We try to be unbiased on all approaches to life however, that’s truly difficult to do when people ask, are guitars still cool!?
Since the number of new guitars being sold today is higher than ever before and the second-hand sales of guitar gear are through the roof, we would say that guitars are just as cool as ever. But when you look at the 2010s the most famous music doesn’t really feature guitars, yes there are great genres that are very guitar-centric such as metal and rock but the more generic run-of-the-mill music seems to be heavily electronic-based.
Today it is far more accessible than ever has been ever before to create music on a computer wherein much of the gear used to record electric music such as midi keyboards, interfaces, and effects can overlap into guitar-orientated music.
This means that the lines are blurring what used to be an evident clear divide between guitarists and DJ’s gear. Also just as we hear an increase of electronic music within rock and metal, it’s becoming a little more commonplace to hear the guitar in pop music, as many of the top artists are also keen guitarists such as Ed Sheeran whose looping skills are off the chart!
Focusing on the overall appearance of things, because let’s face it, nothing quite matches the rawness of rock bands and their instruments! (Drummers get a bad rap with this as no one’s parents want them practicing drums at home but a guitar/bass amp with headphones out is going to be a much easier sell.) So kids looking to learn music have the choice of; people sitting behind laptops, keyboards, and nameless classical musicians to look up to ORRRRR some crazy rock band jumping all over the stage holding guitars carved by artist luthiers! The competition just isn’t there because kids love jumping around.
And then there are the toys because we don’t grow up nowadays, that’s not a dig … it’s a brag! We’re so lucky to be living in a world where we can maintain the joy of receiving a new toy. What better toys are there for guitarists than pedals, each one is a unique bundle of sonic joy, and although most people buying the pedals aren’t aspiring to become the next spice girls, it’s the joy of playing with these toys in new expressive ways which creates the excitement.
Imagine if you will that artists we’re given new colors to create with each week .. well that’s what we, as guitarists, are getting!
And so in conclusion, we don’t think guitar will ever be uncool. However, we do think its place in society has grown from something only certain people who would aim to be the next big rock star would have to now be something many people use for recreational escape and creativity.
Don’t forget though, that the next step is so easy to make once you have a decent rig, get playing with others and your journey becomes a story with many characters.