just read this in a "guide to building electic guitars and basses" book that had a piece of history in it... very educational actually i didn't know that the 70's and 80's era was so degrading to fender and gibson now i get the whole CBS thing... well anyways i read that lots of guitarrists around this era (and today obviously this "tradition" continues for different reasons) built their own guitars and now here is my question... is it true that schecter started out as a spare parts building company for fender guitars competing with mighty mite and many others?

Not only Fender and Gibson guitars...

...the 70s was the decade when Detroit made the decision to market the worst vehicles on earth and give half their traditional market to the Germans and Japanese.

'Not fondly remember 2 Buicks and an Olds which just plain rusted, broke down, leaked, shed parts, blew 2 engines, literally began falling apart beginning within months of the warranty expiring....

...and back to guitars, today, the 1970s Ibanez copies of Gs are nigh on as good as the day they were made.

It was everything. Cars, houses, appliances, you name it. I do have a 72 Strat that is amazing. I had to try out something like eight Strats to find my jem. I still own it today.

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yep through the 80's fender and gibson were nowhere in sight.
ESP, kramer, ibanez, charvel, jackson, these type companies
were on top, and built better guitars. still do some of them.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Agreed. I recently played an Ibanez Prestige (not sure the exact model) and that thing was top notch. And the cost was much lower than a high end Gibson, but right on par with Fender. I have played a lot of guitars from the 70s and 80's that weren't great, but I have played a lot that were as well. My '76 Aria LP copy is head and shoulders better than any mid-70s Gibson I've played.

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Yep I had a Schecter Telecaster from the time when Paul Anderson worked there. 82 or close. Very nice parts guitar. It was built by a guy who plays lead for Bob Seager.

If you get a chance check this out, its about the history of the electric guitar. I liked it.


http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/ ... lues#video

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08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher

nice thanks jaknzax

+1, The Smithsonian usually does a good job.

I managed a music store that was a Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez dealership in that era. CBS couldn't manage to hurt a Telecaster and we had some good ones. The 3 bolt strats were not highly regarded.

Gibson was owned by Norlin, which I believe was really a manufacturer of refridgerators and other appliances. Most of the Gibsons were actually OK. We got some excellent Les Paul Customs and had a beautiful E-2 walnut Explorer. Gibson also made a budget model called "The Paul". Very stable giging instruments. Gibson did have their turkey models. The RD Standard comes to mind.

This is the business climate that really got Ibanez off the ground. The Fender and Gibson reps were making us buy the turkeys of their lines even if we offered to double up the orders for the good stuff. Ibanez, on the other hand, hosted private concerts for Ibanez dealers only. I got to hear Bob Wier, Stanley Clark, Billy Cobham, and Steve Miller, along with many others in a small room. Did we order up the Ibanez product? Well, heck yeah!

The fit and finish of the Ibanez guitars was excellent and the prices were low. If I am going to be honest, I have to say that in some cases the pick-ups on their guitars of that period (IMHO) left something to be desired. Ibanez made Tama drums that just left the old American brands in the dust. Then there were the Ibanez effects; good stuff for sure.

For a brief period, Ibanez made some Tama acoustic guitars that were just spectacular. They made some earlier Tamas of a lesser quality, but we got the guitars that were made in a special factory with special woods. If you ever get a chance to buy one, grab it! I own a 1974 00-18 Martin that I love and the Tama guitars compare very favorably.

Thank god that Fender is under its present leadership and making the great instruments they are today. Far better than the CBS era, trust me.