USA Production Series Appreciation Thread

[zakky_venom]

More importantly, grunge killed the "dirtbag" look, or at least slapped a label on it. As a kid, I wore jeans, work boots and a flannel shirt. When Pearl Jam's Ten hit, I still wore jeans, work boots and a flannel shirt - somewhere along the way I went from hopeless loser, to righteous hipster without changing my clothes.





I did cut my hair though. Probably around the time Chris Cornell did - so Metallic bit my style.

you should sell the movie rights

[Flatpicker]

Nope. It killed itself, or at least set itself up to be pushed under the bus.

You weren't "good" unless you could keep up with the shredding. Your band sucked if you didn't have a guitarist who could blaze scalar patterns and arpeggios at 200BPM while carrying on a conversation.

You had to be able to impress other guitarists with your fretboard skills.

Nevermind the fact you can write a melody that stuck with the general CD-buying populace or a song that more than guitarists would be interested in, you had to be able to masturbate musically to the exclusion of all else.

Ergo, the "music" killed itself.

I'm not too sure I agree.
There were groups that created good melodic music that were dropped too.
It's like the flood wiped out everybody.

[DHardmanJr]

I'm not too sure I agree.
There were groups that created good melodic music that were dropped too.
It's like the flood wiped out everybody.

I agree with most all of these points ... grunge being an antidote for the excesses of the late 80s metal but it sucked that a lot of good bands with good music that I will call "sincere" for the lack of a better term were caught in the backlash against the over the top, insensere, "let me show you how fast I can move my fingers and how big my hair can be" bands.

There were a lot of good rock bands in the early 90s that just got wiped out from the backlash.

[85 San Dimas]

I'm not too sure I agree.
There were groups that created good melodic music that were dropped too.
It's like the flood wiped out everybody.

I'm with Flatpicker on this....the way I remember it the masturbating was pretty much over by '86. Only the bands that were destined for immediate failure were still doing it. Van Halen had softened, Bon Jovis "Slippery When Wet" was the biggest album of the year. In '87 we got Whitesnake which turned big chords and Les Pauls back on (but since Coverdale fired Sykes it was Slash that took advantage of it(hero-wise). By mid-88 we were doing Guns, Acoustic power ballads, the Zep Copies (Lenny Wolf), Cinderella-type stuff, Slaughter, Metallica's "One", Aerosmiths "permanent vacation", etc. The happy smiling shredder was already gone. '89 was Tesla, Black Crowes, etc. and the bottom of the barrel (Kix, etc.) 1990 was Aerosmiths 'Pump". It had gone back toward blues by 88 as reaction to 1984-5. Only the hangers on were still trying to "hang on".......except Vai and Yngwie(the ultimate hangers on). A lot of mediocre crap in 89 and 90. Remember 'Don't close your eyes" by Kix. definition of mediocre. But it was a hit!
I think really Dee Snider has it right...when "metal" and hard rock stopped blowing your asses back in the seat and started trying to play 'unplugged", and veering away from what those bands did well ,etc. then the word was "boring", and it was ready to be taken apart. And then it was...first by Guns, then metallica, then Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Alice In Chains

I'm leaving out a lot of names but that's the way I remember it.

[AndyK]

I'm with Flatpicker on this....the way I remember it the masturbating was pretty much over by '86. Only the bands that were destined for immediate failure were still doing it. Van Halen had softened, Bon Jovis "Slippery When Wet" was the biggest album of the year. In '87 we got Whitesnake which turned big chords and Les Pauls back on (but since Coverdale fired Sykes it was Slash that took advantage of it(hero-wise). By mid-88 we were doing Guns, Acoustic power ballads, the Zep Copies (Lenny Wolf), Cinderella-type stuff, Slaughter, Metallica's "One", Aerosmiths "permanent vacation", etc. The happy smiling shredder was already gone. '89 was Tesla, Black Crowes, etc. and the bottom of the barrel (Kix, etc.) 1990 was Aerosmiths 'Pump". It had gone back toward blues by 88 as reaction to 1984-5. Only the hangers on were still trying to "hang on".......except Vai and Yngwie(the ultimate hangers on). A lot of mediocre crap in 89 and 90. Remember 'Don't close your eyes" by Kix. definition of mediocre. But it was a hit!
I think really Dee Snider has it right...when "metal" and hard rock stopped blowing your asses back in the seat and started trying to play 'unplugged", and veering away from what those bands did well ,etc. then the word was "boring", and it was ready to be taken apart. And then it was...first by Guns, then metallica, then Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Alice In Chains

I'm leaving out a lot of names but that's the way I remember it.

Amen! Like any period in music history, there comes a period where cutting-edge becomes pop, the floodgates open, and the copy-cats dilute what was once great. What is sad is that instead of the copy-cats vanishing into history, the entire genre was axed (no pun intended).

Back on topic, here is my SD-1 - haven't seen many candy blue guitars lately!

[DHardmanJr]

Back on topic, here is my SD-1 - haven't seen many candy blue guitars lately!

Sweet candy blue SD-1. Does it look as blue in person or more purplish? I like the way those candy blue Charvels look in photos but have been fooled before by flash photos that make something look blue only to see it's purplish under normal lighting.

[AndyK]

Sweet candy blue SD-1. Does it look as blue in person or more purplish? I like the way those candy blue Charvels look in photos but have been fooled before by flash photos that make something look blue only to see it's purplish under normal lighting.

Thanks. It looks like that in person, unless it's slightly dark in the room, then it turns a little more purple/blue. Still a nice not-white (I already have a pearl white Soloist) blue!

[Flatpicker]

but since Coverdale fired Sykes

Thus the answer to your question from before.

Coverdale usually marks the moment when something jumps the shark.
Deep Purple, the entire Power Metal (pop metal) genre, Tawney Kitaen,etc etc..

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy Whitesnake's 80's work but still think Dave is a wanker.

[MusicManJP6]

Back on topic, here is my SD-1 - haven't seen many candy blue guitars lately!

Love it!!

[beachjammer]

Thanks. It looks like that in person, unless it's slightly dark in the room, then it turns a little more purple/blue. Still a nice not-white (I already have a pearl white Soloist) blue!

I've always loved the Candy Blue! If they do a So Cal in that color I'm ruined!

[MusicManJP6]

I've always loved the Candy Blue! If they do a So Cal in that color I'm ruined!

Ditto!

[Newc]

And yet isn't that the whole argument - Grunge killed Shred? Speedy licks were replaced with 3 chords and blues-infuenced leads (or sometimes no lead at all)?

And yes, once something becomes popular, it turns into a marketing ploy.
To illustrate that point, I used to have a Taxi membership (the music service that shops your stuff to different labels) when I had a band. Their listings were nothing but want-ads for copycats of whatever the flavor of the week was. They wanted Korn, Limb Bizkit, Tupac, Shania, New Kids, and Setzer babies, not artists.

After a year's subscription, I let it expire. They sent me a survey asking for my opinion of the service and why I wasn't renewing, and I wrote that I was expecting something more than they were offering - a real shot at a label deal - but they were perpetuating the copycat syndrome that kills every genre.

[wilkinsi]

I like the Candy Tangerine, Pagan Gold and Purple So Cals.

[Big D]

OK...my new white SD Style 1 is an absolute WINNER. After a week of playing, I can honestly say this guitar is just amazing. It's a great time to be a Charvel fanboy.

[Dogbone]

I can safely say that I'm still appreciating my SD1 after owning for three months now Get's appreciated everyday