Dated synth? How come they are dated but not electric guitars?

Synth solo in Rush-Madrigal reminds me of Human League.

 

...because playing the blues in 2018 is so cool.

 

Keytars would address most of your caveats.

 

A glance at the pop charts this decade would indicate that the guitar sound is passé.

 

Some of the signature "synth" parts on Who's Next were actually played on a Lowrey home spinet organ.

 

Guitar bands are on the way out.

 

Seems to me that there are two different meanings of the word "dated" at work here. One is that a sound ties it to a particular time. So that sound "dates" the song by tying it to a certain time period. Imo nothing objectionable about such a dynamic, and therefore use of the concept of a sound "dating" the song is fine.

Others use the term dating or dated to mean that because the song is identified as coming from some earlier period, that is a bad thing. I can't agree with that at all.

In short I don't get how "dated" is a term that should properly be used as a pejorative.

 

Even though I said synth solos sound dated in a previous post, two of my favorite solos are EVH in "Jump" and Geddy Lee in "Subdivisions." Do they sound dated? Sure, but they are the better for it.

 

Without em for bands I prefer, my collection would be pretty barren...

 

In which Pretzel provided hazard with the answers so desperately sought...

Could the Beatles sing iharmony vocals into a shared microphone and shake their heads if they were playing synthesizers?

Dunno. Does it matter? They used synths, but not very well. What’s iharmony?

Could Chuck Berry do a duck walk while playing a synth?

It’s been done. But Chuck definitely couldn’t do it now.

Could Jimi Hendrix play a synth with his teeth or behind his back?

It’s been done.

Could David Bowie fellate Mick Ronson's synth?

Hang on…you’re bring Bowie into this? You *do* know that his most beloved work is primarily synth-based, right? And no one was fellating anyone, despite the cross-dressing synth pioneer that was a closer collaborator than Ronson.

Could Don Felder and Joe Walsh play an amazing twin synth solo on Hotel California?

There are single synths that could play the solo better than two guitars. And far better synth solos.

Is Kraftwerk as cool as Led Zeppelin?

Of course they are. And more entertaining live performers too. What point are you trying to make?

Could the Sex Pistols gob on their audience from behind a synthesizer?

You haven’t heard of Suicide, have you?

Can you crowd surf while playing a
synthesizer?

You can’t crowd surf and play a guitar.

Can you play the blues on a synth?

Yes. Why would you want to? Blues is boring.

Can you busk on a street corner with a synth?

Yes. But buskers in general are rubbish, so it’s moot.

Can you sit around a camp fire and play synths?

Yes. But no one sits around a campfire doing anything these days.

Can you buy a synth at your local op shop for $10 and start a garage band?

Yes. When was the last time you bought a guitar for ten dollars?

Do people think before they post?

Judging from your original post, I’m gonna have to say…no.

 

Yes, at least as, if not more.

 

amazing

 

Nice key solo in 83's Living on Video Morgan

 

For me Synths dont always sound bad, but they dont have the soul or human touch that can come across in an electric guitar.

 

I can assure you that the synth rig Robert Wheeler is playing in this photo does not sound dated. In fact, it sounds amazing.

 

I think it’s a question of taste. Sometimes synths are so tacky that it’s hard to take the sounds seriously. “Fun” and silliness is sometimes the point though. It’s a hard line to walk. And something that sounds cheesy one year might come back in vogue the next.

 

Some guitar sounds have been referred to as dated. For example...

* 60’s Fuzz - first made popular on Satisfaction by Rolling Stones and also many Hendrix tunes. Fuzz became unpopular in the 80’s but has since made a comeback. Examples include the Maestro Fuzz Tone (Satisfaction), Arbiter Fuzz Face (many Hendrix tunes), Tone Bender (Jimmy Page) and Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Isley Brothers - Who’s That Lady?).

* 60’s/70’s Vox Wah Pedal - Another effect that was popular in the 60’s/70’s, then became unpopular and considered dated in the 80’s, then made a comeback after 2000. Originally designed to simulate the sound of Clyde McCoy’s trumpet. Popular wah wah songs include Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile, Clapton’s White Room and Jimmy Page’s Dazed and Confused.

* 80’s Chorus - probably the guitar sound that most people refer to as a “dated guitar sound”. Two popular Chorus pedals were the Boss CE-1 and CE-2, and also the Dyno My Piano Tri Stereo rackmount chorus. Countless 80’s songs used Chorus on guitar. Def Leppard’s Pyromania utilized the Dyno My Piano Chorus.

* 80’s/90’s - Over Saturated Distortion - Made popular by Marshall JCM800 guitar amps (many modified for extra gain), Marshall JCM900 guitar amps, and also Soldano guitar amps offered similiar highly distorted guitar sounds.

 

Pianists have been using pretty much the same sound for 300 yeara, without sounding dated.
Most pop organs have a pretty limited palette as well.

Harpsichords, on the other hand, sound dated as hell, no matter when they were used.

 

Clavinet = instant funk = dated in the best way.

Yes, I realize that a Clavinet is not a synthesizer, but I just wanted to make a point about "dated" being a good thing.

 

"Dated" as a pejorative is usually used to describe something that was once trendy but which has become unfashionable.

 

PretzelLogic you beat me to it! Dang.

 

So you're saying these guys aren't cool?

 

Its nothing to do with my opinion. If you think they are cool then I respect your opinion. But are they recognised as cool outside the confines of the SHF? The examples I gave are generally recognised by a cross section of people outside of our esteemed forum members. I suspect that whoever is in that picture is not.

 

I don't find analogue synths dated at all
they sound timeless

Digital synths however..........yikes!

And if you don't think the Smashing Pumkins
guitars sound dated......well................yikes!!

 

Like someone said here, guitars haven't changed much in the way of sound while synths have changed greatly throughout the years. From the Mellotron sounds, to the Fender Rhodes sounds, to the 80's Arps and such, to now a more digital feel. It's also seemed to be less used in music now than it was back then.