that are primarily played by the best guitar players: The Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul.

Leo Fender developed the Fender Telecaster in the '40s, and his design put the hand-built solid-body electric guitar into the marketplace with a significant impact. Country musicians were attracted to the early wooden prototype built by Fender and his partner, because of its sustaining tone. Telecasters have been played by many popular guitar players, including Muddy Waters, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Merle Haggard, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Andy Summers (of The Police).

Fender also produced another more electronically complex electric guitar called the Stratocaster. It was the signature guitar for legend Buddy Holly. Stevie Ray Vaughan was a devoted player of the Stratocaster, along with Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, and Bonnie Raitt.

The Les Paul was brought into being in the 1950s and named after electronics innovator and consummate jazz guitarist Les Paul. (Do any of you boomers remember the Les Paul and Mary Ford shows that used to be on TV when we were young?) The Les Paul is one of the most well known solid-body guitars in the world and the design has remained basically unchanged since the ‘50s. Some of the well-known Les Paul users are Pete Townsend, Eddie Van Halen, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler and Jimmy Page. Just to name a few.

Vintage Les Pauls, Telecasters and Stratocasters can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars in the marketplace today. Twenty-five years ago, you could pick one up in a pawnshop for $75.

So now when you’re rocking away to your favorite songs of our generation, like "Foxy Lady," "Won’t Get Fooled Again," "Layla," or "Something To Talk About," you can say you know a little about the instruments providing those killer sounds. Because, you know what they say: Boomers Love Guitars…

Until next time, rock on and be excellent to each other.… Penny